"I just realized, I have no where to go here." Jack spoke to himself, leaning against one of the massive buildings of Coruscant. After his last two injuries, Jack was given medical leave on Coruscant for the next two weeks for his ear to heal naturally. Normally, bacta was all that was needed for an injury, but since the injury is a burn going in bacta would risk him losing his hearing by forcing an important recovery.

As such, he was left with his recent injuries patched up with fresh bandages and to remain on Coruscant until the healing with small doses applied would fully recover it.

Only problem? He only stayed on the Resolute last time he was here and he doesn't have enough credits to afford an apartment, much less one to keep for the extension of the war. He'd have to use favors from the Hutts, but that's something he has to plan right. Jabba was so willing last time because of him helping in his son's rescue. Now he has no real leverage and is stuck on the streets of Coruscant.

"Oh well, guess I can just hobo it for the time being." Jack shrugged as he put his pack down as he put on his coat. He then sat down as he leaned against the building, closing his eyes in relaxation. "I've slept in worse places anyways, this is actually a step up from my last stay on a planet."

As Jack was about to fall asleep, he heard the sound of feet running, the sounds getting closer and closer until they were right next to him. His eyes snapped open in time to see someone grab his bag and run off. "Hey! Get back here!" Getting up, Jack was quick to pursue the thief, having to run as fast as he could to catch up. "Get back here you piece of rankweed!"

As Jack started to catch up, the thief took a sharp turn and ran into a crowd. This caused Jack to swear under his breath and follow the thief through the crowd, losing ground as he was careful not to shove people over, unlike the thief who just ran at as fast as he could.

Once they were out of the crowd, Jack picked it up a notch further, surprising the thief at the speeds he was able to reach. "What is this guy, a Jedi?" The thief muttered as he grabbed a trash container and threw it down, hoping to slow Jack down. This proved useless however as Jack quickly jumped onto the side of a nearby building and back down past the bin. "Shrak!"

"I… got… you…" Jack grunted as he was getting closer and closer, his eyes narrowed as he pushed his body past his limits. It however proved to be a mistake as a human woman walked in between the two, not noticing the thief and getting in the way of Jack. "Watch out!" Jack's words came too late as he crashed into the woman, the two shouting in surprise as they fell over, the boy rolling several feet before stopping.

"Blast…" He groaned as he saw the thief disappear from his sight. By the time he'd be able to get up, the thief would be long gone, making this whole chase pointless. "Well… there goes all my food and clothes. And the rest of my credits on hand too."

"Owwwww, my head."

"Oh crap! I hit someone!" Remembering what happened, Jack pulled himself up and looked to the woman he ran in to. "I am so, so sorry ma'am." Jack said as he held his hand out to the woman, who took it graciously. "I was running after this guy, you came out of nowhere and I am just completely reeling in what happened. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, it's okay." She responded, rubbing her head as Jack helped her up. "I should have been more aware, I was always told I let my mind wander at the worst times." Once she was to her feet, she dusted herself off, causing Jack to take in what she was wearing, which caused his jaw to drop. A set of brown robes, light brown boots and tan pants. The pants, nothing at all, but the robes were clearly tailored for Jedi Plus the two lightsabers on her belt was also a dead giveaway.

"My name is Shyira, Jedi Knight. Sorry if I stopped your chase." Shyira introduced, holding her hand out with a bright smile. She had short black hair which was neatly kept and purple eyes. She was also tall for a human woman, standing at the same height as Jack.

Snapping out of his initial shock, Jack shook the Jedi's hand. "Um… I'm Jack."

"Well hi Jack, it's a pleasure to meet you. Even if you ran into me and-wait a second." Shyira quickly, focused her gaze, leaning towards Jack. The boy leaned back in response, feeling as if she was now studying him like some sort of science project. "Jack? As in the boy that's been fighting in the 501st for the past couple of months?"

"Ummmm… yes?"

Shyira then gasped as stars formed in her eyes, confusing Jack beyond his limits. "I've heard so much about you! Both from the reports of the missions you've gone on, which aren't fully reliable since they didn't ever talk to you for them, and Hawke of how he found you and your mission to take out the Malevolence. How big was it? How many missiles did it take to destroy its weapon? What rank are you now?"

Jack's brain had to go through a quick restart after the barrage of questions. The main thoughts that came to mind was how this woman was a Jedi, a Knight at that, and yet so exuberant. Most aren't nearly this emotional, nor are they allowed to be. "Um… 4845 meters, about two missiles from each surviving bomber, and currently just promoted to corporal."

