Walkin After Midnight [Ghostie]

[Dr. Jake]

Theme Song

Silence. Complete and utter silence immersed the Jedi Temple. The only interruption to the black silence was the soft, rhythmic footsteps of a particular Echani Padawan.

Wrapped in her brown robes, Lana Kindari silently slinked through the Jedi Temple's many halls. Not unusual, save for the hour, which was three after midnight.

The young Echani couldn't sleep, not that this was unusual for her, especially in recent months. Most nights she would just lay there in her bed for hours, wide awake. Sometimes she would think, sometimes she would meditate, other times she would wander around the Temple, trying to forget.

If only she could forget that day on Rodia. If only she could pretend like she hadn't fallen to her own rage, if she hadn't slain the dark one. If only.

Meditation would bring her some peace, but never help her make the many vital decisions that faced her. Should she take on another master? Should she even stay at the Temple? The only thing that truly helped alleviate her stress was a good ol' sparring match, or a test of her force abilities.

She had been wandering around the temple for about half an hour when she decided to rest on one of the cool stone benches in the main hall. There she calmed herself, and reached out with the force. A slow, smooth expansion. Lana sat there, feeling the hundreds of life forces around her. Most were asleep, others were laying awake, and only a few were out and about, lucky for her. If a master would happen to find her, the consequences would be...

What would they do to me?

She thought silently to herself. The question had never really crossed
her mind. The padawan quickly shooed those thoughts away, and decided to occupy herself by lifting her lightsaber off of her belt and into the air. She closed her eyes and reached out to its familiar presence.

Delving into the lightsaber's force signature was always calming to her, the serenity it offered was almost intoxicating. This peace that suddenly washed over the beautiful girl was interrupted by a sudden force presence to her left. She opened her eyes and returned the lightsaber to its place on her belt with a snow white hand, but the cimmerian atmosphere prevented her from seeing the figure.

Softly, but surely she called to the incognito Jedi.

Hello! Who's there?

The words came out in a whisper, in an effort to maintain the silence of the grand temple.

Lana felt her nerves spike as she prepared for an upset master to administer some sort of punishment. As her rather capable mind glazed over a thousand possible outcomes to her situation, she came to a conclusion. What did it matter? What was the worst they could do, exile her? The thought was almost laughable, until it reminded her of her ever dwindling faith in the Order she was raised in.

---

Alright Ghostie, respond how you wish, just remember out agreement for no violence!

[Ghostie]

Sirius was wandering the halls of the Jedi Temple late tonight. He had just gotten back from a training room, sparring with a hologram. It had gone rather well tonight. He was really improving with using his cybernetic arm, which was the whole reason for staying up late. Sirius had decided that on top of his training with Master Ka, it would be a good idea to train independently as well. His new cybernetic arm wasn’t as agile as his normal flesh arm. It hampered him the first couple of days of training. But the late sessions like this had helped him get over that.

Sirius hadn’t been sleeping well lately anyways. Between screwing up on his last mission by getting himself maimed and being sore from the extra training, it seemed like Master Ka wasn’t in the greatest of moods lately. She seemed to be taking Sirius’s loss of limb harder than he was. It was his fault, not hers. There was nothing wrong with her teaching. In fact, Sirius would probably be dead if he didn’t have Teer Ka as a Master. No, the blame was squarely on his shoulders. But he just kept his feelings bottled up and shoved deep down. The lack of meditation lately wasn’t helping though.

He was worried about Master Ka. Sirius wanted to find some way to tell her to calm down, that it wasn’t her fault. But they hadn’t really been talking too much outside of training. Spending time together was one thing, talking was another. That was something Sirius had learned when visiting Master Kellar in the hospital wing, which he found himself doing whenever he had free time lately. Sirius wondered how he was able to find time to sleep.

Sirius wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going. If he was anymore tired, he would be sleep walking. It was as if his feet knew their own way around the Temple, and he simply followed. He found himself on the all too familiar path back to his quarters. A shower and some rest would be good, if he wasn’t too sore to sleep.

