Chapter 2.

Eyes shut, with a cup of tea placed next to him on the sitting room floor, Bail sat with his legs crossed. He took in a deep breath as he tried to clear his mind, but still so many worries clouded his thoughts. 'I want so very much to continue our search for Master Jied,' he thought to himself, 'but to risk facing pirates again…'

Bail's brow furrowed at the idea of encountering pirates in open space once more, only this time with so much more at stake, anxiety crept in. 'Maybe…' he thought, 'maybe if we just continued our search we wouldn't even run into any pirates. Space is quite vast after all.' He took a sip of his tea, its aroma calmed his mind, and its warmth soothed body. His heart, however, began to beat slightly faster as more aggressive visions burrowed into his mind's eye. 'But if they do find us,' he worried, 'would our rescue mission be over, and we would become those who need to be rescued?'

Placing his tea down, the red liquid in the ceramic cup began to ripple. 'Perhaps we'd be fine, two Jedi Masters and their Padawans would surely be enough to deal with a few pirates, maybe we'd even apprehend them and turn them over to the authorities.' His heart quickened, as did the rippling of the tea. 'But… if there are too many…could we handle a few dozen, or a hundred pirates? With their conniving, and stealing, and kidnapping, and killing!' His heart and teacup were both shaking now. 'I'd have to fight for my life, for the life of my fellow Jedi, for the sake of the Grand Master! I'd have to kill them!'

The teacup then shattered, pieces flying across the sitting room, its red liquid staining the carpeted floor. Bail broke from his trance and looked at what he'd done. He then looked out the window again and saw not mere blackness but a fueling depot in the distance. The one that would allow them to continue their journey to search for the Grand Master. Bail looked again to the broken cup and red stain on the carpet. "Master Midre is right," he said to himself, "we must be patient and wait for a clear go ahead to proceed. If we were to just hurry into this… we might never find Master Jied.

Bail stood up from the floor and cleaned the carpet as best he could. Disposing of the broken pieces, he saw that the ship had finally made it to the fueling station. 'I should go check on Chuult, and see how he's fairing.' he thought, 'Perhaps he's calmed down?' Bail headed for the doorway, as he muttered to himself, "Though why do I get the feeling that's not the case?"

Making his way to the training room, Bail heard a voice come over the ship's speaker. "Attention passengers, our portside airlock has been secured to the fuel depot. You may exit at your leisure." The voice ended with the static sound of the speaker. It was Captain Skipper's voice, the pilot and Captain of the starship they were traveling abroad. Passing another window, Bail could see Masters Taflu and Midre exiting the ship and entering the depot, so as to refuel and make payment. The depot was a large plasteel dome sitting beside the fuel station which would, in time, be connected to the starship for fuel transference.

Bail rounded the corner to enter the training room. "Chuult," he said out loud, "I hope you've had time to calm down, we should…" Bail stopped. The training room was empty and the training remotes were all turned off. "I'm sure he wasn't with the Masters, and I was alone in the sitting room." Bail exited the doorway to search for his fellow Padawan elsewhere.

Coming to the kitchen, Bail saw no one, and in fact no one had been in since he brewed his tea. Bail whispered to himself, "Where could he be?" Bail made his way straight down the hall to the cockpit. "I'll ask Captain Skipper," he said to himself. Pushing a button on the wall caused the cockpit door to open with a loud thud. Entertaining, Bail could see Captain Skipper, but he was alone, sitting in his pilot's chair with feet on the terminal. Swiveling his chair to face Bail, Skipper asked in a curious tone, "Somethin' I can do for ya son?"

Captain Skipper was a balding, white skinned, human. With a lanky exterior and squinted face, his look could make one confuse him for an engineer, if not for his vest with a tarnished Captain's badge on it. Bail, taking a step forward, with both hands on the door frame, asked, "Have you seen Chuult come by here, Captain?" Skipper made a queer expression as he thought, then said, "No, I haven't seen Chuult since before we went into hyperspace." "Well I've looked everywhere and I can't find him," said Bail. Skipper replied, "Do ya think he left the ship with the Masters?" as he raised an eyebrow. Bail only shook his head.

A second later, a light on the terminal began flashing red and making a beeping noise. "Oh, what the hell now?" Exclaimed Skipper, putting his feet down and scooting his chair up to the terminal. "What is it?" asked Bail, as the beep continued. Skipper leaned closer to the terminal and squinted his eyes. "It's a distress beacon," he said. Bail then asked, "Could it be from the Grand Master?" his posture straightened as an elated look showed across his face. "No," Skipper replied, then widened his eyes, "it's coming from inside the ship!"

