Disclaimer: I have no claim to the Star Wars world, only a joy in everything that George Lucus and Bioware have created. I have only used my imagination with this story. The first part of this is taken directly from the start of the game and throughout my story are direct quotes from conversations in the game, the only Character I lay any claim to is my PC Skye Organa.
*** Dantooine ***
Dantooine is the opposite of Taris, very agricultural and open with not a lot of buildings. The sky darkening from day to night as we approach. As we are landing, Bastila tells us she will go and see the Jedi Council and that we are to wait at the Ebon Hawk for her. Carth and I follow her outside and watch her go into the enclave, both of us wondering what is in store for us next. When she returns we are asked to follow her to the Jedi Council as they wish to speak with me. We share a puzzled look but follow Bastila through the centre. Carth catches up to her to ask her what is going on and I lag behind, thoughtful.
A Padawaan stops me along the way and asks why I am not wearing my robes? Do I mock the Order?
"I think you are mistaken." I reply, "I came with Bastila"
She says she has heard of her and her abilities. Also that she has a foolish pride in those abilities.
She apologises to me and says, "May the Force be with You", taking her leave.
I hurry to catch up with Carth finding that Bastila has already preceded me into the Council Chamber. He is waiting for me at the entrance and tells me that they are waiting for me within. Thanking him I enter and immediately I feel the power within the room. I feel a presence pressing against my mind that is unsettling to say the least. A Twi'lek is the first to speak.
"Ah, so you are the one who rescued Bastila on Taris. It is appropriate that you are here, I am Zhar, a Master within the Jedi Order. With me are Masters Vrook, Vandar and Dorak who is the chronicler of the academy." He points to each in turn and goes on to tell me that they have been discussing the issues that Bastila had brought before them - including my part in her rescue.
With this I look at Bastila, surprised that she had admitted she *had* been rescued. She gestures for me to pay attention to what the Masters have to say. I turn back to Master Zhar and he continues to address the issues that have been brought to their attention. Issues that, it seems, I am the center of.
I feel the undercurrents of emotions swirling around the chamber, they are controlled but I feel concern, worry and I am surprised to feel fear. From the moment the Ebon Hawk entered the atmosphere of Dantooine, it seemed like a whole new world of awareness was opening up to me. I am unsure what to make of this new awareness and when asked my interpretation of events, I answer honestly but state that I am confused by it all.
They tell me that they are considering me for Jedi training, that normally they wouldn't consider someone of my age and I look surprised at this, deciding to voice my own concerns and informing them of what the Dark Jedi on Taris had said about me being a Force Adept. They take this news in and then say that they need to deliberate further, requesting that we return to the Ebon Hawk until they call for us again in the morning. Coming as close to bickering as Jedi can and one asks if they are all sure that Revan is gone? This puzzles me but do not voice any questions regarding it.
As I leave the chamber I find the pressure that has been pressing against my mind increase for a moment then lift. Feeling somewhat disturbed by the sensation I shake my head to try and clear some of the fog that was settling there. Carth looks at me with concern, asks if I am ok and what went on in there. Bastila informs him that we are not to talk about what goes on in the Council Chamber and that he will have to respect the will of the Jedi Council.
He looks like he wants to argue the point with her but instead catches hold of me as I suddenly stumble and prevents me from falling as I pass out. Carth gives Bastila a dirty look then swings me up into his arms and carries me back to the Ebon Hawk. He takes me straight to my bunk, with Mission and Big Z right behind him, both asking what is the matter with me. Bastila starts to follow but gets forcibly told to go some place else and to leave me alone.
He lays me down and asks Mission to get a damp cloth to wipe my face with. She races off to get one and Big Z follows her out, standing guard at the beginning of the corridor. Returning with the cloth, Carth asks her to try and get some information out of Bastila as to why I would faint after a session with the Council and to keep her distracted elsewhere although he doesn't think that Mission will get any information out of Bastila.
