Rani returned home that afternoon and pulled back the rug in her living room. She then opened the trapdoor and climbed down the ladder into her private workroom. It was a well-hidden room reserved for her experimentations with various herbs and spells and practice with using the Force. Though she did not know much about the Force, what knowledge she did have came from the legends the Diathim told her or various written sources about it. She did, however, manage to achieve a great deal of mastery over it. She could produce magics and receive premonitions from the Force.
Rani firmly believed that every Force-sensitive could master the various techniques used by other Force-users. She managed to replicate every brew and potion and produce the same spells that other Force-sensitive groups had created. She mostly used the Force for research and creation. But she now had a nagging question: what did the Force have to do with her and Grievous? It was because of the Force that she rescued him in the first place.
The night before they met, Rani had a dream about a fiery mass falling into the sea. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to check it out. The next day, she kept a lookout for what she guessed was a meteorite. When it fell to Jharona, Rani quickly hopped into her airspeeder and sped all the way to the sea. What she found surprised her. When she hovered over the shore, she saw that it was not a meteorite – as she had initially suspected – but an escape pod…and a strange figure waving for help!
She knew that her dream was a premonition, but until now, she didn't think anything of the Force bringing her and Grievous together. They couldn't be together. He was a general who cared more about fighting than peace and she was just a simple girl trying to make her mark on a war-torn galaxy…all the while keeping her biggest secrets under wraps. Yet, why did the Force orchestrate events so they could keep seeing each other? The tingly feeling she had when she touched his hand was proof that something was going on and she intended to find out.
Rani tried to meditate various times in various ways, but she had not yet mastered that art. Her premonitions only came to her via dreams and that was it. She was inexperienced in most areas of using the Force, but she did manage to create magics. Still, she felt as if it wasn't enough, so she consulted every source on the Force until she found a useful lead: the Dagoyan Masters.
The next day, Rani took the Wanderer and headed for Bardotta. She brought many artworks and crafts as a gesture of peace towards the Bardottans. When she arrived at the planet, she saw that there were so many rock formations. She reached out into the Force to find the one where the Bahk-tov Council and the Queen herself were residing. She trusted it and let it lead her to one of many identical formations.
She set her transport on the landing platform and climbed out. A few moments after she walked out, the guards rushed out to meet her. They angled their spears toward her and one of the guards demanded, "What is your business here?"
Rani answered, "I request an audience with Her Majesty, Queen Julia."
Another guard asked, "What reason do you have to see Her Highness?"
Again, she answered, "I want to learn the ways of the Force."
The first guard spoke, "And what proof do you have?"
"This." She turned her back towards the guards and said, "Feel my back." Some of them did so, though hesitantly. She continued, "Nothing there but my undergarment. Now watch." Just seconds after she said that, her wings popped out!
The guards gasped in amazement as they exclaimed:
"An angel!"
"She's come in disguise!"
"How is this possible?"
One of them said, "Who – or what – are you?"
Rani said, "I am Rani Captague of Jharona. I am half-human, half-Diathim. I am Force-sensitive, so that is why I have come here: to learn from the Dagoyan Masters. I have come bearing gifts as a sign of peace and goodwill. I only hope that the Queen will receive me."
The guards discussed amongst themselves before turning back to Rani. One of them said, "We will grant you the audience you require. Come with us."
Rani followed the group through the halls before they stopped at the double doors. The guards again discussed with the two standing guard besides the doors. With obligating nods, the two guards stepped back and let the group enter the chamber. The sound of the gong surprised Rani. She then felt something vibrate on her back and looked to see her wings shimmering to the vibrations. She then gazed up towards Queen Julia, who was sitting quietly on her throne. The gong then sounded again – causing her wings to react once more – and the guards ushered her to a circle before they slammed their spears on the floor.
The Queen then asked, "I see you are an unusual girl. What is your name and for what purpose have you come?"
Rani bowed before she answered, "I am Rani Captague of Jharona. I am half-human, half-Diathim. My wings are proof of that. I wish to learn your ways of the Force since I am sensitive to it. I only know how to create magics and replicate the rituals of other Force groups."
"Then show us. Prove you are as you say you are."
Rani closed her eyes and concentrated. Just then, an orb of blue light began to grow between her hands. When she stopped enlarging the light, she quickly clasped her hands on it and separated them to spread tiny stars across the chamber. The Bardottans gasped in amazement before the stars disappeared from view. The Dagoyan Masters chattered in excitement before Queen Julia silenced them.
She nodded her head and said to Rani, "I see that you have great potential, young Captague. I can also sense that the Force is strong with you. Since you have proven that you are indeed Force-sensitive, we will help you enhance your skills so that you may become more at one with the Force. I will be the first to welcome you our humble home, Rani Captague."
The gong sounded and again Rani's wings shimmered and shook to the vibrations.
For days, Rani trained with the Dagoyan Masters to better utilize the Force. Though she knew what the basics were, there were some techniques she never learned before. Soon, she began feeling the flow of the Force course through her body. It was a warm and inviting sensation, much like the tingle she felt when she and Grievous touched hands during their camping trip. She wanted to know what it was, but couldn't quite figure it out yet. However, with the help of the training from the Masters, she felt like she was closer to getting her answer.
One day, Rani was in her guest chamber when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal a guard and he said, "The Queen requests your presence, Ms. Captague."
Rani then followed him through the halls until they got to another set of double doors. She was confused since she thought she was going to the grand chamber. The guard then ushered for the two guards at the doors to open them. Rani was surprised to see the Queen standing there in her meditation room.
The girl bowed as she entered, "You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?"
Queen Julia nodded, "Yes, I did. I trust your training is going well?"
"Oh, it's helped me immensely, Your Highness. But I still have a question that I need answering. It's why I came here in the first place. Well, that and to strengthen my connection with the Force."
"You are already connected in the ways of the Force. What is this question you need to answer?"
"Well, I've met someone some time ago and we've been only acquaintances up until we took a camping trip recently. That night and the day after, we both felt a strange tingly sensation when we touched hands. I tried meditating into the Force to learn what it was, but I haven't been able to until now."
The Queen smiled, "You do not need to look into the Force for the cause of the sensation. I have known it myself. It comes when you begin to care for someone very deeply. Since you and your friend have both felt it, I think that he cares for you as well."
Rani couldn't help but smile at the prospect. Still, she had to wonder if Grievous truly felt the same way she did for him.
Queen Julia continued, "However, if you wish to settle your mind, then meditate with me. I will help you see what the Force wants you to see."
Rani took great comfort in her words and began following the Queen's instructions. Minutes later, she felt entirely one with the Force. She could feel every tendril of energy flow through her, every pulse of the Force pump in her veins.
The Queen then instructed her, "Now focus on the sensation you felt with your friend. Think back to the moment you felt it. What did you feel? What do you wish to know?"
Rani concentrated on the memory of the tingle until she actually felt it. She then asked herself and the Force, What did I feel when I touched Grievous's hand? Suddenly, a vision flashed before her eyes. What she saw stunned her to the point of no words. Rani's hands were held in Grievous's and their foreheads were touching in a loving way.
Rani was so surprised that she didn't know she fell to the floor until she saw Queen Julia leaning over her.
Queen Julia asked, "Did you find your answer?"
The girl sat up and said, "Well, yeah. I think I did. I don't know. All I saw was my friend and I in a loving embrace."
Julia smiled as she helped her up, "What did I tell you? It is care that will eventually blossom into something much more."
"Much more? I never intended for my friendship with him to go further than what it is already. He's…not the type to usually think of others before his own wants. What can there possibly be between us?"
"I will let you in on a secret before you leave…"