Chapter Seven

An hour after a rigorous training session with Kyra, Aedan went to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to meditate while his padawan was in her morning advanced classes. Even though he was surrounded by complete serenity, and the room radiated peace from all its lush lifeforms, he was having difficulty concentrating. His thoughts kept returning to Kyra. Much of what plagued him were the semantics of the situation. She seemed to be struggling, and he didn't know if he was helping. What if I'm making it worse? She worked hard and did everything he asked of her. He instructed her strictly and scrupulously, but he could tell she wanted more from him. She wanted to form a bond with him, not just a training bond, but a true, familiar, bond. And Aedan couldn't let that happen. He knew where that would lead. And he had already lost too much.

Then why in the Force did you agree to take her as your apprentice?

He sighed, and released his confusion to the force, letting it peace fill in the void it left. He breathed in deeply. Inhaling focus and clarity, and exhaling doubt and uncertainty. Once again, the answers came to him quickly.

The Force wills it. The Force brought us together, of that, I'm sure.

But why?

Obviously, this frustrated him, but the other invading thoughts unnerved him even more—like how bright her eyes got when she was happy, the flow of her hair when she let it down, and the curve of her lips when she smiled.

He shook his head violently, trying to get those images out of his thoughts. Focus on the Force, Aedan, he thought, and redoubled his efforts to attain a clear mind.

Thirty minutes later he was still struggling. Huffing in irritation, he decided to seek Kyra out in the Force, and see how she was doing in her Galactic Diplomacy class. He found her easily and saw that she was…happy, far more than normal. Aedan didn't realize she enjoyed galactic diplomacy that much. Then he noticed she was not in the classroom at all, but in the initiates' quadrant. What in the blazes was she doing there?

His curiosity got the best of him, and he went to find out, all the while knowing he was being the hovering Jedi instructor, and that this might reflect poorly on him. He wasn't mad that she wasn't in class, merely…curious.

Aedan followed her force signature to one of the sparring rooms, where Cin Drallig was instructing a dozen or so Jedi Initiates, and Kyra seemed to be helping one of them out—a petite orange skinned female Togruta. He found himself smiling at how happy the two girls were together, he could see in the force that strong bonds connected the two. They were attempting a sparring match, but chronic bouts of laughter kept them from maintaining anything productive. Aedan's heart soared at that, which he immediately cursed to himself. He was ecstatic that she was happy and having fun, when he should have been angry that she wasn't taking this seriously. What kind of Master was he?

The good kind, he answered himself. She's been working very hard, and deserves this, deserves laughter.

Kyra must have sensed his presence because she abruptly turned towards him with a look of dismay. "Uh oh," the Togruta said. Aedan began walking from the entryway towards the two girls and did his best to put on an stern face. Both had chagrinned looks on their faces and averted their gazes to the floor. He stood in front of the two, and then dramatically folded his arms, looking back and forth between them, not saying anything. This standoff went on for ten seconds with the girls trading glances, and then both of their fronts started to crack. The moment he saw Kyra's lips tremble in her attempt to conceal her laugh, was the moment that his own façade faltered, causing the girls to burst out in laughter, and Aedan followed suit. This disturbance had the whole class's attention as well as the Troll's, who began walking over.

Aedan cleared his throat and greeted Cin Drallig with a bow, "Battlemaster."

"Aedan Kahl, your elite lightsaber skills are always welcome here," Drallig said, "The disruptive behavior, not so much."

"My apologies, Master, I was just coming to help my padawan out" Aedan said, and then turned back to the girls, "So who might this be?" nodding towards the Togruta.

The Togruta stepped forward, "I'm Ahsoka Tano," she said, bowing, "It's an honor to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Ahsoka," Aedan said giving a slight bow. "How are you two so well acquainted?"

Both girls, still smiling, looked at each other and shrugged. "Master Bando had several missions with Master Kloon, and a few years after Ahsoka was brought to the order, he introduced us," Kyra said.

