Talon was about to follow the rest of the students when Kenth told her to wait a moment because he wanted to speak with her. Her mind raced as she tried to think of any possible mistakes that she could have made. The only thing she could think of was calling another student by the title of 'Master' when it had not been earned. Those who were Masters often took offense to such things. She knew him as the Master who had said that he would send her away, and she would have been sure that he still wanted to do so, but she didn't sense that desire in the Force. What she did sense was worry and something else that she wasn't familiar with.
Kenth Hamner observed the girl as she approached his desk. He'd shut down the multitude of displays that he'd used to keep track of the students along with the help of an astromech droid. R9E3, or Arnie as the droid was known had also kept track of everything, and had brought certain things to his attention. The droid's assistance in this particular situation had been invaluable. It was only partly because of the droid that he knew of Talon's mistakes. The main reason was that he'd been evaluating Talon's flying skills. He knew that she had actually flown a fighter from Korriban to Coruscant, so she clearly had some knowledge… the question was, how much.
"Talon, have you ever flown in a simulation where the ship in question had more than one position for the wings?" He asked interestedly.
"No Master." Talon answered simply.
"Well, that would certainly explain why you were slow to lock them. Now, I am well aware that you were lifting off long before everyone else was done with their preflight checks. Why did you not do a complete exam of your ship's systems?" Kenth asked curiously.
"I did Master. I checked the ship exactly as I was taught." Talon said quickly.
'If she checked the ship exactly as she was taught, then that means she wasn't taught a proper checklist. I'll have to get someone to work with her on that.' Kenth thought idly.
"There is one last thing I want to discuss with you Talon. You said that you were trained to ram the bridge of a capital ship. I can certainly see why that training would have been ingrained into you and the other students at the Sith Academy, but that is not the way things are done among the Jedi. Yes, a Jedi's life is one of sacrifice, but you are not to sacrifice your life unless there is no other alternative. A suicide run is not acceptable here… is that understood Talon?" Kenth lectured calmly.
"Yes Master."
"Good. Now, I wish to commend you on some excellent flying today. You performed very well indeed! It is a known fact that a Force user does better against an actual pilot where what they are about to do can be sensed in the Force, while the maneuvers of a simulated pilot can't. After you pulled that unusual 'stopping' maneuver and let those two fly past you, I kept altering the program so that the skill of your opponent would keep increasing each minute. Not only did you stay with him, but you were very persistent. That grazing shot of yours was a lucky one, and we both know that, but you stayed right on him, keeping him in your sight until you finally got him, and that was very well done! We have a few things to work with you on as far as your flying goes, but your skill in combat flying is well above your age group. Overall, you did very well today Talon. I want you to understand something here… we need to know what you know, and the only way we can really find that out is by testing your skills. Today was one such test. It's clear that you know the basics of flying a fighter ship, and that you know some decent maneuvers for combat, but you aren't familiar with the complete control layout of the ships we use. I'm certain that there will be other areas we find in which you lack certain knowledge, we simply have to find those areas. Once we have discovered what you don't know, we can begin teaching you." Kenth finished with a light smile.
"Yes Master!" Talon answered in surprise before she remembered what she had been taught by her new Master. "Thank you Master."
"You're welcome. Now, I have one more question for you. The other day, you only had four lightsabers, now you have a fifth lightsaber on your belt. May I know why?" Kenth asked candidly.
"Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker gave this one to me. Lord Vader built it when he was still Jedi Anakin Skywalker." Talon stated as she took the topic of the discussion off her belt and held it out for inspection.
Kenth took the lightsaber and examined it as he considered the implications. Because she had been raised as a Sith, he knew that Talon revered Darth Vader, and had not only encountered his Force ghost but had fought a lightsaber battle against it. He would readily admit that as a role model for a Sith, Darth Vader was impressive, but this was the weapon of a Jedi!
"What do you know about Anakin Skywalker?" He asked curiously.
"I… I know that he was a Jedi. That he became Lord Vader; that he was very powerful, that he killed Lord Sidious, and died as a Jedi." Talon answered putting together what she had learned.
"Well yes, those are the basics… but what I mean is, what do you know about the kind of life that Anakin Skywalker had?" Kenth elaborated easily.
"I don't know anything Master." Talon answered honestly, but nervously as well.
"In that case I would suggest that you talk with Master Tionne Solusar. She is in charge of our records, and has rebuilt the Archives. She can help you learn about who Anakin Skywalker was before he became Darth Vader. If you are going to be a Jedi, then you should learn about the person who wants you to be a Jedi, don't you think?" Kenth asked reasonably as he handed the lightsaber back to her.
