Lies and punishment. (Rhea and Kale)

[Pierce Tondry]

Three days passed.

Pierce let them go by not because he forgot about catching Rhea and Kale in the garden after hours, but because handling the situation wrongly should not, could not, be an option.

He sipped from his cup of tea and let his eyes wander over the garden. The grass cushioned Pierce's body in a way stone or chairs could not and that was the primary reason he sat crosslegged on it. However his seat, the tea, and the blue tunic and trousers he wore were also selected to present a more calm and soothing image than Pierce would normally project. He did not wish to frighten his quarry away.

Truth, after all, could be far harder to come by than any person.

Short requests to come to the garden for a midmorning meeting awaited both Rhea and Kale in their message mail. The message mentioned a small brunch, but did not give any reasons for it.

Pierce took another sip of tea and swished it around in his mouth. Truth be told, it wasn't bad. And it helped calm the nervousness in the pit of his stomach. He wanted very much for this meeting to go well.

[Kale]

Three murderous days passed.

Kale tried to keep as low a profile as he could, which wasn't too hard considering his master was AWOL and he didn't have any real friends to speak of within the Order. That gave him plenty of time for his fertile imagination to go wild with scenarios of dire judgment following his undistinguished interview with the Jedi cop at three A.M. in the gardens. He clove to the vestigial hope that maybe Pierce would be satisfied with his story, but that didn't keep him from flinching every time his computer console merrily chimed in the arrival of a new message.

Spam, spam, useless newsletter from a Padawan with too much time on his hands, a flier for the GJO potluck--who went to those things?--spam, and... uh-oh. Pierce Tondry.

Kale read carefully over the message. It was succinct, not many clues to be found from the wording. But it looked awfully informal, and he'd never known a cop to invite a suspect to brunch. So he probably wasn't going to a hostile council hearing or a little chair under a bright light.

Still, he didn't want to take chances. He gave his unruly hair a belated brushing in the bathroom and threw a gray Jedi robe over his baggy T-shirt and frayed jeans, then rehearsed several variations on his story as he made his way back to the Jedi gardens.

Kale glanced around cautiously as he ventured in through the main entrance. Farther in, on one of the lawns that bordered the path, he saw a man in casual dress seated on the grass and sipping at a cup of tea. It took him a second look to recognize the gruff-looking intel op who'd stopped him the other night.

It did put Kale a little more at ease... a little. He stepped quietly over the grass a few yards away from Pierce. "Uh... hi. You're Tondry, aren't you?"

[Pierce Tondry]

"And you're Kale," Pierce replied matter-of-factly. The teacup went down onto a nearby rock. "It's nice to know that my invitation didn't get passed up."

Pierce stretched and lay back on the grass, trying yet again to seem nonthreatening. "Did your friend get my message?" he asked. "I tried looking her up but she's apparently not a member of the Order. I had to go outside the Order's archives to get anywhere. In the end, I just fired off a message to her last known whereabouts."

[Kale]

Kale got the impression Pierce was trying to keep things loose--maybe extending an olive branch of some sort. That probably meant he was close to getting off the hook.

"I really wouldn't know," he replied with a shrug. "Last night was the first time I'd seen her in a couple months. We used to live in the same building, but it can be awful hard to track somebody down in the ghetto."

[Pierce Tondry]

"I see."

Pierce pulled a datapad out from a nearby sack and glanced at it for show. "It says here that you're Oriadin's Padawan," he said. "I happen to know Oriadin pretty well, for someone I don't spend much time with, and I've never heard of you before. Especially with him off on important business."

An idle toss set the datapad atop the sack it had come from. "Tell me Kale. How does it feel to have your Master not around so much?"

[Kale]

"I'm used to bein' on my own," Kale said in an off-hand way. "I've been that way for the past four years."

His eyes drifted back toward the pad, and he wondered momentarily what else Pierce had on it.

"I barely got any training in before he left though, and I don't really know what I'm supposed to do in the meantime."

[Pierce Tondry]

Kale's curious eyes did not go unnoticed by his questioner. Regardless, there was a different tack to be played first. "So you stole that lightsaber from the Hall of Artifacts because you're bored, then?"

[Kale]

Inaudibly, Kale held his breath. Pierce looked pretty sure of himself as he laid his cards on the table. There was a chance he was bluffing, but, from where Kale was standing, it wasn't a very good chance.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked hesitantly.

