Author's Note: More to come today! Hopefully I won't have to do these binge and purge chapter uploads. My apologies again!
Disclaimer: Star Wars ain't mine.
The Commander ship wasted no time in taking the survivors and surrendered Seperatists back to Coruscant. There Master Plo Koon and his Padawan regrouped after visiting the medical bay and reported to the Council room of the Jedi Temple. Something about the sound of two pairs of boots instead of just one walking down the hallway gave Jana a bit of joy. The duo entered the room for the first time as a pair together.
"Welcome back, Padawan Kinall and Master Plo Koon. We are pleased to hear about your successful missions as well as decision to remain Master and Apprentice." Master Mundi welcomed.
"However, the fact that the Separatists are attacking any systems with strategic resources is alarming. We can only respond so fast to these attacks, and thus we risk losing many planets." Master Windu said. They're going to spread Jedi out across the galaxy.
"This is why we will be sending you two with a troop to protect the Mid Rim until further notice." Master Gallia informed. Extended time away from the war and to train. I wonder if Master has anything to do with this. Jana shifted from foot to foot as they briefed them.
"But you won't be deployed just for patrol." Master Shaak Ti began. "There is a new weapon roaming the galaxy- the Malevolence, most likely piloted by Grievous if our allies tell truths. This ship is wiping out Republican cruisers and troops by the dozen- we need you to track it down before we are completely wiped out." Blazes... where do they keep getting these stronger weapons? We're always a step behind...
"You will be departing tomorrow when your ship is ready, and Commander Wolffe will be accompanying you with his men. Until then, please rest. You are dismissed, Padawan." Master Windu ordered. Jana was a touch surprised to be dismissed individually but obeyed nonetheless. She bowed and exited, headed to crash in her quarters. Her performance in the medical camp had been more taxing as time passed on.
"Master Plo Koon, it seems as though you and Jana already have trust in one another." Master Windu began.
"Yes, I do have reason to as I have studied her growth as a youngling to Padawan and sensed her gradually maturing emotions for many years. Being acquainted with Master Jeng also permitted me to hear of Jana's faults and best qualities."
"How has her force training been proceeding? Her Medi-Chlorian count to this day stands out from most Jedi." Master Fisto inquired.
"And she appeared quite drained upon her arrival." Master Koth observed. Plo Koon inhaled deeply, preparing for now briefing the Council.
"Her growth is unlike any other, besides Skywalker and Vos perhaps, though she is still young." The Council seemed eager to hear what had occurred. "Jana found three clones in the medical bay that were dying from the initial combat on Christophsis. Many had heavy wounds from the turrets the enemy has recently incorporated. The first healing seemed more of a technical one. If you check the medical records of a soldier under the name Toothless, you will observe the gash and burn wounds he suffered. They were so deep the medical droid found the survival rate too low to attempt operation while other clones could recover.
"Jana's multitasking skill while concentrating with the Force is quite remarkable. All at once she stitched multiple wounds, treated the burns, cut off skin, and I believe calmed Toothless. But that was just the first patient." The Council members listened while a hologram in Plo Koon's palm broadcasted Toothless's injuries from the medical bay for the members to analyze.
"On the following soldier she operated near one called Trench's heart. This one seemed to be less... technical."
"What are you implying, Master Plo?" Master Fisto asked.
"I believe- and this for now remains a theory- that Jana may be Force healing. Whether she knows it or not." The Council hummed in spoken thoughts and low murmurs- it wasn't unheard of, obviously, but if she hadn't meant to there were many layers to unpack.
"Is there any evidence she has done this before? Did Master Jeng ever mention her healing before?" Master Windu asked.
"Not to my knowledge. However, Jana mentioned today while on our mission that while on her family's farm of Naboo injuries were common. This is how she gained advanced medical information- I presume that it may be possible that from being force sensitive she began to force heal without her knowledge." Plo Koon theorized.
"This is interesting considering her Kyber crystal. Did she seem hesitant to battle, less bold, anything unusual for her?" Master Shaak Ti thought through, referring to Jana's blue saber.