*~*I am in total darkness apart from a far away point of light. I hear a man's voice, filled with an unknown but powerful emotion, calling me as if from a great distance. Gently calling my name … "Skye… Skye, wake up, I *need* you to wake up". I move towards the point of light and push the darkness away from me. The closer I get to the light, the brighter it is and I hear the man again speak, his familiar voice filled with raw emotion …telling me that everything will be alright, that he is here, that he won't let anything bad happen to me, not now, not ever." *~*
I feel something damp being gently dabbed over my face then taken away. Calloused fingers gently caress my jaw line, tilting up my chin. Lips press ever so softly against mine and I smile feeling a delicious sensation course through my body. My eyes flutter open to see Carth leaning over me, his eyes searching my face and asking if I am okay.
"Yes I'm ok, just very tired" I murmur and with that my eyes again close and I am soon in a deep sleep.
He watches me for a long time, seeing the smile still in place and a peaceful look on my face. He finally rises and heads back to his own bunk, thinking that he should not of kissed me in a moment of weakness. He passes Mission along the way as she heads to bed also but doesn't realize that she had witnessed him kiss me while I slept.
*~* Two figures are pacing infront of strange door. One dressed in a black flowing robe and a mask covering her face, the man dressed in brown and red. "The Dark Side is strong in this place - I can feel its power … is this wise?" They look at each other for a moment "The ancient Jedi sealed this entrance. If we go through this door, we can never go back. The Order will surely banish us," The taller of the two said. "Are the secrets of the Star Forge truly so valuable? Can its power be worth the risk?" The slighter of the two waves her hand and the door unlocks. Both pause for only a moment before entering the room. A large metal structure is the focus of the room and as they approach it, it opens up to show a glowing star map." *~*
With a jolt I am sitting upright, my nightmare echoing in my mind. I rub my eyes and get up, heading towards the refresher unit in the Ebon Hawk. I am feeling disturbed but also puzzled, as I don't remember going to bed. I vaguely remember having another dream before my nightmare but for the moment, don't remember anything more. I step under the shower and let the water coarse over me. Feeling a little more like myself I emerge from the Hawk to see Carth standing at the bottom of the ramp, looking up at the sky.
"Morning Carth"
He turns and looks at me, taking in my appearance before saying, "This morning's getting stranger by the minute! First Bastila comes out looking like she's seen a ghost and now you do. If you think I'm not going to ask about last night, you're wrong. What is going on?"
"I had a rough night. Did she say anything else?"
To this he tells me that she'd only said that I was to go straight to the Council Chambers. We turn and head that direction.
"Carth … how did I end up in my bunk last night?"
His face flushes for a moment before he tells me that I'd fainted and he'd carried me in.
"Oh … ok." I wonder what could have embarrassed him but say that apart from my nightmare this morning I don't remember the night before. Almost as an after thought I add that I had another dream early in the night but the details of that aren't clear. A relieved look quickly flashes past his face, which again leaves me puzzled.
As we near the Council Chambers I mentally prepare myself, raising invisible shields against the onslaught of mental powers in the room. Carth remains at the door as I enter the Chamber, and again I feel pressure against my mind. I am prepared for it this time and do not let it in. Unspoken surprise emanates all around the room. Master Zhar is the first to speak and says that they have agreed to train me as a Jedi. Also that Bastila has informed them of the shared vision that we had that morning. I am shocked that she had shared it and wonder aloud how that is possible. I am told that we share a connection through the Force, which is not unheard of. That our destinies are linked and that what effects one of us will affect the other as well.
They go on to discuss the vision in more detail and I learn that it is Revan and Malak that I have been seeing in my mind's eye. Telling us that as soon as I have completed my training to their satisfaction, that Bastila and I will be investigating the old ruins for information regarding this star map. Master Zhar then indicates that I should precede him into the training room for my lessons to begin. I am now officially an Apprentice.
I am to learn how to control my emotions through meditation, how to channel the Force into my actions for defense and attack and how to use my abilities to serve the Light side of the Force. I am to learn the histories of the Jedi and I am told that the Dark side is always there, lurking in the shadows - to be constantly on alert for it and I am taught the code that all Jedi follow:
There is no Emotion: There is Peace.
There is no Ignorance: There is Knowledge.
There is no Passion: There is Serenity.
There is no Chaos: There is Harmony.
There is no Death: There is the Force.
