Callista literally stumbled into the quarters she shared with Master Azad. Her Master caught her elbow to steady her. "Are you alright, Callista?"
Nodding, Callista made her way to the couch in the common area. "I am, at least, I think so... A lot has happened today..." Her voice trailed off as she thought back on everything that had happened.
"Would you like to tell me about it?" Manna asked as she perched on the arm of the couch. Callista sighed, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
"I had a Youngling pass in my arms this morning..." Her Master nodded quietly, having felt the passing of the child. Callista continued, "I was very distraught over the incident, and lost in thought that I ran into Master Algeron and his Padawan..."
Manna raised an eyebrow at that.
"I literally ran into them," she finished. "I spent some time talking with him and his Padawan, I think his name was Ter-lon." Manna smiled. "Ter-lon Dinn, the grandson of Arie Luxkert..." A shadow passed over her face as she said the name, and Callista noticed it. "Who is she, Master?"
"She is one of most-skilled Healers of the Order, but we fear that she is trying to sever herself from anything to do with the Jedi..." She thought a moment. "I think that you should meet her, there is a lot you can learn from her. I will see if arrange a meeting for a few days from now."
Callista also related her experience during her lesson with Master Karrde. "I have never felt that disconnected before..."
Her master looked thoughtful. "You let your grief consume you, and it clouded your perceptions of things. That is very dangerous." She smiled again. "He was wise to show you what he did, it is important that you always remain aware of what is going on around you, no matter the situation."
Thinking a moment, Callista said, "I have asked for a rematch in two days time, is that workable?"
Manna nodded. "I can rearrange your lessons to allow for it. Now, I think it is time you got some rest; you've had a very busy day."
Callista smiled. It had been a very busy day indeed. She rose and bowed, making her way to her room. There, she collapsed on her bad and was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.
Two days had passed since Callista's lesson with Master Karrde, and today was the rematch. She rose before the sun, to prepare herself for the day. Utilizing the method that he had taught her, she reached into the Force, expanding her awareness. She felt that same release that she had two days ago, and she knew she was ready. Making her way out of her quarters, she made her way to the training rooms, to find Master Karrde already inside. She bowed. "Good Morning, Master Karrde."
"Good morning," Steffan said, returning her bow. "Are you ready to begin?"
She nodded. "I am." She shed her robe, laying her saber aside, as she would not need it.
Steffan proceeded to withdraw two bokkens from the cabinet, tossing one to her. After she had caught it and twirled it around a few times to get a sense of the weapon, he pulled the blindfold from his tunic and began to cover her eyes. 'The same as before," he told her, as he made sure she could not see. "Total surrender."
She nodded, once again opening herself to the Force, holding nothing back. Even though she could not see, the room was in sharp focus in her mind.
"Lights," Steffan called, prompting the lights in the room to shut down, engulfing them in the darkness of the room. "And now, Padawan... defend yourself." And he came in slow to press the first attack.
She felt him move, and her perception changed. In her minds eye, she could see the ripples he made in the Force. Her bokken snapped out, a blur as his came in for a high strike.
Steffan suppressed the urge to smile as she effectively blocked the first strike. He decided to go ahead and add another dimension to it by flipping over to land behind her, silently calling for the second to come into his place. The change in her reaction to different fighting styles would let Steffan judge her ability to adapt.
Something shifted... someone else was there. She turned sideways, presenting a smaller target. Shifting her weight slightly, she struck out to deflect a strike from her left, and then bringing her weapon around, she shoved the other's weapon wide. She whirled out from between them, setting herself again. Impressive, Steffan thought as he came around and traded places again, coming in with the high guard and swept his bokken down to take her legs from her.
She jumped, sensing it coming. Flipping over, she struck down at him, her bokken tapping his shoulder. She landed neatly behind him. The other moved around so that she was flanked on both sides. Steffan focused away from the tap she had just delivered, truly impressed. 'Okay, now we test her to the max.' They both started coming in down, one striking and the other ready to counter any moves she would make.
Her perception shifted once more... 'Here they come,' she thought. She crouched, waiting. Now, the Force told her. She jumped just they both struck towards her. Her left foot snapped out; deflecting one while her bokken took the other attacker at the knees.
