Hullo, all. I know it's been a long while since I came back to this story – but I had some pretty good excuses for the brief hiatus. Okay, scratch that, and change it to lame excuses...but nevertheless this follow-up to No World for Heroes has been on my mind despite my not writing it.

Thank you for taking the time to read it, and thank you even more for reviewing it. Input is always appreciated. For those who are new to this story (and I suspect there are quite a few), although reading the previous story would add a little more depth and background to this one, it's not necessary. If you have questions, about the plot, the characters or inconsistencies, feel free to drop me a message.



JAVIN

When something is beautiful, truly beautiful, it reaches into your soul – and through an umbilical cord you never knew existed – it will bring you home. Such was Javin's passion for the world around him. He used to dream of places like this, and even in the surreal realm of dreams, it would take his breath away. Being in a dream – that was his trite yet effective choice of words to describe his situation. Because that was what reality has fleshed out for him here.

He stood in a field, untamed for the most part. He was knee deep in wild grass and flowers, staring out into a lake that reflected the grace of a setting sun. He glanced at the flowers that scattered themselves far around him, and wondered to himself bemusedly. Why was it, he thought, that such colours upon a person would make them look like a badly decked neon sign, but they could compliment each other in such harmony out here?

It's probably best not to wonder, he told himself. Take things as they are.

His eyes then fixed themselves on the formidable mountain range beyond the lake. He rolled a small rock he held between his fingers and brought it up to the level of his eyes. Slowly, and keeping one eye shut, he extended it forward until the rock lay superimposed on the outline of a mountain peak. Small and large. Yet so alike.

He heard the rustle of feet against grass behind him and turned.

James Yeo-Lan strode slowly towards his friend and Padawan, his hands deep in his pockets. His youthful appearance has diminished somewhat, and it was quite obvious that something had left a cold spot in his soul. Where once his grey eyes had shone and reflected passion, they now reflected a secret; but it was one that cast a yoke around his neck instead of breaking it. However, there was some part of him that clung to the adamant nature of youth. And he shielded that naivety fiercely at times, with the firm belief that that was what led to innocence. And innocence was a splendid tool with which to draw beauty out of ugliness.

He stopped a few feet behind Javin and sniffed the air. "Smells like rain," he commented.

Javin looked to the dark cloud to his right and grinned. "The best kind though. Look," he gestured to a clear sky to the west – towards waning sunlight and dusk, "...the witch clashes with the wizard. This is where the rain meets the sun."

James face broke out into a slow smile at the expression. It was a popular reference here amongst its inhabitants, on the planet of Ithor. The Ithorians, who modestly claimed to be nature's companions and not her master, often loved to attribute stories to almost every natural phenomenon they observed. Many misconstrued such tales as a form of taming nature; handing her humanity and all of its emotions – it seemed a fitting way to identify with the uncontrollable. But James knew better. The Ithorians were no fools, and long ago, they had accepted that dominion over nature, if even possible, would be short lived. In actuality, their stories reminded them of nature's dominion over them.

"James, is it true what they say? That the Ithorians rebuilt this place into what it is?"

James scoffed. "Whoever fed you that had some death sticks stuffed up his gob." James shook his head. "But to answer your question, no. Ithor, or whatever it was before the Ithorians came here, is the real deal."

Javin looked satisfied and walked a few steps forward, closer to the lake. He knew that he wouldn't be content with an artificial planet, a manufactured ecosystem just didn't feel right. It was all well and good on war-torn regions, in fact, it was necessary, but to replace nature with something contrived was considered an abomination in his mind.

He called out to James without turning around. "Is it time for a meal already?"

James' pleasant expression wafted away, and his voice took on a somber tone. "Not really. I've just received a message from Yustan."

Javin, ignoring James' shift in emotion, spun around quickly, and his eyes lit up.

Ah, recognized James, so the boy wasn't completely gone. There were times when James thought that with Elori's disappearance and the silent deaths of the Jedi across the galaxy, Javin had prematurely taken on the burden of finding answers to each situation. And it was obvious that this yoke would age him – physically and emotionally. He'd seen its work begin already; Javin was no longer as impulsive or as trusting as he once was. Behind friendly amber eyes, worked the mind of someone who had come to see the darker side of human nature, and was aware of its effect on sentient beings across the galaxy. It united him with cynicism and those who carried it.

