AN: Thanks to everyone's support. I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter. One note for this chapter is that I changed the age at which a Jedi initiate ages out to the Service Corp from 13 to 14 (I know such a big change!), but it makes sense for Ahsoka down the line and for the specific Padawan mentioned for the first time in this story in this chapter.
Chapter 19 - Siri's Recovery
Siri ducked under Obi-Wan's blade and struck at his legs, but he deftly jumped over her blade and her head, landing behind her. She tried to quickly turn around, but wasn't fast enough as Obi-Wan knocked her blade from her hand.
She released the frustrations that came from her defeat, giving a slight smile to her dearest friend. It had been nearly a month since their return from Nar Shaddaa, and reconditioning was coming slower than she'd like. It had been nearly two years since she'd swung a lightsaber with any regularity and her skills had deteriorated. In contrast, Obi-Wan's skill had soared. Her friend's skill with a blade had increased greatly, now encroaching on the level of some of the Order's greatest warriors. She was getting better, her skill returning, but it wasn't nearly as fast as she would like, or maybe it was just that she wasn't competing with Obi-Wan anymore. She was finding victory against some of her other friends and peers like Bant, Taria (though with her health, it wasn't really fair), and Reeft, who had been around for a week and had been more than happy to duel with her, as long as she got a meal with him afterwards.
Outside of that, she was still seeing a mind healer each week to talk about her experiences, and often found herself being checked on fairly often by Adi, Yoda, Yaddle, Mace, and of course Obi-Wan, though the latter wasn't so much due to his worry of her and more to him just wanting to make up for lost time, whether that was with dinner, a holovid, or simply walks around the temple or joint meditations in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. That didn't include the nearly weekly communications with Kastor via holocommunicator or the other masters and old friends of hers, like Bant, Taria, Reeft, Garen, and Quinlan, that also checked in when they were available.
"You're improving, Siri," the observer's voice said. "You're letting your frustrations affect your judgment which is in turn affecting your timing though."
"I know, Master Revan," Siri said with a sigh and Revan's holographic guardian chuckled.
"Personally, I think you are doing well, but I think you need more inner balance before you stand a chance against Obi-Wan," Elena Shan remarked.
"She is doing very well," Revan agreed. "Inner peace will help the return of your old skills, however, as someone who has also felt inner turmoil and struggled to release it, you might consider adopting a new style that can better conform to your new inner balance and struggle."
"A new style?" Siri asked, surprised.
Revan shrugged. "Something to consider. While you should not fight in uncontrolled anger, the darker emotions of righteous or controlled anger can be harnessed to help fuel the attacks in Form V or far more effectively in Form VII, which of course requires a firm control of those dark emotions."
"I always wanted to learn Master Windu's variant of Form VII, his Vaapad, but Qui-Gon would never let me," Obi-Wan mused, while Siri thought on Revan's advice.
"Juyo or possibly this invented variant you speak of could be a good answer to your issue," Elena agreed. "My husband is a master of Juyo, of course, and Revan could certainly help advise you if you wanted to take his holocron, so there are paths forward if you wish to pursue Form VII. It's dangerous, which is why this Qui-Gon was likely hesitant to allow it. Many Jedi struggle to handle the dark emotions and fall to the dark side, but if you can find the balance to deal with and control your emotions in combat, then you will find power in Juyo, and will become a very formidable opponent."
"It probably didn't help that Qui-Gon's apprentice before me fell to the dark side," Obi-Wan added, and both avatars of past Jedi nodded.
"Yes, I could see why your former master was not willing to tempt fate," Revan said. "Juyo is fraught with danger, but as my wise descendant said, it can turn you into a formidable opponent. I am more than happy to spread knowledge and help provide guidance into balancing the darker emotions with control and precision, and I have no doubt Kastor would be willing to assist when possible. He struggled with Juyo in the beginning, as most practitioners do, but he has become one of the most formidable Jedi any shall encounter because of his mastery of the two extreme forms: Soresu and Juyo."
"I will consider what you have recommended, Masters," Siri said, bowing slightly in respect. "I appreciate your guidance greatly."
"Of course, my young adopted daughter," Elena said with a smile, and Siri grinned, still rather impressed with how lifelike the gatekeepers were, and impressed with their abilities to learn.
Elena Shan had been a small source of comfort for Siri during her mission. The holocron had allowed her to continue studying the Force, even if she couldn't really work on her lightsaber skills, but the woman also had imparted her caring nature and wicked sense of humor into the gatekeeper. She also carried much of her history with Kastor, Elena wanting to pass on her most treasured memories of her lost love, so when things were rough and she was thinking about Obi-Wan or Kastor, she would listen to a story, and Elena always included some blurb about being glad she could assist her adoptive daughter, since she'd picked up on her and Kastor's closeness during lessons before she'd left to join Krayn completely.
"I'm always happy to help worthy Jedi, my very deserving descendants, and those he calls family," Revan said with a nod.
"So formal," Elena said, with a mocking tilt to her voice, and Revan grinned at her.
"Thank you, Master," Siri and Obi-Wan both said before they shut off both holocrons.
"It won't be long before I'm only a slightly better swordsman than you, like before," Obi-Wan said, and Siri's eyes narrowed.
"Please, you know I was always the superior duelist," Siri retorted playfully, appreciating Obi-Wan trying to make her feel better.
"You consistently beat me only in your dreams," Obi-Wan replied, "though I wouldn't be surprised if I was in your dreams often."
Siri couldn't help but laugh at that, though she wasn't going to stroke his ego admitting that she had dreamed of him while she was undercover . . . at least not right now.
"Please, darling," Siri drawled. "You overestimate your looks and importance."
Obi-Wan grinned and their conversation was interrupted as Anakin came over with a mischievous grin.
"I don't know, Siri," Anakin said. "It seems he has the right of it. That's the only reason I can see that you'd take it easy on him. It must be that you like his pretty boy looks."
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan scolded with a tired sigh while Siri's eyes narrowed at the young troublemaking Padawan.
A soft laugh drew their attention to Yoda who had walked their way.
"Perhaps see clearly, the Padawan does, hmm," Yoda said, much to Anakin's incredulous enjoyment and Siri and Obi-Wan's embarrassment.
"Master, don't encourage him," Obi-Wan nearly groaned, just knowing this would only make Anakin's teasing.
"To encourage our fellow Jedi, we should all do," Yoda said with his joyful laugh, and Obi-Wan nearly slumped knowing that Yoda was going to enjoy toying with him. "Here for young Siri, I am."
"Of course, Master," Siri said, before exchanging a slightly exasperated look with Obi-Wan, and getting a comforting brush through their bond. She truly enjoyed talking to Yoda, and valued his knowledge and wisdom, but she was tired of everyone treating her like glass, with worry or even some mistrust from some Jedi who thought she might be a bit tainted from working undercover.
Siri followed Yoda out into the halls, the ancient Master almost humming, seeming in a good mood, and Siri felt her irritation fade, as the grandmaster's infectious mood affected her.
"Hide your irritation from me, you need not," Yoda said with a chuckle, and Siri sighed in embarrassment.
She should have known better. Hiding things from Jedi Masters in general wasn't easy, but there were five people she knew she couldn't hide anything from: Yoda, Yaddle, Adi, Kastor, and Obi-Wan.
"I'm sorry, Master," Siri said. "It's just, I feel like I'm doing better in a lot of ways, but I'm not completely there, and I'm just tired of everyone treating me with caution."
"Hmm, better you are, but not completely well, not yet. One month, it has only been," Yoda said sagely, and Siri sighed. "The worry of your friends, endure you should, for they only mean well. The concern of others, dwell in your thoughts, they should not."
Siri smiled slightly at that.
"Much time, you have spent swinging a lightsaber and meditating," Yoda said. "Perhaps, complete healing, comes not from these things."
"I'm not sure I understand, Master," Siri said, confused. "I've been talking to the mind healers and Obi-Wan and Adi have helped curb some of my bad habits I gained while undercover."
"Hmm, good friends you have, and the mind healers, good they are, but not what had in mind, I did," Yoda said.
"Then, what?" Siri asked with a frown.
"Perhaps, what you need is someone to pass on what you have learned, and thus, held accountable to yourself and your student, you will be," Yoda said. "Truly heal you, only time can."
"Master, I'm hardly a person that should be taking on a Padawan," Siri protested. "Force, there's still members of the Order that wonder if I'm tainted!"
"Tainted, you are not. Committed to the Force and to the light, you are," Yoda said firmly, pointing his claw at her. "Many are there, who think a great teacher you would make. Believe this I do. However, another reason, I have. Different and yet similar to our friend, Obi-Wan, you are."
"Different and yet similar?" Siri asked, amused.
"Yes, hmm, different yet similar," Yoda said with a chuckle. "Stubborn, you both are, committed you both are. Spirited you both are. Help yourselves, by helping others, you both do. Patient, he is, while you are not. Self-sufficient, you are, while he is not."
Siri laughed at that, knowing patience wasn't her strong suit, and knowing Obi-Wan did tend to forget himself whenever he deemed something else more important, which was often when he got overly committed to a mission or if his friends were hurt.
"Take a Padawan, so soon after Qui-Gon's death, he should not have," Yoda said, "but help him, young Skywalker has. For others, work this would not have, but for Obi-Wan, it did. Perhaps, for you, it will as well."
Siri paused, thinking it through. She wasn't sure a Padawan was in the cards for the immediate future, but it didn't hurt to at least consider it and to observe some of the duels between the older initiates. She had contemplated before the possibility had become reality and doubt had set in.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Obi-Wan running moving swiftly down the corridor towards her, Anakin slightly behind him. She took one look at his concerned face and knew something was wrong.
"Kastor's coming in for an emergency landing. Medical attention required."
Siri felt worry rise up, but she controlled it, and followed Obi-Wan and Anakin as they rushed towards the main hangar. Then entered, to see the Ebon Hawk's ramp lowering and Kastor levitating Rhys out on a stretcher, where Rhys was quickly handed over to Vokara Che and one of her assistants.
She glanced at Kastor and saw a worried look on his face, but seeing her, Obi-Wan, and Anakin, he approached them.
"What happened?" Siri asked, with a frown, knowing how careful Kastor and Rhys were, despite the dangerous missions they undertook.
Kastor sighed. "One of our contacts set us up. We were checking out the lead of a possible new player in the weapons game, but our contact sold us out for a price."
"So, this was the work of bounty hunters?" Obi-Wan asked, a bit surprised, not thinking 'Calo's' reputation warranted a large bounty at the moment.
"No," Kastor said seriously. "Worse."
**The Will of the Force**
(1 day prior)
"I hate this planet," Kastor muttered, looking around at the various people around them in the city.
"Hate is not the Jedi way," Rhys teased back and Kastor rolled his eyes at his partner, even if his mood had lifted slightly.
Tibrin was a beautiful planet, with many small oceans, many coral reefs and sandbars, and a wonderful temperate environment. Cities were built on the reefs and sandbars, and the planet was very careful about environmental considerations, all things Kastor did like. The problem was that Tibrin was ruled by a murderous dictator who kept his populace in line with fear.
They'd just returned from Home Base, also known as the all but forgotten world of Odessen. They had been planning on returning to the Temple for a much needed deep dive into both of their ships, some rest and recuperation, catch up with some friends, and then were hoping to take a few missions not undercover. Before that however, they'd gotten a message from one of their admittedly more seedy contacts hinting about an extremely large stock of military grade weaponry, something they couldn't ignore, so they'd rerouted their journey and landed on Tibrin.
As an outlander, Kastor was treated courteously, due to the business and wealth he could possibly bring, and they didn't even care that he was technically an intergalactic criminal (as Calo Jurgens), so in all ways, life could be worse, but seeing how Suribran Tu treated his people always left Kastor with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Their contact, an extremely untrustworthy Ishi Tibb by the name of Kar'ak, owned a shop that was a great place to sell stolen goods. Kastor knew Kar'ak would happily betray his own mother for the right price, but he'd rather counted on his reputation as a fearsome warrior, and Kar'ak's own desire to avoid Republic authorities to keep him in check. He hadn't counted on someone other than the Republic desiring his destruction.
"Kar'ak, it's been some time," Kastor said, glancing at the man, who suddenly seemed even more nervous than before.
"Ah, C-Calo and J-Jaco, y-yes, it's been a while since you've graced me with your presence," Kar'ak said with a bow, his eyes gleaming, but his voice simpering.
"Enough with the platitudes," Rhys said coldly. "You called us about a very large supply of weapons."
"Y-yes, of course," Kar'ak said nervously. "Let me just deal with something in the back."
Kastor and Rhys exchanged glances, both feeling like something was wrong as Kar'ak disappeared into the back room from which he normally conducted his illegal business operations.
"Something's wrong, boss," Rhys murmured, and Kastor nodded, feeling it as well in the Force, compared to Rhys's sixth sense.
Any further discussion was broken by Kar'ak's return.
"Now, for t-the information," Kar'ak said nervously. "Yes, there is a new arms dealer operating. They say he can get you anything."
"They say," Rhys said slowly. "You're saying you don't know? You messaged us, told us you'd only provide your news in person, and it's nothing but a rumor?" Rhys finished dangerously.
"N-now, hold on," Kar'ak said with his hands up. "I h-have a contact who can get a hold of him, with enough time. I misspoke. He can- he can get anything! Anything you would desire, from blasters to explosives and flechettes and launchers. Even bio weapons!"
"What's the arms dealer's name?" Kastor asked with narrowed eyes.
A new arms dealer in the game was something that the rest of the Order might not be tracking yet, and it was important to shut someone like that down as soon as they could. This could be a large-scale Shadow team infiltration operation if the arms dealer was new enough.
Kar'ak licked his lips, and glanced between them and looked at the doorway. "Now, a name's a powerful thing, a-and he don't like his getting said out loud. What are you going to give me to make my risk worth it?"
Rhys and Kastor exchanged glances.
"We'll use you as our broker for all deals with him, and thus you'll get a cut of each exchange," Kastor finally offered.
Kar'ak frowned. "10,000 credits and I act as your broker."
"This name better be worth something," Rhys said with a glare, starting to pull out the credits.
Kar'ak licked his lips greedily, his eyes counting the credits as they piled up on the table in front of him.
"Oh it is," Kar'ak said as his comlink started beeping. "He's the most important man on this planet," and Kar'ak's eyes glinted, "and your new jailer!"
Kar'ak ducked as blaster bolts blew through the window, one of them winging Rhys, who rolled away while Kastor rolled under the bolts and jumped behind the counter where Kar'ak had taken shelter.
"I'm going to make a fortune for killing you!" Kar'ak shrieked from his crouched position, pulling a blaster.
Kastor drew his quicker and shot the Ishi Tibb in the chest, dropping him to a slump, as he gasped in shock and pain, mortally wounded.
"Jaco!" Kastor called, sensing his friend's distress and life, but unsure how bad it was.
"I'm fine," Rhys called back and then he dived over the counter as another volley of blaster fire came through the front window. His face looked a bit pale, and Kastor could see blood pouring from his right shoulder, but otherwise seemed okay. His blaster was drawn, and his eyes held a fierce determination, and he was stuffing the credits they'd paid Kar'ak back into his jacket.
"Why, Kar'ak?" Kastor demanded of the dying man.
"T-the price on your head," he gasped back, before the light left his eyes.
'Price on my head?' Kastor thought in confusion. While there was a slight reward for information leading to his capture by the Republic, it was hardly anything that anyone in Kar'ak's line of work would be tempted by. It was what the Order had convinced the Republic to put on him to help his cover.
"Calo, we need to find the back door and get back to the Razer," Rhys said. "I'd say we're blasting our way out of here if Suribran Tu is trying to collect your bounty. Must be one hell of a bounty if the dictator of a planet is trying to grab it."
"I've got a better idea," Kastor said, and pulled out his lightsaber and quickly cut through the back wall, making an opening they could crawl through. They found themselves in a back alley and swiftly started moving back in the direction of the landing pad, with Rhys chucking a small explosive onto the wall they'd just cut to help cover the evidence of a lightsaber when a voice cried out, "They're getting away!"
Kastor and Rhys turned to see three of Suribran's corrupt guards making their way down the alley towards them, blasters out. Rhys and Kastor both raised their blasters and opened fire, downing two of the guards, and forcing the third to jump behind a dumpster, near the wall they had cut through, and Rhys's explosive finally went off, engulfing the last guard in a ball of flame.
The duo turned and ran, Kastor leading, using the Force to guide him through various alleyways and side streets as they tried to outrun their various pursuers, exchanging fire as needed. They reached the landing pad only to find it a battleground of its own.
Apparently, guards had tried to breach the ship, likely to add it to Suribran's personal collection, but in doing so had tripped the anti-personnel turret which lowered and had killed three guards before the rest could flee to cover.
There were six guards exchanging fire with the ship, while another three were setting up a turret, one that would easily damage or destroy the Ebon Hawk.
"Oh no you don't," Kastor swore, as he and Rhys started blasting while they were running, taking out the three setting up the turret and forcing the six trying to take on the anti-personnel turret to scatter to avoid their fire, which put them back in sight of the turret which gunned down another guard as Kastor and Rhys ran by as quick as they could.
As they were starting to board, another volley of fire came their way, and Rhys took one in the right side of his lower back, gasping in pain as he stumbled forward. Kastor quickly caught him, and helped him keep moving up the ramp as he returned one last burst of shots.
"Get to the kriffing med bay!" Kastor ordered as he ran for the cockpit, hearing the blaster bolts hitting the hull of his ship. He hopped into the cockpit and quickly powered everything on, making sure the shields came on first, just in the nick of time as the guards, with reinforcements, managed to get a turret up.
Kastor gunned the Ebon Hawk into the air as the lower gun started opening up on the guards firing on them, and Kastor inwardly cursed Rhys's stubbornness, knowing he needed to be in the med bay, not in the turret.
Kastor turned the ship and gunned it, sending the ship forward with speed, zipping through the atmosphere.
"Scrappy, set coordinates for Coruscant," he ordered the astromech, who immediately zipped over to the navigation charts and started entering the coordinates.
"Soaring Razer, turn around now and surrender or be destroyed," a pompous, snide voice came through the comms, and four small snub interceptors appeared on his scanners.
"Fat chance," Kastor murmured to himself, taking the Ebon Hawk through a spin and avoiding the shots that had come without giving him time to respond. They were obviously taking his reputation seriously, a good thing, but also rather unfortunate. He really enjoyed it when people underestimated him and Rhys.
"How long, Scrap?" Kastor asked, taking his ship through defensive movements, and getting a response of thirty more seconds.
Kastor continued to put the Ebon Hawk through its paces, easily outflying the four interceptor pilots who were trying to keep up with the Force's aid, and as soon as he got the signal, he made the jump to lightspeed.
**The Will of the Force**
(Present Time)
"So you have a price on your head, large enough for the dictator of a planet to try and apprehend you?" Siri clarified calmly, but inside she was alarmed. A price on his head wasn't something to take lightly.
"So it seems," Kastor grumbled. "Not sure why, though. I've been relatively quiet, other than hitting the Colicoid's ships on the Kessel Run for Krayn, and Force knows they won't hold a grudge now that the attacks have stopped and I could bring their actions out to the public, which will hurt them in the Senate."
"Who else could hold a grudge?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I'm really not sure, Obi-Wan," Kastor replied. "Ever since Siri went undercover, most of my 'Calo' missions have been in the service of Krayn, and smugglers won't hold that much of a grudge, nor do I think they could raise the funds enough to tempt a murderous dictator. The Colicoids are too frugal to offer that sum of money, and other than that, I've been Kastor Shan, a member of the Jedi Order, working that mission with you and Anakin and then I've worked a few other missions here and there. Nothing that would get a large price on my head, at least nothing I can think of."
"Well, you might want to try and figure it out," Plo Koon's deep rumbling voice came from behind and they turned as he walked up to them, and with him was Kastor's fellow Jedi Shadow, and friend of Siri and Obi-Wan, Taria Damsin. "I was going to message you when your call came in. One of my contacts alerted me to a large bounty placed on you. The poster is unknown, but the bounty is for 5 million credits."
All four Jedi's eyes widened in shock at the absolute absurd amount. That was quite a large sum for a person of 'Calo's' station.
"Shavit, you could fund a brand new top of the line cruiser for that much," Kastor said. "I might actually have to watch my back."
"From here too," Siri said playfully, trying to bring some levity to the situation. "Retiring on a nice beach somewhere sounds really nice some days."
Obi-Wan sighed, while Anakin grinned. Kastor's eyes narrowed. Taria whistled appreciatively.
"Siri, you better have bigger dreams than tanning in the sun on a beach somewhere if you turn me in. I expect better."
Siri grinned.
"I'm very sorry, dad. I'll work on a better way to spend the money I make after turning you in," Siri said seriously.
"Good," Kastor said approvingly, the slightest twitch of his lips showing he was fighting a grin.
"Don't worry, Siri," Taria assured her friend. "We can exchange notes and figure out exactly what to use his bounty for."
Siri grinned wickedly.
"As long as the rest of us are cut in, I don't think there will be too many complaints," Plo said. "Master Windu in particular might actually look forward to an influx of credits and a removal of one of his annoyances."
"I don't need to take this from you all," Kastor said mock primly. "I've got a partner in the medical wing, so if I want to get mocked, I might as well let Vokara do it while I'm making sure Rhys isn't milking the attention for all he can."
"She'll definitely have something to say," Obi-Wan muttered, and the rest of them chuckled at Obi-Wan's sour face, knowing they were all going to follow Kastor into the Halls of Healing to check up on Rhys.
"And Rhys will definitely be milking the attention," Taria added.
**The Will of the Force**
"You ready to get out of here?" Siri asked.
"You have no idea!" Rhys responded enthusiastically. "I know Kas and Master Che are friends, but I swear, I'd rather get shot again then deal with her stern looks."
"Then you'd just end up back here under her rancor-like glares," Siri responded with a grin.
"I know, it's a vicious cycle," Rhys said glumly.
Siri laughed. "Vokara takes her patient's health very seriously. You're in good company though. Obi-Wan is scared to death of her too."
"Which is really saying something considering . . ." Rhys muttered, eyeing Siri, and Siri's eyes narrowed at him.
"You really want to stay here, don't you Dallows?"
Rhys laughed. "Not at all. I've just learned to live very dangerously while working with Kas. So, how are you doing little sister?"
Siri rolled her eyes.
"I'm older than you Dallows," she said.
"I'm bigger than you, Tachi," he responded with a mischievous grin, and she couldn't help but laugh, and he smiled pleased with himself.
"I'm mostly fine," Siri said with a shrug. "Kastor's started teaching me the basics to Form VII, even if he's a bit wary to do so, so I've been busy. I'd be more fine if I didn't have half of my friends in the Healing Wing for being fools," she said blithely, and Rhys grimaced.
"I saw them rush Taria through here," he said, and she nodded and sighed.
"She's always been stubborn. It's my fault too," Siri added with a groan. "She wanted to spar, and I should have said no, but she knows exactly how to rile me up. She always has. We just pushed too hard and it triggered a response from her disease."
"Yeah, she still had blood coming out of her eyes and nose when she was rushed by," he said glumly.
"Like I said," Siri said. "Stubborn. She is determined to do what she wants until she finally passes, and I admire her for it, but that doesn't mean I, nor Obi-Wan, nor you, Kastor, Quinlan, Force knows who else, and all the initiates she has taught want to see her time come already. She doesn't need to overexert herself to continue to be a Jedi."
"She's a Shadow, and she's a damn good one," Rhys said with a shrug. "You know what she's like. She won't let her disease stop her from doing what she's good at and what she enjoys."
"I know, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating," Siri muttered.
"So, I hear you've been thinking of getting yourself a little sprog," Rhys said after a moment.
"We call them Padawans, as you very well know, and I'm not sure yet," Siri retorted.
"That's not how Obi tells it. Or Kastor. Or Taria," Rhys said with a smirk.
"You really need to stop listening to all of them. They're terrible influences who know nothing," Siri said sagely.
Rhys laughed again. "So tell me about this Padawan that you're not sure about yet."
Siri sighed. "His name is Ferus Olin."
. . . .
"Is that all I get?" Rhys asked with a chuckle.
"No, it's just . . ." Siri sighed again. "He's an older initiate, closing in on fourteen. Honestly, he's only got a few months before he'd either leave the Order or go to one of the Service Corps."
"So, what's his problem?" Rhys asked. "Why hasn't he been chosen yet?"
"He's powerful," Siri said. "He's committed, bright, and quite gifted."
"So . . . those aren't reasons to not be chosen," Rhys commented.
"I'm getting there," Siri scolded. "He takes himself very seriously, perhaps too seriously. In some ways, he's like I used to be and how Obi-Wan used to be. He's trying too hard to be the 'perfect Padawan'. He'll struggle to think outside the box without approval."
"Aren't there a great many stuffy Jedi who would love a Padawan like that?" Rhys asked, a bit confused.
Siri laughed. "Yes, I'm sure there are. They say the Apprentice chooses the Master, but few turn down the first Master to ask them to be their Padawan, which means much of it is really on the Master to feel in the Force whether they feel that they would be a good fit for the Padawan."
"I see," Rhys said. "So, despite this kid's talent, nobody seems to feel in the Force or in themselves that they would be a good fit."
Siri sighed again. "No one before me, that is."
"You feel the Force's approval, and yet you're unsure?" Rhys said in surprise. It was rare for Siri to be unsure, at least as long as he'd known her.
"I feel the Force's approval, and I do think I could be a good fit for him and he for me. In some ways, he's like I was. He takes himself very seriously, and is very by the book. Perhaps too much so. On the other hand, as I said, he reminds me a bit of Obi-Wan when he was younger, trying so hard to be the 'perfect Padawan' to please Qui-Gon, since Obi-Wan had been so worried that he would never be a Jedi Knight."
"So, you understand this kid," Rhys said in understanding. "You perhaps even know how to help him become the Jedi he could be. So why are you unsure?"
"Because taking a Padawan is a big responsibility," Siri said in a huff. "Obi-Wan's doing well, especially when you consider how impressive but impulsive Anakin is, but I'm not sure I will do as well. I'm newly Knighted, and I've spent the last two and a half years mostly undercover, almost two of those as an outcast from the Order. I just don't know if I'm ready for a Padawan! I'm still trying to reintegrate myself back into the Order afterall."
"Well, I'm not going to pretend like I know what that's like and obviously I didn't know you back then, but I can at least ask, what have Obi-Wan and Kastor said on it? Adi?"
Siri rolled her eyes. "Oh, they're supportive of whatever I want to do, of course. Though Adi did say she was just hoping I'd find someone who'd be as much of a handful for me as I was for her, which was rather rude," Siri said primly. "Obi-Wan has offered up his experiences with Anakin, which have helped, but I know that Ferus is going to be the complete opposite of Anakin, so it only helps so much. Kastor just tells me to follow the will of the Force, 'unless I don't want to, in which case I should just do that,'" Siri finished, mimicking Kastor's way of talking.
Rhys laughed. "That's a pretty good imitation. Well, it sounds like you just have to find your belief in your own abilities, abilities I might point out helped bring down a massive slaving and piracy empire."
"I'm not sure that's what I need to be teaching him," Siri remarked before sincerely adding, "but your point is noted. Thank you."
Rhys smiled. "Anytime, sis."
Two weeks later, Siri Tachi took Ferus Olin as her Padawan learner.
**The Will of the Force**
"I don't know why you continue to try and bounce your ideas off of me. It's not my intended function and thus I cannot truly help you," Satele said.
"Huh, I never would have figured that out," Kastor replied sarcastically, getting a sigh from the gatekeeper.
"You are as impetuous and irritating now as you were as a Padawan," Satele responded.
"Admit it," Kastor replied. "You missed me after I disappeared."
"That information is not within my faculties to say," Satele responded and Kastor snorted.
"You're full of shavit, sis," Kastor said, and Satele sighed again.
"You really should be resting," Satele said. "You have been pushing yourself too hard."
"How is it that you managed to impart your overbearing concern into your gatekeeper?" Kastor inquired.
"Because you made it an integral part of my personality," Satele responded back snidely. "I had no choice but to be concerned about you since you had no concern for yourself. It drove Elena mad."
Kastor chuckled knowing it was true. Satele was right of course. The holocron wasn't necessarily the best source to bounce ideas off of, she only being able to help so much, but his sister's personality shined through, and it was comforting. Besides, he had other sources to actually get ideas from. Satele was more just a place for him to find some comfort while sifting through his thoughts.
"She's right, you know. You need to rest," Adi's voice cut Kastor's focus and he glanced up to see his old friend entering the main hold of the Ebon Hawk. He shut down Satele's holocron and looked at her.
"I have been," Kastor said with a frown.
"Not really. You've rested more than I think you have in a long time, but still, your mind is focused elsewhere. You're thinking about the next thing already, and Rhys was just released from Vokara's care. This is your first extended visit to the Temple in ages. You just keep going from mission to mission."
"Too focused on the future, you are," Yoda's voice said, and Kastor glanced behind Adi to see Yoda, Mace, Obi-Wan, Plo, Siri, and Rhys all making their way onto his ship and into the main hold with him.
Kastor was fairly confident in his survival skills, and right now, everything in him was telling him that he was not going to enjoy this conversation.
"I don't think I've ever seen him look this trapped," Rhys said in amusement, and he received scowls from Mace and Adi, but grins from Obi-Wan and Siri, and Kastor could sense the amusement in Yoda and Plo.
"Time and place, Dallows," Adi said with a sigh. "Kastor, we're all here because we're concerned."
"For various reasons," Mace said, with a partial grumble. "You've been spending most of your time undercover, you're seizing large sums of credits, and stealing droids. Most importantly, you seem to be pulling away from the Order, or at least that is how many of the younger Knights and Padawans see it. Some of the Masters wonder if you ever really joined our modern Order."
Kastor frowned in concern at that. He certainly didn't want his fellow Jedi to think he was pulling away from them or not one of them.
"Worried, the Council is not," Yoda said reassuringly, "though some of the members do wonder what actions you are taking, knowing what you said when first you stood before us."
"As much as I trust in the wisdom of the Council, I still do not wish my plans to become Council knowledge or general knowledge in the Order," Kastor said firmly.
"Know this we do," Yoda said with a nod.
"We're not here to force you to confide in the Council, nor are we here to question your motives," Plo said. "We merely wish to try and convince you to slow down, to focus more on the present and worry less about the future."
"I intended to, now that Krayn's empire is through," Kastor admitted. "I got what I needed from that mission that I thought I'd be able to focus more on the 'here and now', as Qui-Gon used to say, but this bounty that's been placed on me concerns me."
"It does us as well," Mace said. "We feel that your cover needs to go underground for the time being, rather than draw out your enemy. We feel it is better to observe what happens when 'Calo Jurgens' disappears. Will the bounty shrink, or will it rise?"
"Your experience as a Shadow, of great help it has been, but your skill as a Master, of greater need have we," Yoda said.
"Boss, we're in a good place," Rhys said. "We can afford to slow down. You can afford to slow down."
Kastor glanced around at his closest friends, a few of whom he considered family, and he sighed and nodded. "Very well. I'll stay above ground, and for the foreseeable future, Calo Jurgens is gone, and Kastor Shan is here."
All around he saw pleased smiles, so he couldn't exactly feel too bad about being pressured into making a decision.
"I'll continue to have my contacts look into the bounty," Plo assured him. "If I find out anything, or if I need help, I'll let you know."
Kastor nodded appreciatively.
"Now, onto your request about mandating how we use the funds liberated from Krayn's empire," Mace said. "We have decided to heed your request. We're going to use the funds for new starfighters for the Order, even if the Senate will not be pleased."
"Created a contract with the Kuat Shipyards, we have," Yoda said. "Help Jedi conduct their duties, this will, while also helping to prepare for war, should it come. Ecstatic, Master Rhara was."
Kastor smiled grimly at that, pleased that the Council was taking his advice and were even preparing for the war, though another part of him was sad, for he knew the Council would only do that if they believed the war was coming. In the time Kastor had been gone, Yoda, among others, must have received more visions or sensed the darkness rising.
"Thank you, Masters," Kastor said with a respectful nod.
Mace, Plo, and Yoda returned the nod, and then gave their farewells before leaving the ship, leaving Adi, Siri, Obi-Wan, and Rhys.
"It's time for you to tell them, Kastor," Adi finally said, and he glanced at his friend before taking a look at the two younger Knights, seeing the nervousness, but also the determination.
Kastor sighed. "I'm not sure I agree, but I can tell that I'm outvoted on this."
Siri and Obi-Wan nodded, and Rhys leaned back against the wall, showcasing his decision to listen to Kastor's explanation, even if he already knew most if not all of it.
"I'm not going to tell you everything," Kastor said, and held up his hands to stop the protests he saw already forming. "Simply because there are things that already have lost their relevance, and there are other visions that have no context, and thus provide no guidance, merely worry. Now, I told you both that I foresaw a galactic war."
Obi-Wan and Siri both nodded.
"Now, keep in mind that I saw many visions, and it was easy for me to see that many of them were different possible outcomes, alternate timelines," Kastor said. "However, in many . . . in most of my visions, I saw the Order falling. I saw the Temple in flames, Jedi dying to strange enemies that I couldn't see. The survivors went into hiding, but many were hunted down . . . hunted down by beings wielding red lightsabers."
"Like the Sith warrior," Obi-Wan muttered.
Kastor nodded. "I don't know if they were Sith or simply acolytes or maybe even fallen or converted Jedi. What I do know is that survivors were hunted. Even in the small glimpses I had, it was easy to sense that most of the survivors were found."
Kastor saw the horror he felt reflected on their faces. They'd had some time to come to terms with it, but hearing it again didn't make it any better.
"You didn't outright say it, but I assumed that I did not survive the purge," Siri said quietly after a moment, and Obi-Wan grimaced, shooting a concerned look at both Kastor and Siri.
"Some of my visions were of futures where you two had opened and committed to your bond, and some were of futures where you'd stayed mostly closed off or completely closed off," Kastor said, before he continued hesitantly. "In all of the futures where you were apart . . . no, Siri, you did not survive the Purge. I saw you fall several different ways. Some were during the war . . . and several were in the Temple during the Fall."
"What about Obi-Wan?" Siri asked, and Kastor glanced at Obi-Wan, seeing resignation. Kastor suspected he could feel it, and he didn't like it even if he accepted it.
"No matter what vision I saw, Obi-Wan survived the purge, at least in all the visions where we had any hope," Kastor said, which revealed the existence of futures where there was no hope. "He seems to be the Force's chosen guardian for this future hope I've seen. I foresaw him in exile on a desert planet, and it seemed to be for many years before he eventually sacrificed himself to a darksider that felt like a Sith, letting a bright light in the Force escape. After his passing, I couldn't see much, though I could sense that hope was alive and a new age was ready to begin."
"What about when we were together?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Some of the same outcomes occurred," Kastor admitted, "but there are also other possibilities. In some of them, Siri survived the purge and joined you in exile on the desert planet. In some you both hid elsewhere. There were other possibilities, but you get the point. I saw that in some of those futures you had many years of happiness before both seemingly becoming key players in the rebellion that rises up and perhaps even surviving through to see the new Jedi Order, while in others you still passed well before that, but still had years of happiness before you both made your sacrifices for the future. I don't know how or why, but I know darkness is coming, and I want to try and prepare for what may happen. My visions don't really give much guidance on a path forward for any of us. As you know, visions are not something that should be followed literally anyway, lest we cause them. I don't even know if your situation has any bearing on the Order's fate, which is why I don't want you to feel that pressure. I just want you to be ready for what you might face when your time comes."
Siri and Obi-Wan nodded slowly, seeing why Kastor worked so tirelessly.
"Where do you play into your visions? Into these futures?" Siri asked.
"I didn't see myself in many of them," Kastor said. "I rarely do. I generally take it to mean, and have usually been right, in that these visions are of what could happen should I not interfere. Perhaps my being present is what allows Siri to survive the Purge or her other possible deaths, regardless of you Obi-Wan, but perhaps that's only because I take her place," Kastor said with a shrug. "I saw several possible deaths for myself, and I did see myself present at various points of time in the visions. I take it to mean that my story is fluid, and I might exit this narrative at any time based on the Force's will, which means I need to take advantage of what time I have."
Silence fell between the group as Obi-Wan and Siri processed hearing it all laid out, and Adi and Rhys quietly let the two not in the know ponder their questions.
"What preparations are you doing?" Obi-Wan finally said. "What are your plans?"
"Create several outposts that can hide Jedi or our allies, bases that we can eventually strike from when the eventual rebellion grows," Kastor said. "Gather the funds needed to survive and fight back. Recruit or find possible allies. Acquire ships, supplies, munitions, and weapons that we'll need to help us survive or fight. My primary goal, of course, is to prevent the purge, but barring that, my goal is to help the greatest number of Jedi survive the purge as possible. After that, my goal will be to help them survive the hunters and then be around to help this 'new hope' with the rebellion and possibly even rebuilding the Order down the line, should I survive that long."
"You have locations?" Siri asked.
Kastor nodded. "Home base is a former stronghold of the Order: Odessen. Like Ilum, the Order has kept its location out of the Archives. I still am looking to see if there are any maps to it elsewhere, but so far, neither I or Rhys have found anything. We plan to put outposts on Ahch-To, Dxun, Tython, Illum, and Lehon. I've also thought about Dantooine, Jedha, Ossus, Tanalorr, and Telos."
"Those are all planets that are important in the Order's history. Many even had or have Temples currently on them," Siri pointed out.
"Correct," Kastor said. "While that could draw our enemies, the fact remains that almost all those planets are nexuses in the Force, and thus provide natural shielding from detection by enemy Force users, and all have large quantities of life, meaning scanners won't be able to detect us either. It will be easy to hide, and if our outposts are away from where the Temples were built, our enemies might not even check. Ahch-To, Tanalorr, Tython, and Odessen are all but forgotten. Illum is only known to Jedi, Ossus is still undeveloped since recovering from the damage thousands of years ago, even if it is habitable, and Dxun has little to no population, removing much chance of anyone reporting on our activities, and we'd be close enough to Onderon for supplies. Plus, a planet like Illum needs to be protected. Too much harm can be done if the kyber crystals were mined. This gives us locations removed from everything, but also a few within striking distance of key systems. Many of these systems are also in pockets of space that are hard to access, which should also help keep hunters away. I'm also looking for remote and uninhabitable systems to emplace space stations at for other places to live or logistics hubs to support our bases and other allies as needed."
Kastor went on to explain the steps he had already taken, the droids he had acquired, the funds he had invested, and explained what still needed to happen, giving Obi-Wan and Siri a clear picture, and providing Adi with a full idea of everything Kastor had done. When he was done, he stayed quiet, waiting for any last questions.
"Thank you for telling us this," Obi-Wan said, finally. "I can see why you didn't want to reveal everything before, but thank you for trusting us now."
"It was never a matter of trust," Kastor said firmly. "I just didn't want to burden you both before your time, nor did I want you to feel pressured for a relationship or a friendship if you didn't find it worked for you, for the future should play no part in your bond."
"Still, thank you," Siri said, echoing Obi-Wan. "Now, though, it's time for you to be the Jedi Master we need you to be. The mentor others need you to be. Help us now, and trust in the Force that things will work out."
Kastor smiled, amused that she was throwing a variation of his own words back at him, and he nodded.
"Alright, kiddo. I'll trust in the Force," Kastor vowed, knowing the Force had been urging him on, but had relaxed after the investments. Still, it was good advice, and it wouldn't hurt to put more of his effort into the Order as it was now, and not as it might one day be.