He waited till it was fully night before he even tried to look at the messages that were left for him. The odds that someone was eavesdropping were very slim, but he didn't want to take any chances. The moon was full tonight and it illuminated the small room just enough for him to see what he was doing. Ben did not bother to turn on any lights. Let anyone outside assume that he was sleeping and resting from his illness.

He held the small device gingerly and studied it in the dim light of the moon. It was an older device but he knew how it worked. With one last look around the room he activated the device and let it cycle through the messages it contained.

The first one was of his uncle. It showed his uncle in a tiny perfect holographic image. His uncle looked distracted in the image as he recorded his message, he could sense the tension even through the recording.

"Ben, I'm sorry that I will not be there for when you wake up. There was an urgent matter that I had to attend too, but as soon as this is concluded I will return and start your training again," The image paused as if it was considering what to say next. "While I am away I want you to continue your meditation. Learning anything else is secondary compared to learning to center yourself."

Ben listened dispassionately while the message played. He knew that he should be glad that his uncle was gone. But part of him also resented his absence, it reminded him too much of his own father.

His uncle continued, "When I am able I will send you another message. Until then please take care of yourself." And with that the message ended. It seemed that his uncle did not seem to think that he was mature enough to know why he had left. It was all very intentionally vague.

The device made a small clicking noise as it cycled to the next message. This time the message came from his mother. An uncomfortable knot of emotion formed at the back of his throat but he ignored it and concentrated on the message.

His mother was seated, and he realized with annoyance that she was not alone. Poe was with her and he looked just as insufferably cheerful like always. His father was not there, but that did not surprise him.

In the holographic image his mother smiled up at him before speaking. "Ben, I hope that when you see this message that you are doing well. I know that this transition will not be an easy one. But I want you to know that I love you and miss you."

Ben listened and rubbed his temples, he stopped the message before it could be continue instead stared out the window. There was no need for him to listen to the rest of it he knew. She had sent him off to a far off planet because she had been scared of him. No recorded messages of her love for him would ever chance the truth of that matter.

He didn't have to listen to the message. It would most likely not contain any important information. But still he could not bring himself to delete it. Instead he held the device in his hand and simply skipped it instead. He could listen to it later.

The message that he really needed to hear was the one from his true master. He should have listened to it first. He was not sure why he had put it off till now.

Ben skipped over the message from his mother and Poe and played the one from Snoke. The image that appeared was only a hologram but part of Ben cringed away from it. Even his image seemed to hold some kind of power over him. The hologram stared at him intensely as if it were actually meeting his gaze.

There was a second of silence before Snoke spoke in his deep recorded voice. "You will need to be ready. In a week they will come to you." And with that simple sentence the message suddenly ended. Still, the true meaning of that message rang in his ears. To someone who did not know either Ben or Snoke it would seem strangely enigmatic and brief. But he knew exactly who "they" were and what would happen once they got there.

His heart started hammering in his chest and he could not be sure if he was excited or scared by this news. Either way there was no way he would sleep tonight. In only a week, one way or another, he would be free of this place. Perhaps his Uncles sudden leaving was all part of the plan, one that he hadn't been told about. He certainly wouldn't put it past his master. In the grand game that he was playing he always seemed to be several steps ahead of his enemies. Laying out traps and half concealed treachery that his opponents would not see until it was far too late to save themselves. Having the one and only Jedi in the galaxy leave at this time was too much of a coincidence.

One day Ben might have a mind that worked like his masters.' For now he was far too weak and pitiful to be anything other than a tool for his master. Age and training would be his only hope of every matching Snoke, or his grandfather.

Despite the hammering in his chest he forced himself to crawl into the bed. He did not close his eyes though. Instead he stared at the ceiling in the darkness trying to force himself to stay still and rest his body even if his mind would not stop working. He was making fast progress from his illness but he was still weaker than he was when he first came to the temple. Tomorrow he would be able to go back to his room. And he could walk openly and train and strengthen himself for the tasks that lay ahead.

Morning came a few hours later and, as he had predicted, he had not slept at all. Instead he had entered a kind of meditative state as he lay in the bed. Because of this his body felt refreshed but his mind felt muddy and clouded. He would need real sleep sometime today.

