"Yes, I'm sure," eleven-year-old padawan Jas Gaan told her master.
The human man scratched at his dark brown beard, thinking. Then he carded his hand through his hair, which was more salt than pepper these days.
"Well," he finally said, "that decision is yours to make, padawan. You have passed the assigned trials to my satisfaction, and if you want Master Koth to complete the rite, you have my support. But let me be clear about one thing: This might considerably delay the procedure. I'm saying this because I know how keenly you have pursued the rite of passage. Eeth Koth has been away from the Temple ever since he resigned from the Council. He is currently undertaking a long-term mission on the Outer Rim with his apprentice. You may find yourself waiting quite a while for his return."
Jas sighed. "I know," she said. "But I will wait. It can't be anyone else. It has to be him." She raised a determined chin and said no more, knowing that her master was fully aware of her troubled past and fateful trip to Borleias.
Tholme had not really expected her to say anything else. His padawan was strong-willed and did not easily change her mind. And she had good reason for her decision. He had merely wanted to avoid disappointment.
"Very well," he said. "Let's put in a request with the Council secretary to alert us when they arrive back at the Temple."
A small smile crept to her lips when she thought about the first time she had met Eeth and the weeks spent on Borleias. He didn't accept failure; his expectations had been high, and he had forced her to meet them. Whether she wanted to or not had been irrelevant. To begin with, she had fought him tooth and nail, but he had not given up, nor had Raven, despite the xenophobic chauvinism and entirely uncharitable way in which Jas had treated the human padawan. That seemed like such a long time ago now, so long ago since she had been that disagreeable, angry child covering a deeply-seeded fear of failure and rejection with arrogance. It had been hard to follow Eeth's and Raven's advice and trust in the Force to guide her, but it had paid off.
Days stretched into weeks, weeks into months and months into more than a year, but Jas did not rescind her decision to wait for Eeth. The now twelve-year-old apprentice had long since ceased in her habitual checking of their comm unit each time it flashed. She and her master had been on several missions this year, all of which had been successful although she had needed numerous corrections.
As Jas and Tholme were making their way to their quarters one afternoon, each carrying a travel pack, Jas was still smarting from the latest such instance, which had resulted from her inability to ignore a less-than-winning personality in their host. They entered their quarters to a flashing comm unit, but Jas had become so used to this that she thought nothing of it. Leaving it to her master to check it out, she went to her bedroom to unpack and lick her wounds. Tholme had not offered healing as yet, but he typically did after a while when he thought she had suffered enough.
She was just about to stow away her empty bag when Tholme called, "Padawan, come here!"
Jas sighed. Marvellous, what have I done now? she thought. There was no way Jas could take another dose of Tholme's cane, at least not so soon, not that the stubborn Zabrak was likely to admit as much. However, the pack was dropped immediately and she stood before him in a heartbeat, chin held high, arms by her sides, and lips drawn into a thin line as was typical for her when she thought Tholme would chew her out over something.
Tholme, however, had no such intentions. He was sitting at their terminal where he had been checking their messages.
"There is no need to give me that look, unless of course there is something that I should be aware of?" he said. The corner of his lip pulled into a slight smile, but the question had been rhetorical and so he continued. "You have a message from the Council secretary. Eeth Koth and his apprentice returned to the Temple a few days ago."
Jas raised two hairless brows. Her shock, although concealed, would have been evident to anyone who knew her well. Now that the moment had come to contact Eeth, she was suddenly hesitant. What if he said no?
Tholme Kahl had been a Jedi master for several decades now. He was entering his fiftieth year and currently raising his second apprentice. As such, he knew a thing or two about padawans.
"I would suggest contacting him with your request sooner rather than later," he said gently. "There is no telling how long he will be at the Temple." He stepped aside to give her access to the unit and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Course not. I'll call him right after I…" Jas paused because she could think of no plausible reason to put this off. Her hand rested on his briefly; Tholme was a perceptive man even without the aid of their training bond, and Jas knew her effort at hiding her reluctance wasn't fooling him.
