Chapter Twenty-Seven: Calm

Eliatra burned. Her skin crackled with heat, withered with dryness. Her tongue scraped across sandpaper lips to no avail, breath coming in rasping heaves as she stared him down.

Him.

The yellow-eyed Sith from Naboo. The one who had made himself a guest in her dreams every night, the one constant in the variations of her nightmares.

Her knees ached against gritty desert ground and her eyes watered in the red sun above his head. He filled her vision, rancid breath rotting in her nostrils. She tried to choke out the smell, but it pervaded her senses utterly and wrung tears from her dusty eyes.

"Tell me your name."

There wasn't so much a voice as a rumbling within her skull. The sense immediately turned her stomach into knots, but there was nothing to rise up her throat but fear.

"Go away," she spat, working not to tremble. Her voice rose in pitch. "You don't belong here. You're dead! You're dead!"

"TELL ME." He leaned closer and gripped her arms, shaking her. "TELL ME OR HE DIES."

"Why do you want to know?" she sobbed, struggling against him. "Why do you even care? I'm a padawan! Just a padawan!"

Her ears roared and the shaking grew more violent, pinning her down. She fought him and worked a hand free, slinging back to strike his face with all the force her exhausted frame could muster, and her knuckles collided—

—with flesh and bone and suddenly her face was cool, damp, and Orion was cursing as he recoiled from the bed, rubbing his cheek with a rueful glance in her direction. "Well, that'll be the last time I try to wake you up from a nightmare."

Eliatra blinked and dizzily tried to orient herself. Faint moonlight filtered through her open window as well as a chilly breeze that bit at her tearstained cheeks. Her covers were tangled around her arms and legs, her limbs sticky with sweat. Her knuckles ached. "Sorry," she muttered, swiping at her face. "I just…"

"It was the Sith again, wasn't it?" The lanky padawan cautiously returned to her bedside and perched at the foot of her mattress.

She gave a tiny nod and tried to dismiss the still-vivid memory. "Of all the things I went through on Naboo, you wouldn't think that would be the one to come back and haunt me."

Orion shrugged. "The Force acts in mysterious ways," he intoned, doing such an accurate impression of Master Vandar's gruff voice that Eli couldn't help smiling.

"Why are you in here, anyway? It's way too early for you to be up." She glanced at the bedside chrono to double-check the time and grimaced. It would be at least two hours before the rest of the enclave began to rise and prepare for the day.

"Just a hunch you might not be sleeping well." He paused, something on the tip of his tongue, then shook his head imperceptibly and offered her a smile. "And I have something for us to do today instead of hanging around the infirmary and healing scraped knees."

Eli grinned back at his enthusiasm. In the weeks since their return from Naboo, Orion had been helping her train her combat skills with her off hand while her right arm healed. In return, she had been tutoring his Force healing, and she had insisted that he master the basics before moving on to more complicated healing. Orion, of course, had bridled at the tedious work, though the younglings found him exceedingly entertaining.

"Oh? What's that?"

"It's a surprise." He beamed roguishly and leaned forward to plant a light kiss on her lips. "We'll be leaving right after breakfast, so pack a bag for a day's outing… and include a change of nice civvie clothes. Your tunic is unacceptable where we're going."

"Is that so?" She pondered what he had planned, but a wide yawn interrupted her thoughts and Orion seemed to realize the time.

"I'd better let you get back to sleep," he said a little sheepishly. He squeezed her hands and gave her a goodbye kiss, lingering a little longer this time. "Sorry for waking you up."

Eli held on to his hands as he started to pull away. "No, don't be sorry. Thank you. It was awful." She hesitated, remembering, then shook it off and dredged up an apologetic half-smile. "I'm sorry I hit you."

"I'll just prod you with a nice, long stick next time," he suggested, standing and stretching. "Get some sleep, now. Unless you want me to stay?"

"Get out of here," she laughed and shooed him toward the window. "And shut that on your way out, please. It's freezing in here."