"Wow that's a big ship."

"It was a Subjugator-class cruiser."

"Still, to think a kid like you can keep up with the likes of Jedi. I can't believe how well you've done so far."

"I am not a kid!"

Shyira then flicked Jack's forehead, surprising him with the strength behind it. "When I was learning to swing a lightsaber before you were born, you're a kid. Trust me, I know how annoying it is to be called a kid, but you really are one."

"Meh." Jack responded, not being able to come up with a real comeback.

"So, what are you doing here on Coruscant, Jack?" The Jedi Knight asked, tilting her head. "I don't think the 501st are supposed to be back for another month."

"You'd be right." Jack responded, moving his jacket and shit aside to show the bandaging around his puncture wounds. "Along with my ear, I have two punctures that could reopen if too much stress is put up. And with my ear having a severe burn, I have to wait for it to heal with small implements of batch. As such, I was placed on medical leave and sent here to recover."

"But Coruscant doesn't have a barracks for troopers on medical leave. At least, not for the volunteer regiments."

"Yes. And I learned that, AFTER I got here."

"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Shyira asked, recalling Hawke telling her what he spent all his money on last time on planet.

"Well I, you see I, it's sort of…" Jack then sighed in defeat, looking down as he let his arms hang. "That's exactly it."

"Chin up Jack." She said, patting Jack's shoulder. "You're new to planets within Republic space, and much less of Coruscant. It can be a little overwhelming at first. You just have to learn from it and grow."

"I… I guess."

"Well, considering you don't have anywhere to go, why not stay at my place?" The offer came to a shock to Jack, who took a step back. "Oh come on, it isn't that bad. I have an apartment that I share close to the Jedi Temple."

"But I mean, shouldn't I just stay on the streets?" Jack asked. "You did say to grow from the experience. And besides, sleeping around isn't too bad for me, I've been in a whole lot worse places than here."

"But were you injured?" Shyira asked, pointing to his ear. "And come on, it's not like you actually want to sleep out in the cold do you?" Getting no response, The Jedi smiled as she grabbed his hand, surprising him as she started to pull him with her. "Come on, I promise you'll leave with every part of your body intact."

Despite the clear signs of discomfort Jack had at the idea, he relented and sighed, following her. "Alright, alright. I'll come."

"There we go." Shyira smiled. "But before we head back, I need to go to the store again."

"Again?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah, I was coming back with groceries when suddenly a young boy that almost looks a year older than he is came running right into me, causing everything to ruin."

Jack's head sunk slightly, his face tinted red in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's no trouble. You're just going to have to carry everything back."

"We're here!" Shyira cheered as she and Jack walked out of the elevator and into the apartment room. Well, room wasn't doing justice. The whole thing had a large living room, kitchen, and at least several rooms to sleep in. It wasn't anything flashy, nothing like the apartments a senator could get, but it was roomy. Had a great view over the city that went for miles too.

"It's a very nice place." Jack commented as he placed the two bags onto the kitchen counter, sighing as he cracked his shoulders. Although he kept it hidden, jack was astonished by the size of the apartment. The largest room he's ever stayed at for a single time was probably the size of one of the rooms. Having this much space was… different, to say the least.

"Yep, the best you can get on a general's budget." She responded, walking over to the window, basking in the view. "Helps when two people are paying too, we can get more comfort stuff that way."

"I can't deny that'd be helpful." Jack said as he stood in the living room, taking in the details around him. "I'm confused though, don't Jedi live in the temple?"

"Most do, some can live outside if they want to. Gives us a bit of freedom instead of spending all our free time in the temple." Shyira explained as she shrugged. She then blinked once, seeming to realize something. "Hey wait, where's-"

"Ah crap!" A familiar voice shouted, causing Jack to jump as he turned to it, seeing that it came from one of the rooms.

"Hawke, what are you doing?" Shyira questioned as she ran to the room, stunning Jack.

"Hawke?"

"Oh Shyira… you're home early." Hawke said, slightly nervous as he stood in his room, everything a complete mess.

"What happened here?" Jack asked, appearing behind Shyira as he looked at the totaled room. "It looks like a bomb went off."

"Oh, Jack, you're here too." Hawke said, nodding to the boy. "I guess that explains it. Shyira usually walks home after going out. She must have been in a hurry to bring you here."

