Wars Amongst the Stars: Rebellion: Vol. 2

Chapter Four

"Okay," Keen says, pulling a chair up, she turns it around, straddling it. Bail had left the room, allowing the two to get to know each other, and to begin training. She rests her elbows on the back of the chair. "In the days of the Republic, you would already have quite a bit of training, but we're starting from scratch."

"Is that bad?" the Princess asks.

"No. It's in fact good. You're safer from the Empire this way. But, we'll have to start with the basics." The Jedi reaches into her bag, pulling out a holocron from the Jedi Temple. "This is a Holocron. A way the Jedi used to store information, or send messages, before we began using comms."

Leia picks up the cube, turning it over in her hands, "How does it work?"

The Jedi takes the cube from her hands, setting it gently on the desk. "You must use the Force to open it." The princess looks at her, confusion clear on her face. "Close your eyes, and focus on moving the pieces apart in your head."

"Okay?" she says. The girl's eyes clamp shut, as she lifts an arm at the metal cube. Keen can feel the Force flow toward the princess, the holocron pieces slowly turn, starting to open. The pieces float apart, a hologram of some different lightsaber forms appear.

"Good job, kid," Keen praises, as Leia drops the cube back, fully back together. "Looks to me like you've got the makings of a wonderful Jedi."

***

Keen and Leia spend the next few hours getting to know one another better. Leia tells her about life on Alderaan, and when she joined the Rebellion. Keen details facts about the Clone Wars and how she and Bail Organa met. "Right, Princess. Training will recommence tomorrow morning. Until then, meditate, just like I showed you, okay." Leia nods at her in understanding.

The Jedi sweeps out of the room, in search of the viceroy and the queen. She strolls through the endless corridors and staircases, finding her back outside Bail's office. "Huh, guess it's not as confusing as it seems," she murmurs.  Keen knocks on the door, and it slides open.

"Ari!" Breha greets, rushing over to her from the desk. She wraps the Jedi in a hug.

"Breha," Keen responds, with a smile, returning the hug. "It has been far too long."

"Yes, well, if my dear husband had let me visit you when last you were here, it wouldn't have been so long."

"We cannot blame Bail. He was merely trying to keep you, and Leia safe."

Senator Organa looks up from his desk, a small smile on his face, "Thank you, Ari. At least you understand. How is Leia?"

The Jedi Master leans against the wall, "She's doing well. She's more powerful than I would have imagined, then again."

"If you consider her parentage, it makes sense," the Senator responds.

"So you can train her?" Breha asks.

The Jedi crosses her arms, resting her head on their wall as well, "Yeah. She's extremely strong, like her father."

Breha's eyes squint at the Jedi. "What's wrong?"

Keen jerks her head up in confusion, "Nothing, Leia is doing wonderfully."

"Not with Leia. What's wrong with you? You are clearly not feeling well."

Keen's eyes drift from the queen's face over to the viceroys, then slowly back to Breha's, "I'm okay, just a bit knackered."

Breha turns to face her husband. "Just four days ago she was liberated from a Imperial torture cell. She keeps telling me she's fine."

Breha's fiery stare is thrown in the Jedi's direction, pinning her to the wall. "Four days. How long were you with the Empire?"

Keen sheepishly reaches her hand to her green-tinged hair, running a hand along the back of her head. "Only a few days. Like, five..."

"Five days? The Empire tortured you for five days? You have only had four days of recovery time? What were you thinking?"

"Breha, I am completely okay. It was just your basic electrocution beatdown. Nothing I haven't dealt with before," she reassures, placing a hand calmly on her shoulder.

Breha's glare doesn't lighten, it intensifies it's fire. "I don't believe you, Ari! You could be slowly dying from the inside. Please, come with me and get checked out by the med-droid."

"My dear, Breha. You are worrying over nothing. I need you to trust me. If I start to feel any worse, you two will be the first to know." The Jedi turns the door, her legs trembling slightly.

"Call me crazy, Bail," Breha begins, "but I don't believe her."

"Neither do I."

Breha walks around her husband's desk, laying a hand on his shoulder. "What do you think we should do about it? How should we help her?"

The viceroy sighs, his head falling into his hands. "I honestly don't know, my sweet. She hasn't been the same. Not since the Jedi Purge. I believe she blames herself."

Breha jumps up to sit on Bail's desk, taking his hands in hers. "But it isn't her fault. She had no control over what Darth Vader did. No one could control what happened. And no one is to blame."

"You know that, my heart, just as I know that. But, Obi-Wan and Ar'iabel have been blaming themselves since everything went down. They think that since they each knew about Padmé's marriage that they could've stopped everything that occured."