"No, but she does not seem as bold and physical in battle as she once did." Plo Koon admitted. "However, the shoto blade was also presented to Jana from Master Jeng upon her passing. Allow me to remind the members of the council it is green."
"Very true. This young one is proving to be very unpredictable. I am interested to hear what Master Yoda will have to say about this." Master Mundi muttered.
"And the third, Master Plo Koon?" Master Fisto brought up. "You said there were three clone soldiers Jana tended to while on Christophsis."
"Yes. This one was perhaps the most interesting. The trooper, Nosey, had abdominal slashes and was losing blood quickly. Jana utilized her powers to control the flow of the blood. It tired her more so than the others, I believe, but she did it."
"Like when a Jedi moves water?" Master Koth inquired. Plo Koon nodded.
"When you say to control the flow, do you mean she directed the lost blood back in?" Master Windu asked.
"Yes, but she also controlled the loss of blood. She continued the flow semi-internally. Or, this could be some component of force healing we do not yet understand. Regardless, she knows how to use it." Plo Koon cleared up. The Council went silent after that.
"I'll be informing Master Yoda of all you have said tonight when he returns, and Master Kenobi later. Your findings are intriguing, Master Plo Koon. Jana may be a gateway to understanding the sides of the Force we do not quite fathom yet. Thank you for your report. Please, rest easy, my friend." Master Windu concluded as no one had any other comments, and Plo Koon for the moment was electing to leave out the fact that fear had spilled from Jana as she healed the clones. That would be an entire other discussion one day, perhaps with just Yoda.
"Thank you, Council." Master Plo Koon bowed and walked to his quarters. There was much to mediate on and process.
Jana had been sound asleep for nearly nine hours when she woke up. She still wore the clothes from the previous missions- all her energy had been seeped by the medical camp.
The young girl got up and began to prepare for the next few days by cleaning up. First she used a basin and soap to clean her clothes (which glass and typical grime satisfyingly was scrubbed out of). She also polished her gold band to keep it in fair condition. While her clothes dried she washed herself up and cleaned the blaster cut in her arm once again. I'd rather be over sterilized than risking infection at the end of the day.
Overall, Jana felt decent with how she had faired. She knew Master Plo Koon was right about her technique being lacking. She sighed and stared into the small mirror in front of her face.
"Blast!" She threw the cleaning cloth at the wall in frustration. The one thing people probably assumed she would have learned best from her previous master, and she had completely bombed it. Master Jeng would have been disappointed.
Sarissa Jeng was a woman strong with physical battle. Hand to hand combat and saber technique were her forte. She had been well trained in the arts and was especially gifted with the shoto blade. Many days she helped train Jana- she always thought that saber technique should come first.
Yet after Geonosis Jana found she wanted to abandon her blades for some time. She felt disgusted with them, with participating in a war as gruesome as this one. Two hundred Jedi had been deployed, and a mere thirty returned from the blood bath. But in the end, it was Jana's fault she had fallen behind in her skill sets. She had allowed her attachments and emotions compromise her skill set. She couldn't even manage to feel the motivation she had felt in previous battles and duels. She just felt worried all the time.
There's nothing I can do about it now, so I don't know why I'm so anxious. I just need to focus on the present and what I can do now to help the future. Mediate. Jana pulled herself out of the brief frustration and put on her now nearly dry clothes. First I'll meditate. And then I'll train. Starting today I'm not going to let the past control my skill set. That's Goal One. Priority One.
Before leaving she replaced the band on her right arm and braided her buns back in, cursing only every now and then at her tightly coiled curls. After that she made her way to the meditation rooms. On the way there she passed Madame Jocasta Nu who looked delighted to see her.
"Dearest Jana! Why haven't you been in the archive rooms as of late? Your languages will start to leave you, Dear." The Madame looked at her with knowing eyes, almost as if saying you need to put the past behind you. Jana blushed slightly and sheepishly gazed back. The Madame tisked.
"You still aren't going to talk to me? You should know better than to be mute to your elders. I know you talked to Captain Rex, that Clone soldier." Jana's eyebrows rose in surprise. How could she know that? "Please, Dearest, I keep my tabs on my favorites. I may be an archivist, but it doesn't mean that's all I do or am interested in." Jana giggled at her. She was always fond of the woman.
"Now, you go off to meditate and I assume train." She glanced at the sabers on Jana's belt. "You need to find use in that shoto blade, anyways, Child. And then I will be waiting for you in the archives for a review before you depart on your mission with Master Plo Koon." The woman nodded and walked away without Jana's answer. It wasn't a question, anyways. This was the plan. This was the way.
My day just gets busier and busier. I don't think I missed this part of being an active Jedi. Jana walked over to her usual room and opened the doors. Inside was Master Fisto to her surprise. It wasn't uncommon for Jedi to meditate, but usually her room was empty. Thus it was her favorite.
"My apologies, Master." She said in her still raspy voice and walked across from the Jedi to meditate on the bench across from him.
"Nothing to apologize for, Youngling. I am glad you meditate still. It is good for a Jedi's spirit, and most Padawans forget its importance." The Jedi never opened his eyes but instead remained focused on his mediation. Jana couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sight.
Once Jana closed her eyes she felt a bit lost. Lots had happened in the past days, lots of change, lack of control. So first she started with the challenge of thinking of nothing. Nothing. She didn't want to think of the color black, or the galaxy, or of the sounds of silence- she wanted to think of nothing. This always took several minutes for her to accomplish as it was a mind bending task. However, it succeeded every time in clearing her mind of any possible distraction or worry.
Worry. I worry so much, almost to the extent of fear. She began to reach out to the Force with her concerns. Where do I draw the line? When she meditated she typically sensed and saw colors, perhaps just due to her mental wiring of color associations. Many Jedi would experience visions, and for her it somewhat felt like blurred visions.
I worry about the war, I worry about my troops and men, I worry about my fellow Jedi. Her brow creased at the turn her mind was taking. Fear, it felt more like. Fear was creeping into her mind, and the fear of fear began the endless spiral. She wanted to retract, but all she saw was some deep set purple in her mind. She called out to the Force for aid. You are worried about life because you care for it, Young One. A gentle voice said, making her flinch at first. But this voice was not rare. It was not one of her master's, either, as it was an unfamiliar male voice. Nonetheless, she always found console in it. He had helped her many a time and felt of nothing but light.
Life. She thought and saw the shades of green. Green always brought Jana a sense of contentment. It was calming and reminded her of trees, of Naboo's greenery, of the Life Force inside all living beings and things. She felt the fear slip away. Instead, she found just an appreciation for the green. She found her valuing of life and its curious ways. Jana allowed herself to be submerged in the green and the life. She felt the huge presence on Coruscant, the constant cycle of life and decay and death in the city. She sensed joy and fear and anger and pride, which all mixed into one green hue. The people- the people were such a center of life.
Across the way- and little to her knowledge- Master Fisto barely brushed his connection to hers, just wanting to feel somewhat of what the Padawan focused on. He had felt the overwhelming fear initially, not a good look for Jana in the slightest. But after, there was some sort of sensation of light, like an enlightenment. It was strange- almost like a familiar sound to him. It became peculiar to him until he sensed her Force growing and bending. In his mind he saw a bright color: green. How curious to him that the Padawan focused so intently on colors. But peace began to settle on her, and he found he was pleased in the growth. He supposed he felt fear as a young one like that sometimes, too.
Minutes ticked by until Jana retracted from the Force. She was both tired and energized by this meditation, but she felt satisfaction by her sorting skills.
She quietly got up as to not disturb Master Fisto and went to the training facilities. She needed to watch her time, or she would miss Madame Nu's lesson and be yelled at upon her return or late to the mission and criticized by her Master. Balance. Control.
