Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to the great and powerful Disney. I don't own anything!

Lord Darth Yoda - Nara's going to take on a bigger role...but not until the third book. Tyra's not necessarily...good at dealing with people, thats partly why she steps on Luminara's toes. Mostly she's smart enough to keep her snide commentary inside her own head, at least. There is definitely going to be a bit of a learning curve for Aurine when she wakes up to this Padawan who is now battle tested and a little more sure of himself. It mostly tends to manifest with Sascha thinking that his opinions deserve a little more respect than they ultimately get.

if-inconvenient-come-anyways - I *think* that the whole 'Force being channeled through living tissue' thing is canon, but I'm not sure its been explicitly stated anywhere. I dunno, it makes enough sense to me. Sascha is indeed a good teacher - he's very much in touch with the emotions of others, and if he ever reaches the rank of Jedi Knight, I doubt it will be too long before he takes an apprentice. And yeah, Tyra schools Luminara, I kinda wanted to imply that Luminara really fundamentally doesn't *get* Sascha. Sascha is a fighter, like Aurine, he has to work to keep up. It's Aurine that is a much better Master for Sascha, even though Luminara is arguably a stronger, better Jedi Knight.

thejoker122 - We aren't at the Clone Wars yet, We'll actually be dealing with the fallout of The Phantom Menace, so Qui-Gon is going to bit it (offscreen, of course). I'm trying to follow canon as much as is humanly possible.

A/N -

Reminder that this upcoming Sunday that there will *not* be a chapter posted in this fic, rather a new story will be started. Look for it on Sunday around the usual time.

If you are reading this, I again want to say THANK YOU! I started this thinking 'well, maybe twenty people will like this story, frankly, it's probably terrible.' I had never written a book before in my life. Now, I know that I can write, and that people think I'm pretty good at this whole 'writing' thing. Every favourite, review and follow gives me more inspiration to keep writing, keep editing so that I can give you guys what I hope is a fun story to follow along with.

If you wanted to review the entire fic, instead of this (rather short) chapter, this would be the time to do so.

Anyway, as always, please enjoy the next chapter (and the many, many more to come).


Chapter 48: Reunions, Endings

When Sascha awoke, his first thought was disbelief that he was actually alive. As he tried to make sense of his surroundings, he puzzled out that he was lying in a bed in some sort of medical facility that he didn't recognize. He then remembered that he had been in the middle of a battle when he lost consciousness and he tried to search for a weapon, before a familiar and comforting hand stopped him. "Tyra!" he exclaimed.

His friend was sitting at his bedside, a fatigued expression on her face. There were also a couple of large bacta patches that seemed to take up much of the available real estate on her oval face. "You look terrible," he said.

His pronouncement caused Tyra to burst into laughter. "If you think I look terrible, I'm not even sure there is an adjective that can describe how you look, Sascha."

Sascha, who was starting to become more aware of his surroundings, saw the…thing that was attached to his left arm, and realized that he couldn't feel his arm at all. "Uh, so what happened to my arm?" he asked, his voice raising in panic slightly.

Luminara moved into his field of vision, "It took a grievous wound, Padawan…but I am pleased to say you'll make a full recovery."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Sascha asked the two Jedi.

"Yes," came the quick reply from both, relief evident in their faces.

Sascha had almost finished processing his status, he was relieved that he was apparently going to return to full strength, but there were quite a few details that were missing from his memory, "So, what happened? I assume that because Tyra is sitting beside me, that we were victorious, but I can't remember much past when that stun bolt grazed me." He looked at Tyra, "I guess I owe you my life, Padawan Harker."

Tyra laughed again, "And you didn't already?"

He smiled weakly, "Well, one more to add to your side of the ledger then."

"I'll answer your first question, Padawan," spoke Luminara, "When Itoma Kuat sent out that holo which showed you two Padawans knocking her unconscious on behalf of Onara Kuat, it inspired widespread rioting, like the Senator must have intended. I myself had to run for my life from an angry mob, and so did the other Jedi on planet, such was the anger of the public. We received your distress beacons but had no way of reaching you. Fortunately, it was partially your actions that saved all of us."

"My actions, Master Luminara?" Sascha shook his head in confusion, "I don't understand."

