Every day I would go and visit little 'Soka, watching her grow from three to four as I continued to train under Master Plo Koon. In light of our deepened connection, we became closer after my acceptance that I was better off with him than attempting to continue alone. I often spoke with him of my fears and concerns as I valued his wisdom, and the both of us took a keen interest in Ahsoka Tano's welfare and would see her together sometimes to watch her grow. She was a bright child, one who clearly had a great deal of natural talent and intelligence. It was a true joy to see her and I often found myself at peace with her sitting upon my lap as she played with a toy of some manner, sleepily blinking into the fading light as my voice naturally hummed a lullaby from a distant memory that I had not known to possess until then. The days passed much in the same manner, and I lived for its serene simplicity.
Years passed as I continued this peaceful existence, always beside my master in whom I had come to trust without limitation. He was always there for me and never failed to be by my side whenever I needed him most, whether it was to calm a waking terror or to save me from danger during our missions together, such as the Yinchorri Uprising incident. I grew more confident, feeling balanced within myself in a way which finally enabled me to understand all that Master Bondara had tried to teach me and it manifested itself in a calm serenity which carried me forwards. I was happy once more, and I wished for it always to be like this. Another mission I undertook with my master alongside Master Eeth Koth, was to investigate the synthesising of cortosis by the Jin'ha on Obredaan. The Jedi Council had given us our orders to go, and so we went with the intention of finding the truth, and stopping supplies before it was too late.
I was uneasy all the way to our destination, my instincts kicking up without warning which left me tense and on edge, something that both masters could easily sense. "What troubles you Theca? I sense great apprehension from you." My master questioned me as Master Koth frowned deeply, studying me closely as I continually shifted my stance, hand longing to grip tightly onto my lightsaber for comfort and protection.
"I feel that we are walking into a trap, master." I answered honestly, watching the viewport of our transport as the bright rush of stars flew in brilliant white flashes, filling my vision as my nerves grew increasingly uncomfortable and every so often I would see images burst before me of my darkest moments when I was lost. Recognising the pattern, my master placed his firm hand upon my shoulder in order to draw me back to reality, acting as an anchor as I took several deep, meditative breaths.
"We will act with caution, you need not fear. Be mindful of your surroundings, and we shall soon be returning back to Coruscant." Nodding my head obediently, I did my best to try and relax, but still I could not shake the feeling that we were heading directly into the mouth of danger. So intense was the feeling that I could scarcely draw breath, clenching my fists at my side as I attempted to understand exactly why I felt as I did, all the while aware that Master Koth was still studying me. When our eyes met, he then inclined his head and began to speak.
"You have developed a rather extraordinary ability, young padawan." He said to me, and owing to my surprise at his words, I became distracted from my sense of unease and instead became curious to know what he meant. "Through your experiences, you are able to sense danger before it has reached you, a glimpse of what may come. Do not think of it as your shame, you should learn to adapt it and use it to your advantage." He guided me, and I was struck then by how wise and awe-inspiring the Jedi Masters were. It were as if they all knew the answers to every mystery of the galaxy, and I found myself suddenly feeling a little more reassured.
"I shall do my best, master." I promised him, earning an approving and encouraging smile from the Zabrak master who then told me quietly that Master Plo's own master, Master Tyvokka, had a similar ability himself. This took my full attention immediately, for I had always been curious about my master's history, but Master Plo never said more than he needed to, and always undervalued himself whenever he was the hero of the story. More so, he never talked much about his own master, speaking of him only in passing or referencing him in his own teachings which were being passed down to me, and I had to wonder if Master Plo still keenly felt the loss of his master even though it was many years ago now.