Sad thing was, those were some handy traits to have.

Javin moved quickly to James' side. "What're you waiting for? Let's hear it!"

James sighed. "Alright. Let's go indoors first."

The small kitchen was lit up with cheerful gas lamps that hung across the ceiling and by the small fire that served as a primitive stove. Javin had crowded each windowsill with an array of various ferns, and had lovingly tended to them on a daily basis. In the center of the room sat a sturdy little wooden table, with wooden benches flanking each side of it.

Javin made his way inside and sat himself down on the table top, with his feet resting on the bench, facing the warm fire. He watched, with a limited stock of patience, as James hung a kettle above the fire, and made his way towards the younger man.

"Yustan has had to skip town. And that's putting it mildly," began James. Javin arched his eyebrows in curiousity as James continued. "She sent us a brief message – I don't believe she had much time. The block of apartments she was housed in burnt down two days ago. But she believes the fire was the will of the Force, a godsend, if you think about it, because it alerted her to their presence. And due to that, she was able to escape with her skin on her bones."

"Do you suppose they're tracking her, even still?" asked Javin.

James frowned. "I replied to her message, and told her to be cautious, but she hasn't replied as yet. What makes the situation more grave is that these Sith are so difficult to find, unless they choose to reveal themselves. Which, in the case with most Jedi, involves the moment precisely before they're killed."

"We have to go to her, then."

James shook his head and scowled. "And what good do you think it will do, to have not one – but three Jedi – prancing about together? We couldn't announce our presence better than if we had a beacon strapped to all of our foreheads. Besides, she didn't give us her location."

Javin chuckled despite the situation and James' annoyance. James' frustration primarily stemmed from their lack of ability to thwart these new foes, which was a reason for why they had migrated to Ithor in the first place. And here they had remained, for the past year, safe and hidden. Neither of the pair enjoyed the thought of fleeing from their enemies and cowering in secret places. Nonetheless, it gave them an opportunity to enjoy a brief hiatus from their duties – and to do so in a region as beautiful as this was an added blessing.

But it appeared as if this newfound calm would soon be behind them.

Javin turned slightly as he heard the soft pitter-pat of rain drops hitting the windows, before directing his attention back to James. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"I believe it would be best if she came here, to stay with us awhile like we had suggested. But the fact that she hasn't responded to my message is alarming."

"Yustan will never stay in one place for too long. Even if you could get her down here, she'd leave within the span of a week." disagreed Javin. "And I don't think it's time to worry yet. You sent her the message three weeks ago; she probably hasn't had the opportunity to contact you."

"Three weeks too long," said James, his brow furrowing. "Doesn't the fact that she hasn't found time to catch her breath make you anxious?"

"I don't believe in unnecessary worry. Your very words too, don't you remember? 'It is not work that destroys the man, but worry. It is not movement that wears the machinery, but friction.' You'd do well to practice what you preach from time to time," said Javin good-humouredly.

James couldn't help but smile. He turned around as the kettle began to hiss out steam, and started to pour cups of steaming water into a flask. As he was waiting for the tea to brew, he grew serious again. "But I suppose it's time we came out of hiding, don't you think?"

Javin searched James' face intently. There was something misplaced in his voice – the worry and the fear were all too obvious – but therein lay something else. He remained silent, but expectant.

James straightened and rubbed his hands together. "Well. In any case. We should take the first step. Wait here," he ordered, as he hurried off to another corner of the small house. Within the span of a few minutes, James brought in a brown sack, ragged and old in appearance. He undid the rope that tied the sack together and pushed it towards Javin. He nodded towards the bag, open it.

Javin looked up at James briefly, and hesitantly reached into the sack, pulling out a rock that shone against the warm glow of the firelight. Blue streams of light played across the smooth contours of his face, and still staring at its beauty, he spoke. "I take it you didn't dig this one up by the lake bed,"

"There's more in that bag,"

This time, Javin pulled out a round piece of what appeared to be glass; convex on each side. He peered through it, capturing a distorted image of James. Putting the trinket aside, he drew out yet another rock – this time white, and almost opaque – and some sort of energy cell. The reason he knew of its identity, was that he had seen something similar in upgradable blasters that his uncle kept for security purposes. An instant later, he realized what this was all for.

