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"In my view, it's possible to know too much about combat and the Force- if it means you know next to nothing about intelligence gathering, computer slicing, technological surveillance, or espionage. Sentinels approach these disciplines from the bottom up, without assuming that the Force will reveal all the answers. When you do this, you'll find there's a great deal the civilians of the galaxy can teach us."

~ Jedi Recruiter Morrit Ch'gally

"This... this is a joke, right?" Syrra asked the two of them, smiling uncertainly as her eyes darted between each male. Master Skywalker looked as he usually did, peaceful and unconcerned, perhaps even a little amused; Kajex looked awkward, not looking directly at Syrra as he rubbed the back of his neck. She frowned as neither one of them answered in the positive. "This isn't a joke," she realized, looking thoroughly confused. She stared at Master Skywalker. "Why?"

Luke grinned. "Because I talked to him and I've concluded that he's been an incredibly positive influence on you, more than you might be aware. Since you two have clearly gotten along very well to the point of him teaching you useful skills, it might help you to advance your own training through an alternative approach."

"But he's not a Jedi," she said. "I mean, that's not to say you aren't incredibly skilled, Kajex," she said quickly, hoping she hadn't insulted her lover.

He chuckled. "No, I know what you meant. And trust me, I have my own reservations for doing this, but... well, you convinced me, Master Skywalker- you're the wise guy, so _you_convince Syrra."

Skywalker nodded. "Fair enough. It goes without saying that this Jedi Order has had to build itself from the ground up- even our own Masters are constantly learning something new, something they can pass on to younger students to enhance their training. Yet many of them came from backgrounds that not only utilized very little in the way of Force ability, but in many ways were more efficient or at least easier to access for them. If I could choose one thing that I've learned since starting this academy that I would like to pass on to you, it's that the civilians of the universe are just as capable of teaching the Jedi as the Jedi are capable of learning through the Force."

"Most of my students were experts in other fields before they turned to the academy to become Jedi. As an example, Maste-- excuse me, _Kyle_Katarn used to be a Rebellion field agent with top training in the Imperial academy. Master Corran Horn excelled as an investigator for the Corellian Security Force, not so different from your Trianii Rangers, and was a pilot for Rogue Squadron."

"And you think that pairing me with Kajex will help me develop my Force talents?" she asked skeptically.

"Both Kyle and Corran developed those skills _before_they came to train here. It's certainly possible to become a very capable Jedi without the aid of a Master- though very difficult. I believe that all you need is someone to teach you the necessary skills to survive, to supplement your already impressive fighting skills and growing Force abilities." He glanced at the wolf. "Captain Surnahm has already been a positive force in your life, it's plainly evident. His work and skillset are just as robust as both Katarn's and Horn's, I'm certain he has much to teach you. I see no sense in separating the two of you, particularly since he asked to be employed."

She stared at Kajex, who looked hopeful. "I'm not going to say no. But isn't this a little unorthodox?"

Master Skywalker laughed. "Like I said- the academy can't exactly afford to take the orthodox approach." He paused, regarding them both before continuing. "Back in the days before the Clone Wars, going all the way to the days of the Old Republic, Jedi could be broadly classed by 3 separate paths. The first," he continued, raising one finger, "were Jedi Guardians- they consisted mostly of fighters, warriors who trained to fight against those who threatened the Republic and the Jedi Order. Jedi star pilots, temple security guards, even liaisons to local authorities were among those who followed the path of the Guardian."

He raised a second finger. "The second path was that of the Jedi Consular, traversed by those who wished to hone their abilities in negotiation, healing and research. Their main focus was the study of the Force itself, and the utilization of that deep knowledge to see into the future, passing on knowledge to new generations or using that knowledge to encourage diplomatic solutions to political problems. It's a noble path my sister and I have tried to follow closely."

"The third path, however, was a path that didn't see much use- that of the Sentinel."

"What was their path like?" Syrra asked, curious and interested.

