27 BBY
Ferus was going to lose. He was going to lose, and they both knew it. Cait looked up from her cards. The younger apprentice struggled to keep his expression blank, to hide from her that he knew the game was over. He had always been prideful, but she supposed she knew how that went.
"Ferus, do you want to call it a draw," she asked. Siri Tachi closed a cabinet by the fridge, pulling Cait's attention. She hadn't even noticed the older woman, and watched Siri longingly for a moment now before looking back to Ferus. "Do you want to draw?"
Ferus shook his head, examining his own hand. "I could have beaten you if I had one more turn." He smiled. "You win." He set his cards on the table, not about to let her patronize him by allowing the draw.
He would have needed to point out that he knew, but Cait didn't. She smiled, collecting the cards and shuffling them as Siri came up behind her padawan. "Moving on to best six out of eleven, then?"
"Only to three out of five, master." He smiled up at her, smirking. "Cait won't play Pazaak. She's afraid I'll beat her."
"That's not true. We can play Pazaak," Cait said.
Cait passed him the cards as her comlink beeped with a message from her master. I thought it was going to be us tonight.
Ferus pulled his own deck from his drawer. "I prefer my set of cards." Siri rolled her eyes and settled into her chair to watch.
Cait nodded, distracted. I'm with Ferus and Master Tachi, she sent back. "I'll use your cards too, and still beat you," she said, looking up, though she was still clearly distracted.
Ferus sniffed. "I don't think so, but we'll find out."
You didn't tell me you were going out. Cait read the text, swallowing as she typed her response.
I did, Master. I'll be back before three. Don't wait up.
Siri yawned. "If you win, Ferus, it's because she feels bad." She nodded to Cait. "Everything all right?"
Cait nodded, turning her comm off and putting it away. "My master was saying good night."
She accepted her half of the cards. Ferus won the next round, but their record made it so that he couldn't really catch up unless they played through the night, and though they might have been willing, that was hardly an option. Cait had a packed day coming, training with her own master in the morning and evening, and Master Drallig wanting her to show the younglings Makashi. They liked seeing someone closer to their own age, and they loved her. Ferus and Cait played one more game that Cait won, after having pushed her master temporarily out of her mind. She went for a walk after leaving their flat, returning to her and her master's quarters and closing the door as softly as she could out of courtesy. If he were waiting for her, there was nothing she could do about that. She set her bag down, reaching out with the Force in an effort to detect him.
She sensed him sleeping fitfully. The flicker of her own presence did not wake him as it reflected.
The next morning, her master shook her awake with a hand at the shoulder.
"Cait. Training. They're expecting us at Skyline Drive."
She shifted onto her side, shaking him off in what would seem a haphazard motion. "I'm awake." Cait slid down from her bed and moved to the desk, grabbing a brush and pulling it through her hair.
"You didn't sleep enough," Bedo whispered.
She turned, looking to him oddly, but soon, she had calmed her expression. "I slept fine. I was out by two."
"You're restless and tired. Are you sure that you're ready? Urban combat requires close attunement with the Force. If you're to pass your trials in another few years-and I think you may be ready in two-then you must be responsible and able to focus always."
Cait dropped the brush in time with her shoulders, turning her back to him before pulling off her nightgown. "I'm focused, master." She swallowed, moving to the closet and pulling out a clean tunic.
He watched her for a moment, and then sighed, shaking his head. "I'll leave you to get ready."
"I'll be out soon," she said, keeping herself turned from him. Cait waited for him to leave and dressed quickly, pushing a hair tie on her arm for later with the younglings. She stepped into her boots and moved out to the dinner table, sitting down as she sent a message to Ferus to thank him for a set of good games.
"Did you sleep peacefully?" He asked, sipping his water as the timer counted down for the toast.
Cait nodded, setting her comm down. "I told you, I was asleep by two."
"Good." He said. "You're going to do well today. I sense much promise in your mind. There is some discomfort there that has been growing."
Cait tucked her braid behind her ear. "My last period was almost two weeks late." She hadn't told him.
"I know," he started. "And it disturbed you. We should have you sit down with a master in the medical corps. To study your own body."
