Dantooine

Residence on Dantooine Part I

It is a sad day in the Jedi Order. Today the Exile has left us. I realize it is inappropriate to refer to a Jedi Master that way, but yet that is how she is known through out the galaxy. As these are my personal notes and not my official report, I will clean them up later. With her, the Exile took only Jedi Master Visas Marr and her two droids. I’m not sorry to see the HK unit go. I find it disturbing to have an assassin droid roaming the Jedi Temple. Certainly the Jedi have no need for such a reminder of the Sith, as only the Sith would make use of such foul machines. The Exile has left us to seek Revan and Bastila in the Unknown Regions. As Jedi historian, I requested that if I may not accompany them, then at least they keep a log of their journal for the archives. Certainly there is much that can be learned from their experiences. Still, it is strange how first Revan, than Bastila, and now the Exile and Visas feel a need to search the Unknown Regions for what, they have not said. We wish them a speedy journey and a safe return.

Speaking of which, I am going on a journey, myself. I will be joining Master Bindo on Dantooine at the Jedi Enclave there. I have spoken to Master Bindo only via holotransmission, and he seems rather gruff in manner. Nonetheless, he is legendary as a former companion of Revan’s whom he assisted in destroying the Star Forge and defeating Malak.

As ranking Jedi Historian with Jedi Knight Atris’ guidance, I have begun to chronicle the events of the Mandalorian Wars and dark days that followed them. It is an odious task, one which I would prefer not to have to immerse myself in, but one that Master Disciple and Atris feel is necessary. Master Disciple says that if we do not accurately record history, we cannot learn from it, and there is much to be learned from the last 15 years since the Mandalorian Wars ended.

For my own part, during the dark times, I was a Padawan abandoned by his master who went to join Revan in the war effort. I chose to return home to Alderaan, and avoided the horrors that followed the Wars. I returned to Coruscant only after Jedi Masters Disciple and Visas Marr put out the call for the Jedi to come out of hiding. I have since become a Jedi Knight myself, training alongside Atris who was reduced to Padawan status for her own brush with the Dark Side. Her strength of will and faith in the Jedi teachings to enable her to overcome the taint of the Dark Side is an inspiration to us all. Though she often seems distant, Atris remains a trusted comrade.

But as distasteful as I find recording the Dark Times, a Jedi’s life is duty and sacrifice, and I will do my best to put together an accurate record of recent events.

Even as Visas leaves us. I must confess, journal, to a certain enamor with the Miraluka Jedi Master. Beautiful and mysterious, I find her. How I long to go with her, to share in the danger with her, not for the sake of the archives, but for the sake of her company, for those few precious few moments when she turns her attention to me. Though many find her abrupt manner unnerving, it only accentuates the mystery she is and increases my desire for her.

But enough about that. I should instead talk about my research which I began by studying the archives for all information pertaining to the late Jedi Master Kreia whom was lost to us to the Dark Side and whom was killed by the Exile on Malachor. Since a trip to Malachor is not possible, I am forced to rely on the archives of Kreia’s early years and on the testimony of the Exile and her companions. It goes without saying that she is almost universally disliked, and even the most compassionate of Jedi shudder at the mention of her name, often accompanied by a look of distaste. For my own part, I never met her and so can not judge her fairly. Nevertheless, her lack of popularity makes researching her past more difficult.

I stepped into her old quarters at the Jedi Temple, trying to get a feel for her presence but there was none. Still the room felt as if the gloom had gathered there and refused to leave. The light coming in the window felt muted, and the air stifling. I stood there, closed my eyes and stretched out with the Force, but I sensed nothing. She had not left an impression in this room. I sat on the bed, thinking aloud, “Kreia, why did you betray us?”

As I spoke the last word, a slight breeze rustled through the room, sending dust motes flying into the air. I covered my mouth, stifling a cough. But I felt some of the dust irritating my sinuses and the back of my throat. As I coughed again, harder, I chanced to look under the bed, was a hololog, so thick with dust, I had mistaken it for a extension of the floor. My coughing subsided, and I reached underneath, pulling it out. It no longer functioned whether by lack of use or from dust having gotten inside the casing. In any event, I hoped I would be able to download whatever information might be on it. I had been assigned a protocol droid for my mission, B4-1D,and I hoped it would be able to help me with it.