"A Sentinel was both considerably skilled in lightsaber combat and knowledgeable in the intricacies of the Force, but their main focus was not strictly on either. It was something of a middle ground between the Guardian and Consular- and yet at the same time, something more. I've heard it said that while a Guardian would bash down a door and a Consular would knock, a _Sentinel_would pick the lock or slice a terminal to open it. A Sentinel's forte consisted of the use of more pragmatic, _civilian_skills to conduct their work- things like slicing, security manipulation, the utilization of stealth techniques, mechanical repair and the application of resistance to outside forces through mental conditioning."

He turned his eyes to Kajex. "In many ways, the Sentinel was the connection between the Jedi Order and the universe at large. They were far more integrated with the population of Republic worlds, and more in-tune with culture and public opinion. They were not as insulated as the Consulars, nor as single-mindedly devoted as the Guardian. They were often spies, tech specialists, field medics, saboteurs... and investigators," he added, smiling at Kajex.

The wolf cleared his throat, jamming his paws in his pockets. "What he's getting at is that all the skills that these 'Sentinels' used are the same skills I use when I'm on the job. My only weak point is medicine, which you know a lot about as it is- but everything else like slicing computers, fixing machinery like my ship and sneaking around fortified bases and stations? Well, you've seen me at work, you know what I'm capable of."

"His resume is fairly impressive," Luke agreed. "I'd put at least 10 credits on him outshining Katarn in terms of investigation."

"Wait, just 10?" Kajex asked indignantly.

Syrra smiled, feeling a little more warmed up to the idea, not least because it meant she'd be spending more time with him. Questions still lingered, however. "What about lightsaber and Force training? If Kajex can't teach me how to use the Force..."

"You still have access to the demonstration holovids Captain Surnahm gave you- and he's agreed to help you on that front," Luke added. "If he's studied those recordings long enough to demonstrate enough skill with a vibroblade, then the both of you can learn from and teach each other in that regard- a mutually beneficial education, as it were. I can offer training sabers for you both to use while you're on-mission. And as for developing your Jedi abilities, there are plenty of resources I can offer you, easily copied to a holodisc for your own perusal at any time."

"And... you believe this will really help me excel?" she asked hopefully.

Skywalker nodded, smiling warmly. "You're in love with him. You don't even need to exude that feeling unconsciously for me to know- you wouldn't be looking at him the way you do, sharing your culture with him," he said, pointing at both their bead strings, "if you didn't feel that way. I can't tell you not to love him- and I wouldn't want to. By separating the both of you, your relationship with him would risk degrading, with no means to mature responsibly. Time together will give you a better insight into each other, instead of encouraging rash passion." He regarded both of them seriously. "There may come a time when one of you may fall in the line of duty. It's a risk we all take when we bond so closely with others- but the risk of that tragedy leading to the dark side is only exacerbated when that bond is not melded with wisdom."

She said nothing, reflecting on his words. If she had to be honest with herself, her relationship with Kajex, while incredible and genuine, had come about at lightspeed. There wasn't a moment of their time together that she would take back, she realized as she looked into the wolf's hopeful visage. And while the idea of losing him scared her badly, she knew Luke was right- they needed more time to talk, to experience, to share and love; if they were ever expected to make what they had together work.

She smiled. "So... do I call you 'Master', then?" she asked coyly.

Kajex grinned. "Not unless we're in my quarters."

"Alright, keep it in the bedroom, you two," Luke chuckled good-naturedly.

"The_Gold Rush_, huh?" Garrett looked over the exterior of Kajex's rechristened ship. "It's a nice change. I always thought roulette tables were black and red, anyway- the name fits the paint."

"They are, but she lost that paint job years_ago," Kajex remarked as he and Garrett carried a few cargo containers on-board. "Old man number 2, Kane, always said he wanted to re-add that paint, but he passed away before it could happen. I kept the name out of habit, but if I'm going to be working with Jedi, it would help to _not have my vessel suggest I'm some sort of scumbag Sabacc card-shark." He set the container down once they reached the galley, dropping into a seat and lounging in it lazily. "Come to think of it, maybe that's why people never took me seriously when I offered my services because I wanted to do the right thing- they probably thought I was some kind of weird-ass wandering spacer looking for a handout so I could pay my gamblin' debts."

