A Love Like Theirs (Month 5, 32BBY)

For the past 23 years Kaia had been living and training as a Jedi. The first 11 years of her life was spent in the Jedi Temple on Courscant. It was obvious from the very moment she was brought there by Jedi Master Mace Windu that she was going to be incredibly powerful one day.  Despite Mace's intentions of keeping her parentage a secret, knowledge of who her parents truly were got out and no Jedi Master wanted to train her...except for one. Zavian Aldari was a young Jedi Master and he agreed to take on Kaia as his first Padawan. He knew who her parents were and was well aware of how powerful she was turning out to be. She was going to be a challenge, but Master Aldari was not a conventional Jedi Master and liked a challenge.

And a challenge Kaia was. Kaia was stubborn, hard-headed, willful, and at times incredibly frustrating, but she was also an extremely hard worker. Kaia would not quit at something until she had mastered it. She would practice over and over again. Kaia was powerful and wielded a lightsaber like it was an extension of her own body. Kaia was also incredibly beautiful. She had long, red hair that seemed to be a reflection of her fiery nature. Her eyes were green with flecks of gold.

Because of where she had come from, none of the other Padawans wanted to be her friend. Kaia felt incredibly lonely growing up and over the years became closer and closer to her Zavian until one day their relationship became something much more significant. Because she was his Padawan still, their relationship was frowned upon by the Jedi Council, but that did little to deter them. Kaia was more than ready to take the trials, but her request had been denied several times now. Kaia and Zavian knew that once she passed the trials and became a Jedi Master then they could continue their relationship more openly.

Kaia lay with Zavian in their bed in a room in Taleg the Hutt's palace. They had traveled to Nar Shaddah to negotiate the release of an imprisoned Jedi Knight. The negotiations were successful and Kaia and Zavian accepted Taleg's invitation to remain in his palace. They were enjoying themselves when a message summoning them to return to Courscant to appear before the Jedi Council was brought to them.

"I'm certain it's just another denial of my request to take the Trials. They are never going to allow me to take them."

The Jedi code was not something easily ignored or set aside. Possessions and emotional attachments were very much frowned upon. A Jedi did not fraternize or fall in love but that was exactly what Zavian did. And it was this reason that he was not offer a seat on the Jedi council despite his considerable power and wisdom.

Zavian was not the swordswoman Kaia was but he was extremely powerful in the force and his understanding of the living force rivaled that of Master Yoda himself.

Zavian loved Kaia. She was extremely beautiful and they had developed a strong bond and rapport over the years that he had taken her as his Pedowan learner. What they were doing was very much frowned upon by the Jedi Council. So much so that he had been denied a seat on the council and Kaia was not given permission to take the trials.

Taleg’s palace was filled with excess and luxury. Their suite room was huge and they shared a massive bed together. Kaia lay on his well muscled chest after enjoying an afternoon of a delicious food and passionate love-making. Zavian was much older than she but he certainly didn’t look or act like it, especially in the bedroom.

“Even the council has to live by heir own rules. You will take them and they will make you a Jedi,” he said confidently. He knew they would. There were so few good Jedi these days and Kaia was one of the best Zavian had ever seen.

“But I don’t think that is what it’s about. Something has happened...I can feel it rigjt on the edge of understanding. Something dark is happening, O can feel it,” Zavian said. Zavian has an incredible
metaclorian count and his ability to use the force nearly
matches that of Yoda but Kaia always felt her Master always held back too. She had never really seen him use all of his power. Not yet anyway. Zavian rubbed his thumb idly along the base of Kaia’s jawline. She was covered up by the red silk sheets but the curves of her body pressed up against the crimson silk seductively. She knew he liked to look at her and he knew she liked him to want to look. He wanted more time to luxure with her. They didn’t have to leave rigjt that minute either.

Kaia could see a future with Zavian. They shared a bond that no one would be able to break. Everyday it just seemed to get stronger and stronger. Kaia was not looking forward to going back to the Jedi Council. For the past 8 months she and Zavian had been traveling the galaxy. She enjoyed the freedom it granted them. There was nothing more for Zavian to teach her. All she could do now was just wait for an opportunity to take the trials.

Kaia loved Zavian's touch. It was soft and seductive. For a moment she forgot about the Jedi Council and what it was they were calling them back for. Her eyes met his and she reached up and gently caressed his cheek.

"Have you ever considered just leaving everything behind and going with me to make a new life together?"