"I hardly think I haven't done that enough," she said. The toaster beeped and he moved up with a pair of plates. "You don't care?"
"I care that you let your worry get the best of you. Fear is on the path to the dark side."
Cait dropped her fork, folding her hands on the table. "And where is almost getting your padawan pregnant?"
He watched her carefully, his face a mask. "Life is a good thing, as is love. It isn't right for our Order to have children, but not because it's evil. Only that it distracts from the Order. It also fills you with fear when you're unprepared for it. I believe you're not pregnant, so there is no issue."
"I told you, I got my period," she bit, looking away from him.
He narrowed his eyes. "Cait! I don't know where this is coming from, but you'll respect me. I have listened calmly to your questions and you reward me with insolence? Set that down and do twenty push-ups."
"No," she exclaimed, grabbing her fork again. "I'm eating breakfast."
He stood, knuckles on the table. "Cait. I wasn't asking. Get on the ground and do your push-ups. You're lucky I'm letting you have breakfast, after this."
"More lucky you're not throwing me on the bed," she asked, ignoring his order.
"You've been choosing to visit me yourself," Bedo snapped, moving closer. He seemed to tower over her. "Padawan, if you don't get on the ground and do fifty push-ups you're going to regret speaking ill to your master."
Cait shivered, turning her head down and continuing to eat.
Bedo pushed her food away with the Force. "Do not ignore me, you ungrateful-" He shook his head, cutting himself off. "That's it, no more training with younglings. You're starting to act like them."
It was a bluff, but before she could respond, a triple knock came at their door, and Lyle Arche moved inside. He stopped in place, turning his head to the side. He hadn't heard an argument from outside, but his former master's anger was palpable. It had been times like these when Bedo had hit him. Cait seemed angry too, not just scared.
"I guess I missed breakfast," Lyle said. He tried to catch his former master's gaze, but Bedo kept staring at Cait.
"It's not quite over." Bedo shook his head when his apprentice continued to ignore him, moving away from the young woman and reclaiming his seat. "There will be enough for you, Lyle."
"He's saying you can have mine, Lyle." Cait narrowed her eyes, staring at the table.
"Who is he," Bedo asked, raising his voice.
"Master Bedo." Cait raised hers, grabbing her water glass.
"I can see that there is some still unserved. I will partake in that." Lyle said, moving to sit between the two of them.
Bedo frowned, taking a bite of his own food. "I think I will retreat to my room for a brief meditation after breakfast."
"It is wise to remain calm," Lyle said. "Master, if you were going to hit Cait, I would like to remind you that I resented that greatly. I don't hold it against you, but I urge you to reconsider that training tactic."
Cait dropped her silverware. The metal clinked loudly as it hit the porcelain plate and she stood, moving the dish to the sink.
"Sit down," Bedo instructed. "Finish eating."
She turned, pressing her back to the counter. "I thought you wanted me to do push-ups."
Bedo nodded, exhaling heavy and hard. "Thank you, Cait. I'm sorry this grew so heated. I know you've been stressed. Please come back to the table and finish eating first. You're losing blood, you need the iron."
The padawan didn't look at either of them, moving the plate back to her seat. She tucked her braid behind her ear and wrung her hands, holding back the sudden urge to cry. Lyle watched, and peered over to Bedo who looked down at his plate, chewing.
The Jedi Master frowned, examining a vegetable before looking up at his graduated apprentice. "Yes?"
Lyle sighed, peering over at Cait. She kept her gaze down, eating much slower now. "I worry you're pushing her too hard, Master."
"I'm fine," Cait whispered, shaking her head.
Bedo sighed, reaching forward for a glass of water. "Lyle, don't undermine me to my padawan." He stared forward. "That said, I do value your council. Perhaps you're right."
Cait finished the rest of her plate. "May I be excused, Master," she asked, her voice shaking.
He turned to her. "As you wish, Cait. Be ready for training."
She washed her plate in the sink. She did her best to ignore Lyle and her master, but she felt them both staring at her.
"Cait, can I come with you," Lyle asked, setting his fork down.
"I have to change."
"May I speak with you when you've finished changing?" Lyle pressed.
Cait's shoulders dropped. "Master, may he?"
