Pleena sat on the bed in Talon's room while she spent a couple of hours talking to the girl. The more she talked with the girl, the more frustrated and horrified she became. It was one thing to know that the Sith Academy on Korriban wasn't a nice place, but Pleena began to learn to despicable truth of the matter. Talon didn't have any hobbies, had never played any games, nor had she ever had a friend. The more questions she asked, the more disturbed she was by the answers.

"So why were you outside to begin with? If you're scared of going out there; why'd you go out there in the first place?" Pleena asked wondering if she was bringing up something that Talon might want to forget.

"I… I didn't know I would be scared." Talon replied with a frown of confusion.

"The instructor asked what caused the Great Hyperspace War, and I answered just like Darth Magus taught me. The instructor said my answer was wrong, and that I was disrupting the class, so she took me outside to clean the droids. What I don't understand is how that was supposed to be a punishment. Darth Magus always rewarded those who did well by letting them clean the droids. They were excused from their classes for the rest of the day so they would have all the time they wanted if they finished quickly." Talon wondered softly.

"Punishments are supposed to make you think about what you did wrong so you won't do it again. Not try to kill you or make you so scared you want to pee all over everything. That doesn't do any good!" Pleena protested hotly.

"Well… maybe it does… I mean if I got hit with Force lightning or something like that, I know I wouldn't want that to happen again, so I'd make sure I didn't do whatever it was again. But no one here does things like that, because then everyone would want to leave, and the Masters who run the Temple would have to let them. They can't make someone stay here, and if they stuck me in a really dark room like the way yours was, I'd want to go back home." Pleena added.

"Besides I got more than enough of that when I got lost in the lower levels that time." Pleena said with a frown of her own.

"How did you get lost if you were here in the Temple?" Talon asked in confusion.

"It… it was one of the first few days that I was here. I was exploring the Temple; trying to see everything. Down in the lower level, it was really interesting, because they still hadn't fixed all the damage that the Empire did to the place. There was still scorch marks and blaster holes in the walls, floors, and ceiling. I still don't know what all happened but it must have been a huge fight when the Empire took over, because not even all the lights were working. Most of them didn't work at all, and a lot of the ones that did just sort of flickered. Everything was still a mess. You could see where a lot of stuff had been burned or smashed. Some of the computer terminals were shooting sparks." Pleena said musingly.

"I'm not supposed to tell this part to others because the Council doesn't want the others getting afraid to be here." Pleena said nervously. "But since you were on Korriban, and you already know all about the Sith… so I guess I can tell you."

"I was just walking… walking around down there. Suddenly everything went black. It… it was so dark I couldn't see anything! Not even… not even the sparks from the computers. That didn't bother me then though, because I wasn't scared of the dark then." Pleena said honestly.

"Then there was this laugh. It… it was so evil! It was like the floor, walls and the whole Temple was laughing at me! That's when I felt things touching me… the whole time this woman's voice was telling me what a failure I was, and that I would never… never make a good Jedi. That I was going to die first. That's when I started getting scared." Pleena said haltingly while starting to breathe heavily.

"I didn't know what was going on. I thought the Temple was being haunted by the ghosts of the old Jedi or something. Then, that woman's voice started telling me that I was going to… going to get cut apart like my Uncle Kit…. and… it started laughing like that was the best joke in the galaxy! I… I even heard my uncle's voice! He… he said 'sleep… life is a dream'. What's bad about it is; I don't know if it's true, but those were supposed to be his last words, because that's what that woman's voice told me. Then his head showed up. His skin was grey because he was dead, but fresh blood was dripping out of the ragged stump where his neck was supposed to be. Then he disappeared; it was solid black; there were things touching me, but I couldn't see them. I couldn't see anything! I couldn't see what was touching me, and I… I couldn't see who was laughing at me either." Pleena explained as she fought for self control.

"Then… then I saw a face appear out of nowhere. That's all there was… a face. No lightsaber, no lightning… just her face. She had blue hair and she kept laughing at me, telling me how pathetic I was. Lightning started shooting from her hair, and her eyes started glowing with more electricity. Flames started shooting out of her mouth every time she laughed. Then I started seeing more things… skeletons with rotten bits of flesh on them… walking around! One would look at me without any eyes and tell me how good I was going to taste while it ripped me apart!" Pleena said in near tears.

"There were skulls floating around with balls of fire instead of eyes. They would look at me and laugh."

Talon had remained silent through all of this because Pleena really didn't give her time to say anything; plus, she had no idea what to say. She could readily understand why anyone would be afraid of such things; because just hearing about it was enough to make her afraid. She couldn't help but wonder… how could you kill something that was already dead?

"Then that woman's face said that she was someone named Darth Phobos; that she was going to kill me! Talon, I was so scared I couldn't even pee on myself." Pleena exclaimed with wide fearful eyes.

