Hello! I'm back! And I'm actually done with exams! Yay! I also have ,y results so that's a load off my mind and thanks to everyone who wished me luck and supported me! I'm going to tell you straight up: I am not happy with this chapter. Like at all. I suck at leaving chapters - I just do. Oh and one more small note: remember that temple? Well, in chapter 20 I said it was Desolous's temple while in chapter 21 I said it was someone's temple. I made a mistake - the temple is just one that Desolous inhabited but it's not his, it's sorta a shapeshifter temple if that makes any sense. There was also something else but I forgot. Anyway-Enjoy!
Chapter 22 - Farewells and warnings.
Alana stretched as she walked out of the medical room and found Jayden and TK waiting patiently for her. Jayden was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and the droid was next to him, swivelling his head around - watching everyone carefully. She smiled:
-Hey, sorry to keep you waiting.
Jayden ran his eyes over her and grinned when she glared at him, commenting:
-You look nice.
Alana looked at herself slightly critically and shrugged:
-Um, thanks. Wow, it feels weird to wear pants again, I haven't worn them in over 6 years - just dresses and skirts.
-Don't you have Jedi robes?
Alana nodded as they began walking:
-Yes, we do, but I sorta have a mental breakdown whenever I try to put them on so what you first saw me in was the compromise.
-You can have a mental breakdown from wearing a certain type of clothes?
-I guess so. I'm still finding my limits myself.
-Just don't push yourself too far, if you burn out it won't be good.
Alana nodded and continued silently, looking around the station. It still fascinated her immensely. Jayden, meanwhile, glanced at the side of her neck again to see an angry red line that was slowly healing - he frowned. Alana felt his displeasure through the Force and sighed:
-Jayden, come on - it's just a scar. Surely, you have your share of them too?
-Yeah, of course I do. But there's a big difference- I'm a guy and you're a girl. Looks are important for girls.
Alana folded her arms and raised an eyebrow:
-Don't tell me you like those shallow types.
-I don't, but I'm just surprised that you're not reacting worse to having two permanent scars.
Alana shrugged and smiled:
-I'm not that type of girl. My best friend Emira probably would freak out, but I'm just grateful I got off easy. So, anyway, where are we going now?
TK piped up from her side, stating that they were heading to the creepy old man's place. Alana glanced at Jayden quizzically:
-Corso's?
He nodded:
-Yeah, we promised to drop by if we survived, remember?
-Oh, yeah. What's on the "to-do" list for today anyway?
-Well, we drop by the old geezers place, meet up with Murla and Mikal before heading off.
Jayden slowly listed, checking that he remembered everything vital. Overcome with curiosity, Alana asked:
-Where are we going next?
Jayden rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly:
-Well, I need to stop by Correlia - I'm meeting a contact there.
Alana clapped her hands together in realisation:
-Oh, for your job?
-Yes. I hope you're okay with spending at least a day there.
-No big deal, you're helping me with my stuff so I'd be happy to help you out. We agreed, remember?
Jayden grinned but shook his head:
-The contact said to come alone, he's kinda skittish. You can just wonder about Coronet city with TK if you want to - it's a republic planet you know.
-That's a good idea, given that I've never been to Correlia before.
-It's really close by. By the way while you were out I visited Zhar and Lanne and filled them in on everything. He asked me to pass on his gratitude.
Alana smiled:
-No thanks needed, let's just hope he has a little more courage next time.
-Look's like someone is starting to pick up on my point of view.
-Shut it, di'kut. Oh,we're here.
Alana and her companions turned the corner and were once again standing before Corso's bar, with glowing neon sign that read "Cin Tra" in Mandolorian, which meant White Starfield. Jayden pushed open the door and stepping in called:
-Hey, old geezer, you in here?
The elderly Mandolorian man came out to greet them:
-Ah, it's the adorable prick. And the lovely miss Alana with their droid.
TK stuck a crackling taser arm out at him and the old man took a step back, sighing:
-And of course, he still doesn't like me.
Jayden laughed as he slipped into one of the bar stools before the counter:
-That's one of the few things we have in common.
The elderly Mandolorian waved a spoon he was holding at the cheeky brat and stated:
-You are a very disrespectful young man.
-You know you love me, old timer.
Corso sighed:
-Alana, do you treat your elders this way?
Alana slipped into a stool beside Jayden, smiling brightly:
-Depends on who. I don't normally talk to the council too often so no on that, but my Master? Yes.
