After some time, the rushing blue dissolved, and the planet finally did come into view. It was a deceptively simple-looking continental world, with simple green plains and blue oceans. But these belied its true uniqueness; that the real beauty of the world could not be seen with the eye. For this was a place where the Force gathered in strength, and whose inhabitants existed symbiotically with it. Alpheridies, the homeworld of the Miraluka.

They landed in the capital. Touching down, they exited the hangar and came out onto the city street, Laeus holding a single strip of plain cloth. The cities of the Miraluka were like no other in the galaxy. Despite being ostensibly urban, the streets were lined with life of all kinds. Plants and trees grew along the sidewalks, and plants and vines grew along the walls and rooves of the buildings above them. The road itself contained no traffic and was too narrow for most vehicles to pass through anyway. This was intentional design, no vehicles were permitted to drive through or above the cities, the only transportation infrastructure on the planet was the public shuttles between the regions so people could move the larger distances across the world, everything else was purely pedestrian.

The architecture too, was one of a kind. It was special because when looked at through normal eyes, it seemed weird and disorganised. Laeus could see Dhoril looking at it quizzically, trying to fathom what the intention was in its design. But that wasn't how it was meant to be perceived. Laeus knew though. She turned and spoke to him.

"If you don't mind Master Dhoril, I would like to do this collection on my own. I know this world, I won't have any trouble." Dhoril paused, considering this, before he yielded.

"As you wish Master Laeus. However, I implore you to remember your mission here. Do not becomes distracted by memories of your past."

"I know Dhoril, and don't worry."

After she said this, she took the strip of cloth into both hands. It was one of her mementos, brought from her room. She hadn't used it in years, and even though any piece of material would do, using this felt more special. She reached up and put the cloth over her eyes, tying it behind her head so it was secure in place, and adjusting it so it rested comfortably. Then, she slowly stopped relying on her eyes and began to reach out with the Force. Dhoril was confused for a second, but quickly understood.

Gradually, the world around Laeus started coming into focus, then quicker as instinct came back to her. Instead of the darkness from covering her vision, a new perception came into her mind that was more colourful and truthful. She could sense every life form around her as glowing vessels of the Living Force. Dhoril and the Miraluka on the street stood out like shining beacons with the Force swirling within them. She could sense their emotions and their relationship with the Force, and all of them shone with a warm yellow colour that indicated the light side. But she could also sense the life of the plants and trees of the city, which were all around her in much greater quantity. The Living Force flowed through their stalks and barks too, and it spread all across the street, up the walls and over the rooves of the buildings. And in those buildings, she could sense yet more life as she stretched out her senses more, feeling a wonderful combination of vibrancy and peacefulness that so little places in the galaxy could give.

But the Living Force was not the only thing the cities were designed to celebrate, and this was where the strange architecture showed its true colours. The buildings were designed to channel and display the Cosmic Force, constructed to let it flow through them. The Cosmic Force was everywhere in the galaxy, but these buildings were specifically designed to condense it and let it flow such that it became faintly visible to those who could see. And so, the buildings seemed to faintly glow in a low blue light, with subtle waves and strands winding their way through the elegant architecture of every building, meeting and dispersing, twisting in cosmic patterns. This kind of construction was only possible for those whose entire existence had been spent immersed in this world, and Laeus found herself more content here than anywhere else in the galaxy, surrounded by the warm yellow shining of the Living Force and the slow blue aura of the Cosmic Force, both of them in harmony.

Laeus took a moment to be sure she was attuned, and then another moment to drink it all in. Seeing with the Force was to see the universe in its truest form, and sometimes she envied the Miraluka to have this come naturally. She would have never said that seeing with normal eyes was inferior, it had its own beauty to offer, but one undeniable advantage Force sight did have over conventional eyes was that one was able to see all around themselves. Eyesight was limited to just wherever the user happened to be looking, whereas with Force sight they could see all around them at once, not just the direction they were facing. And with this thought in mind Laeus spoke to Dhoril without looking at him.

