Chapter 24: The Bodyguard
The young Mirialan coughed and grabbed her stomach, looking terribly queasy and ashamed. Rey was likewise jared from her anger and rubbed her forehead, remembering her first time puking after overeating at the Resistance mess hall. She glanced at the vomit ten the girl and spoke in a less furious voice touched by concern, “Let this discomfort be a lesson to you…” After a moment, she sighed and added, “It will also serve as your punishment. Now lie back down, and I'll get you some water.”
Fama looked surprised and relieved before nodding and then curling up in a ball on her side. Rey left to get the beverage while struggling to regain her calm. When she returned to the room, the girl had pushed the blanket with the throw-up onto the floor in a self-contained pile. Fama looked deeply ashamed and disappointed, causing Rey’s emotions to fluctuate. She sat beside the girl, offering a glass, “Come on, drink some. You’ll feel better.”
The padawan sat up groaning and drank a few sips. After this, she meekly muttered, “I'm sorry.”
The Jedi nodded solemnly and responded, “Close, but what has this experience taught you.”
Fama’s expression turned thoughtful before she responded, “Too much of a good thing can be bad.”
Rey chuckled at this and nodded, “Very good.” She looked down at the girl, making eye contact before continuing, “As Jedi, we must avoid attachment to mundane matters to focus on the Force. If we grow attached to food, luxuries, and even people, we risk being consumed by our emotions. To be ruled by emotion is to be open to influence from the Dark Side leading to our own destruction.”
The girl nodded solemnly and responded, “I understand. I'll do better.” She looked with a depressed sigh.
Rey wrapped an arm around the girl comfortingly, “Hey…” The padawan looked back up, and the Jedi continued, “Did it taste good.”
Fama smiled and nodded before her face again went purple with queezynes. She burped into her hand and managed, “Yah, really good. I’ll miss it.”
Rey sighed at this feeling, surprisingly relieved. It then hit her. Her intense anger hadn't just stemmed from Fama’s misconduct but also her own fear that the girl would be lured away from the Jedi way by the allure of the mundane world. Seeing the girl's remorse quelled this worry, though the Master would not let the matter slide completely. Fama had plenty of meditation in her future, but for now, the girl could rest and recover. Rey squeezed her lightly and finished, “Get some rest now. Starting tomorrow, Minerva has gotten you a spot at the hotel daycare. They’ll keep an eye on you for me.”
The girl recoiled at this, but before she could complain, she caught herself and nodded. Fama knew she had tested her Master’s patient too far as it was. She nodded glumly, “Okay.”
Rey was pleased by the obedient response and returned her arm, “Perfect. Once you're feeling better, we will practice together.”
Fama appears black at this, unable to imagine either meditating or lightsaber practice with her cured stomach ache. Still, she nodded, then burped again before responding glumly, “Alright.” After a moment, she suddenly blurted, “Can we still call my parents tonight.”
Rey felt extremely conflicted over this, not wanting to reward bad behavior, but still nodded, “Yes, but after the peace talks, we’ll only make calls once a month.” Making eye contact again, she finished, “You need to start standing on your own.”
Fama looked depressed at this but then grew resolved, “Thank you, Master, I understand.”
The girl flopped over but immediately groaned before curling back into a ball. Rey sighed and stood up, glancing at the child one more time. She chimed, “Rest up.”
The Jedi left the room feeling depleted and worried. She knew bringing Fama with her to Curasuant would expose the girl to an entirely new walk of life compared to what she was used to. Though Rey had only realized how scared she was that the girl would be mesmerized by this strange new land and lose her resolve to live by the Jedi Code. It was too late to go back and leave the girl behind, so Rey could only hope her skill as a teacher and Fama’s resolve would be enough to keep her from growing distracted.
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Thinking about how to guide her student inevitably led the Master's mind back to Finn and his new padawans. It was an unavoidable subject that she couldn't run or hide from that would no doubt spawn a host of problems. As much as she wanted to expand the order, Rey deeply feared the emergence of new Dark Side users. Rey’s greatest fear was that there were still Sith out there, even if they were not pure like the Knights of Ren or Inquisitors. A close second was her fear of a Jedi turning to the Dark Side because her Jedi Order failed to guide them. Although Sidius was gone, his cultist followers could still be found throughout the Galaxy, and if they got hold of a fallen Jedi, a new Sith could rise.
