Very sorry for the late update. DRL hasbeen in the way a lot and when I tried to load the doc the site kept reporting an error. Anyway, Chapter 12 is now up. Hurray! Many thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: STAR WARS does not belong to me. The Jedi High Council does not belong to me.

CHAPTER 12
The High Council

"Jeran. Jeraaaaan. JeranJeranJeranJeranJer– "

"Unhh. What?"

"Wake up. I can't get out of your ship."

"Eh?" He blinked tiredly Maia's blurred face. "Oh, okay." He fumbled at his belt; a moment later, they both heard a hiss and a clank as the access ramp was lowered.

"Thanks," Maia said as she rushed out of the tiny common room. He could hear her bare feet patter on the durasteel deck and down the ramp and then the sound faded away.

Jeran sat up and looked at the chrono on his wrist. It was 0745 hours. Puzzled, he tapped it but it seemed to be in order. With a groan he flopped back onto the floor. The chrono was not broken. It was 0745 hours. Maia was going to be late for classes. They were going to start in fifteen minutes and she had yet to have breakfast.

And you sound like her Master.

He groaned again.

"Where the blazes have you been?" Sabie'nhra Assani hissed at her friend.

"Tell you later," Maia mouthed past her toothbrush as she rushed to the communal refreshers. "Did you bring your homework?"

"Yes."

Five minutes later, she was at her desk feverishly copying her friend's homework, deliberately making mistakes here and there.

Sabie was standing over her with her arms crossed and a disapproving look on her face.

"Done," the redhead sighed and pushed away her friend's datapad.

"No, not yet," the Twi'lek contradicted her. "You still have to finish your history notes."

"I've already done them."

"Until the part about Alderaan joining the Republic?"

Maia looked at her in dismay. "We had to do that too? I'll never get that done."

"No you won't," her friend agreed. "Class started five minutes ago."

"Holy nerf. We're dead."

"You are. You haven't even eaten yet."

Maia thought of all the chocolate and felt slightly nauseous. "I don't really feel like eating," she muttered as she stuffed her datapad and several datasheets into her bag.

Sabie'nrha looked at her questioningly but said nothing. Then she moved to the door. "C'mon, let's go."

"Blast, I've forgotten my cloak," Maia cursed and pulled a spare from the cupboard.

"Where did you forget it? You were wearing it yesterday."

Maia decided to lie. "I must have sent it to the laundry."

As they hurried t the classrooms, Maia voiced a nagging worry. "What do I tell Master Jar'Kul?"

"The truth. That you didn't finish your homework."

Maia snorted. "You're so 'good and holy' sometimes."

"Yeah, what are you going to tell him then? That some creature came into your room and ate it? That a Sith stole it?"

"I could say that I accidentally dropped it in the 'fresher."

Sabie'nhra rolled her eyes. "And what was it doing in the 'fresher? Besides, it won't work; the datapads are waterproof."

"How about if I tell him that I accidentally threw it away with some trash when I was cleaning my room? I don't think they're fireproof."

Sabie'nhra rolled her eyes again. "Like he'll believe that."

Maia sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair. "I am so dead."

The RedWraith's common room was finally free from chocolate wrappers and sabacc cards. Jeran had found Maia's cloak but did not want to go down to the Initiates' quarters to hand it back to her. Arianne might see him.

Okay, fine he liked Maia. She was a nice girl, cheeky sometimes, a little proud but still friendly; in short, rather good Padawan material. But was he good Master material? Banthas would fly before that ever happened.

He did not want a Padawan. Maybe. He was not so sure about that anymore and silently cursed a certain nagging friend.

But he was certain about one thing; he was not a teacher. He simply could not teach. He had tried once, giving in to Arianne's nagging while recuperating from a particularly trying mission.

He had never been allowed into the crèche again after that fiasco.

And now part of him seemed to have agreed with Arianne and each time he was free to think, it swamped his brain by chanting a 'Maia-Padawan. Maia-Padawan. Maia-Padawan' mantra.

Maia was a friend. End of story.

He glared angrily at the projector table. How he hated that blasted Council.

An hour or so later, he was not sure how long, he was glaring at the double doors that opened up into the Council chamber. The Code, engraved deeply into the shiny durasteel surface stared back at him, stark and bare.

Realising that the session before him was going to end soon, he schooled his expression and cleared his thoughts of any conflicting emotions. He had little love for the High Council and knew that they had even less for him. Master Yoda lecturing him on very Code that he had been glaring at a moment ago was not how he planned to spend the morning.

This meeting would be short. He hoped.

The doors opened and a Knight walked out, followed closely by her Padawan and he stepped aside to let them pass. Both of them walked quickly down the corridor, conversing in soft voices.

He sighed and turned his gaze back to the doors. The Council probably would not listen to him, but he could always try. If he was lucky they would be glad to be rid of him for a short while.

The doors slid open again and he stepped inside, halting in the centre of the mosaic circle on the floor.

Master Yoda's ears drew back slightly as he looked at the Knight. "Good morning, Knight Vàner. Good to see you again, it is."

Right. Jeran quickly squelched the thought. He bowed.

Mace Windu steepled his hands under his chin. "You wished for an audience with us?" It was a rhetorical question but Jeran answered it anyway.

"Yes." He breathed deeply. "I request a mission."

The Korun Master raised his brows, while Yoda narrowed a citrus gaze at him. "A mission, you already have," the wrinkled green alien stated matter-of-factly.

The emotionless expression on his face slipped, allowing surprise to openly show. "I do?"

Yoda nodded slowly. "To stay in the Temple, your mission is." A smile split his craggy face. "Out of trouble."

It took a lot to push away the frustration that welled up in him. At that moment, Jeran would have liked to do nothing better than to pick up that green toad by his oversized ears and throw him out of the window.

"A mission. Please. Any mission." If they wanted him to beg, fine.

"No." Mace turned a dark, stern gaze on him and Jeran felt his resolve quail. The tone of his voice was final. "You are assigned to the Temple until further notice. May the Force be with you."

Jeran took that as a sign of dismissal and bowed. He turned to the door, hoping to get out of the room and back to his quarters as fast as possible before he exploded.

"Listen to your friend, you should.' Jeran froze in midstep. What the blazes? Had Arianne wailed at the Council? He glanced back at Yoda but read nothing in the Master's face. His annoyance growing with every step, the Knight stormed out of the room.

Yep, Jerry's still trying to run away.

Next update will be come at the end of May. Until than M&P will be on hiatus. I've got exams coming and haven't even started studying yet. Gasp! Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Please review as always. Lurkers are welcome to show themselves. Maybe I'll update faster then.

May the Force be with us all.

P.S. Just a teaser: (evil grin) Jeran might be asking Maia to be his Padawan in... uhh...let's say that we have only 2 to 3 chapters to go! Yay!