42 BBY

"For as long as darkness lives, the light must rise against.
For the light to rise against, the stars must trust in hope.
For the stars to trust in hope, the Jedi must stand strong.
For the Jedi to stand strong, our future must be trained.
For our future to be trained, our young must be kept safe.
For our young to be kept safe, we must watch over them."

Master Laeus recited the words as she had done dozens of times before, spoken before any mission to retrieve new Force-sensitive children was to begin. No matter how many expeditions she went on, she never grew tired of saying them. Bringing the next generation of Jedi to the temple was a sacred thing. In her years as a Jedi fosterer in the temple nursery she had seen many groups of younglings brought to the temple, many of them by herself, where she and the other masters, knights, and volunteers from the city, cared for them until they were old enough to put into clans. They only had a few years with each batch of younglings, years the children would never remember, but Laeus took comfort in knowing they were making sure they were safe and well-looked after for the next stage of their journey.

When reciting the mantra, she found the lines to be comforting. Even with all her experience, she still had worries every time she went on one of these missions. As necessary as they were to the continuation of the order, she always felt just a bit of regret for every child she took away from their parents, never meant to be reconnected. Even if the parents were more than willing for the honour of their child having a chance at becoming one of the Jedi, there was always that knowledge at the back of her mind that the days became forever lonelier for the family.

And if the parents weren't so sure, well, that was where Laeus worked best. In time she had found the best explanations for every kind of worry and uncertainty the parents had. But what really made her the best at the job was her simple presence and demeanour. With a kind, soothing voice and gentle speech, any being, especially other humans, were inclined to trust her more. And when clad in the traditional Jedi robes her soft face, gentle brown eyes and long blonde hair made her the spitting image of what people imagined the Jedi to be, coming from the stars with the powers of the Force, mysterious but friendly and helpful, spreading peace and harmony wherever they went. That was the idea anyway.

Though having talent at convincing parents to relinquish their children to a stranger was not the most innocent of traits, so Laeus made a point that her words would never lie or deceive. She always tried to follow the Force, and the Force was always honest. Though in an ironic twist, her angelic appearance, gained from a lifetime of said following of the Force, did end up hiding her true age and definitely contributed to people trusting her even without reason. Despite her insistence on honesty, she was fairly sure that the other Jedi in the nursery were more keen for her to do these missions because of these more superficial qualities. She didn't mind though. Even if it was taking the children away from their family, it was bringing them to another. The Jedi would be their true family, something they would come to learn, and at such a young age the children could never remember their original parents regardless.

She turned away from the other masters that recited the words with her and began her procession through the corridors of the temple alone. These thoughts ran through her head again as she went. She'd ruminated on them before, so was able to process them quite quickly, assuring herself that this mission was no different and just as important. It was night-time as she walked, so the corridors were much less active. This was intentional. The missions were always started at night, so that by the time she returned with the youngling it would symbolically be dawn. They didn't always time it right, but when they did it felt good. Less Jedi around also meant her walk felt more special.

Finally arriving at her destination, the Jedi archives, she passed the two temple guards standing as was custom and entered. It was just as empty as the rest of the building, and the areas beside the main corridor had their lights shut off, though it was not totally silent or dark, as the low hum and lights of servers and computers on standby permeated the tall room. She made her way to the most important place, the holocron vault. Waiting for her there were two other Jedi, as expected. There was Master Yoda, who in his time had likely done this ritual more times than anybody could know, and Master Dhoril, who as a Jedi working in the archives was to accompany her on her trip.

