The familiar smell of the wilderness of Selvernos welcomed Jorec as he stepped out of the Wayfarer-class transport and onto the tarmac of Gevest's less-busy spaceport. It was simple enough, a barely useful duracrete landing pad that could only hold about ten medium sized transports. A few other transports were also on the landing pad, a few YT-2400's and two other ships that Jorec couldn't identify, leaving the place relatively quiet. Jorec checked the civilian clothes that Rinoco had somehow "acquired" on the planet that they had dropped off the surrendering and wounded Imperials, they were simple and designed to allow the wearer to blend in well in a crowded area. They were exactly what Jorec needed…
That planet, about a day's journey away from Selvernos via hyperspace, seemed to treat Rinoco quite well, bringing the group several sets of civilian clothes as well as the new ship. The ship was called the Dancer's Dream, and it seemed to be a used starship buyer's dream. Almost everything on the cargo-hauler worked, and worked well. The dark brown cargo compartment that extended thirty meters past the cockpit of the ship was in perfect working order, and the various other systems of the ship seemed to be in top condition. Which made Jorec not want to know where and how Rinoco had got all four of his hands on this ship.
Sure, Jorec had stolen items before to survive during his nearly two years in the wilderness, but those had been simple items such as food and hygienic supplies. The largest thing he had stolen was a tent, but never a fully equipped starship…
He pushed the thought of the stolen starship from his mind as the cool wind from the mountains began to pick up, sending the scent of the native plants towards him. In the afternoon sky, Jorec could barely see the first of Selvernos' two moons begin it's ascent, signaling that nightfall would be coming in just a few hours. If Jorec remembered his weather patterns correctly, a late spring snow would begin to fall in about two or three days.
"Keep the ship running," Jorec said to Rinoco as he began his long journey. "I have no idea what's going to happen, so you better be ready for a quick take-off."
"Fine by me," Rinoco replied as the boarding ramp began to ascend. "Just be careful out there, and good luck."
"I'm going to need it," Jorec whispered to himself as he left the spaceport and began walking the streets of Gevest. It was a seven-kilometer walk from there to Lia's apartment, a distance that was possible to traverse on foot, but one that would provide him with ample time to think.
What exactly was he going to say when he got there? To tell the truth, Jorec had absolutely no idea. It was a foolish notion to think that a quick little talk with would make things completely right again, he even doubted that their relationship would actually continue. He couldn't help but think that he was putting himself into a risky situation by doing this. The amount of people that could possibly recognize him from whatever Imperial media coverage he had received, if any, was staggering, and he certainly wasn't strong enough in the Force to weave an illusion around himself.
That was another thing for Jorec to worry about. What had Lia heard about him if the Imperials had broadcast the capture of a traitor in the city? He knew that she didn't really like the Empire, being a teenager when the Clone Wars ended, but he had no idea about her feelings on Jedi. And it would take some explaining about that whole "non-attachment" rule that had been relatively common knowledge, and had been used in some bits of Imperial propaganda against the Jedi, and how it didn't mean that Jedi were unable to love, just that it was forbidden.
Night had fallen upon the city as Jorec reached the ¾ mark of his journey, causing the streets to be bathed by the illumination of the streetlights. Jorec walked in the dim area near the edge of the lights, trying not to be identified by the few other pedestrians. He went over what he could possibly say when he reached his destination, and how he could say it. He patted the pocket inside of his jacket, making sure that his lightsaber was still in place. He had brought it along for defense, in case he was recognized and the authorities were called. He hoped that it wouldn't come to that.
Several minutes later, Jorec stood at the door to Lia's apartment, the feelings of nervousness he had been dreading ever since he had escaped from that frozen hell the prison ship had crashed on. He pressed a button on the control panel, all thoughts about the elderly woman who looked at him funny on the first floor were pushed out of his head.
Please, just open the door, he thought as he stood by the door. Just listen to what I have to say before you make any quick judgments about me…
He stood by the door, as the seconds passed they seemed like long minutes. Finally, the door slid slightly open, a security measure that many people had had installed on Selvernos. Through the crack of the door, he could see Lia's face. Her hazel eyes studied him for a while with what felt like an icy glare, and he could barely see her brown hair that was almost completely concealed by the door.