But it was an astromech on the journey to Dantooine that was able to retrieve the memory of the datapad. I’d left it sitting on the table in my room, my protocol droid unable to do anything with it. But oddly enough the astromech entered my quarters quite by surprise and began to work on the door which had been malfunctioning due to some crossed circuits, I was told. B4 scolded it for entering without permission, but it was a stubborn droid.

“Obviously he has gone for considerable time without a memory wipe,” B4 told me. “This is not proper droid behavior.”

The astromech went about it’s business, ignoring us and the conversation we were having. In no time it had the door fixed and working normally. Before I could stop it, it had grabbed the datapad off the counter.

“Return that datapad immediately or you’ll be lucky if you aren’t blasted in to scrap metal.”

And then what followed was the most animated argument I’d ever seen between two droids. At several junctures, I thought to get a word in, but realizing I was out of my element, I remained silent. The strangest thing, however, was that even while the astromech protested its case against B4, it continued to work on the datapad, inserting its computer interface probe into it. It sent a brief surge of power into the datapad, causing the display to light up briefly and then, apparently, downloaded the contents of it. Finally, B4 became silent, having run out of things to say, so exasperated had he become.

“Please be careful with that,” I told the astromech.

He responded with an enthusiastic squeal, and then plugged himself into the console. From the holoemitter, the hologram of an elderly woman in a Jedi appeared standing in the center of my room.

“I have been cast out today,” she said in a firm, bordering on unfriendly voice. “The Council believes me responsible for Revan’s fall. I have surrendered my lightsaber and now must pack my meager belongings. It is, perhaps, my tone or the sound of my voice that casts suspicion on me more than any facts. The Council needs to cast blame on someone, and though I was but one of Revan’s teachers, I have been chosen. Regardless of what the Council believes, I would not have wished any to fall the Dark Side, and it is my sincerest wish that Revan can still be saved.. I am, therefore, going in search of Revan to find the reasons for her fall. I have little hope that this will vindicate me in the eyes of the Jedi, but it is important to me, nonetheless.

The unfortunate set of circumstances surrounding this is that all of the students I have trained have went to fight in the Mandalorian War. In the eyes of the Jedi Masters, I am a failure. Whether this is because of the methods I employ in my teaching or because so many young Jedi the urgency of the war preys on a young Jedi's mind, we shall see. The Force shall guide me as always. The truth shall be revealed.

It is my full intention to make a recorded record of my travels so that future Jedi may learn from my, and perhaps also Revan's, examples. I..."

Then the hologram disappeared. The astromech squealed.

B4 who had also been watching the hologram earnestly turned to face me. "He says that the memory in the datapad was damaged and this is as much as he was able to retrieve." He turned towards the astromech. "I told you to leave that datapad alone. There are data retrieval droids that would have done a much better job than you. I'm certain of it."

But I paid no mind to their argument. I was considering the words of Kreia, knowing of what she had become, but wondering if it might have been avoided had she received more empathy from the Jedi Council. But it seemed in those days, the Council was lacking in patience and acceptance. The war had everyone concerned, perhaps the greatest threat to the Jedi Order since the Great Hyperspace War. They could not know then that shortly thereafter would come a new breed of Sith that tracked it's prey through the Force. Kreia was said to be one of the foremost experts of the Sith among the Masters. Certainly her advanced knowledge could and should have been helpful with the problems that beset the Order.

"B4, enough."

The protocol droid became silent.

I looked down at the astromech. "Could you play the recording again?"

I had him play it several times on the voyage to Dantooine. There was nothing in Kreia's voice to indicate to me that the Dark Side was in her. It seemed to me that Malachor must have been her undoing since that is where she retreated to meet the Exile. I had been told how strong the Dark Side was on that world, but perhaps she could not know that in advance. Instead the mystery was how she found Malachor at all. Revan, herself, only stumbled upon it while looking for forward bases to use against the Mandalorians. As such it must have been difficult to find. The danger, of course, was that whatever had led Kreia there might lead to other places of the Dark Side, a danger that needed to be investigated.