Zavian loved her fiery red hair. Especially when she left it unbundled or braided. Kaia was one of those ‘true’ beauties that didn’t really need to paint her face to look absolutely gorgeous. He had been trained not to react to things like beauty but Zavian...anyone he decided, would have to be blind not to see the beauty in her. Especially when she used a lightsaber. Zavian had seen naturals before but nothing like Kaia. She had a true gift there. Her use of the force was good but her fighting abilities were greater than his were. And it had nothing to do with his age either.

“Ofcourse I have. Even a Jedi can have selfish thoughts, sometimes,” he said. “I’ve thought about you alot lately Kaia. Taking you beyond the Outer Rim worlds into Wild Space and making you my wife,” he said honestly. “Thoughts only until now,” he said and he felt her shock at his words as she shifted and sat up to look at him. She still held the sheet up against her chest to hide her nakedness though he would have loved for her to let it go so he could see her body. He doubted he could ever get tired of seeing her. Her green eyes sparkled brightly in the dim light.

In some ways Kaia was still a young woman. Experience took years to collect and though he was much older than she, she had been his first and only love like he was for her. The difference was his life experience and the ability to rationalize his actions. They both knew who her parents were so going anywhere near Dathomir was out. They needed to stay away from the core worlds because of the Jedi. It was possible they could live amongst the Hutts, over the years Zavian had become a well known personality amongst the Hutts. They respected him and he always treated them with respect and understanding. But he knew they’d be found there too, eventually.

“Would that suit you Kaia? Leaving the way of the Jedi behind and striking out on our own? Maybe build a home somewhere and have a family?” He asked. Bold words to speak out loud but he had been thinking them and now they were all out for her to digest. They both knew how dangerous it would be for them. But leaving the conflict between the Rebels and the Separatists sounded good to him. And having her all to himself did too.

“If the council makes you a Jedi, you’ll take on your own Pedowan learner and I will as well and the council will do everything they could to keep us apart after that,” he said. He knew that much was true.

Kaia carefully considered Zavian's words. Her thought about leaving the ways of the Jedi and setting out on their own had been merely a dream until that very moment. She had never thought Zavian would actually truly consider leaving the Jedi. She thought he would try to talk her out of it and convince her that they could continue to make their relationship work. However, they both seemed to know what the real truth was. The council was going to try to keep them separated no matter what happened. If they truly wanted to be together then they were going to have to leave the Jedi.

The thought of marrying Zavian and having a family actually made Kaia happy. Few things in her life made her happy, but that thought caused true happiness to bloom inside of her. It flowed through the Force bond between them and she could tell he felt it as well. In that moment a decision had been made. They embraced and shared a loving, passionate kiss for a moment before she pulled back and looked at him.

"I want us to leave properly," she confessed. "I already have my parents to worry about. I don't want to have to run from the Jedi Council as well. Let us return to Courscant one last time and go before the Council together and tell them of our intentions."

Zarian smiled up at her and he pulled the sheet aside when she came down to kiss him. He felt her shift to straddle him and then the passionate kissing turned into alot more as she made love to him.

Zavian’s Ship was just big enough to fit 2 people and his Astromech. The modified ETA-8 was just large enough to have its own Hyperspace drive. It wasn’t as nimble as a snub fighter but it had speed and a much more potent armament. Kaia wasn’t as good a pilot as he was but most of that had to do with that she didn’t really like the thought of dying in a ship. Ships were clunky, mechanical things that could fail. She with just her lightsaber...could never fail. At least that was how she put it. Their ship jumped out of hyperspace right above Coruscant. There were other ships coming and going. Coruscant was one, big city after all and it required the importing of goods and services of a scale that no other planet would ever see. He landed at the one of the Jedi landing pads and they saw Mace Windu himself there waiting for them.

“Well that can’t be good,” Zavian said as he turned off the engines. His blue R2 unit came down just as the doors to their cockpit opened for them to exit the spacecraft. “Well, this is some welcome,” Zavian said lightheartedly as his feet touched down. He heard Kaia hop down behind him.

“Did Joren make it back alright?” He asked when he saw the grimness in Windu’s face. Joren was the Jedi they negotiated his release for with the Hutts. Mace folded his hands into the sleeves of his Master Jedi robes. “No he made it back alright. The council has been assembled, we’ve been waiting for you,” He said then turned and led them to the air car that would take them to the Jedi Temple. He barely even looked at Kaia and she’d feel his disappointment in her as well. Zavian looked back at her for a moment and she felt both his unease at this change in greeting and the strength of his love for her. He tried to cover her with it like a blanket to soothe her.