"Why so casual?"

"Hawke, why'd you mess up your room?" Shyira asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, right." Hawke cringed. "Remember that special thing you told me to look after? To keep it in it's case and not lose it?"

"Yes?"

"I lost it."

"How did you lose it!?" Shyira shouted as she began to dig through the piles of clothes that were thrown around. "Where did it go!? You couldn't possibly of lost something that important unless you were trying to!"

"I know!" Hawke shouted back, both now moving comedically around the room as they searched for whatever they were looking for. "But I accidentally left it in one of my robes when you gave it to me and it fell somewhere! I've been looking for it the whole day."

As the two bickered and searched, Jack's attention was slowly drawn to a small hum. It wasn't anything loud, but it felt rather soothing to hear. What was weird for the boy was how clear it was, like his ear was healed and capable of picking it up even. Turning to the source, he saw a pile of clothes and started to look through it, interested in the sound.

After moving most of the pile away, Jack's attention remained on a single green crystal, the light coming off it illuminating his face. He then grabbed the crystal between his right finger and thumb, gazing at it as the light vanished. "Hey, is this it?"

The two Jedi instantly stopped in shock as they turned to see Jack stand up. "You… you found it?" Hawke asked, the only one of the two seeming to be able to speak. Shyira, on the other hand, seemed to be at a loss for words, staring at the boy

"Yeah, it was actually glowing before I grabbed it." Jack commented. "What's with this green crystal anyways?"

"It's… a memento." Shyira spoke up, slowly standing and walking to the boy. "I… found it on one of my missions a month after the Clone Wars started."

"Oh, well I'm glad I found it then." Jack said, turning it to his palm and holding it out to her.

Instead of taking it, however, Shyira gently closed his hand around it and cradled his hand. "Jack, I would like you to keep it."

"What?" Jack questioned. "No, Shyira I can't. You've already let me stay with you for my leave, I can't take something from you. Especially if this is a memento. I can't just-"

"Jack…" She whispered as she gripped his hand, smiling as she appeared to be holding her emotions back. "This memento was meant to be passed on. I was waiting to give it to someone who deserves it. I was just holding it on for that person."

"I'd just say yes Jack." Hawke said, walking up to the two. "Something that you should know about Shyira is that she won't give up until she has her way. Most women are like that honestly. Just take it, trust me when I say it will mean a lot to her."

Jack looked back and forth between the two, having trouble to think against them with their stares. Eventually, he relented and sighed. "Alright, I'll keep it. But only because I owe you both for allowing me to stay."

"Thank you Jack." Shyira smiled, taking her hands off his. Going a 180 from the tone, she suddenly brightened up and clapped her hands together. "Now then, why don't I get dinner started? I bet you haven't eaten anything all day."

"Uhh… what?" Jack questioned as the Knight walked past him, turning his gaze over to Hawke. "Does she usually do that?"

"All the time." Hawke chuckled. "Shyira isn't someone to remain anything other than happy for very long. She's a very positive person."

"This belonged to someone important to her, didn't it?" Jack asked, looking down to the crystal in his hand.

"Someone who was like a brother." Hawke responded, placing his hand on Jack's shoulder. "If she thinks that you really deserve it, then that means the Force is telling her that you should keep it."

Keeping his look at the crystal, jack's stare turned into one of understanding. "I'll be sure to keep it with me for as long as I live then. I promise I won't lose it."

"Thank you Jack." Hawke said, patting Jack's shoulder before walking away. "You don't know how much doing that will mean to her."

'I do, actually.' Jack thought as he gripped the crystal.

Dinner then went by almost impossibly fast for the trio, having been talking the whole time. From Jack's first time tasting spiced steak, to the small talk that turned into lighthearted banter, to Jack's constant questions of the Jedi belief and system.

The conversation was beneficial for both groups. As Jack learned on how Jedi were chosen, trained and ranked, Hawke and Shyira picked up on the training and strict moral code that each soldier had to have. They also saw just how loyal Jack was to clones and his Jedi generals alike.

"So you saved both Ahsoka and Rex?" Hawke asked, picking a piece of steak and held it up. "From none other than the droid general Grievous?"

"I mean, saved is a little extreme." Jack responded, swallowing a piece of broccoli. "I mostly bought time at first so that Ahsoka could at least help me. That turned out rather poorly and left me with the wounds I have right now."