Corso groaned, which prompted Jayden to chuckle and ask:
-Seriously?
Alana nodded, smiling:
-Yep, we're a very unorthodox pair. We sorta hate the rules and only act like the perfect Master and Student when someone we don't know is around. If I had to describe our relationship I'd say it's probably most akin to one of siblings.
Corso muttered something like "youngsters these days..." and went into the kitchen. From there he called:
-I'm guessing you want food?
Jayden and Alana instantly took him up on his offer with the latter being a bit more polite about it. Alana thought back to her Master before her thoughts drifted to J2. She turned to TK:
-You know we also have a droid that follows us around. He can be as cranky as you. I'm sure you'd like each other. Maybe you should meet.
Jayden beside her vehemently shook his head:
-Stars, no! I can barely deal with one of him and if there were two...
He shuddered and Alana laughed, TK got out his taser arm again and pointed it at Jayden trilling something along the lines of "You want a piece of me, idiot?!". An almost inevitable scuffle was stopped by Corso arriving with food:
-Here you go.
-Thanks,Corso.
-Yeah, thanks, old man.
Corso sighed in defeat as he looked at the young Mandolorian. That boy was never going to change. The droid whistled something to which Alana nodded and he stopped paying attention to everyone right away. Corso pulled up a chair and asked:
-So what did you two get up to?
Between bites of her food Alana calmly stated:
-Oh, nothing major. Went down onto a toxic planet, got in a short dogfight with separatists, crashed on aforementioned toxic planet, fought a pair of mutated beetles, found the survivors of the stranded archeological teams, I went into a Sith temple while Jayden did whatever he did.
Jayden filled in helpfully:
-Went through a bunch of abandoned factories, jumped over a 3 meter long hole, nearly got blown up when I was caught in an explosion, worked on fixing the ship.
Alana's eyes widened at the mention of an explosion but she didn't pry and just continued:
-In the weird temple, I met and old ghost-like person as well as an evil Sith ghost, I fought a bunch of murderous ancient droids and eventually confronted the said Sith ghost. Found a bunch of weird stuff in the temple, got out of it and then went to fight Generous Grievous to stall for time. Fought him, got more-or-less rescued by Jayden and the people on the shuttle and then spent half a day unconscious and in a kolto tank today. Why?
Alana went back to her food and regarded the open-mouthed old man with an amused light dancing in her dark blue eyes. Corso ran a hand down his face and exasperatedly stated:
-You kids are insane.
Jayden and Alana cheerfully agreed at the same time:
-Quite possibly.
Corso shook his head in exasperation- kids nowadays. His eyes stopped on a strange clip on earring the young Jedi was wearing. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and commented:
-That's a nice earring, Alana.
The Jedi looked puzzled and reached a hand to her ear to find the artefact she took from the temple lying in the palm of her hand. She stared at it for a moment before hitting her head against the counter with a groan and moaning:
-How in the universe did this thing get here?!
Alana could have sworn she felt a spike of amusement from it. Damn gem. Corso, Jayden and TK looked at her in confusion. The young Mandolorian inquired:
-Um, Alana what exactly is that and the last I can remember I put it in one of your belt pouches so how did it get onto your ear?
Alana clipped it to one of her pants pockets and with a sigh explained:
-It's a Force artefact that a certain somebody asked me to keep safe. It's what Grievous and his Masters were after and it's what was hidden away in the temple.
The look in Jayden's eyes prompted her to continue:
-I.. Uh.. Found an near ancient letter from thousands of years ago addressed to me beside the Holocron. In it were instructions on how to shatter the barrier and a plea for me to take the artefact and not give it to anyone. It's a long letter...
Jayden rubbed his brow and asked Alana slight sarcastically:
-Is anything about you ever not weird?!
Alana shrugged and after putting food in her mouth and swallowing it replied calmly:
-Nope, probably not. Besides how normal are you? Just because you don't have a crazy Sith attacking you doesn't mean you're normal!
Jayden shrugged:
-Perhaps, but I don't have magical moving objects. Of Force-moving objects, whichever. Anyway,-said Jayden effectively switching the topic,- old geezer, how is my Grandma?
Corso's eyes sparkled and Alana listened, curious to hear more about Jayden's mysterious grandmother:
-Yelena? Oh, she's fine - as lively as ever. Misses you though. You should probably drop in on the next gathering.