Bedo inclined his head. "Yes. But we have to go in an hour. Be fast."
Cait pushed into her room and dropped to her bed. She closed her eyes, trying to push back the memories of how many times he had hurt her here. Cait was about to use the Force to suppress the recollections when she decided that, really, she didn't want to. Can I ask you something, she messaged Ferus.
Ferus took a few minutes to respond. When his message returned she had nearly given up and changed. You just asked me something.
It was actually funny, for once, but Cait didn't feel like laughing. What would you do if Master Tachi hurt you? But in a way that made you feel uncomfortable?
Cait sat in place, tensing as she waited for a response. She glanced at the door. She did need to get changed, but she needed Ferus to respond even more. She reached out with the Force, locking her door, and released a breath as she checked the next message.
I would ask her why, and if I understood the reason I would try to overcome it. I would trust her, unless it really seemed out of place. The reply came quickly, and another message followed with just as much speed. Uncomfortable how?
Cait shivered, tying her loose hair back in a ponytail. It wasn't nearly as tight as she liked it. Her hands felt like putty. What if you knew the explanation wasn't right? Like it went against everything else you knew, and she kept doing it, and she hit you when you asked her to stop?
The pause was only a bit longer this time. Cait forced herself to spend it changing into a clean tunic. I would tell Master Yoda, or Master Koon. Why?
After so long, could she even tell? Would anyone believe her? Would they care? Cait tensed, wanting to hit herself for even considering asking.
What's going on?
Someone knocked on her door and she jumped, catching her breath with only a quiet cry. "I'm changing," she exclaimed. She didn't want to add that the door was locked-she wasn't supposed to lock the door, changing or not.
"Its Lyle. Can I come in after?"
Cait put her conversation with Ferus to Do Not Disturb and deleted their most recently exchanged messages, setting her comlink on the bedside table. She fastened her utility belt and took out her ponytail, pulling the door open in a loud motion she hoped would conceal the click. She watched him, eyes wide.
"May I come in?" Lyle asked.
Cait nodded, and he moved inside, claiming a chair in the corner. Cait pushed the door closed, grateful that Bedo was not also coming inside, and sat on her bed.
"What happened out there?" Lyle had never seen her so flustered.
She glanced at the door, her heart pounding. Should she just say? She felt her courage shrinking by the second. "Nothing. I t-talked back to him, I shouldn't have."
The young knight sighed. "Master Bedo is not infallible. It is usually not right to disobey, but some circumstances allow for it. What angered you both so?"
"Nothing," Cait repeated, quicker still. He had said it was sometimes right to disobey. Would he think this one of those times?
Lyle watched her, and then exhaled deeply, nodding. "I respect your privacy."
Cait looked down. Would everyone call it private, if she told? "Thank you for coming. When you did, I mean. I think he was going to hit me."
"I recognized the look." Lyle said. "I received such blows with some frequency. You're lucky that he's more careful with you.
Cait exhaled. She wondered what the Council would have done if Lyle had ever reported that, instead of just taking it. Would her own abuse never have happened? She closed her eyes. "Are you staying with us tonight?"
"I can't. Late night reconnaissance in the under city."
She held back a shake. She was near certain that Bedo would visit after dinner. "Okay. Then I'll see you tomorrow."
"Oh, quick. I'm leaving for Alderaan in a few days to deliver a gift from the Council. Would you want to come? We could train on the ship."
"I would like that. I doubt Master Bedo will let me go."
"He's already said yes. Pack your swim clothes." Lyle pushed her shoulder. "And we have to duel. I need the practice. Very few left-handed Makashi fencers, and none as good as you."
Cait shook her head. "Not true."
"It's like an art form, isn't it?" He shook his head. "How are you so perfect? Perfect fencer, perfect padawan, the younglings love you. Perfect everything." He smiled small as she bristled uncomfortably. "Sorry. I'll go confirm that the answer is still yes for the Alderaan mission." He hurried out, leaving Cait a few more minutes of solace, though she spent most of them analyzing his words.
"Master," Ferus called, holding his comm. He found her in their living space. "I think something's wrong with Cait."
Siri narrowed her eyes in concern, dropping her reader. "What do you mean, what happened?"
