After a moderate journey through hyperspace the Arrow lands alongside the Pride of the Jedi on the plains of Wroona. Jori shuts down the engines and instructs Killer to await the Rebel technicians by the port stabilizer while she checks on Rhyse. When she enters the cabin she finds the young Jedi sound asleep on her bunk, deciding to let the boy continue resting she walks down the ramp to find Captain Balek and his engineering crew walking towards the ship.

"My droid will help you out with whatever you need." Jori says. "He's more familiar with the ship than I."

"Aren't most droids?" Balek asks curiously as he directs his engineering crew to get to work.

"Well this one came with the vessel."

"I see, is there anything else I can do for you Master Kai. We are at your service." Balek offers.

"I don't think so, I'd like to get offworld as soon as possible in case the Empire tracked us here." Jori replies.

"Not likely, we've been using this planet sporadically as a rendezvous point for three years." Balek explains. "We always keep to the remote areas and vary the coordinates but they haven't gotten wind of it yet."

"That's good to know."

"It may take a while for my men to complete the repairs; oh and that reminds me, I meant to ask you earlier. Just before we jumped out of the Taanab system we saw you launch a projectile from the back of your ship; it seemed to explode in a brilliant shower of light but without hitting anything." Balek says as he notices Jori smiling. "What was that?"

"One of the more exotic weapons aboard the ship, it called an ion chaff." Jori says as she explains how the device works.

"Fascinating." Balek says in admiration. "If the Rebellion were able to duplicate that technology it would give us a huge advantage against the Imperial Navy. Once we have our own fleet that is, I don't supposed you'd mind if my engineers took some time to examine it would you?"

"I tell you what Captain, since you're fixing my ship the Rebellion is welcome to my last one." Jori says.

"No, if you don't have one to spare we couldn't possibly." Balek objects as Jori simply fixes him with a look of insistence.

"Please Captain, if it can help the Rebellion than you must take it."

"Very well, thank you Master Kai, I'll inform my technicians. In the meantime would you like to have a meal with me aboard the Pride?"

"I appreciate the offer, perhaps when the boy is awake." Jori says.

"Of course, just let me know and just to forewarn you there might be a few other ships arriving later."

"Understood, thank you again Captain."

"My pleasure Master Jedi."

As Balek walks back to his ship Jori boards the Arrow once more intending to meditate in the lounge. However as she takes a step up the ramp she takes another look at the horizon. Realizing the sun is just coming up she decides to meditate outside. She grabs a mat from the lounge and carries it several yards away from the ship; far enough so that she cannot hear the work or dialogue between the engineering crew but that she is still in sight of the ship.

Intending to gain some confirmation as to Rhyse's identity Jori sits cross-legged on the mat with her back to the ship as she gazes into the sunrise. A moment later Jori closes her eyes and relaxes, opening herself completely to the Force. Feeling her suspicions that Rhyse is part of Ryaan's bloodline somehow, the name and resemblance alone pointing to that conclusion, she finds herself determined to learn the connection. She knew Rhyse couldn't be his son but maybe a younger brother or a cousin perhaps. In all her time as Ryaan's apprentice he'd never mentioned any family ties within the Jedi Order.

Maybe Ryaan never knew himself. She theorized.

That was the most logical explanation after all but she was certain she'd soon find out. As time seemed to slow she delved deeper into the Force concentrating on Ryaan himself.

Over a space of time which was indiscernible to Jori while in meditation she senses other craft landing nearby, people moving about the ships, someone approaching but quickly retreating back, changes in the winds and temperature. She empties her mind of all thoughts and emotions except for that of her former master. However after a few hours she still had no clue as to how Rhyse and Ryaan were connected. Jori refused to let that fact disappoint her though, one thing was still clear. Rhyse was of the Ryaan's bloodline.

Finally opening her eyes Jori realizes the sun is directly above her indicating she'd been in meditation for several hours. She sat there a moment, still completely relaxed, and stretched before rising to take up her mat and walk back to the ship. As she approaches the ship she sees Rhyse sitting at the base of the ramp, finally noticing her he stands and meets her halfway.

"There he is." Jori says greeting him. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, very." Rhyse replies. "I was wondering how long you were going to be mediating."

"You were more than welcome to join me."

"Oh, I . . . . I didn't know." He says nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Well you do now. I'm sorry if I kept you waiting but I was looking for some answers"

"Answers to what?"

"Questions." Jori replies flashing him a teasing smile. "I'll tell you later, have you eaten?

"No but I'm starving." Replies Rhyse.

"Well come along, Captain Balek extended us an offer to dine with him onboard his ship." Jori replies guiding him slightly with a hand on his shoulder.