"You see, Master Tyvokka was able to sense the future, in a way. So deep was his connection to the Force, that he could intuit all possible outcomes from a single situation. Perhaps you and Master Plo Koon were meant to be Master and Padawan." Master Koth suggested as I listened, wanting to hear more about Master Tyvokka but I knew that now wasn't the time. I could tell that Master Plo was listening to us, and so I decided that once we were back on Coruscant, I would ask him a little more about his own master, for I felt it important to keep such a legacy alive in memory, if nothing else. From rumours alone, I knew that Master Tyvokka had been a powerful Jedi, and had fallen in a crossfire during a summit on Troiken. I could not imagine losing my own master in such a way, and this thought brought back the nervousness and uncertainty of the upcoming mission as I considered Master Plo and the possible danger we were walking into.
I followed both the masters as a dutiful and obedient padawan learner, doing everything that they asked of me and trusted in their judgement and experience over everything else. So, when our transport was gunned down and we crash landed in a swamp, I found myself being tightly cocooned in my master's arms, having used himself to shield me from the crash and protect me from serious injury. "Master!" Alarmed I quickly turned and lay him down, sparks from the ruined transport flaring from the torn wires of the hull and control panel, everything completely ruptured and destroyed from the crash. "Master, Master are you alright?"
"Theca…" He was alive and breathing, and upon seeing no evidence of serious injury, I then sought out Master Koth who was also coming around, groaning slightly.
"Well, I think they know that we are here."
"What do we do masters?" Both of them glanced to one another, then to me as our situation continued to unravel. I should have listened to my instincts, suggested a different course of action, I should have done something. If I had then perhaps all of this could have been avoided. "Masters?"
"You must go, Theca."
"No!" Immediately against the idea of my leaving them to face whatever danger that was now rapidly coming towards us, I gripped onto my master's arm as he pulled himself up, clutching his side which had taken an impact in order to protect me. "I cannot do that, master. Surely we stand a better chance of success if we stay and fight together."
"Now is not the time to fight, my padawan. They will soon be upon us, and will be outnumbered. Our mission must continue, and the Council will send reinforcements once they realise that they have lost contact with our transport." Master Plo informed me sternly, telling me with his tone that there was no time for arguments. "I am relying on you, Theca, to continue the mission, and then to await the right moment to come to our rescue."
"Your master is right, young padawan." Master Koth agreed, also injured in the crash and I realised then how dire our situation was. Both masters were hurt, and if we were to take an offensive now, we would likely all be killed. Not only would our mission be a failure, but we would also all be dead, and I could not stand the thought of Master Plo being killed here. So, I resigned myself to following his orders, recognising that this was the best possible chance for us all to get back alive.
"Be careful, master. I'll come back for you, I promise." Feeling his hand upon my head, I quickly scrambled to get out of the wreckage of the transport, leaping up into the trees of the swamp and swiftly finding myself a safe place to hide. Already my mind was whirling with information I absorbed from my surroundings, noting the humidity, the temperature, the air quality, the wind direction, the trees and vegetation, the flora and fauna around me. My main priority now was to get out of range of any scanners or devices that would pick up on my life signs and signal to our enemy that I was here, but also to remain in a place where I could observe what was going to happen to my master as well as Master Koth.
Both were taken captive, and I unwittingly held my breath for the entire exchange as they were secured and then escorted away by the Jin'ha. They lingered for a while to investigate the transport, but upon finding no other life signs, they left it alone and returned to their facility where I followed in secret. Remaining unseen and tracking prey was another of my talents, which in a way made me perfect for this mission as it had turned out. Despite remaining as calm as I possibly could, I could not keep my hand from shaking as I followed my master then watched as he was taken into a secure facility which appeared to be on a grand scale, far more than I had expected.
If the Jin'ha truly are synthesising cortosis here, then it seemed that they had the means to produce a staggering amount of it to be circulated on the black market. Cortosis was something especially daunting for a Jedi, as my master had explained, a pure refinement of cortosis was able to disengage our lightsabers for a time. It was a material with highly conductive properties, and since it was capable of shorting out the circuits within our lightsaber hilts, was a serious threat to the Jedi. However, the reason that required investigation in this particular situation, was the fact that evidence had surfaced that the Jin'ha were selling the cortosis in a bid to start a war. Already they had been found to be supplying gangs in the lower levels of Coruscant with weapons, and so the investigation had brought us here, where we hoped to put a stop to the Jin'ha for good.