"But you managed to hold Grievous off regardless." Shyira countered, pointing her knife at him. "That's not something even Jedi can do easily. The fact you and Ahsoka lasted as long as you did shows how resourceful you can be."

"Oh yeah, because Ahsoka's been a total BLAST so far." Jack rolled his eyes, poking at the rest of his vegetables, having practically devoured the steak with hunger that surprised Hawke and even Shyira.

"Oh come on, there's no way she's been that bad." Hawke responded, chuckling at the boy slamming his head on the table.

"You have no idea how much of a pain she is." Jack said as he picked his head up, looking at the two Jedi Knights. "First off, on our very first mission she used me as bait, BAIT! I had a broken arm and was surrounded by three Magnaguards! Then there was how she and Anakin took my still unprepared ship, something you supported if I'd remind you." Jack added, pointing to Hawke, who looked away whistling.

"And she doesn't even know how to tell the difference between a Z4TF8C and a Z4TF8C-2! Anyone who's trained in at least a minor in ship maintenance should understand it." Jack then saw Shyira thin her lips and stare at him, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "You don't know, do you?"

"I don't work with ships."

"Or anything tech really." Hawke added, getting a glare from the woman. "She was only able to make her lightsabers after a whole week of trying it. She kept flipping the power converters during the production state."

"Says the guy who couldn't figure out what was the perfect grip to use."

"Okay, let's make it simple." Jack interrupted, not wanting to see what would happen if the two would start to fight. "A Z4TF8C is meant to be placed into a ship's cannon. It allows the weapons to go almost a month without calibration and avoid overheating when going over the average fire count. A Z4TF8C-2 is meant to be put into the ship's flight system. In fact without it, a ship won't even be able to fly."

"And when you mix those two up, you get nothing but a fireball that used to be your ship." Hawke finished, knowing what happens when the two components are mistaken for each other. "Although you can't fault her too much on mixing them up, the two pieces are practically identical. The Zera Tech Foundation often do that with their ship and weapon parts."

"While that is true, those pieces should be the main focus of learning." Jack countered. "Any other combo of pieces, and the ship just doesn't work. But if those two are put in the other's position, even if just during a test, you become space dust. It's why I never leave her alone in the hangar."

"So, you see her lack of knowledge in ship parts as a hindrance? And therefor an annoyance."

"Not just that, she can hardly follow any orders and is constantly over estimating herself. Grievous wouldn't have been as big of a problem if she didn't just run right at him. We had numbers and could've made him have to worry both close quarters and range. But nope, she had to be the hero and rush him, getting us nowhere and even losing two troops in just one move."

"I doubt it would've worked very well regardless." Hawke stated. "Grievous has killed dozens of Jedi, and even more clones have fallen to him. If anything, the poor coordination actually threw him off balance, making him predict situations he wouldn't normally think of."

"Well it certainly didn't do anything." Jack commented, leaning back against his chair. "We couldn't do anything against him other than just manage to survive. Hell, we only did survive because I hit him from behind. We were both completely powerless against him."

"But you did survive regardless." Shyira encouraged. "That's a lot more than most people can say when they fight him. Only a handful of Jedi that fought him have lived to tell about it, and most come back with a missing limb. You two did what even Jedi Knights rarely do."

"Even with broken teamwork nonetheless." Hawke added. "I think you two do a lot better together than you think. Sure, you fight different, but in the end you're styles in a way compliment each other. It isn't often a non-Jedi can manage to do that."

"Sure that's real neat and all, but our teamwork is poor. Broken doesn't cut it on the field. It doesn't that we can't stand being in the same room as each other." Jack would continue as he placed his fork down. "I mean seriously, how well do you expect people who are at each other's throats to work together?"

"Well, you're going to have to find a way." Hawke smirked. "As far as I can tell, you two are stuck with each other until this war's over. You'll have squads and platoons counting on you to lead them through battle. And you can't do that arguing all the time."

"Easier said then done." Jack grumbled, looking up to the ceiling. "We hate each other's guts so much she doesn't even need a reason to get mad at me. We just… don't click."

"You know, usually when a girl's angry at a boy they usually like them." Shyira responded, giving a sly smile as she did. "Especially at your two's age."

"This isn't some cheesy romance Shyira." Jack stated simply, surprising her with how easy he handled the teasing. "Romance doesn't work when the only time you can at least stand each other is in the middle of a fight. The moment we're not so much as moving to attack we'll argue." Jack then sighed as he looked back to them, placing his arm over the back of his chair. "And even then she's a Jedi and I'm a soldier. With her faith and my duty it wouldn't work even if we tried. I can't even stand the idea of being in a relationship."