I shooed the droids out of the room and settled into my meditation to let the Force guide me.

Eventually we arrived at Dantooine, and with the droids in tow, I met with Master Bindo.

We talked for a long while, and he had much to say. I was enthralled hearing the stories of this now legendary Jedi Master. Apparently, during the Dark Times, he had hidden on Kashykk, fending off several Sith Assassins in the Shadowlands with the help of the Wookie Chieftain, Zaalbar, and his Twi’lek associate, Mission Vao. We are lucky that he survived and was willing to return to the Order, as he had become disenchanted like so many of the “Lost Jedi”. Master Bindo can come across as unfriendly to those who didn’t know him well. but he is a credit to the Jedi Order.

On Coruscant, I was able to find out that Revan and Bastila had rediscovered the first of four Star Maps on Dantooine which later would enable them to find the location of the Star Forge and destroy it. The Map on Dantooine, along with the accompanying droids of the "Builders" were being studied by Jedi and Republic archaeologists alike, Bindo informed me. I left my things in my new quarters and went to go meet with him.

He stood with a thin, female Jedi, of approximately my age. She was pale, a strange contrast to the seemingly always brightly lit world of Dantooine. She had long black hair that highlighted her pale skin all the more, and piercing dark eyes that made me feel uneasy as they looked in my direction.

"This is Padawan Mora Myll," Master Bindo said.
From her, I could feel a coldness and an emptiness. There was an feeling of despair about her.

I was apparently more fixated on her than I realized, for she spoke in a low voice, “Your senses serve you well. I was of the Dark Side. I was a Sith Assassin, perhaps the last of them, though now I am redeemed.”

I must admit, my first face to face confrontation with a Sith, or rather, a former Sith, was cause for more anxiety than I'd expected. True, I'd spoken with Master Visas Marr on occasion, but she was already well established in the Light Side by that time. Likewise, I'd trained along side Atris, but it simply didn't prepare me for Mora Myll. Not just the taint of the Dark Side that lingered around her, but the emptiness in the Force that she was, a void where the the Force should have been. I felt cold in her presence along with despair. It was almost as though she were dead. The conflict between my physical senses and my connection with the Force would simply not resolve itself.

For her own part, Mora stared at me blankly, without malice and yet still it was rather unnerving.

"Why don't you two youngsters follow me? We have something to talk about." Master Bindo said.

I couldn't help but throw an occasional anxious glance at Mora along the way to Master Bindo's office until finally she gave me a rather annoyed glance. After that, I kept my eyes straight ahead, but looking at her, feeling her presence, made all the stories we'd been taught about the Jedi Civil War and the period immediately following it, come to life. No longer were they simple tales the Masters told to Padawans to reinforce the Jedi teachings. No longer were they simply the stuff of holodramas. I could not even begin to consider how many Jedi she may have killed...

‘A great many.’ Her voice came into my mind, and I turned to face her. She had stopped and was staring intently at me again.

Master Bindo cleared his throat noisily at this point. I had not even noticed we had arrived at his office, so lost in my thoughts was I. “Padawan...”

She turned to face him, the hard expression on her face melting. “Forgive me, Master.”

“We’ve been working on not misusing the Force, haven’t we, Padawan?” he said with an edge of annoyance in his voice.

“Yes, Master,” she answered.

I felt myself let out a deep breath I hadn’t even noticed I was holding.

Master Bindo smiled. “The first time I met her, I hadn’t felt anything like that since the Sith Assassins I fought on Kashykk. And before that, when I fought on the Star Forge alongside Revan.”

My jaw dropped. “You were actually on the Star Forge? I had no idea. I had only known you traveled with Revan.”

“Not against Malak, directly, but yes, Juhani and I were along for the ride when she invaded the Star Forge. But that’s a story for another time. I’ve introduced you two because I’d like you to take over Padawan Mora’s training. At least temporarily.”

