CHAPTER TWELVE
Seeing Obi-wan the previous day had knocked Chae for six. She deeply regretted sending him away the way she had. Only in hindsight did Chae realise how horrible she had been in turning him away like that. She knew Obi-Wan was in love with her. The way she had treated him must have completely crushed him. No doubt he was nursing a broken heart now. Maybe it was fear that kept Chae from allowing her true feelings for Obi-Wan being known; fear that if she got too close to him like she had with Omar, something bad would happen to him. Chae scoffed. A fat lot of good her training had been if she still struggle with fear.
"Maybe I just wasn't meant to be a Jedi," Chae muttered, looking down at Fyre cradled in her arms as she breast fed the young infant.
Chae yawned. Fyre hadn't slept very well during the night and then she had woken up early that morning to be fed. Looking up from her chair, Chae looked out of the bay window at the beautiful early morning sunrise. She still missed her father and she was finding it hard to cope with Fyre on her own. Sleepless nights and working in a dead end job as a waitress were hardly her idea of fun. But at least she was getting free board at Dexter's apartment in exchange for working in his diner, so Chae guessed it wasn't completely bad. Chae knew she could never go back to the temple after the way she had behaved.
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A few days passed and Asia had arrived home with her family and her master. Finding out that her friend, Chae, had left the Order was a terrible shock. But, then again, it was so like Chae to do such a thing. She was so much like her father. Chae adored her child, that much was obvious. Asia immersed herself into her studies and in looking after her family in order to take her mind off Chae. But she still missed her every day.
It gave Asia great pleasure looking after her mother and she seemed to get stronger every day. Master Zorro used his influence in getting s small apartment for the Kibibi family very close to the Jedi Temple, so that it would be easier for Asia to visit them whenever she could. A medical droid attended to the elderly woman every day and it appeared that the drugs were working. The credits Asia had won were enough to pay for the treatment five times over and still have plenty to spare. The only bad news the droid had to say was that her mother's eye sight would not return. The virus had attacked her eyes and had damaged them permanently.
Asia had a visit from Tom Antilles at her temple digs one morning. He told her that he would be staying on Coruscant permanently. There was nothing to make him stay on Tatooine so it seemed pointless to stay there. He informed her that he would return briefly to the desert planet to collect what belongings he had and his ship then would return in a few days. When Asia asked Tom what he would do for work, Tom admitted he had no idea what he would do once he returned to the city planet.
"I could always become an air taxi driver," he joked.
Asia grinned and gave him one final embrace before he left. "Thank you for being a friend when I needed it most," she said gently, eventually pulling away and brushing her hand across his cheek. "Stay safe!"
Tom headed towards the door, hestitated then turned his head to look back at her. "See you around, kid. I hope your mother gets better soon." With a final smile, he was gone. Asia hoped that wouldn't the last time she saw him.
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It was during a lightsabre training session two weeks later that Zorro noticed something different about Asia. Her connection with the Force seemed to be getting stronger. Zorro wasn't completely sure about his hunch so he activated a training droid and put it on a far higher setting than he knew Asia was use to. He did this whilst Asia put on a blindfold. He half expected her to completely screw up but the Twi'lek proved him wrong. She blocked nearly every shot with ease.
"Incredible," Zorro mused, more to himself than to Asia.
Asia removed her blindfold. "What do you mean, Master?"
"I had that droid on a far higher setting than I thought you would be able to handle. My assumption was obviously very wrong," Zorro told her.
Asia cocked her head to one side, frowning. Zorro explained to her that, for days, he had sensed a stronger bond with the Force developing in her and it seemed to coincide with having her family with her.
"Maybe I should talk to the council and see what they have to say on the matter," Zorro finished.
Asia paused that said, "if this assumption is correct, do you think that maybe…. Chae could come back home? Maybe the council could reverse their decision over what happened." Her purple eyes watched him hopefully.
Zorro sighed. "That decision isn't up to me, as you know, that would be down to the Jedi Elders."
Asia's heart sank. She so desperately wanted Chae to come back. She wanted Chae to meet her family, and Tom Antilles, the man who had saved her from a dire situation. Asia knew deep down that her friend would probably appreciate an extra pair of hands with the baby too. Zorro promised he would do what he could to persuade the council if it could be proven that there was a connection between Asia's bond with the Force and it being connected with having her family around.
That evening Zorro got his meeting with the Jedi Council. He put his theory to them. Was it possible that a Jedi's Force connection could be strengthened by family, love and affection? He argued Chae's case, saying that if it was possible then Chae should be allowed to come back to the temple with her child to be with her father. Or at least be given the choice to return if she wished. After the meeting, Master Yoda mediated on the subject. He had experienced such things happening. As Zorro had pointed out, if the Dark Side was powered by all the negative emotions such as anger and hate, then why shouldn't the Light Side be aided by love, happiness and other positive emotions? Yoda knew that he should perhaps give Chae a second chance. Being alone at this point in her life was not the ideal situation. She was also an exceptional Jedi; something he felt shouldn't be wasted so flippantly, even though Chae had broken several Jedi rules by sleeping with Omar Organa and having his child.
The following morning Yoda called the other council members back to the council room.
"Give Chae a second chance, we should," Yoda told them.
Mace Windu wasn't impressed. "Are you sure about this? Her behaviour was unacceptable!!"
Yoda remained calm. "Correct Master Zorro is. Chae's reaction to us was to be expected. Be given the chance to come home, she must, to be with her family."
The other masters agreed. Mace Windu remained silent.