"How about you call him right this moment?" Tholme said mildly. "You've nothing to lose by asking. And everything to win."
"Yes," Jas agreed. She felt far from confident, but what else could she say?
A moment later, she stood before the comm unit, her finger hovering over the connect button for a few seconds before she worked up the courage to press it. Almost immediately, a holographic form of the petite human female she recognised as Raven appeared. Jas cleared her throat to introduce herself again, only to be cut short.
"Jas Gaan, it's good to see you again!" said Raven. "Wow, you've grown quite a lot since the last time I saw you."
"I'd like to say the same, but you have not changed a bit," Jas told Raven honestly. The older girl was still lithe and petite. However, her blonde hair had grown and now hung untied to the middle of her back. Raven, too, had recognised the younger Zabrak instantly, even though the girl had changed a lot. Her ten horns were now fully developed, all short, pyramid-shaped and sticking straight up from her bald forehead. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail that she wore long and which was wrapped with a silver binding. She had large breasts and curvy hips, but her posture and demeanour were the same as they had been two years ago: stiff and serious, reminding Raven a lot of Eeth.
"Yes, yes, don't I know it," Raven said in a mock indignant tone. "Master told me you have become a padawan learner.." A smile that reached her eyes showed she was genuinely pleased to see the girl.
"Yes, as both of you said I would," said Jas. "Although at the time, I didn't share your confidence."
"Trust in the Force, and it will always pay off," replied Raven. "Pleasantries aside, what can I do for you? And I do hope this is not about a return trip to Borleias. I assure you that my master has not lost his touch." The man himself was just exiting his bedroom with an arm full of dirty laundry, but Jas could not see this.
"No. I think once a lifetime is more than enough for anyone," said Jas. "Is your master there? I need to speak with him."
Raven had suspected as much. She could also guess why, as fun as it was to tease both the kid and Eeth. She inclined her head. "One moment."
"Jas Gaan is waiting to speak with you. I'll take over here if you like?" Raven suggested to Eeth, who was starting to pile clothing into their washer.
"Thank you, padawan," Eeth said, straightening up and smiling at her.
A few seconds later, his hologram appeared before the Zabrak padawan. He looked pretty much as she remembered, perhaps a little more tired and a bit greyer. Still, his hair was immaculately brushed, shiny and tied into two neat braids that hung long down both sides of his chest. His uniform was clean and pressed even though it was just training garb, and his boots were polished to a shine. The padawan found herself straightening slightly and she took a breath to calm herself. She was no longer that ornery ten-year-old with a chip on her shoulders, after all, she reminded herself.
"Hello, Master Koth, it's good to see you again," she said, trying to sound confident.
"It is good to see you, too, Padawan Gaan," said Eeth. "When we last parted, I promised I would seek you out right after our return. However, you were on a mission with your master. I see you are back now."
"I was, and I am," Jas confirmed, pleased to have some small talk. She was not surprised that Eeth had checked in on her; after all, he had said he would, and he had never yet, to her knowledge, gone back on his word. Jas stood there for a moment until the silence became too long. She took a breath and came out with her request.
"I am ready to complete the Zabrak rite of passage," she said. "I have succeeded in the trials set for me by my master, and I have his permission to seek out a mentor. I'd like that to be you." Jas hadn't realised it, but her gaze had dropped to her hands despite the small smile that pulled at the edge of her lips. This was a proud moment for a young Zabrak, and she knew Eeth would understand the significance of what she was asking of him. She looked up to meet his gaze. "Would you, please? It … it would mean a lot to me." That was a lot coming from Jas, who, like Eeth, had difficulty showing her emotions to others.
Eeth returned her smile.
"Thank you for placing your trust in me," he said solemnly. "I feel honoured. I do accept your request."