"Will do." He squeezed out the window with apparent ease and gave her one last grin as he slid the pane shut and vanished.

Trisana didn't fail to notice the leather knapsack slung over Eliatra's shoulder when she arrived at breakfast a few hours later. "What's that for?" she asked by way of greeting as Eli seated herself on Orion's other side and started smearing fruit jelly on a biscuit.

"Eli and I are running a little mission for Master Khvee today," Orion explained, washing down his half-finished breakfast with a swig of caf. "A farm north of Khoonda reported problems with a pack of kath hounds bothering their livestock. We're going to clear them out."

"So, community service," Tris summarized, but she sounded envious. "Need an extra hand? I'm itching to get away from the enclave for a little while."

Eli grimaced, unnoticed. Under ordinary circumstances she would have accepted Tris's offer in a heartbeat, but she doubted Orion had figured their friend into whatever plans he'd set up. Tris had so far remained oblivious to Eli and Orion's blossoming relationship, but as a result Eli hadn't been spending much time with her, and she felt a pang of guilt at her neglect.

Orion seemed to have thought this part of his plan through, however. "Sorry, Trissy," he said, sounding genuinely regretful, "there're only two seats in the speeder. Anyway, I wanted to monitor how well Eli does with her off hand in some actual combat, and it'll be hard to do that if you kill all the kath hounds before we can get to them." He grinned teasingly down at Tris and she poked him in the arm, flushing slightly.

Eliatra leaned around Orion to catch her friend's eye. "Don't worry, we'll make sure you can come along next time."

Tris shrugged offhandedly. "No worries." But her ice-blue gaze followed them silently out of the hall.

"So what's the real plan?" Eli asked once they had reached the cool quiet of the speeder bay.

Orion confidently led the way to a small two-seater with chipped blue paint. He glanced down at her, brow raised. "What makes you think we aren't going to hunt kath hounds?"

"'Nice civvie clothes'?" she reminded him. "I don't think kath hounds or farmers care if we're wearing our Jedi tunics." She clambered over the side and stuffed her bag into a storage compartment, Orion following suit with his own knapsack.

"That's because they don't." He keyed an authorization code into the speeder console and raised his voice as the engine powered up. "It's what we're doing after that requires the change of clothes."

"Oh." Eli fell silent as Orion steered the speeder out of the bay and accelerated across the across the grass, headed east. The brisk fall air rushed around the windshield and she huddled into her cloak, glad for the thick fabric. Winters were short but brutal on Dantooine, and autumn always bore a bite that struck hard after the long, languid summer. She rested her right arm on the edge of the door and absently rubbed her still-stiff elbow, lost in thought. Her cast had been off about a week, but her muscles still showed the lack of exercise. Even the combat moves that seemed ingrained in her muscle memory came haltingly, her saber hilt feeling like a ten-pound brick instead of the sturdy, compact device she was used to. Her off hand wasn't much better, but daily work with Orion was starting to pay off, and she was seeing marginal improvement over the initial awkwardness.

"Did you ask Austrina?" she asked suddenly, remembering her master's harried expression when asked about the possibility of dual-wielding training. The council had occupied much more of her time than usual in the previous weeks.

"After a fashion," he said evasively. On noticing her dubious look, he elaborated, "I left a note on her door that you'd be unavailable until later tonight."

He glanced at her, clearly hoping this would be explanation enough, but she prodded, "And?"

"…And I signed it 'Khvee.'"

Eliatra breathed out through her nose. He always had to do things the hard way. The against-the-rules way. "And what happens when she runs into him today and wonders what his plans were?"

"She won't. He's gone to Kalviss for a couple days on business. Some tip on smugglers from Nar Shaddaa trafficking Twi'leks through the little starport there." Kalviss was a tiny settlement on the other side of the planet, mainly used for exporting raw materials from other parts of the planet. Its lack of affiliation with the Jedi meant it was at once neglected by official business travel and occasionally targeted by less-than-legal travelers.

"If it's council business, she'll know that's where he is. And she'll also know you're not with him, and he never would've had me come along without asking her first."