Having setup several temporary structures outside the ship Balek invites them to have lunch outdoors, since it is a rarity during prolonged missions in space. Surprised that repairs on the stabilizer are still in progress Jori also learns, during the meal, that the engineering crew has actually been hard at work overhauling the entire engine.

"My head engineer was about to approach you about flushing the coolant system, that was the first thing they recommended, when he found you sitting out beyond the ship." Balek explains as Jori remembers sensing the approaching presence. "When he reported to me I gave him the go ahead to proceed with his plans. They said by the look of it the engine hadn't been fired in a while, you were lucky to have not had any malfunctions."

"Yeah it had been quite some time since she'd last flown, before leaving for Taanab that is." Jori replies. "I owe you my thanks again Captain."

"It's the least we can do Master Kai, especially after Ryndori."

"How long can I expect before she's ready to leave?" Jori asks.

"Another day, maybe two unfortunately." Balek replies. "I know that probably makes you feel a little uneasy but we have a few sentry ships scouting the sector. If any Imperial vessels show up we'll have plenty of warning before they get here."

"Very well. Then it looks like we have some time to kill."

"If there's anything else I can do, don't hesitate to ask." Balek adds.

"Oh I'm sure we'll be fine, I can think of plenty of ideas to keep us occupied." Jori says turning to the boy. "Right Rhyse?"

Unsure what she means Rhyse simply replies affirmatively in the proper manner as he continues his meal.

After lunch Jori asks Rhyse to take a walk with her, side by side they walk away from camp spotting the ocean in the distance. As they approach the blue sands of the coast they turn walking along the beach in silence as Jori composes her thoughts.

"How much are you aware of the current state of the Jedi Order?" Jori finally asks.

It was somewhat of a dumb question but she wanted know exactly what he did, his perspective on things. Rhyse started by telling her what she already knew, about the attack on the AgriCorps center on Taanab. While they had no way to contact the temple on Coruscant the strongest among them had grown to sense that the Jedi were all but extinct. As they begin to make a wide circle around the camp Jori gives him the larger picture; that the Clone Wars was a manipulation of the Republic by the Sith in effort to destroy the Jedi and take over the galaxy.

"You witnessed all this?" Rhyse asks curiously.

"No, at the time all this happened I was marooned on Rhen Var with my master."

"Then how could you know all this?"

Jori proceeds to give Rhyse a brief summary of her story from her escape of Rhen Var up to this point without giving him too many details. By the time they finish their fourth circle around camp Jori stops, just as they reach the blue sand beach, facing Rhyse.

"Rhyse, there aren't many Jedi left, we must do all we can to survive. That means you must learn to hone your skills with the Force so that one day you will become a Jedi Knight " Explains Jori.

"Easier said than done. I couldn't make it in the temple Master Kai, that's why I was sent to the AgriCorp. I couldn't learn to levitate objects, I was the last Padawan at my Gathering to harvest a kyber crystal and I have trouble focusing during meditation. I couldn't be trained."

"Maybe you just didn't have the right teacher." Jori says placing her hands on his shoulders. "Rhyse you were meant to be a Jedi and I sense that you are very gifted in the Force, we just have to find the key to unlocking your powers. Rhyse Táj, I hereby take you as my Padawan learner."

"Me?"

"Yes. As I explained previously I was sent to Taanab by a vision in the Force, to find my apprentice and I realize now that that is you." Jori says.

"You're just saying that as a matter of circumstance, I'm the only one left from Taanab."

"No Rhyse, there's much more to it than that."

Rhyse looks at her curiously and says, "What do you mean?"

"You'll find out, in time young one." Jori replies. "So what do you say, are you willing to start again Padawan?"

Rhyse studies her for a long time and for the first time since being shipped off to the AgriCorps he feels the empowered by the prospect of a second chance. "Yes master."

"Good, we'll begin now."

"One question master. How can I be a Jedi without a lightsaber?" Rhyse asks.

Jori folds her arms touching her index finger to her lips thoughtfully. "Hmm . . . . I'll work on that one. In the meantime we'll start with some fundamentals." Jori says.

"Fundamentals?"

"Yep. Back to basics, PT " Jori explains. "You see the trail in the soil we've made circling camp?"

"Yes master."

"Good, run it this time. Give me twenty laps and don't forget to breathe, focus on that. Then you may return to the ship."

Realizing this endeavor might be harder than he initially thought, Rhyse looks at his new master with a trusting smile as he heads off down the beach.

As Jori returns to camp she begins thinking about how to acquire a new lightsaber for Rhyse. There was always buying one on the black market, after the purge the underworld was sure to swell with inventory from the thousands of Jedi that were killed. However Jori knew that would be the easy way out. If Rhyse was to truly become a Jedi, in the way one should, he had to harvest his own kyber crystal again.

