Chapter 14

Stepping gingerly onto the bridge, Leo found himself alone. So Ranzel really had been snoring that loud, he mused to himself. He wanted to find out more about the alien that he'd found himself fighting, since Ranzel had all but avoided mentioning it to him at all.

Now Leo was determined to find out a little information on his own. If the Jedi Knight refused to give up anything that he knew, he would simply have to search the library in the same way he had on Xircamede. Now he knew a little more about that particular system it shouldn't be that difficult, after all.

Leo took the pilot's chair and sat down quietly in the seat, wincing as a shot of pain went up his back. He knew he should be sleeping. Ranzel had warned him that they would begin some mental exercises in the morning to help his body recover.

However, Ranzel was asleep, and Leo wanted to not attract too much attention from the Jedi. He opened the computer panel and activated just that section, like Ranzel had taught him to.

The panels, screens and lights flickered on instantly, with less delay than a light switch, and Leo looked over the displays routinely. There was nothing wrong here – nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

Leo tapped the screen before him, and then managed a few more switches before he succeeded in connecting the Renzucon to the Pentusar spaceport information superstructure.

He began to browse the library in silence, flicking slowly through the list of alien species, just in case he happened upon a file that resembled the alien he had been fighting.

It was more difficult than he'd suspected it would be. There were far more alien species in this galaxy, and if you counted the fact that the entire universe was full of different races…well, Leo was beginning to be less inclined to believe that the alien race he wanted to find actually existed in this listing at all.

Leo had just finished browsing E - Eyrillonite, Eystine, Ezameen – when he became steadily aware of something or someone standing behind him. Without flinching, or drifting from changing on to F, Leo allowed himself to relax, unhurried, since he was in no immediate danger, and reach out slowly with the Force.

Not that he need to. As soon as he began to relax, he knew instantly that it was Ranzel standing behind him, and further concentration only proved that he was tired, and perhaps a little annoyed that Leo was awake.

But Ranzel knew that Leo was reaching out to him, and he didn't stay back any longer. He stepped forwards and sank into the co-pilot's seat, looking up at the redhead silently.

"You're searching for the alien species you mentioned to me?" he asked, softly. He needn't have asked the question, since he knew perfectly well what Leo was doing.

Leo nodded the affirmative anyway. "I thought, since you didn't know, I ought to look, in case you just hadn't heard of them."

"Ah…" Ranzel replied quietly. He stretched out a little in the seat. "…Despite the fact that I told you to get some rest?"

"Despite that…" Leo shifted his eyes up slowly. Ranzel looked like he was about to start lecturing, but Leo bit in. "My mother always taught me that obeying orders was all well and good, but a little initiative never hurt any plans."

"I understand your love for your mother, and what she means by that, but she, with all due respect – is not a Jedi Knight. If you worry yourself with what this alien species is, it will make your training more difficult. That is why I did not tell you."

Leo looked angry. His eyes blazed and he focused on Ranzel, ready to argue, but Ranzel lifted his hand. "Peace. I will tell you what I know, if you promise to sleep, and to try as hard as you can with the techniques I teach you tomorrow."

Biting back his anger, Leo thought briefly over Ranzel's option. It was a reasonable exchange. After all, it would have taken him so long to browse through those files… He nodded serenely. He did want to learn what Ranzel wished to teach him, and he certainly wanted to know about the alien. He wanted to sleep a little too, so it was entirely fair. Ranzel simply continued to give him everything he wanted, in return for Leo's willingness to accept what he was taught.

"The species that you seek is the Jamafet. They are very adept at being brutal, due to their natural strength. There were two species on their planet. The powerful Jamafet Meridians, and the human like, but far more intelligent, Jamafet Mondians. They work very well together, and as a team make perfect spies."

Ranzel tilted his head back thoughtfully, and Leo stepped forwards slightly. He could sense the uneasiness in his Master.

"Their teams work a lot more with the Empire now than with the rest of the galaxy. They get paid well, because they are effective. And considering that it was you that they chose to attack – I would assume that they were indeed working for the Empire."

Leo let the effect of those words sink in and then took a steady breath. So the Empire was after him, and now they had learned plenty of the things that Leo and Ranzel had tried very hard to keep silent. But perhaps all was not lost. He could still fight.

He straightened out and looked back at Ranzel firmly. The Jedi looked at him in return and then smiled warmly, giving Leo a little wave in the direction of the rest of the ship.

"Go to sleep, Leo."

Nodding, Leo came to his feet and stretched out even more. Sitting in the chair had hurt his back even further than the teeth had, and he gave a little groan of pain before looking once more towards the Jedi Knight. "Thank you." He said breathlessly, nodding his head in a half bow.

"Sleep well, little Jedi," Ranzel said softly, before reaching up to turn off the computer, and following Leo back in the direction of the bunks.

The state of Jedi meditation was a difficult one to reach. Firstly, the subject had to sit in complete silence – not necessarily in isolation, but they must silence themselves none the less. Secondly, they must focus on the Force, to a point where it not only surrounded them - but also tingled in every part of their bodies.

