Author's Note: This was a collab chapter between Jedi Carpet and I. I made quite a number of changes from the draft he gave me.

"I see," Luke said. Jacen had concluded his report on Garis and how the apprentice had handled Lumiya, and Luke was looking as neutral as ever. "So you don't think you can train Garis any further?"

"I don't think I can," Jacen admitted. "I think he may be too far gone to be helped as a Jedi. As a psyche patient, maybe, but a Jedi?" He shook his head. "He'd be too dangerous."

"You don't believe in giving him a second chance?" Luke asked. "Of helping him back yourself? You're one of the most open-minded Jedi, and yet, you don't think Garis can be helped back to sanity? You helped Jaina back to sanity, after all."

"Uncle Luke, I get where you're coming from," Jacen said. "You redeemed Darth Vader, so you believe that anyone could have a chance at redemption. The problem with Garis isn't that he's going on a dark path because of any real beliefs; I believe that if I take him on any other missions, he won't be able to control himself."

Luke sighed. "So you're not willing to give him another chance at all?"

Jacen tilted his head in thought. "I suppose I could. But only on missions that have a very low probability of there being any violence. I think I can get some one-on-one time with him, try to help him mentally."

"Did he not handle himself well on Centerpoint?" Luke inquired. "It was only when Lumiya hurt you that he reacted the way he did."

"I suppose," Jacen agreed. He mulled it over in his mind for a moment before saying, "All right, Uncle Luke, I'll give Garis another chance. But if he has another episode like the one with Lumiya, I'm not sure I can help him any further... aside from maybe bringing him to a mental ward, that is."

"Fair enough," Luke said.

His commlink then beeped, and he answered it. "Yes?"

"Master Skywalker," Nelani Dinn's voice came, "the Jensaarai visitors are here."

"Thank you, Apprentice Dinn," Luke said. "I will be waiting for them. You send them to the Temple." He cut off the connection just as Jacen was standing up. "Where are you going?" he asked his nephew.

Jacen looked at his uncle in askance. "Aren't we done here?"

"You will want to wait for the visitors, Jacen," Luke said.

Wordlessly, Jacen resumed his seat and waited with his uncle for the Jensaarai visitors.

When they arrived, and Jacen turned to face them, the door opened automatically to reveal the one person he never expected to be in his uncle's office. A head of blonde hair turned to face him, and a smile broke across her face. The familiar green eyes looked at him with an intense power, as if they could turn back the hands of time to make the last time he had seen them mere seconds ago.

"Eriana," Jacen said. "What are…"

"Daddy!" a little voice exclaimed. Beside Eriana, a brown-haired girl about three years old with bright green eyes ran up to him, rounded the chair he sat on, and hopped onto his lap to hug him.

Jacen looked up at Eriana with guilt written all over his face, which seemed to only draw a more seductive smile from her. "Surprise."

.

Four years ago...

"I just don't see how the angle of my elbow can make that big a difference in deflecting blasterfire," Jacen argued as he followed his teacher through the corridors of the guest wing of the Jensaarai complex on Sorbaan.

"Sometimes, a more comfortable stance can provide a more relaxed reaction."

Eriana, the tall, incredibly beautiful blonde woman who had just run him through six hours of lightsaber training turned to face him, her brilliant green eyes flashing with something between amusement and excitement that betrayed her tone of voice. "And sometimes, Apprentice Solo, you need to shut up in order to learn why your instructor is right, and why you're just an idiot."

Eriana smiled and winked at him, playfully taking his hands in hers and pulling him the last few steps toward his room while biting her bottom lip coyly.

"I guess this is something I'll have to meditate on," Jacen said, letting himself be led up to his door. She backed right up to the door and he slipped one arm around her waist to pull himself close to her while fumbling around for the thumb print scanner to open the door. He breathed in the sweet, flowery smell of her perfume and relished the feeling of her body against his. Feeling his arousal growing, she ran a hand down to the small of his back and pulled his hips against hers.

"Meditation would be a very good start, Apprentice," Eriana continued in her stern tone of voice that was betrayed by her hooking her leg around him and pressing herself against him harder. Jacen nuzzled her neck, kissing her along her carotid artery as the door finally clicked and swung open. "I think I'll have to guide you in this meditation so you don't screw it up."

"If you insist," Jacen kept up the act, echoing her irritated tone of voice. She hopped up, wrapped her legs around him and began kissing him. As her tongue tickled his, he barely remembered to walk into the room, letting the door close behind them.

