PART THREE: JEDI KNIGHT

"What do you mean we're going to Byss?" Jaden asked with confusion to her master's unexpected mission statement. "I thought the Disciples of Ragnos already siphoned Force energy from there when they took Rosh?"

"We… don't actually know that," Kyle said awkwardly. "I wasn't able to find out if he was captured by a Remnant vessel operating in the area or if it truly was Tavion with them. At any rate, when I went in search of him after you returned from Hoth I didn't go directly to the planet's remains like he did, I had some friends sneak me into some outposts near that area to get information. I was far from focused on whether or not the Force aura had been taken, but now we have the chance to complete his mission and determine if that's the case. From what I've heard, the Emperor spent a lot of time there, so it would be a huge source of power for Tavion. If it has been taken, we'll have an idea of just how powerful she is now. That's why I'm going with you on this one. Since Rosh disappeared there, it's too dangerous for anyone to go alone. We go as a team and we'll look for clues to his disappearance as well, perhaps there's something I've missed."

Jaden folded her arms, she hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep in the past few days, partly because she'd been having terrible nightmares, but also because she'd been working around the chronometer to finish her lightsabers she'd been training to use.

And things weren't going so smoothly with her friends either. Jas found out first because the day after her return, he presented Jaden with the finished holster the group had made for Rosh, although Jas had done most if not all the work. It had taken all of Jaden's willpower to tell him the basics of what had transpired on Vjun without going into too much detail, particularly without invoking too much emotion on her part. Poor Jas hadn't known quite what to say, which was a change for the mature Jedi. He merely gave her some hastily searched for words of comfort and reassurance, followed by an awkward pat on the shoulder. At Jaden's insistence he left the holster with her for safekeeping.

Arta-Mess and Kalil were next after Jas to approach with comments of sympathy about what happened to Rosh. The news sure got out fast and though she didn't want to open any wild can of information about it, she had to tell them a little. This of course spread to the rest of her friend group and eventually the whole Academy like wildfire. Most were sympathetic and comforting, which wasn't comfortable and felt awkward at best, but it showed that they cared. And then there were the others, including Jacyyn and Goran specifically, who seemed to distance themselves from her. It was fear she knew, a discomfort at what happened to their fellow student and a probable worry that it would happen to her, or them, if they weren't careful. Arta-Mess tried to say that it was because Jacyyn and Goran didn't know how to express their feelings on the matter, but Jaden knew that wasn't true. She saw the fear in their eyes. Raltharan seemed to be the only one who was indifferent to the subject and would say nothing on the matter. The mere mention of Rosh was nonexistent except in whispers when they thought Jaden wasn't listening, or attempts at compassionate conversation by Arta-Mess, Kalil or Jas, but other than that, it seemed the whole Academy regarded Rosh as dead.

"Do you at least want to review my new lightsabers before we head out?" Jaden asked, a little too sharply, but Kyle didn't address it and merely nodded. He seemed to sense the weariness in his apprentice. She led him down to the Academy's workshop where thousands of pieces of metal and other manner of materials and objects were housed for crafting things, particularly lightsaber hilts.

"Did you say lightsabers, by the way?" Kyle asked. "As in, plural? More than one?"

"Yep," Jaden threw over her shoulder in confirmation. Some of the harsh edginess she had was dropping from her demeanor as she excitedly crossed to her recent workbench.

"I talked to Master Skywalker about it and he signed off on my training to use dual sabers. Kalil got approval for another saber as well and we've been training together. Master Luke attended a few training sessions and sparred with us a couple of times but Corran's been our most frequent trainer seeing as how he has two of them and knows Jar'kai like the back of his hands. He kept trying to convince me to get one of my sabers green but I held out."