[Pierce Tondry]

The look that crossed Pierce's face was very flat. "I've been ferreting truth out from hiding places for more years than you've been alive. In my world, that question you just asked is what somebody says when they don't want to admit how correct their questioner is. You would be surprised at how many people are open books if you know what to look for."

Pierce calmly leaned back and rested his body on his elbows. "Now, I don't like having to weave truth from lies. I like it nice and easy to sort through and make decision on. So here's the deal. You recount for me the whole business of stealing the lightsaber from the moment you got the idea to the moment you entered the Gardens. Tell the truth the whole way, and I'll decide your punishment myself. Lie, and I go to the Council with this."

[Kale]

Okay, so he'd pressed a little too hard, and now he'd hit a brick wall. Kale let the breath out of his lungs and squeezed his hands together behind his back. Here went nothing.

"Okay... yeah, you're right. I did it because I was bored. I was just walking through the archives last night, and I didn't have anything to do. I saw the saber in a display case, and I... well, I just got the idea."

He paused. There was Camdyn Fields, who'd helped him lift the glass cover off the case, but she'd told him she wouldn't rat on him if she got caught... besides, it had really been his idea.

"I wasn't gonna make nothin' of it, but... I dunno. It was an impulse. So I worked the hingepins off the display case and took the saber. And about that time I heard someone coming, so I ran off."

Kale paused again to make sure Pierce was satisfied so far.

[Pierce Tondry]

Unbeknownst to Kale, Pierce's empathic powers were in use. By concentrating, the Intel Operative could discern a given being's attitude towards the subject they were speaking about, detect whether what they were telling was the truth, and in some cases detect errant strands of thought that crossed their minds.

A brief image of a woman flickered in and out of his senses. Pierce almost frowned involuntarily, but long practice kept the act down to a barely perceptible tightening of his lips. Some other Padawan had helped Kale, but not to the extent that they were a major participant in the theft. Tracking them down might be important.

It was a judgement he would make later. "Go on."

[Rhea Kaylen]

If life got any more bizarre, Rhea Kaylen decided, then she would pack her bags immediately and ship herself back to Imran on the first flight off of Coruscant.

First, Kale, who'd been disturbingly AWOL from the Plaza Cueva de Luce for weeks, shows back up with a stolen lightsaber and some serious juvenile delinquency on his conscience.

Then she'd managed to convince the boy to return himself and the lightsaber to the Temple, meanwhile dumping her entire life's story on Kale's lap to try and persuade him.

Finally, and most grossly anomalous in her personal opinion, she, Rhea "My-Life-is-Peaceful-and-I-Don't-Want-Any-Trouble" Kaylen, decided she'd play hero and get Kale back into the Temple herself. Brilliant idea, it turned out, as the two of them had been caught red-handed getting in after hours.

The whole debacle had not ended quite well. True, Kale was returned to what Rhea believed to be his rightful place and the lightsaber was back in the Temple's possession, but both Rhea and Kale had finished that long night under the suspicions of a very astute Temple guard, and Kale and Rhea had personally left each other on an ill note. There was no telling what the boy would say to her when they met again. If they ever met again.

Rhea had not considered this last to be very likely. Until today.

When the weirdest thing of all had occurred.

Rhea had been startled rudely from sleep in the wee hours by the atonal buzzing of her comm-port. Stumbling out of bed, she'd gotten a very cold wake-up call when she'd found a message in her little-used messaging inbox.

It was from a Pierce Tondry, which meant nothing to her. It was the message line, "Regarding Padawan Kale and his involvement in a recent theft" that had made her go numb.

Be sure your sin will find you out. And that it will not dawdle.

The message had prompted a quick phone call into work (Rhea had the glum impression that she'd be fired for this absence) and a quick air-taxi jaunt over to the Jedi Temple. Security had given her a pass, having been informed she would be coming, and directions to the Gardens when she asked for them.

And now the main entrance to the sunny Gardens was before her, and Rhea had to force her feet to move forward.

[Kale]

Kale heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't think anything of it. People were strolling through the gardens all the time. And frankly, whoever it was could mind his or her own respective business.

"I ended up at the Plaza Cueva de Luce in the Santiago district. That's where I used to live. There's a nexus in the ventilation ducts where I used to hide things... things I wanted to keep safe. I was gonna keep the saber there for a while. Then I ran into Rhea--that's my friend. She figured out somethin' was up. So I told her, and she told me we needed to take the saber back to the Temple. So we did. I figured the garden was a safe enough place to drop it."