Steffan was surprised, but pressed on as she came back to her feet. She swung again for his midsection, but he batted the bokken aside, letting his motion finish coming around in what would have been a decapitating stroke, but she was wise enough to sense it coming and counter with a strike for his wrists.
In the seconds before contact, Steffan went by reflex and backhanded his bokken. When they connected, the twirling motion he had started caused her blade to follow his and threw it out of her hands across the room.
She went rolling, sensing her bokken across the room. She called it back to her hand, but felt someone grab it out of the air. She stood, facing her attackers one more. She reached out with her senses, feeling where each person was.
Steffan picked her up shining brightly. "An excellent rematch," he started to say as he straightened up from his guard pose. She relaxed her defensive stance.
"I'd say you've taken several steps forward from two days ago," Steffan said as he put his bokken away. "How do you feel?" She stood there a minute. "Like I'm swimming with the current of the Force, part of it."
"The sensation changes little at the point," he told her. "And this is only a sparring match. It can feel different...deeper, in fact." She cocked her head, looking a question at him as she pulled the blindfold from her eyes.
†"It all depends on one's relationship to the Force," Steffan said as he took her weapon and put it away. "Its like an ocean, deep…warm and refreshing."
She nodded, thinking that over. She could still feel the other person in the room, but all she saw was someone standing in the shadows with the hood of their robe drawn over their head.
"You've already met," Steffan said as the other Jedi lifted his head to reveal the face of Ainar Algeron. She gaped at him. She couldn't help but remember how they had met...
She felt his presence before he stepped off the turbolift onto her wing of the Imperial Palace. His face lit up when he saw her.
"Master..." Ainar spoke, a warm smile upon his face.
Her face remained unchanged as she looked up from the two pilots who were seated beside her for strategic lessons.
"It's General Dinn, now." Arie corrected him.
"Forgive me then, General. Congratulations on your promotion." Ainar replied.
"What is it you want, Ainar?" Arie asked, her eyes leaving her former padawan's face and trailing back to the military lesson she was in the middle of giving a lecture on.
"I wish to speak with you, old friend." Ainar returned, still keeping a warm smile, in hopes Arie would return the same.
"Ensign Larks, what is the very first rule of engagement?" Arie asked one of the young men sitting in front of her, ignoring Ainar's request.
"Keep your friends close, your enemies closer?" Ensign Larks replied, unsure of his answer.
"Correct." Arie praised him, looking past her students at Ainar directly.
"I am not your enemy, Master." Ainar's smile disappeared and his face became solemn.
Arie, noticing the looks she was getting from her students at Ainar's comment about calling Arie a "master".
"Gentlemen, please excuse us." Arie ordered. The young men stood, saluted, and turning sharply on their heels, walked out of the lecture hall, leaving Ainar with Arie.
"Why are you here, Ainar? You would only be here if someone important was dying or you needed something, so get on with it... what do you want?" Arie asked quietly, trying to not show disrespect for her former student, but also trying to keep herself distanced from the connection she still felt with Ainar.
"I have a padawan I want you to consider training..." Ainar began.
"Ainar, you know I am no longer with the Order..." Arie began, but Ainar cut her off.
"But your heart is still with it! I feel it!" Ainar burst out, showing that he truly felt that way about his former master.
"My heart died with my husband...19 months ago..." Arie returned, taking a deep breath as the painful memory coursed through her mind of losing her husband.
"Myk-Ron died, yes, but you did not. At least the Arie I know would at least consider talking with this padawan...Arie, her scores are off the charts...higher than Manna's...not far from beating your scores actually..." Ainar explained.
Arie's eyes shot up to Ainar's face. "How close?"
"If she had the Phoenix inside her, then she would be you, Master... she has the ability for greatness... but needs a Master to instruct her." Ainar continued.
"I renounced my title as Master Healer when I left the Order, Ainar... she would need someone affiliated with the Temple to train her..." Arie began to refuse the offer.
"The Council has already agreed to let you train her, affiliation or no. This is what is best for the girl, not you, not me, not the Council, but the girl." Ainar replied.
"What is her name?" Arie asked, a heavy sigh resounding from her lips.
"Callista Gseran. She will be in your office later this afternoon." Ainar said, his smile reappearing on his face.
