"It's good to see you have returned, Callista." Arie said, pulling an ancient leather-bound book down from the shelves of her office and laying it on the desk before Callista.
Callista nodded.
"I heard you had a run in with a Sith and lost your Master to the Sith's blade..." Arie continued in a low voice, the corners of her eyes watching Callista's reaction.
Callista took a deep breath, her facial emotion never changing. "Yes, Master, he was lost..."
"And what did you learn from his death?" Arie asked, rounding the room and coming to sit beside Callista.
"Death is a part of life and cannot always be stopped." Callista answered.
"Yes, this is true." Arie said as she laid a hand on Callista's heart, gently sending energy into the young girl's chest.
The warm feeling spread throughout Callista's body and suddenly Callista felt sadness.
"The other half of the lesson is that you are human, Jedi or not, you are going to feel grief for your master and you must grieve for him, Callista." Arie softly said as unexplained tears began to fall from Callista's eyes.
Callista touched the tears with her hands, surprised from the sadness she felt within her. Arie pulled her to her, taking the girl in her arms.
"Shh...Cry if you want... in time the sadness will go away... just don't be like me and let it turn to anger that freezes your heart cold..." Arie whispered into Callista's hair as she held the girl tightly.
Callista knew what Arie was talking about... losing her husband, Myk-Ron in a convoy that was attacked by the Vong. It had devastated Arie and Callista also knew that Arie didn't want the same feeling for her, losing her master to a Sith's blade...
"You are progressing wonderfully, my child, continue to come see me and we shall work on a new skill...Force-Shields." Arie said after a few moments of Callista sniffling and silence filling the room.
"Force-Shields?" Callista asked, perking up and wiping her eyes dry.
"Yes, I feel you have a partial genetic trait- shields formed by the Force surround some of your midichlorians, much like mine are all surrounded, thus allowing you to do this-" Arie said, putting a hand out and forming a blue-crystal-like Force-shield in the palm of her hand. Callista watched as it grew bigger and surrounded them both.
Callista watched with amazement as Arie drew her sidepiece and fired from within the shield. The blaster bolt exited the shield and struck a vase on Arie's desk, shattering it.
Arie then rose from her seat beside Callista and walked out of the shield and turned, pointed the blaster at Callista and fired.
Callista flinched slightly, expecting the bolt to hit her, and then realizing the shield had stopped the blaster bolt, she smiled at Arie.
"They are extremely useful and we will work on developing your ability. It may not be as strong as mine, but the ability is there and we must work on strengthening it." Arie explained, holstering her weapon.
"Thank you, Master." Callista said, rising from her seat in Arie's office.
"You're most welcome. I will see you tomorrow for another lesson." Arie said, dismissing the girl. She watched as Callista left her office, hope brimming over.
~She is going to be a great one. I only pray I am steering her in the right direction.~ Arie thought to herself, watching Callista go.
Her conversation with Arie still running through her mind, Callista wandered through the Temple. It was late in the afternoon, and most were in class still.
I thought I had grieved, she thought to herself. She drew her hood up, hiding her face as she walked. Her feet seemed to move of their own accord, and she looked up as she found herself in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.
This was one of her favorite places in the temple for meditation and she found it calming. Moving farther into the room, she found a secluded spot, and settled herself on a rock, staring into the flowing water. She drew her knees up, resting her chin on them, pulling her robe close.
The agony and grief had lain buried in her soul, but now it bubbled over. Tears splashed down her cheeks, soaking her robe. She thought back over that fatal battle that had claimed her Master's life. Why? She shook as the grief coursed through her.
She didn't know how long she sat there; it felt like an eternity. Rising from her seat, she laid her robe aside and drew her sabers. The twin blades sprang to life, casting a violet glow over the area.
Sinking into the Force, she leaped in to the air, her leap turning in to a flip. She landed in a crouch, both blades extended behind her. Bursting up from her crouch, she whirled, her blade striking out to the side. As she worked through the kata, she could feel her grief dissolving. It was replaced with a calm, and a determination to honor her Master's memory. She finished the kata, pausing to bow to an imaginary opponent before extinguishing her blades.
"Your focus isn't on the kata," a voice came in behind her.
Callista stopped, and turned to find Master Karrde standing there. She blushed crimson. "I'm sorry, Master Karrde, it's just..."
"I understand," Steffan said as he walked up. "Master Arie taught you that there's more to grieving?" She nodded. "I buried it, without even realizing... she showed me that grieving is a natural and necessary part of life..."
"It is," he told her as he sat down. "And it gets personal...and it doesn't make you weak to express that when it's needed to come out." Callista smiled self- consciously, realizing her robe was drenched in tears.
"But they're never truly gone," Steffan told her. "When its someone we love, they never leave us."
Smiling, she remembered now. "He visited me the other day. He said that he would always be there for me, like he always has..."
"As I said," he said with a smile of his own.
"Has Arie talked about further lessons?"
"She has, actually. She would like to start working on my Shielding ability."
Steffan nodded. "Useful technique, that. Along with continuing your medical studies?"
"It is. I was able to work on it a little when I studied with Master Faulkner."
"Good..."
"Your technique with the saber must've been spectacular in your duel," he said as he looked at the fountains. "You opponent was highly skilled, so you must have been in top form."
Callista chuckled softly. "I surprised even myself, he almost ended it for good a couple of times..."
"I suppose you've heard from several others that we think this is something more?"