Ilum was where all the young Jedi Padawans went during the Gathering to harvest their crystals. However Jori knew from her experiences against the Empire that any obvious answer to a Jedi question was a bad idea. She knew Vader was once a Jedi, thus she safely assumed the crystal cave on Ilum was already under guard by the Empire, if not destroyed. However she soon realized that there were still options open to her; kyber crystals didn't just grow on Ilum!

The problem was Jori didn't know where else kyber crystals were known to be found. As she stepped aboard the ship she thought about having Killer run a search on the holonet but immediately aborted the idea. The Empire surely had intelligence units monitoring the holonet for anything remotely related to the Jedi. Unfortunately this meant she was left once again to meditation; not that she had a problem with that. Just once she wished that the answer would be much simpler to determine. She sat in meditation inside the lounge of the Arrow concentrating on her earliest days in the temple and the lessons she learned while attending her classes there. Hopefully there was some forgotten memory she could retrieve which would help her; unfortunately she would soon find there was nothing.

As Jori broke her meditation and began pacing the lounge she realized the only option would be to access sealed Imperial files. That meant another mission like the one on Scipio but that presented a risk with Rhyse in the fold.

Maybe Captain Balek could help. Jori thought.

She didn't like the idea of asking the rebels for help but they had offered willingly and they had helped each other equally in the past. With no other clear choices in front of her Jori exits the ship and heads for the Pride just as Rhyse returns from his run.

"Where are you going master?" he asks, slightly out of breath.

"I'll be right back. Hydrate yourself, take a few minutes to rest then start on some pushups."

Rhyse reluctantly nods his head as he sits down at the bottom of the ramp. "Yes master."

As Jori walks towards the Pride she notices for the first time several starfighters coming in to land nearby. Only vaguely recognizing the model she pays them no further mind as she looks for Balek. She checks the temporary structures and finds Kaeon instead.

"Commander, can you direct me to Captain Balek? I need to speak with him."

"He's actually preparing to make contact with Zutu base, he should be on the bridge of the Pride."

"Zutu base?"

"The codename for our current base of operations." Kaeon explains.

"I see, thank you Commander."

"My pleasure Master Jedi."

Jori turns and heads for the boarding ramp of the Pride.

A few moments earlier across camp Zaniel and his brother are the first Sabres to land at the rendezvous point. A ground technician walks up to his craft as he climbs out of the cockpit informing him to report to Captain Balek on the Pride of the Jedi.

"He should be on the bridge Lieutenant." says the technician.

"Thanks." Zaniel replies looking to his droid still in the socket. "R9, get her refueled and run all the usual diagnostics."

The droid chirps in response as Zaphael walks up beside him removing his helmet.

"You're with me." Zaniel says to his brother.

The two walk towards the stolen Imperial corvette as they unfasten the collars of their flight suits and remove their gloves. Just as Zaniel throws his gloves inside his helmet he spots someone walking towards the boarding ramp of the Pride. He reaches his hand out in front his brother, stopping them both in their tracks!

"What is it?" Zaphael asks curiously.

"Do you see who I see?!" Zaniel asks, never diverting his eyes.

Zaphael follows his line of sight spotting a vaguely familiar face but as Zaphael studies the person more closely he realizes who it is, Jedi Knight Jori Kai! He looks back to his brother just as Zaniel passes off his helmet to him and flashes him an excited smile.

As Zaniel runs towards her Zaphael says aloud, "I freakin' knew it!"

"Jori, Jori Kai!" Zaniel yells excitedly as he approaches her.

Having taken just one step up the ramp Jori hears her name being called and turns to see the pilot running towards her in a black and blue flight suit. Suddenly she recognizes both the pilot and the starfighters coming in for landing.

"Zaniel." She says stepping off the ramp to bow.

However she's taken completely by surprise as he wraps his arms around her picking her up in an embrace.

"What are you doing here, I thought you were in exile?" Zaniel asks when he finally puts her down.

"I was, it's . . . . well it's a long story."

"Well maybe you can tell me a little later, I have to report to Captain Balek." Says Zaniel.

"I was just going to see him myself."

"Well then after you." he says gesturing for her to take the lead.

Zaniel follows her into the ship, spotting his brother running to catch up. They take the turbolift to the command deck and when they arrive they see Balek standing over the comms station speaking with a member of his command crew.

"Master Kai, please come in." Balek says. "I'll be right with you Lieutenant."

"Yes sir." Zaniel says just as the turbolift comes back, bringing up his brother.

"Master Kai, I wondered if I might possibly ask you for a favor." Balek says walking her towards the tactical command station.

Surprised by the irony Jori remains silent as she listens to what Balek has to say.