"Yes Master." Talon answered quickly while putting the weapon carefully on her belt.
The Grand Master of the New Jedi Order knew that he'd made an excellent suggestion when he saw how Talon handled that particular lightsaber almost reverently. He smiled and nodded to himself as she walked out of the room, because he was certain that she'd make a good Jedi one day.
When Talon walked out of the simulator room, she found that Selar and Deilaani were waiting for her.
"I don't care what Master Hamner said, you gave us the boost we needed to take a lot of them out! We wouldn't have had any chance against that battle group if you hadn't taken out the bridge of that ISD! Even though we all got killed, it still counts as a win because of that." Selar said with a grin. "So good work in there! I'll take you as a Wingmate any time!"
"Talon right? We're all meeting in the lounge to watch the recordings of that run." Deilaani told her. "By the way, my name's Deilaani, and I'm really glad you're assigned to our flight group. In the simulations I'm Green Two." Deilaani said with a smile as she stuck out her right hand.
Talon had no idea what the outstretched hand was for, so she stuck hers out in a similar manner intending to ask what it meant, when the Twi'lek grabbed hers, pumped it up and down a couple times before releasing it. She was almost certain that this was some kind of ritual but because she knew nothing about it, she would have to ask Master Leia later.
"I'm Talon… I was Green Ten in the simulation." She replied simply.
"Yeah we know! The absolute craziest pilot in the whole Order! That was some wicked intense flying in there, especially the way you went after that one you got! I got to see some of that fight, and those are some intense skills." Deilaani exclaimed brightly.
"No kidding! Some of the Knights and Masters might have been able to keep up with that TIE, but I wouldn't have thought a student could. Come on; let's grab some food while we watch the recordings." Selar said still grinning.
Pleena walked in to the lounge to have some tea and relax. The telekinetic class had been tough, and had her completely beat. She was about to sit down in one of the wonderfully stuffed chairs when she heard loud cheers and laughter coming from the group gathered around a holo table. She went over to see what was going on.
"So just what Academy were you trained at to learn how to fly like that?" A red skinned Twi'lek girl asked in awed admiration.
"I was trained at the Sith Academy on Korriban." Talon answered simply.
"Talon! Master Solo said you aren't supposed to talk about that!" Pleena hissed loudly.
"But a lie will get you killed." Talon answered without hesitation.
"Well she did say not to talk about it unless you have too. I guess if they ask… then you have to tell." Pleena admitted reluctantly.
"You mean she's not joking with us? She was really trained as a Sith?" An older boy with a swarthy complexion asked.
"No, she's not joking. You don't want to ask her what it was like either." Pleena answered quickly with a shudder.
"So do you know what it was like?" the dark skinned boy asked.
"Only a little bit. I know they didn't teach her about anything that was good. She doesn't even know what a friend is, because she's never had one before, and never even heard the word until she got here. She's never had any fun, so she probably don't know what that is either. What I do know is that Talon's a Jedi now, so we have to teach her the good things in life and how to do things the right way." Pleena said emphatically.
"We can do that." The dark skinned boy said confidently.
"Really? And just how are we going to do that, because I'm getting nothing here." The Twi'lek shot back before looking over at the Nautolan. "By the way, I'm Deilaani, and this is Selar."
"That's me… former street runner from the bowels of Coruscant. I go by Green One, Green Leader, or Flight Leader when we're running the flight simulators though. Deilaani's Green Two and Talon is now Green Ten. We were three short until today, but that wasn't a problem because we've got the best… but now? Talon will really ramp up our scores!" Selar said with a smug grin.
"I'm Pleena Fisto and if Talon's only half as good at flying as she is with a lightsaber then she'll probably end up teaching you." The Nautolan answered with a grin of her own.
"I've seen Knights and Masters fly better than she did today, but she's got to be the best there is out of the students." Selar admitted easily.
"Wait… are you saying she's good with a blade too?" Selar asked suddenly.
"Good doesn't even begin to cover it! I saw the recording of her holding off twenty six remotes, and she wasn't even breathing hard after she beat the last one. All the instructors tell us that Ataru is worthless against blasters and remotes, but that's what she used to beat them, and that was after she protected some youngling from them using Soresu. Knight Skywalker told me and several others that she won't be in any saber skill classes unless she's the one teaching it." Teilaan said as she stepped forward.
Selar looked at the young Cathar who was also a member of his flight group. As Green Seven, she was reliable and steady. She wasn't the hottest pilot in the group, but she was able to provide adequate cover for any of the others and that was what made her a valuable asset.
"She can use Soresu and Ataru?" Selar demanded incredulously.
"I heard some of the Masters talking about how she can use all the forms; that when her leg heals, she'll be teaching the Masters." Pleena put in excitedly.
