Reading Time: 75 Minutes

Title: Pathfinder
Author: Jilly James
Fandom: Star Wars
Genre: Angst, Drama, Pre-Relationship, Science Fiction
Relationship(s): Gen, Pre-Obi-Wan Kenobi/Nield, OC/OC, background pairings
Content Rating: R
Warnings: Discussion-Slavery, Discussion-Graphic Violence, Discussion-Violence Against Children, Discussion-War, Discussion-Children engaged in warfare, Discussion-Child Murder, Discussion-Attempted Genocide, Discussion-Suicide, Discussion-Self-Harm, Dark Themes, Discussion-Major/Permanent Injury, Mild Character Bashing, implied trauma.
Author Note: Star Wars has a lot of darkness in it. Melida/Daan was a particularly ugly arc in Jedi Apprentice, and though this is post-war, all children-at-war themes may apply. Everything mentioned in the warnings will be actually discussed but it’s also present in the Star Wars canon in spades. Please be sure to read the author notes tab in summary post, and particularly the tab about language in this verse.
Word Count: 87,410
Summary: After being exiled from the Young and returning to the temple, Obi-Wan Kenobi goes through the motions of healing and re-establishing his place in the Order. Yet he knows there’s a far-reaching threat still facing the Young—there are risks of starvation, illness, and the greater threat of attacks from shadowy forces he sees only in vision. He has little faith in the Order residing within the walls of the temple, so he seeks help from without, sending petitions for aid to the service corps branches. After all, no one told him he couldn’t, and he’ll do anything to protect the Young.
Beta: Keira Marcos, desertpoet
Artist: Spennig

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Chapter Five

Obi-Wan felt a gentle yet unfamiliar presence guiding him, and he blinked back to full consciousness, immediately meeting the gaze of an Iktotchi, who was unfamiliar at first.

Then he felt his cheeks heat when he realized it was Master Healer Reloth Kan, the head of the Medical Corps. He started to push himself up, but she pressed a hand to his shoulder, gently keeping him in place.

“Give yourself a moment. You’ve been in a healing trance for over two days.”

“Was I injured?” The familiar sensations of hyperspace penetrated his awareness. “We’re on a ship?”

“We’re on our way to Melidaan,” she said simply.

“Oh.” He sagged into the bed. “It worked. You’re helping?” His mind immediately started to open to the possibilities.

“No,” Master Kan said sharply, and a warm buffer wrapped around his mind. “You must give yourself time and insulate yourself from the Cosmic Force, young one. It’s one thing to meditate with the Force with deliberation, but you’re leaving yourself entirely too open to the whims of the Force, keeping your mind too vulnerable without the proper stability of a healthy master-padawan bond.”

“Is that why I’ve been in a healing trance?” He remembered something going wrong in the Council chambers talking to Nield.

Nield.

After so much worry and hurt, Nield was talking to him and wasn’t angry anymore. The relief was as if someone had taken away beskar chains.

“Yes, your mind couldn’t process the input it was receiving, but that’s a topic for discussion later. In the here and now, I’m more concerned about your health and well-being. I’m going to have you sit up slowly and have some water.

“Surely you have better things—”

“One of the perks to my position, young Kenobi, is that I decide what I’ll spend my time on. Now, I’m going to raise the bed, you’re going to sip some water, and then give an honest report on how you’re feeling. Present in the infirmary is my med droid and Healer Soren.”

The bed shifted to an upright position, and he could see Master Soren sitting at the small table by the bed, watching Obi-Wan with a somewhat pensive expression.

“Healer Soren was chosen to act in place of your Master and make decisions on your behalf while you were unconscious.”

Master Soren offered, “This included gathering your belongings from your dorm and authorizing the research team to access your notes about the pathfinding technique on your datapad. Permission was granted prior to that from Governor Nield for us to review their historical artifacts stored on your datapad. My authorization was simply giving them limited access to your personal device. I hope you find this acceptable.”

Obi-Wan inclined his head, already feeling a little overwhelmed. “Of course, Master Soren. I wonder—”

“Condition first,” Master Kan interjected. “I’d like to know how you’re feeling, if you please. And then I require that you eat before engaging in any difficult conversations.”

“Of course, Master Kan,” Master Soren agreed on Obi-Wan’s behalf.

He wanted to protest, but there wasn’t much he could say. So, he accepted the need to give a report about his health, not that there was much to report on, while eating in front of them.

When the meal was complete, Master Kan gave him a searching look. “Your hormone and neurotransmitter levels are indicative of long-term stress and probably some level of sleep deprivation. Something not unexpected given the circumstances, but you’ll need to attend to this. Master Soren has been tracking the issue with your hormones and neurotransmitters, but he’s only been working with you for approximately six weeks, and while he’s seen some improvement, he’s repeatedly noted that improvement isn’t as quick as it should be.

“This must be attended to. We can’t entirely explain what happened in the council chambers, but certainly, interacting with the Force in such a way should not be undertaken when your body and mind are unwell. Is this clear?”

He looked down, feeling ashamed. “I understand, Master Kan.”

She leaned closer. “I do not say this to shame you, Obi-Wan. I find you to be a remarkable young man. I don’t think you do, but should you feel the inclination to join the Medical Corps, you’d have my blessing.”

He felt his cheeks heat again. “I just want to help the Young.”

“I understand. However, the problem before you right now is helping yourself. There are dozens moving to ascertain the level of threat the Young and the galaxy at large face. You did all this to get us here, did you not?”

“I did.”

“And here we are. Let us work while you mend.”

“That’s all?”

“You’re going to have some discussions. First, with Master Soren, then probably with some of the research team who would like to ask some clarifying questions. However, Master Soren will have the final say on any interactions with you since he’s standing in lieu of your Master.”

The reminder of how thoroughly Master Jinn had washed his hands of Obi-Wan stung, even if Obi-Wan had known it for months.

Healer Kan was gentle as she continued, “Your next responsibility will be when we arrive, and it could be classified as a diplomatic contact as you’ll be sent with Admiral Wodij to meet with Governor Nield.”

“Oh.” He swallowed. “Good. That’s…good.”

She nodded sharply. “I’m going to leave you with Master Soren. He has many things to discuss with you. I won’t be far away, and the ship’s AI will summon me if you have any medical needs, whether you express the need or not. Please do not attempt to hide medical issues; I find this tiresome behavior in the extreme.”

“Of course, Master Kan.”

She swept out of the room, leaving him alone with Master Soren.

His mind healer shifted closer to the bed, giving Obi-Wan’s hand a gentle pat. “How are you, child?”

“I am well.”

“In the first session, we agreed that there were no lies between us. You can remain silent, but please don’t lie.”

His face twisted. “It’s not a deliberate lie, Master. I am simply how I always am.”

He sighed. “I wondered sometimes if we were working through the issues at a pace that was sufficient to help you.”

“It was!”

“Obi-Wan,” he said in a gently chiding tone, “you told me none of this business about the Sith.”

Obi-Want glanced away. “There was nothing you could do. Nothing anyone could do. Not in the temple, anyway.”

Master Soren was silent for several moments. “You looked, didn’t you? You tried this finding technique to see what would happen if you told me…?”

Obi-Wan reluctantly nodded. “You believed me, and you tried to help—tried to make them listen. You were removed as my mind healer, and I was immediately sent back into the field with Master Jinn.” He grimaced. “There were probably other paths, but it always got so overwhelming, and I’d get such a bad headache and fall asleep.”

“Pass out, you mean?”

Obi-Wan shrugged, not sure if that’s what happened or not. “When I’d try to see, I couldn’t even get far down the path of writing the other service corps, but in some paths they came. And sometimes they’d listen. And beyond that, it got to be too much.”

“I’m not criticizing you, young one.” Master Soren sighed. “I feel like I’ve not done enough for you. You needed someone full-time tending to your needs; a real master, a real bond, to support your recovery and, instead, they left you to self-study and offered daily mind healing with a part-time mind healer, who used to be a guardian.”

Obi-Wan glanced up sharply. “I know you did the best you could, and you’ve been great with me.”

“Which does not mean the Order’s efforts were sufficient. I’m the adult here, Obi-Wan. I’ll stand in the breach and bear the responsibility on behalf of an Order that failed you. And for their failure, I’m so terribly sorry.”

“Master Soren…”

The graceful, furred hands patted Obi-Wan’s hand again. “We’ll talk more about this later because you need to get to the point that you can accept that the Order failed in their duty of care, but there are more pressing matters right now.” He leaned a bit closer. “Tell me truly, Obi-Wan, if Master Jinn asked you to return to your apprenticeship, what would your answer be?”

Obi-Wan hesitated and then shook his head. “I assumed,” he began softly, “that I’d be leaving the Order. I just had to do my best for the Young before they kicked me out.”

Master Soren made a mournful little sound, something characteristic of Tarnab that came from deep in their chest when they were deeply unhappy. “And where would you have gone?”

“I had a few places, maybe.” He looked away.

“There are so many things for us to discuss in our sessions, which will continue, but it must be pointed out that you still have a training bond with Master Jinn. The untended bond with him, which I’d assumed would be nurtured again one day, isn’t helping your mind or your connection with the Force. I recommend that we have Master Kan remove it before we proceed.”

“Oh.” Obi-Wan picked at the blanket draped over his legs. “So, this is it?”

“No one is making you leave the Order. Master Jinn is off on a mission, and he’s not done his duty to you since the return from Melidaan. How the Council chooses to handle that is between them and him and a matter for the future. You are before me now with a withering bond, something I should have been more assertive about, but I wanted you to come to these conclusions in your own time.”

“Master Jinn isn’t a bad man… He doesn’t mean—”

“He may not be a bad Jedi, Obi-Wan, but he’s not a good Master for an apprentice. He’s had three and done poorly in some respect with all three. Not every master is a teacher. This is something that should be addressed by the Order, but his failings are not yours to fix or to concern yourself with.”

“Master Yoda will blame me.”

“Master Yoda is blaming himself,” Soren said firmly. “He wanted to be the one here with you, wanted to act in Jinn’s stead, no doubt to try to mend barriers between you, but that is driven by his desire to fix what he perceives is his own failure. He sees his own mistakes and strives to fix them. But he cannot act in your best interests when he cannot recognize that he’s being motivated by guilt. The Convocation voted four-to-one that I would act as your guardian unless you disagreed. If you disagree with me being selected, your other option from the Diplomacy Corps is Master Koon. Alternatively, there’s Master Ebé from the Convocation.”

“No,” Obi-Wan said hurriedly, not able to fathom inserting himself into the life of Master Lodha Ebé as his Order guardian. Master Plo Koon was only slightly better, but even that was intimidating. “You’d be my first choice. I know you, and I trust you.” He paused. “Even if you probably think I don’t.”

“I think you have little reason to trust anyone and had much happening in your life in a very short period. We just need to make the time to handle the important things. All that time you spent studying can now be spent briefing me, yes?”

Obi-Wan nodded with some reluctance, not used to being accountable to anyone anymore.

“Good. Now, the withered apprenticeship bond. Would you like it removed?”

“Yes, please.”

“Very well. I’ll ask Master Kan to remove it. I’m capable, but she’s certainly an expert in such things. You might feel off-center afterward, and that’s normal. Though with how long the bond has been closed off, you might notice very little effect.” Turning toward the console, Soren said, “Vex, would you alert Master Kan that we need her attention when she has time?”

“It’s already done, Master Soren. She’ll join you in ten minutes.”

“Thank you, Vex.”

Soren looked to Obi-Wan again. “Another question I have for you is where your lightsaber is. When I gathered your things from your dorm, I didn’t find it.”

Obi-Wan bit his lip, feeling the shame bubble under his skin again. “It was never returned to me. Master Drallig has it, and I’m allowed to ask him for it during lightsaber classes, but I haven’t been attending those with regularity. Also, the last time I held the saber, the crystal didn’t resonate.”

“I see. Regardless, it’s your saber, and putting it in the hands of the battle master as if you were in your first year after the gathering was uncalled for. The crystal might reattune to you, but that can never happen if you don’t carry the saber.” Master Soren looked troubled. “We can certainly arrange for a visit to one of the planets to get another kyber, but your current saber certainly will be returned.” After a beat, he added, “Master Tholme is headed this way. I’ll ask one of the Council members aboard to issue a directive that he stop and pick up your saber before he and Padawan Vos come to Melidaan.”

Obi-Wan blinked. “Quinlan is coming here?”

“Another topic we had barely touched on is your friends. You’ve had a hard time reconnecting with them.”

“They don’t understand why I stayed on Melida/Daan, and I’ve been very busy with my research,” Obi-Wan said evasively.

“So I now understand. And they accepted you being too busy?”

“Mostly, yes. Bant tries occasionally, but I don’t know what to say. Quinlan hasn’t been on Coruscant since I returned, though he coms me all the time.”

“Did any of your friends explain what happened with Quinlan when you didn’t return from Melida/Daan?”

Obi-Wan met Soren’s gaze squarely and shook his head, wondering where this was going.

“He was furious. Screamed at Jinn in the refectory and had to be dragged out by his master. Tholme took several long missions to keep Quinlan out of the temple and away from Jinn. They started one just before you got back. Young Vos kept trying to get approval for them to go to Melida/Daan and check on you, but the Senate denied any more intervention on the planet without an official request from a planetary leader.”

“Oh,” Obi-Wan whispered.

“Quinlan has been screaming about you since you failed to return, and he’s constantly comming because he cares.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what to do with that yet. “How did the Council authorize Quin and Master Tholme to come to Melidaan if they haven’t been able to get missions approved by the Senate?”

“Technically, we’re on a service corps ship, which the Senate has no authority over, and the Council members owe no reporting for their movements that aren’t funded by the Diplomacy Corps or based on Senate requests. Quinlan and Tholme will be on their existing mission when they make a brief stop on Coruscant.

“They’ve been specially authorized to divert to Melidaan. The details of why can wait but, rest assured, there’s no record of an official mission here at this time for the Senate to become officious over.”

Obi-Wan felt simultaneous relief and anxiety at seeing Quin again.

“What’s wrong?”

“So much has changed.”

“You’ve both changed. I believe you’ll find you’re still friends. Meditate on where you are now and be at peace with the choices you’ve made. You’ll have true companions who will walk with you on your journey, Obi-Wan. Share your fears with the Force, and don’t let your anxieties rob you of those opportunities.”

Obi-Wan dipped his head. “Thank you for your wisdom, Master.

Master Soren squeezed his hand. “Well, you’re my favorite.”

Obi-Wan gave a small grin. “You always say that.”

“It’s always true.” His expression turned more serious. “After Master Kan removes the training bond, Master Yaddle and a couple of knights from her lineage would like to ask you a few questions about the things in your notes. Would that be all right?

“Master Yaddle?” Obi-Wan fidgeted. “She’s here?”

“Yes, she’s on the Guiding Star, which is one of the ships from Admiral Wodij’s fleet. The other Diplomacy Corps members in attendance are Master Koon, who I believe you met on a mission before…?”

Obi-Wan nodded slowly, thinking of the Stark Hyperspace conflict.

“Master Yoda is on board, of course, along with the rest of the Convocation. Naturally, there are a few apprentices and junior knights amongst the group who function as research assistants. There’s also Master Sifo-Dyas, Master Dooku, Master Koth, and Mace Windu. And then I believe Master Tapal joined us recently, though I haven’t spoken with him.

Obi-Wan felt his eyes go round as plates. “So much of the High Council. And you say Master Tapal is here?”

Master Soren smirked at him a bit. “I’ve known Jaro Tapal for years. We’d take missions together when I was a much younger Tarnab. Would you like to meet him?”

“He’s so well regarded and almost never in the temple.”

“He keeps himself quite busy, and temple politics are not what he desires to deal with. But Master Yaddle has summoned as much of her lineage as can be spared.”

Obi-Wan blinked at that news.

“Are you amenable to meeting with Master Yaddle?”

“Yes, of course. Whatever she needs.”

“Very good. We’ll take care of removing that old bond, and then Master Yaddle and you can have a conversation. In the meantime, I think we’ll just talk about how it feels to be returning to Melidaan?”

***

“How do you feel?” Master Kan asked.

“Good,” Obi-Wan admitted. “Better,” he clarified after a beat.

She tilted her head. “Oh?”

“It feels…lighter? I suppose.” When she continued to give him an expectant look, he added, “The bond has always felt heavy between us.” He plucked at the seam of his leggings, wishing for the comfort of his robes, but all he had on was a light tunic and the leggings.

“Are you able to expound on that in any way? What heavy means?”

“There was always a sense of expectation.”

“Hmm. Masters often have expectations of their students, so I gather you mean something other than that.”

“Expectation of failure.” He briefly bit his lip. “I tried to—”

“No,” she said sharply. “The failure was not yours. Not from the beginning, nor was it yours to mitigate.”

“I just wanted to be a Jedi, and I thought—”

“That you had to endure a burdensome bond in order to prove your worth or to be allowed to stay or some such. I understand, young one. Perhaps better than you you’d like me to.”

“Master Jinn tried,” Obi-Wan wasn’t even sure why he was defending his prior master. “He just needs mind healing. He always needed it, and I don’t know why the council let him get away with not going.”

She patted him on the knee. “Your compassion does you credit, but you need not worry about defending Master Jinn, all right? His mind healing will be seen to. These are matters for others to address. You have more than enough before you without worrying about your former master’s failures as both a teacher and in the matters of his own self-care.”

Obi-Wan’s hands curled into fists where they rested on his legs. “I just worry that I’ve shown him in a bad light.”

“He’s shown himself in a bad light. There are perhaps mitigating factors, but none of that is for you to concern yourself with. Would you agree that you both made choices while on Melidaan?”

“Yes.”

“And you both made choices during the time while you were there?”

“Yes, of course.”

“And continued to make your own separate choices after you returned and were placed on what the Council called probation?”

“Yes.”

“And those choices have led to me now removing your training bond, yes?”

“…yes.”

“And you two now walk separate paths, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Then Master Qui-Gon Jinn’s future is for him to sort out with those who are in a position to deal with it. Your inclination to defend him does you credit, but it also makes me concerned for your mental health.”

Obi-Wan snapped his mouth shut on what he’d been about to say.

She patted his knee again. “Let those who are in the position to help Qui-Gon Jinn do so. You focus on your own healing and your own journey in the Force. Now, I prescribe a brief rest followed by a period of at least thirty minutes meditation, and then Master Yaddle would like to have her conversation with you.”

Obi-Wan nodded.

Master Soren returned right after Master Kan left, while Obi-Wan diligently paid attention to the timer Vex had set on the console to let him know when he could leave medical.

“How are you?” Unsure how to answer, he hesitated for too long, causing Master Soren to bleed concern into the Force.

“I think I’m sad,” he finally offered.

Master Soren slid into the seat next to Obi-Wan’s bed, taking his hand in a way that always made him feel comforted. “Can you tell me about that feeling?”

“I know he didn’t ever really want to train me, and I actually feel better without the bond, but it still feels awful to be alone like this. I feel like I gave up and didn’t even fight for our partnership.”

“Did you give up, or did you focus on something that was more important when you were the only one trying?”

“I guess that’s true,” Obi-Wan said slowly, considering the different perspective. “I think he expected me to try to win his favor back, but I didn’t have time for that. Or maybe it was something else, but the weight of expectation was there, and I know I failed—”

“You did not fail,” Master Soren said in as sharp a tone as Obi-Wan had ever heard from the usually gentle-mannered Tarnab. “You made choices, yes, about where to focus your energies, but you were not responsible for leading the apprenticeship. Master Jinn carries that burden, and it’s a burden he failed to meet. That’s his responsibility, not yours.”

“I truly don’t wish him ill; I wish with all my heart that he gets mind healing and finds an apprentice he’s happy with.” He plucked at the loose fabric of his tunic. “Sometimes, I still find myself feeling sad that it was never going to be me.”

“It’s okay to grieve, Obi-Wan. You never allow yourself those emotions.”

“We’re not supposed to—”

“We’re not supposed to wallow,” Master Soren corrected. “But we have to process the emotions like any other sentient. Avoiding or premature use of the Force to suppress, not share, our emotions isn’t healthy. We’ve discussed the theory behind this at length, and I know you understand, yet you keep yourself from your feelings. And when they bubble to the surface, you feel shame for them.”

“I don’t know what else to do,” Obi-Wan admitted with tears in his eyes.

Master Soren wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “We’ll keep working on it; I swear you’re not alone on this journey.”

Obi-Wan leaned into Master Soren. “What’s going to happen to Master Jinn?”

After a long silence, Master Soren finally answered, “He’s on a mission at present. Tyvokka is charged with handling the matter. As I understand it, he’ll be placed on medical-slash-administrative leave to ensure he’s healthy enough to continue working in a consular position.”

Obi-Wan bit his lip. “We know he won’t be. He hasn’t been well enough for a long time, yet they allowed him to keep on. What happened with Xanatos hurt him deeply; I think he saw Xanatos as something like a son, and his fall was crushing to Master Jinn. I don’t— I’m not trying to excuse him, but he needed help, and he didn’t get it.”

“The situation is complex. It didn’t help that Qui-Gon told the council at the time that Xanatos had died when he had not. For a Jedi, grieving for a dead padawan can be easier than for a fallen one.” He sighed. “I know this thing I’m about to ask of you will be difficult, but you have so much to worry about already, Obi-Wan. Please release the burden of worrying about Master Jinn. Tyvokka is a compassionate being, and he will not seek to punish where healing is needed. Let the council do its work—the work they should have been doing all along. Lay down this burden. If you lay down no other burden, child, please release this one.

“Grief must come, and I will be here for you when it does, but it’s not your duty or your place to protect or even worry about Qui-Gon Jinn. Allow the order to fulfill its duty to Jinn and to the Force and set the situation to rights.”

Obi-Wan curled his hand into Master Soren’s robes, seeking the steady presence. “As long as…” He took a deep breath. “Please ask Master Tyvokka not to utilize Knight Starr. I don’t even know Feemor, but he doesn’t deserve to be pulled back into Master Jinn’s orbit; it will only hurt him again.”

“Hmm.” Master Soren hunkered down and gently pinched Obi-Wan’s chin. “I shall pass along the message and add my vote to dissuade him from the path of utilizing Feemor. However, I must remind my young friend before me that he’s not supposed to be utilizing certain Force gifts quite yet.”

Obi-Wan felt his face heat. “Sometimes it’s very easy, and I don’t even try to do it. It’s like the Force wants me to see.”

“Then that’s something else we’ll have to work on.”

“Okay.”

