24 BBY in a galaxy far, far away...
It was another boring day in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. At least that was the opinion of Jedi Sentinel Miriam 'Mira' Magrab. Nothing that requires the Jedi is going on – which is a good thing – she can't hang out with her fellow Sentinels and she doesn't feel like interacting with the Counselors and the Guardians. Similar to the Council, they are just so detached from the general public. But she won't be a sentinel if she wasn't so close to the general public. Guardians guard, counselors are solicitors and peace keepers while sentinels – the smallest sub group – work more directly with the worlds and it's people. They investigate, they combine their force – that some counselors claim is too close to the dark side, paranoids if you ask Mira – with more worldly skills. Sentinels are artisans who strive to be more in touch with the world.
It is near torture for a Sentinel to be stuck in the temple with nothing to do. Mira could rebuild her yellow saber, but even that gets boring after a while, especially when she has no parts to experiment with. Walking though the palace, she passed Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan. Mira and the other sentinels often wondered how that girl didn't get a yellow blade, the one of a Sentinel. Mind you, they are even more confused that her blade is green, like a counselor. If not sentinel, that girl yells guardian. But that could be the thinking that the Padawan comes after the master. Mira's master herself was a Sentinel.
"Ah! Miriam! Your old master is looking for you.", informed her Anakin. "She is at the archive looking for you."
"Oh, really? Thank you for the info, Anakin.", replied Mira. "Mm, she probably wants to complain why I didn't chose a Padawan the last round."
"Master Magrab, why is your master so fixated on you having a Padawan?", asked Ahsoka.
"Simple, we sentinels are the smallest group, my master worries we stop existing." That, and Mira picking a Padawan is the closest that woman will ever come to having a grandchild, but she can't share that sentiment with the other Jedi. "I better get going, have a nice day you two."
Mira walked away from the two and to the archive. There she found her old master, Master Abari Kanaram. Despite being a master, the blue Twi'lek is not in the council. No sentinel was for the last millennia.
"Ah! Mira, there you are!", she greeted her old Padawan. "I have been looking for you."
"Anakin told me, Abari.", replied Mira. "If it is about the Padawans, none felt right."
"This is actually not what I've been wanting to talk with you about, Miriam.", said Abari. A Mission it is, then. Unless other Jedi are near, Abari only calls her by her stiff full name if she talks business. "What do you know about the planet Lothal, Miriam?"
"It is a planet often considered to be outer rim, it is on the edge to that classification. We have a minor Temple there. It is a relatively irrelevant planet.", said Miriam, "Why do you ask?"
"Lothal is apparently relevant enough. There had been sightings of a red blade user, a Sith! We are asked to investigate these, without pulling any attention to us."
"From the potential Sith or from the people on Lothal?"
"Both.", replied Abari, rolling her eyes. "Now get your stuff, Mira. And don't forget your droid, Zero."
The next day, the duo split up and explored Lothal, they decided they can cover more ground when separated. Abari choose the surrounding area of the capital, while Mira scans the city itself. As a sentinel, she has an easy time to just be with the population, see like they see the things and fish for information without striking that 'Oh no, a Jedi' worry – not fear – many civilians have. Especially the Guardians tend to cause that worry. Because the Jedi are more busy just being in their temples, civilians see it as a bad omen when they decide to leave their temples.
She was walking though the city, accompanied by her R4-P astromech, when she passed a mechanics shop manned by a woman of a species she never saw. The blue skinned lady asked, "Oi, girl, never seen a Chiss?"
"N-No. I am sorry for staring.", apologized Mira. "Wait, Chiss?" She heard of that species, they are home in the unknown regions, yet the order has connections to one Mitth'raw'nuruodo – better known as Thrawn thankfully – but she never expected to see another.
"Mm! I'm a Chiss, the name's Aithr'anasi'namalu, but you can call me Ranasina, dear.", she replied. "Now, is there something I can help you with? You look like you search for something."
"Miriam Magrab. I heard of sightings of a red light saber user, by any chance, have you seen or heard anything about this?", asked Miriam.