Master Dhoril was a Lanngiop, a rare and solitary species seldom found in the galaxy. He looked nothing like a human, and was considerably taller than one, standing 2.5 metres in the air. He would have been taller if the natural state of his species wasn't to be hunched over. His body was large to fit with his immense height and was covered in scales. He was bipedal, with two trunk-like legs to support him, both equally scaly. One of the many things that made him stand out was that his head was long and flat, with the nose sitting at the end and a small narrow mouth hidden underneath. His eyes were beady and positioned on either side of his head, giving him great peripheral vision but poorer ability at seeing what was immediately in front of him. The next most obvious thing that made his species unique was his back. Here the scales were more like armoured plates, large and overlapping, that went all the way from the top of his head down to a tail, which the third obvious thing. The tail was long, wide and heavy, with the scales protruding out the side giving it extra protection. He always had to be careful around delicate items, but thankfully it was in his species' nature to be slow and docile, and his Force-sensitivity helped him keep composed and aware of his surroundings. He had two arms, which were short and didn't stretch very far out in front of him, with hands that ended in three claws instead of fingers. And lastly, his whole body was a shade of muddy brown, though his scales were darker and more polished.

As Laeus approached the vault, Dhoril noticed her first and shifted himself towards her. He welcomed her as she approached, speaking in a slow, thick voice. His nostrils flared and slowly chuffed as he talked, as his undersized mouth strained to adapt to galactic basic, producing a rhythmic pattern of speech and an almost monotone.

"Greetings once more, Master Laeus."

"And to you, Master Dhoril."

Talking to a Lanngiop was an interesting experience. On their homeworld they had evolved to barely ever speak, communicating through other means, and so their mouth wasn't made for talking like other species did. As a result, a Lanngiop's speech was almost entirely devoid of mumbling, slurring, inflections, or any other quirks of speech which the rest of the galaxy possessed. Whenever Dhoril spoke it was totally clear and pronounced, a syllable at a time, like he was completing a task instead of partaking in a natural activity. He never said more than he needed to, and often said nothing at all. But the way of his species also meant that he was an expert at communicating non-verbally, and if you spent enough time with him you would eventually learn other ways to talk.

Laeus and Dhoril had known each other for many years. Laeus had learnt such ways to talk to him and considered him a good friend. The only one of his kind in the order, she appreciated what he brought to it. His kind were long-lived, and he had a calm wisdom that rumbled quietly within his giant form.

Then Yoda spoke, making Laeus cast her eyes down from the rare alien that dwarfed her, to the other rare alien that did just the opposite and also spoke strangely. What it must have been like for the two of them talking before she arrived she could only imagine, but the image was quite amusing.

"Good to see you again it is, Master Laeus."

"Master Yoda. A pleasure as always." She paused and looked at both of them in turn. "Shall we, masters?"

Without any other words, Yoda turned and moved towards the access pad for the vault. He raised his hand and used the Force to open the lock. The bolts and switches move into place as the dial turned, before it slotted into the pad and turned blue. The door opened, its curved segments sliding back into the frame and an aperture opening up from the centre until the whole entrance was agape. Beyond it was a round, bare corridor with another identical door at the end. Yoda nodded at the two of them and walked through the open frame, which then closed behind him.

As venerable as Laeus and Dhoril were, only council members were allowed into the vault. Laeus had seen inside only once, years ago when both access doors had happened to be open at the same time. She had glimpsed the ordered rows of holocrons stored inside, glittering blue in the low light, before the doors had shut again. But she never forgot. Dhoril had been inside a few times, when he was on the council decades ago, and his description of the place matched what she had seen. At some point she hoped she would be worthy to go inside and see the most closely guarded secrets of the Jedi, but until then only the 12 council members were allowed inside, hence there was always a council member present in the ceremony. It wasn't always Yoda, but in the latter part of his life he seemed to want to participate in the ushering in of the next generation more and more. So Dhoril said at least, but even with his long lifespan he hadn't been around nearly as long as Yoda, and it's hard to fit trends to someone who has been alive long before you, and likely will be after.

As the door shut behind Yoda, a silence came over the place. It was not an awkward silence, as Laeus and Dhoril did not always need to find things to say to each other. Nevertheless, after a few seconds, Dhoril did ask her something.

"How many younglings are we to collect this time?"

"Eight. Seven worlds."

"And what do we know about them?"

"Come, Master Dhoril, you should know better than to ask that. All details are kept securely on the holocron, we'll only know specifics once we have it. I've just been told that it's eight younglings who have come of age this rotation."