Jayden nodded,thoughtful:
-Maybe I will.
Alana cocked her head to the side like a curious child:
-Gathering?
Jayden swallowed the food he had in his mouth before explaining:
-Yeah, once in a while everyone from the small Mandolorian community in which my grandma lives has a gathering. They always invite me and Corso, but unlike the old man I'm often very busy so I normally just drop by unannounced. The gathering is like a small party of close friends, we celebrate new arrivals, remember the passed, discuss stuff - it's a fun event. Some with the old warrior traditions, others in a casual style. And my grandma is normally the ringleader along with the old geezer.
Corso nodded in confirmation of the young Mandolorians words. his eyes misting over as he reminisced with a smile:
-Ah, the gatherings. Brings back memories of old times. Like when this loveable little jerks Grandfather and I were fighting over Yelena. He won her heart, but we actually all became the best of friends after that. The three of us were the ringleaders. Yelena was such a spitfire and so lively at the same time, she also had the tendency to be sarcastic.
Jayden grinned and glanced at the girl sitting beside him she raised an eyebrow in response before catching onto what that grin meant:
-Jayden Callen, I swear-
Her tirade was cut off by a loud prolonged beeping sound. Alana glanced down to see a light on her holocom was flashing. She pulled it out and frowned upon recognising that particular frequency. Alana jerked her head up to face Corso and asked seriously:
-This planet is under separatist control, correct?
The elderly Mandolorian, although taken slightly aback by her rapid change in attitude and the abruptness of her questions, nodded slowly:
-Yes, that's right.
Alana stood up and crossed her arms, her holocom still beeping:
-What about communications, are they tracked? Incoming and outgoing?
TK had switched back into the conversation:
-Beep.
-Yes? Okay, that's a problem. I need to-
-Whirr-bee-reet!
-You can bypass it?
-Beep. Bzzt-blip-bloop.
Alana glanced gratefully at TK:
-Thanks, TK. Corso, I hate to trouble you but do you have a secure room I can use?
The old man nodded and pointed at the door behind him and to the left:
-Sure, go in there. I can guarantee no one will trouble you.
-Thank you.
Alana cast a glance at Jayden to see a confused expression in his face. She motioned TK to go on ahead and leaned over so she could whisper in Jayden's ear:
-It's the Jedi Council calling.
A look of realisation dawned on his face and as she pulled back, she saw him nodding. Alana gave him a small smile before going into the room. Corso looked between the two before shaking his head in exasperation: teenagers these days...
=SW:LB=
Alana stood before the flickering hologram image of the Jedi Council that TK was projecting and stiffened. Unwanted memories flashed behind her eyes before Alana pushed them away. That had been an illusion and this was reality - she needed to mind the difference. And yet Desolous's words rang out in her mind: " The Jedi Council is not as righteous as you believe, they will betray you just as I was betrayed." Alana shook her head and focused on the here and now:
-Masters.
Nearly the whole council was assembled. Master Windu took it upon himself to speak:
-Padawan Sheelan, what progress have you made?
Alana knew that they had all noticed that she was no longer wearing the clothes she normally did instead of her Jedi robes and was grateful that they didn't comment on it. Alana calmly stated:
-I've found the first youngling on Duro, Masters, but there are a few complications.
-What are they?
Alana inhaled deeply, masking her nervousness and spoke quickly to prevent any of her true emotions from seeping into her voice:
-Masters, he's a Sith.
Master Plo Kloon cautiously asked:
-A 4 year old child is a servant of the Dark Side and trained in the dark arts?
Alana shook her head:
-No, I meant he's of the Sith race.
The whole room descended into a shocked silence with Alana watching the adults nervously. A few moments passed before Master Yoda spoke up:
-Sure of this, are you?
If she hadn't been in front of the Jedi council Alana would have facepalmed. She nodded:
-Yes, I've met him.
Master Kenobi stroked his beard thoughtfully:
-That complicates matters. We may have to take him sooner then anticipated.
Master Windu looked at Master Kenobi:
-I agree.
-So do I, we must prevent the Dark Side from taking over.
Master Shaak Tii said, voicing her agreement. The whole council slowly murmured their assent, none of them noticing the horrified look Alana had gotten on her face. When they all had come to a conclusion, Master Windu turned to Alana:
-Padawan, you are to bring the boy to us before resuming your mission. By force if necessary. Remeber, the needs of many are more important than the needs of a few.
