A/N: Again, we would like to thank everyone who has read and followed our stories. We are – slowly – nearing the end of this one, and what a ride it has been! Jas has come ahead in leaps and bounds but she still has some lessons to learn. As always, we'd love to hear what you think, so please review. ?ￂﾠ

Livia & Raven

Wexler was a very patient man when it came to getting what he wanted, some of his targets taking weeks to acquire. However, he had no idea how long Raven would remain on Borleias, and given that she had not run along the beach again since they had first met, he knew he would be forced to act far sooner than he would have done otherwise. Wex normally despised rushing things, especially with someone as complex as Raven, but the circumstances left him little choice. He knew where the Jedis' cabin was by now, having his investigators follow her movements. Of course, they had kept far enough away so that Raven didn't sense them following and, more importantly, that master of hers didn't catch on to his plans. Also, Wex needed more time and more information before trying to take her. Thus, he had spent the last few days researching Jedi abilities and quietly observing. He then had decided to come by the rookery on the first evening of the burtle breeding season to witness the event for himself, hoping the Jedi padawan might be there also. She had mentioned her love of animals and he thought his chances were better there than aimlessly wandering the beaches. He had been thrilled to find his inklings confirmed, but wisely kept his distance.

Wex was also a well-connected, resourceful individual. He had called in a few favours over the days and found a contact willing to obtain him a ysalamari. This creature would render a Jedi's ability to use the Force (along with that of anyone else attempting to approach his mansion) obsolete. Taking her to said mansion without giving himself away would not be easy, though, since she had volunteered and was constantly surrounded by others, not to mention the fact that Raven was a Jedi. He'd considered that, and as part of his plan, he'd developed a specific compound in which he had coated many thin darts. This compound was designed to be effective on Jedi. It would numb her Force awareness and knock her out. It wouldn't work indefinitely; just long enough to get her to his ship, restrain her and bring them into hyperspace, at which point he would top up the dose.

Moreover, he had arranged for one of his younger men, Trez, to volunteer at the Rookery. This had been a stroke of genius, he felt, because thus far, Trez had gained everyone's trust, even Raven's. Wex's only uncertainty was whether the Zabrak man would sense it when Raven lost consciousness. This was of particular concern; he had to work smart and fast, and there could be no room for error.

His brow furrowed. Tonight was particularly bothersome as the media had chosen to report on the event this evening. As the night wore on, Raven was all but lost to him in the crowds of people. He did enjoy admiring her abilities through macrobinoculars; she was instructing and monitoring many people, and they were happy to oblige her. That was a very useful skill from which he would be able to benefit greatly.

Finally, the evening came to a close, and Raven left with the typical group of volunteers who all lived along the way to her cabin. She did that every night. Wex knew he would have to separate her from them if his plan was to work, and this was where Trez played a crucial role.

"Raven," called Trez, and she turned to face him. "The ranger wants to talk with you."

Raven looked surprised. She thought they had covered everything.

Trez sensed this but he had a plausible reason ready. "Something to do with writing up a report, if you're willing."

Raven thought it was odd that the ranger, who had little time for her due to his commitments to the burtles, and his team of scientists that worked behind the scenes, would ask this of her, but she supposed it wasn't anything that would not be expected of her if this had been a Temple assignment. Maybe he liked that she was so capable and thought she could be of more use. Shrugging, she said goodbye to her friends and headed back towards the beach with Trez.

Raven was about halfway back to the beach when she sensed the Force warning her. What happened next was a blur.

Wex's aim was true. He knew that; his accuracy was surprising for a non-Force-sensitive being. But when the darts flew, Raven's blade was pulled from her parka and swivelled, incinerating them barely a second before they hit. She sensed "Vin"'s presence and was on him immediately, her saber at his throat as she quickly searched the top half of his clothing, divested him of more darts and pocketed them. "What are you playing at? What do you want from me?" Raven demanded to know while simultaneously, almost out of reflex, alerting Eeth across their bond .

Before Wex could answer her, Trez yelled out from behind them. "Wex, I got this!"