Jas' eyes widened, and her smile broadened. "You do? Thank you, Master Koth! I have my design ready for you to look at and…" Jas realised that she was ranting and slowed down. It wasn't like her to gush! "And I can collect any tools you might need," she added at a far more dignified pace. She wasn't sure if he had the things necessary to do the actual tattoos, among other things.
"I have the tools," said Eeth. "But we will need fresh inks. Can you ask your master if you will be free on Saturday morning? We could buy the inks then – together with your master, if he would like to come."
"I will ask him," said Jas; her smile, if anything, had grown wider.
"Master?" Jas shouted. Tholme had left when she started making her call, but she knew he was not far away.
"Yes?" said Tholme, emerging from his bedroom where he had begun his own unpacking.
"Master Koth has agreed to help me complete the rite of passage, but he needs us to collect some things first. He suggests this Saturday. Is that alright?" Jas asked in as excited a voice as she had ever used with Tholme.
Tholme smiled and stepped into the hologram so that Eeth could see him, too.
"Master Koth," he said. "Thank you for agreeing to be my padawan's mentor. I had planned to book the aerials gym for her this Saturday but we can easily postpone that. What do you need us to buy?"
"Inks for the tattoos," said Eeth, inclining his head in greeting. "I was planning on going to a specialised Zabrak store in the lower levels of sector P and to take Jas along, or the two of you if you wish to come."
"I would like to, yes," said Tholme. "After all, as her master, I am the one who has guided her through the rite so far. I would like to be part of this process until the end."
"Good," said Eeth. "Then I suggest we meet on Saturday at ten at the Temple gates."
He was glad that Jas' master understood the importance of the rites of passage for a Zabrak who had decided to undergo them. He knew Tholme, who was around his age; they had crossed paths several times. Eeth believed that the man was very well suited to guiding Jas towards knighthood. The girl seemed as happy and well-adjusted as he had ever seen her. In fact, she seemed to be positively thriving, and Eeth was genuinely looking forward to seeing her again and learning more about how her pairing with her master had occurred and how it had worked out for her.
The next day, Jas met with Eeth after classes to discuss her design and gain his approval, which was part of the ritual. Jas guessed this was mostly meant to stop less mature Zabrak from making ridiculous choices. Hers was not. She was sure of that! It was a traditional design that focused on two themes: her birth clan and the Jedi Order. Jas had been granted permission to learn of her origins for this purpose, but the details had been kept to an absolute minimum at Tholme's request.
"The jagged sickles around each eye represent my birth clan's crest. The lines beneath tie in with the Jedi order, each representing a stage of progression towards becoming a Jedi master. I would like new ones added over time as I reach each goal," she explained. Jas wasn't sure what Eeth would think of her design, but so far, he had agreed to the golden and silver colours that would contrast her olive skin nicely.
"I see you have put a lot of thought and careful planning into this," Eeth said, nodding in approval. "Your choices seem very appropriate to me."
Jas smiled, pleased to have her choices pass muster with Eeth.
She knelt as Eeth took the time to meticulously trace out the outline of her chosen design, helping to make minor corrections until Jas was sure it was right. Now, all that was left to do was obtain the colours, endure the tattoo process and her rite would be complete.
"Master Kahl," said Eeth, bowing as Tholme and Jas came striding towards the Temple gates that Saturday morning. "Padawan Gaan."
"Good morning," said Tholme, trying hard to suppress a grin. He had known Eeth, if only superficially, since their youth, and he had heard stories. The man was utterly devoted to his duties and also stiff as a board.
"Call me Tholme," he offered.
Eeth had not expected that but he took it in stride. "Alright," he agreed. "Shall we get going? I thought we might take a public shuttle."
"I can arrange that," said Jas, striding onto the platform and quickly finding the right shuttle to take them to their location. Tholme had taken her out a lot, and she knew the public transport system well. "So, where is Raven?" Jas asked Eeth once they were on the shuttle heading to their location.