Silence was the answer to his order. Before Alana shook her head, her eyes cast down to the ground, quietly but firmly she said:
-No.
The Masters all looked at her in confusion. Alana looked up and even though to them right now she was just a blueish hologram, they all could see that strange fire burning in her eyes. For the first time since the time they had assigned her to Kai, they saw the true Alana Sheelan. Firmly and louder she repeated:
-No. With all due respect, Masters, I refuse. We are Jedi - Guardians of peace,not kidnappers - I will not take a child away from his parents without both parties consent!
Master Kenobi tried to reason with the young headstrong Jedi:
-Alana, this is a time of war. We cannot afford such luxuries as time. We are doing this for his own good. He will be safe here. You must bring him to us.
Alana couldn't mask the brief flicker of betrayal and hurt that had flashed through her eyes at that particular Master's words. Alana had hoped Obi-wan would understand, but it seemed she had misjudged him. Tauntingly the ghost of Desolous's voice echoed: "The Jedi Council isn't as righteous as you believe". Alana had wanted to believe that he was wrong but now? How could they even suggest that?! Murla's broken voice whispered from her memories: "When are you ripping my son away from me? Isn't that what you Jedi do with Force-sensitive children?!" No! Alana knew that she was loyal to the order but this was going against her morals and that was a boundary she would not cross. They weren't acting like Jedi, like Jedi should and she wouldn't follow their orders.
During all these thoughts she had managed to keep her face impassive and the Masters looked satisfied that they had convinced her. She had gone against them for a moment but Alana was a good padawan and she would obey the High Jedi Council. They couldn't be more wrong. Alana's eyes hid her anger well and she kept her voice cold and controlled as she spoke firmly:
-No. Masters, my loyalty is to the Order, believe me, but I refuse to do what you ask of me. I will report back when I locate the next youngling. Alana Sheelan out.
And with that she gave TK the signal to cut the transmission. He did so gladly. Alana felt the Masters shock and numbness thought the Force and smiled grimly: she wasn't a puppet for them to control. She respected them and would gladly learn from them but she wouldn't be brainwashed by them. She had always refused that and having a Master such as hers had helped her to escape such a fate. She knew there would consequences, perhaps they would even expel her out of the order but she still refused to go against what was morally right and what was morally wrong. Sometimes sacrifices should be made but Alana would never willingly sacrifice the happiness and livelihood of others.
=SW:LB=
An hour later Alana was still in a somber mood. She knew Jayden and TK had noticed and was thankful that they didn't comment on it. She tried to be polite towards them and everyone else as they'd done nothing to deserve her ire. They shouldn't have to suffer just because she was upset. She'd never do that to anyone.
They were approaching Murla's flat now so they could say goodbye before leaving for Corellia and so Alana could settle her Jedi business with them. And she was back to thinking about the Jedi. Great.
Mikal's family didn't seem like a mystery Alana was meant to unravel so she wished him the best of luck with that. She hoped he'd have more luck with that than she did with hers. Her progress was the grand total of nought. The young Jedi frowned.
Jayden sighed seeing the slightly out of it look in Alana's eyes. He could feel that her emotions were all extremely negative and that made him wonder what in the universe had the Jedi Council said to make her like this. As far as he had seen (and Jayden did admit that he didn't know Alana well) she had been quite upbeat and optimistic so as to see this from her and for a prolonged period of time? Well, Jayden was a bit confused. Girls, he would never understand them...
Unexpectedly Alana asked quietly:
-Have either of you ever been let down by people you believed in?
Jayden and TK turned to her, slightly startled. Oddly enough TK was the first to answer. He whistled: "Once, by my master". Both humans looked at him in surprise. Gently, Alana probed:
-Your Master? I thought you said you were independent.
-Bzzt-beep-dee-reet. [Once, long ago, I had a master. She was the only one I ever acknowledged as that and will ever. She...disappeared.]
Alana exchanged a glance with Jayden and nodded when he shook his head. As much as the two didn't get along, even Jayden could tell that this was a sore subject for the odd little droid. Jayden searched Alana's face for any sign of her true emotions but found none. Choosing his words carefully Jayden phrased his own answer to her quiet question:
-We've all been let down at some point, some more than others. Let me guess: this is about the Jedi Council, isn't it?
Alana gave a watery and humourless laugh:
-Yep, you caught me. I...