As soon as the morning light started to seep in through the window he was out of bed. Pulling on clothes and shoes felt good to him, even though they were new Jedi padawan robes. It just felt good to know that he would be moving around again. He had finished dressing himself when there came a tentative knock on the door. Ben turned to the door but said nothing, he knew who it would be anyway.

Joie opened the door and her eyes widened at the sight of him up and fully dressed. She smiled as well, and Ben noticed that there were dark circles under her eyes. It was very noticeable since her skin was so fair.

"I'm glad you're up and awake. I thought you might actually want to go to the cafeteria this time instead of eating breakfast in bed." She said as she stood there with her hands clasped in front of her.

Ben shrugged as if he did not care, though actually he was happy he did not have to eat another meal in the narrow bed. Though he was not looking forward to seeing so many of the other students today.

"I'd love too. I'm always hungry," he said a little jokingly. It was true, he was always hungry. But then many teenage boys could eat their own weight in food it seemed. The temple probably went through a ton of food feeding so many growing bodies.

Joie seemed pleased though, which also pleased him. It might his last chance to spend time with her alone. After today he would need to isolate himself from the others. It would make what was coming easier to handle. At least Joie will be safe, he thought to himself, she is not a padawan here.

The walk to the cafeteria was actually a pleasant one. Neither of them talked but instead enjoyed the walk in silence. The air was crisp feeling and fresh, with the promise of being hotter later today as the sun rose in the sky. Everything seemed so still and peaceful.

At the cafeteria however everything was already bustling. Food was already prepared and waiting for the students, and from the look of things most of them were already there enjoying their breakfast. He immediately spotted Cavan, Hilab, and Thara all sitting at the same table. They waved at him and Joie enthusiastically, and ben cursed under his breath as he realized that he would be forced to join them. He tried to pick another table but Joie was already walking towards the others. So he followed and sat down at the small table, sandwiched between the quiet Joie and the overly cheerful Thara.

Cavan immediately clapped him on the back and smiled at him, "You had us all worried! You were really sick. I'm glad to see you on your feet again," Cavan said cheerfully.

Ben forced a smile even though he disliked being touched. The other boy really did remind him too much of Poe.

"It wasn't that bad. It was kind of restful actually," Ben said nonchalantly as he twirled his fork in his food. It was a meal he could not identify but it certainly smelled delicious. For a small establishment the cooks always seemed to be spot on.

Cavan grinned his perfect smile and even Thara giggled appreciatively at his response. "Well, it scared all of us. It has been awhile since someone was that sick. It might have been the weird flu that this planet seems to be famous for." Cavan said as he took a bite of his own meal.

"Of all the things this planet had to be famous for, why did it have to be some kind of jungle flu," Ben said solemnly as he started to eat.

Thara giggled at him as he said that, she was not eating at all but seemed to be very intensely staring at Ben. The boy looked back at her curiously. What was she staring at?

Joie saw her expression and gently chided her. "Thara you should eat, don't let it go to waste and let Ben eat his meal. Today is his last day of rest before he starts training again."

Tharas' eyes widened at the comment but started to eat her food, only occasionally staring at Ben and giggling. Ben was grateful for the silence. He felt his body already starting to wear out. Not getting any sleep last night was finally taking a toll on his body.

The others chatted amicably with each other while he rushed through his meal. He was hungry and tried and desperately wanted to be alone. When he finished with his meal it was easy to excuse himself, his classmates and Joie all reiterated that he would need his rest and didn't press him further.

He left the cafeteria quickly and made his way back to the temple with his tiny room. It did not really feel like his own place, as this would only be the second day in the space. He had spent more time in the infirmary or sleeping out in the woods than he had here. But still, he was happy to have a place where he could be alone. As soon as he was in the room he closed the door securely behind him and blocked the door with the clothes chest. It was properly paranoid of him but he did not want to chance anyone walking in on him. Ben settled himself down to rest and make a plan. He needed to get a message to Snoke, but he would have to wait until dark to do it. He knew that if anyone caught him using the communication equipment they would stop him. And so, with a small sigh, he waited for nightfall.