Chapter 2: Past Tense

The Jedi Temple's archives was one of Bant's favourite places in the Temple. She loved every bit of it. She loved the monumental shelves packed with reading pads and old flimsiplast memos. She loved the slightly dusty atmosphere and the calmness and hushed whispers of the huge main room. She loved the small booths where one could curl up reading on one of the quite sparse days without lectures or training.

Whom she didn't love quite as much was Jocasta Nu, the recently appointed Master of the Archive. Master Nu had always been quite strict and pedantic and after her assignment she'd become quite territorial. Bant actually found her a bit scary.

Yet, she had to ask for the documents related to the 'Chosen One' prophecy. She'd spent the last couple of days searching the document files of the archives and finally realised that the most interesting documents from the era where the prophecy was written had to be tucked away in one of the locked departments of the archives. In the more public areas she just found some ordinary datapads with reference to the prophecy, stating that someone would be born who would bring balance to the Force. Obviously this being would come from a world with two or more suns. And that was about it, nothing more to be found. So she concluded that there had to be some more. After all this prophecy was found worthy to be referred to in the history lessons even though the pads gave less than few details.

There had to be more to it, but it was simply no way she could get to the older documents without Master Nu's blessing.

So she straightened her back and proceeded towards Master Nu's desk where she was graced with an almost regal nod.

"Master Nu? I wonder if you could help me out? I'm working on an assignment related to the prophecy about the 'Chosen One' and I found that some of the oldest writings are located in archive B21-4 and that one is locked. Would it be possible to get access to the archive for a day or two?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Madame Nu's expression would have been comical if Bant hadn't felt like a Sith in the Garden of Thousand Fountains.

"I would very much like to see the documents related to the 'Chosen One' prophecy," she repeated politely.

"Aren't you a bit old for that assignment, Padawan Eerin?"

Uh-oh, Bant hadn't seen that one coming.

"Yes, Master Nu, but as you know Master Uvain has a great interest in old documents and I guess it's rubbed off on me, so I would like to investigate a bit more in depth than we do in classes."

It wasn't a lie. Not really. They didn't necessarily make in depth investigations as initiates.

"I say, young one, if you can bring me your Master's permission I will let you see the documents," Madame Nu declared.

"Yes, Master. I will go and ask Master Uvain at once."

…

Tahl could feel her Padawan's mood in the moment she entered the door. Obviously the visit to the archives hadn't gone too smoothly.

"Bad luck?" she asked sympathetically.

"You could say that," Bant sighed, "Master Nu wants me to bring your permission. If so, she will allow me to see the older documents."

"I see. I think maybe I'll give her more than that, you'll have to bring me!"

"But Master, some of the documents may be handwritten. Won't it be difficult for you to read them? You cannot make your reading list translate handwriting into palpable characters. It's not standardised enough."

"We'll figure out something," Tahl declared unperturbed. "But it has to wait until tomorrow. I have a feeling that we will spend some time there when we finally get in."

The following day they met in the Grand Hall. Tahl had long ago learned to find her ways through the Temple and meeting Bant was an easy task. She could sense her mild and caring Padawan's life force anywhere by now.

Bant was almost bouncing when she weaved her way through the crowd of passing Jedi, whom mostly were on a steady course towards the refectory.

"No mid-day meal today, huh?" Tahl joked.

"Later," Bant confirmed, "unless you're hungry, Master."

"No, I'm good, I was just joking," Tahl confirmed and the two women turned towards the Archive entrance.

Bant soon noticed that getting access to the 'sacred vaults' was much easier when one brought one's Master. Master Nu was the personified friendliness when she saw Tahl. Obviously the two women knew each other well.

On their way back towards archive B21-4 they chitchatted merrily to each other. Bant even thought she saw a smile on Madame Nu's face. A miracle!

"Do not forget to use gloves when you touch the old flimsies and documents," Master Nu admonished, "there's a dispenser over by the wall."

Tahl nodded: "We know the rules. We'll be careful."

And with that they went to work. Tahl connected her reading pad to the archive terminals and went to work. Bant occupied the other one.

Two hours later they were both quite discouraged. No references, no manuscripts, no…well…nothing. There wasn't any more in depth information to be found.

"This is annoying," Bant mumbled. "A prophecy like that must have created some interest, at least when it was collected or discovered or whatever happened. It cannot have come from nowhere?"

"Maybe the Force placed it here in person?" Tahl grumbled. "No living being seems to have."

The room became quiet again. Only the soft clicks of fingers towards keyboards could be heard.

Then Tahl looked up: "I've got something. Kriff it, I knew it had to be something there."

"What did you do?"

A smug grin appeared on the Noorian Master's face: "I searched with 'Auratera' and 'prophecy'. I still don't know if it is that prophecy, but at least there is something. But it seems to be very old. Go see if you can find location B-214-579 somewhere?"

Bant dived into the archive references and then stood up and went towards a corner of the room. A moment later Tahl heard a quiet 'help'.

"What is it?"

"It's on the upper shelf," Bant complained, "I'm a water species, I'm not supposed to climb mountains. Nor shelves as high as said mountains…"

"Take it as a part of your training," Tahl said dryly, "after all I had to learn to swim."

The sound of a ladder being pulled across the floor could be heard and some seconds later a creaking sound revealed that someone was climbing the ladder.

"…567…575, 576, 577, 578….there it is…. Now I just have to get down from here unharmed, hoping…atchoooo….that my gills haven't been stuffed with dust."

The descendent went well, and soon she appeared by their shared working table again.

"I've got it, or rather I've got the box that was stored at the location you found."

"Right," Tahl said energetically, "gloves on. Let's see exactly what you discovered."

The contents of the box was a disappointment indeed. The most exciting part about it was that it contained real old fashioned paper. Bant lifted the few sheets up in a state of awe.

"Master, it's not flimsi. It's real paper. Shouldn't it have been better preserved?"

"It should," Tahl confirmed, "we must inform Master Nu as soon as we've read them. If they're still readable that is."

"A valid question," Bant said, "I can see some kind of writing and I….yes…it seems to be some kind of archaic aurebesh. "

With great care she lifted the old sheets up from the box where they've been resting for centennials and spread them carefully out on the smooth tabletop.

"I…oh, it seems to be a letter," she finally said.