I find myself instinctively able to do everything that is asked of me in my lessons. In my sparring matches with Bastila, I pick up quickly and easily, the swordsmanship skills required for when I make my own lightsaber. I also find that I have a very high empathy rating. I am able to pick up on the emotions of all those around me. This skill I find is difficult to control. While Bastila says that I am supposed to go to her with any problems, I find that it is much easier to speak with Mission. I am unnerved by the link that Bastila and I share and work on closing her off when I don't want her knowing my thoughts, which for some reason I can't fathom, keep centering around Carth.
Mission and I haven't really had a good chance to talk since we left Taris and I ask her how she is feeling. She is shaken up quite abit from seeing what the Sith are capable of, destroying Taris just to get at Bastila like that, but she is determined to move on and wants to help us in any way she can in our fight against Malak and his followers. I sympathize with her, as I now know that I had felt their deaths as we left the planet.
A few nights after I started my training I confide in Mission about the strange dream I'd remembered having before having the vision the Jedi Council deemed so important. She listens to me as I describe dreaming of a man calling out to me through all the darkness and that when I reach him and the light, he kisses me. I can't picture what he looks like although I remember that his voice sounded familiar. She asks me if I am sure it was just a dream when Carth walks in. I flush with embarrassment, knowing that he had overheard me talking of my dream and wishing that he hadn't. I am surprised to see a tinge of red on his face also. Mission just looks knowingly between the two of us, commenting on 'chemistry' and saying, "if only the blind could see" and disappears down to the common room to speak with Big Z, leaving us alone together.
I sit for a time looking down at my hands before composing myself enough to look up at Carth. He is watching me carefully, and then asks how my training has been going. After a few awkward moments I relax and am able to talk with him about how I have been handling it. I find that I can bounce theories off him and that he is more understanding than the Masters when I try and figure out some of the hidden meanings of some of the texts I have studied. We make it a nightly ritual to talk through my theory lessons and he learns more about the Jedi than Bastila approves of. I learn that there are three types of Jedi, which are distinguished by different coloured lightsaber blades, although with different crystals you can change the colours of the blades and what they are able to do.
Blue is for the Jedi Guardian. This Jedi battles against the forces of evil and the dark side. They focus more on combat training and use of the lightsaber.
Yellow is for the Jedi Sentinel. This Jedi ferrets out deceit and injustice, bringing it to light. They focus less on combat and more on other skills and abilities.
Green is for the Jedi Consular. This Jedi seeks to bring balance to the universe. They mediate between other groups using their powers to end conflict and preserve peace.
One morning, Master Zhar tells me that he feels I am ready to take my trials. "There is no Emotion", he states. "There is Peace." I answer. "There is no Ignorance" "There is Knowledge." "There is no Passion" "There is Serenity." "There is no Chaos" " There is Harmony." There is no Death" "There is the Force." He tells me that I have passed my first test and that soon I will be a full member of the Jedi Order.
Now I am told to go and see Master Dorak for instruction regarding my lightsaber. Master Dorak asks me a series of questions to see how I will deal with certain problems I might face. Through his questioning he says that I am most suited to be a Jedi Consular. He hands me a green crystal and sends me back to the training room to construct my own lightsaber. I find my hands know exactly the right way to place the crystal, as if I had made a lightsaber before. With quiet skill I work on it, blocking out all else except what I am doing. When I finish I have a smooth, sleek handled weapon. I press the button and ignite my green blade, swinging it in an arch to test it then shutting it down. I take it over to where Master Zhar had been quietly observing me and hand it over for inspection. He examines it carefully testing the weight and grip and telling me I have successfully completed my second test.
For my third test he says that I have to go into the grove, that I have to remove the taint that has spoilt it. I am allowed to take my companions with me if I wish to, as there are many kath hounds roaming the fields and that it is safer to travel in numbers. I go back to the Ebon Hawk to find Carth. Canderous looks up from where he is tinkering with the swoop bike, so I ask him if he would like to come along. He jumps at the chance and says he will meet us over the bridge towards the Matale grounds. Carth dons his armour and is soon ready to move out. I am welcoming the opportunity to see just how good Canderous is in battle. By now we had all heard his war stories and I wanted to separate some fact from fiction.