"I'll meet you back at the ship."

"Very well," he replied, "enjoy your stay."

Laeus chuckled at that, then moved off into the street. She was still able to perceive normal objects like the sidewalk and doors, however mundane, so she wasn't likely to trip or bump into anything while walking. She moved through the city, noting the Force-signature of every Miraluka she passed. Every being was different, but members of the same species had similarities that told you what they were. As she passed them many made note of her too, as they could sense she was not just a human but a Jedi too, and one that was walking through their city and seeing with their sight like she belonged here. And that was true to a large extent; apart from her species that was little about her Force-signature to suggest she was a stranger, and she was perfectly comfortable walking through streets that she already knew.

They had specifically requested not to have a guide before they arrived, which allowed Laeus to take the scenic route to her destination. She went down a few streets that weren't strictly necessary but held sentimental value, reminiscing on her time here as a Padawan as she went. But she didn't meander too long, and eventually arrived at the destination. Unlike the previous pickup points, this was not a family home, but rather a care home. The holocron hadn't explained why the child was in a care home, but Laeus intended to find out.

Walking up the steps and entering the building, she was met with a basic reception. The Miraluka male at the desk was already looking at her as she entered.

"Greetings. You're the Jedi I assume?" They'd known she was coming, and Laeus did stand out in the Force in this place.

"I am. Is the youngling here?"

"She is. Follow me, I shall take you to her."

Laeus followed the man up a couple of flights of steps and to a basic room with only one lifeform in it. The room was fairly bare, even for Miraluka, with the cot holding the youngling being the only noticeable feature.

"This is her. Shel Niiano. We've already filled out all the paperwork, so you're welcome to just take her."

Laeus moved over to the cot and looked in. She could sense that the baby inside was stronger in the Force than the average of her species, though also that she was not very happy. Laeus decided to ask the questions that had been bugging her.

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I know it's not unusual, but why is the child being given to the Jedi and not kept for the Luka Sene?" She could feel the man become unsure of himself.

"I don't know master Jedi. It's the parents' decision I believe."

"And where are the parents?"

"The mother is dead. The father has been… exiled."

"Exiled?" This was very uncommon in Miraluka society. They all considered themselves part of one big family, to be exiled was extremely serious. "What for? And how could they choose this for their child in that case?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. We were just entrusted with the baby and told that the Jedi would arrive to take it in under a year. Only the home office knows what happened with the parents." Laeus puzzled this. She now had more questions than when she came in. But there was no point questioning the man, he was clearly not involved.

"Well, in any case, thank you for taking care of the child until now."

"A pleasure master Jedi."

With that, the two of them went back downstairs and Laeus left with a quick farewell. She walked back along the streets to the spaceport, taking a slightly different memory lane this time. After a modest amount more of sentimental meandering she arrived back. But before she could enter the spaceport, she sensed a figure standing by the doorway that she was intimately familiar with. As she sensed the figure it sensed her, and before long Laeus heard a familiar voice call out.

"Laeus? Is that you?" She stopped in her tracks and couldn't help a bright smile come across her lips. "Janeir, that is you." She and the figure quickly started walking to each other and before long the two met with a hug. "As soon as I heard a Jedi was arriving I had to come and see, and sure enough!"

A Miraluka women stood in front of Laeus. She was middle-aged, about fifty, and was dressed in formal robes with a decorated head piece. The head piece was an important piece of clothing to the Miraluka. Wearing cloth or any such material around their eyes wasn't practical in the long term, so most wore a kind of hood that came down over their top half of their faces to obscure their eye sockets. As such, each Miraluka's own was important to them and often detailed to indicate their heritage, position, or just to look nice. The woman who was stood in front of Laeus now was wearing a particular one that was detailed with a unique pattern only afforded to those who could also wear the robes.

"Teera, how are you?"

