A Star Wars Tale Chapter 1

Jedi Kael Vameris kissed Senator Olara in the shadows of the Jedi Temple. He had been sent on a recent mission to protect her while she negotiated with other Republic worlds over relief funds for planets caught in the crossfire between the Republic and the Separatists. They had been seeing each other secretly for some months.

Olara pulled away from the kiss. "Kael, what if we are caught?" she asked.

Kael shrugged. "I will be expelled from the Order," he said flatly, before trying to kiss her again.

She laughed but held up her hand, blocking his affections. "And what will happen to me?" she asked.

Kael shrugged again and tried to kiss her once more. This time, Olara turned away from him, clearly annoyed. "Kael, I would be disgraced. I would lose my position in the Senate."

Kael thought about what she was saying. "You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?" he said, sensing her conflicted feelings.

"Kael, the Republic is on the verge of great change. It’s exciting, and I want to be a part of that change, not sitting on the sidelines for it," she said, still facing away from him.

Kael closed his eyes and tried to read deeper into her feelings, prying for answers. She turned to face him angrily. "Stop it!" she said.

"Stop what?" Kael asked, opening his eyes.

"Stop doing the whole Jedi thing. It’s invasive, and you know I do not like it."

Kael sighed. Olara looked at him sympathetically. "Kael, listen. I like you a lot, and we have had a lot of fun together, but this is never going to work out between us long-term. I think you know that."

"I would have given it up for you," he said, the hurt evident in his voice.

She stroked his cheek. "I believe you," she said. "But I am afraid I am not willing to do the same." She kissed him lightly one more time and left.

Kael lingered for a while, watching her board her shuttle before walking back to the front of the Temple. Standing on the steps and looking up at the imposing structure, he found he did not want to go back inside. It was not just Olara; if he was honest, he had not become a Jedi to be a soldier or a bodyguard. Kael had come to the Temple as a small child, but what had cemented his resolve to stay was the freedom the life seemed to afford. Now, he was beginning to think that promised freedom was just an illusion.

He had been looking for a way out—an excuse to leave it all behind. However, being a disgraced Jedi did not exactly lead to a promising future in the Republic. But then he had met Olara. He had made grand plans of retiring to her beautiful homeworld, far away from the Republic and the Separatists. He knew how passionate she was about politics, but he had convinced himself she would leave it all for him. He felt like a fool.

"Over, it is?" he heard a familiar voice say from behind him.

Master Yoda strolled next to him, leaning on his cane. Kael was startled, staring down at the Master. He clenched his fists tightly before accepting his fate. "How long have you known?" Kael asked.

"Long enough," the aged Master said, before motioning for Kael to follow.

Kael was suddenly afraid. If Master Yoda knew, then Olara’s position could already be compromised. If that were true, she would never forgive him. In spite of his pain, he wished her no ill will.

"Master Windu and I... the only ones who know, for now," Yoda said, likely sensing Kael’s fears.

That did not make Kael feel better at all.

"Discreet, he and I have agreed to be, for the Senator's sake."

Kael sighed in relief.

"Agreed, we have not, on how to deal with you." Yoda stopped at the top of the stairs. "Expel you from the Order, Windu calls for," he said, looking at Kael seriously.

Kael slumped his shoulders, hanging his head. "As long as she is not punished, I will accept my fate."

"Do you not wish to hear my thoughts?" Yoda asked. Kael lifted his head. Yoda laughed, and Kael could not help but smile.

"A mission I have. To remove you from all this. Help you think, I believe it will," Yoda said, handing him a data disk. "Read it, and tell me what think you." He finished and continued into the Temple, waving as he went.

Kael entered the Temple and headed toward his dormitory. He passed Master Windu in the hall, who glared at him menacingly. Kael waved sheepishly, but the Jedi Master did not return the gesture. Closing his door behind him, Kael went to his terminal and inserted the disc. He thought it best to get this over with, especially given Windu’s glare.

He sat in his chair, reading the mission brief. At the edge of the Outer Rim, an interesting discovery had been made: the ruins of a Force-sensitive society, with evidence they might still occasionally visit the system. The request to investigate was years old; Kael guessed it had been held back due to the distance from the Republic and the war breaking out. There were simply no Jedi to be spared for such an obscure mission in the middle of nowhere.

Until now, it seemed.

When Master Yoda said "remove you from all this," he truly meant it. Kael sat on his bed, looking around his room. It had been his home for decades, and suddenly, for the first time in a long while, he felt reluctant to leave it. But he supposed he had no choice. He thought about the freedom he felt had been lacking since he became a Knight. This might be his way to find it.