“Again.” Payter waited for Kerge to pick himself up from the floor and take a ready stance.

The boy shrugged off his discomfort, a line of concentration furrowing his brow as he brought up his lightsaber.

Payter wasted no time moving in, pulling his attacks enough to allow Kerge to get a few swings in before knocking the lightsaber out of his hand. Again. “I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning for the Outer Rim. I expect to be gone no longer than a few months, but I can’t really say.”

Kerge looked at him over his shoulder as he retrieved his lost blade. “I’ll contact my teachers and let them know. They should be able to give me some of the assignments.”

“It’s almost like you listen to me. I said I was going. You’re staying here. This one’s too dangerous.” He moved on Kerge as soon as the boy had his lightsaber in hand. “You need the time here.”

Kerge blocked a strike he’d been missing consistently all morning. “You can’t go without me. I don’t need to stay here.” Payter was proud to note that even though the boy’s voice rose and his tension increased, it made no noticeable difference in his fighting.

“There are times when certain things are up for discussion. This is not one of them, Padawan. You’re staying.”

Moving forward in his first offensive move of the morning, Kerge’s hands tightened visibly on his lightsaber. “You can’t. You need me.”

His guard wide open, Payter slipped in and flipped Kerge onto the mat. “ Surprisingly, I’ve been doing this for a very long time and for quite some time before you came along. What I need is for you to learn to protect your left guard.”

Kerge stared at him from the floor, a grin cutting across his face. “But you were much younger then, and you’re not nearly as fast as you used to be.” He jumped to his feet and they started once more. “What if I can prove to you that you need me?”

“What did I just say? This isn’t open to debate.” Payter shook his head, though he kept a close eye on the boy, not sure what he would try next.

“I’m just saying that you’re not as invincible as you think you are. You’re not rested at all from our last mission. You’ve been spending all of your free time either helping Bel-San or talking to that guy we brought back. I could watch your back.” So far, Kerge had done nothing out of the ordinary but every step, every line of his body screamed to Payter that he was planning something new. A smug grin danced in his eyes and a moment later his padawan’s body tensed as he flipped over Payter’s head.

Reaching out faster than most beings could see, Payter grasped the boy’s leg in mid-flight and brought him down hard on the mat. “The next time you pick up something from Qui-Gon that he says is sure to catch me off guard, remember that he loses to me far more often than he wins.” He held Kerge down a moment longer. “And also keep in mind that when you flip over an opponent like that, if his arm can reach you, so can his lightsaber.”

Breath heaving from his thin chest, Kerge stared at him, determination and anger in his eyes. Payter sighed and held out a hand, helping him to his feet. “Look, you’re not going to win this one. I’m set on this and I’m going this afternoon to make arraignments for you to stay with someone.”

Kerge crossed his arms. “Let me guess. Qui-Gon.”

“Actually I was going to talk with Alla, but if you’d rather Qui-Gon than—“

The surprise and enthusiasm in the boy’s face was almost too much. “You’re not serious.”

“No, I’m not. I’m having lunch with Qui-Gon and I’ll set it up then.”

Kerge’s shoulders dropped. “Isn’t there anyone else?”

“Not many that I would entrust you to. Is there a problem with Qui-Gon?” But his mind was already running through the short list of people he might leave Kerge with. There were few in the Temple he would trust to properly care for his padawan.

Shrugging, Kerge swung his deactivated lightsaber in slow arcs to keep his muscles loose and warm. “It’s just that he and Obi-Wan have their own issues right now and I don’t know that they need another person hanging around. I mean, they did just get rid of Slade.”

He wasn’t fooled by the sincerity for a moment. “That’s very thoughtful, Kerge. What else?”

“Obi-Wan’s weird.”

“Of course he’s weird. He’s seven. You’re fourteen and you’re still pretty weird. Qui-Gon, Bel-San and Mace didn’t get over their adolescent human weirdness until they were about, well, I think it might have been last year sometime. Get over it.”

