Lord Darth Yoda - Don't need to apologize! Nara and Sascha will be spending a lot of time together so there will be lots of time to speculate. I think that they are getting a somewhat important task - but to teach an apprentice you have to be willing to let them take chances and (potentially) make mistakes. Besides, the Padawans are oldish - Nara's the same age as Ahsoka when she left the Jedi and Sascha is older than her still!

thejoker122 - The possibility of a diplomatic incident would seem to be present in this next chapter. As for the Republic Privacy Act, its something that I totally made up. It feels like something like that would have existed though.

Speechbubbleme - Sorry no art - I'm one of the worsts artists on the entire planet too. I think of the Ubrorans as somewhat of a cross between Rocket Raccoon and Starfox. This mission has one major, major, out of left field twist (that we are only a few chapters away from), and then things play out straightforward from there.

bodare2 - Welcome welcome to the world of commenting! Don't be nervous, I actually like being critiqued (and praised...actually any feedback is great). That must have been a huge binge if you read the first two books in a week! Glad you've been enjoying, though you'll have to get used to my 2 updates a week pace now (Wednesday and Sunday). As for the small planet having slightly higher gravity...you are probably right that such a thing wouldn't happen. Fortunately it's nothing more than a minor tidbit about the planet - nothing at all major.

A/N - I've got nothing.

Please enjoy the next chapter! As always your favourites and follows are appreciated!

Chapter 15: Tours

Sascha and Nara went to the door together to meet their Ubroran guides. The shared a quick glance, and Nara shrugged, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Major diplomatic incident caused by your big mouth?" he replied innocently.

The Nara of six months ago would have taken that as an insult. The current Nara was humble enough to take the joke, "You know that does sound like something I would do."

"How about if you start saying something stupid, I use the Force to close your mouth?"

"Good idea," said Nara dryly.

When they opened the door, they saw two younger looking Uborans, one male and one female. The female had long blue and purple hair and the male had similar coloured fur and short black hair. The female Ubroran offered the Jedi a clawlike hand, "Hi, I'm Lirri and this is my brother Parv. We have been summoned to be your guides for this afternoon."

Sascha smiled and shook her hand, "I'm Sascha Whitestar."

Nara shook the proffered hand as well, "Nara Nalto."

He noticed a glowing gem in the middle of both of the Ubroran's robe-like clothing, he assumed that was where the camera was located. The fact that it was glowing probably indicated that they were broadcasting live.

Lovely.

"Why don't we get started, Master Jedi," said Parv, his voice a little deeper than his sister's. The Ubrorans spoke in accented basic, but it was easily understandable.

"Just calling us Nara and Sascha is fine, or Padawan Nalto or Whitestar if you feel like being more formal," said Nara.

The Ubrorans led them away from their house and towards what he thought was the city centre. As they went, Sascha noticed that the streets were impeccably clean for a city of Bontha's size, there didn't appear to be any litter. Cleanly people, the Ubrorans.

Parv started with the small talk, "We were a bit surprised to see how…small you Jedi were. We were told by some of the alien workers that the Jedi Knights are the greatest warriors in the galaxy," commented Parv.

"We also thought that being a Jedi meant that you were like…one species," remarked Liri.

Sascha was starting to realize that the Ubrorans didn't exactly pay much attention to the news outside of their planet. Finding information about the Jedi Order and its thousands of years of history couldn't have exactly been hard. Sascha smiled diplomatically, "Jedi come from many different species. I am a human born on Sluis Van, and Nara is a Togruta from Shili."

"Astral! I've never seen a Togruta before," remarked Parv in wonderment. Sascha noticed that Parv was openly staring at Nara who was politely trying not to notice, "Can I touch your…head?"

Nara seemed to suppress a grimace. "What you see on top my head are my montrals. They are hollow horns that give me passive echolocation. Touching a Togruta like myself on my montrals or lekku, that's the three head-tails that I have is…something you should probably avoid. By tradition, only your best friends, your parents and your doctor are allowed to touch them."