Garrett stacked his crate atop the wolf's. "So where's Syrra?"

"Over at the archives," he waved off-handedly. "She's picking up supplementary material that she can use to study Force abilities while we're away."

"Got a mission already?" the human asked, brow raised as he took a seat opposite the wolf.

"Yes and no- Skywa-- _Master_Skywalker," he corrected himself, "has something lined up for us, but he hasn't said what or when- we're supposed to bring these crates for it. How about you, how has your last 2 weeks with your new Master been?"

Garrett sat back. "Master Simetra? She's, uh... she's amazing. She used to be a Nightsister before she turned away from the dark side and sought out the Academy after living with some other tribes for a while. She's been teaching me how to reach out to the wildlife, she says I have a natural talent for befriending creatures."

"You might need to teach Syrra a thing or two about that," Kajex remarked with a small smile. Garrett gave him a quizzical look and he waved it off, chuckling as he got up and moved to his drink cabinet. "It's nothing. Speaking of her, though, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"What do you think of me mentoring her? Be honest- I'm not _completely_sold on the idea," he admitted, frowning slightly as he passed a bottle of ale to his visitor.

Garrett said nothing, looking thoughtful as he took a swig. Kajex waited as the human considered the question. "Honestly? I don't see why it_wouldn't_ work, but at the same time I can't say it would. Alot of what Master Skywalker does is a little hit-and-miss. Not that you can blame him, mind you- he doesn't have much to work with."

"Yeah, that's what I figured," Kajex grumbled.

"But hey," Garrett added encouragingly, "if nothing else it'll keep you two together and maybe you can raise her up to work alongside you anyway, you know?"

"I guess," Kajex conceded, taking a moment to imbibe and staring into the ceiling as he sat back. "I just don't want to botch this up and make her feel like she doesn't have a chance. She shouldn't have to give up her dream of being a Jedi just because _I'm_a dumbass."

"Have you taught her anything?"

"The basics of slicing, for one. It's not an easy trade, but she's at least attentive and clever. I think she enjoys the challenge, to be honest. Other than that, we've just been sticking to sparring with training sabers and hand-to-hand."

"How's that going?"

"Man, I don't even know _how_she picked up on _Ataru_so quickly, but I could barely keep up, she was moving so fast." He put his bottle down and held up a paw, shifting the fur on his wrist aside and showing a painful-looking welt. "Got that when she 'disarmed' me- though I should be glad it was just with a training saber. Then there was hand-to-hand. I wasn't expecting her to be so adept at Echani combat, she dropped me pretty quick the first round. Didn't make _that_mistake again," he added. "Best 3 of 5, I took the next three."

"Did you really?" Garrett asked flatly, looking skeptical.

"No," Kajex admitted, putting his paws to his face, frustrated. "I just want to make this _right_for her. To be the guy she's counting on to teach her this stuff."

"Have you considered that maybe you worrying too much about this is making you less effective as a teacher?" Garrett asked shrewdly.

Kajex stared at him blankly.

"Put it this way- who taught you Teras Kasi, slicing and all the other tricks of your trade?"

The wolf shrugged. "My adoptive fathers, mostly."

"Did they tear their hair out trying to figure out how to teach you? And when you were teaching her how to pilot a ship, did you worry overmuch? Or were you focusing more on approaching her as a friend and giving her encouragement, walking her through the basics, and meeting her as an equal instead of panicking?" The human paused. "She's not a kid, and you're not her father- I figure being a mentor means being her friend (and lover) first, and a teacher second. Don't sweat the small stuff, and the big stuff'll get handled eventually."

"... You keep this up, you're going to be on the Order's council in a few years, mark my words," Kajex stated, impressed. A clank echoed through the ship as the vessel's ramp lowered. "Sounds like she's back."