Ahsoka nodded, her expressive eyes leaking emotion. "It was tough for me those first few years. I had trouble finding my place, or specifically, my pack. And then Master Kloon introduced us, and well, that's all it took."

Aedan smiled, "Kindred spirits, huh?"

The girls grinned and nodded emphatically.

"I noticed something in your lightsaber form, would you care to spar a bit?" Aedan asked.

Ahsoka smiled widely, "I'd love to, Master," she said excitedly. Aedan retrieved a training saber from the wall, they squared off, and began sparring. Instantly Aedan noticed she was abnormally quick and agile, and favored the Ataru style, which Aedan agreed was a perfect form for her. She also liked to incorporate spins and dynamic movement. While Aedan typically wouldn't condone spinning, especially at her age, he was surprised to see that it worked very well for her. She had an unusual grace and balance to her movement that made it widely effective. Aedan went on the offensive striking at her with a series of cuts, causing her to backpedal. A look of concern showed on her face, as he poured on the pressure. So, her defense was a weakness. Interesting. Aedan halted and held up a hand. "Very good, Ahsoka," he said, and then looked to the battlemaster, "What's your assessment, of both girls since we're at it?"

"Ahsoka has remarkable speed and nimbleness, and has grasped the art of the saber nearly as well as you. Kyra has been relaying what you've taught her, and has been perfecting her form, which by the way, you have done a superb job with." Both girls were being bashful—Kyra blushing at the compliment, and Ahsoka fidgeting with her tribal garment.

"Your montrals help with balance, don't they?" Aedan asked, "That's why you spin so well."

Ahsoka nodded, "Yes, Master. They add to awareness as well as kinesthesia."

Aedan's head bobbed, "You are very good, Ahsoka, though your defense is a bit lacking, and there are two things holding you back," Aedan said, and reached out with the force to sense her response to his statement.

There was no annoyance at his critique, merely eagerness to learn and improve. He really liked this Togruta. "One, you only use one lightsaber," this caused Ahsoka's eyes to widen, "And two, your orthodox grip may be holding you back a bit."

"Jar Kai with a reverse grip," Cin Drallig stated, "That's…" he seemed to think about it for a few moments and seemed to be weighing the pro's and con's in his head. "While I would pretty much never authorize any padawan, much less an initiate, to use such an unorthodox style, it would be perfect for her."

Aedan nodded, and walked over to a retrieve another training saber, this one a bit smaller, and walked back. "A reverse grip with two lightsabers will make your spins and acrobatics exponentially more effective," he then handed the other training saber to Ahsoka, "Though not to be used at all times, obviously, a reverse grip makes for a more natural cut while spinning as the hand and wrist bones line up creating a stronger, swifter functionality to it. Not to mention a reverse grip can have a slight advantage in defense and counterattacks, and the second lightsaber just compounds the effectiveness. Most Jedi wouldn't be able to handle the amount of skill and dexterity needed for this style, but with Master Drallig's and my own assessment, I think you can do it."

"Thank you, Master," Ahsoka said, bewildered, "Where do I even begin?"

"I'll help you, so will Kyra, and the Battlemaster will oversee our progress," Aedan said and looked to Drallig, who nodded in confirmation.

Ahsoka gasped, "You…you would do that for me?"

"Master Drallig speaks highly of you, and that's a rarity in itself. I, myself, see incredible potential in you, but most importantly," he gestured toward Kyra with his head, "I can tell you mean a lot to her, and I trust her judgement. So yes, I would absolutely do that for you."

Ahsoka jumped forward and wrapped her arms around Aedan and squeezed him tightly. Then just as quickly she let go and backed up. Putting her hands behind her back and looking back down at the floor. "Sorry, Master."

Though Aedan was off balanced by the sentiment, he didn't let it show, "You have nothing to be sorry for, young one," he said with a smile. "Thank you for that."

Ahsoka grinned widely at him. Kyra had a facial expression to match. "Shall we begin?" Aedan asked. The girls answered by igniting their training sabers and getting into a ready stance.