"The stupid boy," thought Wex. Not only had he given away his real name but, sure enough, Raven flung an arm back without taking her eyes off Wex, sending Trez into the tree and catching the dart he'd thrown at her between a thumb and forefinger. It had briefly occurred to Raven to simply move and let the dart hit "Vin", or was it Wex? But she wanted answers here. "What are you BOTH playing at?" Raven amended.

"I don't play, sweetpea. I get what I want." And with that, Wex scratched at her with a dart he had kept hidden in a boot, caring little about the state of his now unconscious counterpart. All he needed was for the dart to scrape her skin and a girl of Raven's size would pass out.

Raven sensed him move a split second before the dart could break her skin, and she grabbed his wrist. She knew she was no match for him physically and could only hold him off for so long. Raven didn't like to do it, but she reached out with the Force, sending him skidding backwards ass over head across the sand, dirt and rocks flying off everywhere as he tumbled. The dart he had held flew into the scrub as he scrambled for purchase.

Despite the fact that this had taken off a lot of skin, Wex regained his composure the moment he stopped and stood, brushing off his clothing as if the assault had been nothing more than an inconvenience to his laundry servants. "You really are quite something," he said smoothly, ignoring Raven's ignited weapon. "You wouldn't hurt an unarmed being? It's hardly the Jedi way."

"And I'd hardly consider you unarmed. What do you want?" Raven demanded, her stern features lit up by the green glow of her saber in the darkness.

"Well, you, and your service," he said casually, looking her up and down appraisingly. "I have use for both. And I'm well known for my ability to always get what I want."

Raven's jaw clenched. Wex probably had more darts, but he had thus far refrained from trying to use them. No doubt he was smart enough to know she would simply incinerate them should he try.

"My service is to my master, the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, nothing more. I am of no use to you," said Raven, trying to make him see reason here.

Wexler took a slow, measured step forward, both his hands raised in placation to keep her at bay. "On the contrary," he said. "Modesty, yet another desirable trait for a youngster."

Raven bristled at this. Firstly, how old did he think she was? Secondly, she had been the focus of many beings' desires in her time, but this was a level of obsession she had not yet experienced. She stepped side-on as he tried to move forward and reached out with the Force, freezing him in place. Eeth would be here soon enough, and there was no need to cause this man undue harm. As he had correctly said, it was not the Jedi way.

She next checked on Trez, who was out for the count, having hit his head on a tree when she'd sent him backwards. But he was breathing and, save for a bump on his head, unharmed.

"You do realise," said Wex, frozen in place, "that I will not give up so easily. Someday, whether it be now or later, you will be mine." His smooth tone projecting calm and confidence despite his predicament.

Raven didn't like the sound of that. Still, she ignored him.

It was at that moment that Eeth appeared on the scene. He had left Jas under strict instructions to stay in the hut. Since he had sensed no undue amount of panic or distress from his padawan, he was not overly worried, but he had still come as fast as he could.

Needing no more than five seconds to take in the scene, he pulled a cord from his cloak and started tying up Vin's hands. "What happened?" he asked.

"'Vin,' otherwise known as 'Wex,' tried to hit me with darts," Raven replied, turning the few she'd pulled from his pockets over in her hand. "They're coated in a compound," she added, frowning. "I suspect it's unpleasant. He says he has 'use for me and my services'." Raven deicded to tell Eeth about the rest of their conversation later.

Eeth glared at the man. He was obviously a slave trader, and a rich and resourceful one, at that.

"We will have to search him thoroughly," he said. "Go ahead, padawan." He figured that, since a chance had presented itself for Raven to acquire some mission experience after all, she had better make all the use of it that she could.

Indeed, Raven found two more darts, both close to Wex's groin area, a packet that was taped to his side and a matchbox-sized device in a tiny pouch at his back. The latter looked like it was a very high-tech remote access system. Possibly it called his ship. But the packet? She had never seen anything like this before. It looked homemade, not purchased.

Eeth pocketed the items she had found. "Thank you, padawan," he said. "You handled that well. Will you go back and look after Jas? I will call law enforcement and have them arrest this person."

"Yes, master," Raven replied, and without a second look at Wex, she turned and made for their cabin. She knew that it made sense for Eeth to take care of this; due to his age and status, he simply commanded more respect than her, which would ensure that things would go smoothly.