Kaia hated flying. She was a decent pilot, because she had to be, but she much preferred having her feet firmly on the ground. She felt she had less control in a ship, than she did on land with a lightsaber in hand. Therefore, she usually let Zavian fly. As they came out of hyperspace in Courscant Kaia got a good look at the city and the Jedi Temple. She still had a hard time understanding why the Jedi had built a Temple in such a busy place. It seemed, to her, that it should be out on a desert or forested planet.

As they touched down on the landing pad Kaia spotted Mace Windu waiting for them. She could sense his disappointment already. She knew that he had been her mother's Master and that only made the choices that she was making with Zavian cause that much more disappointment in Master Windu. She noticed that he barely looked at her. She sighed as she and Zavian began to follow him towards the council. She had braided her long, red hair in a single braid down her back, as was required by female Padawans of a species that had hair. She glanced over at Zavian as they walked side by side and could sense that he was trying to comfort her. She gave him a little smile and her eyes reflected the love she felt for him.

The shuttle stopped at the small landing behind the Temple. A wide set of stairs led down from it to a narrow skybridge that led to the Temple proper. Inside there were the temple guardians who nodded bows to them as they entered and Mace took them straight away up to the inner temple chambers where the Jedi Council waited for them. As they entered a man that looked like no Jedi was just leaving. He had short, dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He was fairly young, if older than she was but he was extremely handsome in his dark leather trench coat. He had goggles above his head and he looked to be bristling with weapons. He looked halfway between some kind of pilot and some kind of scoundrel or bounty hunter. The dark and curious look he gave her though and the feeling she got from him that he was a very dangerous man. That and he also thought she was attractive. So definitely not a Jedi then.

“Focus on the moment,” Zavian murmured as they stepped into the main council hall. As thy did the Jedi council who were all in attendance but one, Mace and he moved and took his seat next to Yoda.

“Master Zavian, Jorien’s safe return we appreciate,” Yoda said as he looked them over. “I trust your relationship with the Hutts was not tarnished too badly,” He said. Zavian bowed as he came before them with Kaia just behind him and to his right. “No, the negotiations were not difficult and my repore with them remains undamaged,” he said. “I am wondering why I am here before you,” He said plainly. “Is it time for Kaia to go through the trials? She is ready. She is strong-willed and has much to learn about the living force but she will make an excellent Jedi,” He said. Yoda looked from him to Kaia then back again.

“Our own council shall we keep on who is ready,” he said as he pointed a finger at him. “We have another mission for you. One that can not wait,” he said as he looked at them both. “And this one involves your pedowan, in a way,” he said as he pointed at her right then. It was then that Kaia felt the Jedi’s in the room using their Jedi sense on her. SHe was being probed by many minds for emotion and surface thoughts. ‘Clear your mind Kaia’ She heard Zavian’s thoughts in her head.

As Zavian and Kaia neared the main council hall, she noticed a man that she did not recognize leaving the hall. He did not look like a Jedi. In his dark, leather trench coat with his goggles and weapons he looked like a cross between a pilot and a bounty hunter. He was perhaps a little older than she was, but still fairly young. He was quite handsome, and as they passed by each other she sensed his immediate attraction towards her. She heard Zavian's voice and she nodded and took a deep breath before stepping with him into the council hall. She stood just behind Zavian and to his right as he spoke with Yoda. She remained quiet and respectful. However, when Yoda informed Zavian that they needed them for another mission she felt the Jedi in the room probing her mind. They were examining her emotions and surface thoughts. She heard Zavian's voice in her head and she immediately cleared her mind. Deep down, though, she wondered if Zavian was going to inform the council of their decision to leave the Jedi and begin their own life together.

“Qui-Gon Jinn’s death is still fresh in our minds. Master Obi-Wan has confirmed that the foe he fought was indeed a Sith Lord,” He said. There were murmurs around the room but Kaia noticed Mace Windu was silent and looking at her. “Always there are too, a Sith Lord and an Apprentice. We believe Obi-Wan dispatched the Apprentice,” Yoda said.

“The dark side of the force lays across our foresight like a blanket. Our vision of the future is clouded and distorted. So much so that we believe that a Sith is near us but we do not know who or where as of yet,” he said. Yoda detected that Zavian wanted to say something. Something important and so he decided not to let him speak.

