The evening was quiet. I had left our flat, where the group had reunited after our dangerous journey through the Sith military base. Before returning to our safe house, we had made sure to let Canderous know that we had retrieved the coordinates and codes that would allow us to leave Taris undetected. Or at least not too quickly. It was now his turn to make his move, by getting us into Davik Kang's headquarters. The mercenary promised to do this promptly. We took advantage of this time to recover and rest.

Nevertheless, I wanted to have a moment of peace and quiet and, above all, solitude, without wandering too far from the group. So I stayed in the circular hall that served the flats on this floor, going round and round as I walked. This might seem rather odd from the outside, but this quiet movement allowed me to immerse myself in my thoughts, without paying attention to the surroundings, also very quiet. The only people I could see were a few partygoers on their way back to their homes. The building we had moved into was huge, with hundreds and hundreds of inhabitants. Every day new faces appeared: students, employees of all kinds, travellers... A chance for us, as this allowed us not to draw attention and to be able to move around quite freely. Still, we had to be careful.

The last few events have been exhausting. All of the operations we'd conducted had been highly successful, but it hadn't all been done in the blink of an eye. And the infiltration of the Sith military base was a rather disturbing moment for me. The mission had led us to a Governor who had announced that he sensed a curious power in me: a very special sensitivity; but the Sith had decided to remain quite vague. Back at the flat, I had withdrawn into silence, which had awakened the group' s curiosity, including Bastila. But she had stayed away, and had not engaged in any dialogue with me, which I considered a blessing. The night that followed had also been difficult. I had woken up in the morning with astonishingly clear images of Bastila fighting some Dark Jedi. I decided not to talk about it, though; I reasonably thought I must have been disturbed by my encounter with the Sith Governor, and my brain must have been going crazy. Night had finally fallen, and Canderous still hadn't shown any signs of life, causing Bastila to worry, as she wasn't too happy about working with a Mandalorian criminal. However, alternatives were limited. It was necessary to be patient and to have faith.

I headed for another round of the hall, when I was finally stopped by Bastila, who just appeared in front of me all of a sudden, making me flinch slightly.

"Can we talk for a moment?" The Jedi asked in an unusually caring voice. So unusual that it took me a few seconds to reply. Up until now, my relationship with Bastila had been particularly difficult. And the very idea of sharing words with her made my stomach knot. However, I had to keep making efforts.

"Sure, Commander." I answered politely, but somewhat apprehensively. I took a few steps to the side to clear the way and to allow this conversation a little more privacy. The young woman followed me at once.

"You seem quite troubled, lately." The Jedi noted, with the same unusual caring. "Am I wrong?" She asked.

I let out a sigh, betraying a degree of mental tiredness. I looked down and stared at an invisible point on the ground.

"You are not, Commander." I admitted. I allowed a few seconds to pass, and, noting that the woman was obviously waiting for me to continue, I resumed:

"I'm just a bit worn out. We all are, actually. Don't worry, it won't affect the rest of the operations, Madam. I'm just taking a break, that's all."

With these words, I courageously looked up at my superior, trying to prove to some extent that I was still a reliable element in spite of my present preoccupations, and also trying not to anger the ferocious beast that Bastila Shan could be. But the Jedi remained calm and thoughtful. She was staring at me, but it was not the condescending, accusing look she had been more willing to give the few times we had interacted. No, this time she seemed worried, and perhaps even troubled by my condition.

"I understand. You do fine." She said quietly. "It's true that this whole adventure is more than just an easy ride. And you've accomplished a lot, Corem."

I spasmed with astonishment at this very supportive response, but also at the realisation that she had just called me by my name.

"I was not alone. None of this could have been done without the help of all our companions." I said, unwilling to take all the credit, only for myself.

"Certainly. And your humility is remarkable." The Jedi replied. She then turned a little more towards me, so that she was facing me directly, and then, with her opaline grey eyes locked in mine, she continued:

"But there is something about you that I can' t see in the others." She said mysteriously. I didn't react, I just frowned, questioning.

"Something like an energy that flows through you, that accompanies you in what you do. When I look at you, I feel that you are not completely alone. I see you guided."

Bastila was still looking at me, but she seemed, following this announcement, strangely inspired. I found myself increasingly frustrated by the vagueness of the situation. However, without looking for it, I began to draw connections between everything I had experienced lately and Bastila's words. I was beginning to see the subtext behind the woman's very esoteric words.

"Where exactly are you going with this?" I finally asked, desperate for clarity. Bastila paused for a few seconds, and replied:

"No one has ever spoken to you about the Force?" The woman questioned very casually.

"'Spoken' in what sense?"

"About yourself, very specifically." Bastila replied.

I looked away for a very brief moment, thinking, and then returned to Bastila's gaze, which had not moved at all.

"No, Madam." I finally answered, in a distant voice, confused by the Jedi's questioning. "What are you implying? That I am capable of using the Force?" I added.

"I wish I could help you with that, but I'm not in a position to judge. However, I can't help but think that the Force is very present in you. I can feel it. Since yesterday, it has become even more obvious."

My eyes widened at this announcement. She had really felt something, that was certain. No one could have told her about the encounter with the Sith Governor, for I had faced him alone, and I had been careful afterwards not to tell my companions what we had said to each other."

"You had a hard night, didn't you?"