He walked through the main hall of the Temple, his brown cloak in his cybernetic hand and his sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His saber bounded off his left thigh every now and again. He didn’t bother dodging Masters or Knights. He figured either they took him for a Knight, or no one bothered each other at this hour.

Sirius walked past one Jedi who caught his eye, a young woman sitting on a bench who seemed to be in deep meditation. Sirius tried to sneak around her, hoping not to disturb her. But the soonest his back was to her, Sirius heard a voice call out.

“Hello! Who's there?”

He slowly turned around on the spot and saw the young woman had opened her eyes, and was looking at him. There was no one else around, so she could only be talking to him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m just going back to my quarters.”

Sirius turned back around and started off. But as he did, he sensed something coming from the young woman. Frustration? Perhaps some apathy as well, as if she just didn’t care anymore? There was always something to care about though, at least Sirius thought so. He tried walking again, but he just couldn’t. He turned back around and walked to the bench.

“Are you okay? You don’t seem like it.”

[Dr. Jake]

Lana's muscles tensed slightly in anticipation. For a few seconds, she was a bit nervous, anticipating the worst. Then she relaxed, remembering one of her favorite, if not her favorite, tenants of the Jedi Code

There is no emotion, there is peace...

This line had given the young Jedi much comfort in the past few weeks, with all of the stressful events of her life taking their terrible tax.

Finally when the passerby's response came, the Echani girl listened intently to the sound of the words, as the flowed out of the speaker's mouth and into her hungry ears. It was a male voice, mature, yet young at the same time. The words also sounded Human, or at least Near-Human the way they were pronounced

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m just going back to my quarters.”

The words sounded sincere enough, and she didn't sense any dishonesty when she reached out with the force. She could trust this 6th sense of hers, for if she was gifted with anything in the force, it was definitely force sense and detection. This presence felt strange to Lana; he seemed rather uninterested, yet she felt drawn to him by the force, just a slight tug.

"Oh, it's really no trouble. Good Night

The words jumped out of pale pink lips, not jumbled or stuttered, just merely stated neutrally. Lana almost went back into her meditation before she heard a pause in the footsteps, and the stranger speak again.

“Are you okay? You don’t seem like it.”

Expecting no further conversation, Lana had already cleared her mind and was about to slip back into her meditation, when the other Jedi's observation came. This response was surprising to say the least, especially since Lana had expected no real response from the late-night passerby.

Echani lips almost curled into a slight grin at his words. "Are you okay?" He really didn't know the half of it. Yet, the fact that he even asked revealed that her Jedi counterpart had at least a tinge of consideration for her emotional state.

After taking a few seconds to gather herself, Lana cleared her throat and spoke up.

"To tell you the truth, I'm, well, I'm far from okay...Thanks for asking. I'm Lana Kindari by the way, I am sure you've heard of me and the Counci's little...er conflict. I'm sure everyone in the Order has.

The words came out of her mouth smoothly, up until she tried to lie, and tell him that she as fine. The slight tug had stopped her, so he hesitated and decided I tell the truth.

She truly wondered why she wanted to share her story with the stranger, yet there was that slight urge, a calling. The urge was telling her that it was ok, that this stranger wouldn't judge her. Hell, he might even understand her position.

Once Lana could tell that he heard her words, she scooted over several inches on the bench, her brown robe scraping against the cool bench's stone face. The Padawan's face was neutral as she indicated that he was welcome to sit next to her, albeit at a comfort or distance.

[Ghostie]

((OOC: Sorry this took so long, I'm trying to get all caught up on my posting.))

“Sirius” he responded as the young woman told him her name. Then Lana went on about some trouble she was having about the Council. Sirius didn’t know the details of the Council’s meetings, what padawan would? And he was willing to bet not everyone in the Order did either.

“No, in fact I don’t know about you and the Council. I haven’t heard anything.”