"Guardian, Counselor or Sentinel?"
"Eh?" Miriam was not prepared for that question.
"What type of Jedi are you, girl?", clarified Ranasina, "I don't talk to the Guardians of your order."
"Oh." Mira did not expect a civilian to know that there are three types. Let alone to dislike one part of the order. Especially the most represented type. She showed her her yellow blade, "Luckily I am a Sentinel, Ranasina."
"Oh! In that case, I saw no Sith. I think this is just useless fear mongering.", said Ranasina. "Now if you excuse me, I need to call my son. Have a nice day, dear."
"You too."
Since she left, a weird feeling about Ranasina. She seems to know what a Sith is. She needs to discuss this with Abari. As she walked down an ally, she heard a yell. She followed the noise and found a man harassing a purple Twi'lek.
"Leave her alone, scum!", yelled a man, jumping down a roof and landing besides Miriam.
"Don't interrupt my time with the Twi.", said the man.
Mira was grabbing for her saber, but the man on her side said, "Let me hand;e this, Miss Jedi." He instead grabbed a saber. A red one. The rapist took a step back, before running off. The Twi'lek also left, albeit in a different direction. Mira then activated her saber and jumped away from the Sith "Oh, a sentinel!"
"So you're the Sith I've been hearing about!", said Mira, ready to strike.
He just rolled his sapphire eyes. "Of course the Jedi assumes I am a Sith"
"What else would you be?" She then attacked him, but he just dodged her attack.
"Not a Sith, that is for sure, Sentinel!", he replied. "Now, before you attack me anyway, may I know your name? I don't want to call you Sentinel or Jedi. That degradation is reserved for Jedi guardians. Mine is Ephraim Bridger."
"Miriam Magrab." That guy is so weird. Abari would say it is a distraction tactic. She then attacked him. Instead of dodging, he just blocked her strikes with his blade, allowing her to get a good look. The blade was build in a way she never saw before, with materials she never saw before, albeit she was sure the main component of this otherwise basic saber was Beskar.
"This is getting boring, Miriam!", said Ephraim as their sabers crossed. He pushed her away with his force and made a spin around himself. Fire came from his saber, forming a ring. "I assume you never saw someone doing that?"
She nod. "I didn't knew you could do that with a saber... or is that a secret of the dark side?"
"Not at all." He then deactivated his saber and switched it for a different one hanging on his belt. Activating it, this one was blue. "Look." Ephraim did the same trick, instead of fire, he was surrounded by a stream of water. He then came closer to Miriam and kneed down to her. "Look me in the eyes, Miriam. Are my eyes yellow like the ones of a committed dark side user?"
"No? What are you then?"
"An expectation to the Jedi rules. You Jedi's may have a difficult time grasping this, but not every person who has a red saber is a Sith I for my part just played with you, a Sith would have killed you."
"Played around?"
"Hey, you were the one who thought I was a Sith Mind you, I am not too surprised, considering my choice of saber.", answered Ephraim. "now let me help you up." He offered her a hand and she accepted. Ephraim pulled Miriam up and picked her saber up as well, deactivating it.
"If you know your red saber makes you suspicious, why do you use it opposed to your blue saber?", asked Miriam, looking at Ephraim with confusion.
"Simple. You saw the fire and the water? Each colored saber does something different, a different element. Fire style is my style, water is just... not even a backup.", explained Ephraim. "I lost a bet and had to learn water style in a month as punishment."
Miriam laughed at this, this Ephraim is just so silly, but also very relaxed.
"Oh, you think that is funny? I didn't know Jedi's can laugh."
"You mistake me for the Counselors.", she said. "Now, how do you do that with the elements?"
"The kybers my order uses, each is powered and connected to an element – if you ignore the odd case of purple and white kybers – and our battle styles, called breathing styles activate these.", explained Ephraim, "We are very well aware that the fire users are screwed due to their color. But we fire users are too stubborn to just not use ours. And most people only know one style, so..."
"A different order?", she said surprised, "Wait, why are you telling me all this?"
