"I'm impressed with your performance at the maze. You catch on quickly." Master Luke sat behind his desk. "Most children try the maze for a long time before figuring it out. Or some figure it out but think that they're supposed to go through it anyway. I think you are the only one of our students to ever finish that quickly."
"Well, I've been told I look at things differently." Miriam was getting a bit impatient and wanted to go find Zekk.
"I see. Well, you are clever, for sure. But I want to see how perceptive you are. I'm going to hold pictures up on this view screen. You tell me what I'm looking at."
"How am I gonna do that if I can't see the screen?"
"Miriam," he chuckled. "This is a Force Potential test. How do you think you're supposed to figure it out?"
"Ok. I get it. Quit laughing at me." She slumped in the chair with her arms crossed. Luke looked at the slideshow and Miriam started. At first she started studying the view screen, trying to see what it was showing. She got nothing. Then she realized that she could know what he was looking at by probing his mind, not getting it directly from the screen. She stretched out to try to read his mind. "Umm, a speeder."
"Good!" he praised her. Then he flipped the picture to something else.
"Lightsaber," she said almost immediately. "Cup. Ship." Luke raised his eyebrow, asking for a more specific answer. "Umm, a Correlian YT 1300 cruiser."
"Wow. That's more specific than I was looking for. I think you passed," He smiled and set the viewscreen down. "Now may I ask you a few personal questions?"
"I'd rather you not."
"Ok. You seem kinda close to Zekk. Why is that?"
"We're not 'close'. He just gave me a ride off planet and I had to come with him, 'cause he wasn't stopping."
"Right," he said knowingly. "Does he seem to be doing OK?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he was really depressed when Jaina started seeing Jag. I was just wondering how he was doing."
"Well, he didn't even mention her except in the story he told me about one of their adventures. And we met her at the gym and they just chatted like old friends. I think I detected a bit of sadness, but he seems to be doing fine."
"Ok, good. Will you do me a favor?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Don't leave him. Stay with him for a while, I think you are helping him mend the rest of the way. You two have a connection so deep I can barely detect it. I think your destinies are intertwined."
"Right. Are you sure it's not just that you can't feel it 'cause it isn't there?" Luke chuckled.
"You remind me of a younger Mara. Anyway, you can go find Zekk now."
"Thanks." She stood and hurried from the room.
"Hey, Miriam." Zekk didn't turn around. He was sitting on a rock looking over a meadow and a beautiful lake. He did scoot over to make room for her though.
"Hey." She sat down beside him.
"So, how'd it go?" He looked over at her.
"Fine. He said I'm more clever and perceptive than most of the students."
"That's high praise coming from a Jedi Master. You should be proud of yourself."
"But Zekk," she protested, "I don't want to be a Jedi. It would be hard and I would have a lot of 'duty' and stuff like that."
"You can work with me. I could convince Master Luke for you to travel with me and I could teach you different techniques and stuff. Would you like that?"
She studied him for a minute. "Yes, Zekk. I think I would enjoy that."
"Good," he returned her smile. I'll talk to him first thing in the morning. But right now, will you watch the sunset with me?"
"I'm comfortable." She responded, thankful for his somewhat steady presence in the midst of her life turning upside-down.
"Well, I've been told I look at things differently." Miriam was getting a bit impatient and wanted to go find Zekk.
"I see. Well, you are clever, for sure. But I want to see how perceptive you are. I'm going to hold pictures up on this view screen. You tell me what I'm looking at."
"How am I gonna do that if I can't see the screen?"
"Miriam," he chuckled. "This is a Force Potential test. How do you think you're supposed to figure it out?"
"Ok. I get it. Quit laughing at me." She slumped in the chair with her arms crossed. Luke looked at the slideshow and Miriam started. At first she started studying the view screen, trying to see what it was showing. She got nothing. Then she realized that she could know what he was looking at by probing his mind, not getting it directly from the screen. She stretched out to try to read his mind. "Umm, a speeder."
"Good!" he praised her. Then he flipped the picture to something else.
"Lightsaber," she said almost immediately. "Cup. Ship." Luke raised his eyebrow, asking for a more specific answer. "Umm, a Correlian YT 1300 cruiser."
"Wow. That's more specific than I was looking for. I think you passed," He smiled and set the viewscreen down. "Now may I ask you a few personal questions?"
"I'd rather you not."
"Ok. You seem kinda close to Zekk. Why is that?"
"We're not 'close'. He just gave me a ride off planet and I had to come with him, 'cause he wasn't stopping."
"Right," he said knowingly. "Does he seem to be doing OK?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he was really depressed when Jaina started seeing Jag. I was just wondering how he was doing."
"Well, he didn't even mention her except in the story he told me about one of their adventures. And we met her at the gym and they just chatted like old friends. I think I detected a bit of sadness, but he seems to be doing fine."
"Ok, good. Will you do me a favor?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Don't leave him. Stay with him for a while, I think you are helping him mend the rest of the way. You two have a connection so deep I can barely detect it. I think your destinies are intertwined."
"Right. Are you sure it's not just that you can't feel it 'cause it isn't there?" Luke chuckled.
"You remind me of a younger Mara. Anyway, you can go find Zekk now."
"Thanks." She stood and hurried from the room.
"Hey, Miriam." Zekk didn't turn around. He was sitting on a rock looking over a meadow and a beautiful lake. He did scoot over to make room for her though.
"Hey." She sat down beside him.
"So, how'd it go?" He looked over at her.
"Fine. He said I'm more clever and perceptive than most of the students."
"That's high praise coming from a Jedi Master. You should be proud of yourself."
"But Zekk," she protested, "I don't want to be a Jedi. It would be hard and I would have a lot of 'duty' and stuff like that."
"You can work with me. I could convince Master Luke for you to travel with me and I could teach you different techniques and stuff. Would you like that?"
She studied him for a minute. "Yes, Zekk. I think I would enjoy that."
"Good," he returned her smile. I'll talk to him first thing in the morning. But right now, will you watch the sunset with me?"
"I'm comfortable." She responded, thankful for his somewhat steady presence in the midst of her life turning upside-down.