Deilaani looked at Talon in confusion. "She doesn't even come up to my shoulders! She's no bigger than a Gizka! How's she supposed to teach a Master?"
"Hey, don't ask me, I only know what I heard!" Pleena protested hotly.
"So back to Deilaani's question… how do we teach her what a friend is?" Teilaan asked interestedly.
"Yeah… I haven't figured that one out either," Pleena muttered disgustedly, "and I been thinking about it for a couple days now."
"Okay, so it's hard; it can't be impossible… can it?" Selar asked with a frown.
"I don't know, but Master Solo hasn't come up with anything either. It's harder than it sounds." Pleena said sourly.
"Well you must be pretty good friends with her, or you wouldn't have bothered to learn so much about her, and you sure wouldn't try to warn her not to talk about the Sith academy. Any friend of hers is a friend of ours… you'll find that I try to look out for my Wing, and do what's best for 'em. I treat my teammates like family, so why don't you come meet the rest of the Flight?" Selar asked easily with a grin.
Selar wasn't a laser brained idiot. You didn't survive the lower levels near the actual surface of Coruscant unless you were smart. After two whole years of living on his own with no one to look after him, he'd been found by a Jedi Master. That Jedi Master had been Jacen Solo long before he'd declared himself to be Darth Ceadus. It hurt knowing that the man who had both saved and improved his life had irretrievably gone to the Darkside. He knew that Jacen had saved his life because living the way he had was not only tough, but it was a constant battle against starvation, crime, gangs, and the kind of smugglers who'd kidnap a child and sell them into slavery on the outer rim. By bringing him here, Jacen Solo had gotten him away from all of that, and he'd been stuck doing nothing but watch as the man had then turned on the Jedi Order. He couldn't help but wonder if there were those who watched him because they suspected he would do the same thing. This Order was a new life; a better life for him, and he knew that, because the odds in favor of him being dead or enslaved by now were astronomical. There was no way that he was going to throw his life, and the chances he'd been given, away.
Selar could see that this Pleena, though young, was a very loyal type. He knew that Sith and Dark or Fallen Jedi had a reputation for cruelty that was far too well known. For someone as young as Pleena to look beyond Talon's past as a Sith said a lot about the kind of person Talon was.
From the moment Selar had arrived, he had regarded the Jedi Order as a type of family, or syndicate. They were without a doubt, a very large and unusual family, but a family none the less. Green Wing was his group or gang within that family or syndicate. He was their leader, and that made them his responsibility. To him, it didn't matter that none of them were currently in a flight simulator; they were still his flight group! He would do whatever it took to look out for his group, because that was what a true leader was supposed to do. As a new team member assigned to his group, he felt that Talon was now his responsibility. He was supposed to help her excel in her studies, and from what he had just learned, that was not going to be easy, but then, that was where the rest of the group came into play. As individuals they could be easily beaten, but as a group; as a team? Selar felt that they were strong enough to face any obstacle and triumph! Perhaps this Pleena could be yet another new addition to the group, only time would tell.
The Grand Master of the Jedi Order looked across the table at none other than Luke Skywalker. The calm demeanor that Luke always displayed was a large factor in how a being acted towards him. That calm, confident behavior usually instilled others to calm down as well.
"Luke… you know more about what it means to teach others about being a Jedi than anyone else in this Order. You've met Talon, and are aware of the rather… unique position that she's in. The thing is, your sister hasn't had Talon properly evaluated yet. We know almost nothing about her skills, knowledge, or lack of knowledge in various fields. Leia hasn't really helped Talon in that area at all, and that needs to change. Talon seems to be a very bright individual, if her flying and saber skills are taken into account. The problem is we know next to nothing else about her." Kenth began solemnly.
"Leia told us in the Council meeting that Talon was raised to be blaster fodder. That was proven a short while ago when she made a suicide run right into the bridge of a simulated ISD. I am not going to be responsible for teaching someone to sacrifice themselves! That is not the kind of Order you created, and that is not the direction I want to take this Order in. You know your sister better than most, what I need from you, is to talk to Leia. Make her understand that Talon is going to be looking to her as a role model, teacher, and a form of substitute parent. Talon will need guidance from her, a lot of it! I'll admit, that Talon's action in ramming the bridge of that ship was instrumental in handing those forces a sound defeat, but there was absolutely no reason for her to kill herself like that!" Kenth said emphatically.
"You're right, and that is very disturbing. What would you prefer that Leia be doing as far as teaching Talon goes?" Luke asked.
