Two days later

"But Master, where are you going?" Arya asked. "I don't understand. Why can't I come with you?"
"It's a private mission," Jedova told. "I believe it is for the best for you that you don't come with me."
"Master, it cannot be that dangerous that I can't come with you!" Arya noted, frustrated.
"It's not dangerous – I hope," Jedova told. "However, it's a very delicate matter. I'm sure you'd behave, but it's still for the best that I go alone. Trust me, my Padawan. I know what I am doing."
"But what if something goes wrong? Can't you even tell me where you are going?" Arya asked, trying not to beg.
"I have taken that possibility into account. Listen to me carefully now." Jedova knelt so that he was on the same eye level as his Padawan.
"I'm listening, Master," Arya told.
"I don't think I'll be away for more than a week, but even if I do, even if there is something that starts to hinder me, I will contact you to inform you that I am well and what is taking so long. I will do it through comlink, if possible, but if I cannot use it, I will use the Force to inform you as much as I can. But just in case something goes absolutely wrong – I am kidnapped on the way, for example – I have told Phayeth where I am going. If you hear absolutely nothing from me after a week from this or the last day we were in contact with one another, contact me. If you can't reach me in any way, go to find Phayeth and he'll take it from there. Understood?" Jedova explained.
"Yes, Master. I understand perfectly," Arya told. "But I still hate the thought of you leaving me behind."
"I know, Padawan, I know," Jedova said softly and put his hand on her shoulder. "I promise that I'll do anything I can to avoid that. This is an unusual exception, not a rule, to how I operate."
"I appreciate that, Master," Arya told.
"Oh... and one more thing." Jedova looked around himself. "If councilors start to ask odd questions while I'm away, like something that you feel is a private matter or at least none their business at all, you don't need to answer. If they get angry because they can't snoop, tell them that I will answer to them when I'm back. Ok?"
Ara frowned. "Snoop?"
"I will explain the case in its entirety after I return. But just so you know a bit of what this is about, in my honest opinion as long as there are no enormous issues between us, our Padawan-Master relationship is none of their business," Jedova told. "What do you think?"
"Well, there is no need for them to intervene or anything, so I agree with you, Master," Arya told.
"Good." Jedova nodded and straightened himself. "May the Force be with you, Padawan. I'll see you in a week." He gave a laugh. "Given that I actually get lucky and nothing goes wrong."
Arya grinned. "May the Force be with you, Master."
"Concentrate on your studies."
"Of course I will. There's no need to remind me."
"That's good. I'll be going then."

Jedova turned his back on her and walked to the small starfighter, hopping to its cockpit. He took the last look at the stone-faced Arya and nodded to her. Then the canopy slid over the cockpit and Jedova started the starfighter's engines. A brief moment later, he sped out of the hangar and off to space.
"Well, back to lessons then," Arya told herself. "At least I have my Padawan braid to prove that I am a Padawan."

When she turned to walk away, she noticed Phayeth Chaa staring at her from a distance. When their eyes met, Master Chaa turned to look to the direction Jedova had gone to. The taller Jedi Master's words about answering to the councilors' odd questions ran in Arya's head and she could not help but wonder what was going on around her among the high-ranked Jedi.

Pushing the pondering aside, Arya rushed away; it was better not to be late from the lessons.

A few hours later near the orbit of Kiros, Expansion Region

Jedova exited the hyperspace, then maneuvered to the orbit. There was only the artisan colony and the control of the air traffic in the orbit was as little as was the amount of spacecraft. Besides, he had come to the opposite side of the planet where only the Lianoros tribe lived. Jedova did not remember the exact area anymore, but he knew he could take a tour in the atmosphere to see where he should land.

The Jedi Master could not help enjoying the beautiful scenery which opened up to him from the air. He had not seen it ever since being shot down there seven years ago and back then he had not had any time to enjoy the view. Descending, he found the village as he flew over it. Sudden spike of horror came from there through the Force; the Lianorosians were obviously scared of seeing a ship going right over their heads. Jedova decided to land a fair distance away from the village and walk there in peace.

"Seer! SEER!" shrieks almost made the walls of the temple shudder. Seer Ni'Dea awoke from her meditation, having sensed the familiar presence of a Jedi Master from years ago. She walked out to see the chaos of frightened tribespeople.
"Calm down!" she called out. "Do you not sense the familiar Force signature of the Jedi Master who visited our village seven years ago?"
"That Jedi who took Arizana from us?" the voice belonged to Miriel, a girl who used to be a friend of Arya's.

Before Ni'Dea got to answer, Arak and Tureq rushed to her, just as she had hoped that they would.
"Is it Jedova Wang?" Tureq asked.
"Arya is not with him, is she?" Arak asked.
"Yes, it is Jedova Wang, and yes, Arya is not with him," the Seer answered. "You two will come with me to meet him. Get the brekos so that we can get to him faster and see what's up and, if needed, send him away right away."
"Yes, Seer!" the two men replied in unison and ran to the stable to get three brekos.

Seer Ni'Dea had not said it aloud, but the deeper meaning within the Force that carried those words told them to not take a breko for the Jedi Master. As she waited for her nephews to return, she gazed to the horizon, observing the human's Force signature. The two men returned from the stable with spears in their free hands, to which Ni'Dea said, "We are in no rush nor do we have a need for weapons. Master Wang has not come with bad intentions."

Arak and Tureq left to put their spears back before they returned and mounted their brekos. Many tribesmen and tribeswomen gathered near them in fear, watching how the Seer left the village with her two surviving nephews. All they could ask each other was "Will the Jedi take another child away from us?"

/Star Wars (c) Lucasfilm, any characters you cannot find on Wookieepedia, Veledos, Veledosians and their language (c) Me/