"Hmm, obedient, too, I see. How charming," Wex commented nonchalantly.

"I would advise you against digging yourself in deeper," Eeth said in a low, carefully controlled voice. "You might be well-connected but so am I."

He pulled out his comlink, took a picture of Wex and sent it to the Temple for an identity check. As soon as he knew who the man was, he was going to try and pull a few strings to prevent him from buying himself free all too easily. He was certainly not going to forget this assault on his padawan in a hurry.

And Wex seemed to realise it because he did not try to say anything more to Eeth. No point, he thought. He would rather try bribing the local police once Eeth was not around.

When Eeth had taken his picture, he called law enforcement. While he waited for the officers to arrive, he thought. He had not lied: Raven had really handled this well; as well as could be expected from a fully-trained Jedi. It would not be long until she was ready to be knighted. The only thing she lacked was mission experience. Eeth and her had been on any number of missions, of course, some of them very demanding; but his position on the Council had made some missions impossible to undertake. For one thing, they had never been away from the Temple for more than a month or two; for another thing, they had never been on extensive undercover missions because those would have made it impossible for the Council to contact Eeth. This was going to have to change.

Meanwhile, Raven found Jas sprawled out on her bunk, mouth open, drooling and clad in nothing but her underpants. Well, at least her nose had stopped running, Raven thought and pulled the blankets around the girl before closing the privacy curtain.

Twenty minutes later, a law enforcement speeder pulled up in front of their cabin. Two officers got out, followed by Eeth.

Raven walked out to meet them. The officers asked Raven questions, and she answered them as best she could, but given that she'd gotten little more out of Wexler than his name and intent, there wasn't much to tell. Raven detailed her experience all the same. She was glad when they finally left.

"Master?" Raven said quietly, coming up behind where Eeth was seated on the bench at the rear of their cabin, just pocketing his comlink. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I am quite alright," Eeth said with a small smile. He had left Raven to talk to law enforcement and, given that Jas had been fast asleep, had withdrawn to the backyard to think some more. Then he had recorded a voice message, but had not sent it yet. He knew that it was better to sleep on such things.

"Making notes?" Raven inquired, sitting beside him and nodding towards his now pocketed comlink.

"In a way," said Eeth vaguely. He rested his hand on her shoulder briefly.

"I am glad that this turned out so well," he added, thinking it better to change the topic. "You were in complete control of the situation. I am proud of you, padawan."

Raven knew Eeth well enough to sense that something was off, but the feeling was not strong enough to warrant questioning him. Instead, she accepted the rare compliment. "Thank you, master. I'd be lying if I thought this was the last I'll see of Wex but at the very least, it will take him a while to buy himself out."

"I will make sure it does," Eeth said quietly. "Very sure. He is probably rich and well-connected. Well, I might not be rich, but I might be better connected than him. We shall see." And if Wex had heard the tone in which he said this, he would have been well within his rights to be afraid. Very afraid.

The following day, Eeth awoke early, as usual. Silently, in order not to wake the others, he rose and went for a morning swim. While he ploughed through the water, he thought. After he returned to the cabin, he took a quick shower, wrapped himself in a towel, went inside to fetch his comlink and sent a message to Coruscant. Then, quite calmly, he got dressed and sat down to brush his hair.

"Morning, master," Raven said across their bond as she padded from her bunk to find him seated on the couch. She smiled, gave a small bow and sat down opposite him. "Did the Temple find anything out about Wex?" she asked, noticing his comlink was sitting on the coffee table.

"Not yet," Eeth replied. "I was going to make breakfast now. Please get ready for the day."

While Raven was doing as he had said, Eeth got up and started to prepare a local variant of porridge that could be sweetened and eaten with fruit, or alternatively unsweetened with strips of dried meat which was what Jas preferred.

"How do you feel?" Raven asked Jas, who had just pulled the privacy curtain across and put her legs over the bed.

"Better, but tired," Jas said. "We went for a walk last night, and I was so exhausted that when we got back, I couldn't even stay awake long enough to find out why you called Eeth. What happened?"

Raven tossed her a clean uniform. "As it turns out," she said, "the man who called himself Vin was more interesting than I'd thought."

"Ohh?" Jas was intrigued now. "What did he do now?"