Dhoril said nothing more. It was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking, by the nature of his species his expression and posture always bore little detail. But Laeus was sure he was just considering what the younglings could be like.

Eventually Master Yoda returned through from the vault, in his hand holding the shining blue object that was of so much importance.

"For you, Master Laeus." He simply said, levitating the holocron over to Laeus, who caught it in her own Force grip and lowered it into her hand. She looked upon it. The holocron was pretty, but the information inside was what was so precious. So, using the Force she reached into it and unlocked it. The corners twisted, the sides retracted, and a blue hologram sprang up before them. It was the galaxy, and seven systems were marked with names and specific locations. Laeus looked upon it as one who has looked upon many of these maps, but who is still fascinated with them. This map led the way to future destinies. She could only imagine what the young Jedi that were recorded here would become, what mark they would make on the galaxy. But as she thought of them awaiting peacefully in their homes, innocent from their destinies, she could only smile as bright futures and possibilities filled her mind.

The galaxy vanished back into the cube as she withdrew the Force from it. Still holding it in both her hands, she turned back to the small green Jedi.

"Thank you, Master Yoda." Then, turning to the much larger Jedi beside him. "Shall we, Master Dhoril?" The Lanngiop only moved a claw forward as a gesture for her to continue.

Without any more words, Laeus turned and began walking back the way she came, out of the library. She continued to hold the holocron with both hands held into her chest, as was part of the procession, and as she walked she could hear the heavy footsteps of Dhoril walking behind her. Halfway along the path she noticed a figure standing on the level above them. They were wrapped in Jedi robes, their hood up so that Laeus could not see their face in the darkness. She looked at the figure out of the corner of her eye as she kept walking. It was not unheard of for other Jedi to watch the procession, but Laeus wondered who it might be. But before she could think on it much more, the figure turned away from the balcony and walked out of sight. Laeus decided not to dwell on it and focused back on her path. Yoda watched them go until they had left the library and were out of sight, leaving him alone with nothing but the quiet hum of the computers and his own thoughts.

Laeus exited the library and turned the corner to continue on her path. But she hadn't walked even ten metres from the doorway when she heard a voice speak from beside her.

"You know, the experience of youngling collection has always been a puzzle to me." Laeus recognised the voice and smiled. Turning to its source, she saw the same hooded figure standing just between the pillars of the corridor. They pulled down their hood to reveal the face of a middle-aged human male. "You go to more planets in one session than most Jedi visit in a year. And yet you never spend more than a day there. What's it like, to visit so many worlds and peoples in such a short time, and never stay to experience them and likely never visit again?" Laeus took a moment for the smile to linger on her face as she looked at the man.

"You've asked me this before Master Verlis. And as I've told you before, you're welcome to find out yourself if you ever wish to join me on one of these missions." Verlis slightly smiled himself and looked down briefly.

"No thank you Janeir. I think it's best to leave it to you fosterers in the nursey. Those who know what they're doing." He stepped forward as he said this, and only then seemed to notice the hulking alien standing behind Laeus. "Greetings Master Dhoril," was all he said. The Lanngiop said nothing back, but lightly nodded in return. Laeus then spoke up again

"May we continue as we walk? I don't want to keep the others waiting."

"Of course. Don't let me hold back the procession." The group set off again through the corridors that gleamed even in the dark of night, Verlis walking alongside Laeus while Dhoril plodded behind. Both the humans kept their eyes ahead as they continued speaking. "But really, what is it like? You've never actually given me a proper answer."

"Well, it's not what one would call 'exploring the galaxy', but it does offer a perspective that one wouldn't get if they stayed in the same place too long."

"Such as?"

"Well, primarily a sense of scale. A sense of one's place in the galaxy."

"I would have thought you already had such a sense, Janeir. Haven't you always claimed to be in touch with the galaxy?"

"Well yes, but that's more to do with life and the Living Force. The perspective one gets from making so many small trips is really of the number of worlds and peoples. We've all seen the long lists of planets and systems while studying, perhaps with brief details, but you can't really appreciate it until you've visited so many of them in short order."