Sure enough she sauntered in, carrying a pair of datapads and tossing one onto the galley table near Kajex. "We're up," she said, walking past him and rummaging through the liquor cabinet. "First mission together is on Abaat, we're doing a trade with an artifact collector- Cotyn Hovin, a museum curator."

"Sounds easy," Kajex remarked. "That's how you know things are going get interesting."

Garrett arched an eyebrow. "Sounds like a pickup-and-go mission, why do you think it'll be interesting?"

"Because it's an artifact collector doing a trade with us," Syrra answered, coming back with her own bottle, snapping the top open. "Which means it's probably some kind of Jedi-related artifact. And the timetable for us leaving is tonight," she added, "which suggests there's some kind of urgency. How do you want to do this, Kajex?"

He considered the question briefly. "I've been to Abaat a couple of times- not the kind of place you want to do sightseeing if you're on the job- it's cold, there are too many shiny things trying to lure you in, and too many sexy things trying to get in your pants."

Syrra paused, her lips inches from the bottle as she narrowed her eyes. "You've... had yourself tested, right?"

Kajex laughed. "I keep myself available to close friends only. Besides, the temple's Jedi healer took a blood sample, as did your uncle while I was recovering- I'm as clean as I've always been. Anyway, what are we trading for?"

"Fragments of the stonework from Exar Kun's statue, from the temple ruins up in the northeast- in return Hovin is offering a holocron and a trio of Old-Republic lightsabers. Master Skywalker senses that they're 'clean', have been since last year." She glanced at the cargo containers. "I see you've brought the statue pieces up already."

"Nobody told us what it was for, just that we had to bring it with. Anyway, best options for this are to just head there, try to contact him from orbit so he can foot the bill for the docking bay and tell him to wait at the door so we don't have to freeze our tails off waiting in a snowstorm." He glanced at Garrett. "Well, you heard my student- beat it kid, we gotta get ready to head out."

"Ha, okay- I can tell when I'm not wanted," he replied good-naturedly. "You guys let me know when you get back, right?"

"Will do," Syrra assured him pleasantly. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you two," he answered, grabbing his bottle, grinning and waving on his way out.

The wolf watched as he exited, letting out a quiet sigh. Garrett's word were sticking with him, but Kajex had to be honest with himself- the training didn't seem to be going as well as he'd liked. He watched as Syrra cracked open one of the crates, nodding as she spotted the statue pieces. He got up abruptly, knocking back the rest of his drink and tossing the bottle into the garbage. "I'll be in the engine room if you need me, gonna run a pre-flight diagnostic."

"Everything okay?" the Trianii asked, looking mildly concerned.

Knowing she could probably catch on to his mood, he forced a smile. "I'll be fine," he assured her. Deciding it would be best not to linger, he trotted down the corridor, lost in his thoughts.

'Pre-flight diagnostics' was a moronic excuse to make, he decided. In his haste to find an excuse to be apart from Syrra he had picked something that would have taken less than 10 minutes to do, not nearly enough time for him to parse through his thoughts thoroughly. It wasn't that he felt like Syrra was better than him- he could deal with her being better than him where it concerned combat, though he suspected he was more experienced and that Garrett was right about his worries making him less-effective. And he'd be _proud_of her if she was. What truly worried him was how useless he felt.

It didn't help that the bruises were pretty painful.

"Kaj?"

His ears perked up, though he didn't turn around to see Syrra walk in. "First time you've called me that, kitten," he responded quietly, brushing his paw against his beads.

"Should I not?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's fine. It sounds good." He kept his eyes on the engine, not really looking at it. A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind and squeezed gently, Syrra leaning her head on his back.

"I've promised myself not to read your thoughts anymore- so that you trust me enough to tell me what's wrong," she said. "Tell me what's up, hon."

The wolf hesitated to say anything, ears folded back in trepidation. For every moment he remained that way, the relative silence seemed stifling. "Am I doing this job right?" he asked quietly.

She looked up. "What do you mean?"

"Am I meeting your expectations as a trainer?"