And even if he had heard anything, he probably forgot. Sirius had spent the majority of his time back at the Temple after the mission to Umbara training. It was all he focused on. He had to get used to his new cybernetic arm. So he was sure if he heard anything About Lana and the Council, he soon forgot about it.

Sirius sat down on the bench as Lana scooted over. He put his cloak on his lap and leaned forward, afraid he might fall asleep from exhaustion if he got comfortable. Sirius looked at Lana for a minute or so. She had silver-white hair, and piercing blue eyes. Sirius knew these to be common Echani traits, which could only mean that Lana was an Echani, or at least part.

She still seemed calm for the most part. But Sirius could still feel worry and doubt here and there. Lana wasn’t doing the best job at hiding her feelings, especially if Sirius could pick up on it. There had to be something he could say to comfort her.

“I’m sure that the Council has bigger things to worry about than one Jedi, Lana.”

[Dr. Jake]

"Sirius"

The name was completely unfamiliar to Lana, though not overly strange in pronunciation. She noticed that the speaker looked weary, exhausted even. The girl hoped that she wasn't being a bother to the man, that she wasn't keeping him from resting.

"Sirius..."

Lana repeated. Looking over his physique quickly. The young Human (or as he appeared anyway) was quite handsome, with fair colored skin and brown hair. Lana noticed that one of this arms was not, indeed, his own. Upon further examination, she realized that it was cybernetic.

The Echani woman remembered hearing rumors of a Padawan who had lost his arm while fighting Dark Jedi, but she wasn't quite sure.

“No, in fact I don’t know about you and the Council. I haven’t heard anything.”

Did this guy live under a rock? The thought occurred to her before she could logically consider the statement. Of course, a fraction second later Lana gave herself a mental slap on the hand, as she regretted even thinking it. The poor Human had probably been in surgery and recovery the past few weeks in the Medical Bay.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't notice your... uhm injury. I know it must be hard adjusting to new complications. How is it feeling now?

At first unsure and embarrassed, the Padawan regathered her emotions and regained her neutral expression near the end of her statement.

Lana sincerely hoped that Sirius didn't think of her as some diva now. It was really unrealistic and unfair of her to assume that every single sentient being on Coruscant would know about her problems and feel sorry for her. There was simply no need for it. In fact, she didn't really need to be sitting out here all night feeling sorry for herself.

Although he didn't know it, Sirius had really helped Lana get over a bit of her insecurity with that statement of ignorance. She could feel his sincerity and real compassion, despite the fact that they were complete strangers.

“I’m sure that the Council has bigger things to worry about than one Jedi, Lana.”

What he said was true, but she had already thought about this. Why would they go through so much trouble just to suck some meager information from her head? The answer was clear to her, they were afraid that she had been corrupted by the dark that she had faced. The most powerful Jedi in the galaxy were afraid that she, a mere padawan, could be a threat to their precious Code and their Grand Order.

Lana could even understand why they would be so wary, but her question was: Why did they have to be so ugly about it?

There was absolutely no reason to interrogate her as if she was a convicted Sith war criminal. That, and the incredible amount of insensitivity they had shown to the death of her master, despite his membership in the Order. Perhaps they thought the whole story was a lie, perhaps not.

"You're right I suppose, especially with the Blades and the Sith fighting about. I think that it's absolutely pointless, we should sit down representatives from all sides and negotiate. We need to find out what the Sith want, and why. Perhaps there are elements within the Empire which merely want independence instead of conquest? My point is that we have to look at the conflict from both angles. Don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to fight to protect the Republic and the Order, but only if it is best for the people of the Republic. What do you think of this whole war business? That is, if you dont mind me asking, .


DONE!

[Ghostie]

Sirius didn’t mind her asking about his opinions on the war, but good things probably wouldn’t come from it. His view differed from hers quite a bit. The Sith Empire needed to be stopped, the Sith Order eradicated. Now how did he go about telling her this without sounding like a bloodthirsty barbarian?

