The next week was far less tense, which was mainly owed to the fact that the local students had developed a healthy respect for Drex and honestly didn't want to get Kaden in trouble. They had thought him weak before, but now they had a deeper understanding of the Jedi and their ways. Of course, Drex and Kaden had spent time both alone and in groups learning and exchanging information about each culture. The lightsaber demonstration was met with oooh's and ahhh's. Even though the padawan had kept his cool and stuck to Soresu, it was still a sight to behold for people who had never seen such weapons before.
Drex and Kaden stayed at the school until they were called back to Mashen for the conclusion of their mission. It had turned out to be the only sizable formal training institution for Force-sensitive beings on the planet, and while its goals and methods were not exactly considered desirable from a Jedi point of view, it was important to learn as much about it as possible. At its current stage, Drex did not think it posed a real threat since, in the interest of the balance of power in the region, it did teach students to exert some degree of self-restraint in the use of their powers. They were certainly not remotely comparable to the Sith. Still, in any kind of treaty about the planet's membership in the Republic, the Jedi would try to make sure that the school limited itself to what it was currently doing and did not start training Force-sensitive beings from other planets. They would also negotiate for the option of accepting children whose talents or character did not suit the school's goals at the Temple, for Headmaster Kahina had readily admitted that such children existed.
Finally, they made their way back to Mashen, first by ship, then by helicopter.
"We're going to leave this planet tomorrow morning," Drex said to Kaden as they made their way across an immaculate lawn towards their guest quarters at the outskirts of Mashen; the same quarters they had stayed in at the very beginning of their mission. "We still have a few hours left until the farewell dinner. We could make use of the time in order to start lessons in Force-enhanced running in the park. What do you say?"
"I say let's go!" Kaden replied eagerly. He was keen to start this part of his training without sneaking around.
The teams had covered a lot of ground, each having gleaned enough information to make a success of their mission. Kade thoughts about the last month and the people he'd met as they dropped off their bags and unpacked a few items. He had got to know some that he would have formed friendships with had he not been a Jedi. Susu sprang to his mind, as did Kin'sh and Yu'el. Were they playing that card game in the park now? It was about that time of day there. Kaden was lost in his thoughts for an unusually long time. When Drex moved to leave he didn't notice immediately.
"Daydreaming?" Drex asked, smiling, as he stopped in his tracks. "About our mission or about our return to the Temple? It will certainly make for a change, returning to your lessons and to your routines."
"About the mission," Kaden confirmed, catching up to where Drex was waiting. "Don't you ever wonder what the people you've met are doing, like, right now? What do you think Kenneth is doing?" he asked. Kenneth was a dwarf trader they met on an assignment to investigate the illegal weapons trade with Eeth Koth and his apprentice Raven. It had been over a year ago now, but still he often found himself pondering the strangest of things.
"Sometimes I do," Drex replied. "I have to admit I haven't been thinking about Kenneth at all since we last met him, though. I have been on so many missions, it's become hard to keep track of all the people I've dealt with. Still, some of them stay in mind; people who helped us or people I would have liked to help, but couldn't. When I was young, I often regretted not being able to make friends, but I got used to that after some time."
"I guess," said Kaden reflectively. "Right now, I don't have enough piled up to be too regretful. That will change soon enough."
They walked to the large open area where Kaden had injured his foot, ages ago. The memory of that day almost made him cringe, but he was fast to rid himself of the guilt. After all, he'd already had his ass handed to him for that error in judgement. This time he had nothing to feel guilty for; Drex had deemed him ready and was going to help him. It was all legitimate, he silently reminded himself.
"I sensed the lawnmower coming, I just didn't anticipate Nafanda's reaction," he said, and screwed up his face at the memory.
"Yes, you told me," Drex replied wryly. "Which is why I would never have let you do this without supervision, let alone with an equally unexperienced fellow padawan. I would have sensed the lawnmower AND kept Nafanda far enough away from you. None of this will be an issue now, though. I believe your Force control has improved a lot these past weeks. I'm confident that you'll be able to do this without further injuries."
Indeed, Kaden's first two attempts went well. At the third, he took his run too far and hit the fence. Drex was able to cushion the impact, but Kaden was still knocked clean onto his ass.
"That happens when you get overconfident," Drex said wryly, extending a hand to help Kaden up.