"If this is about how I bested you in hand-to-hand two nights ago--"

He growled. "It's not that," he cut her off angrily, moving away from her hug and striding to the other end of the room. "I can handle the idea of you being able to beat the shit out of me."

She frowned irritably. "Your tone suggests you can't. Seriously, all I was going to say is that you seemed distracted at the time- it felt like too easy of a win, like your heart wasn't really in it."

He sighed, leaning back against the wall as his brief surge of anger abated, replaced with a feeling of guilt. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped."

The Trianii half-smiled, moving in and embracing him again. "It's fine, love. But you have me worried- do you think you're not doing a good job training me up?"

"I feel like the last person in the universe capable of teaching you how to be a Jedi," he said, squeezing around her midsection. "So far all I feel like I've done is teach you to fly, a little bit of slicing, how to pace yourself with liquor and how to suppress your gag reflex."

"But you've also helped me refine my Ataru. And you also agreed to help me develop my skill in hand-to-hand," she added, nuzzling into his chest, her voice slightly muffled by his chest-fluff. "I have the history of the old Jedi Order covered, I have the references I need to develop my Force talents- but where it concerns you, you've taught me more in the last 2 weeks than Master Moarne did in his 6 months of tutelage. Slicing and mechanical repair are far more complex tasks than I expected them to be- that's why I'm glad I have you, my best friend and lover, as a proficient teacher."

"I just feel like I should be teaching you so much more," he said quietly. "These last few days I just had to stand by the sidelines waiting for you to build your lightsaber. And I understand why, you needed all of the time to concentrate- didn't make your lack of presence any less noticeable. I still don't feel like I've taught you enough."

"It'll come with time," she said, smiling. "Besides, Master Skywalker said this would be a way for us to learn from each other. If it helps more for you to think of me as your partner, co-pilot, lover and friend, then don't worry about being my 'teacher'- just be willing to help me learn."

He shuddered, memories resurfacing that he'd rather not revisit. "It's more than that."

"How so?"

"The last time I was less than capable enough, I lost someone I cared about."

There was a pause as he closed his eyes, trying to suppress those memories and pushing them back. A warm tingle on his lips caused his eyes to snap open, finding Syrra's muzzle locked against his own. The purr that vibrated against his chest seemed to send waves of comfort into his nerves, a sensation that compelled him to draw her in closer- it prompted a muffled giggle from her as they tightly embraced.

The Trianii looked up at him. "I can't promise I won't get hurt or killed," she said intoned seriously, "but I _will_promise I'll put every skill you teach me towards safeguarding my life- and yours. The same way you've been doing it for me. Just keep doing what you're doing, and help me keep my body, mind and skills sharp." She smiled. "Does that help?"

He nodded, her warmth finally bringing a smile to his own muzzle. "Yeah, it does." Feeling a little calmer he let out a relaxed sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm being stupid worrying like this. I just _really_want to do right by you."

"You are, by agreeing to be my mentor," she said, putting a finger to his nose and pressing. "Now, we've got a couple of hours to kill before need to head out. What should we do?"

He grinned. "Sparring rematch?"

"Hey, you alright kitten?" He was staring over her with a look of worry as her eyes flicked open, trying to focus on his features. She recalled that her last thought before blacking out briefly was that she'd gotten him this time with her roundhouse kick, but apparently she had been mistaken. Raising a paw to her head as stars blinked in and out of her vision, she groaned and tried to sit up.

"What happened?" she asked, feeling unsteady.

"You didn't notice my right leg when you kicked. Blocked your roundhouse, put in three blows to your ankle, knee and midsection, then slammed you down while you were off-balance." His ears folded back guiltily as he held out his paw. "I think I overdid it, you were out for a couple of seconds."

Despite her subsiding pain she was able to smile. "And you were worried you couldn't teach me anything, Kaj." She took his paw and got to her feet with his help, catching his shoulder with the other as she regained her balance, the training mat beneath them squeaking as she stepped back. "What's that put us at?"

