Chapter 39: Padawan Problems
Rey left the meeting feeling relieved and even excited. For the first time in a long while, she didn't feel so alone. In her life, she did have many friends whom she considered to be her family: Fama, Minerva, Poe, and Dinn. But she had always longed for something more real. At the same time, the pressure of being the last fully trained Jedi in the Galaxy was a constant worry on her mind. But now, after meeting with the Admiral, she felt both of these burdens had been greatly elevated.
She had thought her brief time in the Empire had never offered her anything, that she could just cut away that part of her past. But now she felt it wasn't about denying her past, but embracing it, both the good and the bad, and choosing to be who she wanted to be as well as what she wanted for her future.
Oddly enough, she felt oddly light and free.
Her body still ached, her nerves were still a little fried from the assassination attempt, she was still stressed about the Peace Talks, her situation with Finn, and a hundred other things. But as she parted ways with the Admiral outside the temple, she felt ready to do her very best. Even classes with Emi did not seem so daunting.
Rey’s enthusiasm lasted four hours into her evening lecture, at which the pain from her overuse of Submergence and the migraine from learning so much Galactic education had her wanting to bang her head against a wall. The Peace Talks began the very next day, which meant she had to pass Emi’s personal evaluation before being allowed to participate in the Talks as per Minerva's orders.
Her Jedi power did not save her from failing this evaluation twice and being forced to review that material once more over the span of three more hours. Only at this point did she finally manage to prove to the cyborg she would not accidentally start an intergalactic war by offering an improper greater.
As the Jedi lay on a couch, one arm on her forehead with a moist rag and the other dangling onto the floor, she spoke in her usual tone, “You must be ready early tomorrow. The Talks will officially begin after in the evening, but you must make appearances at two dozen events before then.”
Rey wanted to cry at this and let out a pained moan, “Do I have to?”
Emi’s voice was unphased by this plea for mercy, “This list was already revised due to considerations being made regarding your health. You will have time to relax during the evening ball.”
The Jedi's urge to cry intensified as she called out, “That's not relaxing. I'll have to dress up and worry about making a fool of myself in front of everyone.”
Emi responded quickly, “That would be impossible.”
Rey was tired but curious and blurted, “Yeah, how.”
Her aid responded without inflection, “Because I will be there to prevent it.”
Rey had to calm herself at this point, reminding herself that violence was not the Jedi way. Once calm, she thought of something and asked, “Hey, how was the salon?”
Emi did not perk up or reveal any emotion as she responded, “It was very pleasant. The treatment was soothing, though it was very noisy.” She paused, then added, “I heard your name mentioned, “People seem to have taken a fancy to you. They say you are very wise and mature for admitting your faults.” Rey felt touched by this, though the aide then finished, “However, I did manage to hold back from correcting them.”
The Jedi recoiled and almost gagged at this, snapping, “I am wise, thank you.”
Emi grew alert like she did when handling official business and responded, “Of course, whatever you saw, my lady.”
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Rey pulled the rag from her face, both in anger and surprise, growling, “Are you making fun of me.”
The woman was already across the room and at the door and called in her usual voice, “I will return tomorrow. Please don't oversleep.”
Rey scowled at this but also felt a little happy; it seemed Emi was starting to warm up to her. The cyborg was a bit intimidating to work with and only showed true emotion when the subject turned to her favorite person, Minerva. Still, over the last few days, the Jedi had hoped their relationship had grown to be more than just merely aid and clueless political chess piece. Rey interpreted the woman's teasing just now as evidence and decided to benevolently forgive her.
The Jedi closed her eyes again in the hope her migraine would subside, though, after a few minutes, she heard the door open. Feeling a bit relieved, she called, “I'm over here, Fama; my head hurts, so be gentle.”
Rey hadn't seen her Padawan in over a day after getting injured and sleeping in. She was sure the girl was fine but knew the little one would be ecstatic to see her recover. However, the youthful voice that responded did not belong to Fama; it was male and a little nervous. “Pardon me, Master Skywalker, I was hoping I could speak with you.”
Rey’s eyes flew open as she lurched up to see a young boy in a formal rob. She didn't recognize him and asked, “Of course, did Minerva send you.”
The brown-haired and green-eyed youth of around 14 years shook his head and responded, “I came on my own. I'm Esher Walton, Master Finn’s fourth disciple.”
The little peace and tranquility the Jedi had managed to regain while resting was shattered by this. Her right eye twitched as she managed to get out, “Oh, you're one of Finn’s Padawans.”
Esher was a little intimidated by the woman's expression and wanted to shuffle away but held his ground. He swallowed while mustering his courage, “Yes, I am.” He paused but then blurted out as though confessing a secret, “We were just wondering when we will be able to see Master Finn again.”
Rey adjusted herself, trying to look as dignified as possible despite her messy hair and bloodshot eyes. She looked the nervous child up and down before responding cautiously, “To my knowledge, he is under house arrest. Once the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor believe he is no longer a liability, he will be released.”
The boy seemed distressed and avoided making eye contact as he continued, “Master Fin said if we were ever confused and he wasn't around to come find you.” Almost frantically, he added, “I know you don't like us, but could you please help us with our training.”
The Jedi was a little surprised at this and crossed her arms, inquiring, “What makes you think I don't like you.”
Esher continued to avoid eye contact as he responded stiffly, “Master Finn said you would disapprove of us because we are too old.”
Rey nodded, gaining a stern expression, and responded, “Well, he was right about that.” In a split second, she made a decision and finished, “But I won't give up on you just because of that. If Finn sees potential in you, he can train you; only if you prove to be unworthy will I intervene with his business.”
She had desperately wanted to avoid as many risks as possible while rebuilding the Jedi Order. Her Jedi Sacred Texts and the notes left by Luke only discussed training youth from as early of an age as possible, lessening their minds to be burdened with distractions and temptation. However, when Luke tried this, he failed. In contrast to Luke himself, Finn and she had both begun training later in life and ended up an excellent Jedi. It might not be the best choice, but Rey decided rather than blindly follow the doctrine of her forbears, trying something a little unorthodox might be just what it took to revitalize the Jedi.
In the end, she planned to search for true younglings after the Peace Talks once she got the information from Primidian. At that point, she could truly start to rebuild. In the meantime, she would do her best to keep Finn from doing anything else rash.
The boy seemed ecstatic to hear this and turned towards the door and hollered, “Master Skywalker will help us.”
The well-crafted wooden panel opened suddenly as two youths who appeared to have been jostling with each other stumbled inside. A red-haired teenage girl around the age of 16 snapped at a more familiar youth with black hair, “Dammion, I was in front of you.”
The brown-haired boy snapped back, lacking the grace from when Rey first met him, “I was the first one at the door; you pushed me out of the way.”
The girl glared, clenching her fists, and retorted, “Yeah, that meant I was in front of you.”
From behind them, a tall blond-haired youth who looked slightly older than them walked in. He had a calm and almost sleepy expression and gave off a peaceful aura. In a mellow voice, he scaled, “Elise, calm down, you're embarrassing us.”
The red-haired girl and black-haired boy turned to Rey, who had a calm smile, though the inside felt dead. The Jedi had at least hoped the children Dinn chose would have the demeanor of a Jedi. Fama was an excellent example of this; she was curious but cautious, energetic but focused, and energetic but confident. Before her, now was a young boy with confidence issues, a girl with a fiery temper, a boy who was just as stubborn, while the only promising candidate appeared to be verging on 18 years old.