“I don’t mind you asking, but I’m afraid my views are almost opposite of yours.” Sirius paused, “The Sith Empire may accept diplomacy, but the Sith Order itself wont. As long as the Order is around they’ll probably keep pushing the Empire to war. I’ve seen some of the things the darkside can do…” Sirius thought of Master Kellar losing his memory, of the young boys on Umbara who were killed. “… and it’s nasty stuff. Brainwashing, memory loss, not to mention the amount of death it causes. The Sith Order needs to be fought off, eradicated if it can be. War is inevitable, the Sith Order will start coming after the Jedi whether the Jedi want to fight or not. After the Sith Order is gone, you can try all the diplomacy you want with the Sith Empire itself.”

That was how Sirius genuinely felt about the war. He hadn’t met anyone who had asked his opinion on it yet. Those that shared his view were probably off with the Blades, fighting against the Sith right now somewhere. Those who stayed behind in the Temple probably wouldn’t share his view, that war was nessecary. But it was inevitable, so why wait?

Lana asked about his arm as well. Sirius was still shy of the injury. It felt like his failure was out for everyone to see. He tried to hide his cybernetic arm wherever he went, but there was no point in hiding it now. But it was kind of her to show concern.

“It still feels weird. But I’m getting more used to it every day. And when I’m training, in combat you don’t have time to worry about how weird something feels. It’s a bit slower than my normal arm, no instant reactions, but it operates normally otherwise.” Sirius paused, “Thanks for asking.”

Sirius’s stomach made a low growl. He had been training all night, trying to get on the same level he was in saber combat with his new arm. He was tired, but if he wasn’t going to sleep, why not get something to eat? Luckily the cafeterias were always open for Jedi coming back at weird hours at night. Sirius stood up and offered his hand to Lana, to help her up.

“Do you want to come get something to eat with me? If I’m not going to sleep, might as well eat.” He finished with a smile. And this conversation about the war could be interesting, but Sirius left that part for her to bring up.

[Dr. Jake]

Sirius was definitely right about one thing. They weren't exactly in agreement about the whole war issue. Sure, as Jedi they both believed that the Empire itself could be dealt with, but the Order was an entirely different story.

Perhaps there were various aristocrats that wanted an independent Empire, and opposed the reign of the Sith Order. Perhaps, perhaps not. Now that she thought about it, Lana didn't really feel like devoting so much energy into the matter.

"Yeah, we have to remember that the Empire and the Order are not one in the same. But at this point, I think we should just agree to disagree."

Lana spoke while smiling, offering no confrontation or argument, her inner diplomat surfacing itself.

When he answered her question about the arm, Lana was genuinely delighted to hear that the prosthesis wasn't causing any major complications.

That's lovely to hear! You're welcome.



The Echani Padawan was taken aback once her newly-made friend mentioned a meal. It was the first time in a while that someone had invited her to do something, especially a meal.

The thought of a meal provoked a rumbling in her stomach. She had skipped supper, and hadn't even thought about food for over twelve hours now.

"Now that I think about it, I believe I'll have to accept that offer Sirius. Thank you.

Lana said as she took his hand and rose from the cool, stone bench. His hand was warm against hers, so she pulled away, albeit not to quickly. She liked Sirius, as she felt a sort of...connection between them. It was kinda weird in her opinion, a complete stranger a few minutes earlier, was a friend (or at least in Lana's perspective) now.

"Lead on."

[Ghostie]

“This way then.”

They walked in silence for awhile, through halls where many Jedi were sleeping. A turn there, a long stretch of hallway there. There were many cafeterias in the Temple, so luckily they didn’t have to take a turbolift or walk steps. As they walked, Sirius seemed to wake up more and more with every step, which was good as he didn't want to fall asleep face first in his food. Especially in front of Lana.

Sirius glanced at Lana once and awhile as they walked. He thought he was just being nice to invite her to come with him to grad something to eat. She seemed like she could use someone to talk to. The whole business with the Council, whatever it was, must’ve been stressful.