Raven explained what had gone on, and by the time she was through with the story, Jas had started getting dressed and was frowning. "But why did he attack you?" she asked, jumping around to get her other foot in her pants.

"Eeth and I can only speculate for now," Raven said, steadying the girl.

Jas' frown deepened when Raven steadied her, but she accepted the help. "What do you speculate, then?" she asked.

Raven wasn't sure how much of the universe Jas knew about. She also wasn't sure if it was wise to share the fact that he had wanted to take her as a slave with a ten-year-old child.

"I can handle it, I'm not a baby," Jas said perceptively, noticing the padawan's hesitation.

"I know," Raven said. She sighed and picked up the brush, gesturing that Jas sit so she could brush her hair. Raven enjoyed doing this; it reminded her of Belle, her younger sister back on Chine. She had done this for the then four-year-old every day and had truly enjoyed the experience. "There are some evil beings in the universe, Jas," she finally said. "I will tell you, but I want you to think about this: once you lose your innocence, you will never get it back. I'd hang on to it for as long as you can. Enjoy being a kid while you have the chance because, as Jedi, we are forced to grow up very fast. Once you become a padawan, you will begin to see what I mean."

Jas didn't quite know what to say to that. So she said nothing, simply digesting what the older Jedi had told her. She didn't think herself innocent, far from it. She was about to say as much when Raven spoke again.

"Done," she said. "C'mon, let's go help. Force forbid my master get the notion that we are neglecting our share of the work."

"I'm blaming you if he does," Jas protested. "My ass doesn't hurt, and I don't want it to start again."

Raven laughed, which drew a giggle from Jas; the padawan's laughter was contagious. And that was how the two approached Eeth who was making breakfast. "Good Morning, Master Eeth," Jas greeted him, still smiling. This was so unlike Jas on so many levels that Raven did a double-take. Still she said nothing and simply started to help.

"Good morning, Jas," Eeth said, returning the smile. "I am nearly done. I see you are feeling better. I hope you have an appetite. We might take a walk to one of the larger beaches today if you feel up to it. They have finer sand than our beach here. There are also some playgrounds and good restaurants there."

What Eeth thought, too, but did not say, was that Jas would run a good chance of meeting other children at the larger beaches, which was precisely why Eeth had not offered to go there before. He had wanted her to settle into her role and adjust her behaviour to some extent before even considering such excursions. Jas had been very good during the last few days, though, and he wanted to reward that. If the trip proved too exhausting for her, they could always take a cab back to the cabin.

Although Jas' face quickly relaxed into her typical neutral mask, the tone of her reply, albeit short, made it clear that she was excited at the prospect. "I do!" she said.

"Good," said Eeth. "Can you take the tea to the table?"

When they had sat down to eat, Eeth added some dried fish and hot sauce to his porridge without hurry. Then he told Raven in a conversational tone of voice, as if he was informing her of the weather, "I sent a message to the Temple this morning. I resigned from my seat on the Council."

Raven looked across the table as Eeth spoke. Her eyebrows rose nearly up into her hairline, and there was an expression of utter shock on her face. "Why?" was all she could think to ask. Raven knew how important Eeth's role on the Council was, not just to him but to the Order.

"The answer should be obvious," said Eeth. "You deserve to properly prepare for your knighting and that will not be possible with me on the Council. You have come a long way during these past years. There are a few things missing from your skill set, though, and that is largely owed to my duties which have prevented us from undertaking long-term undercover missions. I promised you that would change. And I do like to keep my promises."

Raven put down her spoon and met his gaze with a serious expression. "But you can't do that!" she told him firmly. "I can pass my trials without you giving up your seat on the Council. The Order needs you."

"Padawan, I have already resigned," Eeth said severely. "I do not require your consent."

Raven shrank back just a little bit at that. No, Eeth did not require her consent, but nor was she happy about his decision.

"Then UNresign," she said equally severely. She knew it wasn't her place to argue. She also knew that he had a point. But she felt guilty that he was giving up his essential role in the Order for her.

Jas looked from Eeth to Raven. This was the first time she had heard them at odds, and she was curious how it would pan out.

