It was lightly raining when Tyridac and Ithica went to the Star-Port. The soft rain of Courascant washed over the twins as they splashed down the wide walkway. They had risen from their sleep and lazily prepared for the day. All of their clothes and personal affects had been packed away into cargo that the droids of the temple had been kind enough to load while they slept. Tyridac slept through the night dreamless. Ithica was racked with dreams that were anything but pleasant. He shuddered as he banished the thought to the back of his mind.

As they crested the ramp the Fearless Ral and the Viller came into their sight. Korin's ship, the Fearless Ral, was a modified troop transport, nothing more than a large box with wings. A large transparasteel dome housed the cockpit and allowed for as much visibility as was possible in a ship like that. Korin's ship looked a little ungainly but when you were flying in space aerodynamics weren't that much of an issue.

A contrast to the flying box that was Korin's ship was Laurune's. The ship was a sleek two passenger personal craft. Like most ships from Naboo, the Viller was brilliant silver. When the sun would peak through the clouds a harsh glare would bounce off the surface. The ship was shaped like a spearhead that belayed the fact that there were actually two decks to the ship. When the hatch was closed it was as if the ship had no manmade facets; as if it was all struck from one piece of metal. The ship was held aloft by three impossibly small tines that stuck out in a triangle pattern from the bottom of the ship.

It was a testament to the two Jedi that waited for the twins on the dock. Laurune had been Korin's partner early on in their Jedi careers. Often times Laurune would reign Korin in and keep him from making possibly deadly mistakes. Korin was brash when he became a Jedi Knight. Laurune had fought hard to tame him and teach him that sometimes reaction was better than aggressive action. It was a hard lesson for Korin to learn but one that he needed none the less. It wasn't until he and Laurune were separated that he realized the value of Laurune's wisdom. Korin had once considered himself the image of a Jedi Knight. After working with Laurune he realized how false that image was.

Korin watched as the twins ascended the ramp and began to trudge towards them. He could almost feel the waves of sorrow pulsing from them. It was hard when people that were accustomed to each other had to separate. The force only knows that Korin had to endure it twice; once with Joran Bender and again with Laurune. He hoped that his insight and his knowledge would help Tyridac make the transition.

"What took you so long?" Korin stepped forward to meet the two twins.

"Taking our sweet time, you know us." Tyridac spoke up as he dropped the bag from his shoulders. The metal parts contained within jangled around as he set it on the Ferrocrete dock. The makings of a lightsaber were in that bag, Korin knew, and Tyridac was itching to work with them.

"I know that this will be hard for the both of you. It's hard for me too. So, I am going to give you a couple of moments." Korin stepped forward and enveloped Ithica in a hug. Korin could feel Ithica hug him back and was sure that he felt a sob run through the Padawan.

Pulling back, Korin turned and rejoined Laurune near the front of the two starships. He made only brief eye contact and forced himself to contain his emotion. It was hard for Korin, but even harder for the twins.

"Is this good bye?" Ithica asked, his eyes bloodshot with tears.

"No, not in the least. We both serve the order and we both knew that the Jedi would call us apart from each other. This is just a temporary absence." Tyridac said, the words ringing hollow in his ears.

"But it's an absence none the less." Ithica started to cry but his brother's hand stopped his sob. Ithica looked up to Tyridac, he was always strong and always ready to face a challenge. Ithica trusted in that fact and when he didn't have the courage to continue he could trust that Tyridac would lead him. What was he going to do without that in his life? How was he going to carry on without the sole person his life was lived for? Tyridac was all he had, ever since Nar Shaddaa.

"That's not true." Tyridac said. One of the rare things he and his brother shared was the ability to feel what the other was feeling. Tyridac wasn't sure if that was due to their Jedi training or if it was because they were twins. "You'll have Laurune and all the thousands of years of the Jedi to back you. You'll never be alone. Neither of us will." Tyridac reached out and touched his brother's shoulder. "Faith, my brother. Faith will see us through. All we need to do is follow."