“Master—“

Payter held up a hand. “Think of it this way: You like Keleran. Keleran is Alla’s padawan. Alla used to be Qui-Gon’s padawan. Alla hangs out with Qui-Gon whenever she’s on planet with him at the same time. Keleran usually goes with Alla to visit. If you stay with Qui-Gon, then you have a higher chance of seeing Keleran.”

Kerge nodded. “I see. Qui-Gon it is then.”

***

“So, I think I may have developed this rash…” Alla grinned as she sat across from Bel-San at one of the many tables in the dining hall.

Bel-San rolled his eyes. He’d been wondering how long it would be before the people he knew decided it was safe to speak with him. “Very clever. It’s so sad that Qui-Gon passed along his sad humor with his teaching.”

“You can pretend that you don’t think I’m funny, but I know better.”

“You’d like to think so. So, are you the official emissary?” He looked around the dining hall wondering if the others in the room were really minding their own business or if they were listening in, oh so politely.

Alla took a bite of something green and mushy that he’d passed on and waved her fork at him when she was finished. “You know, everyone thinks that Qui-Gon is the conceited one, but you really can give him a run for his money when you want to. Surprisingly only about a handful of people in this room right now care what’s going on at this table. Now answer me this: What’s it like to be a padawan again?”

Bel-San pushed back from his seat, intent on leaving when he saw the smile on her face. He scooted back to the table and resumed eating. “Sorry, I’ve just been really touchy lately.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” She leaned forward. “Now spill.”

He frowned at her, even though he knew the expression had lost its effectiveness years ago. “You know very well I’m not a padawan again.”

“Do I? That’s the rumor.”

He huffed a short laugh. “You’ve always known better than to listen to rumors. You’re more of a direct from the source kind of girl.”

“And here I am.” She paused, her laughter falling away. “I’d really just like to talk. None of it has to go further than this table, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Shaking his head slowly, Bel-San reflected again that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Alla on the Council one day. “You can pass on whatever you want. It’s not like it’s some big secret or anything. I just, I couldn’t go back to teaching. It felt like a lot of different things were broken on Was-4, and afterwards… I don’t know, I guess I just feel like I need to spend some time fixing them. And if that means mending broken bones and healing sickness, then so be it. I don’t expect everyone to understand, but then, it isn’t about them.”

“You mean Qui-Gon. You know, this would be a lot easier on you both if you would just talk to each other. You’ve been a huge part of my life for years, and I love you both dearly.” She smiled at him. “I don’t think it would be nearly as bad as you think.”

He spent a moment pushing his meal around on his plate, making small mounds of food while he thought about her words. When Qui-Gon had first told him he was taking a padawan, barely two years after he’d been knighted, Bel-San hadn’t known what to say. A small and not very nice part of himself had been resentful of the young girl he’d not even met yet, knowing she would take the majority of Qui-Gon’s time. But Alla had quickly won a place in all their hearts, and he’d never been more proud than on the day she was knighted.

“I can’t, not yet. He called, but I’m not ready. Maybe when I stop being irrationally angry.”

She nodded. “I can understand that. But remember that even if all you can do is yell at him, it might make you feel better.” She checked her chrono. “I have to meet Keleran, but it was good to talk to you. Call me sometime and we’ll make a real meal of it.”

He caught her hand as she passed. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” She touched a stray curl of his short hair. “It suits you.”

“We’re nothing if not a symbolic order, and I needed to let some things go. But thank you.”

***

Heri could feel the nervousness practically pouring off Slade as they stood outside the Council Chambers waiting for their appointment. She felt her own amount of nerves, but was doing a better job of hiding it. Placing her hands on his shoulders, reflexively checking his internal temperature, she sent a wave of calming Force through the tenuous teaching bond they’d established on their own.