After five rounds of vigorous activity, they both settled into the bed so he was cuddling her from behind, his fingers gently playing with a nipple as they let their essences in the Force mingle together. He finally whispered into her ear, "Best meditation, ever."

She rolled over and looked at him with those blazing green eyes, put a leg over him and sat on top of him. He looked up at her, hardly minding that her long blonde hair was tickling his face for the view of the beautiful, athletic girl straddling him. She smiled that brilliant smile and leaned down to kiss him.

"Then let's do it again."

.

The present…

Looking at the little girl on his lap, Jacen saw her mother's beautiful green eyes, but the rest of her features were clearly much closer to his own than Eriana's. She was a Solo all right, he thought, if not by name.

"Her name's Sam," Eriana said, still smiling at the sight of her daughter glowing with excitement at meeting her daddy for the first time. "She'll be coming with us on a mission, so you'll have lots of time to play."

"Mission?" Jacen asked, still a bit bewildered, and fairly put off by the glare he was receiving from his uncle.

"To Presilla," Luke elaborated. "A new vein of cortosis ore was discovered by a mining operation. We informed the Jensaarai when we learned about it, and they would very much like to get their hands on it for creating their armor before it hits the open market."

"Yes, you said that your last supplies were running out," Jacen said, recalling that detail from his visit four years before to discover the secrets of the Jensaarai ways of the Force. "It's why you wouldn't let me make my own armor."

"Well, that, and you were a moron," Eriana said with a wink, earning a startled look from Luke that she didn't see. "You didn't exactly leave on good terms with the elders."

Before Jacen could say anything, Luke continued. "We've decided to enter the arrangement with the Jensaarai to help back them as a purchaser using our clout, and to reinforce to the mining company that cortosis should not fall into the wrong hands."

"And you've picked me for the mission?"

"No," Eriana said playfully, putting a hand on his leg and giving it a little squeeze. "We did. Your negotiation skills are legendary. Especially after you talked your way…"

"I'll do it!" Jacen exclaimed, cutting her off. That was one story his uncle did not need to hear. "When do we leave?"

"Now," Eriana said. They both stood up at the same time, Eriana stepping a bit closer to Jacen than was warranted and looked into his eyes with that energy that had ensnared him so many years ago. She turned toward the door and opened it, waiting for him to follow.

As he began to turn, Luke cleared his throat again, earning Jacen's attention. When he looked at his uncle, Luke's stern gaze was solidly focused on Sam.

"We'll talk about this when you get back."

Jacen swallowed hard. "Yes, Uncle Luke."

.

Back aboard the Solo Quest with Garis - who, Jacen reminded himself, would require quite a few meditation sessions during this voyage - Eriana, and Sam, Jacen launched the ship into hyperspace and closed his eyes. He had been avoiding talking to Eriana and Garis about Sam, but he suspected his path of avoidance had finally run its course. He locked the controls down and pulled himself out of the pilot's seat, ready to face the fire. As he opened the door, he found himself tackled backward against the main control panel, a beautiful blonde woman kissing and groping him. She pulled back and looked at him, her eyes still as beautiful as he remembered.

"Oh, I missed you so much, Jacen," Eriana said. She kissed him again and settled on top of him, stroking his hairline and tickling his ear with her fingers while staring into his eyes. "I can't wait to have you in me again. Let's frak all the way to Presilla."

"Eriana, we need to talk," Jacen said, gently pushing her back and using the Force to get back to his feet. Standing up, Eriana wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him against her, but looked into his eyes and bit her lip in the way that had stolen his breath all those years ago – and still did.

"What do we need to talk about?"

"I'm seeing someone," Jacen said uncomfortably.

"So?"

"So, please stop, kissing my neck," Jacen gently pushed her out of the hug and held her at an arm's length. "I love her."

"Again," Eriana said as if he was an idiot. "So? You were still crazy about that Dathomirian princess when we…"

"It's different," Jacen insisted. "Danni is pregnant."

"You are really not firing on all thrusters today, aren't you?" Eriana gestured to the door behind her. "That's your baby back there. If you're holding out for girls you've knocked up, I'm afraid I have priority on you, sweetie."

Jacen groaned and shook his head. "Look, can we just sit down and talk?"

"Sure."

Jacen sat in the pilot's seat, and Eriana stepped forward to straddle him.

"In our own chairs!"

