Making

*****

3rd day,10th month,standard year 24933

We're on a ship right now. Only a few minutes before we land, I think.

Another mission. Sort of my first offical one with Master Dooku. Tahl and Master Thea are with us- I'm not sure why. None of us asked Yoda, or I didn't anyway. This mission doesn't sound particularly dangerous, so I don't know why all four of us are being sent- but never mind. I'm glad to have Tahl with me.

The planet's called Losta. I had to study it. I read that it's government are corrupt, and eliminate anyone who is opposing them. There's a group of people who want them removed, but they want things to be resolved with as little bloodshed as possible, so they sent for Jedi to negotiate.

I hope we can help them. The data I studied had pictures too- awful pictures. I don't even like the word torture. It frightens me. I know that's stupid.

*****

We landed and introduced ourselves. The government leader, along with a man called Alarta of Tynvant, came to greet us. I read a lot of things about the government leader-Kossa, I think his name is- and I was repelled and scared at the same time. His eyes were very blue- he looked nice, not how you'd expect a-well, a murderer - to look. I don't like him at all. I tried not to let it show. But I could tell he didn't like me. Or Tahl. He looked at us like we were silly little children, and didn't even bother speaking to us. Tahl made a face behind his back. Master Thea noticed and frowned, but she seems wary, too.

We're staying in the Governor's house. It's nice. Sort of too nice. I don't much like it here. It feels like there's something hidden beneath the surface...

Maybe I'm just paranoid.

*****

4th day,10th month,standard year 24933

I couldn't sleep last night. I tried everything. I just couldn't meditate, or get myself to relax, or anything.

The negotiations are set to start tomorrow. Master Dooku and Master Thea took me and Tahl aside and said we had their permission to leave them for the day, and do what we wanted. They also told us to look out for anything strange or suspious. Tahl asked what exactly we should be looking out for, and Thea said "Just be sure to report back anything, big or small."

I think they might be keeping something from us. I'd like to know why.

Tahl seems to be enjoying herself. She's gone to get us some food. She's coming back now.

*****

Something's happened!

Me and Tahl ate our food and went for a walk. Well, she ate and I worried.

"What, exactly, do our Masters want us to do? You'd think they'd be a bit more specific...I think there's something they don't want us to know about..."

"You are a worrywart," she said, and waved her finger at me. "Don't you want something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry. I feel anxious."

"Suits me just fine," she said, and started eating the things she was saving for me. I didn't mind. We kept going and then found a lake. It was a lovely place. It was the bluest lake I'd ever seen and there were statues all around it, with people crowding round and admiring them.

Me and Tahl found a bench to sit on, and then someone came running through the trees in the forestry area behind us. He yelled, in this incredibly loud voice that could have shattered glass:

"Demonstration! In the High Street. They're shooting at people!"

Then I felt a change come over the people...happiness and calmness replaced by anger and excitement. I saw some of them reach for weapons in their pockets. One man drew a dagger. Others had blasters. And a young girl, standing near us-she had a sword. A real sword. Tahl sort of gawped, because you never see weapons like that anymore- they've all been replaced with easier things like blasters. And lightsabres.

But this huge crowd of people turned and followed the man who had spoken, clutching their weapons and yelling angrily. Then the girl with the sword, running past us behind the others, stopped. "Aren't you coming?" she asked breathlessly.

She was tall, with very red hair. Like fire- all red with yellows and oranges. And her face was pink, and she was wearing a green shirt and blue trousers. She looked like a rainbow.

I said "Um,"

Tahl looked at the sword, then at the girl, obviously trying to picture her as a warrior. Then she said. "Um...we're not from around here." She seemed at a bit of a loss.

"Well, where are you from?" she demanded. "Are you from the villiage? Are you from Tynvant, or one of the big cities?"
She saw my face. It probably looked part awed, part scared, and part confused. "Are you even from around here at all?"

"Er..no." Tahl said. She looked at the sword again, and said "We're Jedi."

I almost groaned out loud, because our Masters hadn't even said anything about whether or not we were to reveal what we were. I was anxious already for a reason I didn't even know, and I didn't want to cause any problem on the planet...

"Jedi" the girl repeated. "Yeah, right."

I breathed a sigh of relief, but Tahl narrowed her eyes and pulled her lightsbare from her belt. It had been hidden previously, and mine was too. (It's only Tahl's training lightsabre, by the way, she hasn't been to Ilum yet.)

The girl looked at the 'sabre, looked at Tahl, and then at me. "Let's see yours, then."