If I could have, I would have widened my eyes even more. I clenched my jaws tightly, stunned by Bastila's deductions. "That doesn't mean she knows." I thought.

"Yes, indeed, Madam." I simply replied, fully determined not to drop anything.

At this point it was becoming like a childish battle of pride. All the more childish because I had no doubt about the sincerity of Bastila's interest in me at that moment; I was the only one to get involved in this somewhat immature game. But this conversation, all in all very captivating, was like an intrusion into the depths of my being, and I was not used to giving myself up so easily. Especially to someone like Bastila Shan. However, it was clear that whatever I was trying to keep inside, Bastila was focusing all her attention on it and pulling it out with a cheeky ease.

"Sometimes dreams can be particularly intense. So much so that they stir the mind so violently that the body struggles to recover." The woman said with her arms folded, leaning against the wall just a step away from me.

I didn't even bother to react physically. Yes, she had figured it out, and was slowly but surely pushing me to speak up. I let out a sigh and turned to face her, mimicking the position she had before leaning against the wall. We faced each other again, and stared at each other for a few long seconds of silence.

"You saw my dream?" I asked sharply, unable to hide a measure of irritation. Bastila seemed to sense this, but remained remarkably calm.

"Who said it was your dream?" The Jedi replied quietly at first. "It seems to me that it was more about me than you, didn't it?"

I remained silent, and the irritation I felt was gradually fading. What she was saying made sense, even if it sounded totally surreal to me.

"That was my dream you saw last night, Corem. Or, rather, my memory." Bastila announced solemnly. "We shared this vision of the past."

"But how is that possible? And how did you know I saw it?" I asked urgently.

"I felt your presence." She said matter-of-factly. "You know, when the Force has decided to bring certain sentient beings together, it can manifest itself in a thousand ways. Last night, the Force showed us both a memory of mine."

I paused for a few seconds to process what Bastila had just told me. Bringing sentient beings together? Fine, but why her and me? Putting aside that curiously cordial conversation, Bastila and I clearly couldn't tolerate each other. Why would the Force seek to bring us together? Did it notice how perfectly the Jedi and I were made to get along? I calmed my nerves and swept my gaze across the floor, then returned to the Jedi's face.

"Well then, I'm sorry to intrude on your privacy in such a way." I finally replied, in shock but sincerely. Bastila said nothing, but gave a noticeably grateful smile. "Why this memory, specifically?" I asked next.

"I don't really know." The Jedi admitted. "The Force sometimes lives in mysterious lands. But I can definitely say that this memory is not meaningless in my life."

We remained in a peaceful silence. Bastila had finally looked away; she seemed to be lost in thought. I continued to watch the Jedi, waiting for her to pursue the conversation. I suddenly felt very curious, and I wanted to know more about this memory. But there was no question of pressing Bastila, who had every right not to discuss it.

"What you saw was a brief moment from the day when I was sent to Darth Revan's ship. To stop him." She finally confessed, biting her lips slightly, revealing the discomfort she felt at the mention of the event. I nodded in understanding, and definitely decided not to ask any questions.

Darth Revan's death was a major achievement in the Republic's war against the Sith, and the credit for it belonged to Bastila Shan. Afterwards, the Battle Meditation Jedi had become an almost legendary figure, admired throughout the galaxy. However, after that discussion about her dream, I thought back to what Carth had told me in the cantina, when we were waiting for Canderous. For several years Bastila had been carrying a burden that would crush anyone else in her shoes. I realised at that moment that no one had ever wondered how all these events had affected the woman's condition. No one, but Carth, had ever put themselves in her position, even for a second, only remembering her victories and the glory and fame that had come with them. There was no reason why Bastila Shan should be less prone to war trauma than any other mobilised soldier or involved civilian. And, obviously, this event was painfully engraved in her being. This realisation forced me to look at Bastila in a more forgiving light.

"Let's get back to your case, if you don't mind." Bastila continued, visibly trying to avoid the subject. "When we get out of this, I'd like to introduce you to Masters; they'll be more capable of analysing things. Would you be willing to accompany me to an academy so we can better understand our situation?"

I looked at the Jedi, a little puzzled. What did this mean? What else was I going to get into?

"I'm not sure, to be honest." I confessed. "I've got a lot to take in, I don't know what to tell you at the moment. I'm sorry."

Bastila stared at me with what seemed to be understanding, but couldn't hide an hint of disappointment. Nevertheless, careful not to offend the Jedi, and knowing that her proposal affected her as much as it did me, I added at once:

"But I promise I will think about it very seriously, Commander."

The woman let out a friendly smile. She gently placed a hand on my arm and said with some contentment, "okay." Then she rose from the wall that had supported her all this time, and walked along the circular hall, towards the flat. A few steps away from me, she turned one last time, and, succinctly bringing the tips of her forefinger and middle finger close to her lips, she spoke:

"By the way Corem, my name is Bastila."

I fixed my gaze on her, and nodded again in approval. We shared a warm smile, and Bastila walked back to the flat. I took another ten minutes or so to wander around the hall, to enjoy my solitude a little more, but also to recover from this very unexpected discussion. Nevertheless, after this long talk with Bastila Shan, I felt much more comfortable with the idea of returning to the flat, and less concerned with the need to avoid the Jedi at all costs.


Done with Taris!

Next stop: Dantooine, four chapters (unless I decide to gather some; don't know).

Hope this is fine for you.