Ever since Javin was initiated into the Jedi Order on Coruscant, had begun his training on Dantooine and became James' Padawan, he was not allowed to build his own lightsaber. The fact that he was older than most was a main factor, but there was also another element involved. 

After a year spent on Dantooine, and sparring with some of the better students there, he had felt that he'd earned the right to start construction on one. But James disagreed. Perhaps he was simply being overly cautious, or perhaps he had sensed the danger that would soon befall all the Jedi. Either way, it had been four years – short to some, but lengthy to him – before this moment was to arrive.

"There's also an emitter in there," gestured James quietly.

Javin held his breath. "I always though they stopped making these emitters..." he said in partial disbelief.

James rolled his eyes. "This is a lightsaber, Javin, not a toy."

"Yeah...but, all this, the opila and sapith crystals, the datium cell, the ossus dueling lens, this lightsaber is going to be the meanest –"

" – blade to hack someone's arm off...?" finished James, with his eyebrows raised. "Your ability to identify each of these items notwithstanding, keep in mind that that is a weapon. Its beauty shouldn't mask its true purpose. Under the wrong judgment, you could end a life, like you would snuff out a flame," James snapped his fingers for effect. "Just like that. Years to build a person into what he is, only to have him cut down in the span of a second."

Javin looked somberly down at the pieces that would soon come together as one. Then, with a gleam of mischief in his eyes, he looked back up at James. "Don't tell me that you muted your own enthusiasm when you began to build yours?"

"I must confess that I may have been a tad excited at the prospect," spoke James, stifling a grin, and then giving into the moment, he smiled, "...and my excitement may have led to a misalignment of the lens and emitter, which then singed the skin off my fingertips when I tried to ignite it,"

Javin laughed, fingering the opila crystal in his hands. "I'll try to keep my nerve about me. Lest I tread down the path of my mentor," he winked.

Suddenly, James' demeanor changed. "There is also something else I wish to tell you." He swallowed, nervously. "I don't know how to begin, so I don't think you'll hear the words from my mouth – you'd do better to read them."

Javin's smile vanished. "What is it?" A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that this had something to do with his sister, with Elori.

He was right.

"Before your sister left, you must've realized that we were not exactly...in agreement with each other."

"She never told me what was wrong, but I felt that when she decided the time was right, she would. Of course then she took it upon herself to leave." spoke Javin, with a certain degree of bitterness in his voice.

"For my selfish purposes, I must tell you that she has forgiven me, in her own way. But there only lies one more thing. And we need to get past it – you and I – before we leave this place."

It was certain then, thought Javin. They would be leaving Ithor soon. He cast his eyes down at his sandaled feet, hesitant. What exactly had transpired between Elori and James? According to both their accounts, they had only known each other for a day and a half before leaving the Jedi Temple that day. After that, being hospitalized, he could not remember much of anything else. Did it happen around that time, then? As if to answer his question, James reached into his white tunic and pulled out a datapad. He gently placed it on the wooden table.

"As far as I can tell, Elori never kept a diary. But for some reason, she left this in Atris' chambers before her departure. She must have known that Atris would find it and give it to me. Not to Yustan or to you, but to me. Perhaps it was her way of permitting me to tell you what happened." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "In any case, it's yours now – to do with what you will."

Javin rose from the table, and gazed at his teacher intently. For the first time, recognized James, there was no trace of friendliness in the way in which Javin regarded him. There was doubt, which would soon begin to stir the seeds of anger, he knew. James looked away. The younger man grasped the datapad in his hand and walked out.

Javin sat on the doorstep of the small home, feeling the droplets of rain stream down the side of his face, down his chin, and onto his shirt. Twilight was gone and night had quietly settled onto this side of the planet. The rain however, had only just begun to cease. Distracted by his thoughts, he wiped the water from the datapad's screen. Sighing morosely to himself, he looked absently in front of him. There was no putting it off anymore. He had to read it. He had to read it and take in what it meant.