He kept his eyes trained on her as she spoke. He didn't know why he tried to help her figure out what was going on, maybe because he didn't want to see anyone become the way he had once been, he just was. He hadn't known her for very long and despite that he felt intrigued by her. She was a puzzle and Jayden never backed down from a challenge. This was no exception. Still, he wouldn't push her. She would talk if she wanted, there was no sense in forcing her:
-You don't have to tell me-,he glanced at the droid beside them and corrected himself,- us, if you don't want to.
She shook her head, mutely. She needed to tell someone, maybe someone else could see something that she was missing. She had probably overreacted to the Masters words but still...Bitterly she said:
-I'm a Jedi. I'm not supposed to feel anger, hate, sadness, fear - all that, I'm not supposed to form attachments and moreover I'm supposed to listen to the High Jedi Council and execute their orders without question. Guess I failed all that.
TK beside her chirped that repressing and forbidding emotions was stupid and inhumane, Alana shot him a grateful smile. She continued:
-I'm sorry if I sound like I'm always whining about the Jedi and myself, it's selfish of me but I just don't really know what to do. This is the first time since I lost my memory that I've been out alone without the Jedi keeping major tabs on me so I guess I relaxed a bit. Point is, today when the council called me and I reported to them on finding Mikal they called him a threat and said that I had to take him to them, "by force if necessary"- was how they phrased it. They also mentioned how the needs of many would overweight the needs of a few,-Alana huffed in frustration,- don't they see that if I ripped Mikal away from his mother he would just grow to resent the Jedi and he would become the very thing we are trying to save him from?! It's idiocy.
She paused to compose herself, keeping her spiking emotions in check. TK whistled sympathetically, He'd seen it all too and was once again repulsed by how much the Jedi Order had changed since the time his Master had been part of it. Back then, TK mused, this would have never been allowed, even thought of. He missed that time, the time she had been alive. Alana sighed and concluded:
-As you can probably guess, I said no. I'd never done that before - to be honest it was a bit scary, but I just couldn't let them use me to commit a stupid mistake. One that would condemn a living, breathing being - a child at that. Both you and Murla were right...The Jedi, I can't believe they'd say that. I think this war is getting to all of us...
Jayden winced. He didn't want to point out that the Jedi had been doing this long before the war. Her trust in them had been shaken and he could see how that had affected her, so he didn't say anything. Through their bond he gently let her know that he was glad she'd made that decision for what it was worth.
They made a left turn and ended up standing right in front of an apartment building. Suddenly a small red figure rushed out of the automated doors and latched itself around Alana's legs with such speed and velocity that it nearly knocked her off balance. Mikal looked up at her, his face beaming:
-Alana! It's really you! And Jayden and TK!
Alana returned his smile and instinctively picked him up:
-Yep, we're all here. You're mum told you we'd be coming, did she?
He grabbed onto one of her shoulders for support and nodded with as a serious expression as a 4 year old child could make:
-Uh-huh,she said we'd have something important to discuss. What is it?
-Well, you'll have to wait and see. I don't know if you'll like it or not but you have to be patient.
Mikal pouted for a moment before signing in defeat and making Alana put him down. He grabbed her hand instead and tugged her after him:
-Come on, Mum's waiting!
=SW:LB=
Jayden watched with a small smile as Alana,TK and a small Sith child laughed as they played with a ball together. It was at first a simple game which became steadily more complex with Alana and Mikal using the Force to their advantage and TK using his thrusters for a boost. They'd gone up to the roof of the building as Murla didn't want them to destroy anything in her apartment. All in all Jayden could say that this was one of the most entertaining games he had seen in all his life, however he was perfectly content just watching his two teammates fool around with a kid. Alana he could understand but TK? Jayden snorted. The droid really had taken a shine to the kid for some reason, he didn't even refer to him as an "organic". Jayden had gotten so lost in his own musing that he jumped a bit when Murla beside him spoke up:
-Do you trust her?
Jayden looked at her in slight confusion:
-Who?
-Your Jedi friend. You see, I want to trust her - badly, but I've met a few Jedi before and I don't want them brainwashing Mikal into anything like them. I want to protect him from that.
Jayden was quiet for a minute before countering her words with a question of his own:
-Do you see Alana as Jedi-brainwashed?
Murla's eyes widened in surprise and she slowly shook her head:
-No, she's anything but. I've never seen a Jedi with so much emotion and passion.