"3-2, my favor, best of 7," he answered, looking uncertainly at her. "You still good to go? We can break if you want."

She shook her head, bouncing on the balls of her feet to get the blood flowing again. "I'm good, doesn't take much for a Trianii to get her balance back. Gimme some tips?"

He flexed a bit, stretching out. "If you were any other Trianii, I'd be telling you to go for the big win- the knockout punches, the body slams and everything. I'd probably be trying to teach you Teras Kasi, too, because then you'd have the build for it, but..." he trailed off, trying to put it delicately. "Well, you're not as...robust as many of your kind. Echani martial arts is actually better for you, you should be focusing on balance, speed and hitting the weak points." He cleared his throat. "Except the genitals. That's... that's just bad sportsmanship, right there."

She chuckled. "It's fine, you won't have to worry about me hitting below the belt."

"Just curb your enthusiasm for the finisher until you have them on their knees," he suggested as he got back into his fighting stance. "Then you can cut loose. Few things in _my_line of work are as satisfying as taking a perpetrator down with a well-placed boot to the head- it doesn't kill them, either. Well... not on purpose, anyway. Whenever you're ready."

She got back into a combat stance, approaching cautiously. She had gotten cocky after her first victory, but Kajex had come back strong and delivered some heavy blows, his taller frame and toned musculature allowing him to weather her assault. With a challenging growl she stepped in, beginning her attack.

It was a dance between the two, filled with kinetic energy as they swung, blocked, kicked and shouldered into each other. The Trianii's Echani graceful, agile and precise as she dodged and counter-struck at his vital points; the wolf's Teras Kasi raw, fast and powerful as he swung in rapid succession, grabbing and throwing when her defenses fell, though she always managed to land on her feet. Two more throws later, she felt unsteady. "You're on your game," she noted with a grin.

"Someone has to be," he challenged with a friendly growl. Unwilling to let her regain her balance he pressed the attack, advancing on her with a series of elbow and knee strikes, battering against her defenses and pushing her back. Her back foot reached the edge of the training mat and she stood her ground, deflecting a backhand, getting under his guard and double-fisting him in the midsection, forcing him back. He chuckled, barely winded. "Close. Another step and you'd have been ringed out."

"You put your noodles on the betting table, I want them- you're not getting a win _that_easy!" Another advance and they met, limbs cutting through the air as they fought, every impact drawing growls from each of them as they traded blows. Syrra felt her endurance dropping, her breathing becoming more ragged, while the wolf seemed physically unfazed, keeping his defenses up as her strikes became weaker.

She lunged in desperation with a right hook and Kajex sidestepped, bringing up his knee into her midsection, knocking the wind out of her as she dropped to her knees, gasping as she tried to breathe and starting to panic as she drew in minute amounts of air. Kajex dropped with her, worry furrowing his brow as he held her down in a crouched position.

"Easy, Syrra. Don't breathe quick- breathe out first, then in deeply and slowly." She complied, her eyes clenched shut as she took slow, deep breaths. Pain radiated from her stomach as she struggled to return to a normal breathing pattern. She felt his eyes on her as he held her carefully, the wolf running a paw down her back gently as the minutes wore on.

"Fuck..." she wheezed when she was finally able to speak. "That... hurt..."

"It's hard to be prepared for that kind of moment- it usually _will_hurt. You gonna be okay?"

She nodded, still wincing. "Guess that... makes you the victor," she smiled weakly. "How'd I do?"

He smiled back, sitting on the mat with his back to the wall, letting her lean against his knees as he started to massaging her neck. She jolted for a moment before relaxing with a purr. "You expended a little too much energy trying to match me blow-for-blow. You hit hard for someone your size, don't get me wrong- but I'm far from the best trained martial artist, so any tougher fighter will outgun you with pure fisticuffs."

She rolled her head to the side, groaning slightly as he worked at the tension in her neck, relaxing while she rubbed her sore belly. "So... what should I work on?"

