Chapter 4 The Beginning

Quorian had been gone a long time, but I was trying not to think about it. I sat nervously in the small antechamber, acutely aware that in the next room, my...friend? (No, traveling companion, I decided) was being debriefed by his Jedi Masters while medics and meddroids repaired his arm. A gentle alien with smooth green skin had checked me for injuries myself, but finding none, had asked me to wait here. I fidgeted again.

Arriving on Tython, we'd landed on a world so foreign to me that I could only stare. The air smelled strange, too. I had no context for what it was, but my Cathar senses were overwhelmed. Never on Korriban had a breeze carried such intense scents to my nose. It was thick, like I was breathing in the steam of a bowl of porridge or stew, and my palms felt a little sweaty. The Force even felt different here. On the Korriban, everything had an edge of hostility or menace. On the spaceport, it was a cacophony of different beings and lives surrounded by a void of space, but here, on this strange planet, the force felt calm and steady.

The starship had flown directly to the Jedi Academy and landed in a private hanger adjacent to the main building, which was round and hung with brightly-colored banners bearing some emblem that I assumed was the symbol of the Jedi. Where everything on Korriban was angles and corners, the Jedi temple was made of four round buildings equally spaced around a fifth, larger building whose circular girth overlapped them slightly.

The sun here was a little different from Korriban's sun. It seemed a bit yellower to me, which added to the richness of the colors everywhere. It was very unlike the ancient shabbiness of the slave quarters of Lord Myon's home, the industrial, austere nature of the acolyte quarters of the Sith Academy, or the flashing, colorful hallways of the space station spaceport. The pilot and his crew of 3 had seemed very honored when a Jedi had offered to let them stay in guest quarters for a day before starting their return journey. I got the impression that not very many sentients got to visit the Jedi Temple unless they were force-sensitive themselves. By the way they stared at the ornately carved and bejeweled reliefs on the walls, by the way they gaped at the soaring ceilings, I understood that the beauty of this building was not typical, which made me feel a little bit better about my complete inexperience with everything.

Our welcoming committee had consisted of several jedi wearing robes in various shades of brown; Quorian had bowed respectfully, and of course I had imitated him. They had ushered us through the grand hallways until we reached the medcenter, where I now waited anxiously. The jedi knight standing guard across the room watched me unblinkingly, not necessarily hostile, but very intent in his gaze. I wanted to reach out to the Dark Side to try to sense what was happening, but I resisted the urge. It seemed foolish to flaunt my origins in their faces, no matter how vulnerable I felt.

Eventually, FINALLY, after what seemed like an age, the doors opened and the Jedi masters came out. One came over to me as the rest of them ushered quietly out of the hall. He was of medium height, with greyish-orange skin and large, black, pupil-less eyes. He had long tendrils coming out of his head in place of hair. I wasn't sure what kind of alien he was, but I was afraid and I hated feeling that way. Familiar anger settled in my gut. He settled down on the bench near enough to me that we could speak, but stopping just shy of where I would be even more uncomfortable.

"I am Master Chun Vaar," he said to me. His voice was quiet. "May I call you Mayet?" I nodded.

"Quorian told us of your actions on Korriban, helping him escape from the sith there and warning him of the Inquisitors' deceptions," said the alien, a friendly smile on his face. "Thank you for helping him." I was very uncomfortable being thanked in general, but particularly for something for which I was still quite ashamed. I shrugged.

"You came with Quorian to join the Jedi," he said. "That takes a lot of courage. And from the things Quorian says, you're certainly strong in the Force. Is this still something that you want to do?"

"I think so," I said. "I don't really know anything about the Jedi."

"Where else could you go?" asked Master Vaar. The cruel taunt took me by surprise. I felt the instant spark of fury that he would treat me like that and self-disgust at the way a simple question cut into my core.

He was right though. Where else could I go? I had nothing. I was nobody. I knew no one. I didn't even have identification with my name on it. I had no money, no job, no housing, nothing. The only option I had was to stay with the Jedi, and we both knew it. I was stuck here, just as trapped as I had been on Korriban, just as...

"NO!" He slammed his hand on the wooden bench. I jerked away from him in surprise, reaching for the Force instinctively, but he didn't stand up or come closer to me. "That is NOT what I meant. Stop. Breathe a moment, and then take my words in the spirit with which I intended them." I stared at him, confused.

"I mean, Mayet," he said, his voice quiet again, "where else could you go? Nobody is forcing you to join the Jedi, and if there is something else you would rather do, something else you think would be more to your liking, then we as the Jedi will do our best to help you reach it. You have other options!"

"Options? What options?" I blurted incredulously.

"Anything!" he said, like it should be obvious.

"You want me to say it? Fine," I said. "I was a slave on Korriban. I don't know anything but being a slave. I have nothing, no skills, no knowledge beyond what they taught me at the academy. I have nothing except the Force." I glared. "I left the Sith Academy because I wanted something better than what I had. This seemed like the only option at the time."

"I understand," he said calmly after a moment of reflection. "Well, Mayet, then let me make you an offer. Train here on Tython with us. Allow us to teach you the ways of the Jedi, and we will make sure that you are also taught other skills and knowledge of the galaxy as well. If you ever find a path that will bring you more serenity and peace than being a Jedi, we will help you get settled there."

"Why would you help me if I'm not going to be a Jedi?" I asked. "What do you have to gain?"

"You helped one of ours return to us," said Master Vaar. "Think of it as paying a debt of gratitude."

"That's not the only reason," I accused.

"No," he smiled. "That's not even the biggest reason. But I suspect you don't have much experience with altruism, so I will leave it at that. Will you let me teach you? I would be the one supervising your training."

"Why you?"

"I'm Nautolan," he said, indicating his head tendrils. "I'm more sensitive to the emotions of others physically, and that sensitivity has translated itself into the Force. I don't know much about the Sith or about Slavery, but I am particularly able to help you overcome the negative emotions associated with the Dark Side." He smiled broader. "The other masters thought it was a good idea, and I agree."

"Are you sure you want me?" I blurted.

"Yes."

"Then I accept."