Part 4 - THE FOUR FRIENDS

PART I - PART II - PART III

"I'm afraid a lot of the Locarians are like that, Traelyn," Master Jeran said.

"I thought I was Locarian," she replied.

"You are, but you are also Jedi. They have a high incidence of empathy, but they do not trust the Force. Is he empathic?"

"I believe so, but I put my shields up. I told him I was from Coruscant, anyway. I've lived here all my life, after all. Besides, when he asked where I was from, he was making fun of my clothes!" She grinned.

Master Jeran chuckled. "He would never think a Jedi was from Locaria, that much is certain. You appear to be the first one."

"Is that why my family was afraid of me?"

"Where did you hear that?" He asked warily.

"Just a fragment of an old memory, something that Master Qui-Gon said to you. I don't remember it all, it seems I was very ill at the time. Is it true, they didn't want me because I'm Force sensitive?"

He patted her shoulder. "Yes, it's true, according to Master Jinn. You are better off here, anyway, you know that!"

"Of course! Professor Grazloe is very unpleasant, I would not want to be on that planet if they're all that way."

Master Jeran sighed. "I hoped to send you there after you graduate, to see if you can learn some of their empathic techniques."

Traelyn shrugged. "It does not matter to me, Master, I will go where you send me. I can deal with the attitude, it just seems strange to me."

"As you gain more experience out among the public you will find various levels of tolerance of the Jedi. Acceptance of that is something you will learn over time. I will send you out and about on some medical missions before you go to Locaria. In the meantime, lay low and try to pass the class!" He smiled, for he had no doubt she would pass. But he was curious on how she'd deal with a difficult teacher.

* * *

The days and weeks passed, and Professor Grazloe continued to taunt Traelyn about the Jedi in general, and the Force in particular. On the outside she exuded a patience that would impress a Jedi Master, but inside she seethed with resentment.

She meditated on it, talked it out with her Master, and practiced diplomacy and patience. "At least it's good practice!" She joked with her friends.

She worked out with her lightsaber, until she destroyed so many remotes that the swordmaster refused to let her use anymore unless she was using a training saber. She won the monthly dueling championships four out of five times, and no one wanted to spar with her.

And then the day came when the professor brought to class with him a large mug of hot tea. As he sat up his holoprojector for the day's lecture, he bumped the mug off his lectern and the hot liquid poured out towards the electronic device.

Almost without thinking, Traelyn reached out with the Force and caught the mug and tea in midair, reversing the fall of the liquid until every drop was back in the mug and the mug upright. Gently she sat it down on the lectern.

The room was silent, except for Brolton's snickering. Traelyn shushed him with an elbow to the ribs. "Payback's poo-doo, ain't it?" He whispered. Baleen giggled, and Togaron covered his grin with his hand.

The professor stared. "Thank you, Miss... ahhh.... What am I supposed to call you?" He seemed at a loss.

"You're supposed to address her as 'Your Grace'," Brolton said boldly.

"Oh?"

"That's not necessary, Professor, that courtesy is for Knights and Masters. I am only an apprentice, after all." With a shock, she realized that he had not addressed her by name in the five months she'd been in his class.

"My name is Traelyn, or Padawan Zavall, if you choose to be formal," she replied.

"Well, your Corellian friend there seems to think I should be formal," he said, with the closest thing to smile they'd seen all semester.

"I leave that up to you, Professor," Traelyn said. She was anxious for the attention to move away from her, even though she was starting to enjoy it. Payback may have been poo-doo on the receiving end, but it felt good on the giving side.

* * *

"It wasn't very Jedi of me," she told Obi-Wan that evening as they walked the Room of a Thousand Fountains. "I showed him up and I enjoyed it."

"Is that why you did it?" He asked.

"No, I did it without thinking, except that the tea would ruin the holoprojector. I just acted on instinct. But the class loved it, they all felt as if I'd won some sort of battle."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "You did... a battle of wits. It never hurts to have the upper hand in a diplomatic situation, and it sounds like you're in one!"

He looked around the room, and then took her by the hand, pulling her behind Twin Rock. Concealed by the many trees and vines, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I feel the need to negotiate something, myself," he whispered. "Come to my room tonight?"

She snuggled closer, nuzzling his neck with her lips. "I'll be there."

* * *

The four friends survived the strange professor's class, and graduated at the end of the term. Traelyn choose to serve an internship in a Medical Center that served the poor on the lower levels of Coruscant. Baleen and Togaron went along with her, as did Brolton, but not without expressing his dismay.

"Traelyn, you finished in the top ten of the class, you had your choice of assignments, you could have had Senate Medical!"

"I don't see where treating the rich and privileged would further my education any," she replied. "It certainly wouldn't help prepare me to serve the citizens of the Republic."

"This place is like a...."

"This place needs us," Traelyn interrupted.

* * *

"Why are working as an intern, Traelyn?" Obi-Wan asked. "You don't need a license to be a Jedi Healer." He pulled her closer to him, snuggling her into his arms as they lay together in his bunk.

"I know, but Master Jeran thought it would be good experience for me. Besides, with a license I can practice medicine anywhere in the Republic... just in case."

"In case of what?" He asked, puzzled.

"In case I don't pass my trials," she replied.

"Or in case I don't pass mine?" He asked gently, brushing the hair back from her face. "We did make a pact, didn't we?"

She smiled. "But you won't fail your trials. You're too good at what you do."

"So are you!"