"Faith." Ithica echoed.

"Boys," Laurune shouted from across the dock. "It's time to go." Laurune's protocol droid ambled up the ramp into the Viller. All the preparations for departure were completed and it really was time for the twins to leave.

Ithica felt a new wave of confidence wash over him. With Tyridac's arm around his shoulder, he walked towards his destiny.

The trip from Courascant to Dantooine was shorter than Tyridac expected. He and Korin had spent the trip in relative silence. They each concentrated on the force as their ship sped through hyperspace. The only thing that would break them from meditation was the shrill bleeping of T5-V5. The little droid would have a crisis that would need to be dealt with on a daily basis. Tyridac seemed annoyed at the little droid but Korin simply smiled. T5-V5, Vee as he called him, had definitely grown on him. When Korin bought the droid he was sure that he would kill it. Since then, he had come to depend on Vee for a number of things. Greatest of which was the role of therapist.

Korin often consulted the droid with his problems and he would usually get an answer or perspective that he hadn't thought of yet. Though sometimes the advice was a smidgen utilitarian it still made him think.

Tyridac's meditation during the journey was focused on one simple thing: feeling his brother. At first, when they departed, he could track his brother with almost crystal clarity. He soon fount that at great distances he no longer had a full sense of where his brother was. It deteriorated into a vague sense of direction until he couldn't even discern that. At that moment, the moment that he lost touch, Tyridac felt truly alone.

It was hard for someone to adjust to the absence of what was essentially a part of him or her. Tyridac had trouble with the fact that he was without the person that he grew up with. He had even more trouble with the stoicism which Korin regarded the subject. Out of all people, Tyridac had hoped that Korin would understand what he was going through. All Korin seemed to do was dismiss the separated twins like a bad Induction Coil.

"Korin," Tyridac broke the silence that had lasted almost 16 hours, "can I ask you a question."

"Of course." Korin broke out of his trance and looked to the young Padawan.

"Why are you so stoic right now?" Tyridac thought about how he wanted to word this question. "Why does it seem like you don't care about Ithica and I?"

Korin sighed. "Tyridac." Korin shifted in his seat so he could look Tyridac in the face. "I'm not stoic at all. My friend I am just as upset as you are. But I learned long ago that it doesn't help to steal yourself away and try to forget all about your problems. Nor does it help to dwell on them. You and Ithica splitting is much like what Joran and I experienced. When we came to the academy Joran and I were outsiders. We were the only humans, well, near humans in Joran's case, so we banded together. Everything that could be done in tandem you could be that Joran and I worked together. We became such good friends that I could feel him without seeking him through the force. I could feel when he was hurt or fatigued. I could change the way I fought so that I could protect him. He did the same."

"What I'm trying to day is that when we were split it was like the end of the world to me. I couldn't fathom how I would carry on without my support there with me. It took a long time until I was able to pull myself together and do the job that I was assigned. That, and my new partner didn't make things any easier."

"Who was that?" Tyridac leaned forward.

"Heh," Korin chuckled, "Master Adaffa."

"Oh, that's harsh." Tyridac hissed as the image of Master Adaffa came back to his mind. The Jedi Master over two meters tall and brimming with cybernetic implants. He was the image people got when they thought of Jedi Warriors. A master that cheated death not only once, but twice.

"Master Adaffa did teach me one thing. He taught me that when we feel the most alone is when we close ourselves to the force. If we reach back and focus we will find that the Force never leaves us stranded. It is with us all the time and it ties us to each other."

Tyridac nodded. He could feel the relief already spreading through his body. In the back of his mind, there was still a tinge of worry. Like something was about to go wrong and Tyridac had no idea what.

Ithica's trip was much the same. The first part of it was spent in silent contemplation. Laurune's protocol droid, who was called Biv, and the ships autopilot did all of the work of flying. Laurune retreated to the sleeping area to meditate and Ithica sat on the stairs of the ship.