Eeth leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

"First, I am not taking orders from you," he said coolly. "Second, you may rest assured that I have thought this through and know what I am doing. My reasoning has not suddenly changed just because you apparently feel that my duty to you is not all that important. I do consider it my first and foremost duty to prepare you for your knighting, not just adequately, but as well as possible. On the Council, I can be replaced. As your master, I cannot."

Raven stiffened, her posture becoming progressively rigid. It was not her place to give Eeth orders, she knew that, but the fact that he was quitting the Council because of her did not sit well with her, not at all. "It has nothing to do with your duty to me. The Order as a whole will suffer," she told him and crossed her arms as well. "They call on you all the time for everything!"

"As I told you, I am not irreplaceable," Eeth said, and he sounded quite irate by now. "And of course I will be happy to continue providing my expertise if and when it is needed, as long as I am available. Stop acting as if the Order will fall apart just because I am resigning from the High Council. Many excellent Jedi have done so before and many more will do so after me. And the Order is still there. Now, I really advise you to desist because I will not listen to any more backtalk."

Raven kept her arms crossed, the two looking like mirror images for the longest time. She tried to imagine the Council without Eeth. They called on him often, for numerous things; this was why he was quitting, after all: to give her more of his time. She still didn't like it, but nor did she dare push this further. "Yes, master," she acquiesced, although it was clear from her tone that she was not at all happy with his decision.

Eeth nodded curtly, not happy with her reaction either. He was not quite sure what he had expected; certainly not an abundance of gratitude for what he considered nothing more than his duty, but maybe at least some sign of being glad that he planned on devoting all his time to her? He had raised one padawan before her, after all, and he knew just how important the long and complex missions they had undertaken towards the end of Lakhri's padawanhood had been. Even though Lakhri had been an accomplished young Jedi before these missions, just like Raven was now, they had helped him gain a level of maturity and experience that he could not otherwise have attained. Eeth knew the same was going to be true for Raven.

All Raven was thinking about now, however, was the fact that Eeth was quitting the Council and that it was her fault. The reality was that she did need him and his attention, yet guilt was getting in the way of her better judgement for the moment.

"Hahaha! Finally, you get told off," Jas said, thinking it just fantastic that it was Raven on Eeth's shit list for a change.

Raven did not respond to that. She just frowned at the kid. Eeth gave Jas a reproving look, but his heart was not in it. He took a deep breath and released his frustration at his padawan's response into the Force. Being angry with her over this would not help, especially since he had no idea what caused her peculiar reaction.

"Padawan, I would like to understand why you have such a hard time accepting my decision," he said. "Is it that you think yourself so unimportant that my other duties have to take precedence? Or is it that you think you have learned all you need to learn in order to prepare for your knighting? Or do you believe that there is no Jedi who could serve on the Council nearly as well as I could?"

"The latter," Raven answered honestly. As she saw the puzzled expression on his face, she elaborated. "The Council calls on you so much for a reason. I feel guilty about taking you away from that. Is that really so hard to believe?" Raven really wasn't angry with him. She just felt bad about being the reason he was going to stop serving the Jedi Order the way he had done since she had first met him.

"Yes, they call on me often because I am a member of the Council," Eeth said patiently. "They will no doubt find another highly competent Jedi to replace me and will call on that person, then. Many people resign from the Councils for all kinds of reasons, and the demands that come with raising a padawan are an important part of those. The Council can still call on me if they need my expertise, like they do with Drex Zaryth who used to be a Council member and resigned for the sake of his third padawan. Besides, there is the option of re-assigning a person at a later stage. This is not the end of the Jedi Order as we know it."

"I know," Raven said through a sigh. "It just took me off guard, is all. I know it's not up to me to decide what you do. I'm sorry." Raven lowered her gaze and sipped her tea. She had known Eeth long enough to know when it was time to desist. Besides, Raven knew what he said had made sense.

"Apology accepted," said Eeth gently. "Padawan, what happened last night showed me that your skills are already quite formidable and you should not be held back any further. Once we return, I will do my best to make sure that you develop your full potential and become ready for your knighting."

Raven smiled a little at Eeth's praise.

Jas rolled her eyes at the pair as, apparently, 'Miss Perfect' had struck again. Just once, it would be nice if Eeth and Raven didn't seem to her like the epitome of Jedi perfection and serenity.