In the training room she thought back to her old Master's regiments. She hadn't yet engaged with either sabers since her arrival- instead she practiced hand to hand first. One-two-one. Two-one-two. Knee. High kick. Dodge left. Round house. Sweep one way. Now mirror that whole combination. Breathe. Jana felt her heart get pumping with the sudden throw back into the arts. Her hits didn't rebound off quite as hard as they used to on her heavy bag, but she gave it her all in concentrating power behind the hit. Eventually she started to incorporate little bits of the Force to create harder hits. Finally, with one of the roundhouses, the heavy bag snapped off. That was always when Master Jeng would move on, never before or after.
After that Jana ignited her lightsaber and completed the blade regiment that Master Jeng had always put her through: a hundred jabs on each side. Fifty blocks at each angle. Three hundred flourishes. Then do it all underhanded both ways. By the end of it her arms screamed in pain, but she knew it was good for her. That's when she ignited the shoto blade. For the first time she saw it in her own hands without the aid of her Master at training. She checked the time and knew she only had ten minutes or so with the blade.
First she messed around with it casually, just getting used to the handle. It was far more curved than her own, and it had a polished wooden accent in the middle. Then she began to do half of the rounds of the basic blade regiment. Once finished she ignited her own saber and got a droid out. "Five minutes." She said aloud to no one in particular while putting a blinding helmet on. The droid began to spin and prepared to shoot- it was on an intermediate level. Jana did decently well blocking most of the shots, sometimes struggling to get the blade of the shoto high enough. Still, she accepted this as growth. No reason to beat herself up about it.
Hastily after that she put up her equipment and reattached her sabers to get belt before booking it to the archives. Madame Nu smiled at her when she walked through the door.
"Well, welcome back! I've already got the computer up and running with your review. I was a touch excited since you've been gone for so long." The Madame said while playfully pinching Jana's cheek, making her chuckle. She followed her elder through the archives obediently. "How was training? Your knuckles look purple, Child." The woman gave a bit of a glare, which Jana knew was out of concern.
"Fine. The shoto... doesn't fit yet." The Madame made sure to face front to hide her wide smile. She truly hadn't known if the girl would bounce back or not, and finally hearing her words no matter how raspy made her hope.
"It will in due time, Dear One. Do not rush the Force and the crystal to conform to you. You must conform to each other. That is true balance." Jana dipped her head in acknowledgement. She's always so wise. The Madame stopped at a computer near the back. Jana already saw the review filled with languages pulled up and ready to go. She wasn't kidding that she was excited.
"Good luck, Child. And don't be late to the hanger for your next mission. And do come back alive." The woman chortled. Jana widely smiled and dipped her head. She then tackled the review with an open mind, somewhat struggling to remember all the languages and vocabulary. Before the war had spun up she had spent much of her time in the archives. The Madame had taken a liking to her as a youngling since she was so bubbly and yearned to learn. The archivist would call her a knowledge sponge those days. Eventually Madame Nu set her on different languages of the galaxy and helped her to learn a handful of them. For the past month she had slacked off. The only time she hadn't been in her quarters was when she was observing the Clones.
Jana checked the time and crammed the last bit of the review in, admittedly only taking in some of the information. What could she say? She had a mission. And with Commander Wolffe, who was a great interest to her, though he had no clue. Rushing out of the archives she grabbed her pack from her quarters and then bolted to the hanger, earning some glares as well as giggles from Jedi along the way.
"Jana, well done being on time. I take it you had a restful day?" Master Plo Koon looked to her as she ran in. Jana gave a sigh of pent up stress to which Plo Koon chuckled. He knew she had been training. A conversation with Master Fisto had been very beneficial before Plo Koon had prepared the command ship.
"This is Commander Wolffe. He and his men will be traveling with us. This is my Padawan, Commander Jana Kinall." Plo Koon introduced the two to each other. Jana smiled and dipped her head slightly.
"Honor to work with you, Commander." He saluted. "Now let's get this Seperatist weapon outta the sky." He walked on board.
"Are you ready, Young One? We will be in space for a few days." Plo Koon ensured. Jana nodded and followed him aboard the ship calmly. They had no idea what they were in for.