Now completely alone and all the more aware of the fact that I had to continue this mission without help, I felt rather lost and even a bit frightened. The swamp was not a nice place to be, the fumes made me feel nauseous and visibility was limited, making all the more nervous about my predicament. Still, master had given me my orders, and so I had to do my best to carry them out without getting caught. I knew where the Jin'ha facility was now, and where both masters were being held, so I decided that the best course of action was to find the location where the Jin'ha were actually mining the cortosis. The facility seemed to be more of a refining and production area, so the mines had to be elsewhere, but I did not envision them being too far away.
All I had to do was stay aloft in the trees as the ground was crawling with Jin'ha patrols, now fully on alert on account of the Jedi they had taken captive. The large, sweeping branches of the swamp trees made it easy to leap between without being noticed, and so I remained out of sight as I searched for the cortosis mines. I hoped that Master Plo was right in that the Council would send reinforcements to our position in order to find out what had happened to us after the loss of communications. It gave me courage, thinking that help was on the way and so I continued my search until I had perfectly memorised the entire area, the Jin'ha patrols below, their numbers and routes, as well as the entire outside of both facilities in a bid to find the best way of entry for both.
First I should gather the evidence to show that the Jin'ha were illegally mining the cortosis, and then go and rescue the masters. It was the logical execution of my mission, however when I sensed a flicker in the Force, I recognised the presence of two new Jedi having landed on Obredaan. My spirits lifted in an instant, glad that they had arrived so swiftly and I immediately turned back in order to go and find them. Having someone to watch your back whilst infiltrating enemy territory was always preferable, and so I quickly honed in on their location and found the two Jedi to be none other than Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
I knew of them both through reputation, though I had not been in close contact with either before. Kenobi was a padawan learner several years older than myself, and I was fairly certain he was nearing the end of his apprenticeship and would soon take the Trials himself to become a Jedi Knight. I watched them both from above, fighting their way through the Jin'ha who had already discovered them. They were flocking towards them with their cortosis weapons, making it difficult to fight as their lightsabers continually flickered and sometimes disengaged altogether, forcing both Jedi to repeatedly activate them once more.
Choosing my moment, I carefully positioned myself above before dropping down all at once to land on a Jin'ha, knocking him out instantly as he hit the floor before I then leaped once more. With silent precision and skill, I used my legs to kick out the Jin'ha and then Force propelled them away from myself, Kenobi and Master Jinn, refraining from using my lightsaber as I viewed it as pretty pointless at the moment. I did not want to risk damaging it permanently on their cortosis weapons and armour, so I fought them off by other means. Kenobi seemed surprised by my sudden appearance, glancing my way but did not lose focus of his opponents as I then lifted several large rocks with my hands rising through the air, eyes half closed in focus. "Look out!"
Kenobi yelled in warning as the Jin'ha came towards me, seeing me as a fair target however with the rocks at my disposal, I sent them flying forwards to knock down the last of the Jin'ha, laying them down to rest in unconsciousness on the floor before I then took a moment to analyse my surroundings. I sensed no upcoming danger, so I viewed it as safe to relax for a moment and instead turned to Master Jinn and his padawan, bowing to them both first as I was by far their junior, and it was my place to show them my respect. "My greetings to you, Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi. I am Padawan Theca Rouyn, apprentice to Master Plo Koon."
"I see you have eluded the Jin'ha, young one. Very good." Master Jinn praised as I lifted my head and blinked slowly at the both of them. Kenobi gave me a warm smile, and I sensed that he was a kind and good soul, much like his master who was now approaching me. "Are you hurt anywhere? Can you tell us what happened?" Nodding my head, I dutifully reported everything that had occurred since our transport was shot down and explained that Master Plo had ordered that I escape so that I could continue the mission.