There, he'd confessed, and he felt his heart pounding in his chest as he contemplated what sort of punishment Pierce was thinking about. Kale still hadn't mentioned getting cornered in the alley by Dasquian, nor how he'd escaped--but he didn't know why Pierce would need to know that. As far as he knew, Oriadin was the only Jedi who knew about his disappearing trick.

[Rhea Kaylen]

The Gardens looked very different in full light, though Rhea could not exactly say the change was for the better. Now she felt very alone and foolish, the lights glaring down on her harshly as if they knew she did not belong there.

Blessedly, Rhea spotted two familiar figures sitting on the grass a few yards away. The larger of the two was lounging, and the calm expression on his face almost made him unrecognizable as the stern-faced security guard, Pierce Tondry.

The other, though his back was to her, seemed far less relaxed. And for good reason. Rhea felt her heart clench as she made her way over to the two of them, wondering what Kale might say when he spoke to her. Or even if he would.

Rhea only caught the tail-end of what Kale was saying as she timidly approached: "...into Rhea--that's my friend. She figured out somethin' was up. So I told her, and she told me we needed to take the saber back to the Temple. So we did. I figured the garden was a safe enough place to drop it."

My friend.

The relief Rhea felt at this statement was quickly replaced by panic as she rapidly racked her brain for something to say which would convince Tondry, who Rhea knew had noticed her by now even if Kale had not, that Kale was inherently innocent of all but one trifling offense.

"The boy speaks the truth," Rhea hurriedly added without preamble. She lurched the last few feet on her still-tender bandaged ankle to take up position at Kale's side--a defensive gesture. "Rhea Kaylen. And you must be sir Pierce Tondry."

[Kale]

Kale flinched at the voice. Rhea? After the harsh words they'd exchanged the other night, he'd doubted they'd see each other again. He certainly hadn't expected her to hijack her work schedule and make the trip to the temple on his account.

Kale gawped stupidly at her for a moment--probably not the best expression of appreciation for such a gesture--then he quickly wiped the shock off his face and looked back toward Pierce. He'd have to thank Rhea later... maybe. Depended on how this went.

No, you should thank her anyway.

Dang it, there was that conscience again.

[Pierce Tondry]

"The truth from his perspective, at least."

Pierce turned his eyes onto Rhea's face, surprised that she had shown. She had adopted a formal attitude from the very get-go, but there were lines of worry here and there that spoke of inner tension.

Which was not surprising. For the average citizen, even an invitation to brunch at the Jedi Temple could very well seem a subpoena carrying with it a nebulous, yet certain, doom.

How did that old saying go? Who is so without guilt that the sight of a thousand policemen uniformly dressed and marching by will not stir unease in their soul?

"Just call me Pierce, or Tondry, or both. No sense in worrying about this 'sir' mess you've drummed up."

He gestured towards the fidgeting Kale while keeping his eyes on Rhea. "I've heard his version of your little jaunt the other night. Care to give me yours?"

[Rhea Kaylen]

"Not for a moment, Pierce Tondry," Rhea replied, lowering herself to the grass ungracefully and adjusting her legs to keep pressure off her ankle.

The tone of Tondry's voice was such that he suspected Rhea of affecting a false attitude; strictly speaking, this was not the case, as Rhea was intimidated by the man and it had seemed only natural to her to address him with an honorific. However, as she did not want him to think her flippant, she complied with his command (for it was a command, and certainly not a request) immediately.

"Four nights ago, I returned from the graveyard shift at my job and ran into Kale, who had returned to the apartment building where he used to live, my home, the Plaza Cueva de Luce. I invited him into my place, because I'd not seen him in weeks. There he told me he'd stolen a lightsaber from the Jedi Temple, his new place of residence, and that he'd come to the Plaza to drop it off."

Here things got a little sticky. Rhea was not a subtle speaker and preferred the straight-up truth anyway, but in this case she thought it perhaps wise to phrase the tale with more than the usual care. Rhea wanted to make sure that as little guilt could be inferred from her testimony as possible, for Kale's sake. She also knew it would be unwise to relate any other information about that night than that which concerned the lightsaber.

However, as Tondry had already proven himself uncannily perceptive (perhaps even mildly telepathic), Rhea forced her mind into a vague almost-blank, the best she could do, and quickly recounted the rest.

