Silent Jedi

A Big Meeting

Six months had passed since Jett arrived at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Now that she had so many people to talk to, she blended in well. During her free time in Nursery A, she liked to play with her two best friends, Sorra and Roi.

"So the key is, if you focus on it, you can find out what's wrong with it and make it better!" said Sorra, her grey face lighting up with enthusiasm.

I dunno. Don't you think you're kinda young to do a trick like that? Jett said to her through the force.

"Shh. Let me focus," Sorra said.

She closed her eyes and raised her hands, putting all her concentration into the dying flower in a vase on the windowsill. First, all the dying petals came off. Then, the flower started to gain all its color back. It perked up as if it had never been sick in the first place.

"You did it! You did it Sorra! Tck-tck-tck-tck-tck," Roi said, the fuzzy feelers over his mouth moving as he talked.

You and your flowers, Sorra, Jett said.

Sorra stuck out her small tongue. "Flowers are the best thing ever."

"No, speeders are!" Roi said.

You're both wrong. It's astromechs! Jett said.

"Younglings! Settle down!" said Artemis. The kids called her Miss Art. "Everyone come to the front of the room for storytime!"

All of the aspiring Jedi ran to the front of the room and sat down on the carpet with their legs crossed—for those who had legs, of course.

"So today's story is called Sleep Tight, Jedi Knight," said Miss Art.

All of the kids listened quietly while Miss Art read the story. It was about a Jedi who bravely fought in the war and won a big battle alongside his padawan. He made sure to meditate before bed and brush his teeth. Jett made a mental note.

Miss Art made sure to read all her kids stories about things relevant to them. She even wrote some of them herself. Getting kids ready to be great Jedi was her greatest joy in life. But she had to always remember to evaluate each child. She not only had to watch for standouts, but those who were behind on the curve as well.

Those kids got reported to the Jedi Council, where they'd be further evaluated and, as she'd seen before, sent to do mundane things in the Jedi Service Corps. She never wanted that to happen to any of her kids. She believed that they all had potential to be great Jedi Knights and even Jedi Masters, with a little bit of extra attention.

That was why, after her story, she spent special time walking Jett to her classes, where she worked one-on-one with a special tutor to learn Galactic Basic sign language. It was why she spent extra time with Roi, trying to make sure he could get caught up academically to his classmates. It was also why she kept an eye on Sorra, because sometimes she could take her special gift of force-healing too far.

However, today, Miss Art had three files she had to take to the Jedi Council. But this time, it was a little different. Jedi Master Zarah Tango, from Nursery B, and Jedi Knight Tak Long, from Nursery E, were there with her. They were her dear friends, and they had a bright idea to pitch to the Jedi council.   

The air was thick in the hallway outside the meeting room. Art, Zarah, and Tak all clung to the files of their kids who were "special." Two Jedi Sentinel guards stood outside the doors, tall and stoic with their yellow pikes in hand.

"Do you two really think this will work?" Tak asked.

"It's worth a try," Art said.

"I wonder what could be taking them so long?" asked Zarah with a shaky breath.