"Alright, I'll conduct a session with her this afternoon, but if things don't work out, I don't want to hear that I didn't hold up my part of the bargain." Arie agreed begrudgingly.
"You won't regret it, Master. She will make you proud." Ainar quipped back, grinning now as he began to leave the lecture hall.
"Oh and Ainar...my office has been moved-," Arie began.
"From the Squadron Wing to the Command Wing. I know, Master... everyone was talking about your promotion. May the Force guide your decisions as Head of Galactic Defense." Ainar threw over his shoulder as he left, smiling.
Arie just shook her head in regards to Ainar's comment, a small smile forming at her lips as she watched Ainar go.
Ainar let his smile drop as the lift doors closed, he hadn't told Steffan he didn't want to come here...but he had to talk to her, and it was good to see her at least.
The lift dropped down, her presence in the Force diminishing by the second as he descended farther.
Ainar stepped out of the lift at the ground floor and walked out of the large spherical balcony towards the group of public transports.
He walked to the one labeled '8101' and entered, smiling at the already seated personnel on their way home from work. He walked slowly to the back and sat down by himself and looked out the window at the towering presence of Coruscant, the planet that had been his home since he came here as a child.
"Mister? Mister?"
Ainar looked to his right and saw a small Rodian child sitting there tugging at his robes. Ainar allowed a brief smile, "Yes child?"
The small Rodian looked up at him with his big eyes, "Are you a Jedi?" he said with awe in his voice.
"I'm so sorry, Master Jedi...so sorry." a Rodian female said catching up with her son, "Grillik, leave the man be."
Ainar just put up his hand, "No it's alright...and yes I am young Grillik," he said, fixing his gaze on the young Rodian again and smiling.
"Wow... I've always wanted to be a Jedi! I even have my own lightsaber! Though probably not at cool as yours... mine's just a toy, the beam can't cut through anything." Grillik said almost giggling.
Ainar laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "Thankfully so, I believe your mother would be quite upset if you hurt yourself... a lightsaber is a powerful weapon, and not a toy... the lightsaber," Ainar said, reaching for his and resting it in his palm, "is a Jedi's life... or so an old saying goes, it means that it takes us a lifetime to learn to use one, and a lifetime using it...our commitment is everlasting…" his voice trailed off as he thought about Arie's decision to leave the Order.
Grillik's jaw seemed to literally drop as Ainar held his lightsaber before him. "Can I?"
Ainar's thoughts returned to the present and he smiled, "You can hold it yes, but I'm afraid it won't activate without my bio-electric signature."
"That... that's okay." Grillik said and his eyes seemed to almost fall out as Ainar handed him his lightsaber.
"I built this lightsaber when I was...oh 15 or so years old, thankfully I've never lost it," he said grinning, "I just jinxed it now didn't I?"
Grillik started laughing and handed the lightsaber back to Ainar after examining it carefully. "Thank you."
Ainar patted the kid on the head and smiled back, "You're welcome Grillik". He stood up and bowed to the kid's mother, as the transport ascended towards the Temple's entrance. "Madam, you have a nice son. It was nice meeting you both, May the Force be with you."
Ainar attached the lightsaber back to this belt and moved around for the exit and jumped out into the cool breeze and walked up the stairs, between the gigantic statues of all these legendary Jedi. Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Corran Horn, Kyle Katarn, Jacen Solo, Anakin Solo, Jaina Solo, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker... the latest addition actually after careful consideration, the statues went on and on, the legacy of the Jedi looked down on him and he felt as if they were watching his every step.
"Lost in thought?" he heard a familiar voice say as he reached the top and saw Steffan standing there, leaning against the statue of Kam Solusar.
"Should you really be doing that?" Ainar asked as he walked past him and nudged him a little.
Steffan grinned as he caught up with him, "So I take it the meeting went well?"
"As well as could be expected yes...she agreed on meeting Padawan Gseran," Ainar said as they entered the main lobby and were greeted by Knights and Padawans hurrying about for classes.
"That's good news... how is she?"
"She's been better," Ainar said as he punched in the code for their floor and the liftdoors shut.
"She put on a brave face, you know that ironplate...but she can't fool me."
"Yeah, I commed her a few days back congratulating her on her promotion and just catching up, she wasn't very talkative." Steffan explained.
"We'll see what happens next..."