As we walk about the courtyard outside the enclave I am drawn to talk to a man staring out into the distance. He says his name is Nemo and that it is good to look at the wonders of Nature. I agree and look around at the landscape, taking in its beauty. He asks me what I am up to and I reply that I am on a task for the council. He tells me a little about the grove's location but won't say any more, leaving me to make my own judgements. Carth and I go on further and stop to talk with another couple, they are waiting to go and see the council about some matter. They tell us about the family feud that has been going on between the Matale's and the Sandral's also and that Casus Sandral has gone missing. Also that Shen Matale is missing as well. Telling them we will keep it in mind during our travels we head off again as we see Canderous over the bridge getting quite impatient.
A distraught father, Jon, stops us again. He tells us that the Mandalorian warriors killed his daughter. We tell him that we will see what we can do about them, if we happen to run into them and once again move off. Leaving the sanctuary of the enclave, we are attacked by some vicious kath hounds. The boys seem to revel in the action after so long being idle and the hounds don't stand a chance. They are the first of many as we continue on our way to the grove. We come across some caves on the way and decide to check them out, hoping to find some of the crystals I'd been told about for modifying my lightsaber.
We find some but also come across some Kinrath that we have to deal with first. We find quite a few crystal shards there and I also find a pretty amethyst stone. We head back out of the cave and head towards the grove once more. Reaching it I see a young cat-like Cathar woman kneeling in the centre of some ruins. She senses our approach and freezes Carth and Canderous in stasis then attacks me. Her lightsaber glows red and she has such anger and hurt emanating out of her. The battle is long as we are evenly matched. Finally I wear her down and she switches off her blade expecting me to cut her down. Instead I talk with her.
She is surprised by this and says that the grove is her place of darkness. I reach out to her through my empathy and finally she tells me why she has turned to the dark side. She had struck down her Master during training and killed her in anger. I convince her to return to the Enclave and speak with the Masters there, as I am sure that they will welcome her back into the order. I feel that she needs some encouragement so I offer to walk with her. I tell her my name is Skye and she tells me her name is Juhani. I then introduce Carth and Canderous who have come out of stasis weapons at the ready. They are not happy by the situation but have recognised that I have returned Juhani from the dark path that she had been on.
As expected, the Masters welcome her back with open arms. Thanking me for returning Juhani to the light. I am also told that I have now completed my last test, that I am now a fully-fledged member of the Jedi Order. I am given my robes and congratulated on my promotion to Padawaan.
Bastila and I are now told to investigate the old ruins to the north of the enclave. We are to get a good night's rest and start out in the morning. We are also asked to do something about the feud between the Matale's and the Sandral's. We head back to the Ebon Hawk and have a small celebration over my promotion. After a while I disappear into the swoop hanger, heading straight for the workbench. I pull out the amethyst stone that I had found and make a necklace out of it. I was drawn to the stone and as soon as I put it on I feel a calming sensation come over me. I also do some modifications to my lightsaber. Before anyone notices I am gone, I head back into the common room and rejoin the others.
A cheerful night is had by all and at first light Bastila, Carth and myself head off towards the Matale's Estate. We are greeted by one of his droids and are told that Ahlan Matale will see us in a moment and to wait outside. He tells us his side of the story, which we gather will be a similar version to Nurik Sandral's. Carth makes a few very Jedi like comments, which Bastila pounces on.
"What can I say? You pick up a few things" is his answer.
Taking the path towards the Sandral's Estate we come across the body of a man that has been badly mauled by the kath hounds. On him is a datapad journal stating that he is Casus Sandral. Looking through the datapad, we all agree that the Jedi Council might be very interested in his findings in regards to the ruins.
Rounding a turn in the path, still in the Matale grounds, we come across some Mandalorian raiders who execute a man for not giving them enough payment, for what we don't hear. None of us can stand the site we had just witnessed and therefore go into aggressive negotiations with them. Carth throws a grenade then picks off the raiders on the left side with his blasters, while Bastila and I charge in, freezing them in stasis and stunning others before attacking them with our lightsaber's humming.