Ferus shook his head, showing his master. "Read her messages."
Siri took the comm, reading through the chain. Her frown grew deeper, more concerned, and she sent another message from Ferus' comm. Cait? Are you there?
"She hasn't said anything else to you," Siri asked.
"The whole thing is there."
Siri hesitated, squeezing the comm hard. If Bedo were harming Cait in some way, she didn't want to risk escalating it. Calling might be a smart way to break up anything happening presently. She wondered if she should just report it to a member of the Council, but it was still possible that this was simply a misunderstanding. She swallowed and set Ferus' comm down, dialing Master Bedo on her own.
Master Bedo answered on the second ring. "Master Tachi. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He stood, moving around. Siri could hear his footsteps on the porcelain on the either side. "How are you?"
"Very well, Master, thank you," Siri replied, her tone betraying nothing. "I wanted to thank you for allowing Cait to visit with us last night."
"Of course." Bedo said. "I hope she was well behaved?"
He glanced at her room where Lyle had just disappeared.
"She was respectful as ever," Siri said, watching her own padawan. "I wondered if Cait were free tonight, maybe around six? I'm planning some puzzle training for Ferus, and Cait works so well with him. I recognize it's short notice."
Bedo paused. He'd planned a course. They had been slacking on Cait's upper body strength. "How about tomorrow? Cait's training schedule is falling behind for the week, and I want to keep her on track."
Siri swallowed, looking over the message exchange one more time. "No problem, I understand." She paused, narrowing her eyes. "Is Cait sick?"
"No, she's been very healthy." Bedo sounded concerned. "Did she seem sick yesterday?"
"No no, I just wondered if something was going on. You said she's falling behind, that's not quite like her." Siri kept her tone as light as possible. "Anyway. Tomorrow is no problem. She can come here in the morning?"
"Of course. Did you have a time in mind?
Siri shook her head. She supposed the earlier the better. "Nine, nine-thirty?"
"Very good. I'll let her know, she'll be there at nine." Bedo said. "Anything else?"
"No. We've got to get going. Thank you again." She ended the call with Bedo as another message came through to Ferus' comlink from Cait.
Nothing was going on, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I was just asking a question. I'm okay, I'm sorry if I scared you.
Siri narrowed her eyes. Cait, Master Siri says you should train with us tomorrow. I think she already called to ask Master Bedo, she sent from Ferus' comlink.
Cait's response took a few more minutes. Thanks. He says I can.
Siri exhaled as Cait sent another message. I have to go.
Bye, see you tomorrow, she sent from Ferus' comm, and passed it back to her padawan after duplicating the thread to her own unit. She hoped she acted fast enough.
Once Cait and Ferus untied the final knot, Siri moved forward with a satisfied smile. Ferus leaned over to Cait's side and whispered something that actually made her laugh, her expression settling into a small grin for the first time that day.
"Good work," Siri told them both. "An hour. You two beat your last time."
Cait slicked her hair back in her ponytail and wiped some sweat off of her forehead. "I thought we did. But an hour?"
Siri nodded. "Ferus, could you collect the rope while Cait and I talk about something? Is that okay, Cait?"
"Of course," Cait replied, breathing in just as calmly as before they had started. Siri was surprised by how much the younger woman could still control her stamina.
Ferus bowed obediently to his master, wrapping the rope around his arm as Siri moved to lean against the wall near Cait.
"I wanted to ask about Master Bedo." She looked at her hands. "If he's hurting you, I want to take you to the Jedi Council. If not and I'm being ridiculous, then I will beg his forgiveness. But I have seen a vision of pain."
Cait's lip quivered, and she backed against the same wall, bowing her head. "I don't think he means to hurt me."
"But you're hurt nonetheless." Siri said. "And if he's hitting you, that's painful no matter what."
Cait shook her head, covering her eyes. "He's only hit me once."
Siri blanched slightly, though she kept her heartbeat level with the force. "Cait. What has he done to you? Let's walk towards the High Council chambers."
"R-right now?" Cait's hand dropped to cover her mouth. She bit herself behind it.
"Cait. What is he doing to you?"