"Actually to be honest it's not just me who wishes to ask this of you, do I have your permission reveal your presence in a transmission?"

"Very well Captain." Jori says.

Balek gives the signal to his comms officer who initiates a holo transmission with Zutu base, a moment later the image of Major Garan appears over the tactical station. Garan says nothing for a moment taking in the sight of the Jedi standing next to Balek.

"When Balek told me he'd taken a Jedi under his care somehow I thought it might be you. It's good to see you Jori."

"Hello Reac."

"Well let's get to it shall we." Garan says. "Captain Balek and I are putting together a mission to infiltrate an Imperial listening post in the Toblain sector. Recent intel confirms that this outpost has been monitoring our squadron movements and is trying to pin down the location of our base."

"Unfortunately we can't just destroy it; the plan is for our team to go in, find out exactly what they've learned, erase or steal the data and then destroy the facility." Balek says taking over at Garan's gesture. "I know you probably have other intentions but I was hoping . . . . what?" he says noticing a smile forming on the Jedi's face.

"Captain, I was actually going to ask you for a favor as well. You're right about my intentions, I don't really want to get involved where it comes to the Empire but I believe you both may have just provided me with a solution to my problem." Jori says. "I'll join the team."

"What problem is that?" Garan asks curiously.

"I've taken an apprentice," Jori says directly to Garan. ". . . a young boy I was able to rescue from Taanab's fourth moon. However he no longer possess a lightsaber. I need access to an Imperial database to find out where else in the galaxy he can harvest a new kyber crystal."

"I see, you realize Jori that the outpost may not provide the information you seek." Garan adds.

"I know but it's my best shot. We can't go to the usual place, the Empire will know about it."

"Understood, well you have my thanks Jori. I'll leave you in the capable hands of Captain Balek. May the Force be with you." Garan says before his image fades.

"Okay so, what's next?" Jori asks.

"We'll let you know when we're ready for a mission briefing; we still have intel coming in." Explains Balek. "We have scout ships that were sent out to recon the target first."

"I understand, I assume we'll be operating from here? I won't be bringing Rhyse along so he'll need someplace to stay."

"Yes, he'll be perfectly safe here."

"Very good, also I'd like to bring my own droid along to search for the files I need."

"That would be fine Master Kai."

"Thank you, I will be waiting for your summons then Captain." Jori says turning to leave. "Zaniel."

Zaniel bows slightly as she passes him and steps back onto the turbolift. The moment the door closes and the lift begins descending Zaniel steps up to Balek, whom is just about to address him.

"Lt. Br . . . "

"I want in!" Zaniel says interrupting him.

"Of course you're in, you're a squadron leader." Balek says.

"No you don't understand. I want on the infiltration team, this is a volunteer army. I'm volunteering."

"Negative, putting you on the ground team would be a waste of your talents. We need you in the cockpit."

"Sir I served on the team that helped you steal this very ship."

"That was different, we were in shorter supply of troops then." Balek adds.

"Sir with all due respect, a while back you and Major Garan asked me and my brother to make an exception to split us up on certain assignments, when we have always served together. I'm asking you to make an exception for me now." Zaniel says.

"If I recall that was a stipulation of your brother's service, not yours." Balek replies.

"He made the exception didn't he? Besides you still have two squadron leaders to run the mission, my brother and Lt. Judson."

Balek sighs unsure of the reason for his sudden interest to work on a ground team. "Very well Zaniel, request granted."

"Thank you sir." Zaniel replies with a smile.

As soon as Zaniel debarks the Pride he finds Jori and runs to catch up with her.

"So, it looks like we'll be serving together during the infiltration, I'm on the ground team."

"How did you swing that, I thought you were a pilot." Jori says a little sarcastically.

"Let's just say the captain owed me a favor, anyway I'm really looking forward to working with you."

"Try not to get yourself killed flyboy." Jori says.

While it's a slight jab to his pride Zaniel overlooks the remark. "Hey I'm tougher than I look, plus I've worked several various ground assignments recently." After a long pause he says. "It's really good to see you again Jori."

Jori finally stops and turns to face him. "Zaniel I'm afraid I won't be around for long. I'm only going on this mission with the Rebellion because it is mutually advantageous. As soon as I get what I need I will be off again, soon to return to exile with my apprentice."

"I know, I was just hoping for a chance to catch up that's all."

"It's good to see you too and I'm glad you're doing well but if you'll excuse me, I have work to do with my Padawan."

"Of course." Zaniel says as she continues on towards her ship spotting the young man emerge from within.

Zaniel watches for a moment as they converse then he notices the black and silver astromech working underneath the ship; the same one she mentioned to Balek about bringing along during the mission. It gives him an idea, leaving her to be with her apprentice Zaniel returns to his squadron for the time being.