"No, but she does know he trusts me to take care of little things like this when he's away. She just doesn't know he didn't also ask you to come with me." He grinned triumphantly at her.

"She could just call him on the comm."

"It's been…out of commission, lately." He smirked.

"Why didn't you just ask Austrina? I'm sure she would've been fine with it. It's practical, official, useful…"

"Because," he explained slowly, "culling a pack of kath hounds isn't going to take us all day. This just gives us a little more time together." He glanced at her again, eyes pleading. "C'mon, Eli. I know you hate having to hide… us… as much as I do."

"Oh, alright," she groused, consternation fading. He meant well, even if he didn't like to do things by the book. And he was right, of course. Austrina would have been suspicious if he'd simply asked her outright about taking Eli out for the day. As busy as she'd been, Eliatra couldn't hide the thought that she must be watching them somehow. "I just wish you wouldn't sneak around so much."

"I wish I didn't have to," he countered. "If the masters found out…"

He didn't have to finish.

The Fallanet estate was a sprawling affair, patrolled only by a single security droid at this hour of the morning. Orion parked the speeder by the main entrance and jumped out with practiced ease, announced their appointment with Teseel Fallanet, and seated himself on the edge of a planter while the droid went inside to fetch its master.

Eliatra stood uneasily near him, flexing her right forearm and wondering if she was really up to fighting a bunch of kath hounds. A week or two longer might have been nice to work her ability up closer to its former state.

"You think the rumors are true?" Orion asked suddenly, squinting up at her. "About us getting knighted?"

"I'm only sixteen," she pointed out doubtfully. "Most don't get knighted until their twenties, at least."

"Your birthday's next week," he reminded her. "And I'd say we've been through more than most by now."

"What about padawans on Coruscant? I'm sure they get to experience a lot more than we do. We're probably country hicks to them."

"Eli, Master Austrina trusted you to be one of the only Jedi near the Queen during her coronation. I think that says a lot about how much they believe in you."

"And look how much good that did," she muttered darkly.

He clucked disapproval and tugged her down beside him. "Don't start that again. You did as well as anyone could have. Probably better."

She ducked her head, blushing, but her reply was interrupted as the protocol droid returned, trailed by a tall, darkly-tanned man. Orion stood abruptly and crossed the distance between them, introducing himself with a handshake. "Teseel?"

"You must be the Jedi that the Council sent." He eyed them both, taking in Eli's petite stature with apparent doubt.

Feeling the need to remedy any false impressions, she offered her own hand. "I'm Padawan Eliatra Sabre, and this is my… colleague, Orion Rivalen. You said you had a kath hound problem?"

Assuaged by her professionalism, he nodded and planted his hands in his pockets. "Aye. Pack of 'em have been huntin' my nerfs, takin' down the little ones. I'd go after 'em myself, but there's an albino, maybe two, and I haven't got the blasters to take 'em down with."

"We'll take care of them," Orion informed him. "Where did you last see them?"

"By my north pastures." Teseel pointed past the crest of a hill not far off. "Once you start seein' my nerfs, you'll know to start lookin'."

"We'll be back later," Orion said, nodded goodbye, and turned to get back into the speeder.

"Two albino kath hounds?" Eliatra asked as soon as they were out of earshot and Orion was starting up the speeder again. "How are the two of us supposed to handle that, plus a pack of who-knows-how-many smaller kath hounds?" Albinos were a rare variant of the usual horned kath hounds, massive carnivorous beasts with thick skull plates and near-impenetrable hides.

"Eli, you survived an assassination and kidnapping attempt on Naboo, and you're worried about some local wildlife?"

She set her jaw and scanned the horizon as they crested the hill. Orion was right. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to argue so much today; anxiety pulled at her fingertips and she fiddled with the hem of her cloak sleeves. Fighting a bunch of kath hounds should be the least of her worries. At least kath hounds didn't try to Force choke you.

They finally started spotting nerfs grazing in shaggy clumps of eight to twelve, their horned heads rising to watch the speeder with curiosity as it passed them by. The beasts were something of a rarity as a herd animal on Dantooine, being less hardy than the more-exported bantha, but their meat was highly profitable and these looked well cared for, their sides glossy and sleek.

Eliatra squinted past them to the distant sandy-walled ridge, trying to make out the silhouette of a kath hound. She was about to give up and suggest Orion try a new direction when what she'd first taken as a pale boulder shifted against the sky and loped away over the hilltop. "There," she pointed toward its absence. "I think they saw us."

"Maybe." He shifted the engine down a gear and brought it low the ground, thrumming along slowly. "It's hard to say at this distance. Although if they're used to seeing the herders on speeders…"

"We're going to have to walk if we want to get close."

Orion grimaced and flew the speeder a few more meters before letting it idle to a stop. "I thought we'd be able to get closer than this. Sorry, El."

She jumped out and made sure her knapsack was stored safely out of sight before stretching and double-checking her saber hit. "A little walk isn't going to kill us. Well, maybe you."

He joined her side as they started wading through the waist-high grass toward the ridge. "If I fall and twist my ankle, will you carry me back?" He batted his eyelashes flirtatiously.

"I don't know how much carrying would be involved," she teased back. "It'd probably be more like dragging by one foot."

"My savior," he grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulders. A contented sigh escaped his lips as they walked for a few minutes in silence, and she guessed by the faint furrow in his brow that he was pondering the Council. It sat between them awkwardly, as if the Masters were always hanging over them.

"What if we were knighted?" he asked suddenly. "We wouldn't have to stick around here anymore…"

"And what?" she asked, humoring him. "What would we do, Orion?"

"Run away," he said logically, then amended, "Well, we wouldn't have to run, I guess. We could go fight evil together. You know, slavers, dark Jedi… Mandalorians. No one would have to know about us. We could be a team."

"We would still have to hide this," she pointed out, "at least in front of the other Jedi. Getting away from here won't help, Orion. It just makes us less conspicuous."

"Maybe that's all we need. Think about it, Eli. We can't be the only Jedi to have ever done this."

"Done what?" They had reached the foot of the bluff, and Eli turned to face him, arms crossed. He always hedged around the topic, refusing to name it, as if doing so meant announcing it to the galaxy. Eliatra hated it, hated the insecurity it etched in her whenever she wondered why he wouldn't say those simple words.

"You know." Orion shifted on his heels and eyed the grassy tufts hanging over the top of the ridge about ten feet up. "We can probably jump that," he suggested.

"Do I?" She ignored the latter comment and stepped toward him, letting her pent-up frustration seethe behind her eyes. "You keep talking about running away, Orion, and you whisk me off to Force-knows-where on these mysterious adventures, and spend all this time with me, but never, not once, can you say how you feel!"

He finally locked gazes with her and his eyes spread wide at the anger rolling off her shoulders. Her hands had dropped to her hips and her fingers itched a little too closer to her saber hilt. Orion scrambled for words. "Eli, I just—isn't this enough for you? I mean—It should be obvious—"

"If it's so obvious, why can't you say it? Because it's not true?"

The words hung in the air for an instant. He gaped and found a footing, seizing her shoulders as she trembled in the space between screaming and sobbing. "Eli, I love you, damnit. I love you. Don't ever doubt it."

She collapsed into his chest, utterly spent. "I'm sorry," she whispered, barely audible.

"You're silly," he whispered back, rubbing between her shoulder blades.

"I know." The storm was over as quickly as it had come, but she felt as if the weight of years had been washed away. "Orion?"

"Hmm."

"I love you, too."

"I know." He set a kiss on top of her head and steadied her, rubbing his hands together. "Are you ready to do this now?"

"Yeah." Eliatra tugged her tunic straight and took a breath as she glanced to the sky. "I'm ready."

The kath hounds were relaxing beneath a grove of trees a few hundred feet from the edge of the bluff, and the two padawans kneeled in the grass to hide themselves as they strategized.