Cait's eyes widened. "H-he makes me have sex with him," she forced out, watching the older woman closely.
Siri nodded. The pause before she spoke was terrifying. "I was afraid of that when I saw the conversation you had with Ferus." She reached forward. "Let's go to the Council. Now. Together."
"But. Now?" Cait shook. She closed her eyes, using the Force to bring herself down, but she struggled.
Siri nodded. "It never has to happen again."
"He says it's not a big deal." Cait hugged herself.
"He's lying. Cait, please walk with me? We'll go together."
"But where are we going, who are we going to talk to?" Cait tried to keep her tone level, to seem in control, but she couldn't even fool herself.
"Master Yoda, or Master Koon, or one of the other members of the High Council. They'll likely refer this to the Council of Reconciliation."
Cait tensed. Her anxiety grew and grew, and she covered her eyes again, shaking.
"They are going to believe you. This is not normal." Siri said.
"But what if they don't." Cait sucked her top lip in, her head rocking forward and back.
"They will," Siri insisted. "We should seek out Master Koon. May I take your hand? Come on, it'll be okay."
Cait nodded, allowing Siri to take her free hand and lead her out. Siri walked her to the lift, which shifted them skywards towards Master Koon's quarters.
Siri glanced around the area shared by the members of the High Council, moving quickly to the left and knocking on Plo Koon's private office, the door simple, adorned only with an arcane symbol that Cait couldn't recognize. Siri squeezed Cait's hand, sending a soothing urge the apprentice's way before letting go.
"Do you want to knock, Cait," Siri asked. Cait wasn't sure she wanted to do anything, but she knocked on the door, drawing her hand back quickly and taking a step back behind Siri.
"One moment!" Plo Koon sounded happy to have company, though it took him a few moments to arrive at the door. When he did and opened it, his face was somber and he had shifted to a controlled stance as he sensed the tension. "Please, come in Jedi Tachi, Padawan Sellin. What is the matter?" He gestured towards the chairs in his office, the ones designed for human's pulled forward from more frequent use.
Cait didn't think she masked it well at all, but Siri deftly moved behind her, and the women shifted inside, claiming two of the seats. Cait didn't say anything.
"Padawan Sellin." Master Koon looked at her. "You're troubled. I will listen to your concerns. Know that I take this very seriously."
"Cait, just tell him what you told me," Siri said, watching Cait closely until she realized that Koon did the same. Siri turned her head to the side, trying to keep her own expression less probing and more welcoming and comfortable.
Cait shifted in the seat, looking pointedly into her lap and away from the masters. "I'm s-sorry."
"Where is Master Bedo?" Plo Koon asked. "Is this an issue you have with your master? I'd be happy to mediate or to hear your complaint. You have nothing to fear from me, Padawan."
Cait wavered, pulling her ponytail out. "Master Tachi t-thought we should come without him."
Plo Koon frowned as he took his own seat. "Speak plainly and freely. I will listen as long as you need."
"He has sex with me. Rapes me," Cait choked out, and reached up, her hand shaking as she balanced her elbow on her knee and held her forehead.
Plo Koon leaned forward. "How long has this been happening?"
Cait winced behind her hand, remembering the first time he had kissed her. "S-six years."
"Disgusting." Koon said after a moment. "How he could show his face-" Koon cut himself off, shaking his head. "The Force is with you, Cait." He stood, pacing as he forced calmness upon himself. He picked up his communicator. "Master Wite, take seven members of the Temple Guard and bring Jedi Master Soreyn Bedo to Holding Cell 07. Take custody of his lightsaber."
"Master, is something going on?" The other Jedi asked, but then seemed to decide the matter demanded immediate attention. "Yes, master. Of course. Should we consider him dangerous?"
Plo Koon looked at the padawan and the young knight. "Dangerous, yes, but do not assume he is hostile unless he shows signs of resistance."
Cait shook, glancing over to Siri, who nodded encouragingly. "What's going to happen," Cait asked. She eyed the comm. "I'm s-sorry."
"Don't apologize. He's being brought in. I and at least two other Jedi Masters will question him. You are to be assigned new quarters, which I will task Quartermaster Ollor with immediately." Plo Koon nodded. "What else do you have to share? Any information would be useful to me."