"Unlike you Jedi, we Kyber Knights – and I know how creatively bankrupt that name is – we take pride in sharing our knowledge. Sharing is caring after all.", explained Ephraim. "Albeit I would prefer if you don't tell the Jedi order of us. Even if we aren't Sith, my Kybers assume your council would see us as a danger anyway as we don't use the force like you."
"Fair... what do you mean different?" His force signature does not feel dark.
"While we aren't corrupted by the dark side like the Sith, some of us at least use to some extend the dark side. We also don't cut off our emotions, we don't ban familial and romantic relationships. We are less restricted.", said Ephraim. "Now, I suppose you aren't the other Jedi here? You should better get them away from here, before they find my brother Kazu, a fellow fire user."
"You're right. I am sorry for fighting you, Ephraim."
"Eh, could have ended worse. Albeit, we kybers are a secret order just because of you Jedi... okay, not just, but your order is a massive reason.", said Ephraim before going away. "I hope we see again, Miss Jedi!" He jumped onto a roof, leaving Miriam alone.
"What a dork."
Mira soon found Abari. She convinced her she found nothing. As they returned to Coruscant, Abari did notice Mira was acting weird.
"Mira, is something wrong?", asked Abari worried.
"Besides us Jedi and the Sith, do you think there are other force users? Another order, in between the sides?", asked Mira.
Abari was thinking, a hand at her chin. "I only know of Jedi who leave the order, living as gray Jedi – albeit they hate to be called that – I don't think there are enough to form an order.", was her answer, "On the other hand, if there are enough, I doubt they want an order to begin with. They left ours after all. Why do you ask?"
"I..."
"If you consider to leave the order, no one is banning you from leaving.", said Abari.
"What?", she asked, looking at her old master and friend.
"No one blocks you from leaving, Mira. I mean, some will try to convince you to stay, but they won't keep you forcefully here.", said Abari. "Isn't that why you never choose a Padawan? Because You plan to leave?"
"Why would you think that?"
"You complain about the order often enough.", said Abari nonchalantly.
"But so do you!", countered Mira.
"Fair.", said Abari. "Now do you?"
"I don't know."
"If you do... I have been thinking to leave as well.", admitted Abari. "If you do, tell me, just don't leave in the dead of the night."
It had been months and Mira still couldn't get Ephraim and his order out of her mind, albeit she couldn't forget what Abari told her either. Leaving the order. Leaving the strict rules and the boredom. Albeit it would also mean she had to leave the life she knew until now. She would be alone in the vast galaxy. Sure, she would have Abari...
"Mm, maybe I can join Ephraim's order.", she muttered as she sat in the outer area of the temple. It was nearly night and no one was there, but Miriam. The kybers of elements sounded like a nice way to spice up her constant saber building and a nice change from these restrictions. Is it too much to ask to build a blaster into the handle?
She sighed when she heard something. Turning around, she saw Master Yoda approaching. "Ah, Master Yoda! What are you doing here?"
"Sense something is bothering you, I could. The order, considering to leave you are? The most likely, the Sentinels are.", answered Yoda. "Or something else?"
"I... could it be that there are force users that aren't Jedi nor Sith, maybe even a whole order?", asked Mira. Master Yoda is probably the most knowledgeable person she knows.
"Mm, an interesting question, this is. Maybe? Maybe not. Unaware of such, I am.", said Yoda. "Why you ask?"
"Curiosity."
"A bad liar like Abari, you are.", countered Yoda.
"I may have met a so called Kyber Knight while on Lothal...", admitted Mira. She promised Ephraim to keep silent, but she just can't lie to Master Yoda! "Apparently his order hides from us."
"Oh? Why hiding form us, they would?"
"Eh, he said many of his people got confused for Siths."
"Hard to differentiate, if both hide.", said Yoda. "And red sabers, both use it seems?"
"Only some. They use all colors, even white and purple."
"Purple? Their colors, correlate to the force, they do not?"
"No." She said elements. Unless the elements correlate to which side they use, she says no.