"Fine." Eriana rolled her eyes and dropped into the co-pilot's chair, lazily putting one leg up on the control panel. "But why I have to be the man in this relationship is beyond me."

"Look, Danni and I are trying to work things out." Jacen turned to stare out at the swirls of hyperspace as he spoke. "I kinda screwed up a bit. I picked the Jedi Order over her and…it was both wrong and right at the same time."

"It was easy for me," Eriana said nonchalantly. "I didn't need you around. Sure, you were lots of fun, but Sam is mostly raised like any other Jensaarai that we recruit from a young age. I didn't need help."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you don't hold a grudge," Jacen said with a smile and turned to look back at her. Looking at her, he closed his eyes and groaned. "But would you please stop playing with yourself."

"Why," Eriana asked and leaned towards him, letting him see the inviting space between her breasts as her loose neckline hung down. "Do you want to play with me?"

"Eriana," Jacen said desperately, "things are a bit of a mess right now. I can't screw things up more with Danni. I'm sorry."

Eriana sat back and looked at him for a minute before smiling and shaking her head.

"Okay, kid, here's the scoop," Eriana said with uncharacteristic seriousness. "As I told you years ago, you're an idiot. Like any man out there, you think with your dick, and you don't think about the future. We both know that you're a moron for not jumping on that chick and fraking her brains out the minute you found out you knocked her up-"

"Not that it's any of your business," Jacen interrupted, "but while it may not have been the minute..."

"Fine, whatever," Eriana cut off. "My point is, you should give up your title as a Jedi Master to continue to be with her."

Jacen snorted in disgust and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Bit rich coming from you of all people," Jacen countered. "And besides, Danni and I have come to an arrangement even if we're still working things out. But anyway, do you think I forgot what you taught me about the Jensaarai way? About always acting in the best interests to uphold peace and justice? Our lessons weren't just about having sex every five minutes."

.

Four years ago…

Deep in the underground library of the Jensaarai facility, Jacen was reading over a book of philosophy while Eriana used her foot to distract him in a rather enticing manner. He had to use every bit of Jedi concentration to keep his mind on the words in the book and away from the way that she...

"So," Jacen said. "The Jensaarai Order believes that there is no dark side, or light side, but stands to uphold the principles of peace and justice in the best interests of society."

"You got it," Eriana said, granting him a look that defeated his every attempt to resist the effects of what she was doing with her foot.

"But… umm…" Jacen coughed and tried to regain his composure. While every stolen moment sneaking around with Eriana was proving to be some of the most fun he ever had in his life, he still had some learning to do. "Peace and justice are inherently what one could call light side ideologies. I can't recall any Sith Lords who wanted widespread justice or to pursue peaceful resolutions."

Eriana pulled her foot back from him, put it back in her boot and stood up. She walked around the table and leaned over Jacen, sure to press her breasts against his back as she reached around to point to a line in the text that she read aloud.

"'We shall seek to balance the light and dark as guided by the Saarai-Kaar,'" Eriana said as one of her hands slid down his body. "It's all about balance, Jacen."

Sounds of approaching footsteps made Eriana jump to his side and point back at the passage she had read a moment earlier.

"If you can't see that, you're about as stupid as anyone I've ever met, Apprentice Solo."

Jacen looked up at her, mildly amused by her ability to use a condescending tone, yet maintain an enticing look in her eyes that made him want to jump on top of her. Every time someone might wander by and discover that their lessons contained a wider range of extra-curricular activity than they were letting on, Eriana was able to make sure that the lessons were all that were happening.

As a group of four Jensaarai Apprentices came into view, Jacen went back to reading the book, even though he could not keep his mind off her, until the Apprentices passed. As he was trying to read, something caught his attention, and he reread it to be sure he read what he thought he had.

"You're Grey Jedi," Jacen said. "More to the light, but willing to use darkness when you need it."

"Finally," Eriana said in her most seductive voice. She leaned down and kissed him, catching his bottom lip between her teeth and gently pulling on it as she retreated. "Good boy."

Jacen smiled and resisted the urge to kiss her again. "But is using darkness to serve the light the right thing to do? That's like saying the ends justify the means." While he more than understood this himself already, he wanted to see what Eriana thought of the principles taught by her order.

"It's all about balance, Jacen."

.