She smiled. "I'm good at the healing arts, but I still struggle with my emotions," she said.

"If I pass mine and you fail yours..."

"Then the pact is null and void," she interrupted.

"No, we promised, if we're not Jedi by the time we're grown we'll leave the order. Together."

She chuckled. "I think we are grown." She caressed his bare chest with her hands. "You were born to be a Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan. I can be a healer no matter what, but you can be nothing else. It's your destiny, and you know it."

* * *

TWO YEARS LATER

Brolton wandered into the café one morning and joined Traelyn, Baleen and Togaron for breakfast.

"I just heard the most unbelievable thing!" He stated.

"Oh?" Togaron asked. "And what might that be?"

"Our friend Traelyn here has been working for free!" He glared at her. "They work us like slaves here, how can you refuse your pay?"

Baleen smiled. "It's probably not allowed."

"I don't need to be paid," Traelyn said simply. "The Jedi Order takes care of me. I have food, shelter, clothing, credits in my pocket, and they paid for my education. I can see why you all need your pay to live, but I do not. And Baleen's right, it wouldn't be allowed anyway!"

"Well, you deserve to be paid! Don't you ever want anything for yourself?"

Traelyn looked puzzled. "Like what?"

He shook his head. "Damn Jedi," he mumbled as went off for a caf drink.

"For an empathic Force sensitive, you're rather blind to his emotions, Traelyn." Togaron commented. "He has really strong feelings for you."

"I'm not unaware that he's fond of me, we have been friends all through school."

"Not fond of you, silly, he's in love with you," Baleen said.

"Oh no, that can't be. I must speak with him."

* * *

"Brolton. You seem to have something on your mind," she said as they emptied their lockers after their last shift as interns.

"Now that our internship is done, I'm leaving for Corellia in two days. I may never see you again." He sat down and looked at his feet.

"If that is our destiny. Life changes, that's the way of things."

"You and your damn Jedi platitudes." He twisted in his chair. "I can't keep it a secret any longer, Traelyn, I love you and I want you to come to Corellia with me. With your skills and that high-society accent, we get you some fine clothes and a new hair-do, you could make a fortune on Corellia doctoring the rich and powerful."

"You know that can't be, Brolton, I am a Jedi. I can never be anything else. And if you really knew me well enough to take me home with you, you would know that I'm not interested in treating the rich or making a fortune."

"You could leave the Jedi and marry me. You said you were free to leave anytime you wanted to."

"Yes, but I don't want to leave, the Jedi are my family. My life is dedicated to serving others. You're my friend Brolton, but I don't love you, not in the way a woman should love a husband, I'm sorry."

"You told us you weren't celibate."

"That's not what I meant. My heart belongs to another."

He looked shocked. "Since when?"

"All my life," she said simply.

"It's your Jedi friend, isn't it, Oba-san?"

"Obi-Wan."

"You've never spoken of him as anything but a friend."

"Because it's forbidden. I shouldn't be speaking of it now, but I trust you, and I want you to understand." She made as small gesture with her hand as she toyed with her Padawan braid. "You're not in love with me," she said.

He smiled, but Traelyn could sense his pain. "You know that won't work on me, Traelyn, but I appreciate the effort."

She twisted the braid and pointed the end of it towards him. "You want to go home and find a nice Corellian woman to marry," she said with a smile.

"Yes," he said somewhat sadly. "Perhaps I do."

* * *

"You seem a little distracted this evening, Traelyn," Qui-Gon remarked while watching her spar with Obi-Wan.

"Well, if you must know, I turned down a marriage proposal today!" She said with a grunt as she held off the downward press of Obi-Wan's saber against her own.

Obi-Wan dropped his lightsaber.

Traelyn stepped back and extinguished her saber. She look at Obi-Wan with annoyance.

"You're not regretting that now, are you?" Qui-Gon asked, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. He knew Traelyn's heart belonged to Obi-Wan. It always had. He rose from the bench. "It's time for me to turn in, don't forget we have a mission first thing in the morning, Padawan."

Obi-Wan recovered his composure. "Yes, Master."

"Goodnight, Master," Traelyn said, as he patted her on the shoulder. A strange feeling came over her, a sense of dread tinged with darkness, but she attributed it to her state of mind after the long and tiring day.

* * *

Traelyn slipped through the darkened halls of the Temple in her bare feet, dressed in a nightgown covered by a cloak, and carrying her lightsaber. She passed her hand over Obi-Wan's door lock and slipped inside.

"Traelyn!" He said with relief in his voice. "I was afraid you weren't coming."

"Obi-Wan," she sighed, as he gathered her close and buried his face in her hair. "I would never let you go off on a mission without giving you a warrior's farewell!"

"But that other man..."

"He was mistaken."

"If I ever came home and found you gone... I don't know what I'd do." He was caressing her back, and running touches of the Force down her legs, making her weak in the knees.

"He didn't want a wife, he looked on me as some sort of a prize to take home to Corellia, a money maker."

She shed her cloak, and placed her lightsaber on his bedside table. As she turned back to face him he flicked his finger at the buttons on her nightdress and they came loose, and the garment slid to the floor.

"I don't want anyone but you, my love. And I never will."

"I promise you will never regret that," he said with a wicked grin.

* * *

When she woke the next morning, Obi-Wan was gone, off with Master Qui-Gon on a negotiation mission with the Trade Federation. Something to do with Naboo, she thought. She put it out of her mind and happily went off to work in the Temple infirmary.