Chapter 8: 8. Chapter

This situation was awkward on many different levels. Let's think over my options here.

It seems that I have managed to dig my own grave again somehow. This guy seems like a powerful jedi knight, also adding the careful way he holds Tano's body while sending doom promising glares towards me, I would have to say that he must be her master. He is very young too, masters are normally appointed in their mid-twenties, I would think that he is not even twenty yet... Well, it could be explained by his outstanding level of midi-chlorian count, this vibrating raw power radiating around him is the tell-tail sign of extreme force powers.

His also extreme anger was probably another factor in the equation.

I considered to try and explain to him that he totally misheard what I said. But when I looked him in the eyes to start my explanation, I had to realize that he already made up his mind about what I said, and anything else I said would probably sound like an excuse to him. Come now Ahsoka please wake up, I have a feeling that I will need your guarding capabilities, very soon...

Now while he is still preoccupied with checking over her injuries is the best chance to run away. I turned around slowly as if that was the most natural thing in the world. I was getting ready to break into an all-out run when I heard an even more threatening voice from behind me, it was daring me to try to run away. I looked behind me for just a second, yep he was even angrier than before if that is even possible. I began to run, using my best speed enhancements and agility enhancements through the force. Then I also begin to hide my presence in the force, which should do the trick, at least until Ahsoka wakes up and calms him down. After about a minute of running around the corridors I stopped, he didn't follow me he most likely has gone to the infirmary with Tano. Good enough, I am not in the mood to deter his rage-induced advances at the moment.  

- Damn, I am hungry. Where is the kitchen here... I am obviously cursed to lose my guide so soon. Since it is breakfast time, I will go where I sense the most force signals gather. 

I decided, and after checking the situation, I began to walk roughly toward the gathering force signals. I also checked that mister crazy guy is not heading in that direction. 

- Huh, find happiness in the small things they say. Or something like that. 

I started my long walk towards the supposed public cantina. While I walked I had time to look around in a relaxed manner, the temple was truly empty. Or at least it felt like that, this war most likely cost many jedi lives already. I focused on this thought to clarify my hypothesis I began to channel a very minuscule quantity of dark side energies, forcefully siphoning towards me some of the negative thoughts and feelings, carefully hidden around the empty corridors. Pictures of crying padawans, depressed friends, and emotionally broken or hurt masters began to appear in my mind. Some lost their masters, some their padawans or their friends, in many cases both, and all of this happened in the last few months. This thick yet almost invisible taint was present in every corridor I walked through. All of these negative energies have already begun to weaken the senses of the light siders. I only realized it because my light side powers became somewhat dull, in the few days I arrived here. On the other hand, my dark side energies are having a small party in the backyard. It was strange since this was supposed to be a jedi temple, not a sith one, but I guess I have found the source of it. Grief, no man or woman can truly suppress his or her emotions, the jedi were only lying to themselves if they thought otherwise. Hmm, anyway I can snack on these dark side energies while I find the cantina, it's not like anyone would miss it. 

Thinking about it, this is quite a good exercise for my current body, constantly expending force energy while replacing it with siphoned ones is very economical. I frowned for a moment. 

- Except maybe the fact that I feel like a damn vacuum cleaner. I hope the food is good at least. 

A few minutes later I was still wandering the corridors, this place was like a giant labyrinth, it was seemingly made to even confuse force sensitives. It was like when you relied on your senses and tried to follow them to a straight line it always ended in a dead-end or turned to the exact opposite direction. I saw this kind of building style in old sith ruins too. It was created this way to by time for an evacuation or to organize a defense while the also force-sensitive intruders tried to reach their goal most likely using the force to guide them. I sighed. Each and every temple had its own unique defense system, therefore it was no help, that I have many different examples in the archive. I was about to turn off the force-sensing ability that I used to find the cantina when I realized that in a few rooms down this corridor there was another weak force presence in a room. It is time to ask for help, I decided. I walked up to the door, then knocked on it politely. 