Chapter Six

Master Soren led Obi-Wan to a small meditation room. The ship was large, having berths for up to a hundred that could be stretched to a thousand if the cargo hold was converted, so it didn’t surprise him that there were dedicated meditation rooms.

“Your things are in my quarters at this time, and there’s a small room for you. But if you’d prefer your own quarters, there’s another cabin next to mine. Master Kan had planned to keep you in a healing trance through most of the journey, so we were uncertain how much of a separate berth on the Guiding Star would be needed.” The door slid closed. “Admiral Wodij will include you in the briefing before we drop out of hyperspace in the Cadavine sector, but Governor Nield has made it clear that he wants you to accompany the first ones down.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, of course.”

“Tell me…what will it be like being back on the planet?”

“It will be good to see everyone once more.” He rubbed his arms. “Though I’m not eager to feel the planet again.”

“You learned how to shield yourself against the worst of the planet before. It’d be easy to use those skills during this meditation, but I think we first need a centering meditation, right? It will be good to practice your basic grounding in the Force.”

“Of course, Master Soren.”

It was easy enough to follow Master Soren into the first stages of meditation. If he were completely honest, it was more comfortable than his meditations with Master Jinn. It felt uncomfortable to acknowledge how poorly matched he and Master Jinn had been from the beginning. They’d had less than a year of actual apprenticeship time before Obi-Wan had chosen to stay on Melida/Daan, and that time had been fraught with many issues between them.

The fundamental problem of Master Jinn’s failure to deal with the ramifications of Xanatos’ fall wasn’t Obi-Wan’s to deal with or to manage, and yet it set the tone for why his former master had such low expectations yet high demands throughout that year. Obi-Wan had never felt like anything but a failure.

He wondered what his life would have been like if he’d followed Master Jinn’s instruction to release all thoughts of Melidaan to the Force and just moved on with his life. What would have become of him and the Young if he’d just given in and tried to work to be Master Jinn’s apprentice again? Would he have ever been enough? Would he have ever been a Jedi Knight?

The Force used to whisper to him that knighthood was his path in the Force, but how could any of this path be part of that path? Clearly, he’d misunderstood and not meditated properly on what the Force had been trying to show him when he was younger. He needed to learn to better see what the Force wanted from him.

He felt a flare of alarm along his healer bond with Master Soren just as visions came fast and bright, paths illuminating in his mind like dizzying choices in a dark maze.

Instead of trying to follow a specific path, he asked the Force, what do you want me to see?

A specific vision, a meeting, burned hot in his mind. It didn’t make sense, having no context and no path to connect it to. He wasn’t even sure…

When?

The Force ebbed in odd ways that seemed to be saying… wait.

Obi-Wan acknowledged the instruction, promising he’d try to listen to the Force’s guidance.

The vision released its hold.

There was a sharp tug on his mind, and then some shields slid around him in the Force, familiar shields from Master Soren.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes to find Master Soren staring at him with concern, and Master Yaddle and Admiral Wodij were also in the room.

He jerked back a little, startled at the new appearances.

“Dancing so closely with the Cosmic Force is not really advisable when you’ve been in a healing trance due to Force exhaustion,” Admiral Wodij said dryly.

“I…didn’t mean to?”

She snorted and leaned back against the wall, taking a more casual posture. She was so tall that it was comforting to no longer have her looming over him. “The Cosmic Force does seem to think you’re its favorite dance partner of late. Problem is, kiddo, when you open yourself up to the Cosmic Force, which is your natural affinity, the Unifying Force invites itself to the party. Everyone wants their dance card filled, I suppose, but I don’t think you have the training yet to know how to manage the push-pull of that kind of attention.”

Obi-Wan gaped at her.

“Rinnea is obliquely saying that you need to blunt your connection to the Force for a time,” Master Yaddle said gently.

It took him a beat to realize Rinnea was the intimidating Admiral Wodij. He swallowed heavily. “I promised the Force that, for now, I’d stop doing so much seeking and try to do a better job of listening to what it’s trying to say. How can I do that if I’m blunting my connection?”

Master Yaddle’s lips pressed together. “Then you need to be in meditation with someone strong in the Unifying or the Cosmic Force who knows you’re going to be asking for guidance before you do such a thing. You were lost in the Cosmic Force’s grip for nearly an hour; it’s dangerous to pull someone from that sort of hold, so we had to wait.”

Obi-Wan flushed. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t deliberate. Or, rather, it wasn’t pre-meditated.”

She nodded her acceptance.

He looked to Master Soren. “I apologize, Master Soren.”

“It’s all right, Obi-Wan. We’ll work on simple centering meditations separate from when you want to seek guidance from the Force. I’m strong enough in the Unifying to assist you, but until we find our footing, we should work with others as well while they’re available.”

He nodded, not sure what that meant, really, but he didn’t want to remain the center of attention because he’d slipped off into the Force for an hour and they couldn’t pull him back.

He looked to Master Yaddle again. “You wanted to speak to me, Master?”

“Yes. If you don’t mind, I’d like to call in Master Tapal and Master Koth.”

Obi-Wan gave a slow nod, not sure what was going on. “Am I in trouble?”

“No. Master Tapal is going to be sent on a mission soon, and I have a few questions for you first. It’s easiest if he can be here directly in case there are follow-up questions.” She tapped away at her com.

A moment later, Masters Eeth Koth and Jaro Tapal entered. Master Tapal was a male Lasat and every bit as tall as Admiral Wodij but broader, and it felt like he took up most of the space, though in an oddly comforting way. Master Koth was a male Zabrak, who, though smaller, had a more aggressive presence. The Force flowed interestingly between Master Tapal and Master Koth, and Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what that meant, but it felt positive.

After Master Yaddle made the introductions, Master Tapal offered, “I read through your research; it was well reasoned and well conducted. You made a leap to Sith alchemy, but you did well in the proving of it.”

Obi-Wan felt his cheeks heat again, hating his fair skin but also a little embarrassed at how a little approval affected him. He’d never felt like he did anything to please Master Jinn. “Thank you, Master Tapal.”

Tapal nodded to Master Koth. “Sith alchemy is more an area of study for Eeth, which is why he’s working with me closely on this.”

“Excellent work,” Master Koth acknowledged. “I’d like to hope we’d have listened to you and taken appropriate action, but it’s probable that we wouldn’t have. In part, in the interest of full transparency, I believe that to be the influence of a select few in the Order and how they feel we should conduct things, but I also believe it to be a cloud over the entire temple on Coruscant. We all notice we think clearer away from the temple.” He frowned. “It’s worrying how easily we forget when we return.

“But that is my issue to ponder… How this spell works and what we can do to mitigate its effects is the problem for us now.”

Obi-Wan frowned. “I thought turning Melidaan into a dark vergence would complete the spell. How much Sith alchemy is already at work?”

“We’re uncertain. Melidaan could be anchoring an alchemical spell even if it’s not fully a dark vergence, which we won’t know until we make planetfall. What the effect would be once the vergence was fully dark…” He shrugged. “Unknown, but I suspect almost anything sentient would be apathetic to encroaching darkness. Possibly even embrace it. We’ll determine the extent of the investigation once we arrive. I’ll likely have quite a few questions for you later.

“For now, however, I want to extend an apology on behalf of most of the High Council.” He held up a hand when Obi-Wan was set to object. “Your probation was meant to be a time of healing and to give you and Qui-Gon a chance to reconnect and determine if you wished to proceed with your apprenticeship. If you didn’t, a new master was to be found for you. It was never intended to be a punishment, though I can see how you perceived it as such.”

Master Koth hesitated before adding, “Many of us were in a state of shock when you first appeared before us after returning to the temple; you were nearly starved, covered in injuries, and half-feral—understandably so. Getting into a brawl right then and there about how the facts of the situation on Melida/Daan had been misrepresented wouldn’t have helped you. At least, that’s the way we perceived it.

“The decision was made to give you time and space to recover. Grounding you to the temple was to ensure you could heal, and also prevent Qui-Gon from taking you galivanting off into more dangerous situations while you were still traumatized from a year-long ground war with children.

“There are apologies due to you on many fronts, but the one I’d like to give to you today is that, for any moment, we allowed you to think the probationary period was a penalty and that you were being punished. Poli has a specific way about him, and we should have favored your well-being over letting him have his head about how things were framed. That’s our error, and we need to atone for it.

“We thought we were giving you and Master Jinn time to heal and connect, and yet it seems like we just abandoned you, and Master Jinn managed to escape our net anyway and get a mission out of the temple. Regardless, I’m grateful Master Soren was there for you.”

Obi-Wan felt like he wanted to sink through the floor. “That’s really not— There’s nothing to— I mean, it’s all fine.”

“It’s really not,” Master Koth said as gently as Obi-Wan thought he was probably capable of. “And someday, you’ll have a different perspective on all of our behavior. If you wish to call us out on it, the floor will be yours. In the interim, know you have my personal apology, and I speak on behalf of much of the High Council in this matter… Masters Tyvokka, Koon, Sifo-Dyas, Dooku, Windu, and of course Master Yaddle. And those are just those I’ve spoken to personally aboard the ship, though I spoke with Tyvokka before our departure. I know Master Mundi and Master Rancisis were both very troubled by the entire situation.”

Obi-Wan just nodded, not sure what to say since his demurring and deflecting weren’t allowed.

“One other Council matter is in the event you have something else you’d like to say, we’d like to give you a point of contact. Is there someone you’d feel most comfortable going to in the event you had a concern or needed to relay something urgently?”

“Couldn’t I just go through Master Soren?”

Master Koth smiled. “Of course, but in the event Master Soren isn’t available, who would you wish to contact? The concern is if the Cosmic Force has chosen you as its messenger, you may need to reach someone urgently.”

Obi-Wan’s fingers twitched, and he made note to find his belongings and get a robe. “I suppose Master Koon or Master Yaddle…?”

Master Yaddle reached out a clawed hand and patted Obi-Wan’s knee. “Either, but how about you contact Master Plo first and then try me? Plo will be delighted as he’s very fond of you.”

“Oh.” He looked back to Master Koth. “Is that all?”

“That’s the end of my apology and my official question on behalf of the High Council, yes. Thank you.” He dipped his head.

Yaddle moved closer, sitting right in front of Obi-Wan. “I had a few questions for you about your experiences in the eddies of the Cosmic Force. But I’d like to ask questions strictly from your memories, not trigger you to slip back into a Force vision. Can you stay focused on your memories and not open yourself up to the pull of the Force?”

Obi-Wan frowned and considered. “I believe I can, yes.”

“Admiral Wodij is the strongest of us in the Cosmic Force, and she’s going to stay because she’ll notice if you start to slip.”

“It can be difficult,” Admiral Wodij offered, “because, for many with an inclination to the Cosmic Force, there’s a tendency towards at least mild prescience, even if only by a few seconds. Step here, move there, block, strike, shoot. So, the Cosmic Force eddies and moves around those aligned towards it often more strongly and more consistently than around those with other alignments. Others often have to reach for the Force, save for when the Unifying Force intrudes with a vision.

“There’s an aspect of overt listening that is almost opposite with the Cosmic Force. You almost have to learn how to muffle it or how to just always be functioning a few seconds ahead.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I never had that problem, though. Not until…”

“From what I can deduce from reading your Academy file, you struggled with visions when you were young, so they taught you how to ground yourself in the Living Force. It’s not a bad technique if your main alignment is the Unifying Force, but yours isn’t, not with the way the Cosmic Force swirls around you almost constantly. A joint meditation with Master Ebé would probably sort out the issue. Some beings can truly align with more than one aspect of the Force, but it’s important that it be well understood and the right grounding and shielding techniques be used.

“The Order’s default solution of always grounding in the Living Force isn’t useful if the Cosmic and Unifying Force are playing push-pull with you. It’s left you unprepared for managing the influences you face now, but we can remedy all that.

“Training is an issue for another day. I’m staying because of how far and how hard you slipped into the current of the Cosmic Force during a simple centering meditation. If, while Master Yaddle asks her questions, you start to fall into its embrace again, I’m the best able to prevent it.”

“I’ll do my best to stay in the present.” Obi-Wan could feel how much she was like him in the Force. It wasn’t exactly the same, but there was an interesting kinship to being with a Force user who had been designed by the Force to walk a similar path as yourself.

“I do not doubt that you always do your best,” Admiral Wodij said with a faint smile.

Master Soren was still kneeling in his meditation spot, and he cleared his throat. “Are you all right, Obi-Wan? Good to continue?”

“Yes, Maser Soren.”

“Very well.”

Admiral Wodij acknowledged Soren, then said, “Ask your questions, Yaddle. We’ll be dropping out of hyperspace in one hour.”

Yaddle sat on a cushion right in front of Obi-Wan. “I’d like to ask about your time using the technique you learned about with Nield and Cerasi. Don’t use it now; just consider the times in the past when you have used it.”

Obi-Wan nodded.

“Now, think about your research, the feeling of the planet, all the work you’ve done. There’s a totality of experience you’ve had, visions you’ve had, paths you’ve walked in the Force. Can you hold all of that in your recent past before you? Imagine you’re taking everything you felt, everything you saw, everything you experienced from the time you landed on Melida/Daan until this very moment, encapsulating it, and holding it in your hand.

“The totality of those experiences and feelings are also knowledge, yes?”

He considered for a moment, trying to visualize the way she was indicating. “Yes, there was knowledge gained. Though I might characterize it more as information gained, and the knowledge is still pending.”

She smiled. “Fair point. We all strive for knowledge from the information we’re given. And you’ve been given information you may not be aware of.”

“I don’t understand.”

“In all those experiences and visions, the Force has shown you more than you’ve probably realized, or perhaps you’ve inferred something correctly but did not want to make an affirmative declaration of fact. Regardless, you may perhaps have knowledge.”

He visualized an orb of visions, experiences, war, death, pain… Paths taken and not taken. And he considered that there was probably much in there he hadn’t realized he might know. “I understand what you’re saying.”

“I need you to let go of your rational mind, of trying to logically parse a problem and just consider that orb of experiences you’ve had. I’d like to ask you some questions and have you give me the very first answer that comes to your mind. Can you do that? Just pure reflex, from deep within, in whatever part of you feels most connected to the Force, I’d like you to just say it.”

He frowned. “But what if I’m wrong?”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re not seeking truth; we’re seeking information as part of an investigation, yes? Your friend Quinlan and his Master Tholme conduct investigations at times, do they not? They sometimes get information that is wrong, but it isn’t always without merit.

“I’d like you to try to let go of being right and being complete, and simply speak from within yourself where it’s just you and the Force and the experiences you’ve had because you followed the Force’s will when others would not. All right?”

“Yes, Master.” He was nervous.

“We’ll start easy, though the answer might not be easy to articulate. Is Melidaan already a dark vergence?”

“No.” The answer came full and sharp from somewhere he didn’t even know how to explain. “It teeters on the brink.”

“Very good, you did that perfectly. The Force moves around you when you answer, but you didn’t reach into the Force, you reached into yourself. Next, do you know what the dark feeling is?”

Obi-Wan frowned, getting more of an image than an answer. “I’m seeing a red crystal in my mind. I don’t know what to infer from that.”

“You said the Force seemed to be crying out, yes?”

“Yes.” He frowned. “The planet cries.”

“Bled kyber crystals seem like they’re crying. Either the Force has been simply crying out in pain, and this is an analogy to that or…” She hesitated. “The planet could have a kyber core.”

Obi-Wan felt the blood drain from his face. “But wouldn’t Master Tahl or Master Jinn have felt it if someone were trying to bleed the core of a planet?”

“Not if an alchemy were being used in some fashion. Let’s move on from that possibility. It gives us a couple of things to consider and prepare for, and we’ll know soon enough.

“Next question: Obi-Wan, are the Sith alive?”

“Yes.” He felt suddenly nauseated. “Oh, Force. Why did you ask me that?”

“I’m sorry, child. I think you’ve known all along whether this was an old Sith plot taking hundreds of years to come to fruition or something they’ve been actively nursing along.”

Master Soren pressed a flask into his hand. “Drink this.”

Obi-Wan sipped at the electrolyte-infused water.

“How many Sith, Obi-Wan?”

“Two,” he said cautiously, then jerked back as he suddenly got a vision.

“That,” Master Soren said sharply, “was the Unifying Force making itself known. What did you see.”

“Zabrak child, volcanic planet. Red with black markings. A few years younger than myself. The Sith are training apprentices, I think.”

Master Koth swore.

Master Yaddle took one of Obi-Wan’s hands in both of her claws. “Child, this next question is based on my own inference, and if you have no impulse one way or the other, that’s fine.”

He nodded.

“Are the Sith oft to be found on Coruscant?”

“Yes.”

“In the Senate?”

“Yes.”

“Senator?”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth and then closed it, shrugging one shoulder. “The building looms like it’s shrouded in black oil with two dark presences moving in and out, but I can’t see or feel whether one or the other is actually a senator.”

“Okay, the vagueness of that answer actually gives more credence to the power of the strong yeses.” She squeezed his hand.

The Force moved in him oddly, and he found himself looking up at Master Tapal. The vision hit him strongly, and he couldn’t help but walk the path.

“Obi-Wan,” Admiral Wodij said sharply, her Force presence attempting to buffer him, but the Force actively resisted her.

“You’re searching for the Sith.”

Master Tapal cocked his head. “Yes.”

“If you confront him alone, he will win.” He couldn’t even see the room anymore; the vision was so clear, and it felt like something was speaking through him. “Tide, Tapal, Windu, Koth, Tiin, and Ti.” He blinked, and the room was back in focus. “That’s who I see you with when you succeed, but be careful of their lightning…” He blinked a few times. “I think I need to sleep.”

Master Soren sat next to him, an arm around Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “You can rest now.”

Obi-Wan slumped into him and let himself give in to the pull of sleep.

Rin felt the child’s Force presence fade into exhaustion. “The Cosmic Force just took that child for a ride, and I couldn’t stop it, though I think the warning is clear.” She gave Jaro a speaking look. “I wonder which one of them he sees you confronting?”

“An interesting question.” Jaro was watching Obi-Wan with a pensive expression. “What’s being done for him?”

Master Soren offered, “It’s clear to me that he’s not in any position to make decisions about his future until the situation on Melidaan is resolved. It’s why we haven’t pressed him about choosing a new master.”

“But does he know that there are masters who will take him?”

Soren tilted his head and then looked down at Obi-Wan. “I’m uncertain.”

“He should know.”

“You offering, Jaro?” Rin asked, tapping her fingers against the wall.

“If no other option presents itself, yes, I’d offer. Though I think he deserves more time to recover rather than being thrown right back into the thick of things with Sith hunting.”

“There are other branches of the Order,” Rin said dryly.

“There are, and I mean no disrespect, Admiral. Simply that I feel it quite keenly that the Force is rather insistent that Obi-Wan Kenobi be a Jedi Knight. Not a healer, not a pilot, not a professor. All paths in the Force are worthy, but the Force has a plan for him, and his training should be with our Corps—provided we can get our business together.” He shot Master Koth a speaking look.

Eeth Koth held up both hands. “We’re working on our screw-up, Jaro. Don’t give me that disappointed look.”

“As I said, I don’t think I’m the right master given his recent history and my current task, but if there was no one else, I’d offer. If I’d been in the temple when he was an initiate, I’d have certainly offered then.”

“Yoda had deterred anyone interested,” Koth said pensively.

Jaro gave him an incredulous look. “The day I let Yoda tell me who I can offer an apprenticeship to is the day I hang up my saber. Sweet Force.” He rubbed over the bridge of his nose. “I know he means well, but he needs an intervention about his meddling.”

“I’m handling it,” Yaddle said firmly. “And we’ll ensure Obi-Wan has a list of those interested in training him. Though many will come with caveats based on what happens with our destination.”

“I think it’s more the reverse. He’ll know he has to choose a master compatible with whatever happens on Melidaan.”

“When will you depart?” Rin asked.

“Not until after I understand what’s happened on the planet and gathered what clues I can from it. It’s a nightmare if the planet has a kyber core, but we’ll need to investigate the Force damage as well as physical damage done to the planet before we begin our hunt.”

“I take it Master Koth is hunting with you?”

“And I’ll be meeting up with Master Tide. My former padawans will be tasked by Master Yaddle in other areas of the mission along with other members of our lineage.”

“The direct hunt will be led by Jaro,” Yaddle confirmed. “He has the flexibility within his ongoing assignment in the outer rim and, as a result, he will not be under direct scrutiny by any Senate oversight.”

Eeth Koth nodded towards the sleeping teen. “Are we thinking Force Oracle?”

Rin’s eyebrows shot up, and she looked to Yaddle for a verdict. There hadn’t been an Oracle of the Force since well before the Reformation.

“Signs are seen when Oracles are young and throughout their life. It requires equal—” She stopped herself and frowned. “With the way the Academy has re-structured its training and our emphasis on the Living Force, we wouldn’t know if there was a child equally favored by the Cosmic and Unifying Force.”

“Aren’t Oracles gifts from the Force to act as their voice when the galaxy is on the precipice of a great fall into darkness?” Jaro asked dryly.

Yaddle’s brow furrowed. “We’ll watch and guide when necessary, but let speculation of this go no further. The child has enough heaped on his shoulders.” She turned her attention to Master Soren and raised a single brow.

“I’ll protect him with my life, regardless of whether he’s the next Oracle, but if the signs are there, I’ll bring it to you or Admiral Wodij.”

“Or Lodha,” Rin added. “Pretty sure he’s the only one in the Order who actually knew the last Oracle.” She considered. “In fact, a deep meditation between the two of them might give a definitive answer.”

Soren straightened his shoulders. “Do we need a definitive answer right now? If the Council knew for sure, they’d instinctively want to return him to Coruscant, but that’s possibly the worst thing for him. He’s a traumatized child who needs more time to heal. Give him the time to mend and make choices; the Force will reveal its will in due time.”

Yaddle patted Soren’s hands. “Wise you have always been, Von-Re. Obi-Wan is safe in your hands.”

Chapter Seven

Rin stared through the viewport on the bridge at Melidaan. The planet looked remarkably unremarkable. They hadn’t yet commed the planet, and it was uncertain how aware of their presence the planetary government might be. There were very few orbital sensors, and the only holonet repeater in the sector was due for repair. She’d already had Vex initiate a task to have it tended to as soon as possible.

“Well?” she asked. The Guiding Star’s bridge was normally amply sized, but it was packed full. All the Council members and Diplomacy Corps members were present save for Master Soren and Obi-Wan. Soren was waking the boy and getting him prepared to see his companions again after several months.

There was a beat of silence before Lodha said, “It’s a void to me. I think to most who were strong in the Living Force, it probably feels like almost nothing or it would feel normal, but the Living Force flows differently through me than any other, and to my Force senses, it’s like a hole in space.”