Later that afternoon, Aedan led Kyra to one of the lower levels of the temple. They walked through sliding double doors, and into a dark room full of computer terminals, and dozens of people at those terminals. Some speaking into comlinks, most were interfacing with holotransmitters or staring at Holonet relays. There was a tension to the room. Many of the workers looked frantic, frazzled even, and several were scurrying from one station to the next.

"This is the Jedi Intelligence Unit, or JIU," Aedan said. "This is where all our mission information comes to. The calls or requests come into Jedi Dispatch, which is one room over, and twice the size of this place. Those calls are sorted out, and the ones that require more information or actionable intelligence are sent here. Essentially, these guys and girls are the brains behind every Jedi mission there is. He made a left, and walked along the wall, and then headed for the far corner of the room, where three individuals were engaged in a heated debate. That debate stopped when a Cerean noticed Aedan's approached, and his face lit up with a smile. "Master Kahl," he nearly shouted. This caused the other two to turn and look. One was a Sullustan that exclaimed in an unfamiliar language, and the other was a petite Chadra Fan that squeaked loudly once it saw Aedan, and rushed toward him, wrapping him in a big hug. "Hey Mayva," Aedan said laughing.

"Master Kahl, so good to see you. Where have you been? Who is this? She's pretty. I'm Mayva. It's nice to meet you. We've wondered where you've been. Hurry, come quick." And the furry rodent ran back to the corner where the Cerean and Sullustan sat.

Aedan turned to look at Kyra whose mouth was open still ready to answer Mayva's first question. "She's energetic," Aedan said, as they continued forward.

"I'll say."

They stood before the trio, and Aedan introduced them, "Kyra, I'd like you to meet my go-to intelligence team. This is Lumaro-Dan," Aedan said, gesturing towards the tall Cerean. "And this is Brun Bieb," indicating the sullustan. "Guys and girl, this is my Padawan, Kyra Dawnstar."

Mayva squeaked again, "Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness," she said, jumping up and down. "You have a padawan now. That just makes me so happy," she stepped forward and grabbed Kyra's hand and shook it rapidly. "So great to meet you. I'm Mayva. I've already said that didn't I? Oh well."

Kyra couldn't help but laugh, "It's nice to meet you, Mayva. It's nice to meet you all."

Lumaro inclined his head, "Likewise," he said, then looked to back to Aedan. "About time they gave you a padawan."

Brun Bieb quickly answered in that unintelligible language.

"Age doesn't matter, my friend," Lumaro responded. "He's more than proved himself to be a capable master."

"Okay, okay, enough of that," Aedan said. "You guys got anything for me?"

The trio looked at each other, and then back to Aedan. "No, we didn't find much," Lumaro said, "But we didn't have much to work on."

"Black armor. Red and black mask. Silver and Black cortosis sword. Obredaan. Electrostaff. Salas Sa'kard. Magnaguards," Mayva said, "We ran hundreds of searches and cross references. The only thing that comes up in the past fifty years is Krayn and his Underworld Syndicate."

"Well, that much we knew already. What about the purple ingot?"

"That we are sure about as well. It's Phrikite," the Cerean answered again. "Very durable stuff, lightsaber resistant, and extremely rare. Hence why it's so valuable."

"Phrikite," Aedan repeated. "Any idea where it's being mined?"

Brin Bieb chimed in, and Lumaro translated, "He says there isn't enough of this stuff around to fully fortify a speeder."

"I saw several kilograms of it on Obredaan. I don't think it was being mined there, but there was quite a bit of it."

The trio looked to Aedan for confirmation, and he nodded in response. "Well, that changes things," Mayva said.

"Find me that mine. And find more on Salas Sa'kard. He's out there, and he's creating an army of droids that pose a serious threat to the Jedi."

"Will do."

"We'll do our best, Master Kahl," the Chadra Fan cheered.

Kyra observed the busy room once again, "Is it always this busy here?"