"Lia, we need to talk," Jorec said, the words barely coming out of his mouth above a whisper.
"What are you doing here?" she harshly whispered. "If they find out you were here, they'd arrest me too."
"I'm here because I need to speak with you," Jorec replied, relieved that his worst case scenario hadn't happened. "And it's about my arrest, and other things. I'm not guilty of what they charged me with."
"Even if you really weren't guilty, it really doesn't matter to them!" she replied.
"Please, Lia, I do need to speak with you."
"About what?" she questioned him, about ready to slam the door shut in his face.
Jorec paused for a second, not really wanting to reveal his big secret to her in the middle of a hallway, where someone could walk out into it at any second.
"I'm not a criminal, Lia, I have done nothing wrong," Jorec partially answered her question. "Nothing except being born," he added.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lia asked, her voice seemingly losing the harshness her earlier replies had been filled with.
"I can't tell you out here, I know it sounds crazy, but I have to speak with you privately."
Lia backed away from the door, lost in thought over what to do next. She hadn't seen him in almost a week shy of a month, and she had heard of his arrest on treason charges on the local HoloNews a few days after it had happened. Her mind was racing with mixed feelings; she was almost afraid of him and what he might do, and yet at the same time she had this feeling that she could trust him. The part of her that felt she could trust him also reminded her that she still loved him.
"Come in," she said as she gave in to that part of her. The door opened, and as he entered she hoped she didn't make her last mistake.
Jorec stepped into the apartment, and pointed to a nearby chair. "Do you mind if I take a seat?" he asked her.
"Go ahead, now what is so secret that you couldn't tell me out in the hallway?" she asked him, watching as he took a seat facing her as she remained near the doorway, ready to run outside if he made any threatening moves towards her.
Jorec froze temporarily, all of his plans about what he was going to say that he had made during the walk flew out of his mind, leaving him with nothing but stating the truth in a single blunt statement.
"I was… am a Jedi, Lia," he said, instantly feeling that something better could have been said to open up with.
She chuckled. "A Jedi? That's impossible, from what you've told me about your past and what I know about the Jedi, you couldn't have been one."
Here's the part I'm dreading, Jorec thought. "What I told you about my past," Jorec paused for a few seconds, trying to find some way to break the next piece of news as gently as possible. "Isn't exactly the truth," he concluded.
"You've lied to me this entire time!" she exclaimed, causing Jorec to worry about the possibility of her neighbors fearing a domestic dispute and calling the local police force.
"I only lied to protect myself," Jorec attempted to explain, "and you. I couldn't exactly go 'Hi, I'm a Jedi' to someone I barely knew. And almost everything I told you had a basis in fact."
"I'm seriously doubting you watching your father murdered is one of them," Lia responded. "Although I think I know the real fact behind your 'family' moving to Selvernos," she added, remembering reading about the two Jedi generals and their apprentices that led the Clone Troopers in their liberation of Selvernos when she was 14.
"I don't even know my real father, as far as I know he's still alive. Do you remember hearing about the Jedi Rebellion?"
"By the Force, it's true isn't it?" she replied to his question. "They really did try to take over, didn't they?"
Jorec shook his head at her incorrect assumption. "As far as I know, the Jedi never betrayed the Republic. We were the ones that were betrayed. I was thirteen when I was assigned to be the Pada… apprentice to a Jedi Master named Merrick Fionst. It was right before the Battle of Coruscant."
He watched as she took a seat on the chair opposite him, and waited a while for her to be fully seated before continuing. "It turns out that our first assignment was to help with the Clone Troopers and the local militia liberate this planet. We landed, and we fought the battle. I was scared, even though Jedi aren't supposed to be, but I managed to survive. It wasn't long after that that we received word that General Grievous had been killed, and that the war was all but over. To celebrate, Merrick and I went out into the courtyard of the base with the other two Jedi to get some much-needed lightsaber practice." Jorec slowly reached into the pocket inside of his jacket and removed his lightsaber. Lia slightly jumped at the sight of the weapon, but calmed down when Jorec placed it on the table separating the two.