"Kale and I both agreed that he should return to the Temple, and I volunteered to help him get the saber back with as little ado as possible. Kale said that the Gardens would be a good drop-off spot, and when we came to return the lightsaber, you found us."

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce nodded. "The two of you have passed your first test. Now on to the second."

Breaking into the puzzlement his statement had created, he looked straight in Kale's eye. "Kale, what is your honest opinion of Rhea here?"

[Kale]

Well, as if that hadn't come out of nowhere...

Kale was caught speechless for a few moments as his train of thought jumped the tracks. By the time he opened his mouth, he was still stuck somewhere between what he thought Pierce wanted to hear and what he actually thought, and, truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure of either at the moment.

"Well, I... I usually saw her once or twice a week back at the Plaza, sometimes more often. She's helped me out a few times when I was in a bind, an' that's more than I can say for most of my old neighbors. There are times I wish she'd mind her own business, but I guess she always means well."

He licked his lips nervously, resisting the urge to look in Rhea's direction. He wasn't sure he wanted to know how she'd reacted.

"And it was her idea to bring the saber back," Kale added. "She didn't have nothin' to do with takin' it in the first place."

[Pierce Tondry]

"Right."

Pierce turned on Rhea. "Same question: what do you think of Kale."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea blinked. And blinked again. What kind of bizarre interrogation is this?

The woman still hadn't fully digested Kale's response, but couldn't find any fault with it on first perusal. Hurriedly, she tried to come up with her own reply.

"The boy speaks the truth--"get that through your head, Pierce Tondry: he is an honest boy"--and I think Kale is a good kid. He'd get himself in trouble, sometimes, and I'd always do what I could for him as I'd try to do for any young person. He has initiative and drive, though too often no place to focus them constructively, and even when he's being a smart-aleck pain in the neck, he's still got a good and an honest heart."

And neither Tondry nor Kale could ever persuade her otherwise.

[Pierce Tondry]

A laugh erupted from Pierce's mouth. Rhea's unspoken retort had enough substance to it that he'd picked it out of her thoughts. "Not bad," he said, still chuckling. "Not bad. You've both been very honest with me- and with each other- here today."

Abruptly Pierce's face took on a mocking cast; his laughter acquired a decided edge. "So why the hell couldn't you manage this three nights ago? I mean, was it too difficult? Too hard to just tell me what you were up to?"

Pierce leapt to his feet and began to pace. His mouth began spitting out words at a pace as rapid as the thoughts behind them, and his hands accompanied those words with wild gestures. "Or maybe," he went on. "You thought that being caught meant that you'd be squashed for the slightest rules infraction? Hm? Maybe you felt I, personally, was clueless to the sticky spots others find themselves in? Oh, yeah, let's just screw the fact that Jedi defend peace and justice throughout the entire galaxy and go straight into believing they're unapproachable?"

Pierce fixated both his companions with a stern glare. "Does the word 'Jedi' mean so little to you two that deep inside, you're afraid of everyone with the title?"

"You." An accusing finger jabbed at Kale. "You stole a showpiece. Not even a functional one. Never belonged to anyone of note. It's value on the open market is probably twenty credits; fifty if you found a private collector. Theft being a poor usage of one's time aside, you'd gain absolutely nothing from this. So when confronted, what do you do? You feed me a line about it being a birthday present!"

"And you." It was Rhea's turn. "You're not even a member of the blasted Order! What did you think would happen to you? Expulsion from nothing? Execution because you convinced someone to do the right thing? Or maybe imprisonment, or hefty fines because you thought enough to look out for someone. Do you even know who Dasquian Belargic is?!"

So. "So. What's with all the lies?"

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea was on her feet, propelled by something that did not usually affect her: pride.

"And you! Do not assume that simply because you are in the Temple and I am not makes me the ignorant ingrate! I knew very well what would happen when we returned the saber, even if we had gotten caught. My only concern was trying to avoid that triviality.

"I know more about the Jedi than you think I do, and I care about them with every ounce of my being. So I'm not going to "screw" the Jedi or what they stand for. To do so would be to deny myself! You may be the one in the Temple uniform, but I am not unaware, I am not stupid, and I am not going to tolerate being treated as an inferior!"

Rhea's eyes went wide as she realized what had just come from her mouth unbidden. What had she just done?

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce gave Rhea an arch look. "Where in that mess of verbal garbage is the answer to my question?"

[Kale]

What was Rhea doing? Pierce wasn't arresting the two of them; that was supposed to be good!