Working as a well organised and practiced team we quickly defeat them, searching for any information on where the other groups are then going in search of the others. We find the next group in the Grove. Circling silently we set our trap. Carth again lobs grenades, this time into the centre and then opens fire on the raiders, using the rocks as cover. Bastila comes in from the left, freezing and attacking in a deadly dance and I come in from the right. I am new to my stun powers, not quite strong enough to freeze them in stasis yet but find it is still effective for what needs to be done. I have also learnt how to heal and use this power whenever the need arises.
We have found the Leader here and he proves harder to overcome. Having dealt with the other raiders, the three of us turn our focus on him, Carth putting his blasters in his holsters in favour of a double-bladed sword he's picked up from the battlefield. Against the three of us, the Leader quickly falls. I take his helmet and put it into my pack, telling the other two that it is for Jon. We then head towards the third group of raiders, which according to the Leader's datapad, are on the Sandral Grounds. They are not as organised as the first two groups and are quickly dispatched as we head on to deliver our sad news at the Sandral Estate.
We are greeted a little more cordially at the Sandral's and are led inside to await Nurik. We tell him that we have found his son's body and he asks if we had found his Casus' journal. I hand it over and Bastila tells him that the Jedi Council may have an interest in what he had been studying. He asks us to leave him with his grief and leaves the room. Before we can leave a young dark girl comes in. She informs us that her father has Shen locked up in one of the back rooms and for us to rescue him before her father does something terrible in his mad grief. Through my empathy, I sense that there is something else behind her request. I question her further and find out that Shen and Rahasia have fallen in love, that they want to be together but can't openly because of their father's.
We follow her directions and find Shen in a room at the back. He is a stubborn man and won't leave unless he knows that Rahasia will be safe also, so we have to double back to find her again. Giving her Shen's message, she agrees to meet us outside. Again we backtrack to get Shen. When told that she will be waiting for him, he is most eager to go. As soon as he and Rahasia spy each other, they fly to each other's arms. Shen swinging her around and kissing her soundly. Smiling at them I comment to Carth and Bastila that isn't love grand and that they make a great looking couple. I notice an odd look on Carth's face, a sad kind of smile as if he were remembering something – or someone. I file that away for future reference, deciding to ask him about it later.
"Uh-oh, this looks like trouble" I hear Carth murmur.
Looking around I see both Ahlan Matale and Nurik Sandral coming from opposite directions and heading straight for us. They both look very angry and don't seem to notice how happy their children are, instead arguing with each other.
"You two just need to calm down." I say, getting in between them adding "You should try to sort this out *together*"
I try and get them to see reason, telling them that their children do grow up and leave home eventually, but to no avail. They just manage to isolate both of their children more. Rahasia and Shen tell their parents that they will go away somewhere else to be together, that they will not let this family feud destroy their love for each other. Both Nurik and Ahlan tell their children that they are no longer welcome in either household and both stalk off in different directions, the animosity still hanging in the air between them. Time has gotten away from us so we head back to the Jedi Enclave for the night, deciding that we should be fresh for tackling the ruins in the morning. Getting back, Bastila heads off to see one of the Masters while Carth and I catch up with Shen and Rahasia and they can't thank us enough for helping them to remain together.
"Now we finally have a place to share our love, without fear or reprisals from our families" Shen tells us.
I ask "What are your plans now?"
"We will stay here for the next little while … we are still hoping our parents will learn to set aside their differences and welcome us back into their homes. If they do not, perhaps we will travel to Coruscant or the Core Worlds and make our fortunes there." Shen replies.
"I wish you the best of luck, Shen. I hope you two find the happiness I once new myself." Carth tells him.
My curiosity is fuelled again when I hear Carth talking to Shen and it makes me wonder more about this man that has become my friend, confidant and travelling companion. We walk back to the Ebon Hawk in silence, each of us deep in thought and once inside head in opposite directions, Carth towards the cockpit and me to one of the small storage rooms. I had placed a mat on the floor of this room for my meditations and I now sit cross-legged on it. I pull the amethyst out from under my shirt and hold it in my hand; feeling the warmth and calming effect of the stone surround me. I find my meditation is more focused with the stone to concentrate on and I enter a deep trance-like state, losing all track of time.
"Here she is" a voice breaks into my consciousness "Should have known she'd be meditating."