Rey’s thoughts on the matter had just begun when a knock came from the room's door. Distracted from her deep contemplation, Rey opened the door, curious who had sought her out. The guest was a very thin, petite woman with tan skin and jet-black hair. Her features were sharp and professional, while her eyes, in particular, radiated a cold intelligence. Her most startling trait was a computer interface integrated into her skull. It formed a ‘U’ around the back of her head, starting at her temples. Most of the system was obscured by her long hair, but through the Force, the intricate technology that networked with her neurons was clear.
Rey recovered from her surprise, and she smiled, “Can I help you.”
The cyborg reached out a hand professionally and spoke in a monotone and almost robotic voice, “Emi Nul, Lady Orgona has assigned me to be your aid.”
Heading this, Rey thought of how the vice-chancellor had said she would assign her a bodyguard. This thin woman didn't look like a warrior, though if Minerva had sent her, there must have been a good reason for it. After collecting her thoughts, Rey shook the offered hand, “Right, I'm Rey.
I look forward to working with you.”
The Jedi felt incredibly awkward, having never had an aid before, though the woman didn't seem fazed. Emi nodded at this and fluidly entered the room, stating, “Lady Orgona has instructed I help you prepare for the upcoming peace talks. We will begin immediately.”
“Wait, right now.” Rey couldn't help but feel disgruntled, still having many things to mull over and think through.
The cyborg simply nodded, activating a holographic screen Rey had been oblivious to and stating, “We won't have enough time to get through everything if we don't start immediately. This is an order from Lady Orgona.” The screen was suddenly filled with the face of a chubby man Rey didn't recognize, and the aide gestured to the couch, “Would the Pontifex please take a seat.”
If it was an order from Minerva, Rey couldn't refuse. Thus, she took a seat while informing her new aide, “You can just call me Rey.”
Emi nodded again, her movement neat and uniform, “Understood.” She gestured to the hologram, “We will begin by reviewing the backgrounds and personalities of the 327 significant members of the peace talk correlation. Then we will move onto basic galactic etiquette, significant talking points you should know, and the peace talk itinerary.”
This was a staggering list, and the Jedi couldn't help but blurt, “We need to get through all that before the peace talks.”
The cybor looked at Rey and responded, “We must get through everything today. We will continue with more advanced subjects tomorrow and so on till the talks begin. If we stay on schedule, you should be prepared to engage with Galactic politics at an introductory level.”.
Rey put a hand to her head. She had survived as a scavenger all on her own as a child. She had traversed to the galaxy fighting the first order. She had learned the way of the Jedi and defeated the last of the Sith. Thinking about fitting in all this studying compared to the challenges she had faced in her past, she mumbled to herself, “I can't do this... It's impossible.”
Emi remained unfazed and responded, “Impossible or not, it must be done. You will not be allowed back on the political stage until we finish. We will begin now.”
For five hours, the cyborg lectured on the identities of significant Galactic personnel and how a delicate was expected to behave. She gave a detailed review of modern Galactic history, focusing on events over the last couple of years. She reviewed a long list of talking points the peace talks would feature, most of which didn't seem remotely related to peace.
By the time they were finished, Rey felt dead on the inside and wanted nothing more than to curl up and pass out. She had a massive headache from taking in so much information that not even the Force could soothe. This new aid, who had first appeared so frail and harmless, now caused Rey to feel terrified.
When the cyborg had finished the lesson, seeming unphased by hours of talking, she announced, “Congratulations, we have finished today's lesson on time. I will return tomorrow at the same time.”She had left the room walking with perfect posture, leaving Rey curled up in a ball on the couch.
The Jedi's head throbbed, and she couldn't imagine she had four more days of this ahead of her. Rey asked herself if peace was so important, though, at this point, she had returned to her senses and shook off her exhaustion. She had just regained her composure when Fama appeared looking meek. The girl asked politely, “Can we call my parents now.”