And suddenly he heard his own voice squeak into the fray somehow. "Can I say something?"

His mind felt blank as the attention shifted to him. For the moment, he was grasping at straws--he was having trouble making sense of the situation himself, let alone arguing a case for himself.

"The whole thing was stupid, I know. Well, actually, I was kinda proud of the birthday thing, but--no, that was stupid, too. But... the other night, I just didn't know what to think. I'm used to bein' nobody important; I thought maybe that'd change when I joined the Order, but I've barely done anything here. I can sorta make rocks float sometimes, and I know how to turn a saber on. Other than that, the only things I know how to do are stealin' and hidin'. My master's not even around anymore. How should I know what to do? I just kept figurin' sooner or later some council member would look at some chart and see a good way to save on three meals a day by cuttin' me loose.

"I came pretty close to packin' it all in three nights ago. But I can't go back home, and I can't really go anywhere else."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea felt incredibly foolish. Here she was trying to be all adult and righteously angry, and a boy more than a decade her junior was putting her to shame by doing the right thing--admitting himself to someone. And Rhea knew what agony that must have been for him.

"F-forgive me," she stuttered quietly. "My apologies, Kale and Pierce Tondry, I should never have said anything. L-listen to the boy, please, and believe that I agree with him and stand by whatever he says."

Abashed as she was, and as fervently as she wished to be anywhere else in the galaxy right now besides here, Rhea felt deep pride at Kale and his maturity and immense gratefulness that he'd finally come to realize what needed to be done.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's expression went blank as Kale started to speak, and remained so all the way through Rhea's add-on apology. Rhea's words he set aside, targeting Kale's admission and the feelings behind it instead. Weight lay behind the feelings. Almost as surprising as the boy speaking up at all, Kale's words rang true.

Jedi all over the galaxy employed the tactic of sparking a being's conscience, but using it caused Pierce to feel the full weight of his role as a Jedi Knight. He drew a breath and tried to shake off feeling old.

"That took guts, kid," Pierce started. "I respect that. It's a hard thing to admit yourself to someone else. Especially in your position. You've got problems that aren't always your fault, and they can be tough to deal with."

"But you've gotta understand that what you did- the way you're going about things- it ain't right. Always starts small. White lies become big ones. Picking pockets becomes mugging. No one ever thinks 'Today's the day I graduate to kniving some guy for his pocket change.' It starts with an attempt to snag a few extra credits, and ends with a surprise dead body on someone's hands. And maybe you die, too."

"That's why that life doesn't work," said Pierce quietly. "It's like you're in a tunnel trying to get out. You see the light in the end, but you're trying to navigate by watching your feet. For every step that looks like it'll take you forward, you end up two steps back. And then one day you get in so far, you can't see any light at all."

Pierce stopped. "Is any of this coming in clear?" he asked. "It makes sense to me, but I'm not the one it's for."

[Kale]

Kale found it hard to keep looking the knight in the eye, so he let his eyes gaze to the soft, green turf underfoot. Pierce had him pegged, and solidly.

"Yeah, it makes sense," the teen mumbled. "I've seen it happen all my life. I've been tryin' to make somethin' of myself, but opportunities just don't come every day. And the darn thing is, I'm a very good pick-pocket."

He gave Pierce a half-hearted smirk. "One of the Jedi told me it probably has to do with my connection to the Force. Great talent, huh?"

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce gave Kale a wry smile. "The Force makes connections for us we can't always see," he said. "Sometimes things have significance that's not immediately apparent."

"Speaking of which." The Jedi Knight's expression suddenly became very sly. "I'll prove this to you. That is, if you're interested. You too, Rhea. You're both welcome to come see what I have in mind."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea watched on in silence as Kale and Pierce conversed. She was just beginning to think maybe she should try to slide out unnoticed when Pierce suddenly spoke to her again.

"Uh--umm," she stammered. "Sure, if you'd like."

[Kale]

Kale chewed pensively on the corner of his lip. The look on Pierce's face gave him one or two reservations, but they never had a chance against his curiosity.

"Okay. What were you thinkin' of?"

Belatedly, he turned a questioning glance toward Rhea.

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea eyed Kale askance, meeting his glance and seeing as much question and hesitation in his eyes as she knew must be in her own.

But there was only one way either of them was going to find out what Tondry was talking about.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce stood up, brushing strands of grass from his clothing. "You'll see," he said, inwardly very pleased. "Just follow me."