She lightly nudged Yoda’s gimer stick with her foot. “To you?”

“A planet, it is. Like nothing unusual, it feels.”

“Yet you have a broader affinity than just the Living Force.”

“Confining myself to that, I am. For now.”

She looked to Yaddle. “Master Yaddle?”

“All our kind are primarily aligned to the Living Force, but we tend to have secondary affinities. My secondary affinity is toward the physical. I won’t have any impressions until I’m on the planet.”

“Master Sifo-Dyas? How does the Unifying Force feel without being in contact with the planet?”

He’d been staring fixedly out the portal. “I think we can confirm a kyber core. At least a small one.” He sounded hoarse. “The planet is crying. Normally, any Jedi can hear a bleeding kyber. That we all cannot hear it, I think, speaks to a Sith spell.”

Lodha asked, “You’re the strongest aligned in this gathering to the Cosmic Force, Rin. Your perception?”

“It’s interesting how the alchemy is twisting our perceptions. I hear the distress, though faintly, but the sense of deep wrongness, the darkness Obi-Wan described… The desperation in the Force. Yes, that I feel even from here.” She focused on Masters Kan and Ohri. “Theories for what it will be like to actually be in physical contact with the planet?”

Master Ohri responded, “Everyone will need to keep their empathic shield rigidly in place. It would be easy for those with a strong Living Force affinity to relax and be unaware of how negatively they’re being affected. I’m not sure what being on the planet would do to Master Ebé since, as he said, the Living Force moves very differently through him. I think it might block him entirely from the Living Force, which could make him unwell. Whether or not to experiment with that is something he will have to decide.”

Yoda’s ears were twitching, and he was staring up at Lodha, eyes bright with curiosity. Rin suspected a conversation between the two in the future about the differences between their connection to the same aspect of the Force.

Master Kan added, “I’d say we should never allow anyone with an immature brain on the planet, which would preclude young Kenobi from accompanying us, but considering he spent a year there already, not to mention that the majority of the population are children.” She stroked one hand along the length of one of her horns, often a sign that an Iktotchi wanted to stab you. Her lips pressed into a thin line. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to consult with Master Soren.”

“Send Kenobi if you would,” Rin called after her, getting a twitch of the hand in reply.

“Should we make contact?” Eeth Koth inquired.

“Not until Kenobi is here. The governor has made it amply clear he doesn’t particularly want to talk to us without him.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, considering their approach. “It’s clear most of the citizenry are going to react most negatively to adult HONs. We’ll have to ask Obi-Wan if size is likely to be a factor. Certainly, Masters Yaddle and Yoda would do well leading the interaction with them.”

“How much of the planetary government are children?” Tapal asked.

“All of them,” Kenobi replied from the entry to the bridge. He nodded to Rin. “Permission to enter the bridge, Admiral?”

She gestured him forward.

“All?” Tapal pressed.

“In the final treaty, the Elders have a path for filing complaints and grievances but no actual representation in the government. The Mids theoretically can hold a governmental seat, but…”

“First, how old is a mid?” Rin asked.

“Twenty to thirty.”

“And why are none of them in government?” Tapal asked.

“None survived. Nield is the oldest of the Young, and he’s fifteen. The youngest surviving Elder was forty-one.”

Rin felt a lot of Force presences shield themselves as they all no doubt locked down their horror in much the way she did.

Obi-Wan observed them intently, finally offering, “The Elders put the youngest of their forces on the front lines as often as possible; I believe they knew the Mids were the most sympathetic and likely to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict. It’s perhaps unfair, but the Elders’ desire to fight and fight and fight is why they were not granted any real power in the government.” He paused. “If you do have to remove the children from the planet, framing it that the children will someday desire to fight like the Elders, no matter what, will help them agree.”

Rin felt infinitely sad that this child should understand so much so easily. “Thank you, Obi-Wan. Are you ready to contact the governor?”

He nodded, and she activated the com.

A moment later, a teen’s face filled the screen. Likely female based on facial features, though somewhat ambiguous due to the neutral, pulled-back hairstyle and age, which was around twelve. It was distressing to see someone so young armed with two visible blasters.

“Ben!” The voice had a feminine timbre as well.

“Hey, Tash.”

“Are you on one of the ships in orbit? Our sensor array is shite, as you know, but we had one drift in and out a day or two ago.”

“I think the other one was one of ours that arrived first; we have ships coming from several places, and any that arrived before us were told to wait. But, yes, we’re here.”

“You know you can just come down; there’s no need to stand on formality with us. Technically, you have citizenship and all.” She scratched the back of her neck. “How many Elders you bringing down?”

“Older but not Elder, Tash; there really is a difference. Master Yoda is almost nine hundred, but he’s never waged war on children. In fact, he used to put me to bed and teach me how to play push feather.”

Her eyes went wide. “Nine-hundred. Damn. Yeah, okay. But, you know, don’t expect some of the little ‘uns to make the distinction between older and Elder. I’m just sayin’.”

“They’ll understand.”

“Jinn’s not with you, is he?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s good. I mean, bad for Nield, ‘cause he wanted to shoot him and all, but good to avoid getting everyone riled up.”

“He’s not—”

“He broke his promises to us, Ben. He told us he’d help us if we helped him find his friend. Now, we were young little idiots and didn’t get specific about what help we needed, but it certainly meant more than just ‘take your friend and go.’ So, even if you don’t want to be offended on your own behalf, you can’t say we’re not allowed to be offended on our behalf. Half an hour with his ship would have ended our war much sooner.”

“And I already explained that even if he’d stayed and helped, the help he’d have been allowed to give would not have been wiping out the Elders for you; that’s completely against the Code.”

“Maybe so, but he coulda done just about anything different than what he did. So my grudge will last to my dying day, and you can’t do nothing about it. He needs to keep his giant arse out of our sector.” She rubbed the side of her nose. “I shoulda shot it off when they sent him back to negotiate our treaty. Thoughtless arseholes.”

Obi-Wan sighed and stepped back a bit, gesturing for the AI to adjust the frame and pan back on the com. “Tash, this is Admiral Wodij, head of the Jedi Order Exploration Corps. Amongst many other things, they help maintain the hyperspace lanes, establish new lanes, maintain and expand the holonet, and work on exploration of the fringes of Wild Space. Admiral, this is Tash. She’s the minister of security.”

“Whoa. And I mean that in all the ways. She’s so tall. Can I be an admiral and go to Wild Space, Ben?”

Rin laughed. “The ExplorCorps is recruiting. We’d like permission to bring our party to the planet surface, Minister Tash. It will be a mix of beings from my branch of the Order, medical and agricultural experts from other service branches, as well as a few Jedi from Ob— Ben’s Academy, such as Master Yoda.” Smiling, she held out a hand. Come on up and introduce yourself, Grandmaster.”

With an audible huff, Yoda hopped up into her hand and then onto her shoulder. “Pleased to meet you, I am, Security Minister Tash. Desire to come to the planet, we do. Permission, do we have?”

Tash blinked a few times. “Wow. Do you shrink as you age or something?”

“Same size I am since adulthood I have reached.”

“Huh. Well, expect the babbies to think you’re a toy. Sorry in advance about your ears.” She made a vague gesture. “Yeah, come on down. Ben, you know where to send ‘em. We haven’t put any work into the spaceport, so the one landing pad is too small for a vessel big enough to hold more than ten. We’re in the dry season in this continent, so the field outside of Zehava should be fine.”

“Did you ever…”

“No, too much to do, not a priority.”

Obi-Wan grimaced. “Tash.”

“They’re dead, Ben. They can’t be hurt no more. I know you burn your dead and all, but we haven’t had the time to tend to digging up the long-buried, and we’re not sure what all that burning would do to our air anyway.”

“I think they’d rather land a little further out than land on the burial site of thousands of children, Tash.”

“Suit yourself, but they ain’t getting any deader nor getting any more offended. Their own parents killed them; I think the mortal offense has been committed. Where you put your feet don’t make no difference at this point. Whether you land on ‘em or walk on ‘em shouldn’t make no difference.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his forehead. “I’ll let the admiral decide where we land.”

“I’ll let Nield know you’re inbound, but I’ll not say anything to anyone else in case your delicate sensibilities get the best of you and the babbies have to wait an extra hour to say hello.”

He sighed and made a vague gesture. “See you soon, Tash. Don’t shoot anyone.”

“No promises!” she said brightly just before the com cut.

After a beat, Rin said, “If you tell us where the grave is, we can land beyond it.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “There’s no point. It’s all a grave, depending on how you look at it. This planet went from a population of probably a hundred million to maybe ten thousand now. Most of the decline was in the last four generations. I believe the population estimate when Master Tahl came was around a million sentients planetwide. This whole planet is a graveyard. I’m just being ridiculous about the area where I was most likely to have buried bodies.”

A million to ten thousand in a year.

Rin nodded an acknowledgment and didn’t press further. “We’re going to break up into groups to investigate. Some will be investigating the planet itself and the vergence, a few will be working with the government, while others provide medical aid. The medical aspect is obvious—Master Kan and her healers will be making the assessment until the MedCorps ship arrives in two days. While Master Ebé cannot go to the planet, there are two AgriCorps specialists on board who will be with the team doing the physical assessment, and then the rest of us are somewhat changeable in terms of who goes where, though Master Tapal should be assessing the vergence.

“What are your recommendations, Obi-Wan?”

“Mine?” he asked, looking astonished.

“You have the only real knowledge of the local population and government. Forthright and blunt would be best as we have limited time.”

“Um.” He cleared his throat. “Anyone HON who looks like a typical Elder should probably avoid interacting with the children. You, Admiral, do not look like a typical Elder of this planet, so I think they’d find you as interesting as Tash did, particularly since you’re a pilot and an explorer.

“Typically, physical size would be a concern if someone gets too close, and most of you are tall, but just be cautious. They know you’re coming and why. Most children over seven carry blasters, and they will shoot you if they feel threatened. I think, given time, they’ll relax and let you approach.

“Amongst the masters here, Master Windu is more of a Mid in their eyes, I’d think, and they might be curious since there aren’t any left. Masters Sifo-Dyas and Dooku would be seen as Elders, especially Master Dooku. I’d suggest they explore the vergence and not interact with any of the children. Definitely no one outside the government.”

“Master Dooku in particular because…?” Rin asked.

Obi-Wan winced. “Well, they may know his name…?”

Dooku’s eyebrows shot up. “I think we’ll need more information than that before we embark on this mission.”

“I may have used you illustratively when I was explaining some of the Jedi Order’s philosophy,” he said, sounding somewhat sheepish.

“Illustratively?” he echoed.

Obi-Wan hesitated, then seemed to firm his resolve as he squared his shoulders. “It was in my explanations about how the Order views attachments.”

“And I came up in such a discussion?” Dooku echoed incredulously.

“I tried to use myself illustratively, but they tend to think everything I do is a good example. I’d told them that I’d always struggled with attachment, and though the Order is usually good at ferreting out emotional attachments—unless you manage to consistently slip the mind healers,” he said pointedly, “it does nothing about intellectual or conceptual attachments.

“I’d tried to explain that my insistence that the Jedi were supposed to help people, no matter what, had become a sticking point between me and Master Jinn. I actually had been able to eventually see that sometimes it’s not our role to insert ourselves and force beings to be helped.

“They didn’t really understand, so I used you as an example.”