Jayden chuckled:
-That's Alana Sheelan for you. She's stubborn, reckless, very sarcastic but from what I know of her so far I'd say she's a good person. Mikal told you about what she did, right?
-How could I forget? His eyes were shining with adoration for her. She's quite the girl.
Jayden snorted but a smile was playing on his lips:
-We annoy each other a lot so I'm not one to judge but I do trust her and I believe you should too. If you do let Mikal become a Jedi I'm pretty sure Alana would watch over him like a mynock. I doubt she'd let one of her wards get bullied or hurt in any way. But at the end of the day,-Jayden shrugged-,the decision of whether to entrust Mikal to Alana or not is left up to you two. I can only tell you what's best from my point of view.
Murla and Jayden turned back to watch the game just in time to see the aforementioned Jedi catching Mikal from falling over. He smiled at her in glee and hugged her as she laughed. This scene and Mikal's recounts of what this girl had done for them - it calmed Murla's worries. Perhaps she really should take the young man's advice and entrust him to Alana, either way she wasn't naive enough to believe that the Jedi would stop pestering them if she refused. Alana Sheelan would be the best smiled slightly:
-Perhaps you are right...
=SW:LB=
Kai Lionis rubbed his brow as he sat in the archives of the temple for the millionth time rereading the same words on the screen in confusion: No location available. What in the galaxy was that supposed to mean?! Each planet had a set of coordinates and a location in the galaxy and yet Aroko had none. Kai had also looked over every map of the galaxy that he could and yet Aroko was not depicted on any of them. It was like the damn planet didn't even exist.
Kai himself wasn't sure why he was so fixated on this planet. Probably because despite what Mace Windu had said he was determined to help his padawan recall who she was and why she had ended up alone on an uninhabited planet as a 10 year old child with a severe case of amnesia. He just couldn't leave this alone, despite knowing he had to get back to his duties soon and that it was very late in the night right now. Alana's lost face kept popping up in his mind's eye. Just who was Alana Sheelan and who was that Sith Lord so bent on hunting her down? His last talk with her over the holocom was on loop inside his mind.
A steely look of determination took place on his face: he would find the answers to all these questions. He had to. Alana was like a little sister to him and he'd do anything for her and it didn't matter what the Council thought. That girl had no one left in the galaxy and she had chosen to cling to him, despite knowing that it was wrong Kai had decided to be her family. He would find out what had happened to her. A whisper like a gentle breeze sounded behind him:
-Don't.
Kai turned around and nearly fell of his chair at what he saw. It was dark in the archives despite the soft luminous glow of the the shelves of the archives themselves and Kia could barely make out the figure who had spoken to him. The figure stepped forward and Kai saw a woman, probably in her late twenties with flowing brown hair and ,to his shock, bright midnight blue eyes. Eyes that he had only seen on one person before. And yet this woman wasn't Alana - she was someone else despite a few similarities, Kai noted. And yet what him jarred him the most was that she had this blueish hazy glow around her - like she wasn't entirely real. She wore a short sleeved dark blue dress with a black cardigan over it and serious expression on her face. On her belt ,to his immense surprise, hung a double-bladed lightsaber. A Jedi? A Sith? Kai couldn't tell. He had never seen her before and that haziness - just who and what was she? The woman shook her head again and said:
-Don't. You shouldn't get involved in this, Kai Lionis.
-Who are you? I don't believe we've met before.
A small smile graced her lips and once again Kai noted the similarity of it to someone else. She leaned her head to the side and simply said:
-No, we haven't, but I know you very well. It is right that you don't remember me - we have never met before and yet I have watched both you and your student closely.
-Alana? You mean my padawan- Alana Sheelan?
The woman got a strange expression on her face as soon as Kai spoke that name. In it was grief, guilt, pain, joy and most of all love - that name meant something to her. Kai sighed and asked:
-I'm not hallucinating, am I?
She shook her head:
-No, you're not.
-And you're not really here, are you?
She nodded, her dark blue eyes shining:
-No, I'm not.
Kai crossed his arms and looked at her:
-So if I'm not hallucinating and you're not really here that leaves the conclusion that you're here through the Force.
-Give the man a prize!,- she sarcastically stated and laughed softly-, Yes, you are correct. But please listen to me, I don't have too much time.
