Star Wars: The High Republic: Ruling Passion

Chapter Two

Opening the shutters, light streamed into the dormitory of Te'elis' former master. Master Ori was a very orderly woman, which made collecting her few belongings and cleaning them out a straightforward job. It was one of the nicer private rooms on the floor with other senior masters, being the furthest from the training dojo. This room was nostalgic for Te'elis; on long nights of study before exams, she had stayed here on the sofa Master Ori had made into a lounge that turned into a bed when needed. She had spent many nights here recently. The bookshelf was filled with actual books collected from all over the galaxy, many in ancient languages thought to be extinct. There were also Miziri cultural artefacts, some used, others as decoration.

As Te'elis stood in the morning light, she was thinking about all this when she heard the woosh of the door closing behind her. Turning, she saw the small figure of Grand Master Yoda. Giving a bow, she sat on the sofa as Yoda looked around the room. "A collector of knowledge, Ori was."

"Yes, she loved learning," Te'elis replied with a smile.

"Teaching, she loved too." Yoda's words seemed to have that same nostalgia that Te'elis had expressed. "Knew to find you here, I did. Entrusted with this, I was." Yoda said as she pulled out a databank and holo-emitter. "With these, I leave you."

Alone again, Te'elis stared at what Master Yoda had brought her. She placed them on the table and tried to focus on the task at hand, but she couldn't. Rummaging through her master's music collection, she found Ori's well-used Jatz data chip and inserted it into the retro-looking speaker; as Ori's favoured songs filled the room, Te'elis noticed Jedi Master Jora Malli watching from the door.

Pausing the music, Te'elis turned to greet the Jedi Master. "Master Yoda, you told me you would be here, and to be honest, I could hear Ori's music from a mile away," Jora said before Te'elis could say anything. There was no need to seek the Force's intuition to know that Te'elis was in pain; grief radiated from her, and her face was a picture of it. Pulling the young Jedi in, she held Te'elis in a tight hug.

All those tears that Te'elis was holding in flowed, and with them, shame. Stepping back, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't..."

"Nonsense, grief is a natural response."

"But" Looking into Jora's eyes, Te'elis tried to hold herself together. "We are taught not to form attachments."

Sighing, Jora sat on the sofa and patted for Te'elis to sit with her. "How can you truly live without forming any attachments?" Seeing she couldn't answer, the Togruta master continued. "The bond between the Master and Padawan is one of the most sacred and important attachments a Jedi will make. We are meant to learn to let go, but that does not mean we close ourselves off. How can we learn? How can we serve the Force if we are closed off from others? As with all things, balance is key."

Their moment together was interrupted by Master Jora's comm buzzing. Standing, she gave a bow. "That'll be Dez and Reath, but Te'elis, you know if you ever need a listening lekku..."

"I know where to find you," Te'elis replied with a smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

~~~

It was Master Jora Malli who informed Te'elis of her late master's ill health. They were close, being on the Jedi High Council and living next door to one another. They were also unorthodox in their own ways. Jora was impatient and tended to push problems until answers revealed themselves. She also had padawan Dez Rydan, who had the same wild, free spirit as Jora and then padawan Reath Silas, who preferred spending his time in the Jedi Archives instead of partaking in adventures away from Coruscant. It was a shame that Jora made it her mission to balance them out. Te'elis knew them both quite well; Reath enjoyed being assigned to help her in the Jedi Archives, while Jora attended high-level diplomatic meetings, while Dez hated being assigned to archive-based assignments and craved adventure. Coming back from assignments, he would quiz her on the archaeological wonders they had brought back to the Jedi Temple. Dez was also in Te'elis' age group, with L'echar just a few years older. The three of them were often assigned to off-world missions together. It was returning from one such mission that Master Jora Malli waited in the hanger. Te'elis knew from the way she stood that something was wrong. You're needed in the infirmary urgently. She had said.