Dooku’s eyebrows were almost trying to eat his hairline. “Oh?”

Obi-Wan lifted one shoulder. “I’ve read and heard some of your opinions about the Order’s role in the galaxy, and especially our relationship with the Senate, and though I tend to think it’s well reasoned and has merit, I also think it’s an example of intellectual attachment. I used you as an example of how it can be detrimental to your own cause to not give ground just because you’re right.”

Rin pressed her lips into a firm line to keep from outright laughing in Dooku’s face.

Plo Koon asked, “You think the Order overlooks these…intellectual attachments?”

“I think the Order is so focused on us not being emotionally attached to anything, it overlooks all other attachments, even dangerous ones. And I think the Order especially encourages attachment…to the Order itself, which is most assuredly overlooked.”

Jaro Tapal laughed. “The clarity of youth. Let’s discuss our mission teams. I’ll take Dooku and Sifo-Dyas with me. I think Master Windu should remain closer to the core group and observe the shatterpoints of the situation.”

“With a hypo of pain reliever,” Windu muttered.

***

As their ship neared the surface, Rin had to force herself to tighten her shields yet again. Kenobi’s face was pinched, and Master Soren had a hand on his shoulder.

“How’s your shielding?” she asked pointedly.

“As good as it can be.” He shot a questioning look at Master Soren, who nodded his agreement about the shields. “I’d already gotten used to not feeling this all the time.”

“It’s wretched,” Thee Ohri muttered. “I’d normally reach more for the Living Force, but Master Ebé was explicit to avoid touching the Living Force while on this planet.”

“Try not to reach for the Force at all,” Master Tapal murmured, eyes closed in a light meditation, “until we’ve assessed the state of the vergence. It doesn’t actually feel dark yet, but I’d rather know for certain.”

Sifo-Dyas looked vaguely nauseated, rubbing his temples. Most of the rest seemed as all right as they could be.

They went ahead and landed where they’d been originally directed. Touching down on burial grounds wasn’t what Rin would prefer, but if it was all burial grounds, they’d just have to make do. It wasn’t even the first time in her career. On one notable planet in the outer rim, the only place to land a ship was a field of actual skeletons, crushed from other landings, bones bleached white from sun and exposure.

At the edge of the field, there was a small cluster of teens waiting for them, along with a couple of actual children.

Yoda and Yaddle exited the ramp first, letting the smallest of them be the first seen. Yaddle faltered a bit when her feet first touched the earth, but she straightened up and gamely kept walking. She could actually feel Yoda lock his shields down so tight he barely had any Force presence at all.

Jaro Tapal and she exited together. Her Force sense of the planet didn’t much alter, since the Cosmic Force perception rode at a different level, but Jaro also hesitated when he first came in contact with the surface. “This is wretched,” he murmured under his breath. “The planet weeps in pain.”

“I’ve already tasked my advance team, the ones who couldn’t land here, with scouting the system. I’m anticipating evac,” she murmured just as softly.

He gave a barely-there nod.

As soon as Kenobi cleared the ramp, one of the children broke away from their minders, sprinting towards them, hollering, “Ben! Ben!” It was the same little girl from the holocall, Runi.

He laughed and caught her in his arms. “Hello, Runi.”

“You’re here!”

“I told you I’d come.”

“Are you staying?”

“Let’s see how the investigation into the health of the planet goes, okay? Do you want to meet my friends?”

She looked around. “Whoa! So many of them are huge.” She pointed at Jaro. “Is he an Elder?” she whispered sotto voce.

“No. He’s an adult Lasat, but he’s not an Elder.”

“Wow. He’s so pretty.”

Obi-Wan burst out laughing. “Yes, very pretty.”

Rin raised an eyebrow at Jaro, whose cheeks had purpled. He rolled his eyes at her obvious amusement.

They crossed the field and met with Governor Nield, who was every bit as rough as she’d expected. Clothing she’d expect more on a spacer and wearing no less than six blasters—shoulder holsters, thigh holsters, and ankles. She could tell he was itching to just kick them all back into space and get Obi-Wan alone for a conversation, but he politely nodded through the introductions, then introduced the staff he’d brought with him.

His minister of agriculture was fourteen, as was the minister of health. The minister of security was thirteen. And the head of the crèche was eleven.

“Crèche?” Obi-Wan asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It was good enough to produce you, so we figured it’d work for us,” the governor said with little inflection. “Besides, community child rearing was our only choice. We don’t trust the Elders with our children, and we aren’t prepared to raise young ones on our own.

“A few of us are more inclined and better at it than others. They work full time with the children; the rest of us chip in where we can.”

“At what age do your children graduate your crèche?” Yaddle asked.

Governor Nield finally smiled as he looked down at her. “Technically, age seven. However, our people were old enough for blaster training at age five before the peace treaty, so those who were in the army were not forced into the communal crèches unless they wished it. Most did not.”

“What do the Elders who remain in your society do?”

“They’re not allowed to have contact with the children in the crèche; beyond that, they contribute like everyone else, though they tend to live in community groups of their own. We’re still trying to get everything operational, and we lack more skills than we have. Pretty sure anyone who knew how to slice anything besides pie died in the war.”

Obi-Wan frown. “But, where’s M—”

Nield shook his head sharply. “We can discuss it later. Did you all want a tour or what? We don’t stand much on formalities, so unless you want something official, you should just say what you plan to do so we don’t waste a bunch of time.”

Yaddle took the reins since Governor Nield was responding favorably to her. “We need one group to do a physical assessment of the planet. That would be away from any of your people. They’ll take a small ship with a few speeder bikes aboard and do assessments as they travel.” She gestured to Jaro and the team he’d chosen.

The governor nodded. “We’ll get you a map of where our farms are located, such as they are. Avoid them unless you com and we can get in touch with them in advance. They’re twitchy and will likely try to shoot at an unknown ship. What else?”

“This is Master Kan; she’s a master healer. She has two healers with her. They wish to assess your medical facilities and work with your medics and healers to ensure you have what you need in order to tend to your people.”

“Fine.” He looked to Kan. “Do you need to stay with us longer or would you like to leave with Jaz now?”

“We can leave with Minister Jaz now.”

“You’re Iktotchi, right?”

Re nodded.

“Yeah, so the little ones have never seen many other species outside of a book, and most of them are just now three months into any sort of education, so maybe not even that. If you tell ‘em to leave your horns alone, they should respect it. Otherwise, they’re going to be touchy. Just a fair warning. They’re a curious bunch.”

Re smiled and inclined her head. “Thank you for the warning, though I’ve had many curious hands touch my horns. They’re not as sharp as they look, so they’ll be quite safe.” She looked to Runi. “Would you care to come with me, little one?”

Runi shook her head.

Obi-Wan bounced her a little in his arms. “Yeah, she’s flirting with Master Plo. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. That’s okay; he’s everyone’s favorite. He found and rescued me when I was a baby.”

“Really?” Runi blinked up at Obi-Wan, then stared star-struck at Plo Koon.

Plo smiled. “How about I join Master Kan in assisting in the healing facilities?”

“Yes, please!” Runi practically lunged out of Obi-Wan’s arms, and Obi-Wan fumbled with a startled yelp, but Plo laughed and readily caught her.

Governor Nield passed a datapad to Master Tapal. “Tash highlighted the areas you need to avoid unless you call back and we clear you to land out there. Let us know if you feel you need to venture into Quadri or Garth; both cities have been destroyed by the Elders who lived there, but we believe there are some violent Elders still in hiding. They know not to try to leave, as we pick them off if they do; we use our few orbital sensors to monitor movement in or out, but the cities are death traps. I don’t advise going there unless it’s critical.”

“Then we’ll take our leave, lessen the number of strangers venturing into Zehava, and hope to avoid the other two cities.” He dipped his head. “Thank you.”

Nield nodded.

Tapal, Sifo-Dyas, Dooku, Eeth Koth, and both of Rin’s crew members departed. They’d come down in two ships, anticipating Jaro needing to split off and potentially survey much of the planet. Rin’s crew had brought the smaller ship down and Jaro took that ship now.

“Nield, if you don’t mind,” Obi-Wan asked, “Master Ohri is with the Education Corps, and I think it’d be helpful if she could study the Force traditions of the Daan.”

Nield’s eyebrows shot up. “So, you’re sure it is a Force tradition?”

They’d hoped Thee would be able to access the information, but Obi-Wan had jumped right into it in a way Rin hadn’t anticipated.

“Definitely. Just not sure of the exact form of it. We thought it may, at one point, have been similar to how the Kiffar are almost all psychometric to some degree.”

“But why weren’t the Melida gifted the same?”

“Maybe they were, but they didn’t know how to use it…?” Obi-Wan suggested.

Nield snorted. “Yeah, that tracks.” He nodded to Master Ohri. “Sure. Such as they are, we’ll give Master Ohri and their staff unlimited access to our archives. Anyone else?”

Obi-Wan glanced at Rin. “Master Windu?”

Rin exchanged a brief glance with Thee but saw no objection, and they’d all agreed that it seemed Obi-Wan was being guided more heavily by the Force when it came to this set of circumstances, so if he had an impulse, they’d accede to it if it seemed reasonable.

Nield looked down. “And what about the…little ones?”

“To the crèche, we would like to go,” Yoda said firmly.

“Wow, you speak exactly like Ben said. Yeah, okay. Crèche it is. Don’t let the babbies treat you like a stuffy. Cause they will.”

Nield looked to Master Soren and Rin. “That leaves your shadows, Ben. They’re going to have to find something to do with themselves because I’d like to talk to you without an audience.”

“More or less, I think Admiral Wodij is in charge of all of this, so if she could…” Obi-Wan’s eyes went a little unfocused, “see your spaceport?”

“I would love to see your spaceport,” Rin confirmed.

“Tash can take you, but she might get a lot of coms or get pulled away.”

“I can say the same, I suppose.”

“And I can join the others in the crèche or in medical,” Soren offered, “after I speak to Obi-Wan privately for a moment.” He pulled Obi-Wan off to the side, engaging in a murmured conversation.

Tash eyed Rin’s blaster. “Thought you Jedis carried lightsabers.”

“I have one, but I find little use for saber play while exploring the fringes of Wild Space, making sure purrgils haven’t damaged hyperspace lanes, and expanding the holonet. Our biggest threat tends to be pirates, so blasters are more useful.”

“Isn’t that the kriffing truth—blasters are always more useful than a flashy light sword. Come on, then. It’s a bit of a walk. We have a few speeders, and we have fuel for them, but we try to limit their use since we don’t really have a way to get replacement parts. So, we only use them to get out to the farms.”

“How isn’t fuel a problem as well?”

“We’ve got a fuel manufacturing process using a wild grain, but we’re reliant on the Elders for the process right now, as it’s apparently harmful to those not fully developed physically, and we have trust issues.”

Rin felt like she wasn’t being given the full story, but she also didn’t need the full story. “Understandable. Well, I’ve never minded walking.”

“You’ll miss all the important things around here if you’re not on your feet anyway.”

Rin followed the most jaded thirteen-year-old she’d ever seen. The girl barely came up to Rin’s waist, carried at least two blades and three blasters, had a scar that barely missed being life-altering that went from the outer corner of her eye to her jaw, and her visible skin was riddled with blaster injuries and shrapnel wounds.

She sent a com to Vex to ensure that every single individual who had any contact with this mission had mandatory mind healing for at least a year.