"What I want is for Leia to be successful with Talon. From what little I've seen of her, Talon seems to be scared of almost everyone, but at the same time, she's eager… almost desperate to please. That girl wants to learn! Earlier today, Knight Razelle told me about how just yesterday, Talon recited a lot of drivel that she'd been taught by the Sith, believing it to be correct; which it wasn't. Once Knight Razelle learned the truth, she gave Talon a datapad that was loaded with galactic history on it. Then, today Talon has been carrying that datapad everywhere with her and reading it almost constantly. Knight Razelle suspects that the girl is going to try memorizing the entire thing!" Kenth stated forcefully.
"I know what you mean, because I've encountered Talon's curiosity for myself, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to find that she is trying to memorize the entire datapad. I'll have a talk with my sister. Afterwards, you will need to gather every Knight and Master together… that includes the Council and my sister, to have a talk with them. Tell them about Talon's past, allow Leia to go into some details, if you think it's needed. Let them know that in some ways, Talon may well be more skilled than they are, but in others, she will have less skill than a typical initiate. Let them know that they need to watch Talon for incongruencies. Make no mistake here Master Hamner; Talon will likely become the topic of many Council discussions in the future. Yes, she has been raised by the Sith, to be a Sith… but at the same time, they brutally traumatized her, and kept her completely ignorant of many basic things. An excellent example that I can give you is that some food was brought in while Leia, Talon, and I were on board The Alderaan. Her stomach growled loudly at the smell of that food, and I cracked a rather weak joke about the possibility of her taking a bite out of the table. The joke was on me, because she was being serious when she asked if the table was actually food." Luke said seriously.
"You're not joking now are you?" Kenth asked suspiciously.
"No, Kenth, I'm not. I don't know nearly as much about Talon as my sister does, but what little I do know causes me to be interested in spending more time with her, both to learn and to teach. She has a lot of potential, and I don't want to see it squandered." Luke finished.
"I don't want that either, which is exactly why I wanted to speak with you about this." Kenth said candidly.
Selar gaped at the recording that Teilaan had pulled up. As Green Seven, the thirteen year old Cathar was reliable but energetic. This recording though… it was like watching one of the Masters at work. This was the third time that the group was watching it, and Pleena was still grinning as proudly as if she were the one wielding those sabers instead of Talon. He had enlarged the hologram so that only Talon's upper body could be seen, and what really surprised him was that there was no sign or hint of strained effort present in Talon's face.
"That is some awesome saber skill!" Selar said when the recording had ended for the third time.
"Yes it is, and I for one am greatly looking forward to learning from her." A new voice spoke with admiration in the tone.
Selar looked over and saw that Jedi Master Corran Horn had also been watching the recording. "Master Horn! We were just…"
"Relax! I've heard that Talon has some rather exceptional saber skills. I had some doubts, but after seeing that recording… let's just say that I'm convinced." Corran said easily as he cut Selar's explanation short.
"Those are some impressive skills Talon. Up until you arrived, I was considered the best duelist in the Order. Oh there are some who can actually defeat me… but not while using only saber skills! I'm going to have to be honest and give you the title of 'the best duelist' in the Order, because I can see that you'd have no problem facing me." Corran admitted while smiling at Talon.
"She's that good?" Pleena demanded in surprise.
"I think she is. That recording shows her using both Soresu and Ataru flawlessly. Up until a few moments ago, I would have sworn that Ataru could not be successfully used against remotes. That recording shows just how wrong I would have been. That recording is proof that she is much better than I am, and much better than I had anticipated, even though I've been told about her skill in that area." Corran said honestly.
The Jedi Master turned to smile at Talon. "Talon, once your leg has healed, and Cilghal has cleared you for full physical activity, I would greatly appreciate it if you would be willing to teach me some of what you know about the various Forms."
"Yes Master." Talon answered quickly.
"Don't you 'Yes Master' me!" Corran Horn said sternly. "I want you to actually consider allowing me to learn from you. My family has never been able to use the Force for telekinetic skills, so we need to rely on our saber skills to make up for that. That is why I would like to learn from you, because that knowledge will help me in the long run. I want you to think about that for a while." He added kindly before he turned and left.
Corran Horn had easily felt the apprehension and fear from Talon as she instantly made her answer. That was why he'd reacted the way he had. He wanted her to teach him willingly, not because she was afraid of him. He knew that between her advanced saber skills, and her ability in Force telekinetics, that she could defeat and kill him easily. He knew that she was very skilled, and she clearly knew that as well, the obvious problem was getting her to be confident in those skills.
'A bit of self confidence would do wonders for her fears. She probably needed those among the Sith who taught her, but here, they are more of a hindrance than anything else. I'll have to speak to Leia about that.' Corran thought as he left.