"I know where Master Plo and Master Koth have been incarcerated, as well as the mining facility where the cortosis is being mined by the Jin'ha. I have this entire area memorised in my head, I can give you directions if you like." I supplied simply whilst remaining alert to everything around us. "Only the Jin'ha are threats, you'll find no dangers from the wildlife here, Master Jinn. Rescuing my master and Master Koth should not prove too difficult, the majority of the Jin'ha forces are focused on the Obredaan mines. It will be more difficult to approach them, though I think I have found a way through with minimal confrontation."
"You are resourceful indeed, your master should be proud of you." Master Jinn complimented and I found my cheeks darkening to a deep indigo at my pleased blush. Swiftly taking charge, Master Jinn decided that I should go with his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi to infiltrate the mining facility and see what we could discover there whist he went to rescue the masters. Seeing as this was the best distribution of our mixed levels of talents and abilities, I obeyed without question and quickly gave Master Jinn the directions he required in order to find the location where my master was being held. With a few words of caution to us both and wishing us luck, Master Jinn soon disappeared into the fog, leaving me alone with Kenobi.
"Well, shall we?" He offered with a hint of amusement in his tone, so I turned to look at him properly and take in his appearance. Although older than me and vastly more experienced, he still appeared very young. His apprentice braid hung behind his right ear as mine did, signifying that we were both still padawan learners. The light crop of brownish strands were as neatly arranged as the rest of his presentation, though admittedly I struggled to see anything particularly distinguishable about his appearance in comparison to other humans. To me, they mostly all looked the same. Though Obi-Wan did have rather striking blue eyes that reminded me of the crystal blue waters and skies of Naboo and other naturally enriched planets.
"Follow me." Deciding that it was best to remain out of sight, I leaped up into the air with light footed movements, springing from tree to tree until I had made it to the lowest branch some several feet up in the air. Momentarily perplexed, Kenobi then followed my example as I explained that the Jin'ha very rarely looked up. "They focus mainly what is in front of them, and not their general surroundings. We will not be noticed up here."
"Then I shall follow your lead, Theca Rouyn." Feeling comfortable around him, I invited him to call me simply by my first name as there was no need for such formality between us. We were working together, after all, and besides that, he was also my senior. Still, I was gratified when Kenobi returned that I should call him by his first name also, and after we shook hands with one another in a proper greeting, we then took off together. Obi-Wan was not as adept at tree jumping as I was, but soon caught on and made a point to follow in my footsteps as I was an expert at mapping out routes ahead, swinging from one vine onto another to then land on another tree. Pausing every now and then to ensure that he was still following, I brought Obi-Wan to the mining complex where we hid ourselves out of sight whilst Obi-Wan contacted his master, surveying the main entrance with his macro-binoculars. "Master, we've found the entrance to some kind of large mining complex."
"Undoubtedly a cortosis mine. I'll wager there's some kind of manufacturing plant inside. See what kind of evidence you can gather down there, Obi-Wan. Be certain to watch one another's backs, do not lose sight of one another." Master Jinn responded as I listened, counting off the Jin'ha guards which seemed to have doubled since I was last here.
"Understood master." Lowering his macro-binoculars, Obi-Wan then looked at me as we both remained perched on our high vantage point. "What do you think Theca? Was there any other way inside?"
"For me, yes. There is a small air vent towards the north-east side of the facility, however you won't be able to fit." I answered him truthfully and bluntly as I considered our options. "If we are to stay together, then I think we have no other choice than to use the front entrance. They already know we're here, so it won't make much of a difference causing a ruckus, will it?" Chuckling softly, Obi-Wan agreed that we did not have much of a choice in the matter. He told me that if I wanted to stay back, he did not mind dealing with the Jin'ha alone and I noticed then that he was looking at my shaking hand, which I had not realised was still trembling even to this moment. I snatched it out of sight and clenched it firmly. "I have no intention of leaving you unsupported, Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Now that is a comfort." Obi-Wan told me warmly, placing his hand momentarily on my shoulder as a gesture of reassurance before he leaped down to land on the ground below. I hesitated for only a moment, a brief pause where my logical side told me that I should run far away from here, that it was insensible to throw myself knowingly into danger, but I pushed it aside and joined Obi-Wan on the ground. It happened every time I went on a mission, and sometimes it almost overcame me, the wish to run away, but every time I mastered it. Usually it was the overpowering will to remain by my master's side which kept me from following my instincts to flee danger, but now, it was a deep yearning to prove myself to Master Koon which kept me rooted in the present, and focused upon my mission. He entrusted this mission's success to me, and I would not fail him.