And she talked about the war as if it could be debated away. And while Sirius didn’t share her view, he respected it none the less. There would be need for those kinds of Jedi in the future, diplomats and consolers. When the war was over, they’d take the place of the fighters and soldiers. Or the war could go a completely different way. But now wasn’t the time for unhappy thoughts.

Sirius could tell by the smells of food that they were nearing their destination. His stomach gave another grumble as they kept walking. Sirius hoped that very few or no Jedi would be in the cafeteria at this time. It might look odd to say the least, Sirius and Lana grabbing something to eat at this hour.

But of course, you could never be sure. The whole point the cafeterias were open this late is because Jedi were always coming back at weird hours from missions.

“So, are you training to be a diplomat then?”

[Dr. Jake]

Lana followed Sirius in silence, her footsteps uttering no sound. She knew the way, but allowed him to have the lead, as she thought it only right and proper. However, the Echani did not fall behind. Their paces were very much the same, and Lana stayed behind only a foot or two to suggest Sirius was leading.

They would probably appear to onlookers as a pair of young knights going to discuss past missions over a (very) early morning meal. But in truth, Lana enjoyed being around the Human Padawan. He was nice enough, she decided, not just anyone would invite someone such as her self to a meal.

Lana couldn't help but notice Sirius's occasional glances, but thought nothing of it. He just didn't seem like the type to ogle at young women. Her fellow Padawan was probably just verifying that she was keeping up, silent footsteps were indeed silent.

Whenever he asked her if she was to become a diplomat, Lana had to think about it for a second. She had a knack for it, but she didn't want to be cooped up in the Temple like many consulars were nowadays. In truth, She wasn't really all that sure. The question had been gnawing at her ever since Gervar had taken her on as his apprentice all those years ago.

The path of the Consular was honorable indeed, diplomats would always be needed. Of course, when she wasn't mediating peace agreements, she could study the force. Sense and telepathy had always been her strong suits.

On the other hand, the life of a Jedi Sentinel was filled with adventure and intrigue. They could be investigating the disappearance of an Umbaran Senator one day, or tracking a coven of Dark Jedi the next. There would also be instances where diplomacy and negotiation would be necessary as well.

"Honetly, I'm unsure at the moment. I enjoy diplomacy, and exploring both sides of an issue, but I want to do more for the galaxy. I also enjoy aspects of the Guardian life, going on missions and the like. Besides, my old master always said I had a sense of justice about me."

She paused, as it seemed they had reached their destination. A pair of double doors were open, displaying a clear view of the cafeteria. To Lana, the place looked nearly empty, save a single elderly Human on the far end of the room. Lana bowed to the man slightly before turning back to Sirius.

Like I said, I'm a little unsure. Lately however, I've been leaning towards the path of the Sentinel, perhaps an investigator. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of combat, I just think that it should be avoided when possible.

She let her words sink in for a moment before grabbing a plate from the nearby stack. The young lady strode over to the counter to browse the selection of foods. There wasn't much, and considering the hour. Lana could understand. Keeping the cafeterias fully stocked all day was a bit much to ask for.

Lana settled for a roll, a small piece of Nerf Meat, and a cup of Muja Juice. Icy Blue eyes came to rest on Sirius as he began filling his plate. Lana stood a few paces away from the counter, waiting on Sirius when a thought occurred to her.

"So Sirius, judging from your...disdain for the Sith and Dark Jedi, I'm guessing your aspiring to become a Guardian? You seem as if you would make a good Shadow, with your dedication to the Order and all.

She spoke casually, as one might speak to a friend. Lana had only known this guy for a few minutes, and already she felt comfortable enough to discuss her future with him.

[Ghostie]

As Sirius entered the cafeteria, he only noticed one Jedi in the back, an elderly man. He and Lana almost bowed to him in sync, and he nodded back. And then Lana started to go on about how she wasn’t quite sure what career path she wanted to take as a Jedi. Sirius judged that she didn’t have long to decide.