Eeth gave Jas another reproving look. He did not generally appreciate it if people rolled their eyes at him.

"If you are done eating, we will just need to pack some swim gear and then we can leave," he said. "No picnic is needed. We will have lunch at one of the beach restaurants. They have very good Corellian chefs. I will carry your pack, Jas. "

"I can carry it myself. I'm tough," Jas told Eeth, raising an arm to show off her bicep.

"I know you are," said Eeth. "I also know you are still recovering from an illness. Therefore, as I said, I will carry your pack."

Jas huffed but said nothing more and reluctantly let Eeth take her gear. She had a mat and towel, her swimsuit and some other stuff. It wasn't overly taxing, but for Eeth it would be nothing. Besides, it was a bit of a walk.

Raven briefly contemplated staying here but ultimately decided to join them on the walk, which might be fun. Besides, with Wex out of the way, she was free to explore that end of the beach once again.

When the breakfast was eaten and the dishes were done, the three of them set off along the beach. "So, that Wex guy, what did he want with you? I can take it," said Jas.

Raven glanced at Eeth briefly, her silent enquiry answered with an imperceptible nod of his head. "He wanted me as a slave," she said, not bothering to sugarcoat this.

Jas looked blank for a moment. "I thought slavery was illegal in the Republic?"

"It is in the Galactic Republic," answered Raven. "On some of the Outer Rim planets like Nal Hutta, for instance, human trafficking is very much alive and well."

Jas snorted. "As if they could hold you. You're a Jedi. Just suffocate them one by one until they let you go. OR…" Her imagination was going wild now. "Use Force-enhanced speed and blur from whoever is holding you. Oh! Fry them with Force lightning! It would be easy to get away."

Raven smiled at that. "Not as easy as you think. Firstly, slaves have chips implanted in their bodies that can be detonated, so, even if you were successful at escaping, the masters have the ability to blow you up."

Jas wrinkled her nose at that.

"Secondly," Raven continued, "even us Jedi have our weaknesses. Some plants and animals, for instance, can render our ability to use the Force useless. Wex struck me as a resourceful man. I'm quite certain he would have been well-prepared, had he succeeded in capturing me."

"Eeth would have saved you. They can't stop you from accessing your training bond and telling him where you are."

"Actually, they can. But you're correct. They couldn't do so indefinitely. I would need to know where I was being held for this to work, though. The universe is a big place, but yes, I've no doubt that master would have given it his best shot." She smiled at Eeth. It was unlikely Wex would have managed to get her off-planet before Eeth was on him. Then again, things happened even to a Jedi of Eeth's calibre.

"Nal Hutta aside, even in the Republic, slavery does exist," Eeth explained. "It is outlawed, yes, but there will always be people who break the laws. The richer and better connected they are, the more easily they will get away with it. Wex might well be delivering slaves to rich buyers in the Republic. Since slavery is illegal there, people pay horrendous prices. It is a very lucrative trade. The Jedi are trying hard to bring it down, but our efforts are hampered by corruption and some members of the Senate who protect the trade."

While they made their way across an outcrop of rocks as a shortcut to the next bay, he told Jas about an undercover mission he had undertaken as a young knight, infiltrating a Hutt household by letting himself be sold as a slave.

The idea of Eeth enslaved by Hutts was preposterous, so Jas listened eagerly. "What stuff did they make you do as a slave?" she asked.

"First, I was made to work in the gardens," Eeth replied. "When they found out I was strong and I hadn't tried to run away yet, they placed me among the guards. Then, the Hutt's daughter saw me and took a liking to me. She started sending me on errands. And then she discovered that she liked beating me. Maybe that was because I did not project fear of her as others did, or she simply took pleasure in hurting people. But that is irrelevant to the point I wanted to make here, which is that the merchant who sold me to the Hutt came from the Republic. I think that made me all the more valuable to the Hutt. The galaxy is not always a nice place."

"She beat you for pleasure. Why?" Jas asked incredulously.

Raven had reacted similarly when Eeth had first told her that story. "Some beings get pleasure from inflicting pain on others," she informed Jas. "This is also true in the reverse."