"No!" I panicked. Then "Oh..all right." And I handed it to her.

Yes, I do know that was pretty stupid.

She didn't turn it on, but she looked very closly at it. "That's a real lightsabre, all right. So, unless you're tougher than you look and murdered someone and stole that thing, you are Jedi."

Tahl nodded.

"You're not-the Jedi?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's been all sorts of rumors- my mother says that the people in Tynvant-the ones who formed the resistance movement-have called for Jedi. So you're some of them-huh? You don't look much like my idea of Jedi."

She didn't say it nastily, but Tahl said, a little crossly, "So what is your idea of Jedi?"

"We're Jedi Padawans." I said. "We're here with our Masters. I expect they're more your idea of Jedi."

She looked at us.

"Hmmm," she said thoughtfully. "So you've come to talk with Kossa." She spat out the name.

"Yes," Tahl said. "We want to bring peace to your planet."She spoke a little coolly. I had no idea why.

"Yeah, well, speaking with Kossa won't get you anywhere. Speaking with the Tynvant people might not get you very far either. They only care about their precious city- pity it's nearly in ruins. Well, come with me- I think you Jedi should see something."

Me and Tahl exchanged a glance.

"Come on. You might find it interesting. If you know where the other Jedi are, tell them to come as well."

We exchanged another look.

"We can 't really go and get them." I said. "But we'll come with you."

She nodded. "My name is Alixen Risus. Yours?"

"Tahl Wildstar and Qui-gon Jinn." Tahl said rather crisply. Alixen started walking, just like, and we followed.

"What are you doing?" Tahl hissed to me, keeping out of earshot. "This is so obviously a trap!"

"We don't know that," I whispered back. "Her spirit is good. I'm sure of it. There's somthing there, but at the core she's good."

"What something is this?" Tahl said scathingly, but then she had to shut up because Alixen stopped and waited for us to catch up with her. We kept walking, in silence, until we reached a house. It was tucked away in a corner of a field, surrounded by trees. The house itself looked really old, with bits of paint flaking off it- but Alixen pulled out a key, opened the door- and it was so colourful. Green carpets, walls painted a hundred different colours. There were pots of paints lying around, and the walls looked a little wet.

Alixen opened a door and pushed us though it.

It was a huge, huge room, like the Council Chambers. More colour. And people everywhere- people our age, as well as a few younger ones and one adult, a woman in a chair at the end of room. They looked up as soon as Alixen came in with us.

Everyone went quiet as soon as she started speaking. "The Jedi. The young ones, anyway."

Tahl drew in a breath.

"I thought I'd show them round." she said. "Everyone, this is Tahl and Qui-Gon. Tahl and Qui-Gon, this is everyone."

Tahl let out the breath. I smiled at the room, probably very nervously.

"They're staying for tea," Alixen said "so extra food today. Treat them like you would any other guest."

And then she just went off, and we were left standing there looking incredibly, incredibly awkward.

"Hello." I finally said.

One of the boys got up, and came to us. "Come on. I'll give you the guided tour." And he led us away.

"This used to be a school," he began, leading us away from the hall and towards some stairs. "It's been closed down for ages. Alixen was the one who found it."

"Why are you here?" Tahl asked.

"Because we have no other place," he said, but he wasn't paying attention to us, and devoting his attention to unlocking one of the doors instead. "My father-Alixen's father, we're brother and sister, my name's Alex, by the way-was killed by the government. Even now we're not sure what he did to make them go after him. But me and Alixen and our mother, we were thrown out into the streets with nowhere to go. We came here. The others are people in similar situations."

"But they're all kids, there's hardly any adults-"

"Yeah, well." He'd got the door open. "They get pleasure in knowing they've nearly destroyed a child by murdering his or her parents. In front of them, sometimes."

Tahl didn't answer that. I felt a bit sick, but perhaps that was because of the smell. Alex had ushered us into the kitchen. It was not a pretty sight.

"How do you cook?" Tahl said incredulously.

"With difficulty. I think some of the older kids steal from the villages, and we don't stop them. We don't have much."

I wished Tahl hadn't eaten all the food we'd bought. "I could get you some things, if you wanted. We've got money- hang on-"

I waited for Tahl to elbow me and say we shouldn't give things away to strangers, but she didn't. She was looking at a spot on the floor. It was stained with red. I thought it might be some food someone had spilled, or something innocent like that, but I knew as soon as I saw it that it wasn't.

Alex looked at it too. "Yeah, this used to be a school," he said. "The Government didn't like their teaching methods. It was around the beginning of their reign...no-one's come back here since, except us."