"One albino, two horned, and… four, five smaller ones?" Eliatra counted, squinting through the grass. "How are we going to handle them all at once?"

"We have to keep some busy so we don't have them all attacking at the same time." Orion eyed her for a second. "I don't want you in the fray while your arm's still not up to the task, so you'd better take defense and I'll get in close to knock them out. Can you handle a stasis field from a distance?"

"I can get some of them," she said, surveying the pack. "I don't know about the albino, though. He's big."

"Just do your best." He patted her arm and crept through the grass, vanishing from sight as he pulled a cloaking shield around himself. Eliatra followed him as close to the pack as she dared, freezing every time one of the russet heads turned her way. The albino was a monster, all bulky shoulders and gnarled horns, easily as tall at the back as Orion was. He was clearly the alpha male, standing guard at the edge of the pack while the smaller hounds dozed.

Now, Orion's Force-voice thrummed into her consciousness. Eliatra shut her eyes and cast out to the warm bodies, feeling the life-force that pumped through their veins, and clenched her fists tightly. Two were sleeping and didn't fight her, but the albino and one of the horned Kath hounds struggled against her hold. Savage fury struck at her control, and she opened her eyes to see Orion closing the distance between him and the pack, visible now. One of the smaller rust-furred hounds leapt away from her hold and Orion's saber flashed across its chest, mowing it down before its snapping jaws could close on his face. He plunged a saber into another and raced for the nearest horned kath hound, knowing the largest had the potential to do the most damage.

Eliatra stood and ran toward them as quickly as she could while still maintaining control, though it was draining. The albino seemed to sense her waning strength and lashed out even harder.

Orion struck a killing blow to the first horned kath hound and turned to the next.

The albino roared. It snapped from her stasis and broke her control over the others, and the formerly peaceful grove erupted in a whirlwind of snarling jaws and bloodied limbs.

"Orion!" Eliatra doubled her pace and sprang at the pack, saber igniting mid-air as two hounds leapt toward her, spit flying and ugly jaws outstretched. Her cyan blade cut into the first, driving a squeal of pain from its throat, but the second intersected her and the three went tumbling to the ground. Pain shot through her calf, vicious teeth finding a purchase near the top of her boot. Gasping, she whipped her saber overhead and plunged it into her attacker's neck, scrambling to her feet to find Orion as it collapsed with a whimper.

He was under attack from the remaining horned kath hound and the last small hound, both dodging his swings as they darted in to attack him. The albino was barreling toward them, fairly shaking the earth with its weight.

Eliatra flung a Force wave at it, but the beast barely lost its balance before turning around to spot her. Deciding she was a better target, it howled and charged her. There was no way she could simply strike it down—its sheer momentum would bowl her over in seconds and she'd be done for if its powerful jaws got a hold of her. Seized by an impulse of Orion-worthy bravado, she crouched and leapt to the side as it reached her. It turned to snap as it passed by, and she dug her hands into the thick mane of silvery hair at its shoulders and let its momentum swing her up over the bony plate at the back of its neck. Suddenly she found herself straddling the exceedingly uncomfortable spined back of a beast that was equal parts confused and enraged. It spun in circles, attempting to turn its short neck far enough to snap at her knees.

Orion yelled something and ran toward her, but she couldn't make anything out amidst all the spinning. She felt her purchase slipping and scrambled for her saber, which had switched off at some point between being on the ground and landing atop the albino. Gripping with her knees as tightly as she could, she planted her hilt saber-end-down against the bony plate and ignited it.

The beast shuddered to a halt and staggered, moaning bloodily. Eliatra withdrew her saber and rode the albino to the ground, extracting herself from the spines as it twitched in its death throes.

The silence of the grove was interrupted by a slow clapping. Eli looked up from checking damage to her clothing to see Orion—equally disheveled and bloody—slowly applauding her, a grin spreading across his face. "You never cease to amaze me," he said simply.