Mora and I protested immediately, each of us making an attempt to be heard over the other, but Master Bindo silenced us by raising a hand. “Master Juhani is away, and I need some help around here.”

“But I’m not a Master. I’m certainly not qualified to train one of her kind.” That hadn’t come out exactly as I’d intended, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of her eyebrows go up.

He smiled. “You’re a Jedi Knight. She is a padawan. Unlike the other padawans, she needs special attention."

“But Master, he is not ready,” Mora protested. “He cannot possibly understand.”

“Which is exactly why I expect you not to make this any harder on him than it has to be. The same goes for you,” he said to me. “ Make me proud,” he told us. “Now shoo, the both of you. I have work to do.”

And with that we were kicked out of his office. We stood there for a long moment, looking around, past each other, through each other even, each not knowing what to say. I’d heard Master Bindo’s methods could be abrupt, but I’d not expected anything like this.

She spoke first, looking off into the distance. “Juhani had been training me. She’d fallen to the Dark Side during her own Jedi training had to be redeemed by Revan. She is able to understand me.” Then she finally turned to face me. “But you. You know nothing of the Dark Side. You’ve no idea what horrors I’ve witnessed, and the deaths I’ve brought about. The places I’ve walked, and the training I’ve endured.” She was glaring at me now, though I sensed it was out of annoyance rather than true anger.

As I Jedi Knight, I am expected to be tested by the Masters as I aspire to be one myself some day. Normally it would consist of various missions related to one’s skills rather than the training of padawans, though there have been some exceptions. As a Consular, my expertise lies in the area of diplomacy rather than martial skills. Normally, I would be sent on various diplomatic missions to prove myself. But this, this was a test I was not prepared for.

“We can go back in there and convince him this is not a good idea,” she said. “You can do whatever you came here to do, and I can wait for Juhani to return.”

I admit, it was much what I had been thinking. But hearing her say it made me self-conscious. I already imagined going in there, successfully talking him out of me training this padawan and then seeing the look of disappointment on his face. I knew it would be there if I went back into that office, and I dreaded it. I would be better off simply accepting the task, and hopefully, Master Juhani would return soon. But looking over at Mora’s expression, I wasn’t so enthused with training her either. I know many Jedi Knights would have welcomed the challenge that this woman represented, but I did not. Instead, I was forced to fall back on the thing I did best. “Did Master Bindo inform you that I was to be in charge of the Archives here on Dantooine?” When all else fails, change the subject. “If you would not mind, there is much I would like to discuss with you.”

But she was not so easily distracted. “I don’t want you training me,” she said. “I’m doing you a favor, so just go back to your data files.” With that she turned and walked off. Far from settling the matter, she’d simply made things more complicated.

The rational thing to do would simply have been to follow her and explain that being a Jedi meant sacrifice of one’s emotions and faith in one’s teachers. But I couldn’t. I was insulted by her words, and my first inclination was to return back to my own quarters, with or without some sulking of my own. I had a better idea though. I knocked on the door to Master Bindo’s office.

“Come.”

I entered and bowed.

“Don’t tell me she’s scared you away already, Sol.”

“No, Master. I would, however, like to see whatever files you or Master Juhani has on her. I believe if I am to earn her respect, I will need to know more about her.”

He looked past me out the door.

“She is gone.” I reassured him.

“Back to her quarters, no doubt,” he said with a smile. “That one is feisty, though she also pouts at times. But of course,” he pulled a datapad out of a cabinet and handed it to me. “Here’s what we know about her. I’ll need that back before Juhani returns.”

“Of course, Master,” I said, bowing again. “I will return it tomorrow.”

“Hope it helps,” he said.

I left him to his work and returned to my quarters. There I began to read.

According to her own accounts, Mora had been trained on Malachor and had fought alongside Darth Sion onboard the Harbinger. Had in fact been giving chase to the Exile and her companions when they made their escape through the fuel lines. But Sith Assassins had lost their trail in the engine compartment of the Harbinger and shortly afterward, the ship gave chase to the Ebon Hawk. What I found interesting was the fact that she and the other Assassins had been ordered to kill the Exile and her companions, though she recognized Kreia from the Academy on Malachor. This was the clearest indication of a division between the Sith that we’d always heard existed. But stranger still was that even though she was obviously a Sith at that point, Kreia was clearly helping the Exile escape Sion. It was curious in that it would have been to the Sith’s advantage to kill the Exile before she could become strong again in the Force. I made a note to myself to question Mora on that point.

