The plains and forests of Dantooine were a constant invitation to contemplation and introspection. The climate was favourable: a delicately warm breeze brushed my skin and played gently through my hair, which I had left loose since my arrival at the Academy; my long black locks swept across the back of my neck and sometimes fell in front of my eyes. I had also stopped completely shaving, and a slight dark beard now adorned my face, which might have been expected to harden my features, but surprisingly it had almost the opposite effect. The beard I had grown isolated my brown eyes, which, in Mission's words, radiated a curious and touching candour. These were, at first glance, very kind words, but part of me couldn't help but wonder if the Twi'lek wasn't making fun of me. She was a teenager after all.
Within a few weeks on Dantooine I had achieved what others did in years of apprenticeship: some Masters even called me a prodigy, which was very flattering, but I was embarrassed by this surge of consideration for me. I attracted the attention of all my fellow students, often favourably, but I noticed that I sometimes also attracted the jealousy of some less promising students. My academic situation was also peculiar, and it raised the curiosity of the more sceptical, leading at best to suspicious glances, at worst to rude remarks; a supposedly exceptionally gifted apprentice under the care of Bastila Shan - an equally exceptional Jedi, but an inexperienced and impulsive Padawan who had been given the responsibilities of a Master. To many, this made no sense. I tried not to pay attention to this rubbish and to carry on with my training, but I realised that it wasn't as simple as that. I was not happy about being left out by the other learners. And I didn't like to hear the remarks they shared about me, but also about Bastila. Our situation may have been very surprising, far from standard, but it could not be denied that our collaboration was particularly effective. As I imagined, working with Bastila was not always an easy task, but she never acted unfairly, and she brilliantly led me to surpass myself without ever ignoring my need for rest and relaxation. Not like others here...
In order to avoid unkind words from some of my colleagues, I had decided not to occupy my assigned quarters, and was staying aboard the Ebon Hawk, which, still officially a ship of Commander Shan's mission, had not received the necessary authorisations to leave the planet - forcing all its crew to stay at the Academy, or to find another ship if any of them really wanted to leave. To my relief, Bastila had not objected to my desire to remain isolated from the other learners at the Academy.
During these last weeks of training, I would sometimes return to the small patch of green and rocky ground, shaded by a few trees, on the edge of the stream that ran alongside the Academy. This charming spot where Bastila had taken me that particular evening when Vrook was bullying me. When the weather allowed it, I sat down on the moss and lichen bed, against a tree, and enjoyed the calm of this place, where nobody but me seemed to set foot.
At least hardly anyone. No doubt because of that obscure Force bond, Bastila had sensed my presence there. Her sudden arrival provoked a particularly uncomfortable surge of tension in me: I was skipping class that day. Looking for solitude, on an afternoon when we had to train in sword-fighting, I had decided to isolate myself without notifying the young woman. I might as well say that I was in danger of being severely reprimanded.
Nevertheless, the fear of being berated by the Jedi seemed to evaporate as she approached me. She walked softly and lightly, which was quite a surprise, for I had expected her to trample me and drag me by the collar to the Academy. Instead, the Jedi had come to me with a curious serenity. Quite a few feet away from me, in backlight, I noticed that she was holding two large objects that appeared to be sabers. Nodding and smiling kindly, the young Jedi knelt down in front of me and handed me one of the swords in a most solemn manner; Bastila had rested the handle of the weapon on her left hand and the end of the scabbard on her right. I said nothing, and merely observed the object.
"Aren't you going to take it?" The woman asked in a slightly teasing tone.
I looked up at my preceptress, confused, without verbally answering the question. I slowly rose from my seat and imitated the Jedi's posture to pick up the sword, which was quietly waiting for its new owner to take possession of it. When I had finally grasped the object, Bastila withdrew her hands, leaving me to familiarise myself with the weapon.
I carefully studied the sword: the handle, covered with a thick green silk braid, must have been three times the size of my hand. Its guard went all the way round the weapon; it was finely worked, but did not add anything unnecessarily extravagant. Under Bastila's watchful eye, I then proceeded to draw the blade with care and respect. I picked up the scabbard, laid it gently on the mossy ground, and could finally admire the blade, very slightly curved, which shone in the natural light. It was a fine steel, but strong enough to withstand the shocks. It was a weapon of great elegance, I was amazed. In my deep and respectful contemplation, I did not yet dare to lay my hand on the steel.