He led the two of them out of the gardens, leaving behind the chirruping birds and swaying plants for the learned and austere halls of the Order proper. He chose a combination of halls that ultimately led them to a place all-too familiar to Kale: the Hall of Artifacts. Pierce purposefully led his charges through the cases and exhibits, not heeding the fabulous showpieces themselves or the noises of a tour group of young Padawans in one of the adjoining rooms. Eventually, he stepped into a large room with a glass case at the center.

In the case, lay a lightsaber Kale and Rhea instantly recognized.

"Shhh," Pierce said, forestalling any comments. "Over here. And watch."

As the three waited, the sounds of the tour group grew louder. Eventually, a young Rodian in a brown robe rushed into the hall. An older female Jedi followed hot on his heels, and behind her came the rest of a group of Younglings.

"The lightsaber in that case is part of the Order's history," he said, smiling at a cluster of youngsters as they gathered around the lightsaber piece, listening to the words of their instructor. "If it weren't there, these kids would be missing part of their Jedi education. It would be like a soldier who's only been told blasters exist and has never seen one for themself. Because the two of you did the right thing, the notion of Jedi as something grand and important is a step closer to real for them. When they go back to their rooms today the image of that lightsaber will be fixed in their heads. They'll keep that with them for a long time."

The expression on Kale's face was one of half-confusion. "But- but how's that 'connect' with me stealing it?"

Pierce winked at Kale and lifted his hands to his mouth. "Jax!" he called.

One of the children stopped gazing awestruck into the case and looked in the direction of Pierce's voice. His young face lit up. With a shout of "Dad!" he began running towards the trio.

Pierce knelt down and Jax rushed into his open arms, squealing with laughter as Pierce lifted him into the air. "Kale," said Pierce. "Meet my son, who's just seen a lightsaber for the first time because you did the right thing."

[Kale]

Kale was surprised to find himself back in the Hall of Artifacts, and even more surprised to see the saber sitting just as it had before he'd stolen it three nights ago. Someone had replaced the hinge he broke on the case, too.

He was surprised again when Pierce called Jax over from the Padawan tour group. Kale usually didn't think very far in terms of family connections--he had none of his own, as far as he knew, not since his mother died on Kuwaruk Re.

Tentatively, he raised a hand to wave at Jax. "Hey there," he said.

Kale still wasn't sure where exactly this all was going. Was this when he was supposed to learn the true meaning of Christmas?

He wasn't getting too many hints from Pierce, so he spoke to Jax again. "So... you're gonna learn to use one of those someday?"

[Pierce Tondry]

"I'm gonna be the best fighter ever, just like Dad!" Jax proclaimed proudly.

Pierce smiled, half embarassed, half proud. "I lose some fights, kiddo."

This puzzled the young boy. "Then how come you don't go away like the bad men?"

Pierce's smile became indefinably sad. "Because if I did that, who would raise you?"

Whatever reservations Jax had, he apparently accepted the answer at face value by giving his father a sudden hug around the neck.

"It may not seem like much to you," Pierce said to Kale. "But my son being able to grow up with a full Jedi education means something to me."

[Kale]

Kale watched the father-son interaction with a distant look on his face--Jax's innocent adoration, Pierce's glowing paternal pride. Just like in the old holos. Kale had rarely seen such familial affection in reality, and he could never remember much in his own experience. Seeing Pierce and Jax--it stirred something in him, but he wasn't sure what it was.

"I understand," Kale said timidly. "I mean... I think I do. A little. I never learned much about the Jedi when I was growin' up. I just thought they were off in their own world, playin' with their superpowers. They never meant anything to me."

[Pierce Tondry]

"I used to fight them," Pierce said. He set Jax down and sighed. "They were the big dogs on the block. I was with a lesser organization that had promise- small dog, nasty bite, in other words. Part of my job was to do carry out missions that would hurt the enemy and help us. I did that job, and I did it better than anyone."

"But there were a lot of things going on at that organization. People being killed for failures they couldn't help. People being sent on suicide missions not because the mission was that important, but because someone wanted them out of the way. At first I thought the ends justified the means."

Pierce's sharp eyes gazed among the Jedi artifacts, their shapes reminding him not of the present but the past. His days with Imperial Intelligence were long over. He was a Jedi Knight now.

But was he really free of the spectre of the Empire?