"She is catching up with some friends," said Eeth. "She has not seen them in a very long time while we were doing undercover work on the Outer Rim. Since all of them are preparing for their knighting, they were planning a group sparring session later today."
Jas led the way towards the shuttle and scanned their tickets. "What was the undercover mission about?" she asked Eeth. "I remember you were both talking about trying to find leads on that guy who wanted to take Raven as a slave. What was his name?" Jas snapped her fingers before Eeth could answer. "Wex. Is that what you were doing on the Outer Rim?"
"Partly," said Eeth. "It took us around four months to find enough evidence to get him convicted although from what I last heard, the trial is still dragging on. However, our undercover personas enabled us to work as couriers for other members of the ring of slave traders he was part of, and that was what we did."
The shuttle was nearly empty and the three Jedi found seats for themselves.
"I have learned that you have been with your master for more than a year now," Eeth said. "I am glad for you."
"True." Jas gave Eeth a brief look of discontent, but there was no malice behind it. "We met in the healers' wing while I was doing the fifteen hours of community service you enlisted me for smashing my datapad while we were on Borleias," she explained. "It took a long time before I was ready, though. My master would not take me until I spent more time with my creche. I was eleven when he came for me." Jas didn't like admitting that Tholme had made her wait, but he had.
"I believed that there was still a lot you had to learn from being there," said Tholme mildly. "The Force told me you were meant to be my padawan but it also told me you were not quite ready yet."
"I wasn't," Jas agreed. She looked at Eeth, curious to know what he would make of her story.
"And yet," said Eeth, "the Force guided your master towards you. And I would assume that the prospect of becoming his padawan one day provided a lot of motivation for you to grow."
"It did. I worked hard. Not only because I felt the Force was guiding me but also because I had the will to please him." Jas gave Tholme a brief smile as their shuttle stopped, picking up new passengers.
Eleven stops later, they arrived at sector P. Jas jumped off first, taking the lead as was typical for her. She had researched the store Eeth had suggested and knew where they needed to go.
"She seems fairly independent for her age," Eeth remarked in a low voice that only Tholme would be able to hear. "Which comes as no surprise, to be sure."
"No, it doesn't," said Tholme. "Nor should it come as a surprise to you that I frequently need to rein her in. But she has really improved out of sight during the past year."
"I knew she would," said Eeth. "She is quite exceptionally talented."
"That she is," Tholme agreed.
Oblivious to the conversation taking place, Jas led her master and Eeth to the store where they would find what was needed to complete her tattoos. It was a small building, grubby-looking and staffed by a very young Zabrak girl who greeted them in Iridonian.
Jas smiled. She had studied the language of her heritage, and by now, she was almost proficient. "Hello," she replied politely in Iridonian and began to browse the shelves. There was a lot more here than inks, and it took Jas a while to find what she wanted, but eventually, she produced four vials and held them up to Eeth for inspection. "These should work," she said.
Eeth inspected them closely. "Yes," he finally said. "But you should ask for an enhancer. Else the glow of the gold and silver inks will fade too fast."
Jas didn't hesitate. She turned to the small girl and said, "I need an enhancer" in Iridonian. This was collected quickly by an older Zabrak woman who Jas guessed was the girl's mother. "This will do," the older woman said, passing the extra vial to Tholme. Her tattoos were striking, the colours brilliant blues and greens. It wasn't colours that would suit Jas, but it suited this Zabrak woman perfectly and that gave Jas a sense of security: if the woman could get her own colours right, then surely she would not mess up hers, thought Jas.
On Sunday morning. Jas was lying on the couch with a pillow under her head, and Eeth was sitting next to her on a stool. He had arranged the tools and colours, as well as a bottle of disinfectant, on a low table. Jas' design was pinned to the wall. Tholme had borrowed a surgical light from the healers' wing that would ensure Eeth could see what he was doing.
"Are you ready?" asked Eeth.