Coming out of my trance I look up to see Carth and Mission. He comes forward and offers me a hand up. Taking his hand I feel a contact shock and look up at his face to see if he felt it also. A look of surprise had crossed his face so I figure that he did also. Not knowing what to make of it I don't comment on it at all. We head into the common room for the evening meal and enjoy another night of camaraderie before retiring.
The following morning I am awake before the others so have the beverages brewed by the time they all surface. Carth looks like he had a restless night but Bastila looks rested, finishing breakfast we head off in the direction of the ruins. Again we run into Kath Hounds on the way but they are dealt with smartly and efficiently. The closer we get to the ruins, the more I feel a dark foreboding presence. I ask Bastila if she feels it also and she answers affirmative. Carth just looks at us, shaking his head and muttering something about Jedi instincts. He is getting used to our exchanges often hearing one of us start a sentence and the other finish it. We enter the ruins very cautiously, searching and looking over our shoulders, feeling as if something is watching us.
We come across an ancient droid in the centre of a room and discover poor Nemo's remains on the floor nearby. Bastila collects his things so we can take them back to the Enclave, while I try and communicate with the droid. It is cycling through a variety of languages and finally I recognise one of them as an ancient Selkath. The droid says that we have to prove ourselves worthy to go through the door to find the secrets within, the secrets of the Star Forge. I try to question the droid further, asking it questions about the Builders it had mentioned and also the Star Forge, but am unable to get much more information from it. Instead we are to go through both of the side doors – east and west - and if we are successful we will be able to go though the central door.
We go through the eastern door first and are confronted with a flame-throwing guardian droid. Working well as a team we quickly dispatch it and I head over to an ancient looking computer console. Turning to look at Carth and Bastila I tell them that I haven't seen one this old before. At the sound of my voice the computer makes a strange noise. I get an idea and pull out my datapad from my backpack, inserting it into the computer's receptacle. It makes another buzzing noise and I remove the datapad. Seeing it made a noise when I spoke before I talk to the computer and I am successful in making it understand me. I find that I have to answer a puzzle regarding life-giving planets. My answers for the first question are Oceanic – Grassland – Arboreal.
Next we are to go to the western room. Again we face a guardian droid, this one has a freezing weapon and we have to work around that to take him out. Again we have to go though the same process to operate the ancient computer console in that room. My next question is in regards to death-like planets with the answers being Desert – Volcanic – Barren. That task completed we head towards the one remaining door. As we approach it, a shield is lowered and it opens for us.
Going inside we find ourselves in another hallway with a door at the far end. We cautiously go though that door and discover what Revan and Malak found, the item that initially started them on the path to the darkside. The starmap opens up like a metal flower and a map appears in its centre. The dark feeling is the strongest in this room and we don't stay long. Just long enough to get the information required from the starmap. We all recognise what looks to be hyperspace co-ordinates for Tatooine, Korriban, Manaan and Kashyyyk. As soon as we have this information we leave the ruins and outside I suddenly feel like a weight has been lifted from me. Looking at Bastila and Carth I notice them visibly relax also. Our next course of action is to return to the Council Chambers to report what we have found.
The Council are very concerned by the news that we bring them and tell us that they need to deliberate on it overnight, sending us back to the Ebon Hawk until they again call for us. The following morning we head back to the Council Chambers to be informed that we have a new mission. We are to travel to the planets listed on the starmap to find out what else Revan and Malak had found and to find the location of the Star Forge itself. Also that we can return to Dantooine whenever we feel we need a place of rest or refuge.
Leaving the Council chambers I sense that Carth wishes to talk to me. We sit on one of the stools around the docking bay and he turns to me saying he feels like he is being left out of the loop.
Feeling mischievous I turn to him saying "You were born out of the loop".
"Very cute. Any cuter and you'd pass for a Gamorrean's sister"
"Better than a Gamorrean's mother"
He turns serious now and asks me straight out to tell him what is going on, that Bastila has been as closed mouthed as the rest of the Jedi Council and he doesn't like it.
"I'm not the one leaving you out of the loop Carth" I tell him, trying to placate him.