“Well now that I think about it, I guess all Jedi have a need for diplomacy. It was just never one of my strong suits. I’m sure whatever you decide on, you’ll be great as long as you don’t give up.”

Sirius followed Lana over to the food counter, but he was unsure of what he wanted. He noticed some of the fruit from Shili which Master Ka and he had enjoyed while hiking. The fruit looked good so Sirius piled a couple piece on his plate, along with a roll, and continued on. Lana had asked him the same question he had asked her. What did he desire to be after the Trials?

“I’ve known my career path since… well for a long time now. And you would be correct. I’m going to be a Shadow.”

Sirius was amazed at himself. He could face down akuls and dark jedi without a second thought. But it still hurt to talk about Wolf Barren, his first master, sometimes. It had been after Barren’s death that Sirius decided he wanted to hunt the dark side, so no one had to suffer like he had.

Who would’ve guessed before Wolf Barren had died that Sirius wanted to instruct younglings? He could hardly believe it himself. Sirius had changed a lot in six years. Six years, and he was still uncomfortable talking about Master Barren.

Somethings just never heal, I guess.

Grabbing a bottle of water at the end of the line, Sirius lead the way over to a small table seated for four. Slouching down in one chair, he began tearing into his fruit. There was something to be said for fruit that tasted this good.

Sirius wasn’t sure what to think of Lana yet. She seemed nice enough. But there was just something about her. She was inquisitive, talkative, agreeable. Lana seemed like someone you could get along with easily. Sirius wanted to find out more about her first though.

“So…” Sirius began, “What happened between you and the Council? If you don’t mind me asking.”

[Dr. Jake]

Lana nodded in agreement with her friend's first words. Diplomacy was one of the most important fields within the Jedi Order. The Guardians and Shadows were important as well, but without diplomats, Lana concluded, there would be eternal conflict and turmoil.

Although she wouldn't admit it to herself, Lana liked receiving compliments, especially when they were directed to her Jedi Training. She did work around the clock to improve those skills after all.

"Thank you, and I won't give it up, I can assure you."

Whenever Sirius confirmed her hypothesis, she could sense there was some tension there. Probably something traumatic experience that motivated him to complete his training as a Guardian. Perhaps that was the reason he resented the Sith so much...

Whatever it was, it surely hadn't caused Sirius to waver in his devotion to the light. The Echani could sense the light in Sirius, and she could tell that it was stronger than her own.

"I think that you would make a great Shadow. The forces of the Dark Side would never be able to hide.

The last bit was said a bit jokingly as her lips curled into a playful smile. She followed Sirius to a table and sat down, but not before placing her plate and cup on the table.

Lana took a quick sip from her drink before eating a piece of the nerf meat. It was a bit on the tough side, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Sirius's next question almost caused her heart to drop. It wasn't the question itself , there had been ample time for healing, so it didn't sting much. The abruptness of the inquiry was what caught Lana off guard. All the same, the Padawan didn't mind telling the story to Sirius at all.

"No, I don't mind, but it's a long story."

Lana said this softly and warmly as she could manage, so as not to sound overly defensive. She cleared her throat, making a slight noise in the process.

A while back, my master, Gervar, and I were sent to investigate and possibly mediate an unusual clan war on Rodia. The two of us found no substantial evidence of spice or weapon dealing, but my master wasn't content. Using the force, I detected a Dark Jedi within one of the clans, well actually Master Gervar discovered that he was in fact a Dark Jedi. We confronted the Dark Jedi, who was actually the heir to the Clan and was influencing his uncle into war.

She paused for a second and took a bite of her roll. Her icy blue gaze shifted from Sirius to the table as she went on, her voice devoid of emotion.

We fought the Rodian, Gervar and I, after negotiations failed. Despite our combined strength, the Dark Jedi was able to incapacitate both of us. It was then when I felt Force Lightning for the first time...

Lana trailed of for a moment as emotion began building in her words. She calmed herself and continued with her story, careful to maintain a diplomat's neutrality in her words.