"I try," she replied, and grimaced as she took a step. "One of them got me."

"I'll heal you if you heal me," he offered, holding out his own bloodied forearm.

"Deal. I'll go first."

Once their wounds were sufficiently tended to and Orion had earned a thank-you kiss for his efforts, the two trudged back to the speeder, leaving the evidence of their work behind.

"So, just to get this clear," Eliatra said once they were on their way back to the Fallanet estate, "you did get permission from the Council to run this mission, right?"

Orion had lapsed into a contented silence, and he glanced at her now with mild curiosity. "From Master Khvee, yes."

"He thought you could do it by yourself?"

"Are you insinuating I couldn't?" He feigned injury, blue eyes sparkling. "If I remember correctly, I took out the majority of those hounds before you came over to help."

"You couldn't have done it so easily if I wasn't holding them still for you. You might as well have been fighting rocks."

"Fair enough," he conceded with a grin, then sobered. "To be honest, I doubt he knew how many there actually were. I'm sure I could've muddled through on my own, but he probably expected me to bring someone along, anyway."

"You just didn't tell him."

"Right."

"What if you'd died? They could have torn you to shreds out there, easily. I don't know if I've ever seen a kath hound as big as that albino."

"You seemed to manage him okay," he pointed out dryly.

"Sheer luck," she countered, then amended, "Or maybe just the Force. Either way…"

"But I didn't die," he said reasonably, "even overlooking the fact that I don't think you're giving me enough credit. I promise you, El, kath hounds will not be the end of me. I'll probably die of old age, crusting up in an enclave corner somewhere. You're worrying for no reason."

She sighed and leaned back in her seat. He was right, as usual.

Orion noticed her discontent and patted her shoulder. "Cheer up. I've got plans for this afternoon, remember? Something to take your mind off Mr. Ugly-Face back there."

They arrived at the estate and were promptly greeted by Teseel Fallanet, who was both ecstatic to hear that his nerfs were safe once more, and appropriately concerned at their appearance. He squinted at the dangling strips of cloth on Orion's tunic sleeve, and the holes in Eliatra's pants, soaked at the edges with drying blood. "You two are a right mess, eh? Can I offer you a change of clothes, or…?"

"Just a place to change, actually," Orion suggested, glancing meaningfully at the pack slung over Eli's shoulder. "We brought spare clothes."

"Good thinking," Teseel approved, and led them into his spacious home. Eliatra waited in the airy foyer while Orion changed in a guest washroom, making small talk with Teseel while gazing around at the tastefully arranged furniture.

It'd be nice to have a place like this someday, she found herself thinking wistfully. The architecture was typical for an affluent Dantooinian estate, sturdy and classic with high skylights that made the room glow. A young curly-haired girl bolted into the room just as Orion emerged in a royal blue dress shirt that set off his eyes brilliantly; he kneeled to greet her as she skidded to a halt in front of him, her own dark eyes wide at his unfamiliarity.

"Don't charm her too much," Eli teased quietly as she passed Orion on her way in to the washroom.

Her own dress outfit was one Austrina had purchased for their trip to Coruscant earlier that year but she had never gotten a chance to wear; she had almost forgotten what it looked like until she shrugged the fluttery crimson silk over her head. The shirt hugged her waist and whispered around her collarbones, its see-through collar resting at the base of her neck as the current style dictated. Eli admired the long flared sleeves before extricating herself from her ruined trousers and pulling on a nicer black pair, then stepping back into her boots. The leather was definitely torn from the kath hound's bite, but there was a local merchant who could probably repair them to a workable state. Stuffing her old clothes back into her sack, she donned her cloak again and stepped out to see Orion chatting with Teseel and holding the girl—Teseel's daughter—on his hip. She pointed to Eli and he turned expectantly, brows rising in silent appreciation of her new outfit.

Orion returned the girl to her father and, exchanging final pleasantries, the two departed and climbed back into the speeder just as the overcast sky began to threaten rain. The engine thrummed to life and Orion steered it east, glancing at Eli once they were skimming comfortably over Dantooine's rolling landscape.