Cait shook her head, looking back down to her lap as she tried to focus. "I know. Um, I know he used to hit Lyle." Cait swallowed. "He only hit me once, when I told him no."
Plo Koon had felt the call of the dark side before. As always he easily subdued it, his anger cold and calm. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you. We're going to make sure that he never hurts you again." He would personally, if the Council would not act, as unlikely as he found that last possibility. "When was. The last time this happened?"
Cait held back a cry and pushed the memory away. "Last night."
Siri's heart sank. She pulled up a chair, sitting close to the girl. Cait started to wipe her eyes with her hands, and Siri took a tissue from her toolkit, passing it to the younger woman.
Plo Koon clenched his fists, grating his lower mandible. He nodded to Siri and the women gently rubbed Cait's back. "Young one, I am here for you. I believe you and I am on your side, make no mistake about that." He pressed a button on his comm, typing a quick message to order Jedi Guardians to bring Master Bedo into holding. "I will fight to see this resolved and to see Soreyn Bedo put to justice. For now, I suggest going to the medical bay."
The padawan looked up from behind the tissue, nodding. "I have my period. I got it late. W-which is why I-" She cut herself off, rubbing her fingers over her braid. She had been so scared. And then she had started menstruating, and now she was just scared that it would happen again. But she wasn't supposed to be scared. She wasn't supposed to be scared of anything. That realization brought nothing but guilt.
Plo Koon inhaled, wishing the respirator could bring even more of his own atmosphere to fill his lungs. "Master Tachi, is your padawan still in one of the training spaces?"
"No. I told him to go back to our flat."
Koon nodded, watching Cait closely. "Will you accompany Padawan Sellin to the medbay? In the meantime, I will communicate this to my colleagues. A member of the High Council will ensure that everything goes smoothly with your visit, Cait, once we are all informed."
Tachi bowed her head. "I will take her."
Cait stood, dropping her braid and crumpling the tissue in her hand. She suddenly felt very tired.
"Is there anything you would you like us to do, Cait?" Plo Koon asked.
"I don't know, I just want him to stop," she said.
"He will not be able to touch you again." Plo Koon declared, his voice heavy with the gravity of his statement. "What else?"
"That's all," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Nothing else was wrong, n-nothing else happened. He s-said it was okay."
Plo Koon sighed, coughing as the deep inhalation pulled extra oxygen through the filter. "It was not, and it was not your fault." He held his eyes on her, willing her to believe him.
Cait swallowed, looking up to him. "And will he train me again?"
Plo Koon shook his head. "The precedent is for the student and master to be separated." Even if it weren't, there was no way Koon would let that happen.
Cait's lip quivered. "I'm okay, if he just stops r-raping me."
"That is not where the Council's concerns end."
Siri nodded, commenting as non-invasively as she could. "Cait, it means there are other things, even if he didn't let them show to you. This was about control."
Cait bit her lip, tucking her hair back as it fell over her shoulders. "He said it was okay because he controlled what we did when we fenced, or did any other kind of training. He said it was just another kind of training."
Koon shook his head. "Other training you can refuse. Its not coerced."
"But he doesn't let us say no to other things." Cait looked down, shaking her head. "I'm s-so confused." She didn't know why she tried to negotiate what he did to her. She supposed she just didn't know what unanticipated changes this would bring. She didn't like not knowing things.
Master Plo Koon took another deep breath. "Padawan Sellin. I will always listen when you need me. For now, though, we must act quickly. "
"I'm sorry," Cait whispered, covering her eyes.
Siri turned around to look at Cait as the younger woman started to shiver, whimpering. "Cait, it's going to be okay," Siri said, moving back to her side.
Cait nodded, wiping her eyes one more time and pushing the tissue into one of the empty pouches on her utility belt. "I know."
Siri wrapped a careful arm around her, nodding to Koon and leading Cait to the medbay for a Physical Evidence Recovery Kit. When she arrived, the healer and a set of sterile droids examined her, detecting only the bruising within her mouth and the tell-tale puffiness of her vulva. The various fluids had been washed away, though traces of Bedo's genetic information could be found beneath her fingers and from a stray hair. The doctor's questions were kindly worded, however unsettling.