Jas took in a deep breath and let her apprehension go into the Force as she exhaled. She was brave and strong, she told herself firmly, and she was also ready for this. "I am," she said. What she didn't say was that she hoped Tholme would stay close by. Jas knew from tales and research that facial tattoos were particularly painful thanks to the large amount of nerve endings there. Well, she would just have to endure. She and Eeth had discussed using a numbing agent, but that had the drawback of relaxing the skin and thus warping the design ever so slightly, and Jas did not want that to happen. Besides, she trusted Eeth implicitly.
Eeth opened the container with the golden ink meant for the main lines of the tattoo, picked up the largest needle and got to work.
Despite being ready and fully expecting the sharp sting of pain that can only come from a needle piercing one's skin and ink being pushed into the hole, Jas flinched when Eeth started. He pulled the needle away quickly lest the design be marred.
"You may draw on the Force to manage the pain, or I will help you do so if you wish," said Eeth, "but I need you to hold still."
Jas simply couldn't help her reaction; this hurt a lot, and they were only just starting. "I'm sorry. It's okay, I won't move again. It just surprised me." she said, looking at Eeth and feeling like she was failing before they had barely started!
He gave her a small smile. "I know it hurts," he said gently. "I have no doubt that you will manage to deal with the pain, though. If you need help, just tell me."
"Did you draw on the Force for yours?" Jas asked bluntly.
Eeth hesitated. He knew that if he told her the truth, she would strive to emulate him. But then, he would never lie to her. "No," he said honestly. "But it is neither forbidden nor reprehensible to do so."
That was all Jas needed to hear; if Eeth could do this and had done so, she would, too. She grunted once and then closed her eyes as Eeth bent forward and resumed working. This would be tough. Still, Jas saw the pain as part of the process, as she knew Eeth had.
Many hours later, Eeth had finished her design, and Jas opened her eyes. Her endorphins had kicked in about a quarter of the way through, which had helped – however, not much. This had been an excruciating process, yet Jas had borne it as Eeth had, without drawing on the Force. "Thank you, Master Koth," Jas said quietly, trying with mixed success not to move her facial features. It hurt to smile or speak, so she stopped there.
"Do not speak," said Eeth gently. "You took that well, Padawan Gaan."
Tholme pulled up a chair and took a seat next to the two. He had kept to the background during the process, refraining from intervening to dull his padawan's pain even though he had been very tempted to do so. Now he held a mirror up to her face.
"What do you think?" he asked. "Don't speak. Tell me through our bond." They could not use their bond for speaking yet, but they could transmit feelings, impressions and general opinions. It would be less painful on Jas than saying actual words.
Jas expected her face to be a hot mess. That it wasn't, surprised her. She tried not to cry from the pain despite wanting to! "It is absolute perfection," she conveyed across her training bond with Tholme. "Please tell Master Koth as much," she added, as her mentor now had his back to her while he disposed of the many blood and ink-soaked medical cloths.
"She loves it," Tholme told Eeth.
Eeth turned back towards Jas and smiled. "I am glad," he said. "Now, try to move your face as little as possible. Drinking soup with a straw might be a good option for the next day or two. Your master will excuse you from school for two to three days. The tattoos will itch fiercely. However much you feel tempted to do so, do not scratch. This could take off the ink and destroy the design. Some swelling may occur and scabs will form. Do not be discouraged by this; it will pass. I will check up on you every day and make sure there is no infection."
Jas got to her feet and bowed to Eeth, trying to convey her gratitude. She would do as he said, of course. Her rite of passage was now complete, and all that was left to do was to wait for her face to heal. Jas could do that, even if Tholme had said it was not going to get her out of doing classwork. Well, Jas could take that, too. Her journey to complete the rite was now over. But as a Jedi, it had barely begun…
THE END
A/N: With this, Jas' story arc ends but not Eeth's and Raven's, of course! Thank you so much for sticking with us and for your kind comments and reviews. Stay tuned for our next story which will be short and involve Eeth and many other characters from our universe!