Dazzled by his new insight Luke was barely conscious of the rest of the trip, not returning to full awareness until Wedge hailed him as they crossed the Command ship's hanger bay.
"Hey, Luke, long time no see." the pilot fell into step beside his C.O. with a polite nod to the Princess and a curious glance at Jayce and the Master before continuing: "Look, boss, it's not that we mind you taking a little leave every now and again but this just disappearing on us is getting kind of old."
"I'm sorry." It sounded pretty lame, in fact it was lame. "I'm going to resign my commission, or at least my command of Rogue Squadron." Luke said abruptly.
"Huh?" Wedge stared at him, appalled. "Hey, Luke, I didn't mean -"
"That's not necessary, Luke." Leia cut in. "Obi-Wan was a general you know. There's no reason why you can't be both an Alliance officer and a Jedi Knight." she looked to the Master for support.
"That is for Luke to decide." Dai-Men said quietly.
He had decided. "Wedge is right, I've been neglecting my duty to the squadron and that's not going to change any time soon." Rescuing Han was first priority but after that he had to return to Dagobah, as he'd promised, to finish the training and get a straight answer to a straight question. What he'd do then depended on what that answer was.
"Jedi Knight?" Wedge was saying in bewilderment. "Luke what's going on here?"
"It's kind of a long story." he answered ruefully.
He told it to the whole squadron, pilots, gunners, ground crew and all, in the big briefing room later that day. They already knew about Ben - General Kenobi - and that his father had been a Jedi Knight. Even about Bespin, though not all of it. Luke told them the rest; about Yoda and Master Dai-Men and his training.
The revelation was received in slightly stunned silence. To these youngsters the Jedi were a legend of the Old Republic. The idea of somebody they knew, their own commander, becoming one seemed unreal. Luke didn't tell them he intended to resign. Wedge had begged him not to and Luke realized he was right. The squadron had enough to absorb, leave the rest for another time.
"Don't rush into anything." Wedge said afterwards. "Think it over a while."
Luke shook his head a little sadly. All the time in the world wasn't going to change what had to be. "I must follow my destiny, Wedge, and it's leading me away from the squadron." And away from everything he'd known and been.
'I'm even talking like a Jedi!' he thought suddenly, and realized the change he'd foreseen when the Master demanded his commitment to the Way had begun. He'd seen it reflected in the people around him: In Leia's new faith in him and Lando's surprising deference. And now in Wedge's startled look.
"I had an aunt who was a Jedi." his second offered, startling him in turn. "My father's cousin really but we always called her 'Aunt Jezra'. She died in the Purge of course - I guess that's one of the reasons I ended up a Rebel."
"I'm sorry."
Wedge shrugged, embarrassed. "I never knew her - she'd be old enough to be my mother if she'd lived. Hit my great aunt and uncle pretty hard though. She was only fifteen."
Jayce gave Luke a new sparring partner, one a little closer to his skill level than the Master. Not that he did any better against him. "A real Jedi can still wipe the floor with me, even with one hand tied behind his back." Luke remarked ruefully at the end of one session.
Jayce curled his lips and a long red eyebrow. His arm wasn't literally tied behind his back of course, just immobilized in a healing harness while the nerves regenerated. "I've got a dozen years practice on you." he reminded Luke. "Besides you're going easy on me, afraid of hurting me accidentally."
Luke flushed. It was true, Jedi or no Jayce was still a wounded man and he just couldn't bring himself to go all out against him.
"And you might at that." the other continued. "You did okay against the Mandalore."
"I didn't take on three at once." Luke pointed out in turn.
Jayce grimaced. "That wasn't by choice I promise you! That's Master's style not mine."
"I'll never be that good." Luke said with conviction.
"Nor I." Jayce agreed promptly. "Master is the last and greatest of a long line of powerful Jedi sword masters. Mei-Qan may equal him someday - but then she is the granddaughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"What is he waiting for?" Luke heard himself ask out of nowhere. 'Where'd that come from?' but it was true. Master was waiting - but for what?
"No idea." Jayce replied, unsurprised. "He may not know himself yet. Or maybe he's just not ready to share." an ironic sideways smile. "Our Master has a secretive streak a parsec wide."
That surprised Luke. He'd always considered Dai-Men exceptionally forthcoming - as compared to Ben and Yoda.
"And devious with it." Jayce continued, shaking his head.
"I've noticed a - creative use of language." Luke admitted, and got a laugh.
"That's certainly one way of putting it. Master never tells an out and out lie or breaks a promise but he's a genius at finding loopholes. Be mindful of his exact words - and chose your own carefully!"
"You make it sound like he can't be trusted." Luke said uneasily.
"Master can be trusted to follow the will of the Force, against all reason, in spite of all obstacles and in defiance of all dangers." Jayce replied grimly. "Makes him scary as hell to work with. His father was just the same, or so Master Hamilcar used to say. It got Qui-Gon killed in the end and I'm afraid someday it'll kill Dai-Men too."