“There is reason to believe that this Seperatist movement and the recent uptick in talk about sending down the Military Creation Act are related. For this reason we need ‘every’ available Jedi to find the truth to these rumors,” He said then he looked at Kaia.

“Kaia Keldara...step forward,” Yoda said. As she did all eyes were on her and she felt a flurry of increased scrutiny as several minds probed hers.

“We are aware who your parents are. Tarian and Amara Keldara. Turned to the dark side by Lord Plagueis,” he said. As he said that images of her mother looking down at her fluttered through her mind. Images of her birth came next and the feel of another heartbeat next to hers in her mother’s womb. The images were quick and not in any kind of order.

“Plagueis is no more but the shadow of the dark side of the force is apparent in our lack of vision. There has been talk about putting you through the trials Kaia, tell us your thoughts on this,” Yoda asked but somehow Kaia knew this question was a double-edged sword. It was strategic in nature. And there would be no right answer here.

Lately, Kaia found that she had been having visions, or perhaps memories, of a time she did not remember. There was a woman with red hair and a man with thick black hair. She could only assume they were her parents. But today, as she stood in the council hall she had a new vision. One of being inside her mother’s womb...but she wasn’t alone. There was mother heartbeat. Did she have a brother or sister? Where were they now?

Yoda’s question caused her to come out of her vision and back into the moment. She knew there was no right answer here, so why tip toe around the truth.

“For the past year I have been more than ready to take the Trials, but every request I made to take them has been denied. Only now when I am needed in your fight do you wish to actually let me take the Trials. My entire life has been spent here and yet I am still judged harshly for who my parents are. I am not trusted and I do not feel welcome. The only person who has ever believed in me is Master Aldari.”

If Zarian’s almost Silent groan was not enough to tell her she had made a mistake, Mace Windu’s eyes that seemed more like daggers poised to strike at her spoke volumes.

“Oh, treated unfairly, you think you are,” Yoda said. “Know you the Jedi code, do you?” He said suggestively. Zarian knew she did and she also knew they broke it each time their lips and bodies touched.

“Master Aldari, to Korriban shall you go. Seek out the old Sith ruins and confirm that no Sith hide there. If so, capture them if you can and bring them back to be interrogated,” he said. And kill them if they can not be captured, was implied.

Korriban was the birthplace of the original Sith race. It was near the outer rim and quite a hike from Coruscsnt. They would once again be on their own out away from the core.

Kaia somehow managed to keep her emotions in check...but just barely. She had not been given a choice in the training to be a Jedi. The reason they kept her here was because they did not want her to turn out like her parents.

She said nothing until she and Zavian were outside of the council hall. She then found a private spot for them to speak.

“Why did you not tell them? Why are we doing this?”

To say Zarian was confused would be an understatement. The Council has set them on this path but as they sensed her, he sensed them. The whole thing was designed to keep him off balance. But he had not been. He was focused and his feelings were sharp.

“Because they know more than what they are saying. They are sending ‘us’ no one else to Korriban. And we are hardly who they would have normally sent. “I could feel the unspoken urgency. Something is happening and I highly doubt we could stay out of it if we tried,” he said. “I suspect it has something to do with your parents,” he said as they stepped out of the temple. They passed the guardians and were once again on the sky bridge that led to the shuttle pad.

Kaia wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about all of this. If her parents were involved then did she really want to go? She knew from her memories that they had loved her, but they were Sith. She sighed and walked with Zavian towards his ship.

“So, we complete this mission and then we leave and start a new life?”

Zavian sighed as they got onto the shuttle. “”If you spent more time feeling your surroundings and less time thinking about yourself you would realize that they were unsettled in there. Even Master Yoda. The re-emergence of the Sith is not a small thing. I suspect that this Seperatist uprising has a darker master than what is generally believed. I feel something lurking in the dark whenever I think about it,” he said.

Once they got back to their apartments he could tell that what he said was not what Kaia wanted to hear. As soon as they entered he shifted to get in front of her.

“I will Make you a promise Kaia. Once you take the trials we will go, together. They will do this if we complete our mission,” he said as he put his hands on her shoulders.

Kaia was upset about a lot of things that had happened today...most of all what Zavian said to her. She became quiet and didn’t look at him. She walked with him into their apartments and stopped when he stood in front of her. She sighed at what he said and leaned against him as a few tears came to her eyes.

“You are the only person here who cares about me. I just don’t want to lose you.”