"We were just sparring, working on what little dueling skills I had. I was the one to see them first," Jorec said, referring to the Clone Troopers and getting a little teary-eyed at reliving the memories. "They walked over to the edge of the courtyard and began firing at us for no reason. We took cover, trying to save our own lives. I can still remember hearing the sound of the blaster fire impacting on the duracrete support structures we hid behind.
"After a while of that," Jorec continued, watching as Lia seemed engrossed in the real back story, "the two Masters ordered me to run into the woods. They gave their lives in order for me to survive, for the longest time I wished I would have been the one to die there."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I was weak, most of the other Jedi were probably hiding away, waiting for the moment to attack the Empire and restore the Republic. I couldn't do that, I was still traumatized and living for nearly two years in the wilderness after the attack. I did what I thought was best after I decided to get out of the woods, I tried to start a new life. I got a job, made a few friends," Jorec raised his head and looked at Lia before he finished, "I fell in love."
"I thought Jedi couldn't love," she responded, remembering all that she had heard about Jedi regarding that subject, fearing that her feelings for him weren't returned.
"Jedi weren't allowed to love," Jorec explained. "I can assure you that Jedi are absolutely capable of loving someone. When I told you that I loved you, I meant it."
Jorec stretched his legs. "I just wish I could have told you before all of this happened. This is really no way to find out about something like this. Of course, there was a possibility that I wouldn't have even made it here alive."
"How do I know that what you're telling me is the truth?" she asked. "How do I know that all of this really happened?"
"I wish I had proof," Jorec answered her. "Sadly none exists that I know of, save that lightsaber. All I can do is tell you the truth and hope that you believe me. That's all I wanted to do here, just tell you the truth. I felt that it was important that you know."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Lia asked in a soft voice.
Jorec lowered his head in shame as he tried to put the feelings into words. "I was afraid, Lia. Afraid of what you'd say. There isn't a lot of people that actually know that I'm a Jedi, and none of them were told by my voluntarily. You've been the first. I'm sorry for that, I'm sorry I had to put you through all of this." Jorec scooted back in his chair, sitting against the back of it. "I've told you the entire truth, Lia. Do you believe me?" he asked, silently hoping that she did believe him.
"I… I don't know," she replied. "It just seems a little hard to believe at times."
Jorec's attention was torn from the room as his senses picked up something outside of the apartment complex entirely. He had sensed their presence before on that wrecked prison ship. Stormtroopers, more than likely alerted by a scared elderly couple, had entered the building, and were now approaching the second floor.
"I have a feeling it's about to become extremely real," Jorec said as he quickly stood up. "Stormtroopers are on their way up here!"
"How can you tell?" Lia asked, forgetting about the danger sense that Jedi had.
"I can sense them, just as much as I can sense you in this room," Jorec replied as he attempted to narrow down their exact location. He grabbed his lightsaber from off of the table and held in his hands. "I'm afraid you're about to get your proof, Lia. Stay behind me, and do you have a fire escape or anything to get out of this place other than the door?"
He cursed as she shook her head no. He was trapped in this room, knowing that when the Stormtroopers blasted their way in they wouldn't hesitate to kill him and Lia. For the briefest moment, the thought of giving in to his fear of dying and his anger towards the enemy entered his mind. He knew that with a simple gesture, all of the people attempting to enter the apartment would be fried in an electric display of power. But he also knew the consequences of giving in to that feeling, he knew that he would become the very thing he would be killing.
"There is one out in the hall, though," Lia finished.
"It's risky, but it'll have to do," Jorec replied as he began to open the door. "If you want to live, I suggest you come with me. They're going to kill you, or worse, when they see me come out of this place. A friend and I can drop you off somewhere safe once we're out of here."
Somehow, against what little mistrust she had for Jorec, she agreed to follow him.
"OK, I'll run out first and you follow me. Just try to stick close to me, I won't let them kill you. If I fall, run as fast as you can away from them."
Jorec's hand moved to press the button that would open the door and lead them straight into the outside threat, yet he stopped. One more thing needed to be said before they fled. "Lia, just so know, I do love you."