Kaden grasped the offered hand and got to his feet. "Someone moved the fence," he reasoned. The very slight smile he wore carried through into his tone as he said that. He now had a large grass stain on his left knee and hip, not that he cared about such things.
"Do you really think this would be J-7LI's idea of a joke?" Drex asked in amusement. Indeed, J-7LI was the only being in their remote vicinity; she was waiting for them back in the pavilion on top of the hill in case they ran into any locals.
"No, she lacks the necessary humour." Kaden scratched his head reflectively, dislodging a leaf as he did so. "Force ghosts, I'd wager," he settled on, because anything was preferable to admitting that he'd run into the thing.
"Hmmmm," Drex said. "I think we can safely assume that overconfidence is the more likely explanation. Try again, and slow down sooner."
"Alright, but I'm sticking with the Force ghost theory." Kaden smiled, brushed himself off once more and did as bade. The lesson was a success and he improved quickly; he had a small head start, courtesy of Brill and Nafanda, after all. Unfortunately, he had lost the opportunity to claim that this progress was due to any natural talent on his part as he had first hoped, as Drex now knew this wasn't the first time he'd tried it. Oh well, at least he didn't have any guilt hanging over his head now.
"So, how did you find this mission?" Drex asked Kaden as they ascended the starship's ramp, right after Eleena and Nafanda. "Not too boring, I hope."
"If you don't include that hideous stint across the mountains and those boys on the ship, I thought the mission was great." The boy shrugged. "Oh, and I might have learned a little, but just a little," he said jovially. He was pleased to be back with this team, all of whom were intact. He was still buzzing from their lesson on Force-enhanced running, despite hitting the fence …
"Good," said Drex. "In that case, it was probably worth waiting a little longer for your first mission and foregoing the usual conference and escort missions that are typically assigned to junior padawans. And yes, you did learn a lot."
Drex hoped that the trip back would go smoothly, without fights and rivalries. If Kaden managed to behave himself for a few more days, he had a surprise ready for the boy upon their return to the Temple.
The first day on the ship was spent recovering all round.
Tiis and Devra spent most of their time compiling and writing up reports, while the other teams either helped or concentrated on school work and training. They also told each other about their adventures – and adventures it had been, for everyone involved. Elena and Nefanda had worked in the planet's coldest regions for a long time and were pleased to be back in a climate more suited to their species, whereas Triz and Brill had been sent to seek out the Toykin and gather as much information as they could, initially with the help of Hennar and Angkat who had then set out to explore a desert species.
"Yeah, the Toykin, they were something else," Brill commented as they all sat around talking about the past weeks.
"Quite," Angkat agreed, stuffing a sandwich with some freeze dried spread that none of the others could stand to smell, least of all eat.
Kaden, for his part, mostly sat and listened. Nafanda and he had exchanged stories. The girl was pleased that his leg had healed without issue.
Brill was a lot less rigid now, as if something during this mission had activated a 'chill' switch in the boy. Sure, he was still a bit of a bureaucrat when it came to the rules, but he had a sense of peacefulness about him that had not been there to begin with.
Tiis thought that the mission had done all padawans good. Brill was a lot less stuck-up, whereas Kaden and Nafanda had gained some maturity. The three seemed to be able to get along now, anyway.
Starting on the second day, Tiis and Devra got everyone to join in writing the mission report. This mainly consisted of summarising everything they had observed with regard to the use of the Force and formal training in it. Drex and Kaden had already taken extensive notes, but they would need to distil the main information out of them and bring it into a concise and comprehensible form.
"Do you want to do the Ha'en-Shin and outcasts, or the coastal states?" Drex asked Kaden. "Whatever you pick, I'll do the other half. And then we'll switch for proofreading."
"Coastal states, it's still fresh," Kaden replied in a deadpan tone. He really didn't want to write this but then again, nor was complaining about it going to do him any good.
The two sat and tapped away on their data pads for the most of that afternoon, only stopping occasionally to stretch and – in Kaden's case – get up for glasses of water, and tea for Drex. By the time Kaden was finished and they were ready to proofread, the boy was over it. Still, he said nothing of his distaste and simply sighed as they exchanged work. The others were all doing similar. The expression on Brill's face matched his own which made him feel slightly better; he wasn't the only one who hated doing this.