Never forget. "They don't, usually," he finished. "Anyway, long story short, when I needed help, the Jedi were the only ones willing to lend a hand. So now I'm with them. I might not always agree with the rest of the Jedi, but loyalty isn't something you throw out because of a disagreement."

[Kale]

Kale guessed there was a lot more to Pierce's story than he was telling, but he was surprised that Pierce was telling any of it. If Kale had used to be an enemy of the Jedi, he didn't think he'd be very free with that information.

Hence the theatrical performance in the garden three nights ago.

"I think I see what you're sayin'," Kale said. "But I've done my part. I came back. An' my master's still out of the picture. I don't feel like I've learned much of anything since Oriadin left..."

Except the unseemly variation on his Force-camouflage trick he'd stumbled onto when Dasquian was looking for him.

"And... and I don't know where to go from here. I want it to work. I want to try and be a Jedi. But I don't know how."

[Pierce Tondry]

"That's why I'm gonna help you, kid," Pierce replied. "I haven't got it all figured yet either, but I'm at least a couple laps ahead."

His lip curled with an ironic twist. "See, if you hadn't stolen the lightsaber, you'd never have returned it, and if you'd never returned it, you'd never run into me- someone who can help you with your problem."

[Kale]

"Help me?" Kale repeated blankly. He glanced vacantly at Rhea, then back to Pierce. "Thanks. How?"

[Pierce Tondry]

"Kale," said Pierce as he ruffled Kale's hair. "Meet your new Master- me."

[Kale]

Kale was too astounded to care about the incidental hair-ruffling. Hang on, back up the tape. What did Pierce say?

"You... You mean you wanna teach me?"

And a couple hours ago, Kale had suspected Pierce was about to give him his walking papers. Now he was feeling kind of guilty about his apprehensions. But there was still a question gnawing at him.

"I mean... thanks... but why me? I ain't exactly a model student, an' I'm sure you've figured that out by now."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea watched as Jax and his father talked, a conversation the man took every bit as seriously as the one he was currently having with Kale and herself. It made Rhea jealous, despite herself. She would never know what it was like to have a conversation like that with a child of her own, and for an Imrani woman, that hurt.

But she shook it off, listening quietly to Kale and Pierce as they picked up where they'd left off. Slowly she began to realize what Pierce was saying, what it all meant, and as he expounded felt guiltier and guiltier that she'd ever tried to tangle Kale up in some elaborate scheme when she should have just told him to be honest with the Jedi in the first place.

Even Rhea, however, did not see Pierce's offer coming. Though she couldn't really say it was a bad turn of events, just surprising. All told, Pierce Tondry would likely be an excellent Master, and enough to keep even Kale in line.

At least, Rhea hoped so. For Kale's sake.

[Pierce Tondry]

"Exactly," Pierce said dryly. "You don't just need watching. You need instruction. Something to turn these natural talents of yours to good use."

"The same goes for you," he added, looking at Rhea. "My ability to sense the Force in others isn't as good as some, but your thoughts are particularly strong and things rarely happen to Jedi by chance. I see promise in you. Were I you, I would get tested for Force-sensitivity."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea dipped her head in embarrassed deference.

"I...thank you, Pierce Tondry, for your honesty, and your compliment. But I do not need testing. I know I am Force-sensitive, as my parents taught me to use it. To some extent. But I am content, for now, in the life I lead."

For now.

[Kale]

Wow. Kale had known Rhea for three years, and he'd never known she was Force-sensitive until she told him a couple nights ago. So how did Pierce pick it up in a grand total of thirty minutes' contact?

But the kid was even more surprised by Rhea's response. "You sure that's a good idea, Rhea? I mean..." he took a sideways glance at Pierce and lowered his voice. "You don't think any of Gucchi's goons saw you comin' down this way again?"

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea looked at her friend (up, she noticed for the first time since they'd gotten together two nights ago...when did Kale get taller than she?) and smiled a little.

"Kale, I think I can do much more good in a place like the ghetto than I can holed up here, at least right now. And, if someone saw me, then someone saw me. It is a risk I was willing to take to get you back here where you belong."

[Kale]

**EDIT** Double post

[Kale]

Kale relinquished the point with a noncommittal nod. He still had a hard time imagining anyone choosing to call a place like the Plaza Cueva de Luce home when there was a chance of moving up in the worlds. But he found himself smiling lopsidedly back at Rhea. Where I belong...

Crud, now he felt all sappy. Turning back to Pierce, he said, "So... is this official yet? I guess it means Oriadin's probably not coming back anytime soon."