He activated the screen, which glowed to life. In the main menu, he saw three different entries. Heart beating a little faster than normal, he started to read the first one.

45-51-7027-NAR SHADAA

2600 HRS PST

I sometimes wonder...for those with burdens...how long it takes for them to escape. Perhaps strong will and mind would serve to fight negativity – but for how long?

These are thoughts, these are the thoughts that brought about the contempt the Jedi had for me, and yet these are the thoughts that persist. The endless questioning of their motives, now replaced by the unending questioning of my motives. Who are you really doing this for, Elori? Javin? Yourself? Or are you just enduring because facing whatever you have to face in its stead is a harder path?

If I had any say in the cards I was dealt I would choose a simpler life. There is nothing wrong with a simple life. Nothing at all.

Javin shut his eyes tight, letting the words play across his mind. Was that what she had wanted all along? Rest? Peace? No, realized Javin. It was what every being in the universe wanted. Whether they were aware of it or not. Underneath hatred and anger, lay a need for rest. And those who sought adventure and danger, at the end of that road, surely they desired serenity.

He went through the first entry once more, and then scrolled down to the second.

21-73-7027 EST ON CORUSCANT

0800 HRS PST

Javin is asleep. He sleeps like a child. I've lost Yustan and Atton. Yustan despises Atton, yet he will be her only rescuer. Isn't life ironic? Years ago, I would say that this was the Force in motion. But I don't care who's pulling the strings anymore. It's just ironic. Should I find my lack of hope disturbing? But I want them to be alive. No more need to die on my account. But if they have to die to preserve his life, then I will accept that. Truly I will.

I would like to play some dejarik instead of mindlessly droning on to a datapad. Now I'm beginning to remember why I stopped keeping a journal in the first place.

The second entry ended there.

Pain drew across Javin's face as he read the words. So she would have sacrificed her friends for him? He frowned. It wasn't your choice to make, sister. Just as leaving us behind wasn't as well. Responsibility is all well and good, but to use it when selfishness is your priority...? But who was he to talk, really? If he could endure the paths of another, only then would he hold the right to question their actions. Of that much he was certain. Sighing, and holding his breath soon after, he proceeded onto the third and final entry.

21-77-7027 TELOS

2130 HRS PST

We're not on Telos yet. Not technically. We might as well be there, because my mind is on that planet, only my body is here. I took a brief look at the last two entries on here – it seems like a lifetime ago. Who needs time to measure what is past when we have memories? But I don't want to take stock of all this. Not now.

I don't want to go to Telos. I would like to go to Dagobah before I search for this Senator Sonum. I wonder if she is also a clone. Or perhaps she was a senate member made privy to this information. It's obvious there's a connection to this Senator and Pietro's son. I managed to dig up something relevant. How ironic that it was James who handed me this information.

Senator Sonum was elected to participate in the Republic's senate after her handling of the situation between Naboo and Toydaria ten years ago. I need to do some reading up on that incident, but truthfully, it doesn't interest me. All that does is that the woman resides on Naboo. As soon as I'm done with Telos, I can take leave of this popsicle of a planet we're traveling to and head to Naboo. I suppose I'll have to tell Javin at that point. And he'll have to make his own choices then.

I secretly hope that one of those choices will result in him being angry at James. (This is why I will never become a Jedi again!)

2730 HRS PST

James told Yustan that it will be about two more hours before we approach the polar region. Lovely. It's strange having James with us and not Atton. Atton was a murderer and a cheat. James is a Jedi. I would rather have the former around.

I wonder if something happened between the pair. Some kind of romantic entanglement? It's a pity he isn't with us now. That, at least – if things hadn't turned out the way they did – would provide me with some form of entertainment. Wherever you are, Atton, we're sorry. Both Yustan and I. Me, for bringing you into this predicament, and Yustan, for causing you such grief. Perhaps she will never speak those words to me, but I see her sorrow in her eyes. She is truly sorry for what has happened. And we both wish you journey's mercies for wherever you're headed, and safety.

How my thoughts wonder even on this datapad!