"Endurance, obviously- but also doing more with less so you don't spend more energy than you need. Next session we'll go over it slow- I'm not as familiar with Echani fighting as you are, but we can figure something out." He ruffled her hair affectionately, spreading his legs apart as she scooted closer to him and placing a paw on her belly, rubbing it gently. "Got a little worried there. Thought I might've hurt you too bad."

"I'm not delicate, love," she purred, reclining into his embrace.

"No, you're not," he agreed. "But I still worry about you."

"Then you're mentoring me well," she said encouragingly, turning a bit and laying her head in the crook of his neck. "How much time do we have left?"

"Another hour."

"What should we do till then?"

"Have you constructed your new lightsaber?" he asked.

She reached out across the lounge to her bag on the other side, a slim box floating towards them and setting down in front of the Trianii- the last piece was extricated from her belt pouch, a luminescent blue gem. "I spent the last 3 days focusing on my sapphire. It feels ready, I know it'll work- and I have you to thank for it."

"Why me?" he asked, looking confused.

"The kind of deep concentration in brought around a few... _interesting_insights. I saw a lot of my family... and of you. It's tough to focus on the crystal for so long, to shape it and attune it specifically to me- but at moments where I felt I was closing to coming out of my trance, you appeared."

"That's... kind of comforting to hear," he admitted, nuzzling into her cheek. She opened the box, taking out each part of the weapon. "You haven't assembled it?"

"I wanted you to be there. It's a tradition for a Master to preside over a student's lightsaber construction and initial activation, to ensure everything was done correctly."

"So... this is it, then?" he asked. "We're official?"

"Official 'Master' and 'student'? Among other things, yes," she said, smiling and running a pair of fingers along his beads. "But like you told Master Skywalker- only in bed." She purred, nuzzling into his neck. "Here goes."

Having set the pieces on the deck and the box aside, she focused and fell into a minor trance- Kajex watched as the pieces hovered around each others, the glowing sapphire suspended in the center as every other component orbited around it like a bright blue star. Two pieces caught the gem perfectly and held it in place as the long, hollow, slender shaft wrapped in leather drifted into place. The gem and it's companion pieces slid into the handle as a focusing lens capped the opening, while the angled pommel screwed into place. The emitter came last, twisting into the top and snapping into place, completing the entire construction- the finalized weapon drifted towards Syrra as she stretched her paw out and grasped the weapon.

She opened her eyes, breathing in as her thumb pressed into the activation switch.

With a sharp crack, the weapon sprang to life, a bright blue blade stabbing into the air with a steady hum. She smiled broadly at her completed weapon, turning to an equally-satisfied, grinning wolf.

"I'm no Jedi Master- but I'd call that a solid passing grade, no question." He leaned over and kissed her cheek, hugging around her midsection. "Great job, kitten."

She nuzzled him in return, before deactivating the weapon and getting to her feet with her paw outstretched, helping the wolf up to his. "I'm feeling confident about this mission now. I'm ready to go whenever you are."

He patted her back. "You know, I know I put them up as a bet for our sparring session- but between you getting a knee to the gut and completing your lightsaber, I'd say you earned those noodles," he offered kindly. "I'll go get the ship warmed up and we'll head out early. Shouldn't take more than 6 hours to each Abaat." He turned to head to the cockpit only to feel a paw wrench his wrist back and pull him into a hug.

"I never got to say thank you, Kajex," she said, looking gratified. "For saying yes, I mean. So... thank you, so very much."

He smiled sheepishly. "Anytime."

Abaat's reputation as a prime planetoid for a snow-based resorts, casinos and a type of getaway off the Corellian Trade Spine had given the planet a sufficient amount of traffic. The fact that the opening day of the Swoop-racing season was taking place on the planet in a week only worsened the congestion as fans and enthusiasts orbited the planet, trying to secure docking permissions within the planet's many starports. Both student and teacher were relieved that Master Skywalker had secured a reserved spot for them for one full day, though Kajex was certain that this privilege likely came at the expense of many credits or favors.