"That's a very negative way to look at things." Hawke commented, staring with a hidden pity. "You don't even think of being with someone? You're not a Jedi, you don't have restrictions to stop you."

"Hawke, I'm either 15 or 16 and I've killed probably over 50 people." Jack said as he closed his eyes. "Not only that, I was practically bred to kill the moment I think I turned six." He then opened his eyes, looking down at the small scraps of his food. "There were so many other people that deserved to live more than I did. And some were killed directly by me. I don't deserve a happy life Hawke. That's why I'll always be fighting.

"You don't mean tha-"

"And how do you know?" Jack interrupted Shyira, looking at her with intent. "This isn't a perfect galaxy, nobody has the perfect life and everyone bites the dust in the end." He then looked down to his side, crossing his arms. "I guess I'm just waiting for my turn. I've certainly lived longer than I thought I would."

"That's enough Jack." Hawke spoke, concern evident in his voice. "What happened before you joined the Republic was beyond your control. You made the choice to join the army, you chose to fight for a higher purpose, YOU chose to put others' lives ahead of your own." He then sighed, looking to the table before continuing. "I don't condone what you said, this galaxy is terrible. But it's people like you, like us, that can make it better and bring balance. If anyone deserves at least some happiness it's you. You've made a sacrifice few would be willing to make and accepted it with open arms."

Jack didn't respond as he continued to look away, his hands tightening around with arms as he sat in silence. For the rest of the night in fact, he had only said thanks once for the dinner, now sleeping soundly on the couch.

As the moonlight illuminated the room, Hawke and Shyira were standing in the room, the former leaning next to the window as he looked at the boy. The two were in an unusual silence, both finding it difficult on what to say.

"He's wrong." Shyira eventually said, her eyes clearly sorrowful as she watched Jack sleep. "Everyone deserves a chance to be happy. It's those who don't take the chance that don't ever get it."

"He just needs time." Hawke responded, looking to his fellow Jedi Knight. "He's only been away from whatever he was put through before for only a few months. And most of that's been training or in combat. He hasn't had any time to relax and recover properly."

"Hawke, I know you saw what I saw." She said, looking to him with tears almost forming. "Jack, a child, has the eyes of someone who's given up on living. He's only fighting right now because he doesn't know what else to do. He isn't fighting for a real purpose, he's just filling in his weakness with a lie."

"…I know." Hawke eventually spoke, walking up to Shyira as he did. "Whatever happened to him broke him. He doesn't know what to do. And we can't change that." Once he was close enough, he pulled Shyira into a supportive hug. "I know why you're so worried about him. I made the connection about a week after I saw him."

"I just… I want to help him find a reason to live." She said softly, embracing the hug as she did. "Even Jedi, who have nothing but a broken code that takes away everything has a greater desire to live. He might as well be programmed."

"It's something we can't do anything about, unfortunately." Hawke whispered as he ran his hand through her hair. "The only one who can give him a reason to live is himself. All we can do know is hope he doesn't do anything stupid to get himself killed. And be there when he's unable to handle it himself."

"We won't always be there."

Sensing how conflicted she is on this, Hawke cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes. "Someone will be. He thinks he's alone right now, but he won't be. I've seen Ahsoka grow into the person she is now, I'm certain she'll be able to keep him going long enough to find a purpose. Someone like him needs an emotion driven friend by his side."

Shyira gave a humorless chuckle at that, taking Hawke's hands off her cheeks and holding them. "I wonder why you think that."

Hawke smiled a bit in response, at least seeing the tears disappear from her eyes. "Let's just say I have experience in this field."

"Of course you do." Shyira whispered before lightly pecking her lips on his cheek, separating from him shortly after. "Come on, it's getting late. We need our rest."

"Right." Hawke yawned. "We can try and get his mood better tomorrow. Right now, time for shut eye."

Unknown to the duo, Jack was secretly awake. However he was oblivious to their conversation, their words never making it to his ears. All that he could hear was his own thoughts, and could feel little more than the single tear that went down his cheek.

'The steak was as good as you always thought Fal. I wish you could've tried it.' The single thought was all that ran through his conscious, and it would continue to throughout the night. He couldn't sleep even if he wanted to. Not when his past plagued him.