Leia entered the communications center, saw Sylkie working at a nearby station and very nearly ducked out again. The Erewhon had pitched a fit when she heard what had happened on Had Abbadon. She'd stormed furiously and nearly incoherently at Dai-Men, who'd taken it with the braced calm of a man accustomed to such outbreaks, and at the Princess too before bursting into floods of tears and locking herself in her cabin.
'Don't be such a coward.' Leia told herself sternly, squared her shoulders and marched over to the Erewhon. "Sylkie." the other looked up with red rimmed eyes. "I'm sorry, really I am."
"It's not your fault, Princess." she answered resignedly. "I shouldn't have blamed you. It was Dai-Men - as usual."
"He's - uh - misled you before?"
The wide, nearly lipless mouth curled up in a wan smile. "All the time. He's very good at it. He doesn't lie mind, just leaves out a few salient facts." the mouth curled down. "And I never seem to ask the right questions."
"He doesn't want to worry you." Leia comforted.
Sylkie shook her head. "He doesn't want to listen to me yell at him twice. Though I might just as well be shouting at a rock for all the good it does."
"He's a Jedi Knight." Leia offered gently. "He has a duty. And he can certainly take care of himself!"
The Erewhon shook her head again fiercely. "You don't know - you can't even imagine - the crazy things he's done! I know we're nothing but trouble for him, Xhosa's always getting stuck in things and I talk too much, but as long as he has us to look after he's got to be a little cautious. Let him go off on his own and he'll get himself killed, I know he will!" and she angrily blotted her overflowing eyes with the end of her sari.
"From what I've seen Dai-Men Jinn would take an awful lot of killing." Leia answered. "In fact I don't think anybody short of the Emperor himself could manage it."
"He said once he'd never risk facing the Emperor." Sylkie admitted sniffling.
"Well there you are," Leia grinned bracingly. "He's safe then isn't he?" and got a reluctant, watery smile in return.
She walked the Master's small companion back to her quarters. They found Dai-Men talking with his two apprentices in the lounge. The Master, apparently sensing a change in atmosphere, got up and came over to them dropping on one knee to go eye to eye with Sylkie.
"Am I forgiven then?"
"As always." the Erewhon said resignedly.
He smiled gently. "You've said yourself you'd rather be angry afterwards than have to worry beforehand."
"But I do worry." she told him. "All the time."
"Don't. Trust in the Force, Little One, it guides and guards us all."
"Very comforting!" was the scornful reply. "And where was the Force when all the other Jedi died?"
Leia winced and Sylkie bit her lip instantly regretful.
"Its ways are not always easy to understand." the Master conceded, serenity unruffled, then reminded her as he rose, "You don't like it when I try to protect you and Xhosa."
"That's different, we don't go looking for trouble!" Sylkie fired back and flounced off to her room, honor satisfied.
"She's got you there." Jayce grinned as the door shut behind her.
The Master gave him a that-will-do look then turned to Leia. "Won't you join us, your Highness?"
"Thank you." she sat down beside Luke on the sofa and Dai-Men resumed the chair opposite. "There is something I've been meaning to ask you, Master; I've heard you mention the 'Living' and the 'Unifying' Force several times now and I don't understand, I always thought there was just one Force?"
"There is but it has more than one aspect." the Master explained. "The Unifying Force is the great pattern that unites past and future."
Luke, listening, nodded involuntarily remembering his moment of enlightenment aboard the Jinx.
"The Living Force concerns itself with the moment, with the smaller patterns of the present." Dai-Men continued. "Jedi tend to lean towards one aspect or the other." he smiled at Jayce. "Followers of the Unifying Force are very focused on their path. Sometimes too much so, blinding themselves to alternatives."
"Living Force Jedi, on the other hand, tend to be distractible, to diffuse their focus and take on too many projects at once." Jayce responded pointedly.
"Both have their strengths and weaknesses," the Master agreed, amused, "and serve the Force in their different ways." he turned to Luke. "It's important to be open to both aspects of the Force even if you find yourself favoring one above the other."
"You're a Living Force Jedi." Luke said.
Dai-Men nodded. "As was my father before me." he sighed. "Our way was not always respected by the Order. We were often considered irresponsible, even dangerous, because we acted on the impulse of the moment."
"That's Luke all over." Leia declared. "Forward planning is not his strong suit!"
"Hey, things always worked out in the end didn't they?" he shot back.
"Spoken like a true follower of the Living Force." Jayce said drily.
'He's right.' Luke thought, not really surprised. 'I guess that's why I find Dai-Men so much easier to understand than Yoda.'
Leia's comlink beeped for attention. "Your Highness? you're needed in the small conference room, ma'am, for an emergency council session."
"Why?" she asked apprehensively. "What's happened?"
"There's been a miners' revolt on Kessel, Princess. They're asking for Alliance support."
Luke looked at his Master and caught the slight relaxation, not quite a sigh. 'That's it, that's what he's been waiting for.' He glanced questioningly at Jayce who gave an almost imperceptible shrug in reply, evidently knowing no more than Luke about what their Master was up to.
"We'll accompany you if we may, Princess." Dai-Men said rising with her. "I think I can clarify matters."
"Certainly, Master Jinn." she responded, slightly puzzled.