Chapter Eight

Obi-Wan watched Master Soren, accompanied by one of the children, head to join Master Kan. He felt oddly unsettled on many fronts, and it made him want to keep his mind healer close. He’d never had issues with such things before, so he wasn’t sure why he was feeling clingy about Master Soren now, but there was definitely some emotional tether he’d need to look at later.

Without a word said, he fell into step with Nield, nodding as small things were pointed out, appreciating the fixes they’d made in such a short time. He was unsurprised that Nield hadn’t said anything of substance yet, nor was it surprising that Nield was waiting to have a real conversation until they were assured privacy.

The building he was led to used to be a market that had managed to avoid the worst of the damage during the fighting; it was in the main town square.

“There’s been a lot of renovation,” he murmured.

“Yeah. We put all the government offices, such as they are, here, and many of us who don’t work directly with the children live here. We haven’t told the Elders where the children are housed, so if there’s going to be a target, we want it to be this.”

Obi-Wan winced. “If they target you…”

“I know. Come on.” He slipped through a doorway. The outer area was staffed by a single boy with a blaster.

“Ben!”

“Hi, Zel. How are you.”

Zel smiled, one half of his face still paralyzed from the shrapnel injuries. “I’m great now that you’re back. You two meeting in the governor’s office?”

“I thought we’d go upstairs,” Nield corrected.

Zel nodded. “I’ll make sure to com you only if anything urgent comes up.”

“Thanks, Zel.”

Obi-Wan touched the com on Zel’s wrist and raised an eyebrow.

“The Republic’s relief group provided a thousand or so. There were about twenty high-end ones for the governor’s main staff. I don’t really need that sort, though.”

“You all have checked them for security issues?”

“Not too worried about the ones we use on-planet, but the ones we used for connecting to the holonet was a concern.” Zel scratched his head and flicked his gaze to Nield.

“I’ll explain. Come on, Ben.”

He followed Nield upstairs until they were in a small flat that was little more than a large open room with a makeshift kitchen and a refresher. It was not too different from a knight’s quarters in the temple.

Nield started the kettle. “Very few of us have taken much of a liking to tea, but the relief group left us with a fair bit of it. I assume you want some?”

Obi-Wan nodded.

Nield leaned back against the counter and blew out a breath. “I’m so sorry, Ben.”

“You don’t have—”

“No, let me say this.”

“All right.” Obi-Wan folded his hands inside the sleeves of his robes.

Nield smiled faintly. “You look like such a proper Jedi. Except…where’s the braid?”

“Master Jinn never agreed to take me on again. We were supposed to be discussing it, but that never really happened.” He touched the small coil of hair he usually kept pinned up in the back. “I guess I hadn’t fully given up on someone choosing me, so I pinned the hair unbraided.” He took a deep breath. “What did you want to say?”

“You were barely off the planet, and I was lost. So lost. Cerasi was gone, you were gone. I lashed out at one of my best friends in my grief over my other friend, and you didn’t deserve it. Sometimes, I think Cerasi was right that this planet rots our brains.” He huffed a laugh.

Obi-Wan grimaced.

Nield stared. “What, really?” He waved his hands, gesturing for Obi-Wan to wait. “Hold that thought. Let me finish what I wanted to say.

“It’s not fair of me to ask, and I don’t actually want to stand in your way, but at the same time, I need you. Even if it’s just holocalls every week. I need my friend, Ben. I’ve never felt so alone in my life; I know there are only a few thousand of us, but I wasn’t supposed to be in charge of all of this. You and Cerasi were always the ones who told me when I was getting out of line, who weren’t afraid to get in my face. I always thought we’d win and you two would run things.”

Nield blew out a breath and stared at the ceiling. “I’ve missed you so much, and I’d gladly empty my entire blaster cartridge into Jinn’s hairy arse for not telling you I’d been calling.”

“I’m not defending his decision to keep that to himself, but I truly don’t think he’s bad; he’s just very focused on what he thinks is important and his idea of what’s right. No doubt, he doesn’t think me having ongoing contact with you—or really anyone on this planet—is in my or your best interests, so he chose not to pass on the messages, despite the fact that he’s not my master anymore.”

“We’ll agree to disagree about that karker.”

Obi-Wan shrugged a vague acceptance. “I’ve missed you too, you know. And I never stopped caring.”

Nield barked out a laugh that sounded a little wavery as if he were near tears. “Yeah, I can tell. Look at what you did for us. I already knew you cared because you left me that letter even after I told you to go.”

“And you…?”

“Yeah, I did what you said. Took me a minute, but I did it. I figured it was your Jedi stuff; it never occurred to me that you and Cerasi had done the pathfinding.” He blew out a breath. “That’s what it was, right? The stuff in the letter was you looking at what I needed to do for the future?”

“My visions are hard to parse, but there were paths where it makes a huge difference. So…yes, but I can’t definitively say it’s going to mean something substantial.”

Nield nodded. “Okay. The point is that I knew from the minute I found that letter, after everything I’d said to you, that you never stopped caring.”

“I’m glad.” Obi-Wan took a steadying breath. “Nield, where’s Mawat? Shouldn’t he be helping you run all of this? You were never supposed to be alone. I know you were never as close with him, but he was still one of us.”

He bit his lip and looked down. “Does the planet really do something to us?”

Frowning, he answered, “I think so, yes.”

“And the older we get, the worse it gets?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think it was affecting Mawat faster than the rest of us?”

“He was only a couple of months younger than you, but he was more mature physically, which speaks to early hormonal development. So, without understanding the medical side or even how you’re being influenced, I’d say it’s likely he was influenced faster, yes. And his temper seemed to be getting the best of him quicker as time went on.”

“I think he knew.”

“Knew?”

“That he was becoming like an Elder.”

Obi-Wan swallowed heavily, a feeling of dread building. He wasn’t sure what to say.

“Mawat was technically of the Daan, but he was from the farming communities north of Garth, which can be a little different culturally. They seem to grow up faster physically, especially in the region Mawat was from. Tash is from a similar type of town but from the Melida, and I don’t think there’s been any observed advanced physical development in her region.”

After a pause, Nield continued. “About a month ago, there was apparently a group of Daan from his hometown who were considering bombing Zehava. At least, that’s when it all came to a head. I think they started plotting almost right after the treaty was signed. A few were probably stragglers who’d slipped out of Garth after they’d bombed their own town, and we didn’t have the resources to catch them at the time.

“Mawat ostensibly worked with them, gathered intelligence, and documented everything, but he told Tash and me nothing. He left me all the proof, however, and the day their arguments for bombing the crèche and restarting the war started to make sense to him, he called for a meeting with the New Elder Resistance. They met in the countryside, on a farm his family used to work, and he detonated one of the last ion bombs on the planet.”

Obi-Wan felt nausea rise up and squeezed his eyes shut.

“His goodbye message was that he felt himself becoming an Elder, and he couldn’t live with it, that he was doing what he could to protect us all. That whole sector is a crater now.”

“Oh, Force.”

“I can’t…” Nield took a shuddery breath. “I can’t have another friend say goodbye. Mawat was an ass, but he was still my friend. We fought a war together; we saved our planet together. And now I wonder if I’m going to turn into an Elder too.”

“I’m so sorry, Nield.”

The kettle came to a boil, and Nield poured the water over the tea leaves, bringing the pot to the small table. There was one chair and a sofa that would convert to Nield’s bed. Obi-Wan took the chair.

Nield set the cups and the kettle down and then pinned Obi-Wan with a look. “Tell me what the answer is, Ben. I know you brought all these Jedi here to investigate the planet, and who knows what else they’re here for. I also know you’re probably worried about being wrong and me holding it against you. Please, please know that I lashed out in grief before, and I don’t actually expect you to be perfect.

“As with all the days we fought together in the war, right up until I got my head lodged in my grief, I know your intuition isn’t infallible. We always treated it as a tool to help make decisions—a data point along with many others. So, please, please don’t hesitate to speak your mind because of my cruelty and foolishness in sending you away.”

Obi-Wan hesitated.

“You were never truly banished, you know,” Nield added. “Those were words, and there was never official action. In point of fact, you still hold an elected position on this planet.”

“Pardon me?”

“Ben of house Cerasi is still the deputy governor of Melidaan.”

Obi-Wan groaned. “Nield.”

“You’re one of us, even if you’re out amongst the stars. And you’re the only one of us with a house name; the rest of us have still forsaken our family and house names and haven’t chosen new ones.”

He couldn’t help but be touched. Deciding the tea would be tolerable, he poured a cup, but Nield waved off the offer, which wasn’t that surprising. “I don’t know about the future of the planet itself; the Jedi masters will have to evaluate it, but…”

“I would like plain speaking, as it always has been between us. No need for diplomacy now.”

“I don’t see how you can stay here. Whatever it is, it affects your minds as they reach maturity.”

Nield didn’t react for long moments, then he asked, “Do you think the effect is permanent or will it improve if people are removed from the cause?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’s your intuition say?”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to deny knowing anything again, but he did have an impulse. “I think those over twenty-five will lose their desire to fight after they’ve been away from here for a time. But their minds will never be what they could have been. Those whose minds are still growing and changing… I think they’ll recover. The younger they are, the easier it will be.” He felt the Force tug at him a little, a small, not-quite vision unfolding, a clear gift from the Unifying Force. “Another year will be too long for you to remain here, Nield.”

He nodded slowly, a flicker of relief in his expression that they could stop it. “If it were your choice, what would you do?”

“I think, though I’m not sure, that Admiral Wodij is looking for habitable moons or small planets in this sector. There’s so little usable infrastructure left here that with a few temporary buildings and relocating your farming equipment, you wouldn’t be much worse off.

“The issues, whether you’re here or somewhere else, are your vulnerabilities. The Jedi Order, as a whole, has limits to what they can do, even though you’re a Republic world. The Diplomacy Corps isn’t going to be authorized by Judicial to send a mission here; there’s no reason, and that’s where the protection from pirates or whoever might come from. AgriCorps can certainly help to a degree, assuming they’re located where you are but, again, they’re not a defensive force.

“ExplorCorps is likely to be who helps you in a move but, as before, we’re back at them not having the ability to leave enough adult sentients with you long-term to defend you. The other two Corps branches will be helpful in getting you started and off on a better footing, but not helpful if pirates or slavers come knocking two years from now.”

“Do you think they’d come even if we left the planet?”

“I don’t have a clear sight to that. I struggle with the pathfinding when the galactic implications are so big. I’m sure the masters are going to present the option to you that the Young should consider sanctuary status on another planet, such as Alderaan or possibly Naboo or Corellia. Considering your numbers, probably even split you amongst them.”

“No.” Nield shuddered. “We sacrificed everything to remain us; we cannot just become part of something else and be assimilated into another society. We need to take the best parts of what we can remember and rebuild. If this planet cannot be salvaged, then we try again on one of the habitable moons in the sector, and maybe the planet will heal itself someday.”

“There’s a Sith behind all this, Nield.”

“A Sith? Like the Sith?”

“Yes. Some sort of Sith alchemy was worked on Melida/Daan, and the constant war was used as fuel for the spell. I think that spell was used to help hide the Sith from the Jedi for at least hundreds of years.”

“Why here? Why us?”

“Because it was an unknown neutral Force vergence, and the planet might have a kyber core, which makes it very powerful in the Force. Master Tapal’s investigation is into what the darkness is exactly, but your people were a sacrifice in the Sith’s mission.