"Just when I was starting to think that 'blood-spattered' was your most attractive look, you proved me wrong," he commented.

Eli couldn't hold back a grin. "You clean up alright yourself, mister. I didn't know you owned anything that wasn't brown and shapeless."

"Got me there," he laughed. "I borrowed this from Kael."

"You shouldn't give it back. It fits you too well," she said, only half-joking.

"I'll see what I can do."

They arrived at the tiny lakeside town of Akhaa half an hour later, one that Eliatra had seldom visited on account of its lack of interest to the Jedi academy. Orion turned to her as he switched off the speeder and stowed their belongings out of sight. "Now, you just have to follow one rule while we're here," he said seriously, despite the telltale glee in his eyes. "We aren't Jedi."

"We're not?" Eli played along.

"No," he said firmly. "We're settlers—no, off-worlders considering settling near Achoo—"

"Akhaa," Eli corrected.

"Whatever. And we're deeply in love—you don't have to pretend that part—" Eli grinned, "—and we're just spending time in town to see what the locals are like. Any questions?"

"Aren't we a little young to be settlers?"

"I'm going to be eighteen in a few months, and you're almost seventeen, remember? Besides, people run away to do stuff like this all the time."

"I suppose," she consented.

"Then let's go."

He led the way down the main thoroughfare, pointing out things of interest as they went: a general store, a sculpture of a "Captain Harley Akhaa" holding a blaster with a foot propped against a rock, a café, a gift shop.

"What kind of gifts could you possibly buy from a town as small as this?" Eli wondered.

"Let's find out," Orion suggested gallantly.

Although the shop's owner—a tiny, wizened woman who had probably spent the better part of her life working Dantooine's fields—tried to sell them her most expensive items, which resided under a heavy blanket of dust, Eliatra finally settled on an airy black scarf, paid for by Orion.

They spent the rest of the afternoon ducking in and out of shops, browsing for agricultural equipment, inquiring about room rates in the town's only hotel, and investigating the price of undeveloped land bordering Lake Tevvet ("Not that expensive," Orion had remarked upon leaving the real estate office. "As long as you're willing to deal with nests of kinrath everywhere.")

After stopping for an early dinner at the Iriaz Rider Café, the two left the town in satisfied contentment. Eliatra dozed in the passenger seat while Orion drove them back to the enclave, their hands intertwined between them.

She didn't wake until the engine switched off and Orion shook her awake beneath the artificial lights of the speeder bay. Rain drummed the ground outside the open bay doors. "Time to get up," he told her softly. "I'd carry you, but someone'd probably see us, and you know how gossip travels around here."

"I know," she sighed, stretching.

They walked into the academy in amiable silence and had paused to say goodbye before heading to their separate rooms, when someone entered the otherwise-empty foyer.

"Eli! Orion!" Trisana recognized the two before they realized who she was. They broke apart before she got to them, Eli crossing her arms over her chest as she remembered how un-Jedilike she was dressed. Whatever news Trisana had momentarily died on her lips as she scanned them up and down. "I thought you were fighting kath hounds?" she asked slowly, pale eyes lingering on the scarf slung around Eli's neck.

"We were," Eli said hurriedly, turning her leg to point out her torn boot. "See? Orion healed my leg, but my boot's ruined for sure. One of them bit me and…"

"What've you been up to today?" Orion interrupted, sensing her desperation to change the topic.

Thankfully, Tris decided to drop it, though the skeptical look she leveled at Eli plainly said we'll talk later. "Nothing," she said dismissively, then leaned toward them, eyes glowing with importance. "Except you'll never guess who's at the enclave right now."

"Who, Tris?" Orion asked dutifully.

"Revan Terala and Alek Kairn'si," she said urgently. "Remember, the Knights who left a few years back? They used to be padawans here on Dantooine?"

"Yes?" Eliatra replied curiously.

"They're back," Tris breathed. "And they want the Jedi to fight the Mandalorians."