"I have... I've been trying to figure it out as well..."
"I think it may happen soon, but I don't know when," Steffan said as he got up. "But I wanted to check on you before I leave for a while."
"Going home?" she asked as she rose with him.
"For a bit," Steffan said as they walked down to the corridor. "Andrea has recently received her knighthood as well, and we have business to attend to on Obroa-skai."
"I wish you well on you journey then, Master Karrde."
"Thank you, and I wish you well on your studies."
They bowed to each other, and he departed. Callista made her way to the Medical Wing. There was not much to do at this point in the day, so Callista settled herself in one of the chairs in Manna's office to do some studying.
A/N: Events occur during "Ghost Ship"
Packing her things a few days later brought back memories. She had kept a few of Master Faulkner's books, like he asked. She placed a spare set of robes in her bag, hiding the precious books.
Her comlink beeped shrilly, the emergency signal. she thumbed it on. "Callista..." she whispered. She was still shaken from what had happened only a couple of hours ago. Arie had arrested Master Karrde, and to her it seemed that the Senate was grasping at straws...
She turned her attention back to the matter at hand.
"This is Manna, please get off Coruscant as fast as you can, there is an X-wing prepped for you in the hangar. May the Force be with you." She whispered, and the connection went dead.
Grabbing her bag, she ran from the room. The Temple was in an uproar. She dodged students and fellow Knights on her way to the hangar. There were few ships left in the hangar, as many had already departed. She spotted the floor supervisor.
"Master Azad reserved a ship for me?"
The man nodded. "Yes, Healer, right over here." He pointed to an XJ-wing parked off to the side.
"That will do fine, thank you." She bowed. He smiled back, his worry radiating through the Force. "May the Force be with you, Healer." She smiled, then turned and ran for the ship.
She vaulted into the air, and aided by the Force, landed smoothly in the pilot's chair. The pre-flight seemed to take an eternity as she waited for the engines to warm. Pulling her helmet on, she keyed the flight controller. "XJ-739 requesting launch clearance." Her comm clicked. "739, you are clear. Force be with you.."
"Roger, Control."
The craft rose on repulsors, the noise reverberating of the walls of the hangar. Aiming for the hangar entrance, she shot out on repulsors, kicking in the sublights once she was clear.
The mottled sky of hyperspace streaked by beyond the canopy of Callista's fighter. Her mind still reeled from the events of the previous few days. Who could know that the Senate would arrest Master Karrde? She had received word that he had made it safely back to Cataan, so she pointed her fighter in that direction.
Scrambling her comm, she tightbeamed a transmission to the Karrde residence. "NR XJ-739 requesting landing clearance..."
"Come on in," came a voice familiar to her like no other. "Be quick, Callista, I suspect that there may be scouts in the system."
"Roger." She dropped through the atmosphere fast, pulling up to slow her descent as she neared the Karrde residence. "Touchdown..." she said as she felt her landing gear meet the tarmac inside the hangar.
Andrea was already inside, and started to lower the ship into the cavern before Callista even began to power down her engines. "Come on," she said as Callista exited the ship, looking up to make sure the doors had closed.
Callista hopped out of the x-wing. "What's the rush?"
"There's a lot of concern right now," Andrea told her as they walked out of the hanger. "If the Bothans had a hand in all of this, there's not telling if they've already been trying to set up a network here in the system or any of our colonies."
"That's why I didn't identify myself by name...What can I do to help?"
"I'm not sure what we can do at the moment," Andrea said as they started up the stairs. "Daddy got a message from an Admiral in New Republic Intelligence. He was wanting Steffan to come with him and investigate a planet in the Enduron system."
Callista frowned at that. "What does Enduron have to do with any of this?"
"All of this, basically, because of that," she pointed towards where Blue Talon rested in the hanger. "Everyone has been drooling over using the technology to expand their own strength. Dad was starting to investigate a contractor that was rumored to be developing just that. There was even people who tried to break into the house to steal Dad's plans for this one."
"They WHAT?!" Callista's shocked voice carried out of the stairwell, and caused the others to look up in surprise. "They're all in custody," Andrea told her. "Please, Callista...manners. You are on Cataan, remember?"
Callista looked down for a second. "My apologies, I didn't realize that they would go so far to steal the technology…"
"Neither did we," she said to her. "It's starting something even daddy didn't foresee." "I'll help in any way I can, you have my word on that."
"If things get worse, we may," Andrea said as they reached the living room.
Callista paused in the living room, bowing to Master Karrde. "I am pleased to see you well, Master."
"And I'm glad to know that everyone's getting out of Coruscant safely," Steffan said as he sat there. "Any problems?"
"Had to dodge a patrol on the way out, but made it to hyperspace before they caught up."
"I did as well," Steffan said with a nod. "You noticed the second X-wing in the hangar." She nodded. "From the looks of it, it was from the Vong Wars..."
Steffan chuckled at that reference. "An old XJ series that the previous owner took the time and attention to restore." She grinned. "I'm glad some people still show an interest in old fighters, for your sake."
"Actually, I'm one of them," Steffan said. "I just don't have the time."
She laughed at that, then sobered. "It seems like none of us have the time for that kind of thing these days…"
"Speaking of time," he said as he got up from his seat. "Ryneas and I need to prepare for our rendezvous with Admiral Drayson. If you'll excuse us."
Nodding, she said, "Be safe, Master Karrde."
"And you."
-To Be Continued-