The present…

For the first time he could remember, Eriana's face softened to an expression of melancholy as she turned and watched the view of hyperspace swirling past the cockpit windows. "Jacen, you're the only one who can come up with the answers you're looking for. Maybe you can make things work as a Jedi Master and a father. And I hope you do."

She turned back to look at him with uncharacteristic sincerity written all over her face. "But don't forget about Danni. I was truthful when I said I didn't need you around. But I wanted you there. Every girl wants the daddy of their child to be around. A great guy like you… if a girl tells you they don't want you there, they're lying."

Jacen snorted. "And if a girl says she doesn't want to have sex with a guy who presses it on her, that means she's lying?"

Again, Eriana rolled her eyes. "Maybe not in that circumstance. But it's all about balance, Jacen. We all have our dark sides and light sides, and every side you can think of, whether it's being a father or a Jedi, or a deadbeat jerk who won't have sex with me right now. You need to find the balance that you can live with."

Eriana stood up and made to retreat from the cockpit, but Jacen caught her by the wrist.

"What's your dark side? How do you balance it?"

"I have lots and lots of sex," Eriana said. "And I balance it with beating the crap out of criminals."

"Which one is the dark side?"

Eriana looked down at her waist, but Jacen couldn't tell if she was looking at her lightsaber or herself. She looked back up at him and her usual sultry smile returned.

"Wanna find out?"

"No," Jacen said with an uncomfortable smile, letting go of her. "That's okay."

Eriana laughed at his discomfort. "Tell me, Jacen, what's your dark side? For all your talk of balance, you seem to be one of the most upstanding Jedi ever, adhering to the light at every single turn. Even the Old Jedi Order would be envious if they knew about you, your trysts notwithstanding."

Jacen thought it over for a moment and shrugged. "I guess my dark side, for lack of a better term, has never been tested after the war."

Eriana shook her head flirtatiously. "Then I guess you'll have to deal with that yourself then, huh?" She then held out a hand to him.

"Come and play with Sam," she said. "She really wants to meet her daddy."

.

The two days in hyperspace to Presilla with Eriana were not as horribly embarrassing or sex-filled as Jacen had expected. After their heart-to-heart in the cockpit, Eriana had largely backed off her advances on him, choosing to respect her former lover's devotion to Danni, but he still caught her looking at him at odd times with enchanting expressions that would have shattered a lesser man's willpower.

Sam had proven to be a remarkable child, both beyond her years in being able to control the Force and as playful and energetic as any three year old that Jacen had ever met. To his surprise, while Sam recognized him as her father and made every effort to have fun with him, she no more connected to him than she did the Solo Quest.

"Don't worry about it," Eriana dismissed his fears as they walked through the corridors of Chartoss Incorporated, the premier mining company on Presilla, on their way to a meeting with the executives. Dressed in Jedi robes, they followed a smartly dressed young man past so many office doors that Jacen lost track counting after fifty. "Sam embraces the non-attachment thing as well as any Jensaarai ten times her age. Don't take her as an indication that you'll be a bad father for number two."

"I suppose," Jacen said, and the young man finally stopped and held a door open for them to enter.

Inside the room was a conference table surrounded by a dozen chairs, refreshments in the middle of the table, and four humans each dressed in their best business attire. Jacen could sense their apprehension about meeting the Jedi and Jensaarai representatives, and a second glance into their emotions brought a tiny smile to his face. It wasn't that they were apprehensive about meeting Jedi; it was that they didn't like the robes. The four humans stood up, and the oldest one - a balding, grey-haired man in a black suit - stepped forward with a hand offered toward Jacen.

"Master Jedi," the man said. "I am Winslow Chartoss, president of Chartoss Incorporated. Welcome to Presilla."

Jacen and Eriana both shook his hand in turn and introduced themselves with a bow.

"My colleagues, Liban Ata, Chief Financial Officer; Tamala Qus, Director of Exploration; and Sara Chartoss, my niece, and our Director of Operations."

Jacen and Eriana shook the hands of the two women and the man before taking a seat across from them at the large table. Jacen watched Eriana apprehensively, not entirely sure how adept the beautiful blonde warrior would be at negotiations. If she wielded words the same way she wielded a lightsaber, he suspected this would be a very short, very unfavorable meeting.

"The Jedi Order is willing to purchase cortosis ore at fifteen credits per kilo," Eriana said, surprising Jacen, but he was able to maintain a calm facade. They were authorized to pay up to seventeen credits per kilo. This didn't give them much room to negotiate. "In exchange, we expect to receive it in exclusivity."