Drex knew that Kaden did not feel like doing this. He was all the more pleased with the lack of complaints. Kaden had really learned something during this mission. He had gained a lot of maturity.
That evening after their meditation, Kaden met Drex with a curious expression. "Is there a specific amount of time that the Council give us before sending us on another mission, or is it possible that we get back and leave again the next day?" he asked. He had enjoyed this mission, for the most part, and was already looking forward to the next.
Drex smiled at Kaden's question. "Highly unlikely," he replied. "For a junior padawan, that is. It might happen when you're several years older than you're now. For now, you have classes to attend. This mission was exceptionally long for someone your age; normally, the Council takes care not to disrupt a junior padawan's training too much. I'd say we'll stay at the Temple for at least a full cycle, which is really for the best since you will need that time to get used to your own lightsaber. Which you will build after our return."
Kaden nodded, listening, but not really taking it in … which was why, when Drex mentioned building his own lightsaber, the boy grunted in response. It took a moment for the words to actually register. He sprang to his feet, sending the pillow on his lap to the floor in his haste. "My own lightsaber. Like as in, building my own? For real!" His eyes were like saucers and slowly a smile grew on his face that was so wide that you could see all his teeth. "Thank you, Master, you really think I'm ready, wow, I'm… I'm just…" This sort of reaction was so unlike Kaden that one could be forgiven for assuming the boy had been abducted by aliens. Then again, this really meant a lot to him. The truth was, Kaden had dreamt of this moment since junior crèche when he had held a training saber for the very first time. He remembered that day now as he stood staring at Drex with a stupid ear-to-ear smile on his face; his destiny, his dreams of becoming a great Jedi knight, it was all happening!
"Yes, I am," replied Drex, grinning at Kaden's reaction. "And I assumed you'd be happy with that. I hasten to add that your restrictions will remain unchanged for the time being, though, and I will still reserve the right to take your saber away from you if you don't stick to them. I don't mean to put a dent in your happiness; I just want to avoid misunderstandings."
"Nothing short of the word 'psych' could put a dent in my happiness right now," Kade admitted honestly. Truth be told, he hadn't expected his restrictions to be lifted when he finally got to build his lightsaber. If anything, he anticipated them increasing. That they weren't was heartening.
This truly had been a mission to remember. Not only was it Kaden's first official mission but it also preceded a large step forward in his training, both in getting to build his saber and the maturity Drex had seen him gain that allowed it.
The rest of their trip home was uneventful. Kaden spent a lot of his free time talking to the other padawans about their experience building their sabers ad nauseam, and had started reading an advanced book on the more intricate details of the circuitry; it wasn't asked of him, but the boy really did have a keen interest in everything lightsaber which extended to more than just fighting.
When they arrived at the Temple, Kaden's smile was still in full force. Not only was he going to build his lightsaber, but it also felt good to be home. He'd missed his friends here and (although he'd NEVER admit to this aloud) he was looking forward to being back in his typical routine, if only for a little while.
Shouldering his pack, he descended the ramp behind his master. The team gathered in the hangar to thank and say farewell to each other. Kaden, being a rather stoic and unemotive personality, offered his hand to Brill, the two boys exchanging a hearty back thump before parting. He did the same with Angkat. The senior padawan had spent a lot of his time coaching the three younger apprentices during their trip home. Thus, they had all grown a little fonder of each other, despite the events that brought this to pass.
"I hope to see you around," Nafanda said cheerfully, grinning at Kaden. Leaning forward, she whispered into his ear: "We still need to finish playing that game. Preferably without being caught."
"Without getting caught," he agreed, equally quietly. The truth was, after that mission Kaden wasn't sure he was able to get anything past Drex. He decided to keep that thought to himself for now, though; they had just returned and would need time to get back into their routines before anything else. He hugged her briefly, and then he followed Drex from the hangar bay into the Temple. They were home.
A/N: Wow, that was a long story! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and took the time to IM or comment. We hope that everyone enjoyed this final chapter. It was fun to revisit for us and to edit and share with you guys. The next story is called 'Goyts' and involves Drex and Kaden again, but also Eeth Koth and his second padawan Raven as well as Eeth's former padawan Lakhri Tumuel and Lakhri's padawan Flynt. We're looking forward to sharing the continuing adventures of Drex, Kaden and our other characters with everyone!