Syrra had surmised that this indicated their mission was more urgent than they had initially thought, if Skywlaker was willing to put _that_much money on the table to secure a handful of artifacts. Holocrons, data receptacles used by Jedi throughout the ages, could contain almost any amount of any information within- by itself, it made the mission incredibly important. They were both certain the collector would be interested in completing the trade as soon as possible, if only to ensure the oncoming snowstorm could be avoided.

Except that ten minutes had passed since they'd "knocked" at the solid black gates and he had still not opened the door.

"Something is definitely wrong," Kajex remarked. "You sense anything?"

She paused, peering at the gates for a few moments before frowning. "A lot of agitation. And a lot of people on the other side."

"Hmm. Sounds like a trap," Kajex observed casually. "Maybe one where they hope either of us will freeze to death waiting outside. You holding up okay?"

She shivered. "I'll survive- but I'll need to warm up after all of this is done." The Trianii looked him over. "You seem alright, though."

He scoffed, leaning against the heavy cargo containers they'd brought with, suspended on a repulsorlift. "Trust me, if we were on any tropical planet I would be fairly miserable." He glanced at his chronometer, frowning. "Give it another 5 minutes, then you start slicing that panel."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why me?"

"Because you need to put your developing skills into practice, kitten- that's why," he said, putting a finger on her nose.

"Very well, 'Master'," she replied with a half-smile. "You don't think they'll get mad if we try to break in witho-- Kaj?"

The wolf was looking up at the rooftop of a nearby building. "Syrra, start slicing that terminal." His voice and stance was tense, eyes narrowed as he scanned the apex of the building.

Without waiting for an explanation she dropped to her knees and pulled out her pad, hooking up to it. "See something?" she asked off-handedly.

A shaft of light splashed against the stone wall framing the gate, kicking up debris. Kajex didn't bother answering as he raised his rifle up and returned fire. "Keep focusing, kitten," he said calmly. "I have you covered." Two more shots rang out, exploding against the containers.

Syrra grit her teeth, trying to remember what Kajex had taught her as that knowledge started to slip away. She parsed through code as quickly as possible, looking for a trigger for the gate and finding one, just as the wolf backed up next to her, grabbing the handle to the platform and pulling the containers behind her for cover.

"Got him, but there might be more. How are we doing?"

"Just about- got it!" The gate squealed open, each half of the door swinging inwards. She yanked her datapad free and tossed it in her bag, withdrawing her lightsaber and igniting it. "Who was taking potshots at us?"

Kajex looked back briefly as he pulled the cargo lift behind him, rifle raised up in one arm. "Couldn't say for sure, looked like a hired gun- definitely not military or they'd have hit us. Did you suppress security?"

She shook her head, focusing around her to ensure there would be no more surprises. "Waste 3 minutes whittling it down when they already know we're here? I skipped it."

"Good girl," he responded approvingly as he scanned the museum ahead of him- a long, open path stretched out ahead before the elaborate building, with nobody in sight to greet them. He frowned. "Okay, let's leave this crap behind and book it to the door," he decided abruptly. "I don't like being exposed like this. If they want it so bad, they can come out and get it."

They left the statue pieces behind as they sprinted for the building, boots crunching through the snow as they made haste. Though they made it to the door without incident, Kajex seemed tense. "Should've been some sort of alarm going off when you sliced us in," he stated, frowning as the grey durasteel sliding door. He looked towards his partner. "Quiz time- why do you think no alarm is going off right now?"

Syrra considered the question. "I did nothing to lower security- if opening the door would've triggered an alarm, maybe someone doesn't want an alarm raised." She nodded, face filled with dawning comprehension as she caught on to Kajex's thoughts. "Someone who doesn't want the local authorities to investigate, right?"

"Clever kitten. How many people are on the other side of this door?"

There was a pause as she counted. "6. All tense, guns at the ready. We knocked on one door, then picked the lock on it." She raised her saber. "Time to bash open the last one, 'Master'."

The wolf grinned, holding up a concussion detonator. "After you, 'Apprentice'."