"Wow…astral," managed Parv. What Nara was leaving out, was that touching a Togruta on their sensitive sensory appendages was a quick way to get into a fight with one, something you generally wanted to avoid because Togruta were predators with rather sharp teeth…

Lirri finally seemed to notice that her brother was making a scene and gently smacked his paw, "So no touching, Parv."

"Sorry, I'm just curious," said Parv. "But when you see only the same species every day for twenty years, it's a real special event to meet another species. I just want to know all about them."

Nara smiled magnanimously, "That is okay, I'd never met an Ubroran until today. It's a day of firsts for everyone."

"Speaking of firsts," said Lirri, "What are your first impressions of Ubrora?"

"It's very nice," said Sascha diplomatically. "I'm looking forward to seeing more of your planet and getting to learn more about your culture."

"I like how clean and bright everything is," added Nara.

"Well, we only got this one planet, we have to take care of it," said Lirri.

"That's an attitude that I wish was more common across the galaxy," he said, remembering some of the dirty, run down places he'd visited in the last year. Ubrora seemed like a vacation world in comparison.

"Well, let's show you some more of our city," said Parv, picking up the pace slightly.

Lirri and Parv led the Jedi around the city, pointing out various landmarks. The Jedi made appreciative noises at the right moments and asked questions when prompted. Sascha was slightly surprised at how calm and polite Nara was during the whole tour, she seemed almost normal. He shouldn't have been so surprised, after all Nara was apprenticed to Tiplee and Tiplee was a diplomat. He should have expected Nara to have picked up some diplomatic talents from her Master, and he should not have been underestimating his friend.

Sascha came away impressed with the city and their guides. Lirri was clearly the more mature of the two though he was beginning to guess that Parv was actually older. Parv was amiable in his own way, he was the more curious of the pair, but was a bit awkward and prying with his questions. On the other hand Lirri was much more diplomatic and cautious.

Curious as to the feelings of their two guides, he probed into the Force, trying to get a feel for the emotions of the pair. He wasn't surprised in the least to find that Parv was basically over excited. But when he probed Lirri he was so surprised by what he found that he almost fell over.

Lirri was Force-sensitive, clearly untrained, but possessing a power in the Force that was probably equal to his.

Sascha quickly tried to quell his reaction, but even novices at reading human body language and emotions would tell the Ubrorans something was up. "Sorry," he said, "Just…uh…remembered something I have to do when I get back to our ship."

That appeared to placate the two Ubrorans but Nara was not so easily fooled. One, she was a Jedi, and two, she was his friend. He could almost feel her unasked question in the Force, so he subtly directed her to probe Lirri with the Force. When she did, Nara's eyes widened but with no one facing her, the Ubrorans didn't notice.

It was too bad, Sascha realized, that Lirri was far too old to be accepted for Jedi training. Yet, perhaps she could be taught some basic meditation techniques, even if she wasn't going to be trained as a Jedi. Even as his brain raced with the possibilities, he decided that he would inform Master Brynar about Lirri as he certainly didn't have the authority to teach a random civilian anything about using the Force. He actually wasn't sure what the correct procedure was in cases such as this. He would be interested to find out what it was.

The tour of Bontha lasted around two hours before the two Ubrorans pulled into what looked like, and was, a cafe. The brightly coloured (of course) café was mostly empty at this hour, so the group was able to pick out a large booth and rest their legs after a long walk. Sascha quickly checked his chrono, making sure that they had plenty of time between now and a banquet that had been scheduled in their honour tonight. It turned out that they had several hours to go, so they had time to eat and talk to their guides for a while longer.

An obviously starstruck Ubroran server came over and took the order from the two Ubrorans who picked out some local food for the two Jedi to try. Sascha was hungry, but the thought of trying out an entirely alien cuisine seemed like a risky proposition at best. Especially hours before an important banquet. But he could hardly not eat the food either.

"So, are you excited to be going to the banquet tonight?" asked Parv, "Lirri and I wanted to go, but dad couldn't get us tickets. I guess I'll just watch on the 'net."