After that, I decided to take a walk through the Enclave while I thought things over. As yet, I had not seen all of the Enclave. It was a much smaller complex, of course, than the Temple on Coruscant, but it’s smaller size made it feel more like you were at home and less like you were merely part of an establishment. The illumination was better here in the Enclave, and I could easily imagine it during better times, bustling with energy. Though I passed only an occasional padawan or technician in the halls, I knew at one time it had been a busy place. Revan had trained here, as had the Exile. And Atris.

I’d almost forgotten her. I’d said that I would contact her when I reached Dantooine, but there hadn’t been time earlier, so instead I made my way to the computer center. There I sent a message to the Jedi Temple, wondering if she would be free to talk. But I didn’t have to wait long. Apparently, a Master Technician by the name of Bao Dur had worked on upgrading the communication systems in both the Enclave and the Temple. The results were nothing less than impressive, the image being clearer and stronger than I’d seen before with holotransmissions.

The hologram of Atris in her familiar white robes appeared before me and smiled faintly. “So you have arrived, Sol. The journey was a safe one then?”

I nodded. “It is good to see you, Atris. You are looking well.”

“Thank you, Sol. As are you. Are you enjoying Dantooine? Is the Enclave as I described it still?”

“Yes, it is marvelous. As is the landscape of Dantooine.” I felt my smile falter.

“What’s wrong, Sol?”

“Atris, there’s a Sith Assassin attempting to redeem herself in the Enclave. Master Bindo has temporarily put me in charge of her training. I feel almost as though it has been arranged for me to fail in this task.”

Atris nodded.

“You know of her?” I asked.

“I’d heard of such a one. Visas and myself were consulted on the matter, though they wouldn’t tell me who or where this person was. I suspected Visas knew. So she is there. Tell me, what do you sense from her presence?”

“She feels as exactly as the Exile, an emptiness in the Force, and yet the Force is strong around her. It defies all that I have learned about Force Sensitivity. Atris, I do not understand how I can train one such as this, one that I’ve merely read of and never expected to encounter. I need your guidance.”

“I would come if it were allowed, but you know I am still forbidden to leave Coruscant.” I saw a wistful expression cross her features.

At once I realized I was being selfish and not very considerate of her own difficulties. “Atris, it is only for a little while longer. Surely the Council realizes you have made the journey back from the Dark Days.”

She sighed. “I have not yet earned their trust. Knowing that I have engineered my own fate has not made it easier.”

I immediately wished myself back on Coruscant. “Atris, I will speak again to Master Disciple if you wish it. I can even return if I am needed...”

“You will not,“ she said, cutting me off. “I appreciate your concern, as always, but you are needed there. This one needs guidance if she is to successfully traverse the same road back that I did. You have been entrusted with this because Master Bindo believes you capable.”

“She does not trust, has told me she will not accept my guidance. Only Juhani and Jolee are worthy of her trust, it would seem.”

“Then earn her trust.”

“How? I am Consular. I am beneath her contempt because I am not warrior enough for her.”

“You will find a way.”

“Atris, I am not ready for this.”

“I believe you are. You have had experience with both Visas and myself. You have always been there when I needed guidance. The Force is not primarily a weapon as she was trained to believe. It is a source for wisdom and knowledge, and therein lies its greatest strength. Use it, Sol. And remember, you are not alone. The Order stands with you. This is a test, but you have not simply been thrown to the Kath hounds. You have been appointed a task for which they believe you qualified. Trust in the wisdom of the Masters. It is often hard, even for me still, but it is not in vain.”

My anxiety was eased somewhat by her conviction. As always, we strengthened each other through the difficult times. “Thank you. I am not sure that your faith in me is well-placed, but your words bring me comfort.”

“My faith is well placed. It comes from experience,” she smiled again.