Adi Gallia stood waiting when Cait emerged from the examination room. Her hands folded within the sleeves of her robe, and she frowned. She stepped forward as Siri pat Cait's shoulder. The padawan wore a fresh tunic, though her face was flushed. Her hair was now tied back, a newly woven padawan braid hanging over her shoulder.
Gallia bowed to Cait. "Padawan Sellin. I am so sorry that none of us saw this to put a stop to it." She said, waiting for a moment before rising.
Cait bowed in return, shaky. "It's over now. But thank you, Master," she replied. She quickly realized how much of her life at the Temple revolved around tradition. Like bowing before a High Council Member after the most intense physical examination she had ever experienced. "Master Tachi helped me."
Gallia nodded, smiling small but proud. "I'm glad my apprentice was able to assist you. Thank you, Jedi Tachi." The padawans may not have distinguished between knighthood and masterhood, as schematic as the distinction was, but Gallia would call her former padawan a knight until she had successfully trained a padawan to knighthood.
Siri rubbed Cait's shoulder again. "I am relieved to have been able to help, Cait. I'll be here moving forward as well." She looked to Master Gallia. "Though I hope the Council will assign you a new Master soon." To her relief, Cait did not repeat that she would be happy to continue training with Bedo.
Gallia nodded. "I am more than certain the decision will be made quickly, with input from you, I would think." She turned to Cait. "Do you have any ideas in that regard?"
Cait swallowed, glancing at Master Tachi. She bit her lip, and looked back to Master Gallia. "M-maybe an instructor? I don't know right now, I'm sorry."
"Are there quarters set up for Cait, so she can lay down," Siri asked. "I could take her back to my flat, if necessary. Ferus can sleep in our living space, so she has room to herself."
Gallia frowned, considering. "We have many open sleeping quarters, but it would be wise to have her around people she knows. Padawan Sellin, would you like to stay with Jedi Tachi for today?"
The padawan considered asking to stay with Lyle. Instead, she nodded, her head dropping. "I'm tired."
"Siri, can you take Cait to your chambers and let her rest? I appreciate your offer." Gallia bowed to Tachi. "I'll report to the council and we will prepare further action."
"Where is my master," Cait asked. She tensed, picking her head up.
"Master Bedo is detained. He is likely being questioned as we speak." Gallia didn't need to correct Cait. Bedo would no longer train her, but she didn't need to be corrected. "Now go, you must be exhausted. Rest."
Siri bowed on both of their behalfs, leading Cait to her own living space. Cait's head fell down again as they walked. She was thankful that they drew little attention-it was the middle of the day, and most of the halls they used were unoccupied. Cait didn't know if that would last in the days and weeks ahead, but for now, she welcomed it. When they reached the hallway that housed the door to Siri and Ferus' flat, Siri turned to the padawan. "If I may, I'll explain the short version of what happened to Ferus once you've got to sleep. If you'd rather tell him yourself, I don't want to take your words."
Cait winced, swallowing hard. "Will he judge me?"
Siri Tachi silenced her own doubts. "Of course not, he wouldn't do that."
Cait swayed. "Can you tell him?" Siri was in a much better position to stop Ferus if he didn't understand. Cait wasn't prepared to face any kind of judgement.
"Of course." Siri nodded, pushing inside. "Ferus, Cait needs to take a nap with no questions at the moment. I'll explain when she's settled."
Ferus blinked, standing from the couch. His friend was exhausted. She looked physically and mentally exhausted. "Yes, Master. Hello Cait, you're. Welcome to use my bed." He bowed to them as they entered. "Cait, are you okay?"
Cait compulsively untied and retied her ponytail. "I'm-not really. No."
"We'll help you change Ferus' sheets," Siri said, gently nudging Cait forward. "It's okay." She looked to her own padawan, nodding to the closet. He grabbed a new set of blankets and moved with Siri and Cait into his room. Siri sat Cait down in a chair, and Ferus and Siri changed the bedsheets. Ferus left for the living space, and Siri brought Cait a glass of water, checking to ensure she had everything she needed before leaving the young woman to sleep.