Lirri leaned in, "I look forward to seeing what both of you wear, I'm sure that fashion analysts out there are just dying to see what the latest trends are in fashion in other parts of the galaxy. By the next morning, everyone will be trying to dress like you Jedi."

"I…think we'll be wearing pretty much these clothes," he said.

"What?" exclaimed Lirri, "You don't have a formal dress or anything? Are you at least going to dye your hair?"

Sascha glanced over to Nara, looking for support. The Togruta was ready to save him "The Jedi Order is fiercely ascetic, as Jedi we are asked to conquer materialism, we essentially lead lives of poverty."

"Materially at least," he added, "No Jedi would ever lack for housing or food. We lead simple lives."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the table as the server brought over four glasses filled with brightly coloured liquid, that Sascha assumed was some sort of fruit juice, as this was an agricultural world after all. Recovering, Lirri indicated that this was Bjerk juice, a favourite of Ubrorans for centuries.

He took a cautious sip. While not entirely unpleasant, the drink was very bitter. He wasn't sure if he could drink an entire glass of it. Nara on the other hand, had clearly taken a liking to it, "This is really good," she exclaimed, "I'm going to order this wherever we go on Ubrora." The two Ubrorans smiled, clearly happy that a Jedi girl from a planet they've never heard of liked their drink.

"So, I have a question that I couldn't find the answer to in my research," he said, "Why is it that Ubrorans speak basic instead of a language developed on planet?"

Parv seemed to brighten slightly, though his fur-lined face couldn't show it physically, "I know the answer to this one. Way, way back, before we were first discovered there were many languages across planet. Everyone spoke their own dialect, and even those were differentiating within towns and villages. In short, when our civilization started centralizing in cities, we needed a language that everyone could agree on, but most people preferred the language from their region. Many fights and disputes took place over language, what would be printed on signs, what language business would be done in, etcetera. When basic was finally introduced to us by some travellers, the solution was obvious. Basic was no one's language, and thus no one could be offended by using it. Some of the old languages still exist, but most of them have faded into obscurity."

"Very interesting," Sascha replied, "Language has always fascinated me, I speak two myself."

"Astral," replied Lirri and Parv, clearly impressed.

"I have a question of my own," said Nara, leaning back in her chair, "These cameras you are both wearing. I know why people thought that these surveillance cameras are a good idea – because raiders were stealing valuable crops and getting away with it, but why choose to put cameras on everyone? Doesn't anyone worry that there is no privacy on Ubrora?"

The two Ubrorans shared a confused look, "Aren't cameras like this standard across the galaxy?" replied Lirri.

"…no," said Nara.

"Why not?" asked Parv. "We have almost no crime, and everyone wears a camera, thus everyone is protected.

"But your privacy is compromised," retorted Nara.

"Was sacrificed to protect the good of the planet," said Lirri smoothly.

Nara frowned, "You don't think that it's odd that your parents could insist that you broadcast exactly what you are doing every day? And that they could watch it afterwards? It seems like you would never truly have freedom."

"Broadcasting our video feeds is something that has only become popular in the last thirty years or so," said Lirri. "But if my parents want to watch me work, or hang out with my friends, they are more that welcome to do so. I have nothing to hide, I'm proud of the way I live."

Parv interjected, "Look at it this way Padawan Nalto, our cameras make it impossible to lie about our lives. No one can say 'I'm rich' when it can be easily found that you are not. The cameras promote honesty."

Sascha and Nara absorbed that last point soberly, and Sascha was starting to see the logic behind wearing a camera at all times and broadcasting. He wasn't sure he'd do it himself, but it had a more advanced logic behind it than he realized.

"So most of the Ubrorans your age always broadcast their video feed?" asked Sascha.

Lirri shrugged her shoulders, "It's basically a part of our culture now. Pretty much anyone who grew up with broadcasting technology just keeps it on all day. Some of the older generation doesn't broadcast, but everyone wears a camera."

He found himself nodding, "As you said there are many benefits to wearing such surveillance devices, Nara and I are just trying to see how this affects your daily lives. Like, right now, how many people are watching this conversation? Is there a way to tell?"

