Ileana's Master Training

[Emma Lou]

It had taken Ileana fourteen years to get to this point, but she was more than ready. Being a Jedi Master had been her dream since Master Adonis had plucked her off the streets at the age of twelve. The lady, the closest thing to a mother Ileana ever had, had saved her life and given her a second chance. Becoming a Jedi Master was a fitting tribute to her memory.

The robes she had chosen today were a light blue that complimented her eyes and her long blond hair had been pulled up into a tight bun. It had been six years since her Knight training had ended, but she knew that her hair got in the way if it was not properly secured. The logical choice was to cut it, but that was an option that Ileana did not want to ever entertain.

Ileana had received permission to begin her Master training and that is where she was currently headed. She was meeting Master Valena Karasu in one of the training rooms and she was quite nervous. Her last master had been one of a kind and Ileana was not sure how she felt about a new one.

 

[Sreeya]

"Master training? I'm a Knight."

"...Do we have to go over this again?"

Val sighed. It had been worth a shot. She was a master in every way but title. She had used that excuse to get out having to train so far, but it suddenly caught up to her. She grimaced at the thought of having to do even more training. Her student would already be a Knight, which meant she would have to actually put forth some effort into this. Rolling her eyes, she waved off the Jedi before her, gloomily walking towards the temple. In the meantime, she opened up a datapad and looked up all the information on her apprentice.

Her musings took her to the training room. She could already sense her student's presence, one that was much more powerful than that of a padawan's. This was a type of training she hadn't done before, but it couldn't be that different, right? Val approached her and smiled warmly, stashing the datapad away. She always felt creepy holding a datapad with all the person's information while standing right in front of them.

"Hey there. I'm Val. And yes, just call me Val..none of this Master nonsense. Makes me feel prehistoric."

 

[Emma Lou]

Just call her Val? Ileana could see they were similar in age, but it would see be weird to not call her master.

"I'm Ileana, but I am sure you already know that"

She made a gesture at the datapad that had been in Val's hand a few seconds before.

"Thank you for doing this. It really means a lot"

Ileana was not sure what more to say than that. Her last training had no such introductions.

 

[Sreeya]

"Yeah, yeah."

Val was once again reminded of the creepiness of the datapad. She pulled it out and tossed it aside.

"So, anything interesting you have to share that's not on the datapad? Any dirty secrets or weird habits I should know about? We'll be spending a lot of time together, so please give me some warning."

She grinned at her. Her student would find out instantly that she was far from the average Jedi master. Val looked her up and down, snapping her fingers.

"I almost forgot. Are you a Force or lightsaber person? I'm partial to sabers myself."

 

[Emma Lou]

Other than the fact that she kept a diary at the age of twenty-six. Nope, nothing else weird about her. Typical orphan turned Jedi story.

"Sabers have always been what I excelled at"

She sounded like she was bragging now. Great, great first impression there.

"My former master specialized in the Force, though. She was a little disappointed when I did not pick it up as well as she hoped"

Ileana looked at the ground as she remember Master Adonis. It had been years, but it still felt like she would turn a corner and see her.

 

[Sreeya]

Val rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Ileana should have been training with her husband then, if she wanted to specialize in sabers. However, she was here to become a master, not to get better at sabers. Val looked around them.

"Well we can sit here on our asses moving levitating rocks and other boring shit, or we can go on an adventure. Get your shit, we leave now."

She nodded her head behind her, towards a ship she had parked outside. They would leave for Taris, where a kidnapping had occurred. Val grinned at Ileana.

"You'll get to show off your awesome Jedi Knight righteousness. Don't judge me if I have a beer or two, though. If you perform exceedingly well, we get to make up some bullshit with the Order and go shopping for a day. Sound good?"

 

[Emma Lou]

It took everything inside Ileana not to let her mouth drop open. She had never heard a Jedi Master speak like that before and it astounded her. It took her a second to compose herself, but once she was able to speak she did so.

"I think that sounds like a great idea, Val. Can I go to my quarters and grab a few things before we leave?"

It was definitely weird calling her Val. It was like she had known the Jedi for years when in reality it had been minutes.

 

[Sreeya]

"Yes of course."

Val smiled and nodded, patiently waiting while she gathered her things. They would be off within moments.

---​

"This place is so crowded.."

Val grimaced as yet another man bumped into her, not even offering an apology. She stared ahead, looking at the elevators that would take then down to the undercity. However, before that, they needed to meet with the family of the kidnapped daughter. Val urged Ileana to follow, making their way through the more upper class districts. Their journey took them towards a rather well kept apartment. It stood out from every building around it. Val's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Interesting thing is that these kidnappings happen quite a bit. Sometimes you don't know if it's honest or someone working from the inside. They need Jedi on such missions to gauge whether or not the family is telling the truth. Shame how scummy people can be.."

 

[Emma Lou]

Ileana looked over at Val and nodded.

"It is sad what people will do for money"

She knew. She had done her share of stealing and lying before Master Adonis had found her. It was sad that people in upper class areas might resort to that though.

"Do you know any details surrounding the kidnapping?"

 

[Sreeya]

"Not much outside of the details on the little girl and the enormous amount of credits they're asking for."

Val rapped sharply on the door. A woman answered. She did not look overly posh or stuck up, as was usual of people around these parts. The woman's eyes were red from crying and she hadn't bothered to dress up for visitors. She looked at both Val and Ileana.

"You're the Jedi? Please tell me you're the Jedi!"

"Yes, m'am."

Val glanced at Ileana, raising an eyebrow while they were invited inside. The woman was distraught for sure. She quickly grabbed a small holocube of her daughter, the image projected of a small girl smiling.

"She means everything to me. Please, please get her back!"

Val continued conversing with the woman. However, she quietly gave Ileana the signal to subtly begin to delve into the woman's mind to discover whether she was lying or not. It would have to be performed very precisely in order to avoid detection. Such was the test of a Master, and not a Knight.

 

[Emma Lou]

Ileana felt bad for the mother and wanted to believe her. Blind trust was not the way to find anything and it usually ended up in a wild goose chase. Ileana had done this a few times, but it had never went smoothly. It was chalked up to her subjects being force users though.

She closed her eyes for a second and let the talking drown out around her. She opened them again and the world looked like a silent holo before her. She focused on the women and closed her eyes again. The Force swarmed around her as she slowly began to, figuratively, peel back the layers that concealed the information that Ileana needed.

It was a few long minutes later that she opened her eyes and nodded to Val. Yes, this woman had lost her daughter and would give anything and everything to get her back.