[Pierce Tondry]

"I wanted to see if you were open to it first," Pierce shook his head, then smiled lopsidedly. "Wouldn't make a lot of sense to try training someone who doesn't want to be trained."

All things considered, it was better for Kale not to know what Oriadin was doing for the Jedi. Some things were best left under the veil of secrecy.

"As far as brunch goes, it's over," he continued. "Kale, you're free for the rest of today. Be ready to be awake at six tomorrow morning. You have a full day ahead of you."

"Rhea, you're free to do whatever you like. Just be aware that once you leave the Temple, you won't be able to come back inside unless you do join us, or there's a special exception that arises."

Pierce smiled and turned his attention back to the little boy that filled his world. He took Jax's hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have today off and I'd like to get some time with my boy in."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea bowed to Pierce Tondry, relieved that everything was finally over, and smiled brightly at Jax as the two moved away. The little boy grinned back.

Once you leave the Temple, you won't be able to come back... Rhea sighed. She knew it to be true, much as she wished otherwise at this point in time. But what she'd said to Kale a moment ago still stood: she truly believed she could have a better influence for good in a place like the Plaza, where anything good was hardly to be found.

Still, Kale was now safe and sound in the Temple (for good, this time), and with his departure from the Plaza, all of the individuals for whom Rhea had taken special consideration since returning to Coruscant would have moved beyond her range of influence. This boy was the last, her final "little sibling" project, and, she could not help thinking, her most successful, and satisfying. There were no others left for her to watch over. So...now what?

Ach, she could figure that out in due time. For now, only Kale remained.

[Kale]

Kale waved half-heartedly and watched his new master and his son disappear out the door from the Hall of Artifacts and into the archives proper. The Padawan class had moved on as well, and Kale and Rhea were the last sentient beings left among the remnants of ages gone by.

The teen slowly walked over to the display case that the old saber called home. The gold and silver finish sparkled brightly under the museum lights.

"I don't know, I coulda got a lot more than thirty creds for this piece of shine," he said disparagingly.

As he glanced back toward Rhea, who had just turned several shades whiter, Kale's surly facade broke into a wide grin. "Kidding. Sorry, couldn't resist."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea gallantly resisted the urge to thwap Kale upside the head. She figured they were already prickly enough toward each other after the other night; she needn't exacerbate his short teenage temper.

"I'll just pretend you never said that, Kale," Rhea replied, nearing him to place a kind, though restrained, hand on his shoulder. "You're back in, now, no thanks to me. I should probably get going."

[Kale]

Kale's smile tempered itself. "Okay, then. And, Rhea... well... thanks. I'll, uh... I'll see you around."

He turned toward the main corridor, then stopped.

"Hey, Rhea," he said, "you ever been to Yoghurt's Bar and Grill? It's sorta razzy, but the food's not bad. Why don't you drop in some time? I'm in there every now and then..."

He trailed off, cleared his throat, and threw her an impish smirk.

"Besides, you really need to get out more."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea didn't know whether to be relieved that Kale seemed willing to forgive her, or insulted at his suggestion she didn't have a life.

True though it was.

"No, I don't think I've ever been there," she replied. She fished into her pockets and produced a pen and a scrap of paper. "How about you write me the address? I'll never find it otherwise." She grinned. "It sounds like a nice place."

[Kale]

"Can't really miss it," Kale replied. "It's just up the street a little ways on a corner."

He scratched out the street and number in large, sloppy characters and handed the paper back to Rhea.

"See you around. And keep your eyes open on the way back, huh?"

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea smiled again, trying not to feel sad. She had no idea when she'd be seeing the boy again, and something about that was very depressing.

But he was in good hands, she knew that. She glanced down at the paper he handed back to her and pocketed it.

"I'll do that," she replied. "Best of luck, and may the Force be with you, ky'da."

Rhea turned to leave, then wilted and turned, grimacing, back to Kale.

"Um...how do you get out of here, again?"

[Kale]

Kale vented along, nasal sigh and shook his head dramatically.

"Well, seeing as you don't have to sneak out this time... Down the hall, left at the front desk and out of the archives, and you've got a straight shot to the front door out the lobby."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea colored slightly and nodded.

"Thank you, Kale. Best of luck."

And she turned and walked away.

I'll keep my eyes open if you'll keep your mind open to the will of the Force, ky'da. I hope the best for you. You deserve it.