Both Ubrorans pushed a little button on their wrist devices, "I've got 205 000," said Parv.

"Ha! I've got 261 000," said Lirri triumphantly.

Both Jedi shared a look and shifted uncomfortably in their seats, they were both aware that they were being watched, at the very least by their Masters, but were more than a little stunned to discover they were being watched by almost a half a million people. That wasn't just a small audience, that was a reasonable percentage of Ubrora's entire population.

"I'm sure if either of you two wanted to wear a camera, you could probably get half a million viewers, easy!" Parv looked excited, "Think of the money you could get from sponsorships, companies will be falling over themselves to advertise on your broadcast."

Nara seemed bemused by the idea, "As a Jedi I have no use for monetary compensation, but if the populace find it educational, I may broadcast occasionally."

"I'm sure now that you've said that, there will be free cameras from every camera company delivered to your home," replied Lirri with a laugh.

Parv nodded, "You four Jedi are like the biggest celebrities we've ever had. Even on Ubrora we've heard tales of the Jedi, how they are the guardians of peace and justice in the Republic. Your parents must be proud of you."

Nara's cheerful expression evaporated in a single instant, and her face went totally blank. The topic of parents didn't exactly come up a lot around the Jedi Temple, and Sascha hadn't spent any significant time thinking about his parents in...years. But this was a potentially awkward question to answer. He decided that he would try to artfully dodge the question, "Neither Nara or I know our parents," he said carefully.

"I'm so sorry, may I ask what happened to them?" asked Parv.

Sascha glanced over at Nara to see if she wanted to answer, but her expression was still stony...so he figured it was up to him to answer, "Our parents are alive…as far as we know…as a part of our Jedi training; we are taken from our parents when we are very young."

Both Ubrorans opened their eyes wide in shock, but neither of them knew what to say. The Ubrorans were learning the truth, that every Jedi was an orphan at heart. Every Jedi was once a child their parents decided that they could live without.

Lirri recovered first, "That's…monstrous…"

"It is necessary," he said, "A Jedi must be dispassionate, free of attachments, including attachment to their parents."

Despite his answer , the two aliens seemed to hold themselves a little further back from the Jedi; clearly, they had just shattered whatever illusions they had developed about the Jedi Order.

"Don't feel bad for us," he said, "Every Jedi in the Order is my brother or sister and I grew up in one of the most famous buildings in the galaxy. Maybe it wasn't exactly traditional, but it wasn't a bad childhood either."

Lirri made an effort to seem more cheerful, but it was clearly forced, "So you must have many brothers and sisters, Master Jedi. Family reunions must take up a whole planet."

Nara finally seemed to snap out of her stupor. "I'm not sure that ten thousand Jedi could take up anything more than a small asteroid," she said.

Lirri frowned, "Ten thousand? That's all the Jedi there are? How many planets are there in the Republic? More than ten thousand right?"

"Um…yes there are more planets in the Republic then there are Jedi…" Sascha said before being interrupted by Parv.

"Then how do you keep the peace? You are so few…why are there not more Jedi?"

"I'm sure finding parents to give up their children is harder than it seems," Lirri replied acidly.

The reputation of the Jedi was definitely taking a beating in this conversation, he realized. Fortunately, the Force provided a small miracle of having the food arrive at that moment, sparing Sascha and Nara from trying to find an adequate explanation.

The array of dishes sprawled over the table and the Jedi tried each one in turn. While continuing the trend from the Bjerk juice, the food tended to have a bitter taste, but some of the other dishes Sascha found to be fairly good. Nara found the meats most appetizing of course, being a predator and all, but she even politely ate the assorted fruits and vegetables. Which she would no doubt complain about later.

"So, how old are you two? We are pretty bad at determining ages of alien species," asked Lirri.

Sascha swallowed a piece of fruit before answering, "I'm seventeen, and Nara is sixteen."

"That is…very young," Parv observed.

Nara shrugged, "We are just apprentices, we won't be fully fledged Jedi Knights until our early twenties."

The Ubrorans shared a look, "That still seems young."

"Speaking of ages," interjected Sascha, "How old are you two?"