The point is, Elori, dearest, you have to write this down lest we forget. Look for Senator Sonum on Naboo. She is our link. Find Pietro's son. He is either a clone or the progeny of one. Which makes me wonder, is the progeny of two clones, a clone? No, of course not. Javin and I are human in every sense of the word. As were our parents. Only humanity would give them a desire to taste freedom.

I curse the Jedi who tracked them down, and not the bounty hunters.

I have grown tired of revenge. But I can't help but suspect that there remains a flicker of it inside myself. Maybe it's not of me, but of our mother and our father then. Or maybe it's not revenge but justice that we want. The two are linked, but are not the same.

In any case, that is all I can write for now. My eyes are growing sleepy and according to my chronometer, I only have one hour before we touch down. I don't particularly want to dream.

Javin immediately scrolled upwards, re-reading every sentence and word until his eyes grew tired. Finally, he leaned back against the door. The rain had stopped falling.

Soon, the sound of chirping crickets began to fill the air around him. He sat there, oblivious to the falling asleep of one of his feet, and tried to breathe in all these ideas. But that was just it. They weren't ideas. They were facts, pieces of lives scattered about. His life. Elori's life. And others too, it appeared. Where did James fall in the midst of all of this? Why was he carrying so much guilt?

Rising up from the steps, he walked into the house.

The following morning, Javin rose earlier than James to practice his meditation. He strode over to his usual spot by the lake and gently eased his mind and body into unity. The previous evening's events had filled his mind with a vast array of pieces – and very of few of them fit together – allowing more room for distraction and worry. Having most of his friends, not to mention his sister, scattered and lost to him, didn't make the situation any better.

First it was Atton – he had left of his own accord. From what he could gather from Elori's datapad; Yustan's own emotional dealings may have been responsible for that move. Then it was Yustan herself. She had maintained contact – however irregular – with them for a good span of time. But this fresh news and uncharacteristic radio silence disturbed James, and was starting to perturb Javin as well. However, it was his sister's unpredictable decision that had upset him the most. He had needed her so very much, he had expected her to train him, not James. Having her leave without a proper goodbye, and not even knowing of the day and the manner in which she would return set his heart and mind at unease.

All this talk that had obviously preoccupied her mind – about a Senator from Naboo, clones...these new Sith...it now preoccupied his mind too. Was a lie told to her? Was this lie bait? For her, and eventually the rest of them? Javin didn't know which end was up and which end was down. Slowly, gradually, his anxiety pulled him out of his meditative state and he could feel his blood pulsing away worriedly along his neck.

He hung his head, eyes closed.

"I stopped her from getting what she wanted, you know." came a voice from amongst the long grass.

Javin opened his eyes slowly, without response, waiting for James to continue.

"She could have found out what she wanted to – about you, her...your parents." He sighed, reluctant to continue. "But another Jedi would have had to pay the price for that information, and...and I was not going to allow for that to happen."

"You?" asked Javin.

James shook his head, no. "Not me. Someone else. Someone I cared for."

Javin wrestled with his emotions – familial against morals. "Then...I suppose there was no mistake. She had no right to speak for the life of another."

"But I had no right to take away what I did that day, either. Looking back on that moment, now, I should not have done what I did. I have a feeling I will regret that decision till the end of my days. The part that burns me, Javin, is that she held no anger towards me. Sure, she could not go beyond mere civility after that, but there was also no hate. Do you know what she said to me afterwards?" His eyes looked down sadly at the face of his Padawan. "She said she blamed the Jedi Order for my actions. Not me."

Javin turned his head to a side, studying the movement of the fish just below the surface of the water.

James continued. "Believe me, there are times when I'm training you...when I believe that I am doing her a disservice, perhaps even insulting her...helping you become a Jedi."

"Becoming a Jedi – it's something I knew I wanted to do, ever since that day at the Temple. I felt a strong need to walk this path. It was my choice." said Javin. "I wanted to choose an honorable life, a life in which I gave back instead of taking away. The Jedi Order, or what's left of it," at this, he made eye contact with James, "would allow me to do this. Yes, I know what the Council did to her, and it was surely a heavy betrayal. But they were misguided – it was obvious that they disregarded the teachings! They should have healed her, instead of stripping her of everything.