"Never mind me, how's my favourite Jedi Master? Ah, I was ecstatic when I heard, I always knew you'd make to high places." Laeus smiled further at the infectious energy of her old friend. She was still the same Teera despite so many years apart.

"Now now, your position is equally impressive Teera. A high instructor at the Luka Sene, not many can lay claim to that."

"Ah, you noticed did you?" Teera gestured to her robes and headpiece. Laeus couldn't see them physically, but the pattern on the headpieces was woven in with the same style as the city architecture, giving it a faint blue glow in the Force. "Sure, it's nice, but it's not the same as what you've achieved Laeus."

"Teera-" Laeus briefly stopped to let out a light laugh, "stop it, don't make this a competition."

"Right, right, sorry." The Miraluka woman looked to the side slightly and seemed embarrassed. Eventually she turned back and kept speaking. "I must say Laeus, you don't seem to have aged a bit since I last saw you." Laeus just smiled.

"The Force rewards its followers. But hey, you haven't aged so bad either."

"Oh, you're just saying that because you have eyes." They both laughed at that. "But yeah, you always talked about following the will of the Force. I had no idea you'd take it this far though."

"Neither did I at the time. But once you give yourself to it, it just… pulls you in you know?"

"Oh, I do, yes." There was a small pause between them. "So, what brings you back after all this time? Ah, does it have anything to do with that child?"

"Yes, it does." Laeus looked down at the child in her arms. "I'm collecting her for the Jedi, her parents have given her to the temple."

"Ah, lucky her! She gets to be like you Laeus."

"Well, there's still a long way for that."

Teera moved forward to the girl and spoke lower, whispering to the youngling. "Lucky you, young sister, you get to go all the way to the Jedi temple." Laeus quickly remembered it was standard for the Miraluka to call each other brother and sister. "You might even get to be trained by Laeus here! Of course, if you'd stayed here you might have been lucky enough to get trained by me, haha." Finished, she stepped back and started speaking to Laeus again. "So, what's her name?"

"Shel." As soon as Laeus said this, Teera's mood sombred immediately. Laeus felt the change, and there was a pause.

"Shel Niiano?"

"Yes, do you know her?"

"I do. Well, I know of her."

"Why so serious then?"

"Well, did the people at the care home tell you about her parents?"

"Only that the mother was dead and the father exiled. What happened?" Teera paused.

"Well, the mother asked for the child to be given to the Jedi before she died, the father was exiled not long after." Now the mood was dead cold, and Shel became restless in Laeus' arms. Teera took a much longer pause, as if deliberating whether to reveal the information.

"Teera?"

"Ah, I suppose you can know. Jedi aren't supposed to know about their families anyway, are they?"

"Not in principle," Laeus replied.

So Teera told her. She told her the history of Shel's parents and the incident leading up to her mother's death. When she was finished both were quiet and the atmosphere was deadly serious. Shel wriggled more as the solemn mood upset her, even as a baby she could sense the unhappiness of the situation around her. Laeus looked down the youngling, contemplating all that she had been through without even realising it. Finally, she looked back to Teera.

"How many people know of this?"

"Just the home office and those of us high up at the Luka Sene. This kind of thing happens rarely, and we do our best to prevent it, but… you know. They want to keep it under wraps, it makes the people unhappy. Frankly, I agree."

"I can understand," Laeus said slowly. "It's not my place to intervene, but Shel here…"

"Just don't tell her Laeus. If she never knows it can never affect her. We don't hold anything against her for the parents, but we respect the mother's last wishes." Her demeanour then brightened somewhat. "Make sure she has a good life. I'm sure she'll grow up to be a great lightsider with your help." She began to smile again, which made Laeus smile in return. The mood cheered up considerably, which calmed Shel back down, and they began to chat some more about lighter and more frivolous topics. Eventually Laeus had to break the flow of conversation though.