“Very well. I suppose I should be seeing to my student.”

“And I should return to my meditation. I am able to find serenity in it now for the first time in years.”

“That is good to hear, Atris. You have come a long way.”

“As have you, Sol. Farewell, until we speak again.” Her image faded out, and I was left to face what lie ahead feeling only slightly more confident.

I left the computer center and walked the hallways some more, thinking deeply on how I best to approach my problem. I was standing near the Jedi Council chambers which stood empty most of the time since there were only two Jedi Masters in residence on Dantooine. But next to that chamber, a fearful clatter could be heard. Moving down the passageway to investigate, I found the Enclave’s training room. In the center of it was Mora practicing with a quarterstaff, the sweat streaming down her face as she unleashed her fighting prowess on the sparring droid in the center of the mat. Again and again, she easily avoided its attacks and delivered her own flurry of blows that repeatedly knocked it down until finally, having it down on the ground, she ran it through with one well placed stabbing attack. The droid emitted some sparks and went still.

It was then that she looked up at me, breathing heavily. For a brief instant, I pictured her in my mind in the guise of a Sith Assassin as the Exile had described them to me, black robes and a force pike in her hands. And then I felt her presence in my mind again, searching my thoughts.

“Stop!” I told her, firmly.

Immediately the presence was gone, but she smiled now, a smug sort of expression that emphasized her disdain.

I let my irritation pass, and stepped into the room. Without so much as a glance, I moved to the weapons rack, and sensing her astonishment behind me, I grabbed a staff of my own and turned to face her. “You have not been able to spar since Juhani has been gone. Is that not so? Then come at me when you are ready.”

She made no attempt to hide her astonishment, but wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve. “You are not a Guardian. You cannot stand against me.”

“We will see. Unless, of course, you are afraid to try. In which case I was simply return this quarterstaff to the rack and leave you her to spar against droids.” I had a vague notion of what I was doing, but only a vague one. As such, I drew on my inner calm, and adopted a defensive stance.

“Afraid?” she was incredulous. She came at me with a quickness I hadn’t anticipated.

And then we sparred. Again and again she came at me, and though I successful blocked many of her attacks, she struck many times. Were she attacking with a Force Pike I would almost certainly be dead. Her technique was nothing short of amazing. Never had I seen such a display with a quarterstaff. I had not, in fact, expected to be able to stand against her, but drawing upon the Force heavily, I was able to continue fighting longer than she expected. I could see it in her eyes with each successful blow she delivered. With the Force flowing through me, the pain from my bruises disappearing soon after each strike. I rose time after time, though I could be sure I would be paying for that the next morning. It was not long before we were both exhausted. I had not had such a workout as this since the one time I sparred with Visas. And I managed to land a few blows myself so as not to appear completely like one of the wooden dummies used by new padawans.

I lowered my staff and bowed to Mora. “I yield, Padawan. You have fought well.”

She regarded me curiously, leaning on her own quarterstaff. This time there was no smirk, but merely a look of surprise with maybe a hint of respect in it. “You have shown better skills and greater endurance than I had expected, Talag.”

“Call me Sol.”

“Call me Mora then. I may have misjudged you. You have fought well...for a Consular. Many of your kind have fallen before me with much less of a struggle.”

I felt myself swallow hard, and then nodded . “I get that a lot. People think that because you aren’t a Guardian or a Sentinel, that you’ve no use for one of these.” I held up my lightsaber. “If nothing else, it serves as a quick way of opening a stuck door.”

And then the tiniest of smiles crossed her face, and was gone in an instant. But with that simple gesture, she transformed in my mind from an ex-Sith to a fellow Jedi in training.

I smiled back at her. “At your leisure, I would still like to have that talk if you are willing.”

She nodded. “Allow me to refresh myself, and I will be ready.”

“I will be in my quarters then. Oh, and Padawan?”

“Yes?”

“There will be no more invading another’s thoughts. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.” There was that smile again. “I apologize for my earlier behavior. I have much to learn as a Jedi.”

“You are well on your way, Mora. Being willing to learn and having faith in others to show you the way is half the battle.”