"No, not your actions today, your previous actions. Gantar Clavis apparently thought highly enough of you that he realized that the video was a fake. He got on what was left of the Kuati Holonet and declared that the transmission was faked, and he called on all Kuati citizens to calm down and return to their homes. That transmission didn't solve everything immediately, of course, but it calmed down the populace enough that Master Nal'ma and I were able to rally some of the Kuat Family's own security personnel and come to the rescue. And just in time I may add."

"Yeah, when Master Nal'ma and Master Luminara arrived I was basically done, another ten seconds and it would have been all over…for both of us," Tyra admitted.

Sascha peered at her closely. Tyra seemed shaken by the whole ordeal, she seemed jittery, and she wasn't making eye contact with him, which was...odd. He supposed that it might have been hard for Tyra to carry on alone without him, and to watch him almost die. He couldn't blame her, and he wondered how he would have handled the situation had the roles been switched. Probably not very well, he thought.

He returned his attention to Luminara, "So what happens to Senator Kuat now?"

"She is under arrest, we are just awaiting word if she is to be put on trial on Kuat or Coruscant, but either way she will be in jail for a long, long time," responded Luminara.

Sascha shook his head in disgust, "I still can't believe she deceived us so well, we played right along with her little plan right until the very end. In this mission we were deceived by Gantor Clavis and Itoma Kuat, not exactly one for the archives to preserve."

"Perhaps not on my part, considering I was the Jedi Knight in charge of the mission," spoke a rueful looking Luminara, "But I believe that there will be commendations coming from the Jedi Council for the bravery of a pair of Padawans. Without your heroic defence here, Itoma Kuat could have gotten away and caused who knows how much damage, considering the fervour of her devoted loyalists. Now with her scheming revealed to all of Kuat, she doesn't have many followers left."

"I don't need a commendation," replied Tyra. "I'm just happy to see my fellow Padawan open his eyes again."

"Does a commendation come with extra pay? Maybe some vacation time?" Sascha joked.

"No, but it does include a free trip back to Coruscant," said Luminara, a small smile on her face.

"I'll take it, Master Luminara…thank you," replied Sascha.

Luminara bowed deeply, "No, thank you both. Sascha, Tyra, you have given me much to consider, much to meditate on, and I will do so, after I deliver you both back to Coruscant. Sascha, you'll be able to be moved in a day, your recovery will take longer of course – I'm sure you can have the bed next to Master Brynar's in the Halls of Healing. Until then I ask that you rest – both of you." The Miralian then withdrew, leaving him alone with Tyra.

As soon as Luminara left, Tyra pounded his right shoulder with her fist, "Don't you ever do that to me again Sascha!"

"Ow." He instinctively moved to rub his right shoulder but with his left arm immobilized, he could not entertain his instinct. He realized a second later that he hadn't actually felt Tyra's blows land either, he had just seen them land.

Tyra rolled her eyes at him, "Please, you've been pumped so full of painkillers you probably couldn't feel pain if I took my lightsaber and started lopping off some of your limbs. Speaking of lightsabers, I have something for you." Tyra reached into a pocket and withdrew his lightsaber, its greyish-silver hue was marked by black carbon scoring from a laser bolt. "The shot it took damaged the wiring somewhere, I haven't been able to fix it, but it belongs in the hands of its rightful owner, damaged or not."

Sascha took the lightsaber from Tyra with his good arm, noting the damage that it had taken, he saw a half dozen wires that needed to be replaced and there was likely more damage that he couldn't see. "A damaged lightsaber for a damaged Jedi, how appropriate," Sascha muttered.

"You can probably repair it, and if not you can always build another," Tyra laid her head softly on Sascha's shoulder for a brief moment, "Besides, its easier to replace a lightsaber than a Jedi." She straightened, "We should do this again sometime, you know without the part where we almost died. And also without the parts where we were betrayed by those we trusted, and I could probably do without the part where innocent people died because of a crazed politician."

"So, in other words, nothing like this mission at all," said Sascha with a smile.

"Pretty much," Tyra said, flipping her ponytail absentmindedly.

Something was bothering Tyra, he could tell, and he had a few guesses as to what that might be, "Tyra, what happened while I was out of it? You aren't acting like yourself…You know you can always talk to me, about anything."