“Removing you from the planet would solve part of that problem, but I can’t say that it protects you. Sith are spiteful and can be beyond petty. Would they send slavers to your new home just to punish you for not helping complete their sacrifice? I think they would.”

“What would complete the sacrifice?”

“I think the Force was showing me that the spell anchor would have been completed when you’d all killed each other or when you all died by one means or another.”

“I see.” He braced his elbows on his knees, staring intently at his clasped hands. “So, our option is, really, to let ourselves be assimilated into another society and lose everything we fought for. Because you’re right, we’d be like a herd of nerf, waiting to be picked off. We have blasters to spare, but if we have to fight again, charge packs will eventually be in very short supply now that there’s no mysterious benefactor.

“The weapons are no longer coming in from whatever the source was, and the mystery rations have stopped as well. We can’t expect the Jedi to install a long-term peacekeeping force, so what do we do except give up who we are?”

Obi-Wan bit his lip, thinking of the vision he’d had during his meditation. “There may be one other option… Remember that one holocall we managed to make on the Daan’s comarray before they blew it up out of spite?” When they’d finally contacted Master Yoda to send someone for peace talks, it was using the Melida’s equipment since the Daan had sabotaged everything.

“After that weird vision you had? Yes, I rememb— Oh. Really? But how does that help? And wouldn’t they be considered Elders?”

“I think you’re going to need to redefine Elder as anyone over thirty who was raised on Melida/Daan. It can’t apply to just anyone with laugh lines, but I’m not sure even your own people would consider them Elders. Do you?”

Nield cocked his head to the side. “I…don’t know. My gut says no, but I have no rational basis for that. I certainly considered your older Jedi Elders when I met them.”

“It’s definitely a vibe.” Obi-Wan hesitated. “I think we should ask. The Force wants us to ask.”

“Who’s going to do that? Your Council or something?”

“No, I mean you and me. As weird as it is, I think we must go and ask for ourselves.”

“We don’t exactly have a ship. The Republic’s relief Mission left us with a couple of shuttles, but they don’t have light-speed capability. They’re basically to ensure we’re able to repair our holonet repeater and orbital sensors. The holonet repeater was the only thing vital. Mawat was the last of us with any skill at slicing, and he installed our own encryption on the repeater and on the coms the Mission left with us. He found what he thought was spyware on the repeater, and he stripped it out.”

“He was difficult, but he always cared about the Young.”

Nield nodded. “So, even though we have no ship, the last surviving leaders of the Young should both leave the planet and head across the galaxy? What are we hoping our would-be friends will do?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “Stand around and look menacing?”

After an astonished blink, Nield threw back his head and laughed in a way Obi-Wan had never seen before. Nield got up and then pulled Obi-Wan to his feet as well—he barely got the teacup set on the table.

Next thing he knew, he’d been pulled into a warm embrace. “By the night sky, I’ve missed you.”

Obi-Wan squeezed back. “And I you.” They wound up sitting together on Nield’s sofa, with Nield’s arm slung over Obi-Wan’s shoulder. So many nights spent huddled for warmth had removed all personal boundaries long ago; only grief and hurt feelings had stood between them this long.

“You think they’ll let us go?” Nield eventually asked.

“You’re not actually a child under Republic law. You’re a planetary leader; they don’t get a say, except that you need a ship.”

“That’s not a minor detail,” Nield countered. “We could ask him to come here…?”

“Not a great idea.” He blew out a breath. “I think Admiral Wodij would support us…?” It felt right in the Force. “She’s not going to just give me a ship, but I think she’d at least enable us terribly.”

Nield chuckled. “You like her.”

“I like all of them—the leaders of the service corps, that is. You didn’t get to meet Lodha Ebé. He’s every bit as tall as Admiral Wodij, his skin is a little lighter than Master Windu’s, but it’s covered in these black swirls and marks everywhere, and best of all, he’s got these huge black wings.”

“What? Seriously? Why didn’t he come?”

“He’s on the Guiding Star in orbit. I think the spell on the planet might be harmful to him, or at least there’s the potential that with his Force affinity being affected by the Sith spell, they can’t know if the spell will hurt him. Since he can’t be on the planet, he’s waiting on the ship. I haven’t really talked to him, but it’s nice to just be around him. He feels good in the Force.”

“So, how many heads of the Order are here?”

“Oh, all of them. I guess I wasn’t clear about that. All the Grand Convocation are here. Admiral Wodij, Master Ohri, Healer Kan, Master Ebé, and Master Yoda.”

“They all came to Melidaan? Because of the Sith?”

“Many of them would help your planet no matter what… I truly believe Master Ebé, Kan, and Ohri would have sent teams here. There’s not really much for Admiral Wodij’s crew to do on an Outer-Rim world near the Mid-Rim unless there’s a purrgil problem. But the Sith threat did bring them all here now to rapidly assess the situation. They need to maneuver quickly. If the planet isn’t safe, Admiral Wodij is the right leader to intervene to get your people off-planet as soon as possible.”

Nield nodded, obviously thoughtful. “Let’s make a plan and then send a com to your friend.”

“Our friend.”

“No, definitely your friend. Your vision may have saved his ass; I just held the blasters while you talked to him and Cerasi looked on disapprovingly.”

Obi-Wan smiled sadly. “I miss her every day.”

“We remember her every day,” Nield said firmly. “And we honor her life in the choices we make for our people.”

“So, we plan like we used to, and then we send a com…without asking anyone’s permission.”

Nield snorted. “I stopped asking anyone’s permission for anything the day I left my parents’ home behind and went to war, Ben.”

“Yeah, okay. That’s fair.”

***

“You have modular landing pads?”

Rin nodded. “It’s a semi-flexible composite material. It won’t support a ship larger than—hmm, I think a Corvette configured for maximum passengers is the upper limit, that’s about six hundred, by the way—but it’s rated for most ships that would have cause to land here. We have them for anywhere we build temporary bases, and they’re used by the other service corps as well. The nature of the material is rated to last longer than a lot of permanent spaceport building materials, save for the weight limitations.

“Depending on the type of base, it’s not uncommon to leave the constructed landing pad behind. They’re a PITA to break down for all that they go together easily.”

“So, we could have a functional landing pad pretty easily if we could trade for these modular pieces.” Tash scratched the back of her neck. “Not that we have anything to trade for.”

Rin smiled a bit sadly. “Well, the Order often works on the barter system when we’re not doing outright charity.”

She scrunched up her nose. “We’re trying to do for ourselves, you know.”

“I know, and you’ve done remarkably well.” Rin considered how to approach a proud child who’d never known anything but war and couldn’t quite figure out how to help advance her society beyond where it was. “I’ve been to planets who just wanted a handout. Who had every bit of infrastructure they needed but just wanted someone to give them more.

“Your people have been stripped down to bare, and you’re fighting with everything you have to rebuild. This is part of why we exist as an Order. Not to take over, not to tell you how to run your planet, but to facilitate and aid. To shore up where you’re weak until you’re strong. To advise until you feel ready to make an informed choice.” She shrugged. “And we also run around correcting the damage purrgils do to hyperspace lanes, expanding the holonet, and exploring the boundaries of known space.”

Tash smiled a bit. “That’d be nice. To be Force-sensitive and get to be exploring the fringes, you know? See what no one else gets to.”

“You don’t have to be Force-sensitive to join the ExplorCorps.”

“You don’t?”

Rin shook her head. “Though many are, I’d say it’s about half non or only weakly Force-sensitive. And unlike the Diplomacy Corps—that’s the knights and the ones who negotiate treaties and swing around lightsabers like they were toy swords—the members of our corps often have life bonds, families, and children.”

“Do you have children?”

“No, not at this point in my life.” She held out her hand, pointing to Tash’s com, which Tash handed over, with an odd look. “You’ve got a lot of work in front of you with your people, and I wouldn’t even attempt to interfere in that, but someday, your people will be on a better course. If you start to feel the call of Wild Space, you have my personal comcode and the comcode of my AI. Her name is Vex.”

She handed the comlink back and curled Tash’s fingers around it. “Even if you always choose to stay, sometimes knowing you had a choice makes a difference. And you have a choice if you ever want it.”

Tash’s eyes were shiny as she looked up at Rin and nodded. “You’re not so bad for a big’un.”

“Big’un, eh?”

“Well, I don’t really think you’re an Elder. You’re nothing like them. All filled with anger all the time. You’re just big. Like a big Young.” She hesitated. “That’s okay, right?”

“It’s an honor, Tash.”

Rin’s com vibrated, and she quickly answered it. “Hello, Master Tapal.”

“Eeth is coming to retrieve you.”

“Just me?”

“One of them strong in the Living. Yoda or Yaddle, not both.”

“Understood.”

“I’m sending you the coordinates where we are. If you could ask about the history of the area before you return?”

“Of course. Wodij out.” She clicked off the com, and the location came up a few seconds later, with a projection of a location about a hundred kilometers north of Zehava. “What’s up there, Tash?”

Her expression shuttered. “You should ask Nield.”

“I’m asking you. If you feel you need to ask permission to reveal something to me, please com him. If he asks to speak to me, I’ll return to the city center, but I think I have very little time.”

She hesitated, then tapped out something on her com. A few moments later, her shoulders sagged. “He’s already told Ben.” Tash seemed to wrestle with herself. “That area used to be Daan territory. Mostly farmland, it creates a triangle between Zehava, there, and Garth, which is the old Daan city in the Northland.” She illustrated with her hands how that area related to Garth and Zehava. “I grew up on a farm too, ya know? I know what the life is like. Mawat was in charge of the scavengers.

“He wasn’t as…likable, I guess would be the word, as the other three—Cerasi, Nield, and Ben—but he was still one of the leaders. As time went on, he disagreed with them more often than not, thought we should destroy all the Elders.” She shrugged. “That was more their own doing. They killed each other until an army of children could bring them down. Anyway, Mawat struggled with being Young sometimes.” She frowned. “It was like his mind wanted to be Young, but it also wanted to be Elder.”

After a long pause, Tash told Rin the awful story of Mawat taking out a budding resistance with an ion bomb that ended his own life and cratered a part of the territory where Jaro was summoning her.

“I have no words, Tash, except to say that I’m truly grieved for you and all of the Young.”

Tash shrugged. “The exact place you’re being called to is a couple klicks north of the edge of the blast. Mawat always said it was an inhospitable area. His people never even tried to farm it. Between the crater and the inarable land, we have no cause to go there. We have more than our share of problems here with the war recovery and the poor crop yields in the lands closer to Zehava.”

“Okay. I need to retrieve Master Yoda from the crèche before Master Koth gets here. What’s the best way to do that?”

“I’ll summon him. We can’t introduce all of you,” Tash gestured up and down Rin’s body vaguely, “to the babbies and think they’re going to let you leave. They’ll climb all over you.”

“Fair enough.”

“Yoda, not Yaddle, eh?”

Rin raised an eyebrow. “You already caught some dynamic there, hmm?”

“You learn pretty quick around here to tell who’s the reasonable one.”

Rin laughed. “They’re probably the two oldest and most powerful members of the Order. If there’s something going on out there, I can’t take them both. Yoda has more power and influence, but Yaddle is, as you say, more reasonable. She’ll need to be here to handle coordination if there’s a problem.”

She straightened her shoulder harness and shot Rin a smile, the grin lopsided due to the scar on her face. “I guess I’ve got a troll to pry away from some babbies without anyone getting hurt.”

“You sure you’re not ready to join up now?”

Tash laughed.

---