"Our projections indicate that we could get upwards of thirty credits per kilo on the open exchange," Liban said. "Without an exclusivity arrangement."

"And how long would you be selling it at thirty before the price drops to five?" Eriana countered. "We're offering a guaranteed rate for your entire mine over the life of your operation. You won't get that guarantee at open market. Cortosis ore has very little use for anyone other than the Jedi."

"The Jedi, and those who wish to protect themselves from the Jedi," Winslow reminded her. "Cortosis ore is notoriously tricky to refine into a usable material. There is no way we can provide refined cortosis at that price in the volume you want."

"We just want the ore," Eriana said. "Give it to us raw. Refining takes away the value for us."

Winslow looked offended by Eriana's statement, and for good cause. Chartoss Incorporated's skill at refining was among the most advanced, and legendary, in the galaxy. It was a great source of pride for Winslow's company to be the only mining company capable of refining almost every base metal down to 99.99999% purity.

"I think," Jacen interrupted, knowing that Eriana was taking a very Jensaarai-centric stance on Cortosis, "my colleague has forgotten that we do see some value in obtaining a percentage of cortosis in the refined state. We are looking at receiving approximately fifteen to twenty percent by initial volume refined."

Eriana looked at him with a contemplative look, and, knowing how well she could hide her expressions, he knew he was probably going to be chewing on his own lightsaber after the meeting for his comment.

However angry she might be, Winslow relaxed a bit and glanced back at his team.

"We will run the numbers and see if they make sense to our goals in this endeavor," Winslow said, standing up. His entire team followed suit and quickly exited the conference room in a single file line. "I invite you to stay here and enjoy our hospitality. If you need anything, please ask Yastol, the young man who escorted you here."

Jacen and Eriana also stood and bowed to Winslow, but just as Winslow reached the door, Jacen quickly followed him out and closed the door behind him, leaving Eriana inside.

"President Chartoss," Jacen said, somewhat startling the older man. "Look, I'm not trying to push you here, but take it from me; she's not going to back down. You may end up with her camping out on your front lawn until you go for the deal."

Winslow regarded the sincere look on Jacen's face and nodded.

"If the numbers makes sense, Master Jedi," Winslow said solemnly and turned away.

Jacen winced and opened the conference room to face Eriana's piercing gaze.

"What was that about?"

"Just throwing my two credits in," Jacen said elusively. "Giving him a bit of insight into... how important it is that we get it."

.

Four years ago…

"Fifty-seven!" Eriana exclaimed as Jacen's ass hit the ground yet again. "Did you learn anything, you pathetic excuse for a Jedi Knight? How did you survive the war?"

Jacen groaned and looked around the expansive Jensaarai training facility. A crowd had gathered around them to watch Eriana repeatedly beat up her Jedi apprentice. He swore to himself when he realized that some of them were taking bets. He wondered if they were betting on him winning, or how many times he would lose before he gave up.

There was a very good reason they all said she was the best. Even though he drew from everything he had ever learned from his Jedi teachers and his time in the Yuuzhan Vong War and he fought without holding back one iota, nothing he could do seemed to get past her wickedly fast defense. He suspected that even Uncle Luke would be hard pressed in a battle against this beautiful blonde tyrant that picked his blade work apart with such ease that it was practically causing criminal damage to his self-worth. How could she be beating him like this? He was, at one point, a conduit for the Force who drew the war to its close, ensuring the survival of the galaxy at large, and yet, this woman, who had probably never set foot off of the world where she had been born and raised, who had never visited other worlds and Force sects like he had, was annihilating him as a combatant.

At the back of his mind, Jacen literally thanked the Force for prompting him to set off on a journey of self-exploration and philosophical pondering instead of improving his martial prowess; otherwise, he'd be crying in a corner like a baby at this point.

"Get up, baby Solo!" Eriana barked and took another slash at his chest with her lightsaber. Ignoring the comment that coincided with his thoughts, Jacen rolled out of the way easily and came to his feet, resuming the mildly awkward Jensaarai pose that involved having the pommel of his lightsaber in his right palm almost against his chest, and his left hand gripping below the emitter lightly as a pivot point.

With so many spectators, Eriana could not let her expression slip – she maintained a mask of pure durasteel on her face, locking him with a glare that cut through his defenses as easily as her lightsaber had.

"You know," Jacen said, feinting an attack, which she ignored, "you are one serious bitch of a teacher."