"It's a training sword." Bastila said. "It's unsharp."
I looked up at Bastila, still silent, but listening.
"Nevertheless, just because this weapon is without real danger does not mean it should not be treated with respect." The Jedi continued. "It is your first blade, and you will learn much from it."
Bastila then grabbed the other weapon she had brought, and drew the blade. It was her weapon. Her training sword, which Bastila looked at as you would look at your oldest and most loyal friend. Visually, it did not look entirely different from my own sword, except for the braiding, which must have been a deep black before the training wore it out. The blade, which might also have been expected to have some degradation - a metal damaged by time and impact - was as good as new; a demonstration of the care the Jedi had taken with her first blade, and certainly also the care she had to take in training to keep the steel intact, being able to progress in her learning. "No wonder she's so skilled." I thought, my gaze fixed on the Jedi with fascination. I also noticed that her blade seemed to be irregularly ridged along its length, like the grooves in a piece of noble wood. I squinted to get a better look, and it seemed that the steel of Bastila's weapon had received a different treatment from mine. This peculiar visual was typical of the steel that the blacksmiths bent and struck many times, leaving this elegantly zebra-like appearance, which I found particularly aesthetic.
The woman sheathed her sword, and left me with this most inspiring weapon, without prompting me to join her in the planned training session. Somewhat unsettled by this curious attitude, I finally understood that this was indeed a training session: the first meeting of a novice soul with his very first Jedi blade, freshly forged for him and no one else.
A singularly violent breeze washed over me, forcing me to suddenly leave my introspective state and the memory I was recalling.
I released a breath, as if to tell myself that I had regained my reality of the moment, I placed my hand on the handle of my sword, and took the time to feel under my fingers the now partially flattened relief of the braiding, which had, moreover, turned a faded green. I drew the blade and watched it for a moment. I smiled fondly at the steel, which, despite all the training, I had managed to preserve in its original state, and which still shone with the same dignity as when Bastila had given it to me a few weeks earlier. I sheathed the sword and placed it respectfully on the ground, next to which I rested my lightsaber.
"Can I sit with you for a minute?"
I shuddered. I was so deep in thought that I hadn't realised anyone had come to join me. I looked up and saw the slender figure of Juhani, about ten yards away. I frowned, staring at the Cathar's feline features.
"Sorry Corem, I realise I'm intruding on a moment that belongs to you. I'll leave you to it. We'll have a chance to talk later." Juhani said, clearly embarrassed that she had allowed herself to disturb my solitude.
The Cathar was a young Jedi in a particularly delicate period. After emotionally and physically intense training, the young woman had attacked her Master, seriously injuring her. She had subsequently taken refuge in one of the many groves in the Academy area, assaulting anyone who came near her. Partially immersed in the power of the dark side, Juhani was like a wounded wild animal, attacking on sight, cornered in her lair. I had been instructed to eliminate this darkness that she represented. I could have simply killed this woman. But obviously I didn't want to do that. I had managed to reason with the lost young Jedi, and had accompanied her in her act of redemption. The Cathar had returned to the Academy, but this sad episode in her life was not over; she needed time and guidance to recover.
"No Juhani!" I said sharply. I didn't want the young Jedi to feel rejected. "Come and sit down, please. I was coming out of my thoughts." I picked up my lightsaber and training blade, so as to make room for the Cathar, who, after a few short seconds of hesitation, came and sat down beside me.
"Thank you." She replied simply, with a shy smile on her lips.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Juhani obviously did not dare to engage in conversation, probably still ashamed of her attitude towards me, when we faced each other in the forest.
"How are you?" I finally asked with genuine interest.
"Better and better, I think." The Cathar replied nervously. "But I still have a long way to go." She then admitted.
"Like all of us here." I retorted, with gentleness.
Juhani, who until now had been staring at the ground, unable to meet my eyes, finally looked up at me and smiled gratefully.