“Don’t worry. There’s nothing to be concerned about at all. We’ll go in, they’ll ask some questions, we’ll give some answers and before you know it, we’ll be done.” She could feel him relax under her hands.

“But what if they don’t let us? I mean, why else would they want to see us? No one else has to have a council meeting before they become master and padawan.” He shifted, his tail sweeping the floor in a nervous arc.

Heri knelt, looking directly into his purple eyes. “There’s not a thing for you to worry about. They just want to make sure that the best thing is happening for you. They know they messed up before, that they didn’t pay enough attention. They just want to make sure it happens right this time.”

Slade nodded, but looked away. “Do you think…what if they don’t think I should be a Jedi?”

“You listen to me, Slade Wymer. You will be a Jedi and there is nothing they will say or do that will change that. I promise.”

The door to the Chamber opened and the attendant at the desk nodded in their direction. “They are ready for you.”

Heri rose and held her hand out to Slade, now a little calmer. “Thank you.” They stepped inside the circular room and the door hissed shut behind them. Heri took a breath, walking to the center of the room and facing Master Yoda. Qui-Gon had given her a good amount of advice on what to do and how to react, since she could count on one hand the number of times she’d been in the Council Chambers.

“Masters.” She bowed, pleased to see Slade do the same.

“Come before us you have, to request initiate Wymer to be your padawan. Much thought the Council has put into this match, into the case of young Slade, and together we would see you to verify this choice.” Yoda fell silent and Heri fought the urge to move as several pairs of eyes focused on the two of them with far greater intensity than she’d ever known.

Silence filled the room for a long time and Heri could do nothing but stand there and know that they would make the right decision. She could feel it in every ebb and flow of the Force that she was meant to help Slade reach his Knighthood, that they would make a powerful team together. She closed her eyes, opened herself to the Force, and let them see everything she felt.

Some time later, one of the Council members shifted, breaking the stillness in the room and bringing Heri back to herself. Nearly an hour had gone by, and Slade was still by her side, his hand clutched tightly in her own as Yoda gazed at them thoughtfully. Finally, he nodded, and she wondered if the Council members had been speaking with one another the entire time.

“True, this bond is. Master and Padawan, you shall be.”

Heri released a relieved breath, finally letting go of the small fear that the Council would not see the rightness in their bond. She straightened and turned to Slade, smiling into his shining eyes. Facing him as one Jedi to another she let his hand fall from her grasp and waited for him to compose himself. She’d thought about what she would say, how she would ask him, but had been able to prepare nothing in advance that didn’t sound strange. But standing in the sun drenched room, the words came to her.

“I would be honored, Slade, if you would allow me to share my knowledge with you. To teach you the ways of the Force and the ways of the Jedi. To share a place in my life until such time as you are ready to be on your own and fulfill your place in our Order. I would be honored if you would be my Padawan.” It was simple, but fitting, far more than Rian had given him.

Slade smiled at her, an unfettered grin. “Like I’d say no.”

Laughing, Heri knelt at his side and pulled out a long strand of braided hair. “Then accept this as a mark of your padawanship. It was cut from me on the day of my knighting, and since you have no braid of your own to grow, it would please me if you would wear mine.” She waited for his nod then placed it over his head to rest against his chest like a necklace. “It’s a little loose now, but you’ll grow into it.” She stood and looked to the Council.

Yoda stamped his stick on the floor. “Recorded it is, Master and Padawan you are.”

***

“Payter.” Qui-Gon stood aside, letting the taller Jedi enter his apartment.

Payter nodded and stepped inside. “Qui-Gon.”

He’d been surprised when Payter had contacted him, asking to meet over lunch. He’d been even more surprised when Payter let him pick the location. It wasn’t like Payter to give over any sense of advantage to someone who was angry with him. They hadn’t spoken since Payter had given his ultimatum.

“I brought lunch, thought you might like a change from the fare they offer in the dining hall.” Payter held up a bag and headed to the kitchen, pulling out plates and utensils and setting them on the table. “There should even be enough for Obi-Wan when he gets in.”