"Not surprised they hide, I am. Respecting their wishes, I will.", he stated. Miriam was relieved if she got that right, he will leave them alone. "Give up your saber, you have if you plan to leave."
"I don't plan to leave." She does not plan to give up her passion.
"Sure, you are? Liking that Ephraim, you seem.", said Yoda. "Relationships not allowed, Miriam, but to leave. If you ever change mind, come to me." With that, he left her alone. There seems really to be no one to hold her back.
To get her thoughts off her talk with Yoda, she decided to go into the deeper levels of Coruscant. To a bar. It is cheaper here than in the upper levels, but not as dangerous than the lowest. Not the middle, as she wants some chaotic fun the lower levels have to offer. And she would like to avoid other Jedi that take a break. Not that she would mind meeting Abari and Anakin.
Looking for a place to spend her evening at, she was surprised to see Ephraim, who leaned against a wall.
"Ephraim, is that you?"
"Yup!", he answered, holding his side. "Long time not seen, Miss Jedi. Albeit you seem bothered by something?"
"The same could be said about you.", she countered, "What happened to you?"
"Bar fight.", he replied. Miriam looked at him, not impressed. "Don't give me that glare, my mother already does it enough."
Well, he said familial connections weren't banned. It must be nice to have a mom. Or be a mom. She walked to him, "You look bad, let me help you."
She took an arm of his and saw massive blue spots. "I know this looks bad, but let me explain!"
"Then explain, Blueberry."
"Blueberry? Anyway, you see, these spots are my skin color. I am an alien hybrid, the blue is just my Chiss side shining though.", he admitted. "Despite being half, I mostly look human."
"Chiss?"
"Yeah, I believe you met my mom.", he added.
"Ranasina is your mother?" That would explain what she said. Ranasina probably had a hunch her son is in trouble. Or this Kazu guy.
"Yeah, that is my mom.", he confirmed. "My full name is Aithr'Ephraim'Bridger. Turns out, Chiss name rules go even crazier when they marry outside their race."
Even beat up from a bar fight, he makes her laugh. "Let me invite you to a drink."
"if you tell me what is bothering you, Miss Jedi.", he replied. "I can sense your force signature, you seem confused."
Ephraim guided her into a bar, then to a table. There was a blonde, green eyed guy. "Oi, Ephraim! Whose that?" he asked, "And how did you manage to pick up a girl all beaten up?"
"Shut it, Kazu. This is the Sentinel I told you about.", said Ephraim. "Miriam, this is my best idiot-I mean best friend and brother in anything but blood, Kazu Kamara."
"I assume also a Kyber Knight?", asked Miriam.
"Exactly. A fellow fire user, albeit I am learning the plant style as of now.", said Kazu.
"More like you're failing at it, Zuzu.", said Ephraim. "Now, Miriam, what is bothering you? Your force signature makes me sad from just reading it."
"Call me Mira. And to answer your question, I am just considering to leave my order.", revealed Mira.
"Oh, that is a big deal.", said Kazu. "Do you have any plans if you do it?"
"Not really, this is why I don't. I know my master Abari would leave with me, but where to go? Not to mention, I would need to give up my saber."
"Mm, just a saber.", said Kazu, "or do you feel the need to carry a weapon with you?"
"No. I just really like to build and experiment with my saber. Even though the restrictions of the order..."
"You know, our order started out as a splinter group that wanted more freedom in the saber building.", chimed Ephraim in. "If you decide to leave, I think you would fit right in, Mira."
"Dude, are you seriously trying to recruit the Sentinel?"
"Not trying, I am offering.", countered Ephraim. He then made a hand sign to Kazu.
"You think your mom won't have an issue if you do that?"
"Mom's problem is with Guardians."
"Still a Jedi..."
"Uh, may I ask what you two are talking about?", asked Mira. "It seems like you talk about me and Ranasina."
"You remember that my mother takes issue with Jedi Guardians? And that Jedi often mistake us for Sith?", mentioned Ephraim, "You see... my father got killed by a Guardian..."
"Oh, I see... I am sorry for this."
"You don't need to apologize, you didn't kill him after all.", said Ephraim.