I waited for a while then the door opened, a small human girl was standing before me, she had beautiful black hair. She is obviously a few years younger than my physical body, I looked at her hair one more time, oh that surprised me, she was already a padawan. Yet her eyes looked haunted and sad, she was most likely crying only a few seconds ago, thinking back to those siphoned memories, she most likely lost her master in a skirmish, what a mess. I bent over a bit and looked her in the eyes. 

- Hi sweetheart, could you help this big sister a little bit? 

She looked at me with a bit of confusion, but she was obviously interested. I made a sad expression while saying.

- It seems that I have lost my way, I am hungry and can't find the cantina. 

She looked at me funnily. 

- Oh, and my name is Nizzal, I smiled at her, you can call me Nizzy in exchange for your help you can become my first friend here. 

She smiled at last and giggled a little. Then she nodded. Thank the force, I am really hungry, I didn't eat anything since I arrived on this planet and that was almost a whole day ago. I am in my growth period, if I got stuck at this height I will sue the jedi council for child abuse. On a whim, I picked up the very surprised little girl placed her on my shoulders and declared out loud. 

- Lead the way captain! 

She laughed heartily, her warm happy laughter seemed to quickly fill the empty corridors with life. 

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- By the way, captain, how may I address her ladyship? 

She laughed again then answered. 

- You may call me Rika! 

- Yes ma'am. 

Ten minutes later, we arrived in high spirit at the cantina. The moment we walked in I could sense the people's genuine surprise, they were looking at me with a somewhat shocked expression, which soon turned into gratitude. Oh, I see, they were not surprised by my arrival, but from Rika's arrival. She must have been holed up in her room for quite some time to have this effect on the knights, and some of the older padawans too. I saw the healer lady that helped me out yesterday sending me a very relieved and thankful smile, but also a slight frown. Oh, I should probably put down Rika before each youngling demands a piggyback ride from me. I put her down on the floor, giving her my thanks.

- Will you join me at the feast, my lady? 

She was hesitating, then slowly nodded. Ah, there was a handful of disapproving glances sent towards me for my little act. I guess they didn't have windows on their children's room back then. Wait, they are jedi, that means that they are even proud of this fact. 

- So, how do you eat here usually Rika? 

- You will have to go to that droid behind the counter and tell it the number of the menu you want to eat. I and my master always used to eat number six. 

She looked a bit sad after telling me that. 

- Hmmm... how about this? I will choose something to eat for you and you will choose something for me? It's a game, if some of us didn't want to eat it we can exchange it with each other. Oh, as a twi'lek I can eat mostly the same things as you, so chose something that you can eat at least. 

- Okay.

I looked at the menu, there were a few different dishes available, it seemed that on every day of the week there were ten different pickable options. Let's see what is the number six, ah, sandwiches with different toppings and sauces I can understand why a child would want that. There are about five choices that are not for humans so that is off-limit. There is two fish menu, interesting. Fried meat pieces of the giant baiting fish of Naboo and Mon Cala's special squid. No, not really what I was looking for. What are the other two? Oh, Klatooine paddy frog steeped in grog placed on potato bed. I looked at Rika, no she is definitely not a Hutt then skip. What is the last one? Krayt dragon steak softened and smeared in spiced bacta. Wait, what? That is actually cool. I will pick this one. 

We got our already finished dishes from the droid and picked an empty table. It turned out that Rika decided to pick the sandwiches for me, I had no problem with it. I got three of them, each one had different meat slices and topping on them, also different sauces. It was nothing special, but I liked it. She was looking at the Krayt dragon steak, but I could see after the first bite, that she liked it. Thank the force, I wouldn't want to make her disappointed. We were immersed in our own world while happily eating the food, I was finishing the last half of my third sandwich when a heavy hand suddenly grabbed my right shoulder. I looked behind and almost choked on the sandwich piece I was munching at the moment. 

- Come with me. 

I completely forgot about him! I coughed a few times trying to clear my wind-pipe from any sandwich residue from the sudden scare, earning more than a few curious glances from the other people. 

- Now! 

Sounded his imperious command. 

I stood up, gave a weak smile to Rika, who was looking at us with wide eyes then I was tugged out of the cantina, by the self-proclaimed... Well, you know.

 

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