"Does it have to be in short order, like you say? It seems to me that doing so will tell you nothing actually about the places."

"That's true, unfortunately, but yes it has to be that way. Spend too much time on one world, especially here, and you start to forget about the rest."

"But if you took the time, surely you could explore many worlds to some depth. That way you could have both a sense of scale and some knowledge about everywhere you've visited." Laeus chuckled.

"Ideally, but it would take several lifetimes to do enough of them in sufficient detail."

"More than several lifetimes," the deep, plain voice of Dhoril sounded behind them, causing them to turn their heads, "the more that you know, the one thing you cannot avoid learning is how much is still hidden from you. In all my years in the archives I cannot claim to know even a hundredth of what is there."

"The galaxy is too big." Laeus said in agreement, turning back to the path. "When it comes down to it, you can either know just a bit about the whole galaxy or understand just a corner of it. To try and have both will be to have neither. One has to choose."

"And I think it's too late for us to change our minds now." Verlis added. "So I'll keep my understanding, and you can have your knowledge." Laeus smiled at that.

"As you wish Ikroff. But are you sure it isn't the other way round?" Verlis paused in confusion, and then both of them lightly laughed together. By this point they had reached one of the Jedi hangars. More temple guards stood in front of the doorway. "But do you know what one of the nice things about all this is?"

"What's that?"

"It's that they have yet to make that choice." She opened the holocron once again, the blue galaxy flashing up in front of them. "And they will have ample time to change their minds." This took Verlis by surprise, but it quickly turned to happiness as he saw what Laeus was trying to say. "Their journey has not yet begun. And it will be theirs to shape however they wish." She closed the holocron again, and Verlis spoke once more.

"And you two will be the ones to begin that journey. That must be a privilege."

"No Master Verlis," Dhoril chimed in again, "that privilege belongs to the Force."

"Indeed," Laeus concurred, "we are but stewards to its will. That's what the fosterers hold true." Verlis paused at that and took a second on what he said next.

"Perhaps. But you shouldn't underestimate your own free will's influence in these matters. It will affect them just as much as the Force will, whether you want it to or not." Now Laeus seemed to take a moment to think about to say in return, but she decided not to pursue the debate.

"That remains to be seen." Silence come over as the three stood there a little longer, the two humans glanced at the hangar entrance before Verlis spoke first.

"Well, I shouldn't keep you anymore. Good luck Janeir."

"Thank you Ikroff." Laeus turned to go, walking through the doorway into the hangar. Dhoril followed behind, him and Verlis giving one more quick nod to each other as he passed.

As Laeus entered the hangar, more Jedi from the nurseries greeted her to finish the ceremony. They waited in front of her ship, which was one kept especially for this use. 'Jedi to wish me well as I leave the nursery, and then Jedi to wish me well as I leave the temple.' Laeus reminded herself. Sure enough, after she approached them, the group exchanged more ceremonious words wishing that the Force would be with her and her journey.

Now the passage was complete, and Laeus and Dhoril entered their ship. They were greeted by two pilots, volunteers in the temple, who informed them they were ready for take-off whenever the Jedi desired. Wasting no time, Laeus told them to depart immediately. The landing ramp lifted up, the ship's doors sealed shut and the hangar doors opened, revealing the glowing lights of the endless city. With the other fosterers and temple guards watching, the ship raised itself into the air and flew out of the hangar and into the space above the city spires. It flew further and further into the sky, until it left the atmosphere behind and entered the great vacuum of space.

In orbit, Laeus opened the holocron once more. She perused the list of names and locations, deciding where to go first. The order made no difference really, they would come back to the temple after each pickup, but still she deliberated over which child would be the first. Eventually, she selected Lakara, a rainforest world in the Mid Rim. She sent an advance message notifying the planet of their arrival, and then instructed the pilots to set a course. The co-ordinates were set, and the stars seemed to bend as the ship shot off into hyperspace.