"Mm... if I defect from the order... could I join yours? Or at least learn a breathing style?", asked Mira, trying to change the topic. "You said you kyber knights like to share your knowledge."
"Oh, you are very welcome to join us!", said Ephraim.
"About your kyber, I have a solution for that problem.", said Kazu. He put a small stone onto the table. "This while kyper is an artificial recreation of the normal ones you Jedi use. Put that into your kyber with a yellow coloring element and they won't be the wiser. At our main temple, you can build a new one with no restrictions. While we focus on our breathing styles, we also use styles that don't use the elements, partly as a cover and partly because the elements aren't always useful."
"Your master is also welcome to join.", said Emphraim. "Heck, she doesn't even have to join the temple, she can just hang out there. Like many other gray Jedi before her." Kazu then gave her a second kyber for Abari.
Mira took the saber. "Then it is. I'll leave."
The next day, after she exchanged her yellow kyber, she told Abari about her idea. She knocked at her master's chamber, who let her in. "Mira? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Abari, I'll leave the order. You said you wanted to come with me, right?", said Mira.
Abari, while not surprised, was still shocked when Mira said that. "I did. Have you an idea what to do after we leave?"
"Yes." She showed her the artificial kyber and explained her meetings with Ephraim.
Abari took the kyber and switched them out. "In that case, let us go to Yoda and tell him of our departure."
The two Sentinels strode into the council chamber. Only Yoda, Mace Windu, and Yaddle were there in person, the rest were present as holograms. They were talking to Anakin Skywalker. Abari said, "We apologize to interrupt you, but we want to announce that we leave the order."
She and Miriam then showed them their sabers and Miriam said, "And to give up our sabers."
The council was dead silent. Anakin was surprised that someone could just decide to leave like that. The sabers floated with the force to Yoda. "This your choice, so it be. With you the force may be."
"Why would you want to leave the order?", asked Anakin, "Especially you, Master Kanaram!"
"There is more to one's life than the restrictions of this order, Skywalker.", was Abari's answer.
Mace Windu spoke up, "May I ask where you're going now?"
"I go to Lothal.", said Miriam. "I... know someone there."
"I see...", chimed Yaddle in, "I think I know why she leaves. Relationships are against our codex after all. Farewell, then, child. You too, Abari."
With that, Abari and Mira left the temple for one last time. At the entrance to the temple, they met Ephraim. "Mother came with her ship to get you off to Lothal. Then we go to our min temple in the unknown regions to train you. After that... we'll see where you want to go. Mother wants to return to Lothal, so if you want?"
"Hey, first Mira and I need to get our elemental kyber.", decided Abari. "Do we choose our element or?"
"No. You go into a chamber in our temples, a kyber will show itself to you, or multiple if you have more than one affiliation. Based on what the kyber's element is, you will be introduced to a master. You can 'choose', if you find someone's kyber, but you won't be as much in tune with it and the element as you would be to your own."\
A week later, they arrived on a planet even unknown to the people of the Unknown regions. While traveling on the Shard, they got introduced to kyber powered technology, like Ranasina's Shard. Ranasina gave them the allowance to call her by a nickname. They opted to call her Sina. Mira spend a lot of her time with Ephraim.
After they were introduced to the order and to it's rules – and given the final choice if they really want to join – they were both guided to a chamber. Mira got two kybers, pale blue and normal blue, ice and water. Abari on the other hand decided not to join – having realized she is too old to learn again – and just stayed an ally of the order.
When Ephraim saw her kyber was water, he offered her to train her. Only to be told off my his mother, "Ephraim, you suck at water breathing! Let Amaris teach her, as she has the same kybers than Mira." Amaris was Nautolan, of course she had a water kyber. "But you can train with her, maybe you suck less, then."
"Mom!" They then argued in the Chiss language. A language Mira soon started to learn with Ephraim's help.
22BBY in a galaxy even more far, far away...