She picked up two gleaming hilts from the workbench and held them out to Kyle, who took each one carefully in his hands to examine them closely. The first was a sleek design, thin, and tapering from the blade emitter to a point at the end, masterfully crafted with a mix of gold and silver metals with a decorative black band wrapping itself in a curved, almost scrollwork way around the hilt. The weight was balanced and it was overall a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. He pressed the activation switch and a golden yellow blade shot forward. He smiled.

"This one's beautiful Jaden, excellent job. Which one has your original crystal?"

Jaden smiled and merely dipped her head towards the saber in his hand.

"I don't know how it happened either, I didn't do anything but the blade came out that color. I guess the crystal knew it was time for a change." She shrugged.

Kyle turned the saber off and placed it back on the table, reaching for the other one. It was thicker than the first, with a similar taper design, but with metal rings encircling the pointed pommel. A little glowing blue sensor and other instruments added to the overall design and practical use of the saber, such as blade length and power adjusters, diagnostic system knobs, etc. Kyle turned it on and a luminescent orange blade glowed as bright as a sunset over his face and hands, its length somewhat shorter, but that was how Jaden liked it.

Kyle turned it off, handing it to her and she took her first one as well, igniting them and whirling them in a blinding swirl of light, performing the various stances and exercises Corran had taught her.

"You know, Master Corran told me to keep in mind that these are dual swords, two halves of a single weapon; that I shouldn't think of them as separate because they're not, they're just two different parts of the same whole." She somersaulted past Kyle and without missing a beat Jaden came up in one fluid motion and crouched; stretching her arms out, the lightsabers spun away, rotating around her freely, a vortex of light and magic. Kyle marveled and clapped for her as the sabers returned to her hands and she stood, securing them to her belt and bowed to her master.

"Jas helped me make them," she said. "In fact he, Kalil and Arta-Mess helped design and shape some of the pieces for the sabers too but, I made sure I was the one who assembled it all."

"They're true works of art, Jaden. Good job. You've taken your first step into being a true Jedi Knight, and now, you're about to go on your first mission. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Jaden sat in the passenger seat of the Raven's Claw, eyes closed, concentrating, focusing.

"I don't sense the dark side here, Kyle," she said after a few more moments.

"Me neither," Kyle answered. "That's not good. Tavion must have been here already."

Jaden shifted uncomfortably, peering out of the window into the darkness of space at the floating chunks of the dead planet surrounding them. She caught sight of something moving above them and craned her neck to look. A large, Imperial class ship hovered into view above them, it's imposing size dwarfing their ship like a bantha standing next to a womp rat

"An Imperial Dreadnaught!" Kyle exclaimed. "I'm gonna get us out of here!"

He started managing the controls as quickly as he could, preparing for a fast getaway. The Raven's Claw shuddered, jolting them in their seats. Kyle cursed.

"They've got a tractor beam on us. I can't break free!" He tried several more controls. Jaden felt her stomach open up into a pit, a strange sense of deja vu settling over her. Is this how Rosh felt? Scared and alone as a ship drew him in, completely helpless to do anything about it?

Next to her, Kyle let go of the controls and turned to her. "Okay here's the plan: I served on one of these ships back in my Imperial days. You disable the tractor beam and I'll trigger the ship's self-destruct. Ready?"

Whatever Jaden had expected Kyle to say, this wasn't it. She hadn't been prepared for him to quickly jump into action with a plan that involved taking on an entire Imperial ship! But there didn't seem to be any other options, and she didn't have a better plan so…

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jaden gulped.

Kyle put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You got this kid, you'll be fine. Once we're on the ship, try to keep a low profile, and sneak around as much as you can. After all, Luke did this once and it was on the first Death Star, and that place was huge. Let's be glad this ship isn't any bigger."

Jaden nodded, her jaw set in a wordless reply. Let's do this.

Kyle was shocked when they weren't greeted by a "welcoming" party, but figured they wouldn't be too long in coming.