Looking him in the eye I tell him about the bond between Bastila and I, that the Council feels that it will be important for us to work together to find more about what Revan and Malak discovered. His face is suspicious and he tells me that he finds it hard to believe that there could be a bond, he doesn't trust the Jedi Council and feels they are not telling us everything. I can sense the distrust and anger within him but even though I don't trust the Council much either I find myself defensive against his verbal onslaught. When he lets fly the accusation that I would betray him sparks fly and I state that I'm not Saul, I won't betray him.
"Well we'll just see about that won't we," He accuses, "You're a neophyte Padawaan who's been saddled with the responsibility of tracking down these star maps. Why? That's not normal."
Not backing down I yell back at him "Are you saying I'm not needed? Well I'm here and that's not going to change! Get over it!" With that I stalk off, heading into the Hawk and to my meditation room. Why do I let him get to me like this? I keep asking myself, silently fuming.
Finding it hard to concentrate enough to meditate I head to the storage hold to check on our supplies. Busily checking to see what we have and what we might need I quickly lose track of time. Seeing what is needed I head back out to the store and purchase the items we will most need, then head back to the common room for some lunch. I spy Carth but don't talk to him, choosing instead to give him the silent treatment. Sensing that Bastila wishes to talk to me I ask her what is up? She says that she has been watching how I deal with different situations and that I seem to be choosing the Light path and hopes that I continue to do so. She also asks me a series of questions trying to figure out what sort of person I am character wise. Feeling wary as I have already had one argument today, I answer as she asks me where I'm from -
"The Outer Rim planet of Deralia."
"What was my position on the Endar Spire?"
"As a general soldier – but you knew that." She asks me a few other questions and then when she asks me my age I find I've had enough of her inquisition "Isn't all of this in my service record?" I ask her. She agrees that it is but that she wanted to see if I was going to be honest with her. I would like to get to know Bastila abit better, seeing as we have this bond and all so I ask her how she became a Jedi. She tells me that she was discovered on the planet Talravin and that she was taken from her parents for training with the Jedi at a very young age. That she remembered missing her father terribly. She goes on to tell me that she had had no further contact with her family since joining the Jedi Order.
"A child is too young to understand the sacrifices that must be made. It is better that they have no contact with their family once they are removed. Once I was older, I realised the wisdom of this policy. A Jedi must do what is needed, personal desires notwithstanding. Love can only obscure and confuse the matter." I am very interested when she brings up the topic of 'Love' and I notice that Carth is watching closely also. She tells me that love is discouraged in the Jedi Order.
"Discouraged? Why?" I ask her.
"Relationships with family members are fraught with powerful emotions. Such extremes are to be avoided. Anger and hate are the worst, but even love can lead to folly."
"You aren't allowed to love?" I question her.
"Emotional entanglements can be dangerous. They can impair rational thought, they can lead to outbursts of uncontrolled emotion. A Jedi must be above such things."
"You don't sound very convinced" I reply.
"It can be a hard lesson to learn." She adds and she goes on to say that she didn't get along too well with her mother, although the separation from her father she felt most of all.
"Are you saying that you no longer feel love?"
"Even a Jedi cannot always control the feelings of the heart. We must do our best to guard against it, no matter what the cost. But some sacrifices are harder than others" With that she adds that she doesn't wish to talk about it any longer and moves off to one of the other rooms to meditate. Softly I say to myself that I'm not sure I can live like that, and as I turn to go outside. I see a thoughtful look on Carth's face. He avoids eye contact and heads off to the cockpit … his usual place of refuge. I head outside for some fresh air, my thoughts tumbling around in my mind … Not allowed to love? I really don't think I could handle that.
Finally I decide I had better head back to the ship so we can get started on the next part of our mission when I get stopped by a Twi'Lek who says his name is Lur Arka Sulas. He asks me if I had seen a young girl by the name of Sasha. I tell him that I haven't seen her but will keep an eye out for her in our travels, with that I head back into the Ebon Hawk. We all meet in the common room to discuss our next course of action and decide that we will head to Kashyyyk. Carth then going to the cockpit to prepare the ship for take off. Joining him there but still giving him the silent treatment, I take the co-pilot's chair and we run through the pre-flight check. Carth then takes us up as smoothly as you please, entering the hyperspace course and punching the controls. White streaks tear past us as we enter hyperspace, surfing smoothly on our way to Kashyyyk.