"I've heard about Darth Phobos. The Sith and Jedi had to fight together to try and kill her. I guess they didn't succeed. I think everyone was scared of her… that's why they joined forces to kill her. The Sith tried, but she survived having her ship blown up while she was on it. Darth Magus told us that many believed she was still alive for centuries after she was killed. He told us that she made a holocron, but no one knows what happened to it." Talon said quietly.

"I didn't know all that… but I know that Master Skywalker had to fight her and kill her. I was only five when that happened… well almost five, but I'm still scared of the dark because of that." Pleena finished ruefully.

"Master Skywalker killed her?" Talon demanded in astonished disbelief.

"Yes, and I'm glad he did too." Pleena answered quickly in a soft voice.

Now Talon knew that Master Skywalker was a lot more powerful than he'd allowed her to believe. He'd faced Lord Vader not once, but twice, and survived both of those encounters. Then there was the fact that he'd fought Darth Sidious and survived that as well. Now Pleena had just told her how Master Skywalker had also killed Darth Phobos; a Sith Master who was so powerful, and so vicious that hundreds of Sith Masters working together hadn't been able to deal with her. That Master Skywalker had been able to succeed in such a thing when the combined power of the Sith, and the Jedi had apparently failed spoke of more power and skill than she could even imagine.

That was when she realized that Pleena had been confronted by the single most dangerous Mistress of the Sith when she had no training, and no weapons of any kind. It meant that Pleena's survival was an act of the Force, and Talon wasn't about to try any form of dispute. She didn't know why Pleena had not been killed, but then she also didn't understand how Darth Phobos could have gotten inside the Jedi Temple without being sensed. That was something she'd have to remember to ask Master Leia about.

Leia looked up from the datapad that she was reading a novel of political intrigue that was supposedly written a hundred years ago. She tilted her head and frowned in confusion because she sensed a strange sort of lethargy emanating through the Force. It was combined with a feeling of relaxation and near giddiness. Laying the datapad aside, she got up from her chair and concentrated on the unusual sensation. Her eyes widened as she realized that those strange feelings were coming from nearby. That meant they could only have Talon as the source. Grabbing a thick outer robe she stepped out into the hall and over to Talon's quarters. She donned the robe before entering the girl's room, and immediately brought the lights up just enough that she could see. Looking around the room, she saw a few datapads laying neatly on the workstation. One was obviously the rules and tenets of the Order, but she had to walk over and activate the other to find that it was filled to capacity with galactic history.

Leia frowned when she realized that what she didn't see, was a datapad that Talon was taking notes on. That left the question of where the girl was making her notations for questions and other things that needed further explanation or elaboration. She turned and looked around the rest of the room, and noted that everything was nice and neatly arranged as if waiting for an occupant. A sigh of frustration left her because there wasn't a single personal touch to the room. No decorations, knick-knacks, or even a small holopad portrait of someone… the room was completely bare. Suddenly, she remembered why she had come in the first place. Seeing that Talon wasn't in the room, she started to leave when she saw the indicator on the fresher was signaling that it was occupied.

When she opened the door to the fresher, Leia was bombarded by a blast of steam, ice crystals, fog, and air that was absolutely freezing! She was instantly covering her face and stepping back until the strange maelstrom died down. When she did finally enter the fresher, Leia saw Talon lying down in a tub of steaming water. That tub of hot water was the source of the steam, fog, and ice crystals, and the environmental controls were set to a temperature that was far lower than Talon usually preferred. She went over to the tub and knelt down on the ice covered floor so she would slip.

"Talon… are you…? Are you feeling okay?" Leia asked uncertainly because she just could not believe what she had encountered.

"I feel fine, Master Leia. Pleena was right. This does feel good." Talon replied in an almost sleepy voice.

"Really? Well, what did she suggest to you then?" Leia asked in a casual tone that belied her concern.

"Pleena told me to get the water as hot as I could stand it, set the air really cold, and then lay in the tub for a while. She said the air has to be really cold or I could get too hot." Talon answered.

Leia wasn't sure if this was actually good for Talon or not, so she sent a com signal to Cilghal, notifying her that she should come to Talon's room.

Cilghal got the com signal from Leia, and was immediately concerned. She knew better than anyone what kind of cold Talon needed, and if the girl was taking a bath hot enough to form steam, then the heat from that could easily kill her or cause severe cerebral damage if it lasted for too long. She dropped the datapad with the results of Kaldin's latest diagnostics on her workstation and hurried to Talon's room. The briskly cold air inside was expected. What was not expected… was the blast of air that was actually freezing as it emerged from the fresher!