Bail, shocked, replied, "But how could that be? You can only send out a distress beacon from the cockpit, or the comm…" he stopped himself short, as he then realized the location of his missing peer. Skipper pointed to Bail and said, "You go to the comms room and try to stop any transmission from being completed, I'll try to turn off the beacon and contact the Masters!"

Exiting the cockpit, Bail walked with haste to the communications room at the other end of the ship. He could sense, just past the shut door to the comms room, that there was deceptive intent. Entering, Bail could see Chuult, his back facing him, working at the comms terminal. "What are you doing?!" Bail inquired, raising his voice. Chuult, turning around to face him, calmly replied, "Ah, Bail, perfect timing. I'm almost done sending the transmission for the beacon."

Bail quickly stepped to Chuult's side, "You waited for the Masters to leave the ship," he accused. Chuult turned back to the terminal as he answered, "I sure did. they never would have approved if I asked to activate the beacon." Bail then demanded,"Why are you activating the distress beacon, and what transmission are you sending?!" He became red in the face, remembering his Master's orders to keep Chuult out of trouble. Chuult, eyes still on the terminal, replied, "I activated the distress beacon so that the pirates could find us."

Bail's face turned from red to white. "Don't you see," Chuult continued, ignoring his fellow Padawan's change of expression, "We can't enter the next sector until the pirates have been dealt with or left the sector, so I figured, 'why not do both?'" Eyes the size of moons, Bail finally connected the dots, "You're leading the pirates here…" Chuult, about to complete the transmission, "Exactly, the distress beacon will give them our location and this transmission about us being a 'damaged spice freighter,' is sure to entice any pirating vessel. I've also sent out a transmission to the law enforcement of that sector. The pirates come to raid us and then the police show up to arrest them. Thanks again for giving me time alone, so I could clear my thoughts." Chuult then stared at the blinking lights of the terminal, like stars in the sky, "Now we can find the Grand Master with no further delays."

Bail's mind began to race, 'pirates, here?!" He could not allow it. Bail took a step back and pulled, from his belt, his lightsaber. "I can't let you!" he said, igniting the blade. He pointed the sabers azure blade at Chuult's throat, making him back away from the terminal. Chuult, almost stumbling backwards, put his hands up above his Shoulders. "Woah, now," he said while continuing to move back, the lightsaber still at his neck, "I thought we were on the same page. Finding the Grand Master takes priority." Chuult's back was now touching the wall and he could step back no further.

Bail, his brow now furrowed, scowled at Chuult, said, "You cannot risk everyone's well-being. I want to find the Grand Master just as much as you," he then lowered his lightsaber slightly, "but not like this." Chuult stared at Bail, "Ok, Bail," he said, "have it your way." He lowered his hands slightly in response to the lowered lightsaber. Then, with a smirk, Chuult gave a slight wave of his hand. Suddenly, through the Force, Chuult telekinetically flipped a switch on the communications terminal. It made a loud click, followed by a beep. Bail whipped his head around. Chuult had sent the transmission to the neighboring sector.

"No!" Bail shouted, as he deactivated his lightsaber. He rushed to the terminal, trying in some futile attempt to end the transmission from going out. To prevent the horrors he once witnessed from appearing again to haunt him once more. But it was too late. Shooting through the void were a collection of words that would tell any pirates who received them, 'come take me.' Bail rested his hands on the comms terminal, his grip tight enough to choke an Ithorian.

Chuult then relaxed his posture, seeing the torment of his fellow Padawan, and only said, "You left me little choice." Bail looked up, staring at the wall, as Chuult put one hand on his lightsaber, for should he be threatened again. Standing up straight, Bail then said, "And how do you think the Masters will respond to that?" In response, Chuult said, "I think when all is said and done they'll appreciate my ingenuity," his breath mask and goggles hiding his scowl. "We are more than capable of handling a few thieving rogue spacers. Besides," he continued, "even if there are too many, the police will provide all the back up we need."

Bail could strangle Chuult, he was so infuriated, but before he could, Skipper's voice came over the speaker. "Hey 'Younglings,' the Masters have returned and would like a word with ya. Now!" the loud post static buzz indicated the speaker was then turned off. Bail and Chuult shared an aggravated look to one another that said, 'See what you've done?' As they straightened up and walked through the door frame together towards the lecture they were both doomed to receive.