So he was going to pretend that nothing had happened, that they were still good. Qui-Gon quirked his mouth as he entered the kitchen. “He’ll be happy about that.”

Payter continued to move in efficient movements, setting out the food, some kind of thick stew, before finally sitting and waiting for Qui-Gon. Their eyes met and Qui-Gon knew Payter wasn’t intending to pretend things were all right, but he was trying to make them that way.

Qui-Gon sat and took a bite, surprised at how good it was. “This is really good.”

“I know. You should look into having Obi-Wan take some of the meal prep courses when he gets older. Kerge has quite taken to it.”

Qui-Gon shook his head, trying to imagine Kerge in a meal prep class. “You made him sign up for one? That’s terrible. What’d he do?”

“Volunteered for it actually. He said something about me wanting to eat everything raw, but really, Keleran was signed up too. The boy’s going to be amazing with a lightsaber some day, but I’m afraid that even fifty years from now all his opponent will have to do is show him a pretty face and he’ll be lost.”

Qui-Gon laughed a little and continued to eat. They sat in silence for a while, not entirely uncomfortable, before Payter broke it. “Listen, I actually came here for a reason today, a couple reasons, actually. I know things aren’t really good between us, and for that I’m sorry. Not for anything I did, but that we’ve let it come between us. We’re a little old to be acting like first year padawans.”

“It’s funny how even your apologies sound like criticism.” Still, he didn’t get up or ask Payter to leave. He could be benevolent, too.

Payter shrugged. “Practice. Anyway, I have to go away for a while, I don’t know how long for sure but it shouldn’t be more than a month or two. I can’t take Kerge with me. It’s too dangerous, and I can’t do what I have to do if I have to spend all of my time making sure he’s not dead or Dark.”

Suppressing a shudder, Qui-Gon sat back. There had been times when he regretted not taking up the same profession as Payter, but mostly he was entirely grateful that his path had not been that one. “That bad?”

“Looks like it. He’s good, but he’s still young. Too young for how I think this is going to turn out. And maybe I’m just being paranoid, it come with the job you know, but I don’t want to leave him with just anyone. I’ve got a feeling, little more than an itch right now, but something bad is coming and I’d rather have Kerge with someone I can trust while I’m gone.”

Qui-Gon took a slow breath, trying to take in everything Payter had just said. For a person who could talk for hours about nothing, it always amazed him that Payter could convey so much information in a few sentences. And he would be a fool not to pay attention to his warnings. “You think there’s someone in the Temple causing harm?”

Payter shook his head. “I didn’t say that, but I will say that you should keep your eyes open. I think I’ve just hit on the tip of something here and when it all comes out, it’s going to be very, very bad.” He leaned forward, his fingers laced. “Look, there are not many people I trust implicitly at the moment, and I don’t think you should either. Just be aware. Will you keep Kerge here?”

“Of course, if you tell me who I should keep in my confidence about this.” It wasn’t often Payter would name names, and Qui-Gon wanted to pin him down on it if he could.

“The ones you’ve always trusted. Yoda, Bel-San, Alla, Adi, Heri checks out—“

“Mace?”

Payter hesitated. “I don’t know. I’m too close to call that one. My gut instinct says yes, but this is big, Qui-Gon. Keep it close, only the ones I’ve named.” He sat back, his eyes troubled. “I leave in the morning, I’ll drop Kerge and his things off before I go and send you a list of his classes and the ones I want him to take up next term if I’m not back by then.”

“Contact information?”

Payter stood. “I’ll leave you a relay. Don’t expect an immediate response to anything you send to it, since it could take some time for the message to get to me.”

“All right. I’ll see you in the morning. May the Force be with you.”

They stopped by Qui-Gon’s door and Payter shook his hand, and Qui-Gon felt like it was a more permanent parting than either of them expected. “And also with you.”