22 BBY, Month 8
Rylann
Rylann never felt happier to be back on Kamino. She didn't have to worry about possibly dying there except if death by boredom would be a thing. But after the stresses of the mission, boredom sounded like a wonderful idea. Besides, she needed rest and her bed was calling her name.
"Rylann!" No, it wasn't her bed calling, it was her master. The somehow gracefully urgent steps were a dead giveaway.
Rylann turned to face Shaak Ti as she stood in the hall in front of her door. She was literally within an arm's reach of rest but something had to come up. What could it be? Did Shaak need an update on the mission now? Hadn't Cody sent in the debrief documentation already?
"Yes, Master?" Rylann finally asked, letting out a sharp sigh. She wiped her eyes, blinking the exhaustion away as she met Shaak Ti's gaze.
"The Council is on call for you," Shaak Ti said, voice thin. That couldn't be good.
"Can it wait?" Rylann begged, letting her pack roll off of her shoulders in defeat. "I'm so tired."
"They are adamant," Shaak Ti stated, sending a warning in her eyes. "Be on your best behavior for not only your sake but for your friends, too."
Rylann straightened her shoulders, shrugging her pack back on. "Yes, Master."
The walk to the meeting room was quiet yet everything felt so loud to Rylann. The voices in her head were yelling out all the possibilities of why she was being called so urgently. Did they not approve of the mission? Did they not approve of her working with the Bad Batch? Or was it they found out about Crosshair and the visions and dreams? The scary part was that the last possibility was actually a possibility. Rylann had seen Yoda be able to read someone's thoughts or someone's dreams and visions. It was scary since it was an invasion of privacy that could forever shift her career as a Jedi.
I wish I could just disappear, Rylann thought, the idea of not facing the unknown problem more appealing than facing the serious Council who probably would yell at her. She froze at the thought. How could she even think about leaving? But then, why would she even stay? Crosshair and the Batch. Even the regs she liked had moved along to their own legions, so she couldn't even say Giggles or Kix. Maybe she was staying for Shaak Ti. If Rylann left it would leave a taint on Shaak Ti's ability to be a Master and Council member.
No, she couldn't leave. At least not yet. Maybe a year or two into Knighthood she would. But what if they sprang a padawan upon her? Then she'd feel obligated to stay longer and then she'd become a Master and would feel bad leaving. And what of the Council? She'd give a lot for more like-minded Council members to combat the strictness of the current ones.
They reached the meeting room, the doors sliding open and then shut as if sealing her fate. A fate she did not know, but she could tell whatever it was, it wasn't good. Rylann glanced around at the holograms of the Council members, gulping when she spotted their faces. Stern, angry, sad. If only they'd give a memo with the reasons for calling her so she could prepare beforehand. But of course they wouldn't want her to come prepared. Better she came confused so that she couldn't fight back, right?
Rylann shook her head of the bitter, angry thoughts. Where were these coming from? She knew she could be emotional, but she'd never been this dark...
"Padawan Tetra, I hope you've settled back on Kamino nicely," Obi-Wan Kenobi said, offering a small smile.
Rylann let out a breath. Even though Kenobi and she rarely saw eye-to-eye, she did appreciate his kindness to her regardless. "You have all caught me before being able to unpack, but I'm glad to be home from the mission."
"Your mission is what we have called you here for," Mace Windu said, legs crossed as he sat, hands clasped in front of him. Rylann gulped.
Yoda nodded in agreement. "Discuss things, we must."
"Of course," Rylann said, internally cooling her emotions. She recalled what Shaak Ti warned her of. She must be the perfect image of a padawan so they suspect nothing—not that she was hiding anything. Well, besides almost kissing Crosshair. Dank ferrik, Rylann thought. So much for keeping her thoughts under control. Hopefully Yoda didn't pick up on that. She looked at the small green creature, though didn't detect any change in his emotions to her relief.
"You are too reckless," Mace Windu stated quietly, but it might as well have been yelled at her.
Rylann took a step back, brows furrowed in confusion. "Sir?"
"The failure of this mission just shows the lack of leadership qualities needed in—"
"I beg your pardon, but we did not fail the mission," Rylann let out, biting her lip in regret. So much for faking perfection. That lasted not even two seconds.
"Oh really?" Mace asked, tilting his head at Rylann. "Please continue."
Letting out a breath to regain focus, Rylann met his eyes. "Though our original plan did not succeed as we had wished, we did as any warrior should do—adapt. Though we ended up in precarious situations—"
Windu cleared his throat. "Like prison?"
Rylann clenched her jaw, but kept maintaining eye contact. "Not even your best Jedi can avoid getting captured now and again." Rylann glanced at Kenobi. Hadn't he gotten captured on Geonosis at the start of the Clone Wars?
Kenobi nodded. "Yes, even I have been taken by surprise."
Mace Windu shot a glare at Kenobi before sighing. "But two of your men were also injured."
Rylann flinched. Crosshair getting hurt was bad enough, but she didn't find out about Wrecker until the flight back. It broke her to see him unconscious like he was. She prayed that he would get back on his feet soon and be good as new.
"Fair, that is not," Yoda interjected on her behalf, leaning on his staff. "Mistakes, we all make. What's important, outcomes are."
Rylann nodded, taking the opening. "Though we did find ourselves getting captured, it resulted in a good conversation with the Duchess—" Rylann met Kenobi's eyes. "She even said she would want us to tell her of our plans in the future which indicates that she foresees a future working with us."
Windu scratched his chin in thought. "I still think you need a long way in your training before your test in less than two months."
Rylann sighed. "Yes, sir."
"You'll fly out for Coruscant in the morning," Windu stated abruptly. "Training will begin in two days."
Shaak Ti bristled beside Rylann. "Windu, what is the meaning of this?"
"With your ever-growing pile of duties, the majority of the Council believes that it'd be best that your load be lessened—your padawan will be leaving you anyway, so it would be best to wean her off of you now."
Rylann felt anger rise in her gut. With me graduating soon, wouldn't this be the time I need Shaak Ti most? Rylann took a step forward to say something but Shaak Ti subtly gestured for her to stop. Rylann wanted to cry. She wanted to stand up for her Master just like Shaak Ti had stood up for her, but she wouldn't let her? That wasn't fair.
"Thank you for your time, Padawan Tetra," Plo Koon said, nodding respectfully to Rylann.
Ry bowed before exiting the room, tears streaming down her face as she rounded the corner.