Azekel Jakome strolled purposefully down the well lit corridors of the Academy's main temple, his eyes scanning the walls of the ancient structure as he tried to build up an argument for what he had to say to his Master. Turning down the third hallway, the Jedi followed the shallow stairs down into the Academy's advanced training center. The doors slid open to a brilliant spectacle; the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker stood alone in the center of a glassed off training arena, his bright green lightsaber held slanting slightly across his front and his stance wide and grounded in the traditional defense posture. Floating about the Jedi where about seven seeker drones; small, floating, spinning globes of metal and blinking lights. As Azekel watched, the closest of the drones puffed suddenly and rapidly towards Luke, the stationary port on the front of the device emitting a flashing red laser beam, deflected easily and casually by the awaiting blade. The beam ricocheted back towards the drone, sending it spinning backwards and deactivated to crash to the floor.
As if on cue, the other drones began firing rapidly upon the surrounded form of the Jedi, and Jakome blinked twice under the ensuing lightening show of deflected and ricocheting lasers and hissing, muffled explosions. When he looked again, the Jedi Master was circled in piles of deactivated or destroyed seeker drones. The Knight made his entry as the Master's blade hissed off.
"Master Skywalker," He began, "I've been meditating long on the subject of the Mandalorian youth, Jaster Mereel." The Master turned.
"What have you decided?" He asked. The Knight took a deep breath.
"I am ready to take a student." He declared, his resolve final as Skywalker mulled the thought over.
"And you want permission to take on Jaster, correct?"
"I think I can help him, yes." Jakome sighed, sensing the Master's reluctance, "Master I know you are concerned with the recent return of the Sith, it is disturbing to think they could have reorganize so rapidly and become so powerful …"
"Azekel remember that Jaster has been having trouble controlling his anger in classroom and with his peers; he's made great progress, of course, but I'm just not quite sure he's ready for a Master yet …"
"Or that I'm quite ready for a student." Azekel finished the thought for the hesitant Master. Skywalker nodded slowly.
"That too, yes; the young man is a particularly unpredictable spirit I wouldn't feel confident pairing with even the more advanced of our Knights, and you have only just reached Knighthood. He may be quite a handful."
"Like I was when you first found me? Master I can help this young Mandalorian. Let him accompany me on a few diplomatic missions for the New Republic; I'm sure your connections in the Republic palace could assure compliance, and it would be good to talk to the lad alone. He might just be more ready than we think."
The Master sighed one last time, his face wrinkled in thought as he mulled over the plans of this, his newest Knight, and Jaster, perhaps his most difficult student. It might just be crazy enough to work out for the best, but the alternative could mean disaster.
"I suppose I could request a few rounds of the new Republic member systems for a Knight and his …" Azekel held his breath, "… and his new student, yes that could be arranged."
Jaster sat, crossed legged and with his eyes closed under the vision slits of his helmet, his flight suit minus the armor a comfort to his usual cotton Jedi robes. Meditating on the edge of consciousness, the Mandalorian barely heard the sound of footsteps behind him, but his senses picked up where his physical perceptions dimmed, and the force guided his 'vision'.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, his eyes still closed with his back to the newcomer. He had felt that presence before, but his sense was that of a weak beginner still. The person behind him spoke then, bringing him out f his meditative concentration and similarly confirming his sense.
"Did you really sense who I was?" the girl asked him, her voice low in the night air. Jaster glimpsed down at his visor display and checked the time. It was well past midnight, the readout showed him.
"You're out awfully late, little Jedi woman." He continued, ignoring her question.
Lena sat down cross legged next to him on the Jedi Academy courtyard with a sigh, her robes furling slightly in the warm jungle breeze. Mereel sensed her slight annoyance with a half smile; he'd never known a woman who hadn't soon lost patience with him.
"Why are you always so cold to everyone?" She asked him, looking across at his unrevealing visor.
"I'm not here to make friends with any of you," He replied flatly, but he felt some remorse for having treated her roughly over the past few weeks since she had tried to calm him in the training arena. "I have never had friends, and I never will need them."
"How can you say that?" She demanded in surprise, "With friends behind you, you can propel yourself over the most trying situations and problems." Jaster leaned back with a sigh of impatience and craned his neck up to look at the stars high above them.
"I never needed them for any problems I've had before, I can solve all of them myself." He argued, "Why? Who the hell would want to be friends with me anyway? I'm not the kind of preppy do-good Corellian you'd want to be friends with."
When she didn't reply, he ventured a look across to see her gazing sadly up to the same stars he had escaped to earlier. He felt sorry she was hurt, but the last thing he needed was for some rich, gifted daughter of Corellian politicians to start getting romantic with a future Jedi failure. He looked away and swallowed a sigh.
"You won't be a failure." She said quietly, her expression unchanging.
"What?" He asked reflexively, but he knew then she'd seen his mind; read his thoughts. "Why the hell …" He started, his lips curling into a snarl of defiance.
"Your whole disposition is so sad and lonely, Jaster." She spoke low and quietly, so he had to put a stop in his anger to hear her. "It wasn't too hard to hear your thoughts; you almost wear them on your sleeve with your expressions." The gentle sounds of the jungle night filled the courtyard for several long moments as they sat there in the grass next to the small pond of golden orange fish.
"I'm sorry." He said, keeping his voice plain, but it was the first time he ever remembered having apologized to anyone, especially someone who had just invaded his most personal thoughts.
"It's okay." She said, "I shouldn't have, but …" she trailed off, and Jaster nearly jumped as his brain tingled a warning; he was on his feet before Lena could finish gasping …
"Them? Here?" His lightsaber crackled to life in the jungle darkness and he braced himself for the first.