Disarming one of the Jin'ha from their weapons, I used it to fight and defeat the others, being quick and decisive with my actions in order to keep ahead of them. My fighting ability had improved drastically under Master Plo, however I was still a young padawan, and comparing myself to Obi-Wan, I knew that there was a long way to go before I was as competent and skilled as he was. His movements were effortless and powerful, yet with a restraint which held himself in check to keep from completely losing control. Perfect balance. I admired his capabilities, and found myself following after him like a wonderstruck shadow, aiming to learn from him and see if I could improve myself further. I think he found me amusing, for he often glanced behind him and grinned at me with a bright twinkle in his eye.
The fight to reach the lower levels took much longer than we would have liked, and several times I was almost overwhelmed by the Jin'ha but Obi-Wan was always nearby, and never failed to help me escape the situation. Once or twice I had flashbacks to my past, and one was so terrible that I had screamed in fear and flung out a Force blast so severe that it had thrown everything in the chamber against the walls with so much power that the walls themselves buckled, the Jin'ha completely taken out. Obi-Wan thankfully managed to escape the blast by leaping upwards, summersaulting before then landing and staring at me with concern and uncertainty. With a tightening sensation in my throat, I felt like I couldn't breathe, struggling to maintain focus as I blinked repeatedly until gradually, I heard Obi-Wan's voice calling to me. "Theca. Theca…Theca…"
"I'm sorry." I spoke on impulse, my mind clearing as I finally managed to draw in a deep, cleansing breath. "I'm sorry, I lost control."
"It's alright." Reassuring me softly, Obi-Wan could only take me by the hand to continue leading me forwards as I drifted still in a partial dream, feeling crushed and crippled from the terror. Conflict only made the memories resurface further, and sometimes the memories were so real and deep that I would end up destroying everything in my path as I relived those moments and sought to defend myself against past enemies. Only one time had I completely lost control, and that was during the Yinchorri mission. We had almost all perished there, and in that fear of being killed, I had been completely overcome by my past and ended up tearing through the enemy until I was standing amongst a pile of bodies.
Having witnessed such a scene before, this time, Obi-Wan was more prepared and simply continued to help guide me through, constantly bolstering me and making witty remarks in order to make light of the situation and distract me from any other thoughts. "Ah, ray shields. How inconvenient." Obi-Wan mused as we came face to face with a towering shield of bright red which forced us to come to a halt in our proceedings. "It's almost as if they don't want us here."
"I highly doubt 'welcoming' is a word the Jin'ha would use to describe themselves." I replied tartly as I looked around for the control panel before I then located it as another flock of Jin'ha came rushing towards us from behind, having called for more reinforcements since we were so steadily making our way through them with very little difficulty. "Leave the shield to me." Reaching for my tool belt, I immediately drew out what I needed in order to recalibrate the panel and lower the shield so that we could pass through as Obi-Wan dealt with the newcomers. I worked peacefully but quickly, never once needing to glance over my shoulder or fear an attack on my back, because Obi-Wan was so faithfully defending it.
Within a few minutes, I had the shield down and was able to then join the fight, dispatching the last few Jin'ha warriors by throwing them up into the air and against a wall to knock them out cleanly, Obi-Wan now beginning to show evidence of growing worn out as he was labouring slightly for breath, with a light sheen of sweat which glistened off his skin under the reddish gloom. "Excellent work, Theca. We make quite the team, you and I."
"Surprisingly, yes." I agreed but deliberated no further on the subject, for our goal was now within reach. We were at the lower levels now, and as we were able to investigate our surroundings, we soon stumbled upon the huge construction which hummed deeply as it worked on refining the cortosis that was being mined at this location. "It appears the suspicions of the Council were correct. The Jin'ha were indeed refining and supplying cortosis illegally." Looking around I quickly had every aspect of the chamber detailed in my mind, having several exit strategies already in place should something go wrong as Obi-Wan contacted his master as we both continued our inspection of the machinery, finding it to be like nothing we had expected, or had ever come across before.
"Master, we've found the cortosis refinery. There's some strange technology here, some kind of synthesis device." It took only a moment for Master Jinn to reply, his voice full of praise for the both of us as he spoke.
"Excellent padawans! See if you can get a sample from one of the computers or something, we'll have it analysed on Coruscant." No sooner were the words out of the master's mouth that alarms and sirens began to blare into life, lights flashing as the refinery was placed under a full alert. This does not look to be at all favourable to our situation. "Get to the surface, padawans. I sense the Jin'ha tire of our investigation." To myself, I thought it strange to have such a sense of sarcasm given the predicament, it showed a sense of nonchalance I would not expect from a master, but I made no comment on it.
"If we are to leave here at all, I think we had best move quickly." I remarked dryly as Obi-Wan hurriedly took one of the synthesising units from the wall whilst I investigated the computer, taking as much information as I could before pulling the data-chip and tucking it safely away in order to then focus on escape as well as taking some samples of cortosis for myself, thinking that they would be useful later. Obi-Wan gently told me to keep close, his lightsaber at the ready. The intense blue blade shone against the overwhelming red of the underground refinery, creating a sort of refreshing sense as it stood out all the more. I stayed close as he instructed, keeping up with him as we had no other choice except to make a run for it.
Our speed made no difference, for within seconds we were completely overrun with Jin'ha as they blocked off our exit route, leaving us no other option but to confront them. "Kill the Jedi!" With a sardonic remark at how friendly the Jin'ha were, Obi-Wan and I were thrown into the thrall of battle. My lightsaber now in hand, I activated both blades and twirled the hilt in my hand, guarding my front from the attacks before springing backwards, rapidly thinking for an idea, a burst of inspiration which came to me like a flash of light. "Keep them busy!" I called to Obi-Wan, making him throw me a look.
"What else do you think I'm doing?!" Ignoring the jibe, I quickly disengaged my weapon and instead ran back the way we had come in order to get to the door panel, using my tool in order to lock into the system and prepare to reactivate the shields. Preparing everything, I then shouted for Obi-Wan once more.
"This way!" He did not question me, merely did as I asked and soon enough he came hurtling around the corner. I left the control panel as it was, moving before they could see me beside it to return to the refinery chamber where there was a more open space. I deflected a blaster bolt with a sharp flourish, Obi-Wan rushing to my side before we then stopped, facing the Jin'ha who began to prowl closer, holding a line to block off the exit as we drew them further inside. "Get ready to jump."
"Jump?" Murmuring under his breath as I too had kept my voice down, I waited until the moment the Jin'ha lurched forwards to attack us once more, closing in on us all at once. With a call to signal the moment, we both jumped and summersaulted lightly through the air, the Force pushing us forwards to jump over the Jin'ha and land on the other side, allowing us a clear shot at the exit to the upper levels. By this point Obi-Wan had caught on and wasted no time in running for it, the both of us fleeing whereby I then stopped and quickly twisted my tool in the door panel to activate the shields once more. The bright red glare burst back into life just as one of the Jin'ha ran into it, making him rebound on the other side where he and the others remained trapped, much to their anger and rage. Their voices created a cacophony of insults and threats as Obi-Wan pursed his lips in appreciation, nodding his head approvingly as I replaced my equipment within the tool belt. "Very well done, Theca. I'm thoroughly impressed."
"We are not free yet. Let's hurry, we shouldn't keep the masters waiting." Agreeing with me on that count, we hastened to return to the surface, fighting our way through any remaining Jin'ha until they were all defeated, allowing us to step outside into the open once more with our evidence still secure and a feeling of victory flowing through us both at our success, eager to return to our masters and show them the fruits of our labour.