"You're right." Her eyes returned to the soil for a moment, then after a heavy sigh, the Jedi glanced back at me. "I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. I'm so glad the Council sent you. Otherwise, I don't know what would have become of me."
"That's not important." I replied resolutely. "What is important is who you are today. And even though I did my part, you found enough strength in yourself to find your way back. That's the point. Don't thank me, you've done the hardest work."
"Your words are very comforting." The young woman said, with relief in her voice. "You are definitely a very unusual person, you know? Such talent, such wisdom, such compassion. You were a military man, weren't you?"
"So I hear. A great idea for a career." I pronounced ironically, giving a stifled laugh. I saw Juhani's eyes crinkle, showing a certain amount of incomprehension. I laughed again, more frankly, and continued.
"I am an interpreter and translator. I have a typical academic background. I've proven myself, and I've been sent to some pretty prestigious positions. As I had a particularly favourable record, I was assigned to the Endar Spire, making me a cheap military man. This was a stupid way of proceeding, but that's how it works in the Army. I was thrown into the squad that had the role of assisting and protecting the cruiser's Commander, Bastila. Then things got... a bit out of hand."
The tacit mention of the destruction of the Endar Spire, which then led to the bombing of Taris, raised a kind of tension between us. I realised that this episode seemed to upset Juhani particularly. I didn't want to upset her further at such a difficult time in her life, so I decided not to dwell on these tragic events.
"You have no family, no relatives?" Juhani finally asked, looking as if she wanted to change the subject.
"Apparently not. Not according to my file." I answered flatly. An answer that seemed to surprise the young woman.
"According to your file?"
"Yeah." I spoke uneasily. "To tell you the truth, still according to my file, I have been seriously injured, and since then my memory is... shall we say... uncertain."
"To make a long story short, I woke up one day in a military medical facility on Coruscant, and almost forgot everything that came before. The doctors told me that it could all resurface in time. Or never. After my endless stay in the medical unit, I was given a new assignment, on Onderon, where my knowledge of the languages of some of the planet's peoples was sought after by the royal family. You have no idea how terrified I was by this assignment. I didn't know if I could still do my work properly. But it turned out that my language skills were permanently engraved in my brain. So I was able to carry out the assignment, and was then sent to the Endar Spire, under the command of Bastila. That dear Commander, who took great pleasure in humiliating me and making me look like a complete fool, with whom I share a bond of the Force, and who is now teaching me the way of the Jedi. It's amazing how fate sometimes goes wild."
I pronounced these last sentences with a shy smile. I saw Juhani smile too. She seemed moved by the speech I had just given her, and certainly by the shadowy, almost doloristic attachment I apparently had for Bastila, which I had clearly not been able to hide.
"I hope with all my heart that the teachings of the Jedi will heal you, Corem. Or at least take away the pain that your trauma may have caused. I may not be the best person to do this, but if you need a sympathetic ear, I want you to know that you can come to me. I would be very honoured to be able to give you that support."
"Thank you Juhani. I will, I promise. And your offer also stands the other way."
The young Jedi nodded, a warm smile on her lips. She stared at me for a few short seconds, and finally stood up.
"I'll leave you now." She announced. "I know you don't want my thanks, but I'll say it anyway. Thank you for everything, Corem."
I looked at the Cathar, sympathetically. The young woman then started walking towards the Academy, leaving me alone, as I had originally desired. It took me several minutes to regain the mental state I had reached before Juhani intervened. Once I was back in that state, I could no longer see the time passing, so that when I returned to the Academy, night was beginning to fall.
Thank you again for your reading. I hope I'm doing fine.
If you're interested, the particularity of Bastila's blade is called "damas". I just didn't want to mention such a reality into this fiction. I'm not sure I'm clear.
Anyway, that's a blade made with damas(cus) steel :) That's beautiful! I am a sword-lover. I used to be a European weaponry lover, but... I recently fell for Japanese swords... How original, I know! But these are so elegant. I tried to resist. But I fell.
I just discovered that I can modify the chapters I have already published. So, be sure I'll have a great use of that, because I usually spot problems after I post my texts. So I you see something really weird, it might be corrected afterwards. Or never, if it's subtleties of language I don't get.