Tyra closed her eyes, and he could almost feel the pain radiating off of her, "I know Sascha…I need some time to process this experience though. I don't think I've ever been that close to my death before…I'm not like you, I do fear my own death. Let me think about it, let me meditate on it, and when I'm ready, we'll talk about it."

"I understand Tyra, I trust you, I just want you to know I'm there for you." Message delivered, Sascha turned lighthearted again, "Well, as long as you're around to save me when we get into trouble, I'm fine with whatever challenges that fate can throw my way."

Tyra cocked her head sideways, "Funny, I feel the same way Sascha." The two smiled warmly at each other. Tyra then rose, "Okay get some rest Sascha, because as much as I like you, I don't like looking at you with that thing on your arm."

After Tyra departed, he was alone in his room, and it did not take him long to fall into a blissful, peaceful sleep, the first he'd had since leaving Coruscant. In his mind, he was already for the next mission.

Fin


And Now, A Preview of Growing up Jedi, Book Two:

Bad news traveled fast in the Jedi Temple, Aurine Brynar knew. The Jedi Order was an insular community, there were only around ten thousand Jedi in the whole order, a large number in theory, but once you started taking into account all the Jedi that were away on missions, or were stationed as a Jedi Watchman in sectors across the galaxy, the number dwindled rather quickly. Jedi also liked to talk. It was something that would probably have surprised the average citizen of the Republic, but Jedi talked, and debated constantly. In Aurine Brynar's opinion it was simply due to practicality, Jedi almost as a rule, found it hard to form friendships with people outside of the Temple, so when a Jedi listed their four or five closest friends, usually four or five Jedi were named. That meant that rumors flew across the Temple on a daily basis. Today though, the rumours had been stronger than usual.

It had been hard to ignore the news coming from Naboo, but the rumours that were flying across the Temple seemed unbelievable. A 9 year old blowing up a Trade Federation Droid Control ship? A battle in the streets of Theed being led by the reigning monarch of Naboo? Somehow, even with these extreme events occurring there had seemingly only been two Jedi involved, a fact had caused some grumbling amongst the Knights of the Jedi Order. Many Knights believed that it should have been them fighting against the Trade Federation, and Aurine Brynar found it hard to disagree with that sentiment.

One thing had become clear; Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn had died on the planet. That news had spread like wildfire, casting a mournful pall over the Jedi Temple. Qui-Gon had been more than just a strong Jedi Master, he was known for his maverick ways in the Order, and many had dubbed him a 'gray Jedi,' though not because he straddled the line between the light and dark side, but because he had made a habit out of defying the Jedi Council. Few Jedi dared defy the Council these days, but Qui-Gon had been an example to a fair few younger Jedi Knights over his illustrious career. There was a certain irony in the fact that a large portion of the Council had departed to Naboo pay their respects at his funeral, no doubt Qui-Gon himself would have told them to get on with the business of protecting the Republic.

Still, the wild rumors flew around the Temple. The intensity of the rumours reached a fevered peak after a large scale meeting was called for at noon in one of the rarely used large meeting halls. As Aurine walked in to the cavernous old room, flanked by her Padawan, she saw that the room was filling up with Jedi, some of whom had apparently just been recalled just for this meeting. For the life of her, she couldn't remember the last time a large-scale meeting like this had been called, maybe one had been called after the Yinchorri had attacked the Temple, but she had been away on a long term mission at that time. The feeling of unease in the room was almost tangible, Jedi Knights almost as a rule did not like being left in the dark. All of them were smart enough to realize that a meeting like this was unlikely to be good news.

Aurine saw Luminara in the crowd of Jedi, looking grimmer than usual. Aurine knew that if anyone knew why this meeting was called it might be her Miralian friend. Catching Luminara's eye, her friend moved towards one of the few empty spaces remaining in the spartanly decorated room. She and Sascha joined her, "Luminara, do you know why this meeting was called?" she asked without preamble.

The Miralian pressed her grey lips together, "It is not good news old friend, beyond that I'm not at liberty to say." She wanted to press her friend for more information but something in Luminara's expression stopped her.

"Masters, it looks like the meeting is starting," interrupted Sascha politely.

It was true, the twelve members of the Jedi Council were filing into the room, and the Jedi around them were scurrying quickly for seating. Aurine sat with Luminara on her left, Sascha on her right, and a number of questions on her mind.

With the twelve members of the Jedi Council at the front of the room, there was an eerie silence in the room as the assembled Knights waited with some trepidation. Mace Windu stepped forward, in and of itself sending a message, the intense, dark-skinned Windu was the Master of the Jedi Order but was a warrior at heart. In comparison, Council Members like Yoda and Adi Galia were more known for their diplomacy.

"As many of you know," Mace began, "We lost one of our greatest members of our order on Naboo. Master Qui-Gon Jinn has become one with the Force," Windu said solemnly. Aurine noticed some of the Jedi around her shifted uncomfortably, and she heard their unspoken question, 'Did we really get recalled just for this?'

Oblivious to the unease, Mace continued, "While each we will each mourn Master Qui-Gon in our own way, his cause of death was why we have brought you together today. Qui-Gon was killed by a Force user of substantial skill."

A murmur arises from the crowd of Jedi, Mace clasps both of his hands in front of him and stares out at the crowd of assembled Jedi, "We can come to no other conclusion, the Sith have returned."


Another Chapter Preview from Book Two:

As she was about to make her exit from the refectory, Aurine noticed the arrival of Obi-Wan Kenobi . While she was a year or so older than Obi-Wan, their paths had crossed on more than a few occasions. Still, she would hardly call Kenobi one of her closest friends.

Obi-Wan was looking rather sombre, though that was probably expected, as he had recently lost his Master. Yet her eye quickly drifted to the person beside Obi-Wan. Flanked beside him was a very young human with a mop of blonde hair and the beige Jedi robes of an Initiate. Aurine frowned, he boy was clearly too young to be admitted to the refectory, by tradition this room was for Padawans, Knights and Masters only, the Initiates ate in a separate cafeteria. As she reached out with her senses, more curious than anything, she felt the presence of the youngling like a nova in the Force, wild, almost untamed and extremely powerful.

Aurine shook her head, while she didn't have a perfect knowledge of all the Initiates in the Temple, she was sure that someone this powerful would have not escaped her knowledge. This boy was, quite clearly, going to be one of the strongest Jedi of his generation. But how could he be so strong, yet so clearly untrained? One of the first things that young Jedi Initiates were taught at the Temple was how to control their emotions, but this youngling's control over his emotions was…rudimentary at best.

Deciding that she had enough problems of her own, she decided that the mystery of the youngling with Kenobi would have to wait for another day. She was striding purposely towards the exit when, to her surprise, Kenobi and the youngling approached her, "Master Brynar?"

"You don't need to call my Master Brynar, Obi."

A slight smile almost appeared on Obi-wan's face, "Sorry. Old habits."

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"You are teaching the class on military tactics, I understand?" Aurine nodded in assent, and Kenobi continued, "I was wondering if you would take my Padawan in your class this afternoon?"

She blinked at the use of the word Padawan. The boy beside Obi-Wan could not have been more than ten years of age, which would be quite young to have been chosen as a Padawan, though not unheard of. Aurine was more shocked that Kenobi had chosen to take on an apprentice so quickly after being Knighted and losing his Master. However, the machinations of other Jedi Knights rarely worried her, she was sure that the Jedi Council had evaluated this pairing thoroughly before allowing Kenobi to take an apprentice.

She nodded politely, "I actually need another student to make up the numbers, so I'd be pleased to take your…Padawan."

"Thank you, Master Brynar," said Kenobi politely. Even though Obi-wan was still obviously in mourning, Aurine was struck at how handsome he had become. Obi-wan had been gangly looking when he was in his teens, but now that he had filled into his adult frame, she saw her old acquaintance in an entirely new light.

Kenobi turned to his youngling Padawan, "Now be good, Anakin, go with Master Brynar."

The boy nodded in an appropriately boyish manner and looked up at her with wide blue eyes, "Thank you," he said.

Aurine blinked. What kind of Padawan had to be told to 'be good?'

"Thank you, Master Brynar," corrected Kenobi patiently.

"Thank you, Master Brynar" the boy parroted politely.

Aurine wondered what she had gotten herself into this time.


I hope you enjoyed the above teaser! You'll just have to wait and see what kind of journey Sascha gets up to next time!