|
The Story of Rhoe Didel, Knight of the Republic.
Staring out over the lake near the Temple on Tython, the young Jedi Knight begins to let her mind wander trying to picture how she arrived in the Order. Born on Alderaan as the war raged on across the galaxy, her parents took refuge in a camp, nestled within the confines of a thick forest. The sounds of war echoed seemingly from every corner of the plant around them, but they managed to go undetected for what seemed like months before a bloodied, beaten man stumbled into the camp one evening. The militiamen fixated their weapons upon him as he fell to the ground, apparently lifeless. "Who or what is he?" One asked. "Looks to be a Jedi by the robes, what's a Jedi doing here?!?" resounded the captain. Within minutes a crowd gathered behind the soldiers, whispers flying through the air, then the hecklers chimed in. "A JEDI?!? Kill him, those monsters are the whole reason we've become refugees on our own planet!" A man and his family approach the on-lookers attempting to find out whats going on, he taps a woman on the arm, "What's going on here?" "There's a Jedi in the camp, they want to kill him." The man motioned to his wife to remain where she was, after all she was carrying his child in her arms. He stepped past the captain and approached the fallen Knight, reaching to the man's neck he felt for a pulse. "Is he dead?!?" barked the captain. "No, but he will be soon if we don't get him medical attention." The man reached under the Jedi's arms and lifted just enough to drag him towards his tent, as he reached the crowd they parted, they wanted nothing to do with aiding the injured man. "Leave him for dead, or I'll kill him myself!" shouted a soldier as he drew his side arm. "Stand down corporal, you will not fire unless I give the order. Let this hutt-spawn care for his "precious" Jedi." The wife followed the husband into the tent and rested the child in a makeshift crib before fetching the first aid supplies for her husband. Finally after a few hours the man finished patching the Knight up and left him to rest in the rear of the tent.
The next morning the couple awoke to the Jedi sitting up, his legs crossed, eyes closed in deep meditation. "Thank you for your kindness and aid strangers." the Jedi said as he opened his eyes, most of his wounds had vanished in the night as if by magic. A puzzled look crossed the husbands face, "Your wounds, are you well already?" The Jedi half smiled and slightly nodded in confirmation, "But with your permission may I stay a while longer just to rest, this war has taken quite a toll on my mind as well." The husbands wondering face subsided and was replaced by a smile, "Of course, you may stay as long as you wish Commander, but I fear my wife and I must attend to our duties here at the camp, if you'll excuse us." The woman reached for the child in sleeping in the bundle of cloth and twigs, but she suddenly felt a hand uppon her shoulder. "I can look after the child Miss, its not a burden at all, its the least I can do to repay your kindness." The woman's eyes met the Jedi's and a soothing wave rushed through her mind and she thought "I guess I could just for a few hours, after all he is a Jedi, no harm will come to my little girl in his care." The wife only smiled and took a step back, "Alright Master Jedi I'll leave her in your care, but not even the Force will stop me if harm comes to her while under your watch." The Jedi cracked a smile and bowed slightly, "You have my word miss." The husband grabbed his gear and his wife kissed the baby before stepping out of the makeshift cloth exit." The Jedi instantly looked down at the child, his half cracked smile replaced by a stone cold Sabaac face. "Why the council had me go through all this just to track you down is beyond me, personally I'd rather they just had me snatch you in the middle of the night like the others, but no time to question orders." With that the Knight grabbed what little gear he had with him, wrapped the child tightly in the cloth he was lying in and tucked him snuggly into his pack. "Let's not waste anymore time, the council will be expecting us young Rhoe."
"PADAWAN" A roaring voice echoed throughout the temple grounds, snapping the young girl back into the present. "Yes master?" The girl slightly winced after vomiting those words up. "You've done it this time, the council is considering exile for you, did you hear me EXILE!" "Pfft, exile for taking a training exercise too far?" the girl scoffed, "Too far? Rhoe you nearly killed him, what has gotten into you? These last few months you've broken nearly every rule a Jedi can break, not to mention your insubordination and attitude." "It's not like I killed someone Master..." "Not yet." she thought. "If you don't clean up your act you will be expelled from the Order and left to fend for yourself." "Better off that way" she thought, "No rules, no regulations, just me and the universe, just the way I like it." The girls's master turned to leave, hoping to reason with the council that she could be rescued from the path she was walking and could one day be a great knight herself. Rhoe could only think of the freedom she would gain from expulsion, but just then a woman's voice entered her mind and eased away the treacherous thoughts not with words but simply a sweet song, almost a lullaby that she'd heard, but not for many years. "Well, maybe not today, but someday..." Unbeknownst to this young Knight-to-be, her inner conflict was only just beginning
_________________


|