He chose that moment to attack, twisting his right hand upwards to slash at her arm, spun around and... felt his legs fall out from under him, sending him down to land painfully on his upper back. Again.

"Fifty-eight!" Eriana exclaimed in a tone of voice that was less excited and more vindictive, as if she was repaying him for some crime he had committed against her.

Finally ready to win at least once, Jacen kicked up to his feet and held his lightsaber in a single right-handed reverse grip, drawing on the Force with until he practically felt the energy snapping in the air around him. He took two steps towards her and swung at her, slipped behind her with a burst of Force-speed trick, and slammed the pommel of his lightsaber into her right kidney. As she staggered to her knees, he grabbed her in a rear naked choke, flipped his lightsaber over, and held it to her cheek.

"One!" Jacen exclaimed triumphantly. After all that beating that Eriana gave him, he couldn't help but feel a desperate bout of joy in achieving victory in such a petty activity; an activity with no higher stakes behind it than his self-esteem, apparently. It was almost like that soul-searching and wisdom-gaining that he strove for didn't matter anymore at this point.

Eriana grabbed his lightsaber just below the emitter and snapped it off with Force-enhanced strength and speed. Somehow he knew she had spun out of his choke, but could not quite figure out how he ended up on his back with her knee pressed against his neck and her lightsaber against his temple.

"Do you really think I give up that easily, Solo?"

"So does that mean my one goes to you for a fifty-nine?"

Eriana nodded with a triumphant yet sultry smirk.

.

The present…

To Jacen's surprise, Chartoss Industries was quite happy with the numbers they had come up with, and were more than happy to sign the deal with the Jedi Order. Despite the fact that they were probably paying more for the ore than they should be, Jacen was quite happy that Eriana didn't have to go after them with her usual level of persistence.

Eriana grabbed a chunk of rock from the crate in the cargo hold of the Solo Quest and examined the sparkling cortosis within. Apparently satisfied, she tossed the chunk to Jacen and smiled.

"That's how you do it, Solo," Eriana said. "Go in hard, and get the job done."

"I'm surprised they went for it after you insulted them like that," Jacen admitted. "Good thing I was there."

"You're still a bloody fool," Eriana scoffed. "What the hell is the Jedi Order going to do with refined cortosis? That stuff's almost useless when making armor. Don't you remember what I taught you about Cortosis?"

.

Four years ago...

While trying to adjust his position, Jacen lost track of how much room he had and fell right off with a slight yelp of surprise, crashing to the floor below. Eriana's grinning face appeared on the edge of the bed, looking down at his naked body with that familiar-yet-incredibly-seductive expression that still drove him wild despite three weeks of intense sex with her.

"What'cha doin' down there?" Eriana asked, wobbling a bit from side to side as she waggled her butt playfully. "The hot naked girl is up here."

"Umm..." Jacen said, trying to buy time to think up something smart. "Just thought it might be interesting to try it down here."

"Mmm, that's new," Eriana said and hopped on top of him. After a few minutes of trying out their new spot, Eriana sat up on top of him and looked down at him, her long blonde hair partially covering her breasts.

"Do you love me?" Eriana asked.

Jacen stared at her for a full ten seconds running her words over in his mind as if to confirm that he did hear what he thought he had.

"Well," Jacen said, looking away from her eyes for a moment to collect his thoughts. When he realized he was merely blankly staring at her breasts, he looked back up at her. "I don't know if I've known you long enough to. I mean, I like you, and I do care a lot about you..."

"Yeah, me neither," Eriana dismissed his rambling and went back to what she was doing to him.

When they finally took a break and went back to cuddling, Eriana lying with her head on Jacen's chest and her hand gently stroking him, she decided to start talking again.

"Jacen, there's something I can't really teach you, but I think you'd love to learn it."

"What is it?" Jacen asked.

"How we make our armor," Eriana said sadly. "We're really low on cortosis ore. They won't let me offer you any to teach you with until we find another supply. Most of our apprentices are being rationed in making their armor as it is."

She shifted her head to look at him with her beautiful eyes. "But I can tell you a bit about it."

"Oh?"

"When we make our armor, we start with a base." She ran her fingers up his abs and chest, as if to simulate where it would be. "Usually something lightweight, like a carbon fiber weave."

She ran her hand, palm flat, down his chest again.

"Then we plate it with a flexible durasteel-polymer compound that is mixed with the raw cortosis to provide resistance to..."