They met up often to train and practice uninterrupted. At one of such meet ups, he was especially giddy. "Okay, okay, just listed to what I say.", he said. In Chiss tongue he told her, "Mira, I know we don't know each other for long, but I like you. I want to ask if you want to be my girlfriend? Did you under-" Ephraim couldn't end his sentence as he got hug-tackled by Mira. "I take that as a yes!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Unbeknownst to the two new lovers, Kazu watched. He ran to Ranasina and Abari and told them that Ephraim confessed, "He finally did it! I already thought I loose that bet!"
Soon they learned of the Clone Wars. They decided to return to their post on Lothal. A good part of the Kyber Knights spread over the known galaxy to aid in the aim for peace. While most Kyber Knights were annoyed that the Jedi were generals in this war, Mira and Ephraim progressed their relationship.
To the point that Ranasina asked when they marry. She was joined by Abari to ask when they will receive grandchildren. Kazu just could laugh about his friend's constant annoyance. "Man, I am so happy that they don't plague me!"
"To be fair, mom gave up that you would ever even just talk to a girl.", countered Ephraim.
"Hey!"
Mira told him, "You know, I would love to get married..." Now Ephraim had to propose. "Now, how did your parents handle their surname at their marriage?"
"Let me explain.", chimed Ranasina in. "I kept my maiden name Aithr'anasi'namalu. My hubby Ezra... we essentially hibernated his surname. Aithr and Namalu are essentially two names, so we replaced the lesser important one, the Namalu, against Bridger. Ephraim took his fathers, to cover in the known regions as Ephraim Bridger. So Aithr'Ezra'Bridger and Aithr'Ephraim'Bridger."
"Mm... Could I just take Ephraim's name? The same for eventual kids?", asked Mira.
"Of course! Now, your Chiss name would be Aithr'Miriam'Bridger. The given name, in my case Anasi, is a very personal name. To make our name to outsiders more easy without them calling us our given name, we use a core name. We add an end part of the first surname and the start of the second last name to the given name. Hence, Ranasina. I doubt you need that, though."
"But good to know none the less.", said Mira. She saw her eventual mother-in-law tearing up. "Sina?"
"Call me Anasi. It is just, saying my husband's name so often, I miss my Ezzy.", said Anasi. "Now, when we are on the topics of names... if you and Ephraim have a son, would you name him Ezra?"
"Uh, sure... but what happened to your husband?", asked Mira. "I think I should know the context of a name I am to give my child."
"Fair, fair, Mira. You have noted that I am extra hostile to Guardians, right? Ezzy got killed by a Jedi Guardian.", revealed Anasi.
"Oh, Anasi, I am so sorry to hear that!", said Mira. "I will name them Ezra, if Ephraim and I have a son."
"Shouldn't you ask me what we name our son?", chimed Ephraim in. "Heck, we aren't even married yet."
Back on Lothal, Ephraim then popped the question. After the wedding, they soon realized they are having a baby. While Anasi and Abari were taking turns celebrating – and driving Ephraim crazy – Mira became worried, she felt something dark though the force. This worry became even worse when they were able to discover they have a son.
"Mira? Aren't you happy about our little Ezzy?", he asked his pregnant wife.
"Of course I am! It is just... Jedi track down force sensitive kids and take them, I doubt Ezra won't anything but be force sensitive. I don't want they take him and force him into the order."
"I see... Mira, don't worry, we won't let them take him.", said Ephraim. "If if push comes to shove, we can just hide in the unknown regions – or take him back in the worst case – do not worry, it is bad for the baby."
"I suppose you're right..."
"Mira?"
"I don't want him to be forced into any order...", clarified Mira. "Can we train Ezra in our arts without knighting him?"
"Yes. Mira. Heck, we won't be the first parents to do that.", told her Ephraim. "To what age do you want to wait? When do you want him to ask to join?"
"Mm... what about sixteen?"
"Mm, a bit late, but okay.", agreed her husband. "Now let's go, Mom's baking a cake. You have nothing to worry, Mira, everything will turn out okay for Ezzy. I can feel it in the force."
AN: Yoda's speech pattern is so difficult to write. Note for future self: avoid having Yoda making an appearance in my fics.