I left her there and walked down the passageway reflecting on all that had just occurred. Certainly I hadn’t planned for it to go that well, nor had I expected it to. Instead I had trusted my intuition, allowed the Force to guide me as we had been told time and time again, and it had not let me down. That’s when I realized that being assigned to Mora was as much a part of my own training. Of course I’d suspected as much earlier, but having the realization sink in, understanding how the training worked made the experience more enlightening. I had earned her trust, at least somewhat, and I would make sure that trust was not betrayed.

I stopped in at my quarters and picked up Juhani‘s datapad and then went to Master Bindo’s office where he was in discussion with a pair of padawans. “Forgive the intrusion, Master. I am returning this.” I laid the datapad on his desk.

“So soon? I take it things are going better then?”

“They are.”

“Good. Then you can update me when I have more time.”

“I will, Master.” I bowed and left, returning to my quarters.

Presently there was a knock at my door.

“Come,” I said, looking up from my own datapad were I’d been looking over my notes.

She entered, now wearing the standard Jedi robes.

“Have a seat.”

She seated herself in a chair near the door, eyes flittering about the room. “So you probably want to know about the Sith, right?”

“Another time. For now, I’d like to know how I can best help you. The Order has seen many Jedi join the Sith in recent years, but a scarce few make the return trip. I am not Juhani or Atris. As you already know I have no Dark Side experience of my own, so I don’t have any common ground with you. I do have the experience that being a Jedi Knight brings with it. So however I can best be of assistance, I will.” I told her.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slow. “You should understand first that I was never a Jedi before I was a Sith. I was found by Malak on Onderon, found to be Force sensitive and recruited for the cause. I thought I would be fighting against the Mandalorians, but like others, I had no idea the cost that it would bring with it. As a Sith, I learned first and foremost that you neither show fear nor allow yourself to feel it. More than that, you find a way to put fear in your opponent, your enemy, whomever you might find yourself up against. Having lowered my guard to you, I am breaking one of the most important of Sith tenets.”

“I recognize that, Mora, and I appreciate your trust. You have nothing to fear from me.”

She smiled slightly at me, and then looked around the room, her eyes taking on a far off look. “It was Master Visas Marr who first taught me to trust. She found me on Dxun at the Tomb of Freedon Nadd. I’d gone there to see if any Sith remained after my unit was scattered aboard Citadel Station by the Exile and her Mandalorian allies. The other Sith Assassins were slain and so I camouflaged myself and fell back to the place I thought the others might gather. But none of them ever came, and instead Master Marr did. She bested me in combat easily. She is a great warrior. I had never seen her on Malachor. She served a different Master. But she brought me here, and in Juhani, I found another like her whom I could respect. Though Juhani hadn’t walked the Dark Path for long, she also is a great warrior.”

"And thus worthy of your respect."

"That is not to say that you are not. You show humility beyond what I have seen in a Jedi. This is strange for me, difficult to understand," she said.

"Not only for you. For many, humility is perceived is a sign of weakness. But knowing one's limitations is a strength. Being able to admit one's weaknesses shows confidence in oneself. It is only the fearful that need present an image of invulnerability."

"Is this something you learned in the Jedi Temple?"

"It is something I have learned from experience. Admitting one's weaknesses can also be a way to build trust. Being able to gain another's trust is vital in diplomacy, the area in which a Consular is trained for."

"They believe diplomacy is required to train me?" she asked.

"While it is undoubtedly true that Master Bindo requires assistance while Juhani is gone," I answered, "I believe this is a test for me. Perhaps even more so than it is for you. Had I re-entered Master Bindo's chambers and requested to have this assignment taken away, I would have failed in their eyes." I felt myself sigh. "Therefore, Mora, if you wish to see me fail, it is in your power to do so. It would make little sense to attempt to deceive you, so instead I offer you the simple truth. You may do with it what you wish."

She considered my words momentarily and then said, "I will not permit you to fail, if you will do me the same courtesy," she said.

"Then so be it. I will do my best to show the way of the Jedi.”

“And I will teach you to fight,” she said, with a smile.

(to be continued)