I know though, from their mistakes, they'll learn. The next time a Jedi loses what the Jedi Order gave him, they'll pause to consider the roots of these emotions. They will fix it."

James felt a surge of sadness spring up in his heart. The boy was naïve. It was either that, or he was unduly optimistic. What was now left of the Jedi Order was dissipating quickly, and what was there before had succumbed to a life of complacency. It was a life that seemed all too eager to pass judgment, to deal out accusations and punishments. And now, after what Elori had experienced at the Temple, there seemed to be more to blacken the steady downfall of what once to be a greatly revered institution. The life and teachings of the Jedi were almost considered a philosophy by many. Having its ideals tarnished could make belief a very dangerous weapon indeed.

Jamed placed a hand on Javin's shoulder and smiled sadly. "You don't yet understand, Padawan. I don't disapprove of your sister's decisions...to go to war, and to disregard the Council's commands. I don't disapprove of her rejecting the Order. In truth, I admire her...for her defiance to its ways."

And then, speaking silently to himself, It was something I could never do.

They spoke long into the night, Javin telling James of his thoughts, James piecing together all this intelligence, trying to make coherent sense of something very obscure. Javin wished strongly that Elori had confided in him before she left, instead of abandoning a stale trail of breadcrumbs for them both to pick up after. But then, James had suggested, Javin would have followed that trail to whatever end and all their efforts would have been in jeopardy. She had obviously put as much thought to her choices in as little a time as what was awarded to her. There were no right or wrong decisions here, just a list of options with which she had to logically prioritize.

It looked as if they would have to work with the same meager tools she did. Their initial feelings turned towards Yustan. If things had gone according to plan, the pair would have met up withYustan here on Ithor in a little more than a week. But without the hint of contact from their friend, they were befuddled as to where to begin searching for her. And even if they knew, the system Yustan was on, the city she was in...would obviously be too hot for them to embroil themselves in. Logically then, their next piece of evidence lay in Elori's datapad – now with Javin for safekeeping.

"What do you know of Naboo, anyway?" asked Javin.

"A beautiful place. I've been there only once in my lifetime, and it was a while ago...but it certainly made an impact. A very serene place; its beauty is comparable perhaps only to Alderaan..." James drifted off momentarily into what seemed to be a vivid but sad memory before bringing his thoughts back to the present. "It's a Republic system, so it's possible that we won't have to worry too much about mercenaries on our tail. Then we can devote time to searching for this senator."

Javin sighed. "...We don't even know if she is in office."

"Well, at least we know her name. Which is a good deal to work with, considering."

"How approachable are the politicians in Naboo?"

"Fairly approachable. Remember, Naboo maintains a steadfast balance between democratic and socialistic ways. If its government suffers, so do its people. And vice versa. They've endured enough of the hardships of capitalist economies. They wouldn't even think of tolerating the presence of companies like Czerka. Naboo's politicians think primarily of its people before profit. I guess they've realized you can't have one without the other. If we're cordial, if we go through the civilities of asking the government for permission to investigate – I don't foresee any problems."

Javin frowned. "But that would also make our presence...not to mention our goals, official. And you know what that means."

"Naboo's politicians are certainly not ones to blab," countered James.

"But their staff could. I'm not sure if we could handle that kind of attention. It would be almost as bad as if we've strapped a beacon to our foreheads," spoke Javin, smiling slightly in a reference to James' comment the previous day.

James conceded a grin. "True. But if we're to find your sister or Yustan even, we need to move quickly. Having dropped off the radar of these new Sith, it's very possible that they are no longer looking for us. Which gives us the advantage."

"Speed over secrecy then?"

"For the moment, yes."

"Then that's what we'll do." concluded Javin, as he rose from his seat and made his way towards his bedroom. "When should we leave?"

"We can head over to the capital tomorrow. I know an Ithorian there who owes me a favor. If it's safe passage to Naboo that we need, then he'll be more than willing to oblige."

Javin nodded.

"Oh, and Javin?" said James pausing for a second before continuing, "You better get started on your lightsaber when you get a chance. It's not like we'll be brandishing it about on arrival, but I have a feeling that it might prove useful along the road."

James leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes.