SW 8
In spite of the instructions that she'd just been given, Talon sat there at the informal briefing table in stunned disbelief. To her, it seemed as if everything that she knew to be an immutable fact had turned out to be a lie. Instead of killing her, as Darth Magus had taught her they would, the Jedi had taken her in, helped her, and now had actually accepted her.
In the short time that she'd been among these Jedi, they'd given her many things, a name, clothing, as much food as she wanted, the privilege to carry a lightsaber, private quarters, and now she even had her own Master. She was not just a student, but an apprentice. An apprentice! Never had she dared dream or even aspire of attaining such an exalted rank. On Korriban, among the Sith, she'd always been considered just above a failure, one who was only kept alive because of her saber skills. It had all happened too fast, too suddenly, and never would she have dared to dream that such things were even possible. One minute she was fighting the most intense battle of her life to escape from the most dangerous creatures Korriban had to offer, the next she was in the hands of the Jedi who were the eternal enemy of all Sith, and now she was to be trained to become one of these Jedi. The speed with which all these changes had occurred left her reeling in a state of total shock.
Talon was startled out of her bewildered thoughts when she sensed someone reaching towards her. She glanced up at the concerned face of Tionne as the Jedi placed a hand on her shoulder before she looked back down at the table.
"Talon? Is there something wrong?" Tionne asked her.
"Darth... Darth Magus always... always told me that... that I wasn't worthy of having a lightsaber or a name, and now..." Talon's voice trailed off as her mind continued to whirl from the sudden and unexpected changes in her life.
"I suppose it is a rather big change, isn't it? Don't worry Talon. It might take some time, but you'll get used to it eventually. For now, you really should follow Master Cilghal's instructions and go to the cafeteria to wait for her." Tionne reassured the girl.
Talon nodded her head and slid out of the chair to head towards the cafeteria. As she walked out of the Council chambers, Talon was jerked out of her daze by the sudden cacophony caused by the countless number of sentient minds on Corruscant. She tried to focus herself in an effort to push those unwelcome thoughts from her mind, but had no success. She knew that she needed time to think, to try understanding what was now happening in her life. She was so filled with the unbelievability of it all, and at the same time so distracted by the constant noise in her mind, that she couldn't recall having resumed her seat in the cafeteria. She was brought to awareness of the fact when Kirana sat down at the table with her. Talon knew that the Jedi was looking at her intently, watching her, studying her, but wasn't certain as to why.
As Kirana stared at the girl in front of her she was looking for certain clues, subtle signs of an evil taint within. Skin as pale white as the finest artisan's porcelain showed no signs of broken vessels, nor was there any of the deathly coloration associated with sinister intentions while using the Force. Instead there was only a rich golden yellow glow centered in the girl's eyes.
Kirana studied Talon for several minutes while mentally reviewing everything she'd ever learned about the visible signs which depicted the taint of evil within another user of the Force. She finally realized that what she saw sitting in front of her was an anomaly, an anathema, because the only sign of darkness in the girl was the discoloration of her eyes. Kirana knew that if the girl was truly evil, then there should be other physical manifestations of it, but there weren't any.
Kirana saw the girl flinch as she reached out through the Force to see what stirred within the girl's heart, and because of that, she fully expected to find what she was searching for. What she sensed from Talon was nervousness, apprehension, uncertainty, guilt, and fear. There was no hatred, or anger. There were no feelings of animosity or hostility from the girl, but there was pain.
The Dathomir native didn't realize that she had actually entered Talon's mind until the mind numbing, body wracking levels of pain cut through her like a lightsaber. As the Jedi pulled away from the unintentional contact, she came to the realization that the pain she'd experienced wasn't the result of an attack or an attempt at self defense from an unwanted invasion of the mind, but rather it was pain that the girl was feeling at that moment. Pain of the body, the mind, the soul, and the spirit. The pain of a life that had endured torment beyond measure, and somehow survived.
Kirana stared at Talon in horror. How anyone could hurt that much, both physically and mentally, and not be reduced to a sobbing wreck was something she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Using the Force Kirana quickly sent a summons to Master Cilghal, before turning her attention back to Talon. Uncertain as to how to find out exactly what she wanted, she finally decided to simply ask for what she wanted to know.
"Are you Sith?" Kirana asked softly.
A single nod of the girl's head was her only response, and the Jedi noted that Talon never took her eyes off the table.
Kirana's mind flashed back to the sight of Talon standing over the unconscious Kaldin. As the scene played out in her mind's eye, Kirana could see details that she'd missed when it had actually happened and she knew that Talon had adopted a stance and position that would allow her to hold her ground for as long as it took. The girl's actions hadn't been those of a Sith, and it was with that in mind that she asked her next question. "Why are you here, if you are Sith?"
"To become a Jedi." Talon answered softly.
Kirana leaned forward and waited until the girl glanced up at her before she spoke. "Then you have chosen the right path." She said with a smile.
Talon stared at the Jedi in front of her stupidly. She'd heard both the words and the tone in the Jedi's voice, but what truly stunned her was what she felt through the Force. It was something that she'd once felt from Darth Magus and occasionally from some of the other Masters on Korriban, and it hadn't been directed at her, but instead at one of the Wielders who had just cut loose with a particularly fierce blast of Force lightning. What she felt was approval.
Throughout her entire life, Talon had struggled to put forth her best efforts for her Masters back on Korriban, but never once had she received their praise. Never once had she been given their approval. Not even her formidable saber skills that few could match or compete with, had ever gained any praise or approval.
These Jedi seemed so different from what she and the others had been taught. Not only had mind boggling opportunities been handed to her, but twice now, twice she'd been given praise when she wasn't exactly sure what she'd done to earn it. Once again, Talon couldn't help but wonder what her life might have been like had she lived here instead of Korriban. With a start, Talon realized that the Jedi was still watching her intently, and she looked up to see what the Jedi wanted.
"I'm sorry that I didn't have the time to thank you earlier, but I will now. Thank you for helping Kaldin. He might have been killed if you hadn't put yourself at risk to protect him. If you don't mind my asking, how long have you been taking lessons in lightsaber combat?" Kirana said sincerely.
"I don't know. I think the first thing I can remember is being really cold while standing in line waiting to be handed my first short training saber. I know Darth Magus had taken some things away from us, but I don't know what it was. He told us that we would learn the art of lightsaber combat or we would die by his hand. One of the students complained about being cold and he killed them with Force lightning. That was when I knew that he wanted to kill all of us. So I learned how to be better than he was, but he didn't like that either. He hated all of us no matter how much we learned or how hard we tried. I know that I was a lot smaller then, because I wasn't even as tall as his belt." Talon answered softly without looking up from the table.
"How old were you when this happened?" Kirana asked curiously.
"I don't know." Talon answered.
That reply brought a whole slew of questions to the Jedi's mind, but before she could ask any of those questions, she became aware that someone was approaching her from behind by the shift in Talon's gaze as the girl looked up at them.
"Mind if we join you?" A voice asked from behind her.
Kirana turned to see Leia accompanied by four council members as she approached the table. "Not at all. Perhaps you can help me find out a little more about Talon here. I've been trying to talk to her, but she seems on edge for some reason. She also seems to be in a lot of pain as well."
"Talon, has your leg started hurting you?" Cilghal asked quickly.
Talon shook her head slightly in answer.
"Were you hit by any of the remotes while you were defending Kaldin?" The healer countered.
"There wasn't enough of them to hit me, but I've never tried to keep someone else from getting hit, and I'm not sure if I did it right." Talon answered shaking her head.
"Don't worry about it Talon, you did just fine, but we need to know if you're hurting, and why." Leia said as she sat down to the right of Kirana.
Leia watched as Talon's gaze slid even lower than it had been, and she realized that Talon only did such things when she didn't really want to answer a question. With that in mind she held up her left hand to hold off any further questions while she spoke again.
"Talon. Why are you hurting?" Leia asked firmly.
"Because punishments are supposed to hurt." She whispered fearfully.
"Mark me for a fool!" Cilghal burst out angrily. "Talon when was the last time you were punished with Force lightning?" She demanded as her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"It was my fault... I knew not to disarm him in a training session." Talon protested softly.
"Tell me when." Cilghal demanded not letting it go.
"The... The day before the Guardians ate everyone." Talon whispered plaintively.
"Please, excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back." Cilghal said as she left the cafeteria hurriedly.
Talon's eyes remained focused on the healer as she left. She could sense anger, and something else that she couldn't define emanating from the healer, but she knew that both emotions had something to do with her. She knew that the Jedi at the table were staring at her, watching her, but she wasn't about to ask why. She could sense that most of them were in a fairly good mood, and in her experience that didn't bode well for anyone. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as Master Leia sat down, followed by Masters Sebatyne, Katarn, and Tionne.
"Am I to understand that you were punished for disarming your instructor?" Kirana asked curiously.
Talon nodded her head cautiously.
The Dathomir Jedi shook her head in confusion. "What, no... Why would you even have an instructor given the level of skill that I saw you using?"
"I'll answer that one for you." Master Katarn spoke up. "Her Sith Master was determined to humiliate her one day and made her use a saberstaff in each hand. The first time it happened, things went exactly as he planned, but after that, well... she had time to figure things out and eventually developed a Jar Kai version of saberstaff combat. She calls it the Whirlus Form, and my guess is that's what they were training in. He wasn't actually teaching her. She was teaching him. He just wanted to learn everything he could from her before he killed her." Master Katarn finished with a shake of his head. "With saber skills like hers, it probably won't be long before they put her in a class with us as her students!"
"From the way she just stood there, holding her ground while protecting Kaldin, it was like she wasn't going to give up no matter what, so that doesn't surprise me. I'm just glad that Kaldin's still alive after those remotes malfunctioned like that." Kirana said in a relieved tone.
"The techs will figure that one out, and find out why it went haywire like that. I want some answers on that one." Kyle muttered determinedly.
"You aren't the only one Master Katarn. That remote should have shut down when Kaldin's lightsaber deactivated, again when he fell to the floor, and still again when everyone was out of range, and then a fourth time when Talon struck it while fending them off. She had to physically disable that remote before it ceased its attack." Kirana stated angrily.
"I tried not to damage it." Talon said in a near whisper.
"That's something you don't have to worry about, Talon. You did what needed to be done, and you did just fine." Leia told her easily.
"So, Master Solo. What's going to be the first thing on the agenda for your new apprentice?" Kyle asked her with a grin while changing the subject.
"Well, a lot will depend on what Cilghal wants to let her do, but I thought I'd give her the rest of today to acclimate to the Order before I start tossing her into a bunch of classes. I also want to know about any other skills she's got besides those that involve combat." Leia answered seriously. "She doesn't have a clue about how we do things here, and that's what she needs to learn. I don't want her trying to shove an entire meal in her mouth at once, and I don't want her going around expecting to be tortured or killed for the slightest mistake. What she endured on Korriban will not be a part of her life here, and I'm going to see to that."
"That reminds me. Nice work on the lessons in table manners. She wouldn't even touch a sandwich, until Ben and I showed her how to eat it." Kyle replied with a grin.
"I forgot about the finger foods, but I'll work on that at a later time. For now, she knows the basics, and that's what counts." Leia replied.
Although she was listening to every word that was spoken, and who had said it, Talon was more than partly distracted by what she was sensing through the Force. Emotions from those at the table, along with those she was unable to see, were flooding through her mind, as were her own emotions. Shock and bewilderment vied with the feelings from countless others, as Talon tried to understand how all of this had happened. She felt a strong sense of calm emanating from her Master's mind, and she tried to grab on to that presence as if those emotions were an anchor.
Talon had often experienced a storm of emotional chaos while on Korriban, but it had all centered around a few select emotions. Here, there was a confusing madhouse of torrential emotions that she couldn't ignore as she had while back on Korriban, there was far too much interference from too many minds for her to do that. She understood that these Jedi considered her saber skills to be impressive, and that some of them wanted to learn those saber skills, but how would they treat her when they had them? Would they be like Darth Magus, and want to kill her after learning everything she had to offer? Would they toss her aside and expel her from the order, or would they do exactly what she had been taught they would, and kill her as a Sith?
Never before had Talon bothered to think about her future. She hadn't done so because whatever prospects she'd been able to foresee had always been bleak, and devoid of anything except more torment and suffering. Now, she was sure that her future contained much of the same, except for the fact that she'd been made an apprentice.
An apprentice: a younger member assigned to a specific Master for the purpose of learning the ways and uses of the Force: A coveted rank that aptly illustrates the potential, and worth of the student so assigned: A position signifying that certain specific skills have been mastered and that more advanced training is indicated.
It was this single off center thruster that kept Talon's mental ship going in circles. Why would the Jedi want to kill her if she'd been made an apprentice? It was true that she didn't sense anywhere close to the level of the hostility that had always been present on Korriban, but surely that didn't change the way things were. She wasn't considered worthy of being a true Sith, yet these Jedi seemed to claim that she was somehow worthy of being one of them. Did that mean that the Jedi were some how less skilled than the Sith were? If that were true, then how could these Jedi be considered the threat that Darth Magus had always made them out to be?
Talon had no idea how to answer any of these questions, and it certainly didn't help that she was distracted by the countless minds that she could sense on this world. What she did know, was that she was sitting at a table with five Jedi, one of which was now her Master, while waiting for a sixth Jedi to return. Talon knew that just two days ago, she would have been trying to run or hide from these Jedi, but instead of doing either of those things, she was still sitting at the table, having followed the instructions that she'd been given by a Jedi.
Talon would never have dreamed of such a drastic change in her life. Everything that had happened seemed as if it weren't real somehow, yet she knew that all of it was far too real, and that here she was, a failed Sith, in the hands of the Jedi. She didn't want to fight the Jedi, nor would she have tried. Such thoughts never entered her mind; instead, she tried to focus on what she was supposed to do now.
Talon was startled out of her thoughts when she felt someone approaching while focusing on her. She looked up to see that Master Cilghal had returned, and that she had a hypo injection in her hands. She swallowed hard as the healer approached the table and came right up to her.
Cilghal saw Talon stiffen in her chair as she approached the table, and nearly shook her head in exasperation. The girl was definitely going to have to learn not to be terrified of everyone around her.
"This is a combination injection of Bacta serum, and pain killer. It will not only help your leg heal faster, but it will also help with the pain from your over sensitized nervous system. I'm well aware of the various effects of Force lightning, and how some of those effects make you feel afterward. I wish you'd told me about this yesterday, Talon. I could have given you something to relieve the pain much sooner." Cilghal told the girl kindly. "I know you'll be hurting for quite a while, so when the pain returns, come see me, and I'll give you something for it."
The Mon Cal healer gave Talon the injection without any protests from the girl, and she was surprised that she didn't have to argue with Talon about it. Once she'd administered the medication, Cilghal took an empty seat at the table between Kirana and Kyle.
"Now. What did I miss?" Cilghal asked when she took her seat.
"Well... let's see. Leia told us about what she plans on having Talon do today, which is a lot of nothing, until you give her clearance for physical activity. Then, I believe that you missed about ten minutes of Talon sitting there, looking at the table, and moping." Kyle answered jokingly while grinning and winking at the healer.
Cilghal looked over at Talon, who was once again looking down at the table with an air of melancholy doom hanging about her. If she were to try to find a perfect image of someone expecting to be executed, she need look no further than right across the table at Talon. She knew that they'd have to find someway of bringing the girl out of that shell of hers, and maybe, just maybe, including her in their jokes might help.
"Talon, are you moping? That's not very good for your health you know." Cilghal admonished jokingly.
Talon looked over at the healer, before she glanced at each of the Jedi. She wasn't sure how to voice most of the questions in her mind without making them angry at her. Trying to think was like trying to listen for a single voice in a very crowded and noisy room, but she'd been asked a question that she had to answer.
"How can I be a Jedi, if I was too weak to be a Sith?" Talon asked softly after shaking her head.
"Talon, we've had many Jedi that were Sith, or who were associated with the Sith at one time or another. Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker, Master Luke Skywalker was also a Sith once. He even studied under a clone of Palpatine. Master Kyp Durron, who asked you why you wanted to be a Jedi? Well, he was never actually trained as a Sith, but he did turn to the Darkside for a while during the Vong war. So, you wouldn't be the first, or even the only Sith we've taken in. You'll just be the latest addition to our ranks." Kyle said candidly.
Leia watched with interest as Talon listened to the explanation carefully. She could tell that the girl was listening by the expression of concentration on her face. She was almost startled when she realized that this was a perfect opportunity to put some of the knowledge that she'd gained from the journal of Darth Magus to a very good use.
"There's something else you should think about Talon. Darth Magus made a very serious mistake, and he didn't even realize it." Leia began solemnly.
When Talon looked at her curiously, Leia was certain that she had the girl's undivided attention. "He taught you and all the others, that the tarentatek were the Guardians of Sith strength, didn't he? And just how many did he manage to kill?"
"Darth... Darth Magus killed one of them, and he was going to attack another one, but one of them grabbed him from behind and ate him. I... I remember the way he screamed." Talon answered timidly.
"That's right Talon. He died. They ate him. That proves that he wasn't worthy of claiming the title of Sith, and if he wasn't a true Sith, then he couldn't teach you to be a true Sith, now could he?" Leia stated confidently.
Leia knew that she wasn't arguing this topic anywhere even close to fairly, after all, she had a few decades of practice in the political arenas of both the Empire and the New Republic, and Talon had absolutely no experience in debating from a specific standpoint. The crestfallen expression on the girl's face told her that she'd more or less won her argument by default. Now she simply needed to make her point and drive it home.
The words that the Jedi spoke sent dozens of questions flying through her mind. Talon knew the Jedi was right. She had to be. Darth Magus had said so himself, many times, but if he wasn't a true Sith, and he couldn't teach her to be a true Sith, then what was she?
"But..." Talon tried to argue plaintively even though she didn't have the slightest clue where to begin.
"There are no 'buts' Talon. Darth Magus could not have been a true Sith Lord. He was eaten by one of the Guardians, and that's all there is to it. You on the other hand, did not get eaten by the Guardians; they weren't able to kill you either. He may have fooled himself into thinking that he was a Sith, but he did do one thing right." Leia informed her.
Leia could see that she'd have to be just a tad bit careful in her next few statements, because she could see that not only was Talon starting to question everything she'd ever been taught, but she was also ready to start crying over the loss of both her past, and everything else she'd ever known.
"The one thing Darth Magus did right was to start your training. Had he lived, and you had continued to train under him for several more years, you might have ended up as a true Sith. One who would be even more powerful than he was. But all he gave you was the basic training. The same kind of basic training that we give our students before they are chosen by a Master to be an apprentice. We do give our students training in other areas before they can become an apprentice, but none of them have basic skills that are anywhere close to yours, and that is why you have been made my apprentice. I don't know of anyplace where you can learn to become a Sith, but I can and with help, I will teach you to become a Jedi. And I hope that one day; you'll be teaching others to be Jedi as well." Leia told her honestly.
"But, he was going to kill me. Darth Magus never would have finished my training because he hated me." Talon replied morosely as she looked back down at the table.
"That's right Talon. He did hate you. He hated you because he was jealous. Jealous of your skills, and jealous because he knew that you were better than he was. I know that your saber skills are better than those of anyone else in the Order. Am I jealous? Yes, I am a little jealous. I'll admit that, but then, I'm also a little jealous of my brother's saber skills, and you'll probably meet others who also envy your saber skills. Many of us want to learn what you can teach us Talon, but we don't want charity. We don't want you to just give us something like that. Instead, we're going to teach you what we know. We'll teach you things that you don't know, so you can teach us a Form that we don't know." Leia explained sincerely.
Total confusion was all over the girl's face as she struggled to understand what she'd just been told. Everyone at the table could see it in her face as she tried desperately to come up with some type of counter to what she'd just been told. Disbelief, confusion, fear, and apprehension flickered across her face in an odd rotating sequence as she tried in vain to make sense of all this new information.
With all of the confusion in her mind, Talon couldn't help but give voice to the one question that kept leaping to the forefront of her thoughts. "Aren't you going to kill me after you learn the Whirlus Form?"
Leia wasn't the only one at the table to experience a flash of anger, outrage, and disgust at the question, but she was the first to react to it. She got up out of chair, went around the table, and squatted down next to the girl who would have been her mortal enemy. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a brief moment to open herself to the Force, so that the girl would know she was telling the truth.
Leia reached out and took the girl's face in both hands as she turned Talon's head to face her. "Talon, I'm only going to say this once, and I want you to listen to me very carefully, and understand every word of what I tell you. We... Don't... Do... That!..." She said speaking each word clearly and separately. "You are a Jedi now, and that means you are one of us, and therefore a member of our family. Not only are we not going to kill you, but we will also protect you. Just like you protected what's his name... uh... Kaldin! That's it! Just like you protected him, I'll protect you. As long as you are a member of this order, you have nothing to fear from any of us! As long as you are my apprentice, and you do as I instruct, and you learn what I have to teach you, then you have nothing to be afraid of. I'll fight to protect you and so will any other Jedi. Do you understand that?" She said firmly, and clearly to make sure the girl heard every word.
Talon gaped at her Master. She'd sensed that every last word was true. She was so close, and what she was feeling was so strong that those emotions overwhelmed almost all of the other minds that Talon had been sensing, and the sincerity pouring from her was something Talon couldn't mistake. The blunt, brutal honesty was so raw, so obvious, that Talon couldn't misinterpret it for anything else. Several emotions rose to prominence in Talon's mind at that moment, with doubt and disbelief being the only two that she was familiar with.
Looking into the girl's eyes, Leia could sense the emotional war being waged in the girl's mind even as the expressions flashed across her face. Desperation, hope, fear, desire, confusion, and doubt. She knew that she needed to get through to the girl, but that was not going to prove to be easy after a lifetime of horror and misery. She knew that convincing someone of the truth after being exposed to nothing but lies and betrayal would not, could not be easy.
"Talon, I know you don't believe me, but I want you to ask yourself one question. If I were going to kill you because you're a Sith, wouldn't I have done that when I first found out that you were a Sith?" Leia asked her clearly.
As soon as she heard her Master ask that question, it rang in her mind almost continuously as she tried to come up with an answer. All reason, logic, and sense seemed to abandon her as she pondered the question that had been posed to her. Nothing, absolutely nothing she could come up with, would explain the actions of the Jedi. No type of lie or form of betrayal that Talon was familiar with provided a reason for those actions. The only thing that seemed to answer that question was what the Jedi had told her.
"Talon. I don't want you to answer that question for me; I want you to find the answer to that question, so that you will know what it is." Leia told her as she started to stand up.
The newly promoted Jedi Master looked the girl over one last time and noticed the small burn mark on the sleeve of the girl's right forearm. She reached down and took hold of the arm in question to get a better look at it. Closer examination showed that the cloth was a little scorched, but that Talon wasn't injured otherwise.
Leia sighed heavily, and shook her head. A glance at her chronometer told her that the girl had actually been at the Academy for slightly less than twenty four hours. This was not what she'd intended for the girl's first day at the Academy. Leia knew that Talon had been terrified by various possibilities that ranged from being killed, up to death by exile. Then there was even a threat of being stuck into a bacta tank, not to mention a saber fight with Ben Skywalker, and another with a score of remotes, and that wasn't even taking into consideration the fact that both fights had taken place while the girl was standing on a broken leg she'd received only a few hours earlier. She'd been given a caffeine overdose, and then she'd been gotten rambling drunk by a pair of Jedi who only wanted to find out a little more about her.
Upon considering everything that had happened on Talon's first day, Leia shook her head in surprise. She could only hold on to the hope that the rest of the week would prove to be very uneventful, but with the girl's background and Sith training, she knew that it was most likely wishful thinking, since problems were bound to arise from that area.
It would have truly surprised the Jedi to learn just how vastly different her thoughts were in comparison to those of her new apprentice. Where Leia considered Talon's first twenty four hours at the Academy to be a total disaster because of the various mishaps that had befallen the girl, Talon's mind was reeling both from the vast realm of various possibilities that were being given to her, and from the drastic changes in her life. Leia never thought to consider that for Talon, being tormented, receiving massive amounts of pain, receiving threats of death, and being in fear of her life were a daily occurrence. The opportunities that had been offered to her on the other hand, were so far out of the ordinary, so unusual, that Talon was having a very difficult time believing them.
Talon looked up just as the server droid placed a cup filled with a steaming warm beverage in front of her. She didn't know what it was except that it wasn't as dark as the caf she'd had earlier. Leaning forward to smell the stuff in the cup, she discovered that it had a strange smell, but one that seemed to entice her into trying the stuff at the same time.
"It's called Broulahn tea, Talon. It's very popular here since it helps stimulate the mind while relaxing the body at the same time. Most people here drink it to help them meditate. You can add small amounts of sweetener or cream to it if you want, but nothing like what you did to the caf at breakfast. No more than three spoons of each." Leia told the girl.
Talon remembered the incredibly strong flavor of the caf she'd fixed at breakfast. It had been unbelievably strong, but it was also something she wouldn't mind having again. After years of living on emergency rations, Talon was well accustomed to the overpowering taste and smell of those packets of food. The kinds of food that these Jedi were giving her did have different tastes and smells that were appealing, but none of them were anywhere close to being as intensely strong as what she was used to.
Talon enfolded the steaming cup in her hands and although she couldn't have said what she felt emotionally, she delighted in the pleasant heat that saturated her hands. She lifted the cup and took a small sip to see what it tasted like. It didn't have the strong taste of caf, but it still wasn't anything she was familiar with. She decided that it was something she could drink instead of caf. She began to drink the tea the way she'd been shown the night before.
"Hey Princess. Look what the mynocks dragged in." Han called out as he entered the cafeteria.
Leia turned to see her husband in the company of her brother and nephew, and smiled happily. "Talk about perfect timing. You three made it here just in time for a little impromptu celebration."
"Really? What's the occasion?" Han asked brightening noticeably, feeling that he could use some good news after the morning he'd had.
"Leia Organa Solo, who was once my apprentice, and this morning was a Jedi Knight, now holdz the prestigious rank of Jedi Master. Not only that, but she also has an apprentice in the form of Talon who was also accepted into the order this morning." Saba answered happily.
"Sounds like a fairly decent reason to me. Especially considering she was up all night racking her brains, trying to make sure the kid made the cut. Besides, new Masters are always allowed some kind of small celebration." Han quipped with a grin.
"So Talon. How's it feel to be a Jedi now?" Ben asked her amiably as he grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it over so he could sit next to the girl. He was watching her curiously as he spun the chair around and sat casually with his arms resting on the back of it.
Talon glanced over at the Jedi she'd met, and fought the night before. A quick look around her showed her that serving droids were bringing the Jedi who were already at the table a kind of drink she'd never seen before. Talon thought about how to answer the question that she'd been asked, because she wasn't really sure how to do so. When she thought about how she felt, she couldn't tell any real difference. The only difference that she was aware of was that she wasn't hurting anywhere near as much as she would have been back on Korriban. Right now, she knew that thanks to the injection that Master Cilghal had given her, that she wasn't even hurting nearly as much as she had when she woke up.
"It doesn't hurt as much." She answered quietly.
"Well, that is not the kind of answer I would have expected to hear to that question." Kyle said bluntly after snorting in surprise.
"No kidding!" Ben began before he was interrupted.
"I take it that the pain injection is starting to work then. That's good Talon. Sustained Force lightning causes your nervous system to overload, so that you're able to feel very few sensations except pain. When you start hurting again, come see me or tell your Master, and I'll make sure to give you something for it." Cilghal said informatively.
Talon was nodding her head to acknowledge the healer, while at the same time Leia had narrowed her eyes at the girl.
"That's why she didn't complain when I was getting the tangles and snarls out of her hair, isn't it?" Leia asked as she turned to Cilghal.
"That's exactly why. Right now, because of the Force lightning that she's been subjected to, her nervous system is so over sensitized by the additional energy, that the nerve endings in her body don't differentiate between pleasant sensations and painful ones. So almost everything she feels is interpreted as pain. Right now, she probably can't feel much of any difference between a friendly caress across her shoulders, or a slap across her face." Cilghal lectured seriously. "Fortunately, the bacta injections will help remedy that and her leg as well."
"Talon, I apologize. If I'd realized just how much pain you were in, I'd have made sure that you'd seen Cilghal earlier." Leia said to the girl.
Talon set down her tea and glanced over at her Master. "I don't understand. How is that wrong?"
"How is what wrong?" Ben asked curiously.
"You apologize when you know that you did something wrong and you don't want the other person to be angry at you." Talon answered repeating what she'd been taught.
"That's right Talon. That's exactly what an apology is for. I was wrong by letting you suffer through pain when something could have been done about it." Leia answered her.
"But punishments are supposed to be painful so you don't repeat the mistake that earned the punishment." Talon replied softly while looking at her cup.
"Like hell! Maybe among the Sith, or with a bunch of Hutts, but nowhere else in the galaxy that I know of. Punishments are supposed to teach you, not kill you!" Han exploded angrily.
Talon flinched and cringed away from the man's anger. She was just starting to get relief from her constant pain, and she didn't want anyone to give her more of it.
Captain Han Solo saw the girl nearly jump out of her skin at his outburst, and he knew that his anger had caused that reaction. He recognized the same expression of fear that he'd seen in the girl's quarters earlier that morning. He knew that she was scared of him right now, that she was worried that he might hurt her because he was angry, and he knew that he was going to try to break her of that little habit right now.
"Look kid. Unless you broke the rules just now, then there is no reason to punish you. As far as things like that go, and out of everyone at this table, I'd be the one you have to worry about, and I don't even do things like that. Sure I get mad, and I yell, and sometimes I even throw things around, but I don't take my anger out on people that don't deserve it! No one here does, and no one's going to either." Han explained heatedly.
Talon was still gaping at the man when Ben leaned closer to her and whispered loudly.
"Hey, don't worry about him. He's a big softy. He might have the bark of a Rancor, but he's got the bite of a gizka. He's harmless! Between you and me, he doesn't even know which end of a lightsaber to hold." Ben told her in a loud but conspiratorial whisper.
Leia leaned her right elbow on her husband's left shoulder, and smiled as she looked at him. "Sweetheart, you might as well give it up. We know you far too well. You talk tough, but that's as far as it goes, and we all know it. So there's no use in trying to make Talon think you're anything but an overgrown cuddle toy."
Han looked back at Talon with an expression of wounded disbelief on his face. "Now do you see what I have to put up with?" He asked rhetorically.
"You might as well face it Han. Your reputation has gotten ahead of you. Almost everyone in the galaxy knows that the only time you've ever hurt anyone was either in self defense or when helping someone else. Otherwise, you tend to let Leia handle things." Luke joked.
Han looked at his brother in law with a quizzical expression. "Hey. I can't help it if she's that good with a lightsaber. Besides, what good is being married to a Jedi, if you don't do something to take advantage of it?" He asked with a wide grin.
Her tea sat on the table still enfolded in her hands while Talon gaped at everyone with wide eyes in stunned disbelief. She knew that jokes and even some insults were being passed around, but no one was angry. Instead, everyone seemed to radiate the same emotions that she'd felt from Darth Magus when he was punishing someone. She knew that back on Korriban, a very deadly fight would have already broken out with a lot of people being left dead when it was over. She sat there in total silence, trying to watch everyone at the table. She was positive that a fight was going to occur, and she knew that she didn't want to be a part of it.
"Well. Let me just say this. We've seen a lot of Sith, and we've seen quite a few Jedi turn to the Darkside, but now we've got a Sith right here at this table, and we are presented with the opportunity to see the newest Master among the Jedi ranks take this Sith, and turn her into a Jedi. So, here's to the newest Master and apprentice team. May they never have a dull moment." Han was saying with a grin as he raised his mug of ale.
Talon watched as everyone at the table raised their drinks and held it towards the center of the table. Not knowing what she should do, she sat there and silently tried to understand what was happening around her. That Leia was now a Master Jedi was something she felt strangely about. She didn't know the name for the emotion that she was feeling, but that didn't matter to her at that moment. Others were offering praise for the fact that Leia had just been made a Jedi Master, and that was important.
Just because she didn't know the names of certain emotions, or the words to describe them, didn't mean that she couldn't feel those emotions. She didn't know the word for gratitude, but it was still something she felt rather strongly, because of everything that had been done for her and all of it by a certain Jedi who was now a Master. Leia had helped her, and was still helping her. Talon still wasn't sure as to why, but the claim that it was her job, didn't seem right. To her the older Jedi seemed like something beyond belief. Nothing in her experience had ever prepared her to meet someone like Leia. Someone that would offer protection, guidance, instruction, information, knowledge and assistance, and all without causing pain in return for any of it. She didn't know why the Jedi had offered her everything she'd been given, but she did know that she would readily try to do whatever her new Master asked of her. She was still trying to watch and understand what the Jedi were doing when she was brought out of her thoughts by someone speaking to her.
"Come on. Raise your cup and hold it up next to ours. This is called a 'toast', and we use a toast to wish someone well in a new endeavor, or position. Right now, we're toasting my Aunt Leia to congratulate her on her new rank of Jedi Master, and to hope that she does well at it." Ben informed her casually.
Talon took her cup in her right hand and held it out to the middle of the table where everyone else's drink was being held.
"To Leia... May she serve the Order well, and may her new apprentice never discover the reason why she was the scourge of the Empire." Han quipped jovially.
Leia cast a narrow eyed glance at her husband on that one, but didn't respond to it. "To Talon as well..." Here Leia looked over at her new apprentice speculatively as she tried to think of something worthwhile that didn't contain any detrimental implications. "May she learn to be happy with us."
Several voices seconded those sentiments, while other simply said cheers, but either way, everyone at the table wished both of the recipients well. Drink containers clinked together and everyone quickly drank a sip to seal the toast. Talon was a little slower than everyone else since she didn't know what to do, but mimicking their actions wasn't hard.
After taking a sip of her tea, she went to set the cup down on the table, when the cup suddenly fell from her hands to spill on the table. With the state of near starvation in which she'd lived, Talon had never wasted or spilled anything before, and the sheer disbelief that set in caused her mind to go completely blank. She remembered Leia teaching her that once something fell from her dish that she wasn't to consume it. Her tea was now running over the table, and she had no idea what to do about it. She had acted quickly to right her cup, but she didn't know what to do about the rest of the tea on the table.
Kirana Ti, who'd been sitting directly across from Talon, easily noticed her problem, and grabbed several napkins from a rack at the center of the table with the intent of handing them to the girl. She sensed the Force being used by the girl and looked from Talon, to the spilled tea. The girl was trying to use the Force to retrieve the spilled tea and wasn't succeeding.
The Dathomir Jedi quickly dropped the napkins into the spill to clean up the mess.
"Do you not know what napkins are for?" She asked Talon in a disbelieving tone.
"Master Leia taught me last night that when I am eating, I should always put a napkin in my lap to wipe my face and hands with." She answered nervously.
Kirana Ti looked over at Leia with an odd expression. "Why would you need to teach her that?"
"Talon's never seen tableware before, so last night I taught her most of the basics in dinning etiquette. I know I left out a lot, such as finger foods and spills, but at least she's not trying to clean that spill by drinking it off the table." Leia said in a slightly defensive huff.
Kirana had no idea how to respond to that, so instead she concentrated on getting the spill contained by piling napkins on it.
"Your hands are numb right now, aren't they Talon?" Luke asked her gently.
When the girl nodded her head without looking up from the spill, Luke continued. "You can blame her Sith Masters for this one." He said heavily.
"Why? Because her hands are numb?" Ben asked in surprise.
"Exactly. I was in a very similar condition for several days after facing Palpatine. I'm actually not sure how much longer I could have held on if my father hadn't intervened, and thrown Palpatine into the reactor core. My nervous system was so overloaded from the Force lightning that I couldn't even hold a lightsaber for almost a week. I had to use a lot of pain injections for several days, and I kept dropping things from fingers that couldn't feel what I was trying to hold. Talon will be the same way for a while." Luke explained.
Talon was gaping at the Jedi Master in open mouthed disbelief and shock.
"You fought Lord Sidious and lived?" She asked still gaping at Luke.
"Only because my father saved me, Talon. If he hadn't turned from the Darkside, and just stayed out of it, I would have been killed. Instead, he turned against his former Master and redeemed himself by saving my life and the lives of countless others." Luke elaborated seriously.
Talon stared at the Jedi as her mind raced in disbelief. Then statements made by other Jedi, including her new Master began to collide within her mind, and suddenly she knew, Talon knew! This was the Jedi who had been there when both Sidious and Vader had died. This was someone who not only knew what happened, but someone who could tell her the truth of what really happened during those events. It was a startling revelation, and one that rocked her to her core as she considered it. She was still in the midst of that revelation, when her Master spoke.
"Talon has been taught to revere Darth Vader. Personally, I can't think of a better role model, especially when you consider his final turn to the light." Leia told her brother meaningfully.
"Did Lord Vader really die as a Jedi?" Talon asked in a near whisper while staring in wide eyed disbelief.
Luke flashed his sister an odd look before he gave the girl a warm smile. "Yes, Talon, he did. And I don't know if he'd ever been as happy as he was during those final moments. Being a Sith Lord doesn't really give you anything to be happy about and certainly nothing to be proud of. But being a Jedi, protecting, and helping others, that was something that made him happy, and it was also something for him to be proud of. It doesn't matter what your old Sith Masters told you Talon, I know that my father would want you to become a Jedi, and if he were here, he would tell you that."
"But... But Darth Magus always said that Lord Vader was a perfect Sith. That he was more powerful than we could ever hope to become." Talon whispered piteously.
Luke had to chuckle a little at that, but there was a rueful tone to his laughter. "Oh yes. He was very powerful, and highly skilled. In fact he was my first real opponent, and at the time, I didn't even know who he was."
As she stared at the Jedi in astonishment, her gaze dropped to the black glove on the Jedi's right hand. The same hand that he'd shown her the day before. The Jedi Master saw were the girl was looking, and smiled sardonically.
"Yes Talon, Darth Vader is the one who cut my hand off the first time I faced him. He was a very deadly opponent, very skilled and very dangerous. In that first fight, he could have killed me any time he wanted to. But he didn't! Deep down, Talon. Even then, years before I ever faced Palpatine, my father hated being a Sith. He hated what he'd become. Then years later, when I faced him again. I wasn't as ready as I thought I was, and Palpatine beat me easily, but my father, Darth Vader was almost waiting for the chance to become Anakin Skywalker once more, and he did. I held him in my arms as he died, Talon, and he was glad that I had come with the intention of turning him back to the Lightside of the Force."
Talon stared open mouthed at the Jedi. She knew that he was telling her the truth because she could sense it. There were several emotions whirling through the Jedi's mind at that point, and though they were dim and muted somehow, she could still sense them. She didn't know what a lot of those feelings were, but she was able to recognize the honesty, the truth, and the sincerity that was contained in his words.
Talon struggled to understand everything. From what he'd just told her, this Jedi had faced Lord Vader not once, but twice, and not only survived, but also faced Lord Sidious and survived that encounter as well. She knew the Jedi had to be far more powerful and skilled than he'd told her, and the fact that he would hide his strength and skill would force any opponents to underestimate him, and that was more than a little frightening. Suddenly, Talon felt a massive chill sweep through her body as she realized that this Jedi had already agreed to help teach her, and improve her skills!
"Are you going to teach me too?" Talon asked Luke softy.
"Of course he is. All of the Masters here will be teaching you at one time or another. There will be history classes, tech repair classes, and most students your age are in some type of class to learn better saber skills, but I think we can skip that one, since you already know even more about it than I do." Leia answered quickly.
"But... I... I have to train or the Whirlus form will never be finished." She protested softly.
"You won't have to worry about that. We'll make sure that you have the free time to work on that after your bones are at their proper strength, and your leg has healed, but not before! I realize that you are most likely more skilled with a lightsaber than you've been telling us, but accidents can still happen." Cilghal told her firmly.
Talon nodded to acknowledge the instructions, and looked down at her nearly empty cup that was now being used to hold the soiled napkins that had been used to clean up the spill. Several emotions were going through her mind that she was barely able to recognize as hers.
Not sure what she was supposed to do, she put her hands in her lap, and sat there staring at the table. She wasn't going to yield to the constant pull she felt from the Force, because of the presence of so many Masters. She didn't want to be punished for failing to answer a question the first time. She watched a droid approach the table and finish cleaning up the remains of the spilled tea before trundling off to where ever it had come from. The droid returned a minute later with a fresh cup, which was placed directly in front of her, and Talon gaped, not only at the tea, but at the droid as well.
A rhythmic hissing sound and a familiar emotion drew her attention to the reptilian Jedi Master who was sitting on the other end of the table.
"You will learn some thingz while you are here little one. We Jedi do not use the methodz of the Sith." Saba said lightly.
"Saba's right Talon. You won't go hungry here. We won't let you get as big as a Hutt, but we will make sure that you have plenty to eat and drink. Later, I'll come up with a schedule for you. You'll be assigned a few different Masters who will begin teaching you in various areas. For example, some of the things you'll learn is how to maintain your lightsabers, and your thermal modulators on your belt." Leia told her.
Talon nodded her head to signify that she understood the instructions, but wasn't certain that she wanted any Master other than the one she'd been assigned to.
"Hey dad! Speaking of lightsabers, you would not believe the kind of skills she's got! I'll admit that when I saw that red blade of hers, I lost it, okay. I went at her with every thing I had, and nothing I did could even make her take a step back! Kyle told me last night that you plan on taking a few lessons from her. All I can say is; make sure you let me know when it happens so I can learn a few things too." Ben said animatedly.
"I watched her defend one of our newest students against two dozen remotes that were malfunctioning. I saw her use Jar Kai version of Ataru against those remotes! And you attacked her in earnest? If she truly were a Sith, then you would not be here now." Kirana said as she looked back and forth between Ben and Talon.
"Hey, don't I know it! I gave her my absolute best, and it wasn't even good enough to make her put her heels to the floor! But that wasn't the kicker. The kicker was what I saw when I first walked in. She was using a pair of rods to practice a double saberstaff technique!" Ben exclaimed.
"Yes, and I'm sure that while the theory behind that Form is easy to learn, the actual practice of it is going to be tough! Don't think for one instant that I'm going to let her go easy on us when she starts teaching us either! Talon's presence here provides us with an opportunity that I won't allow the order to squander. Besides, she's also mastered the other seven forms of lightsaber combat too you know, so she can give out lessons there as well. I think we'll all be learning a few things from her." Luke added in seriously.
Kirana turned her attention back to the girl sitting across from her in amazement. She took in the fact the Talon's feet didn't even reach the floor, and she knew that the girl had to be very young.
"But... she's… too young to have learned such techniques." Kirana protested finally.
"Actually, Talon is about thirteen standard years old and almost everything that wasn't related to combat has been deliberately left out of her education. It's an oversight that I plan to correct." Leia informed the Dathomir native before she turned to the subject of the discussion. "You're going to learn a lot more than just different kinds of food, Talon."
"Speaking of which, those metabolic enhancers I've given her means that she needs to eat something. What would you like to eat, Talon?" Cilghal rumbled.
Talon gaped at the healer in disbelief. She'd just eaten a few short hours ago, and back on Korriban, there was no way that she would have been offered anything else, no matter how hungry she was. She nodded her head dumbly at the offer of extra food.
"Why not give her a bowl of bantha stew and tak bread? Uncle Owen used to swear by the stuff. He was always telling me that it would put some meat on my bones." Luke suggested casually.
"That sounds like an excellent idea! She hasn't had any type of soup yet so she can learn proper table manners for it, and it will give her some variety to choose from the next time she gets hungry." Leia reasoned.