Jas looked at her wide-eyed. "What sort of crazy-ass being would enjoy getting beaten!" she exclaimed. "That's just insane."

Raven shrugged. She knew that Jas would no doubt come across all sorts of behaviour she deemed insane during her career as a Jedi, but kept that to herself for now.

"How did you escape?" Jas pressed, now entirely engrossed in Eeth's story.

"That was not hard," Eeth replied. "The chip I carried was fake; the healers had implanted it before my mission. My problem was not that it was impossible to escape. My problem was that I did not want to do so before I had gathered all the information I had come for. Therefore, I endured the crime lord's daughter's preferences for a month or so. My high tolerance for pain helped, as did my skill at Force-aided healing. And, of course, like any Jedi, I have learned techniques of dealing with pain. When I finally decided to escape, it was easy to render the guards unconscious and seek out a contact person from whose house I could comm the Temple. "

By this point, they had reached their destination, a large beach with fine, white sand. It was popular but not overcrowded. There were several game areas where children, teenagers and young adults were playing vossball, curys, and other sports. Small bars with shaded seating areas dotted the beach, and some larger restaurants were located at its edge.

"What would you like to do?" Eeth asked Jas. "You choose."

Jas was still reeling from Eeth's story. She had so many questions about that but figured they could wait until later. "Can I go play with the others?" she asked instead, gesturing to a group of children about her age who were tossing a ball around.

Eeth nodded. "You may play," he said, "but if you notice signs of exhaustion, stop at once. And make sure to come here and drink something at regular intervals. The sun is strong, even for dark-skinned Zabrak."

"Okay," Jas replied despite thinking that his instructions were over the top. She kicked off her shoes, and a minute later, Jas approached the group and attempted to join in. She wasn't the best at making friends, but thankfully for her, the other kids here didn't suffer from a lack of people skills and she was quickly pulled into their game.

Raven had kicked off her sandals; they were full of sand anyway. She loved the feel of the sun on her face, but she also knew that too much would quickly lead to her white skin burning. Thus, she pulled a sunscreen stick from her pocket and started smoothing it over her nose and cheeks. "Should I go find somewhere to buy something more interesting to drink than our water canteens?" Raven asked. It was nice sitting back in the sand, but it would be more comfortable if they found a table, she thought.

Eeth nodded. "Let us take a seat at the bar over there," he said. "We will have Jas in view."

Raven ordered three drinks from the bar, one orange fizz for herself and two vegetable juices for Eeth and Jas. She wasn't sure how long Jas was going to last at her game. It wasn't taxing for a Jedi, but the girl had been so sick and it was hard to tell how much she would be able to take.

Surprisingly, Jas found that she fit in well with this group, it was not something that happened to her often and it made her think, if a week with the two Jedi could help her so much, imagine what a master of her own would be like?

"You up for the playground, Jas?" one boy asked when they had finished their game.

It was so nice to be liked. Jas actually smiled. "Yes, count me in," she said and followed them. The playground was out of view from Eeth and Raven. It briefly occurred to her to ask, but she didn't want to lose face in front of her new friends. Anyway, they'd both be able to sense her.

Eeth frowned as he saw Jas leave with her newfound friends because he would indeed have preferred for her to ask. But then, he reasoned, he had allowed her to do whatever she liked, and it was not as if she was leaving the beach. She was still quite near, at the playground with a group of other children. He had no issue with that. Eeth might be strict, but he had also always tried to refrain from being overprotective.

"I am glad to see she is getting along so well with the other children," he remarked to Raven. "I think she has made some progress. She might be ready to return to the Temple soon. After which we will hopefully be assigned the type of long-term undercover mission I have requested."

If Raven were honest with herself, she was still displeased with Eeth's decision to resign from his position on the Council, but by now, she had at least come to terms with it. "Yes," she replied, the response covering both of Eeth's statements. "It's done Jas good to spend time with you; with us. We've helped her. It won't be long before the Force finds a master for her."

She pulled both legs up to sit cross-legged and leant into his side briefly. The gesture was one that Raven saved for those rare occasions when she wanted to let Eeth know that she felt close to him despite feelings of uncertainty. "As for the long-term missions…" She let out a measured sigh. "I trust you. If you think this is what we need to do, then so be it."