"Jan told me there would be days like this," he sighed, and headed towards a short hallway up ahead of him, a large round door that looked promising. Jaden started to follow, unsure of exactly what to do, the hangar held a doorway on ground level as well as a couple up above on platforms, but Jaden was at a loss as to which one of them she should take. Kyle reached the door and ignited his lightsaber, noticing Jaden he gestured back to the hangar.

"What are you wanting for an invitation?" He said, then suddenly realizing she didn't know which route to take he added with a jerk of his head, "Go through the door on the ground floor of the hangar and keep going up, you'll find it, now get going!"

Nodding, Jaden took off down the hall and through the door Kyle indicated.

The whole ship was chaos, Jaden moved around corners, through hallways and up lifts as fast, and quietly as she could, using Mind Trick to her advantage, resorting to fighting if necessary. She tried following signs and hoped she wasn't getting desperately lost.

"What's with the increased security in Sector 7?" She heard suddenly from around a corner, stopping to keep from being seen.

"Last week's break in," another stormtrooper replied.

"I hear they captured the insurgents."

"They did but they refused to talk. There's no way of telling if they acted alone or if it was an inside job," the trooper said casually, Jaden got the feeling that this unit of stormtroopers would not be leaving anytime soon.

"Eh, they'll talk. The Admiral will see to that," the first who asked the question said. "Besides, we've got more to deal with now, what with these intruders on board."

"Intruders?! I thought there was just one?"

"We're not sure, but I thought I glimpsed two on the security monitor. In the meantime, Captain says to stay put and guard the tractor beam controls. We don't want these Rebs or whoever they are getting out of here."

"Do we shoot them on sight?"

"Hmm, not sure."

Jaden had heard enough, timing her movement well, she shot past the small group of stormtroopers when they weren't looking, putting a Mind Trick on them as she passed, You didn't see anything, being the prime message. She cringed a little when she overheard them repeat aloud what she had silently said in her mind. Ahead was the door that would surely lead to the controls for the tractor beam.

When Jaden came to the door, it was sealed. She wondered if she should cut through it like she saw Kyle doing, but that would probably take too long. Instead, she kicked it, mostly out of spite, none of the doors so far had been locked, but then again, if those stormies she'd heard back there were correct, then this would be the door to lock against intruders. She moved on to the control pad next to it to see if she could hot wire it.

"Who goes there?" Came a voice from the other side of the door. Jaden almost jumped back. She had hoped no one would be inside.

"Hello?" She said tentatively.

"I said, who goes there? We've locked down the ship, we have an intruder in the hangar! Now identify yourself!" The voice was commanding, elegantly accented. An Imperial officer no doubt.

"I'm Jaden… The um…. Radar Technician…" Jaden didn't even believe her own lie, but she said it so dryly she couldn't help but reluctantly agree that some of her master's personality was finally rubbing off on her. What other habits have I picked up from him?

The door opened and there was an Imperial officer, flanked by three stormtroopers, one on either side and one behind. "That's ridiculous! We don't have a Radar-" The officer stopped cold, seeing Jaden, her lightsabers on her belt, the Academy insignia on the shoulder of her jacket and the mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"You're not a Radar Technician! You're the intruder!" The officer shrieked.

"You got that right, what tipped you off, the outfit? It was the outfit wasn't it?" Jaden's sabers lit up the small space, turning the stormtroopers armor the color of sunset just as they and their Imperial charge openfired on her. They fell quickly to the blaster bolts Jaden deflected back on them and soon she was standing over their still forms, bending over to grab the officer's security keycard not one minute later.

"And that's two intruders, by the way, not one," Jaden corrected under her breath as she moved on to the next door, making good use of the purloined keycard. It opened a lift that brought her into a vast room with many dizzying walkways, but she was only interested in one area of interest. She found the tractor beam controls surprisingly easily and set to switching the power down on it.

"Tractor beam disabled!" She said into her coms.

"Good! Head back to the ship. I just need a little more time!" Kyle answered.

Jaden made her way back down, catching sight of a sign that pointed to the ships main cannons and another that vaguely gave directions back to the hangar, she started to run when Kyle came back on her comlink.

"Jaden! Someone must have sent a distress signal. We've got incoming fighters!"

Jaden turned on her heel. At least I know where to go! Out the windows into space that she passed, she could see the TIE fighters coming, and some were already firing on the ship. But why? Do they think the ship's been taken already? The entire hull of the ship shook with each blast as she ran down the hall towards the turret guns.

"Jaden, I still need more time!" Kyle said urgently. "Get to the guns and hold off those TIEs! They're sending TIE bombers!"

Jaden didn't need to see, she felt it with every rock of the ship. She entered the turret room, which was mostly empty of troops except…

"Take her down!" Shouted an Imperial and four stormtroopers started shooting. She took down the Imperial sense he was closer to her and then the stormies. She saw a nearby turret and jumped into the seat. She'd never had to operate the guns of a ship before except in basic flight training and these guns were definitely different from an X-Wing's.

She started shooting anything that flew past her sights, missing several times until she hit one. But how many more are there?

The ship rocked again, nearly throwing Jaden from her seat. She saw the rows of different turrets and blanched at the thought she'd have to go around the room to fire various ones at numerous angles until she got all of the TIEs, but if that's what she had to do for her and Kyle to get out of here alive, then so be it. She ran to another turret. The ship got hit again, this time closer to her side of it.

"Jaden, we want this bucket of bolts to explode after we get off it!" Kyle said so harshly she almost yelled back at him but stopped. It's not you, it's the situation. Do your part and you'll both get out alive.

She moved faster than she thought possible of herself, using the Force to slow everything but herself down. She ran from turret to turret, including going down a nearby lift and shooting the guns on the level below. She was getting fairly good at shooting them.

"This isn't good!" She heard a voice nearby. She glanced over and saw a stormtrooper hiding in a corner, holding on for dear life as the ship continued to shake with each strike of the bombers. He didn't seem to notice her, or if he did, he didn't care. She was still moving very fast and decided that destroying the TIEs was more important. She felt fairly confident that there was one more left. She jumped to the seat of another cannon and waited. Something gray shot past her sights. Slow down, slow down, steady, steady…

There it was again. In the space of a millisecond, Jaden fired and the TIE blew up

"Good shooting!" Kyle called out. He must be near a window. "I'm done. Meet me back at the Raven's Claw."

"On it!" She got up to go, the world around her slowing down to normal. She saw the stormtrooper, still crouched in the corner. Her hand went to her primary saber hilt. "What are you waiting for?"

"You… you defended the ship. Why?" He asked, his voice wavering even through the augmented coms of his helmet.

Jaden mulled over this trooper's behavior, she sensed something different about him. I don't think he's going to try to blast me. "It's not for long," she finally answered, choosing her words carefully. "This whole thing's about to explode, and I get the feeling that you don't really want to fight me or stay here another second for that matter." She kept her voice firm, taking a step forward to emphasize her authority in the situation. "So if I were you, I'd get myself to an escape pod, you hear me?"

The stormie merely nodded, shrinking back slightly.

"No one has to know that you let me go, and no one has to know that I let you go, alright?"

The stormtrooper nodded again. Still cautious, Jaden Force pulled his blaster, which rested harmlessly on the ground next to him, to herself and tossed it away. If a stormtrooper could look confused with a mask on, this one did.

"So that you don't shoot me in the back, I've had this problem before." Jaden's eyes blazed, thinking of the bartender on Nar Kreeta, of Rosh… She turned and walked away.

"Thank you," the stormie called so quietly Jaden almost didn't hear it.

"You're surrounded!" An officer called out triumphantly from the top of the platform overlooking the hangar. He wasn't very triumphant for long. Jaden came through the door behind him a second later and cut off his next taunt.

Below, stormies and officers alike were fighting for their lives as Kyle cut through them like paper, laughing and moving around like an acrobat as he dodged blaster bolts. Jaden hardly joined in the fight at all, he was doing so well, she was mesmerized.

"Let's go!" Kyle yelled after cutting down the last Imperial.

They started up their ship so fast it could've beaten a record and they were off. The Raven's Claw flew away from the Dreadnaught with two TIE fighters that managed to scramble an escape from the hangar on its tail. Not one minute later, the Dreadnaught exploded, creating a shock wave that destroyed the TIEs. Jaden and Kyle breathed sighs of relief. They told each other their sides of the story, laughing at the moment where Jaden called herself a 'Radar Technician' and when Kyle apparently disturbed someone in the refresher.

"Oh, Stars!" Kyle roared with laughter, wiping away tears from laughing so hard. "That was a close one to be sure, you'll have some stories to tell for a while." They braced themselves for the jump to hyperspace. "I'll relay the information about Byss to Luke. Good work, by the way."

She nodded, her smile a mile wide. Funny how just an hour ago, she'd been nervous of their almost capture and now she was exuberant. She stared out the window at the blur of stars as they passed by at light speed. She and Kyle continued to exchange stories, but Jaden kept her word however, and said nothing about the stormie she'd let go.

"Find your anger, feel your rage… C'mon Rosh, focus! Concentrate and channel it until you must release it!"

Rosh held his hands outstretched in front of him, muscles straining, perspiration beading on his forehead, fingers tensed and twisted as he tried to summon all of his anger. Ever since Vjun he'd felt conflicted, and Tavion knew it. She often left him with Alora to continue his training and lately she'd been pushing him to his limits so that he was often tired and spent at the end of their sessions. He knew he must prove his allegiance to the dark side, to Tavion, but every time he closed his eyes he saw Jaden, the sadness and pained betrayal in her eyes.

Then there was something else that bugged him. It'd taken him a while to remember this small detail, but for some reason the holster she'd sported on her hip looked vaguely familiar…

"Hey Jas?"

"Hey Rosh, how're you doing?"

"Good, I actually um, have a question, well it's more of a favor but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'll do it, whaddya need?"

"Well you see Jaden's birthday isn't too far off and I had an idea of what I could give her and um, I was wondering if… do you know how to work leather?"

"Sure I do, but I'm not the best at curving designs if that's what you're looking for, but I know Streen is pretty good…"

"I want to make sure it stays a secret…"

"Don't worry, we won't say a word…"

"Okay, here's some sketches I've made, they're not perfect but the idea's there."

"No Rosh, these are amazing! Jaden's going to love it!"

The memories of their conversation tumbled down like a waterfall. The holster was his idea. Jas and Streen must have taken his notes and made the holster without him. How could they do that? Steal his idea? It certainly looked that way and it made him just a bit more than perturbed.

He shook his head, if he couldn't pull it together and focus, soon enough he would be a pin cushion for Alora and her two sabers. She'd trained hard to earn an extra lightsaber, he could tell her defeat to Jaden on Hoth had really rubbed her the wrong way. That made Rosh smile a little and find the strength he needed. With that and his anger towards Jas and Streen for stealing his design for Jaden's gift, along with added hatred towards Kyle for never appreciating him and even Jaden herself, for… well, for just being better than him; this extra pulse of energy rose up within him. With a loud cry exiting his lips, he pushed his hands forward and down, the large, useless cylinder before him that had once been an empty storage tank collapsed in on itself and looked like nothing more than a crushed can. He fell to his knees, more exhausted than he ever was after any particular hard day of training at the Academy.

"I'll never understand what Tavion ever saw in you," Alora stood behind him, arms crossed. "Besides company on a lonely night or two." Her mouth curled into a disgusted snarl.

Rosh panted, bringing a hand up to touch his upper lip, wiping away the blood he found there under his right nostril. Alora was only partially right, Tavion had certainly come on strong to him several times, but nothing had ever come of it besides a few, discret make out sessions in a secluded hallway of the Star Destroyer the cult used as a base of operations. But afterwards he'd get sick to his stomach. For a little while, he'd convinced himself it was just something he ate, but it was really the feeling he got when he was with her, the feel of her lips on his. It wasn't that she was unattractive or not seductive, she was that and more. It was really the feeling of absolute darkness and dread that came over him the closer he got to her that turned and twisted his insides until he felt so sick he would nearly vomit. But he still didn't stop Tavion from speaking to him in such a sultry tone, or from touching him, the grip of her hand on his arm or shoulder was enough to make his entire body tense up and he had no idea how to tell her no, the thought of which scared the living daylights out of him. She would probably kill me.

All of what he felt towards Tavion was, he realized, the complete opposite he felt about Jaden. She was light, sunshine and beauty… Beauty? Yes, that's the word. She's beautiful. And kind and fun...

The recollection of a dream from about three days before his mission to Vjun resurfaced. At least, he'd assumed it was a dream…

"Rosh… If you're out there, if you can somehow hear me. I will see you again, and I pr-... The voice stopped, sounding like it was choked up, then it continued, And I promise, I will tell you how I got my lightsaber. I will, I promise, my dear friend I promise. And I will see you again. I promise."

He still wasn't sure it hadn't just been a dream. What was all this business about telling him how she'd got her lightsaber? It was just weird, and yet… The pain, the sadness and eagerness in her voice, it sounded so genuine…

"Rosh!"

He broke out of the fog of wonderful memories and looked up into the frowning face of his new master.

"Tavion, I…"

"You're distracted my dear Rosh, why?" Her voice dripped with mock concern.

"Well, I…"

"Do not forget how weak the light side is, it will do all it can to pull you back. It's false, it will only bring you pain. You think any of them will take you back after you betrayed them all?"

"No…" Rosh hung his head but Tavion knelt in front of him and tipped his chin up roughly with her long fingernails.

"That's right. They'd rather kill you than accept you back, that much is certain. Remember how Jaden marched toward you? The anger of being betrayed?"

Rosh wasn't very clear of that detail, yes she looked ready to strike him down, but once she'd cooled and Kyle showed up, she seemed honestly sincere about bringing him back.

Tavion let go of his chin and struck his face so hard that her nail cut a gash across his left eye.

"Do not forget, you are not one of them anymore. They will never forgive you." Her words were a cocktail of poison mixed with venom.

As she walked away, the sound of her boots echoing through the vast chamber, Rosh hung his head in defeat.

She's right. The Academy can't forgive what they cannot forget. There's no going back. It's hopeless.

"Would you like me to kill him in his sleep?" Alora asked smugly.

"No, I have a better idea." Tavion crossed her arms. "His devotion is faltering, he won't last long but we can still make good use of him. Keep a close watch over him and report back to me. I will let you know when the time is right, and have a cell prepared for him in case he becomes more… unaccommodating."

"Yes, Master."

"And Alora?"

"Yes?"

"I've just received news that one of our Dreadnaughts, The Night Weaver, was destroyed after pulling in a lone fighter carrying two Jedi near Byss."

Alora set her jaw. "Who?" She ground through her teeth.

"You know who, it seems the little Jedi whelp that bested you on Hoth was one of them, which means Katarn was with her."

"She nearly bested me, Master, but I left. You've always taught me to be careful of which fights I chose." Shame filled her cheeks, her crimson complexion thankfully hiding it.

"Yes, but to not let your cowardice show, there's a difference. She's resolute, she doesn't back down from a fight no matter how difficult. That's class. And besides, no matter your history with this one, I will need your help in securing her downfall. Just think of how sweet my revenge on Katarn will be when both of his students fall to the wayside. He won't be able to live with himself, which will make our final confrontation even more delectable. He'll be a broken man."

Alora bowed her head, barely containing her anger and humiliation.

"It's time to put all of the final pieces of my plan into place. And who knows, perhaps you will finally succeed where you failed," Tavion said triumphantly, a smile gracing her lips as she walked away from her bitter apprentice, leaving her to ferment in her shame and festering rage.

"This isn't you Rosh, this isn't who you are!" Jaden was saying.

"And how would you know?! Huh! You never really bothered to get to know me!" Rosh shot back.

"Yes I did!" She exclaimed, her hazel eyes pleading. "I wanted to get to know you better, the real you, the you that you barely showed me when we were on Blenjeel together. That's the real you Rosh, not this, this cultist! You're better than that!"

"No." Rosh shook his head. "I was weak! But not anymore!"

Kyle was suddenly there too.

"Vulnerability is not weakness, Rosh," he said. "It's your strength."

"Then I'd rather die."

"We can arrange that," The two said together, their eyes suddenly dark and red, lightsabers now crimson as they cornered him, searing heat entering his body.

Rosh awoke with a start and sat bolt upright, covered in sweat. He knew it was too late for him, he'd thrown in his lot with the enemy and now he would pay the price. Was vulnerability so hard that I had to run from it in the opposite direction?

Yes, it apparently had been.

He curled back up on the small cot in his room, which felt more and more each day like a cell than a room, and looked out the tiny window into the cold vacuum of space. He shivered. He longed for the feel of the sun, the smell of the forest on Yavin IV, not this cold, dark vacuum. Oh how he'd taken it all for granted. He tried to huddle under the thin covers for warmth, feeling only the cold seep in even more. His left eye stung as a salty tear leaked out onto the cut Tavion had given him. He began to cry miserably, but not just for himself.

Oh Jaden, if you're out there, please, I can't expect you to forgive me, but please, please… I can't die here, I can't die alone.

Jaden stood in the open doorway to Rosh's room. She hadn't visited since the day he'd gone missing. She'd been upset then, but hopeful for his return. Now that she knew what had become of him, what his anger had led to, she wondered if he could ever truly come back.

Is he even really Rosh anymore? She thought.

A memory suddenly washed over Jaden, blurring her vision as her mind's eye became clearer and clearer:

It was months ago, a few weeks before Rosh went missing at Byss. She'd just stepped into the workshop looking for Rosh to let him know that Kyle wanted them for… something, she couldn't remember. She'd stopped in the doorway when she heard crying. Peeking from around the corner, she'd spotted poor Goran sitting alone in the workshop, his head in his hands. She'd almost come out to comfort him when Rosh suddenly came into view.

"Hey, it's okay," Rosh had said. He looked unsure of what to do or say. He must have been thinking of when he'd inadvertently made him cry on their first day.

"I… Just… Can't… do things right!" Goran cried with every sniffling sob. "I'm… not… as good… as the other… students!"

Rosh slowly bent down to eye level with the young Togruta. He tentatively put a hand on his shoulder, seemingly copying Kyle's way of encouragement.

"Well I…" He started. Jaden had figured he was trying to search for the right words. She'd considered joining them, but already felt uncomfortable at having stood there for so long. And she was too fascinated by what she saw to leave.

Rosh stopped trying to say words for seemingly the first time since she'd met him. Instead she watched his face soften, to the point where she'd thought he was going to start crying himself. And then he leaned forward, pulling Goran into his arms and embraced him. The Togruta's crying increased, but only because it seemed to be working better than any words that could have been said.

Just as Jaden's eyes had filled with tears at her friend's tender display, she felt her eyes misting over again at the memory. She came back to the present and felt her heart softening for Rosh all over again.

"That was the real you, Rosh. That was the real you," she whispered through her tears.

Little did she know how her words carried through the air and into the fabric of space, propelled by the Force, onwards and forwards and in all directions to the ears of one who was finally ready to listen.