As Cilghal looked down at the girl, she felt strangely relaxed and lazy for some reason. That was when she realized that those feelings were being broadcast through the Force, and they were coming from Talon. Using the Force, Cilghal shut the door to Talon's room before speaking to her.

"Talon… I need you to leave the tub and go lay on your bed so I can examine you." Cilghal told her firmly.

Talon nodded and slowly got out of the tub. As soon as she did the freezing air of the fresher hit the water on her skin and froze it into solid ice, causing her to shiver violently. Leia didn't hesitate as she grabbed Talon, and quickly moved her from the freezing air in the fresher to the somewhat warmer environment of her room. She placed the shivering girl in a sitting position on the edge of her bed and began to dry her off. Once Talon was dry, Leia helped her still lethargic and uncoordinated apprentice get dressed in the robes that she'd had made on board The Alderaan. She sat Talon back down and began brushing the girl's hair so that Talon would remain still while Cilghal scanned her for possible injuries.

"She's a bit lightheaded from the heat, but she's not in any apparent danger. Talon, do you remember what settings you used on the water and environmental controls?"

Instead of being answered, Cilghal found herself in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. She knew that it had been rebuilt from the near ruins that it had been blasted into, but that wasn't what currently had her attention. Talon was looking around in awed but very relaxed wonder. Talon wasn't wearing anything, and that was how she knew that she'd somehow gotten pulled into Talon's mind. Unable to believe that this had happened she looked around, and saw Leia standing there in a state of confusion as well.

Cilghal shook her head to rid herself of the confusion and caused the image of Talon to be clad in the robes that Leia had dressed her in for sleeping. "Talon… are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, Master."

"Then may I ask why you have brought us here?" Cilghal asked slowly.

Talon looked as if she'd just been hit by a blaster bolt. The blood drained rapidly from her face as an expression of mortal terror graced her features. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to do this." She exclaimed softly while shaking her head in denial.

"I'm sure you didn't Talon, but we're here now, so just relax and calm down. Has either of us ever hurt you before?" Leia asked softly.

Talon shook her head hesitantly not understanding what was happening.

"That's right Talon, we haven't, and we aren't going to either!" Leia said in a firm but gentle tone while she moved closer to the mental projection of the girl. "Can I ask what made you choose this room?"

Talon swallowed hard before looking up at her Master who sat down beside her, and gently pulled her to sit down on the dais as well. "I've never been hurt in this room." She whispered softly.

"You won't be harmed here either. Not as long as any Jedi have something to say about it." Cilghal rumbled with a frown.

"I take it that you like this room Talon?" Leia asked as she rubbed lightly on the girl's back.

"I think so. At least, I think I understand what Pleena was telling me about likes, dislikes, good, and bad." Talon said as she frowned in thought.

"The fact that you aren't in pain, are learning, and that you are trying to learn… is very good Talon." Leia told her.

"Do you think Lord Vader will be angry at me?" Talon asked a little apprehensively.

Leia was quick to notice that Talon was much more relaxed than she usually was. Compared to the state of mind that she was normally in, Talon was almost calm. Leia knew that she and her father didn't share what could be called a 'loving' relationship in any way, but right now she was not especially happy with him either. It had taken a long talk with her nephew, but she finally understood what had occurred between Talon and Anakin. She was fairly sure that her father was only trying to look out for her, but still, she would enjoy giving her father's spirit a piece of her mind for giving Talon something else to be frightened of.

"No, Talon; I don't. The reason I can say that is because not only are you trying to learn how to become a proper Jedi, you are also beginning to learn what life means as well. These are important things for you to experience. You need to learn what life is about, and that is something I will also try to teach you Talon. There is a lot more to living than just existence. There's more than not being hungry, not being in pain, and not being afraid of people. Pleena is a very good example of that. Whether you know it or not, she's your friend who wants to help you learn about the good things in life." Leia said as she rubbed Talon's back soothingly.

Cilghal watched as Leia talked with Talon. Had it been anyone else, she would have sworn that the girl wasn't paying attention, because she was looking at all the fountains and plants that were in this mental image of the room. The reason she knew that Talon actually was paying attention though was what she could feel here in the girl's mind. She could feel a strange type of focus that wasn't centered on any one thing, but instead was absorbing everything. It was something that she wanted to learn because of the advantage that it seemed to present. Then Cilghal saw Talon nod in response to what Leia had told her, and she was certain that the girl had understood.

"Thank you." Talon breathed earnestly while glancing up at her Master.

"For what Talon?" Leia asked in confusion while looking at the girl.

"For… for not making me hurt." Talon whispered nervously. "You… you could have hurt me when I did things to be punished for, and… you didn't."