The pain was...indescribable. As I was otherwise occupied, Master Gervar and the heir continued fighting until the Rodian gained the upper hand. I watched in horror as the closest thing to family I ever had was decapitated by a crimson lightsaber blade.

She felt it inside her again, the intense hate and anger towards the Rodian. Before the dark feelings consumed her, Lana pacified them, reinforcing the calm with a mental recitation of the Jedi Code.

I'm sorry, this is...uncomfortable for me.

She paused for a moment, then continued on again. It was good to vent out all these built up memories. Now that she thought about it, this instance was the first time she had ever willingly told the story to another person.

Once Master Gervar was struck down, I think I fell to the Dark Side briefly. My hate and anger took hold of me as I retrieved my master's lightsaber with the force and drove it through the Dark Jedi's black heart. To this day I know that I couldn't have done it without the dark feelings fueling me. After I killed my enemy, I placed a tracking beacon near my master's remains and fled. From that point, I wandered for about two weeks, to ashamed to return to the temple. I was ashamed of my failure and my fall to the dark side. Next, I found myself on the Kolto-capital of the galaxy, Manaan. If it weren't for an old Selkath, Dreshae, no telling what I would have become. He was a former Jedi, a consular, and he helped me stay away from the darkness.

For the next year I stayed on Manaan with Dreshae, who taught me a bit about Soresu and helped me better refine my telepathic abilities. After a while though, I felt my mind being clouded with guilt and confusion. So, I left Manaan after saying goodbye to the old Selkath and headed for Malastare. I figured that I would be undisturbed on the jungle-world, a perfect place to meditate and clear my head.

Time went on, and eventually I felt the force calling me back to Coruscant and the Jedi. I knew i couldn't refuse the tug of the force, so I activated my remaining tracking beacon. That's when a few knights were sent to retrieve me.

I thought my homecoming to the Temple would be joyous, like returning from a long trip. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was immediately brought before the High Council. Those 'wise masters' interrogated me. I was treated more like a prisoner of war than a redeemed Jedi.

When they finally decided I wasn't a threat, the Council readmitted me to the Order, but only by a nominal vote. For the next few months, I kinda moped around, sparring when I felt the need, but meditating most of the time. That's pretty much it. Sorry, I know it's a lot to take in.

Lana relieved her tired throat by taking a sip of her juice and taking another bite of the meat. She hoped Sirius wasn't creeped out or anything by her barrage of memories.

DONE!

[Ghostie]

Sirius sat silently through Lana’s story. He was patient, not interrupting her as she spoke. Though, he had not expected someone he had just met to share so much with him. It was a lot to take in. Sirius was glad Lana was being so open with him. But would he be the same to someone he had just met?

Then she went into how she thought she had fallen to the darkside. Sirius didn’t think she had really fallen though, given her story. She had come back to the light, seen what she had done wrong. Most were unwilling to do so once they fell. It showed that all was not completely lost when she had left the Order, just that she was confused when it had happened. Losing a master could do that to someone.

“My last mission… my last mission was a success, but it was a difficult mission. I underwent my Trial of Flesh during it.” Sirius brought both arms up on the table and rested them on his elbows, folding them together. The cybernetic arm was gleaming in the light. “But something perhaps more difficult than that was the people we fought.”

“We, my master and I, were sent to rescue a Jedi Shadow that had been captured by a group of dark Jedi. The guards around the Shadow… they couldn’t have been older than fifteen or sixteen. And we… we killed them. We had to. They were so corrupted and brainwashed…”

“I was angry. I was so angry at whoever had done such a thing to them. Who would lead a kid down such a dark path? When we fought the rest of the dark Jedi, I lost my arm. I blame my anger, that it distracted me. Not all Jedi are high and mighty Lana. Everyone deals with anger at some point or another. It’s like a storm. You can’t control it, or the rest of your emotions, all you can do it be prepared for it.”