Aedan shook his head, "No, there's an abnormal amount stress currently due to the Separatist crisis."

Lumaro nodded, "The vast majority of agents and operatives are focused on those systems that have expressed dissenting opinions from the Republic."

"Expressing differing opinions qualifies a system as being a threat?" the words were out of Kyra's mouth before she could stop them.

Four sets of eyes stared at Kyra, unblinking for a long moment.

"Oh, I like her, Kahl," Mayva said, "Can we keep her?"

Brun Bieb spoke next and Lumaro listened, nodded his head, and then translated. "Having a different opinion doesn't make them a threat. Merely gives us a starting point for investigation as there are far too many planets to blindly start assessing."

Kyra squinted, and then once more took in the room, the previous statements still playing in her mind. "You think this will turn into a war," her voice trembling on the last word.

The three intelligence analysts looked from one to the other, and then all gave her a solemn nod.

"How?" she said, and then followed that with, "Why?" in a barely audible voice.

Aedan cleared his throat, "The systems moving to secede don't feel like they're being heard, and they feel that Coruscant and the Core Worlds are corrupt, so they're trying to break away, but they haven't expressed any hostility."

"No, not openly they haven't," Lumaro said. "But many of us have picked up vitriol and statements of violence. Obviously, it's in the minority, but it's...real. And Dooku is garnering more and more support. It's all leading to war."

Aedan shook his head, "How did it come to this?" he said, then looked back at the operatives. "Let me know if you find anything, okay?"

"We'll do our best," Lumaro said, and the Sullustan echoed his statement.

"It was great meeting you, Kyra," Mayva said.

"Same to you!" she said, as she followed Aedan out of the intelligence room. He noticed her chewing on her lip, something she did when she was deep in thought. Also, something he found impossibly endearing.

"What do you think?"

"I had no idea that place even existed."

Aedan nodded, "Most Jedi don't. They just take the missions, never stopping to think where the information comes from."

"They seem to really like you," Kyra said, "I imagine that's because you actually interact with them."

Aedan smiled, "What, you don't think it's my personality? No, you're absolutely right. I talk with them, and after a mission I come give them a first-hand account, as opposed to them just reading about it in one of my reports."

"I bet that means everything to them."

"It does," he said. "They won't admit that, but it does."

Kyra nodded, seeming to process this new information. And then her face seemed to droop. "The sword, the black and silver one that...he used; it was made of cortosis wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was. That's why Master Bando's lightsaber shorted out."

"How is that possible?"

"It means the sword was of a purified variation. Instead of just being lightsaber resistant, it starts a feedback crash in the lightsaber's circuits, causing it to short out."

Kyra walked in silence for a full moment, her emotions boiling off her. "Our shielding practices don't seem to be working. I can feel your emotions, Padawan."

She stiffened at that. Then she let out a breath. "We'll have to face him again," she said softly. "Wont we?"

Aedan stopped walking and turned towards her. "Yes, we will."

Her eyes dropped to the floor, "How?" she whispered, "How can we beat him? How can we even get past the cortosis?"

Aedan inclined his head, making sure to stare his Padawan directly in the eyes. "We can, Kyra. We will beat him."

"But he's so strong and fast?"

"But sloppy. His technique was flawed, and he only relies on his natural or unnatural physical abilities."

"You really think you can beat him?"

"On my own," Aedan said and shrugged, "I don't know. But perhaps with a strong, actualized, padawan at my side, I could." He continued walking down the hall.

Kyra, jolted by that last comment, had to jog to catch back up. "But what about the cortosis?"

"You worry about you're training. I'll worry about the cortosis. Okay?"

"Okay," she said.

A strong, actualized padawan. Me? Is that something I can do? That I can become?

Then the demon whispered from the darkness. "You are weak. You are nothing. And you will die like your master."

In one instant whatever hope she had was obliterated. With a single whisper. Kyra followed her master down the hallway, arms wrapped around her torso, head hanging low.