"You're right Talon, she didn't punish you. I'll admit that you disobeyed instructions from both of us in regard to using those sabers skills of yours, but the first is understandable. The second time you disobeyed us was to save another student, and not only do I not disapprove of that incident, but I am glad you intervened the way you did. Little Kaldin is still alive because of your actions. It's true that you could have been injured, perhaps even seriously, but you ignored that possibility and any possible consequences in order to help him. That is what we Jedi do Talon, but we try to help as many as we can… throughout the galaxy. As for the third time… I don't think Darth Vader really gave you a choice, now did he?" Cilghal said as she knelt down in front of Talon.

Even as Talon was shaking her head to answer the Healer, Leia spoke.

"If I had hurt you Talon, I would be the one getting punished! Remember what I told you about those kinds of rules called laws? Those laws exist to make sure that everyone is safe without being hurt and that includes you Talon. Do you understand?" Leia asked as she draped her right arm over the girl's shoulders in a one armed hug, while using her left to make the girl look at her.

Talon thought about that answer for a few minutes. She remembered her Master even telling her that she couldn't be punished because of these 'laws'. She didn't know anything about these laws, but she felt that they must be something very strong to make stipulations like that. She finally nodded her head in answer to her Master's question before looking around the room once more.

Leia was thoroughly surprised when she felt the level of curiosity that rose with in Talon's mind. It felt very much like an insatiable hunger, or an unquenchable thirst, and that was something Leia could understand. She knew that Talon had long been denied many things in her life, with something as simple and everyday as a name being among them. With a simple question showing ignorance and that being something which Talon would be harshly punished for, one would think that she'd had her fill of questions. Leia knew that the truth was in fact, just the opposite. Talon not only wanted to learn, but she almost needed to learn, and that fact that she could feel that curiosity running rampant in Talon's mind, prompted her next question.

"I can feel that there's something you want to know Talon, so what is it?" Leia asked casually.

"Is there really a room like this?" Talon asked as she turned her head towards her Master.

"Yes Talon, there is. This is called 'The room of a thousand fountains'. It is a place for meditation. Where you can calm your mind and commune with the Force. It was built before the Temple was damaged and the destruction of the previous Jedi Order. We have rebuilt it and much of the Temple as well. There is still some construction in the lower levels because most of the computer technology that was incorporated into the Temple is outdated, and some of that equipment is heavily damaged. It is taking some time to recover the data that was in those systems. I will take you to the room in the morning and show you where it is. While you are there, you will not be disturbed, so you can meditate as deeply as you wish." Leia said as she answered the girl's question before looking at her seriously.

"Talon, I have asked you, and you agreed not to show other students how to… to… take journeys in the Force, but I want you to know, that here in your quarters, or in The room of a thousand fountains, you can do exactly that, because no even other students will not bother someone who is meditating; understand?" Leia added firmly.

Talon nodded her head, because she did understand. Master Leia was telling her that she would now have a place where she could go where ever the Force decided to take her. She didn't have the words to express how she felt about that, but if she understood Pleena's explanations correctly, then she liked it because it was something in her life that was good.

Suddenly, before she could think to say anything else, Talon was alone in her mind. The room of a thousand fountains was gone, and she opened her eyes to find both Masters looking at her intently.

"Talon… are you sure you're feeling okay?" Leia asked in concern.

Talon nodded her head in disappointment. She hungered to be back in the room where she had never been hurt, where she had received nothing soft touches from Master Leia. Even the other Masters had never caused her any pain while she was there. It was a place where she actually felt that she was safe.

"You aren't in any pain are you Talon?" Cilghal asked after seeing Talon's reaction.

"No Master Cilghal… not like I was earlier." Talon answered hesitantly.

"I take that to mean that there is some pain then. Let me give you an injection for that… actually make that a trio of injections. A little pain serum, a bacta injection, and a mild sedative to make sure that you'll sleep soundly." Cilghal said as she pulled out her medical kit.

Talon nodded her head, and the Jedi Healer eased the thin robe looking shirt off of Talon's right shoulder so she could give the injections. Once they were done, Cilghal put the girl's shirt back into place.

"Talon, I want you to get in bed and go to sleep without having any dreams except ones about the room of a thousand fountains. In the morning, I want you to come to the infirmary after breakfast, so I can give you another pain injection along with some more bacta serum." Cilghal instructed before she left.

"I'll be going to bed as well Talon, so I'll see you in the morning. In the meantime, I want you to sleep peacefully." Leia told the girl as she helped Talon get in the bed.

Leia could see that the supposedly mild sedative was already having an affect on the girl, because her movements were quickly becoming sluggish and uncoordinated. That was when she remembered Cilghal's warning in the Council meeting. Talon's metabolism was running at a greatly accelerated rate to help absorb the minerals that she lacked. It all added up to Talon being asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. Leia smiled softly at the girl's sleeping form, before she left the room.