She grabbed hold of him and smiled.

"Lightsabers."

Jacen smiled back at her and leaned forward to kiss her, which she happily returned before she continued.

"As we mix the polymer with the raw cortosis, we use the Force to control the mixture and the distribution over the carbon fiber, and by putting our very essences in to control it..."

At this point, Jacen's eyes were practically rolling back into his head with ecstasy.

"It becomes a part of us in a way that refined cortosis can never be."

.

The present…

"We'll use it for lining doors or windows," Jacen said, putting the rock back into the crate. "Stuff not as intricate or intimate as the armor."

Eriana smiled at the memory and pulled Jacen into a hug.

"It's been so great to see you again, Jacen," she said. "I'm happy that Sam got to meet her dad, and that you're finally becoming the Jedi Master I always knew you would become. You and Danni are going to be great parents. Just remember: balance."

"I always do," Jacen replied with a grin.

She kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"But, if you ever get kicked out of the Order and things go badly with her..."

Jacen laughed and shook his head at her, earning one of her dazzling smiles in return. She finally stepped away from him and crossed the cargo bay to pick up a duffel bag that Jacen hadn't noticed was there when they came in.

"You're not coming back with us?"

"Nah," Eriana said, slinging the strap of the bag over her shoulder. "Someone needs to make sure these guys live up to the quality they promise. I'll be here a few months to oversee the operation, and then I'll get a transport back to Sorbaan if everything's up to snuff. Besides, it'll do Sam some good to get away from the Jensaarai and spread her wings for a bit."

Jacen followed Eriana to the boarding ramp where Garis and Sam were already waiting, Sam holding two of Garis's fingers as if she owned him. And from the look of her rather snooty expression, Jacen thought she may actually think that.

Garis, meanwhile, had a blank expression as he always did; he barely seemed to register Sam's presence, and he simply looked to where Jacen stood.

And that was when Jacen realized that it may be a lot harder for him to help Garis back to sanity; that stance, that upright posture, was all to indicative of a potential psychopath. Before, Jacen simply thought that it was that of a loyal, obedient Jedi apprentice who wanted to impress his Master, and while that was true to an extent, Jacen realized that there was much more than that.

He reached out for his apprentice's Force-presence while making himself small, as Vergere had taught him all those years ago. Yes, there was an unstable mind there, as he had confirmed with his assessment over how Garis had attacked Lumiya. But aside from that, he couldn't get much more on the apprentice's thoughts or feelings; Jacen had as hard a time trying to discern Garis's thoughts on Sam through the Force as he did in reading his body language.

If Garis ever hurt Sam, then frak all that Uncle Luke said about giving him another chance, this bastard would...

Jacen let the rest of that thought trail off as he also then realized that that was what his dark side was; he could let his own attachments get to him.

Just as the Old Jedi Order had put a ban on in their time.

"Time to go, Sam," Eriana said to her daughter, inadvertently breaking Jacen out of his dark reverie. "Say goodbye to everyone."

The little girl looked up to Garis and let go of his fingers as if he no longer mattered to her. "Goodbye." Garis only offered that same blank expression to her retreating form.

By the Force, it scared Jacen.

Sam walked up to Jacen and stuck her hand out, which Jacen shook in turn. "Goodbye, Daddy."

Before Jacen could say anything, Sam spun on her heel and marched off toward the office building. Jacen laughed, an image going through his mind of three-year old Sam telling President Chartoss exactly how to run his company. Garis walked up to Jacen and turned to see where Sam had gone to.

"Cute kid," was all Garis said in his consistent monotone.

"Start the preflight," Jacen ordered, elusively trying to tell him to get lost. "I'll be right there."

Without a word, Garis entered the ship, but did glance back one last time to see Eriana and Jacen staring at each other. Jacen waited until he knew Garis could no longer see or hear them before he spoke.

"Do you love me?"

Eriana chuckled and shook her head. "Well, I do care a lot about you."

"Yeah, me neither."

With one last shared laugh and smile, which made Jacen almost completely forget about his fears over Garis, the Jedi and Jensaarai both turned toward their respective destinations as one and parted company for what they both hoped would not be the last time.

.

Special thanks to Onimiman for letting me play in his sand box and explore a recreation of Eriana (one of my OCs) that wouldn't fit into my own storyline. I had a lot of fun writing a very different Eriana, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. - JediCarpet