"Listen Teera, I would stay and catch up for hours, but I have a mission to attend to." She nodded at the child she was still holding. "I've got to get her back to the temple."

"Oh, of course, of course, I wouldn't want to hold you up Laeus. But you will promise to come back soon, won't you? Meeting like this has made me realise just how long it's been. And I know there are others who would remember you." Laeus was hesitant. As much as she would have liked to, she also didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep.

"I don't know when I could, Teera. A Jedi fosterer's job doesn't get a break, and I know you're very busy too."

"Yes, I am." Teera sighed as she said this. "I should probably be back already now that I think about it. But don't forget the offer Janeir, I would really like to talk to you proper. And don't worry about me being busy, I'll drop everything if you stop by." Laeus was warmed by her friend's words, and that their bond had lasted even after so many years apart.

"For you Teera, I'll find the time."

This made Teera feel better in turn. They said goodbyes to each other before parting ways. Laeus headed into the spaceport and back to the ship. She arrived to sense Dhoril waiting in the ship, and could see by their Force signatures that the pilots had got bored. Entering the ship, she used a free hand to untie the cloth around her eyes. Taking it off, she withdrew from the world provided to her by the Force, returning to her usual sight as she resurfaced.

"You were a while," said Dhoril, as she opened her eyes again, "did you find some past memories?"

"No," Laeus replied, "they found me."

"I see." Was all Dhoril said in turn. He moved over the inspect the youngling in Laeus' arms. After a few seconds he had apparently satisfied himself and moved back. Laeus could only guess his thoughts. Well, that wasn't true, but it would be rude to find out for real. As the pilots began to take off and return to space, Dhoril spoke again to Laeus. "While you were gone Master Laeus, I was pondering some things. There are some topics I don't quite understand about this world, I don't suppose you could answer them for me?"

"Of course, what is it?" Laeus said, laying Shel down in a special compartment on the ship.

"Well, the prime question I have is, if all the Miraluka are Force-sensitive, why do more of them not become Jedi? In fact, could not all of them become Jedi?"

"A good question Master Dhoril, I can tell you." Laeus took a moment do finish putting Shel down and to sleep before she answered.

"Well, for one thing, with the Jedi rule on attachments, none of the species would be able to marry or have children. They'd go extinct within a generation."

"Ah, that is true," Dhoril admitted, "but I expect that is not the main reason, no?"

"Well no. Not that they would even need it if you ask me. Most of them don't follow any sort of code and they all manage to stay in the light anyway." She then glanced sadly over to Shel, "Well, nearly all of them." She quickly shook off the feeling and turned back to Dhoril. "The main reason is quite simply that not all of them have the Force potential."

"But I was led to believe they were all Force-sensitive?"

"In their sight, yes, but not necessarily in actual Force ability. Miraluka with a connection to the Force full and strong enough to be worthy of being a Jedi are still a minority. A much bigger minority than most species, but still."

"Very well. But then among that small group why is the uptake not much higher?"

"Well, that's answered with a third reason, which is that the Miraluka as a people know a lot more about the realities of the Jedi Order than most of the galaxy."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean they don't idolise us as some do, they know us as another organisation dedicated to the light. They know of our rules of detachment and other such restrictions, and most simply choose not to give their children away. They have their own culture dedicated to the Force, and most would prefer to keep their children in it. We fully respect that of course, Miraluka children can be just as good servants of the light if they stay at home than if they joined the Jedi. Which is where the Luka Sene comes in."

"Ah, I have heard of this organisation," Dhoril remarked. "This is their own Force academy, yes?"

"That's right. All the parents teach their children about the Force, and their natural Force-sight means most of them have a good degree of empathy which keeps in them in the light, but it's the Luka Sene where they send the majority of their full Force-sensitives. The academy trains Miraluka young to use the Force to help others, and they do it pretty well. As such, most Miraluka parents just don't see the need to give up their children to the Jedi, their own academy is just as good and doesn't require such sacrifice."