Ithica was so frustrated he wanted to scream. First the Jedi had taken them when they were just children and now they denied them the only thing that brought both of them happiness. Ithica hated being apart from Tyridac. He hated being from Korin. Laurune was a great Jedi but he wasn't Ithica's master. He didn't know anything about him.

Then again, Ithica thought, I don't know much about Laurune.

Gathering his robes around him, Ithica made his way to the second level and over to the sleeping area. Laurune sat cross-legged on the floor and had his saber in his right hand. Ithica could feel the force radiating off of him in great waves as he concentrated. Ithica felt the hair on his arm start to stand on end.

Not wanting to disturb the older Jedi, Ithica sat on the floor and tried to gather his thoughts about him. It wasn't an easy task and he soon found his mind wandering off to be light-years away with his brother.

Ithica wasn't sure how long he sat on the floor near Laurune. He was snapped out of his reverie when Laurune opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Padawan. What's on your mind?" Laurune dipped his right hand into his robes and clipped the Lightsaber to the inside of his shirt.

"To be honest, Master Laurune, you. I just realized how much I really don't know about you."

"What do you mean?" Laurune shifted out of the cross-legged position so that blood could flow back into his legs.

"I mean I don't know about what you have done in the Jedi order. I know the simple things like you were Korin's partner at one point. Other than that I am nebulas."

Laurune chuckled. "Ithica. There is very little to tell about myself. I became a Jedi knight about 10 years before Korin did and I have served the Order as a diplomat to Geonosis for several years. I was also a member of the Dantooine council up until 2 years ago."

"What made you quit?"

"I left the Dantooine council so I could continue relations with Geonosis. The republic is looking to make use of their technology, chief being the cybernetics technology. There isn't much beyond that. I was born on Naboo and taken to the temple when I was 4. I am just a standard Jedi. No fancy stories here."

"Oh," Ithica sighed.

"You sound disappointed."

"I was just hoping that you had some really cool story about how you had to go away from all that you knew. Something to make me feel not so crazy." Ithica drew his knees up to his chest and sighed. He had done that numerous times growing up in the temple. Tyridac was always big and strong. He lacked the wiry nature that Ithica had. Ithica could always retreat to this place with his knees against his chest. That thought brought him comfort.

"Ithica, leaving what you love behind is the story of all Jedi Knights. We do it even if we don't realize we are. We do it when we leave our comfort zones and think in a different manner. We do it when we go away from other Jedi to operate in the rim. We even do it when we have to put aside our emotions and favor choices that are of the Force and Light Side. Just because we leave something behind doesn't mean we forget about it. I still remember what it was like, trudging through the mud with Korin by my side. I cherish those memories and I hold them very dear to me. You should do the same with your memories of Tyridac and your feelings. Hold them dear to you. Don't let them rule you. Don't let them bog you down. Just let them be with you." Laurune smiled at the young Jedi.

"I think I understand, Master." Ithica offered a weak smile.

"In time, you will grow to understand more. Come; let us meditate on what I have told you. Seek out your thoughts. Don't let them come to you. Go and find them."

Without saying another word, the two Jedi drew their senses inward. Ithica dwelled on what Laurune had told him and tried to focus his mind on it. It proved hard and he soon found himself drifting off to be with Tyridac.

Ithica wasn't sure when he fell asleep. He wasn't sure when Laurune got up and left the sleeping area. Ithica awoke sometime later in the comfort of his bunk and for a moment wondered where he was. The panic subsided when he realized he was with Laurune, and far away from his brother. There in the bunk, in the dark, Ithica sobbed.

In the cockpit, Laurune was wracked with fear. He wasn't sure what he was going to try and teach Ithica. He wasn't sure how to proceed. He had failed so many times before it was a wonder the council even trusted him. Already he was second-guessing himself in regards to Ithica.

I can't fail. Laurune clenched his fists. I can't let the Dark Side win another one of my Padawans.