"I'm twenty-three, and Parv is twenty-four, though he acts like he is fourteen," said Lirri.

"Hey! I act like I'm at least eighteen," replied Parv in good spirits.

The group chewed on the food for another moment and idly, Sascha found himself wondering how many viewers they were losing in this downtime. "So, I'm confused," said Parv, "If there are just ten thousand Jedi in the galaxy, why don't you just train more? I'm sorry for being blunt but there doesn't seem to be anything particularly special about either of you two. Does the training just weed out those who can't take it or what?"

Sascha decided he'd field this question, "Have you ever heard of the Force?"

"The Force? Is that some band's name? The name of a cult?" questioned Parv, "And what does it have to do with my question?"

"Everything," said Nara with a smile, "The Force is an invisible energy field that is created by every living thing in the galaxy. It surrounds us at all times and binds the galaxy together. Jedi draw power from the Force."

Both Ubroans blinked, clearly unsure if the response from the Togruta was supposed to be taken seriously, or was just a joke. "So, the Force is like smaller than…cells or molecules?" asked Lirri.

"Um…it's better to think of the Force as something ubiquitous and…magical than something you can physically grab," replied Nara.

Lirri seemed deeply skeptical of this idea, "Uh…huh, so this 'magical' energy field gives Jedi powers…why can't anyone learn to manipulate this 'Force?'"

Nara stammered again, "Well you have to be what we call Force-sensitive, generally these beings have much higher than average midi-chlorians in their blood."

Lirri squinted at Nara, "Midi-chlorians? Never heard of them."

That's funny because you have enough of them to be a Jedi, Sascha thought, amused.

"Well they are real, and it's what gives a Jedi the ability to manipulate the Force," replied Nara haughtily.

"So what can you do with this 'Force?'" inquired Parv.

Nara looked to him questioningly and he shrugged in response, "It's not like it's a big secret that we could hide forever." He got comfortable in his seat, "Nara and I will give you a little demonstration." Though the two Jedi hadn't shared a single word, Nara caught on pretty quickly as to what he wanted to do. The two Jedi each grabbed their glasses from the table with the Force, and moved them together, making a soft clinking sound before holding them in place with their telekinetic ability.

Sascha spared a second to look at the reaction from the Ubrorans. Parv stared ahead, mouth agog, looking for words to say, but finding none. Lirri was blinking rapidly and she tilted her head from side to side to see if she had been deceived by a slight of hand and not by a power she had never seen or heard of before today. After maybe twenty seconds of holding the glasses in place, the Jedi lowered them back down to the table, which seemed to snap their hosts back to reality.

"Astral…that was just…astral," said Parv. "I've never seen anything like that…ever."

"That was a pretty simple display," Sascha said, "But as a demonstration of the power of the Force, it will suffice."

Parv bounced excited on his chair, "Simple? You floated those glasses with your mind! What else can you do? Can you lift me?"

"As Jedi, we try not to use the Force for such trivial matters," Sascha said diplomatically.

"Can you make an exception for me?"

Sascha smirked, "Sorry, Parv. We treat our powers with respect."

"Well, I think we've occupied enough of your time, Master Jedi," said Lirri. "You two should probably get back to your temporary home and get ready for the banquet."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Nara.

The Jedi rose from the table and followed the Ubrorans out of the café. Sascha and Nara frowned, each noticing the same thing.

"You didn't pay for our meal," he commented, not wanting to sound accusing.

Lirri and Parv laughed, "Master Jedi, almost half a million people watched us eating and enjoying our meal at that café. For that much free advertising, they should be paying us."

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand that was something that could happen," Sascha apologized.

Lirri shrugged, "First time for me too. I usually don't have hundreds of thousands of people watching my personal broadcast."

The two Ubrorans chatted amiably the rest of the way back to the hanger bay, where they stopped and bid the Jedi farewell.

Sascha and Nara boarded the ship pick up their and their Master's travel bags before heading back to their home. "This is an odd planet," he commented to Nara quietly.

"But a nice one," responded Nara, "I think that we will enjoy our stay."

"I think so too."