"Hmm," Dhoril stood and mused on this for a few seconds. "I think I understand. But why then do some decide the Jedi are the best choice?"

"Well, that could be for a variety of reasons. Some just think the Jedi are better, some think their child has great potential and needs greater opportunity, but some do it because they can't take care of the child, or it's an orphan, or something similar. All sorts of possible reasons why."

"And for this child in particular, do you know what her parents' reasons are?" Laeus looked at the sleeping Shel in the compartment across from them. Her expression turned sad again, and as the ship entered hyperspace she quietly answered.

"As a matter of fact I do."

All throughout the flight back to Coruscant, Laeus couldn't keep her thoughts from wandering yet again. She kept thinking back to what Teera had said, and her curiosity was getting the better of her. Finally, when they landed back at the temple, she decided to do something.

"Master Dhoril, before you head off, I would appreciate it if you could help me with something."

"What is it Master Laeus?"

"Well, it concerns Shel here again. And what I told you in hyperspace."

"I see. You want to discover more about the parentage?"

"If that's possible."

"I can check the genealogical records in the archives, but I don't know how far back they go for the Miraluka."

"Whatever you can do. I'll meet you there once I've dropped Shel off at the nursery."

So they set off in separate directions. Dhoril headed to the archives while Shel went to the nursery. As she set her down in the fifth cot in the room and stepped back to allow the carer droid to do its work, she couldn't help wondering what they should do with whatever information they discovered. But deciding to leave that till afterwards, she made her way to the archives herself. Arriving there, it didn't take her long to find Dhoril, nestled between two shelves in a deeper part of the library.

He was in the middle of accessing data from one of the holobooks. His presence in the library was quite a sight to behold. He stood remarkably still, like a rancor in a pottery shop, tapping away at the book with his claws. There was such raw strength in his armour-plated hide that any sudden movement in the wrong direction could knock the whole shelf over, and a simple swing of his tail could destroy hundreds of years of history. Even his claws, thick and heavy, could cause considerable damage to the book if he pressed too hard. Nevertheless, he stood there in perfect calm and control, carefully accessing the information with expert delicateness, as he had done a thousand times before.

Laeus approached him to see what he had discovered. Hearing her approach, he moved his head to face her while keeping his body perfectly still.

"Anything?" She began.

"We are lucky in this case. The genealogical records for most of the Miraluka population go back to before the end of the New Sith Wars. The Niiano family specifically dates back about thirteen hundred years."

"And is there anything outstanding?"

"I am only a few centuries in so far. Your help would make the process much quicker."

So Laeus assisted. For a few minutes they scanned the records of Shel's ancestors, generation by generation, until they hit the twelve-hundred-year mark and a name appeared that stood out.

"Master Laeus, I believe this ancestor is of interest." Laeus saw it and was taken aback.

"Oh my, yes. That might explain some things. Only basic info here, but I'm sure the archives have a much more detailed record of them, yes?"

"Yes, but it would be sealed away. I can request access, but we'll need a good reason."

"I'm sure the interests of the child are a good reason."

"Let us hope so." There were a few seconds of silence as they continued checking the data, before Dhoril spoke again. "This revelation still does not explain the father's actions, however." Laeus stopped to consider this.

"No, I suppose it doesn't. But who knows why he did what he did. What's important is we know."

They spent a couple more minutes checking the rest of the ancestry, but nothing of equal importance appeared. They copied the relevant information onto a datastick before moving to put in the request with the chief archivist. It would take a few days to process, so in the meantime Laeus suggested they return to their rooms to prepare for tomorrow's excursion.

"Not yet," Dhoril replied, "I wish to stay for a bit longer and do some more research on the planets we have yet to visit. I believe they all have unique customs for us, so I need to refresh my memory on them."

"As you wish Master Dhoril." Laeus replied, who decided she would rather rest, and set off back to her room.