Leo sat facing away from Ranzel, his green eyes closed, and the very essence of the Force slowly surrounding him, melding with him. It was difficult, because Leo had such difficulty pinpointing exactly what the Force was. He would struggle to make it tangible, instead of simply using it. This, in Ranzel's point of view, was the entirety of the problem.

Now the Force was strong within the Renzucon. In the first few hours very little had come of the exercise, but now Leo was truly managing to find the energy within himself, even if he did have difficulty using it. This was where the new exercise would become important. It would help Leo to actually use the Force.

"Now that you are at one with the Force," Ranzel explained, with a steady voice so as not to break Leo from his concentration. "You must begin to focus it. Bring the energy through your body and focus on the wounds on your back. Can you see them?"

It took a moment for Leo to arrange his mind correctly in order to reach out with what he could. There had obviously been some terrible damage to his back. Parts of it were still only slightly torn where the teeth had grazed his flesh as they had lacerated the last of his clothing.

Other parts of his flesh had been torn into ribbons to such a degree, that synthetic skin had had to be applied to fill in the gaps. Leo could tell where it was synthetic. It had yet to fully mould itself to his flesh, and the hair was non-existent in places where it had yet to grow. A patchwork of little laser marks were scratched across the less damaged parts of his back; the skin raw where it had been recently sealed back together with whatever device the doctor had used.

Leo nodded quietly, knowing that Ranzel could sense his agreement. The Jedi went on as though he hadn't been interrupted.

"Feel the Force flowing through you to those wounds. Focus on it," Ranzel insisted softly, his smouldering brown gaze focused intently on the younger.

Leo nodded, letting the Force run through his injured body, like a wave of healing. He could feel the power as though it were blood moving through his veins, and when it reached the skin of his back he gave a little whimper of pain.

"Ignore the pain. Use the Force to accelerate the healing process," Ranzel said, soothing Leo perfectly.

Leo didn't say a word. Striking away the knowledge of pain, he began to ease the Force into the tears in his back, like one might gradually pull at a plaster, afraid of the pain that would occur if they simply pulled it off, roughly.

Hissing unknowingly in what pain had seeped through his restraints, Leo let the Force go as it liked, and began to focus the healing upon the tender planes of his back. It would be impossible to actually injure himself with the power of the Force…instead he was more likely to heal. It would be easier by far. Now, if he was using the Dark Side - that would be a different matter.

Slowly the Force caressed his injured body, working slowly through the inches of flesh that were hurt. It took a lot longer to actually affect the healing process than he'd suspected it would, but he could see it in his mind, the torn flesh of his back slowly merging back together – a tiny bit at a time.

Ranzel had an edge of proud surprise to him, now. Leo could feel the semblance of the emotion as he endeavoured to concentrate further. Later – Leo reminded himself – Later he would question exactly what Ranzel had been so surprised about. Now, he was intent upon healing, and continuing in the path that had aroused that kind of pride.

But healing his body was tiring, and the concentration involved eventually left Leo feeling drained. He struggled on, but he could get far less done.

Eventually, Ranzel stood up. "Don't try to heal any more, let your body relax, and ease back into the Trance. Shut your body down until you're resting. I'll be back in four hours. I'll expect you to be ready for some more healing by then."

Ranzel turned and left, leaving Leo to slip thankfully past the edge of consciousness. He could still feel the motion of time, but his body was shut down. It was like being a part of the Force itself. Alone in the room, in a trance like sleep, there was only Leo and the bulkheads, and yet, when Ranzel returned four hours later, Leo could feel the presence of the elder Jedi, and recognised easily the passing of time.

They carried on from there, Leo giving his body another three hours hard healing, before – too exhausted to move under his own power – Ranzel helped him to his bunk.

Sitting in bed, Leo sat looking silently at the GanGan bird. Its brilliant coloured feathers seemed to change colour ever so slightly as Leo looked at the card, but perhaps that was mere exhaustion affecting his vision.

"Ranzel?" he asked softly, looking over his thin, but warm blanket at the bustling Jedi.

"Yes, Leo?" Ranzel said, without looking up from tidying his bed.

"Do you know anything about the GanGan bird?" He asked softly.

"GanGan…not much…" Ranzel said; tapping his head and thinking back on everything he might have learnt. "They're capable of hiding in most environments, despite their bright colours – and as I recall it's lucky for you to see one, and that they might resemble some kind of deity on Tesizey."

Leo nodded silently. The shimmering colours made more sense now. "A God of Friendship then…?"

"I wouldn't know. A Jedi may know a lot, but not unlimited amounts. Perhaps if you asked Master Membar, he could tell you. He is, after all, from Tesizey himself."

Leo nodded and let his head fall back. Ranzel climbed under his own blanket and stretched out a little, and reaching out with the Force, Leo became aware of the intense feeling of pride and pleasure in the other.

Sleepily, he opened his mouth to question him about it, but he was already too tired and the sleep slowly plunged around him like a shroud.