Sirius went back to eating. Talking about that encounter was more difficult than talking about Wolf or Oberon, he decided. He had killed a kid. There it was. The kid may have been brainwashed by the darkside, corrupted, but he was still just a kid.

Sirius hoped Lana wasn’t too creped out by his story. They had a good conversation so far. It was nice to get everything out, to let someone else hear what’s inside and not have them run away. You couldn’t bottle everything up or you’d explode. Sirius knew for a fact, he had a tendency to do such a thing.

But it was something about talking to someone who was an absolute stranger less than half an hour ago. They had nothing to judge you by, no past experiences with you to compare to. And it appeared, Sirius was willing to spill his guts to someone who was just an absolute stranger only a little while ago.

“Whatever happened though, I’m glad you’re back in the Order.”

[Dr. Jake]

Sirius's story was rather shocking. In all her years of training, she had never quite grasped the fact that Dark Jedi were often trained at a young age. She had always seen the life of a Jedi as one of absolutes, good and evil. The Echani now realized that nothing was absolute. Honestly, she didn't know what she would have done in Sirius's position.

Losing one's arm was definitely hard, but slaying mere children... That was horrid indeed. The thought of it made her cringe, though she didn't blame her human counterpart. What else could he have done?

"I'm so sorry Sirius, but there's nothing you could have done."

Lana stared at the table for a minute before speaking up again. What she had to say was a little sensitive, but she figured he would understand her meaning.

"Besides, that arm of yours will always serve you as a reminder. A reminder that anger accomplishes nothing and leads to death."

The padawan let the words sink in a little before taking the final bite of her nerf meat. She was glad to have someone to confide in. Even though he was a virtual stranger, Sirius was easy to talk to. Lana had never really had anyone like that in her life.

When her friend commented on her return to the order, she had to agree with him. She was glad to be back here. Back to the only home she ever knew.

"Thank you Sirius, I'm glad to be back, and put the past behind me."

[Ghostie]

A long silence followed Lana’s thanks. Sirius soaked in what she had said about his cybernetic arm. He lifted it and rested his chin on his artificial hand. She was right more than she realized. There was no way he would ever forget that mission to Umbara. He’d have his own little memento for as long as he lived.

“Yeah. Live in the present or you’ll end up not having a future. Something Master Kellar always used to say.”

Master Kellar, Sirius missed him almost as much as he missed Wolf. Oberon Kellar always had those little sayings, some were memorable to Sirius, others weren’t. It was a shame that Master Kellar had lost his mind.

Sirius made up his mind that he needed to visit him soon. Kellar had started Sirius on the path of Shadow, and it was something he was determined to see through. Partly because he wanted to, but maybe partly because of Master Kellar?

“So Lana, are you any good with a blade? I don’t mean to sound prideful, but I am pretty good myself.” Sirius smiled at her “Don’t let the hand say otherwise. I wouldn’t mind sparring sometime, maybe?”

Plus, it would be nice to see you again.

[Dr. Jake]

Lana only nodded as she finished the remainder of her beverage. This Master Kellar was a wise man indeed. She could only hope that her friend would absorb such advice.

The Echani was surprised when Sirius extended his invitation. Rarely had anyone invited her to train, much less spar. Sirius was far more advanced when it came to swordplay than her, or so so she assumed. It didn't take much to surpass her lightsaber prowess.

However, Lana liked Sirius. She enjoyed his company, and wanted to see him again. Besides, her forms needed a bit of polishing, and Sirius would be able to provide such polishing. Meeting Sirius would also give her a chance to test her existing skills.

"I would love to!" Lana said with a bit more excitement than she had intended,"How does tomorrow afternoon sound?"

Lana glanced over to the chrono on the wall. It was late, or very early actually, and she was beginning to feel a little tired. For a reason she couldn't understand, Sirius gave her a kind of peace she had never yet experienced.


[[Bit short, but meh. Anyway, we can go ahead and end it now if you want. If you want, I can edit in her exit from the cafeteria as well]]