Kai nodded and both of their face morphed into a pair of serious expressions. She spoke in a quiet but firm voice:
-Listen, do not get involved in your student's past. Please, don't. If you try you will not come out of this safely. In time Alana may recall everything on her own. Alana's past is not something that should be trifled with and neither is Aroko. Please, forget this idea. Do NOT get involved in Alana's and Aroko's past.
Kai closed his eyes and sighed. What in the galaxy was going on? He made up his mind to ask the woman that precise question but upon opening his eyes he saw that she was gone. Like she had never been there in the first place, leaving Kai to wonder once more - just what was it that made Alana Sheelan so different?
=SW:LB=
Alana's smile was gentle and perhaps a bit sad as she hugged Mikal goodbye. The young boy's eyes were still shining with excitement from their previous conversation. It was late evening now as they had spent the whole day at Murla's, she had also invited them to stay overnight but Alana and her companions had declined saying that they needed to leave today.
Alana, Mikal and Murla had spent quite some time discussing the topic of Mikal training to be a Jedi. The young Sith boy had taken to the idea rather quickly and had been very excited about the whole prospect and it took the combined efforts of Alana and Murla with a few words put in by Jayden (who Mikal saw as in important figure for some reason) and TK to get the child to understand every aspect of what this decision entailed. He had mulled it over for a few minutes with as much seriousness as a boy his age could, but then rather maturely stated that he understood the sacrifices and he'd be willing to make them before once again returning to the state where he was an extremely excited red ball full of Force energy. He was still a 4 year old child after all, Sith or not.
Alana pulled away and rubbed the boys head with a smile before standing up and saying:
-Bye, Mikal! Take care and listen to your mum, okay?
He grinned and nodded:
-I will.
TK and the boy just looked at each other for a few moments before the boy tackled the droid into a hug. The droid buzzed in fake annoyance but let the child hug him. Jayden was the last one to say goodbye. He held out his hand for Mikal to shake and the boy shook it enthusiastically, glad that someone was treating him like a grown up:
-Hey, kid, I know you'll grow up to be a good man one day but don't rush it, you hear me?
-Ugh, fine.
-And as annoying as it, trust me I'm a guy too -I know how this is, listen to women- they can say some pretty smart stuff.
Mikal laughed and Alana rolled her eyes at that statement but for the moment refrained from punching the idiot. Men. Mikal agreed:
-Sure, I will. Bye, Jayden.
Jayden stood up from his crouching position and nodded:
-Bye, kid.
Alana turned to Murla and the two women exchanged a meaningful glance. The yellow-skinned twi'lek nodded in understanding. Jayden tapped his partner on the shoulder:
-We going or not?
She turned to him with a look that despite making him grin promised something else and nodded:
-Yes.
Murla and Mikal watched the trio walk off, down the lit streets of Bburru station. A small smile tugged at the twi'lek's lips as she saw Alana punch the young Mandolorian in the arm and retort while the droid beside them apparently laughed. They were an odd trio that was for sure, but for some reason Murla was convinced that they would be all the better for it.
=SW:LB=
Alana yawned as they approached the Crimson storm, she was tired. She wasn't alone in that though. TK probably was the only one that was still running on full charge. Jayden looked tired to but he masked his exhaustion well. As they went up the boarding ramp, Alana shivered:
-Oh.
She stopped an looked around. She didn't like what she was feeling. She didn't like it at all. Jayden must have sensed something off too as he also turned around. It was dark in the hunters bay and despite neither teenager being scared of the dark, they were uncomfortable. Alana's dark blue eyes darted around the scene before her, searching for the source of that ominous sensation she was getting through the Force.
Suddenly her eyes widened and she summoned her green lightsaber to her hand, instantly switching it on and just in time. A volley of blaster bolts flew at them and Alana reacted just fast enough to deflect the majority of them. She turned her head and shouted:
-TK,Jayden lets go.
The Mandolorian and the droid were already on their way to the cockpit. As soon as the ship started to take off Alana moved backwards and up the loading ramp. She cut what she supposed was a tracker beacon as it flew towards them and backflipped just as the ramp closed. Their assailants were left with nothing. Just to be sure Alana placed a hand on the wall of the Crimson Storm and used the Force to try and sense if there were anymore beacons - to her relief there were none.
Jayden piloted the ship smoothly out of the bay and together with TK, logged in the nav computers next hyperspace trajectory before pulling the lever and sending them all into hyperspace. Next stop - Correlia.