Bab 17: The Republic Fleet
I wake up in a nice soft bed, which is strange since I fell asleep listening to a lesson on Imperial interests. They are truly brutal and evil. I have read reports and experienced their evil first hand. It makes me wonder why anyone would side with them, knowing what they're all about. It makes places in this big galaxy seem small when the empire has it. The worst, in my opinion, is the severe racism against non-humans. It makes my stomach turn that they enslave them than work them to death.
I sit up on the bed and look out the window. Hyperspace is still passing by, and it feels like I slept for a long time. Satele said it would be 12 hours before we got there, and I spent hours studying. I get up and make my way to the cockpit. The door slides open, and I see Master inputting commands and monitoring power levels. "Nice of you to finally join me, Nate. You slept for 10 hours. We should be arriving at the fleet soon." I take a seat next to her and give a small yawn.
The console starts to beep, and I help take us out of hyperspace. We exit, and a bunch of ships and traffic appears. "Unknown vessel. State your credentials for entering republic military space." A voice comes through the speaker on the console, and Satele says her authorization code. "Welcome back, Grandmaster." The voice cuts off, and Satele pilots the ship into the huge station. If there is one thing that's impressive about space flight, it's the sheer size of ships and stations.
I input commends as she finishes landing the ship. The engines power down as we land. She presses the button for the ramp, and we hear it lowering. "Once I speak to the station commander, we'll settle in. After I get some sleep myself, we'll start our first lessons in Niman. You're fortunate enough to have a Master that specializes in Niman. When you want to work on Ataru and Shien, I'll teach you those too." I truly am fortunate that Satele is my Master.
We get up from our seats, and we walk to the back of the ship. We descend the ramp, and I see a few Jedi and troopers. Once fully down the ramp, they approach and give light bows. We reciprocate, and the oldest of the Jedi speak. "It's good to have you back on station, Grandmaster. We are still expecting an attack on Taris in the next week. Until then, it's just a waiting game." Satele nods her head and turns her head to me.
She tilts her head for me to introduce myself to them. "Greeting Masters. I'm padawan Nathan Opal." I give another light bow in respect of the senior ranks. I notice there are other padawans with these Masters, but they are much older than me. They give light bows back to me. Satele begins to walk, and I keep pace at her side. The Jedi and troopers behind us follow Master and me all the way to the station commander.
We enter the office, and I see some awards and medals on the wall close to the desk. The station commander has his back turned to us and is looking out at the republic forces. "You said you would only take a little bit of time. Not an entire day." This man sounds stern and one for military structure. Even though Satele outranks him by a lot, he is still pretty prideful in his position. He turns around and sees all the people in his office. "I'd like to speak with the Grandmaster alone." I turn to leave with the rest of the Jedi, but Satele stops me.
I turn around and see the disapproving look on the commander's face. "Commander Trev. I'd like you to meet my padawan, Nathan. He will be with me at all times, even in meetings such as this." I watch his face twist in slight annoyance. "I know the situation on Taris is getting worse, but we have to wait until the Imperials make an official landing and occupation before we can do anything." I take it Trev is the type for pre-emptive strikes.
He picks up a data-pad and presses some buttons. "Jedi politics are what is holding this war back. The republic could have won a long time ago if your code didn't stop you from helping." So he is also cynical towards Jedi. "I'll let you know when Taris is being targeted directly by the empire. Until then, stay on station and wait for my word." This guy sure does have an attitude. Satele just stays quiet with a subtle smile on her face. She turns around and begins to walk away. I follow, and we leave the office.
We walk for some time before we come across a special-looking door. She inputs commands into the pad on the wall, and it opens. A huge room is revealed with several other doors and a table in view. "This is where the Jedi on station resides, and as Master and apprentice, we must share quarters. We'll have separate beds and bathrooms, but we will be sleeping in the same room." I nod my head and notice that some of the other doors are open.
A couple of jedis peek their heads out to see what's going on. All of them have padawan braids. "Master. When will I get my padawan braid?" She just smiles and indicates for me to follow her to the table. I sit down, and she stands behind me. She goes over to a desk and pulls out a little rubber band. She walks back over and proceeds to braid a small piece of my hair behind my right ear. I feel her put the rubber band on, and it's now holding it in place.
She taps my head, letting me know she is done. "I'm going to get some rest, Nate. Wake me up 4 hours from now, and we'll start your training in the training quarters." I nod my head and watch her walk to a specific room. I guess that's my room too. I stay seated in my spot on the table and think about what she will teach me about Niman first. I feel someone is staring at me, and I turn my head to see.
It's another padawan that I recognize from the Boulder clan. "Hey, Anis! I didn't think I'd see a familiar face from Tython!" She fully walks out of her room and comes to join me at the table. She sits down and has her calm smile like she always does. "So who took you as a padawan?" I ask her since she was at a different training ground meeting her Master.
I see the light in her eyes brightened up slightly, and that must mean she got who she wanted. "Knight Jayla took me! She has been an inspiration to me ever since she saved my ship from being destroyed by the Imperials before I learned I was force sensitive." Knight Jayla is famous on the edge of Hutt space. She has freed many slaves and saved countless innocent people from the cruelty of the Hutts and the empire.
We continue to talk and catch up for a few hours. She was soon called back to her room by Jayla. I look at the clock for the station and see that it's almost time to wake up Satele for my first lesson. I close my eyes and meditate until it's time. I want a clear head when I start learning from the best Niman practitioner in the Order.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone