Chapter Text
Fox had gotten used to life on Kamino, and after his brothers shipped out and he was left behind he thought that it might be his whole life. The trip to Coruscant with General Ti, or Master Ti as she had insisted he call her when they returned home, had been a fun little trip he thought, not his new norm.
They stayed on Kamino for about 20 rotations with Master Ti insisting that Fox spend most of his day with her. When she had business to attend to that Fox could not be a part of he went back to his regular routine of training or studying. Although, Master Ti had given him a datapad with reading that pertained to the Jedi life he was now a part of, which was an interesting read. When Fox informed his Master that he had read the entire content of the datapad five rotations later she was shocked enough to actually take a step back. She still didn’t recover from her surprise as she quizzed him on the information and he swiftly answered all of her questions.
Most of their time on Kamino was just discussion of what would be expected of Fox and, when time allowed, mediation. Fox thought it was a bit like a nap as he was required to sit on a cushion for however long his Master decided doing nothing but “feeling the Force flow through him”. At first this was just Fox sitting thinking of nothing and not really feeling anything, but after a few sessions with Master Ti he began to feel what he would come to find out was her Force signature reaching out to him. It was nice, like the warm sun on his skin, or the feeling of his brothers laying together with him in the medbay. He couldn’t seem to do anything with the presence and he wondered if he felt like anything to her when he meditated, he doubted it, he still felt like he had no control over the Force.
Regardless of the amount of time Master Shaak Ti had for Fox in a day she would always make time for a little ritual with him. It had started on the way back from Coruscant. Master Ti had explained that when a padawan started training under a master they would keep a portion of their hair in a braid and they were not allowed to cut it for the entirety of their training. She even noted that she knew some Jedi who had braids down to their hips who had been training for almost a decade. Fox hoped that he would not be such a slow learner, he already had stunted growth, he didn’t need to be more behind. Master Ti had gone on to note that a Master would give a piece of their hair for the padawan to add to their braid as a symbol of their bond.
“But you don’t have any hair that could be braided with mine Master,” Fox said rather bluntly.
“You are right my padawan,” she responded with her kind smile, “and when I was training as a padawan I did not have a braid.”
Fox couldn’t help the confused expression that rushed to his face. All of this new information about Jedi culture was still trying to settle in his mind. Master Ti gave a small laugh in reaction to Fox’s face before continuing.
“I had this.” She pulled out a small gold strand from a pocket as she spoke, “It attached to my head piece and was a reminder that I had so much to learn.”
She rolled the cord between her fingers and mused, “My master actually made it for me. That was our connection. It now stands as a representation of our lineage, and I’m glad to have you be a part of that.”
Master Ti looked over to Fox now. The silence that followed demanded a response from Fox, but he couldn’t think of one. He couldn’t believe that this Jedi wanted him to be a part of what seemed to be her family. He was just a clone, even if he did have the Force, he wasn’t worthy of being part of a legacy. All Fox could do was look with disbelief between his new master and the golden strand in her hand.
“May I have the honor of putting in your first braid, my padawan?”
The question was odd. From what Fox had understood he had to have the braid, and he definitely was not familiar enough with how to braid hair to do it himself. It had seemed a foregone conclusion that his master would have to braid his hair, but to ask, and on top of that say it was an honor to do something for Fox didn’t sit right. Realizing that Master Shaak Ti was waiting for a response he swallowed down his reeling emotions and gave a quick small nod.
His master moved slowly, guiding Fox to sit where she could sit beside him. Then, she ran her long slender fingers through Fox’s messy two toned hair, loosely brushing it out. Fox found himself relaxing into his master as she continued, starting to hum a tune. She located a section she liked and separated it into two. Then she started pulling and twisting the hair, but it wasn’t uncomfortable like when Wolffe would grab at his hair to try and get an advantage in combat. Master Ti concluded with a satisfied hum and led Fox to a mirror so he could see her work.
Fox was at a loss for words. His hair wasn’t much to speak of, and he gave a hasty apology to his Master for not giving her enough hair to work with. All she responded with was her warm smile and a light squeeze to his shoulders. What had really thrown the Padawan though was the gold strand. It looked so out of place on him, too ornate to belong to a clone. He swallowed down the urge to tell Master Shaak Ti to take it back, afraid that would be an insult to her.
That had become their ritual though; Master Ti would take the time out of her schedule to sit with Fox and rebraid his hair every day. Always the same calming quiet mood where she would brush through all of his hair before tying the too fancy golden ornament into his hair. Sometimes they would discuss lessons Fox should focus on for the day, or Master Ti would explain what she had going on for the day. On the 20th rotation on Kamino his Master had a different topic of conversation.
“We will be returning to Coruscant today, Fox,” he could hear the slight smile on her face.
“What for, Master?” In truth, Fox didn’t care what the reason was, if it meant he might get to see his batchmates again.
“We need to report back to the Jedi Council for one thing.” She had started his braid, “I also have to meet with the Council for other business, but while I’m doing that, I thought you could join some classes at the Jedi Academy.”
Fox twisted to face his master at those words causing Shaak Ti to have to pause in her braiding.
“Do not worry little one,” she reassured, “it will be like the classes you have here. I think you are capable of joining the younglings in their training.”
She used a gentle hand to guide him back to looking forward and continued to braid. Fox thought about her words, she had said he would be training with younglings, which, if his memory served, were different from padawans. Was his master saying he was falling behind on her teachings? Would he have to be sent down to a lower tier of Jedi?
“I just have a quick meeting with the Kaminoians this morning, and then we will depart.”
Fox vaguely registered her words as he was still thinking on the previous statement. He would have the whole flight to Coruscant to reread everything on the datapad his master had given him, and he could ask for a lesson or two. He would try and prove that he was good enough to be a padawan, try and fix whatever Master Shaak Ti thought was wrong with him.
The trip to Coruscant was one and a half cycles on Master Ti’s ship. This meant there was only really one night of sleep before they would arrive. Although, sleep was the farthest thing from Fox’s mind. He hadn’t slept the last time they were on the ship either, and it hadn’t been an issue, so this time should be fine too. It would be time to reread over the information his master had given him. He could definitely get through all of it if he read quickly.
When Master Shaak Ti was awake they would meditate. Fox tried to focus on making an impact on the Force, something that would be felt by his master so she would know he was understanding her lessons. It felt the same as it always did though. Like he was just sitting, his master reaching out to him, and the Force not responding to his desperate call.
After their session, Fox sat for tea and discussion with his master.
“Are you still nervous about training with the younglings, my padawan?” Master Ti started. A bold opening that Fox was caught off guard by. He winced at the question and, swallowing how wrong it felt, answered with a question of his own.
“Why am I training with younglings, Master?”
Master Shaak Ti pulled a half smile onto her face, looked off to the side, and sighed before responding, “As much as I wish I could, I do not have the time to teach you all you need to know.”
“Then why not have me train with other padawans? From what I read, younglings are behind padawans in their training.” Fox was surprised by his own question. He shouldn’t be speaking to a general like that, despite how they were currently sharing tea.
All his master did in response was meet his eyes. Worry and concern washing across her face. She placed one of her hands loosely over Fox’s that rested on the table.
“Padawan’s do not train with one another, they train with their masters until they have learned all that it means to be a Jedi.” Master Ti gave a slight squeeze to his hand before continuing, “In almost every case though, a padawan started as a youngling and learned many basics that would be built on by a master. You were unfortunately not given that privilege. That datapad is the best I could offer to you, but even it has its shortcomings. I will get you more reading when we are on Coruscant.”
“Thank you, Master.” Fox quickly responded.
“But,” his master introjected, “as I’m sure you have noticed by now, most of our Jedi ways are more feeling than they are practical education.”
This was true, as much as Fox read over the material he had been given he rarely understood any of it until Master Ti went over it with him.
“By training with the younglings you will have a Jedi Master who has more time to cover more teachings with you.” Master Shaak Ti gave one of her kind smiles that took on a playful edge when she added, “Plus, all of the younglings will be impressed by your braid. You are still quite young by padawan standards.”
Fox couldn’t help the glance to the golden strand that laid on his shoulder, nor could he help the blush that rushed his face. His master gave a small chuckle at this.
They finished the rest of their tea in silence as Fox thought over the conversation. Master Ti rose and took the cups, as she put them away she wished Fox a good rest. Fox stood and gave his master a bow, returning the sentiment and left for his room. He did not get any sleep though.
Fox was back on the overwhelmingly grand streets of Coruscant before he knew it, following his master back down a vaguely familiar route. Standing before the Jedi Council was just as intimidating as the last time, but the reassuring hand on his shoulder made it easier to stand under their scrutiny. However, unlike last time, once Fox and his master had stood before the Council they didn’t leave. Master Shaak Ti shifted her hand from Fox’s shoulder to his back and lightly led him to a chair in the circle. She took what Fox assumed to be her seat. There was no seat for Fox, but he was used to standing. He took a relaxed parade rest on the right side of his master.
Fox thought it would be rude to listen to the Council, so he did something he didn’t often do, he let his mind wander. It was made rather easy by the massive windows that overlooked the massive city of Coruscant. Fox thought about how many people he could see going by just this window, and then he started to think about the many people bustling about on the streets, though he couldn’t see them. Thinking about the busy city pulled something from his mind. One of his vod’e was in charge of looking after those people. The memory was blurred from how overwhelming it had been with Fox being told about what all of his vod’e were doing for assignment, but he knew he could remember if he just tried a little harder. Then, a feeling struck him, the sensation of something stiff and sharp. A quick flash of an image followed, and suddenly he remembered. Thorn. While Fox didn’t know where all his ori’vod’e were, he could guarantee Thorn was on this planet with him. He wondered if his master would take him to see his vod again. Then Fox remembered Master Ti was busy and didn’t even have time for his training, never mind something as frivolous as seeing his ori’vod.
He was brought back to reality by a pang in his chest. It was for the best though, as Fox realized he had locked his knees while spacing out and was going to pass out if he didn’t stop himself. Breaking his position, he took a shaky step forward and caught himself on his master’s seat. Fortunately, he was able to right himself before Master Ti noticed. Unfortunately, one of the other Councilors had noticed his slip; the stern bald man, General Windu if Fox remembered properly, had shot a look his way. Fox was sure he would get reprimanded by the man after this meeting was over, and he would deserve it. What kind of clone couldn't stand still for the duration of a meeting? Fox didn’t let his mind wander for the rest of the meeting; which was only about ten more minutes, making his falling out even more pathetic.
Before General Windu could make his way over to Fox for his inevitable tongue lashing, he was whisked away by his master, who didn’t know the mistake Fox had made. She walked leading him down many unfamiliar hallways that all looked the same. Fox was keeping pace slightly behind her. Master Ti was explaining what their stay on Coruscant would look like as they walked.
“We will be here for 30 rotations. I do apologize for not informing you of how long it would be before we left Kamino, but I did not truly know how long it would be until that meeting.”
“There is no need to apologize, Master. I will go wherever you tell me for however long you need. It does not make any difference to me when I learn this information.”
At that, Master Shaak Ti stopped walking and turned to look at Fox, that look of concern she had on the ship returned to her face. She knelt and placed a hand on Fox’s shoulder.
“Fox, my padawan, this will be the longest you’ve been away from your home planet. It is very common for younglings to miss the comfort of the familiar when they leave the Temple for the first time.”
“Yes, Master, but I have always known I would be sent away from Kamino. I will be fine, you need not worry about me.” Fox punctuated this with a smile.
Though the concern didn’t leave Master Ti’s eyes, she gave Fox’s shoulder a squeeze, stood, and started walking again. After about half a hallway she spoke again.
“You will be staying in the dorms while we are here.”
That statement almost gave Fox pause. He was used to staying near his master, but what Master Ti had just said made it seem like she would be staying somewhere else. But, he would be staying in the dorms of the Jedi Academy. Likely the same accommodations that every other student had. Fox surmised that these would be the rooms they had on Kamino. He would likely be staying with fellow students, he could handle that.
“I have also requested some Jedi robes for you while we are here.” Shaak Ti continued, “They’ll be waiting for you in your room. I thought they might help you feel more comfortable in your classes if you match everyone else.”
The thought did make Fox feel a little more sure about joining classes. This really would be like Kamino. Then, a concern crossed his mind. Fox had only ever worn his clothes from Kaminio, these would be Jedi robes. They likely had a lot of purpose behind how they were worn, and Fox didn’t have the first idea of what they were supposed to look like.
“I will stop by in the morning,” his master interrupted his thoughts, “to make sure you are ready for your first day, and to make sure your braid is presentable, as always.”
It was like Master Ti had sensed his concerns, which was very likely what happened, but whether directed or not, it reassured Fox that he wouldn’t do anything wrong. A smile must have slipped onto his face as his master was regarding him with a similar one. Fox didn’t even notice they had stopped walking and were now standing in front of a door.
“This,” Shaak Ti said while opening the door, “will be your room. Do not worry about getting lost while trying to find it, I have included a guide to any place you need to go on your datapad, which has also been updated with some more reading. If you feel so inclined to learn more in between your classes.”
After opening the door Master Ti had stepped to the side, indicating that she wished for Fox to step through the door first. He was giving his master a standard thanks for the updates to his datapad as he started taking in the room. Fox hated how his stomach dropped as he saw there was not much to the room; a closet, a desk and accompanying chair, an attached fresher, and a bed. A single bed. These were private dorm rooms. Despite the dread creeping up on Fox he knew he couldn’t let his master know he was dissatisfied with the room, so he took her teachings and used them to calm his emotions. After all, any clone would be thrilled at having their own space. It was a sign of higher status to not have to share a space. Even when they were on Kamino CTs would sleep 20-30 a room while CCs had the luxury of only sharing a room between six of them.
Shaak Ti suddenly got a beeping on her communicator and she and Fox exchanged hasty good-byes and thanks, and with the promise of being back tomorrow morning Master Ti was gone. Fox was alone. But that was fine, he could explore his room and get ready for bed, he was rather tired after traveling and the Council meeting. He had barely slept on the ship, cramming Jedi knowledge in case the Council had quizzed him. And so Fox set out on his self imposed mission.
He looked over the fresher, it was very standard. He stood behind the desk and looked over it, it was empty, save for a lamp. Before the desk there was a small window looking onto the bustling city of Coruscant. Even though the sun was setting, everything was still moving at the pace it had been during the Council meeting. Shifting his focus back to the room, he went over to the bed. There was a folded set of clothing, based on its placement Fox guessed they were sleep wear and made a note to change into them after a shower. Finally, Fox opened the closet. There seemed to be five sets of the same outfit, but they all had so many pieces that Fox couldn’t begin to guess how they went together. He closed the closet to stop his mind from spinning.
Room thoroughly investigated, Fox decided to get ready to sleep. He rinsed himself off in the shower and after drying himself off picked up the clothes from the bed. There were thankfully only two pieces, pants and a shirt. The pants had a drawstring that Fox had to tighten and tie to keep up; they ran the length of his legs, stopping about an inch from the floor. The shirt just simply slipped over his head and was rather boxy. The pants were a darker brown while the shirt was light brown; brown was a common color among the Jedi Fox was learning. The clothes were comfortable and Fox climbed into bed fully intending to sleep.
But sleep did not come. Fox knew it wouldn’t. His whole life Fox had been surrounded by brothers when sleeping. Their breathing or even their snoring had been a comfort to him. The room he was in now, despite the busy city outside the window, was dead silent.
After fighting to sleep for what must have been an hour, Fox picked up his datapad and decided to read some of the new lessons and information that had been added. If he wouldn’t sleep he would at least stay productive.
There was fortunately a rather detailed section on Jedi robes that Fox could read up on. This meant that he could mostly get dressed by himself, without fear of looking like a fool when his master showed up in the morning. He began his attempts at 0300, at 0430 he collapsed onto his bed with a sigh of frustration. Fox could get the under garments just fine, they were little more than his sleeping clothes, but no matter how much he looked at the pictures and wrapped and rewrapped the robes he could not get them to lay properly. It seemed so easy, but he would often end up with one side of the robe?, scarf?, being longer than the other. Or, on the rare attempts he got that to lay right it would have too many folds, or he would slip putting the belt on and knock everything out of alignment.
He resigned himself to looking like an idiot in front of Master Shaak Ti; she had given him all the tools he needed to dress himself, and he had failed. On Kamino, if the longnecks had set a similar task for him and found he could not complete it they would schedule him for a complete physical, because obviously something was wrong with him. He knew that it would not be the same here. In fact, Fox could already envision the amused smile his master would have on her face when she found him like this. But, another part of Fox felt like he should receive at least a slap on the wrist for his shortcomings. Fox pushed himself off the bed and removed the incorrectly tied belt and the misaligned robe, laying them on the bed to give the impression that he had not attempted to put them on 75 times without success.
At 0500 there was a knock at Fox’s door. He put down the pad that he had been using to go over his schedule for the 15th time and went to open it. Master Ti stood on the other side of the door, as Fox knew she would be.
“I had a feeling you would be up already, my padawan.” she greeted.
“I was nervous about my first day, I’ve been up since 0300 reading over my datapad,” Fox lied.
“Of course you were, padawan mine.” Master Ti had walked into the room and was now standing by the fabric laid out on the bed. “Would you like help getting your robes on, I know they can be tricky the first few times. Why do you think I wear such basic robes?” she joked.
All Fox could do was nod in response. He was still disappointed in himself for not being able to figure out the garment on his own. Master Ti beckoned Fox to her side. She picked up what at first glance would seem to be a jacket, but Fox knew it was supposed to wrap around the chest. The padawan put his arms out and his master pulled the shirt over them. Then she tightly wrapped one side of the open shirt over the other. While pining her work in place with one hand she picked up a long, thin strip of fabric the same color as the shirt from the bed. This piece wrapped around Fox’s waist and then was tied and tucked into itself. Next was the frustrating scarf looking piece. His master had no issues with the cloth though, slowly lining up the ends and brushing them flat. Fox stood as still as he could, fearing he would mess up the placement, as she retrieved the thick belt from the bed. She clasped it in front of Fox, so that he could see how it connected, before turning it so the proper part was facing forward. All of her movements had been slow and careful, just like when she would braid Fox’s hair. The intention was clear, these were directions so Fox could do this by himself next time. He committed the steps to memory.
After she took a moment to take in her padawan in traditional Jedi clothing she led him to sit in the chair at the desk that was suddenly by the bed. Master Ti sat on the bed and untied the old braid in Fox’s hair. Then came the familiar calming sensation of fingers running through his hair. Fox closed his eyes and relaxed into the contact. It helped to calm his mind of everything he was stressing about and he reached out to feel the comfort of his master’s Force signature. Fox couldn’t be sure, but it seemed that he was actually interacting with the Force signature. It felt vaguely of interlocking fingers. Master Shaak Ti didn’t seem to have a reaction to it though, so Fox figured it was just his finally calm mind playing tricks on him.
The braid was finished much too soon for Fox and his master stood. She glanced towards the clock on the bedside table.
“It is still a bit early for classes, but we should head over there anyway. If there is one thing I want, it is for my padawan to be punctual.” She spoke so easily that Fox almost missed she was giving him an order.
“Of course, Master.” Fox said as he stood a little too quickly.
Before Fox could make for the door though, Master Shaak Ti pulled him into an embrace. Fox stiffened for a moment. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to contact. He loved being physically close with his vod’e, and especially his batchmates. It was just that he had only ever received this kind of contact from his vod’e, it was startling coming from another being. Quickly though, Fox relaxed into his master’s arms and returned the hug in earnest.
“I am truly sorry that it has to be this way, my padawan.” Master Ti spoke, not breaking the contact, “But the war that brought me to you is also the very circumstances that take my time away from you. If I could, I would not let you leave my side, but you need more training first.”
There was a long pause and Fox almost felt like he should respond in a way that wasn’t just gripping his master tighter. Before the padawan could get his mouth to form words though his master continued.
“When you are ready, I promise I will train you into the strong Jedi Master I know you can be.”
It was another beat before Master Shaak Ti unwrapped her arms from Fox and lightly pushed away from him. Fox almost chased after her contact, but he held himself back. One quick glance back to the clock and Master Ti patted his shoulder and said, “Now let’s get going, or I’ll be late for my meeting.”
Fox found that Master Ti was right about the training. So many concepts that he had read about suddenly clicked together when another Jedi Master explained or even demonstrated them. He was so caught up with expanding his understanding that he hardly noticed he was the only padawan in the classes. Although, he did often catch the younglings staring in awe at his braid.
When they broke for a meal Fox had to field so many questions his head started to spin. Many of them he couldn’t even answer, the younglings assuming he had more knowledge than them with him being a padawan when the exact opposite was true. Fox barely got to eat anything before he was off to another lesson.
As with the others, these lessons helped distract him from feeling out of place. It was during these lessons that Fox found something that really spoke to him. It was explained as training to prepare the younglings for when they would wield their lightsabers, kata they were called. Fox had read about them, but had never actually performed the movements. Every move was deliberate and slow. It was like an active meditation, and Fox closed his eyes and found himself lost in the practice. He felt so at peace that after running through the forms that the master had demonstrated Fox shifted to acting out some of the kata he had read about. When Fox felt he had finished his movements he opened his eyes, he froze.
Not only was the instructor staring at him, but Master Windu of the Jedi Council was too. He was surely already on the man's bad side, and now he had seen again that Fox couldn’t keep himself in line. Neither of the Jedi said anything to Fox and instead turned back to each other, supposedly talking about the padawan, and then the Councilor left. To his surprise, the Jedi Master didn’t say anything to Fox as he left the classroom either.
The rest of the afternoon passed without incident, and soon Fox found that he was finished with his schedule. Fortunately, the younglings had grouped up and left him alone as he wandered the halls of the Jedi Temple aimlessly. After managing to get himself turned around, he remembered that Master Shaak Ti had added a map to his datapad. Gratefully he pulled the pad from his pocket and opened said map. He didn’t feel like returning to his room, so he just looked for the mapped point that was closest to him. Room of a Thousand Fountains it was. The path was simple enough, mostly straight down and the little space to and from the elevator.
The room wasn’t exactly what Fox had envisioned from the name. There were a lot of pools of water, yes, a very familiar scene for Fox. But around the water was something the clone had never seen before, greenery. Of course Fox had learned about many fauna and flora in his studies on Kamino. They could be helpful or harmful while scavenging for food. But he had never actually seen any in person. Fox was wandering, breathlessly, into the garden before he realized what he was doing. He felt the Force very strongly in this room, and it seemed to be leading him. So, he followed.
Fox found himself standing before a massive tree in the middle of the room and blinked, taking in the other surroundings. There was a figure in the clearing with the clone that he almost missed as he blended in with the lush green of everything. The head of the Jedi Council, Master Yoda, was sitting on a large flat rock. Before Fox could decide if he should greet the Jedi Master the green man cracked open his eye and greeted Fox instead.
“Greetings, young padawan. Come, join me, you should.”
Fox nodded and walked over to Master Yoda. There was another rock beside him and Fox climbed onto it.
“Meditate with me, you should.” The Jedi Master continued once Fox had stopped moving, “A room of meditation, this is after all.”
Fox quickly pulled his legs to be crisscrossed like the Jedi next to him. The head of the Jedi Council had just told him to do something after all. He took a breath and relaxed into the stance his master had taught him, and gave up his mind to the flow of the Force. Instead of the Force signature he was used to though, the padawan was welcomed by the, overwhelmingly, impressive Force signature of Jedi Master Yoda. This signature seemed to be circling around Fox, sizing him up. It took all of his will to stop himself from being consumed by it. All at once though, the Force presence vanished. In its place though was something worse, visions.
Fox hadn’t had a vision in a few weeks, and this one was much more vivid than any he had experienced on Kamino. This vision was a dark cloud and images flashed past Fox before he could even register what half of them were. What he could make out had important details blurred by the inky darkness. Flashes of his vod’e and people he had never met melted together. Fox tried to breathe, like his master had taught him, but when he inhaled it felt like the darkness was forcing its way into his lungs.
His eyes shot open and a scream escaped him. It felt like it echoed around the serine gardens, made all the louder by being a sound that didn’t belong. As the vision left his mind he focused on trying to get his breathing under control. Once he gained success with that, he leaned back and rested his weight on his palms.
“Sorry for that, I am, young padawan.” Fox had forgotten about the Jedi Master sitting beside him and accidentally jumped when the man spoke.
“S-sorry?” was all Fox could think to ask.
“Plagued by that vision, I am. Mean for it to invade your thoughts, I did not.” The master continued.
Fox was confused. Not that Master Yoda would claim such a dark vision as belonging to him, but because Fox had actually seen that vision before. Many times on Kamino he would be woken in the middle of the sleep cycle screaming from it, though it was less intense than it had been this time. Fox decided not to voice this to the Jedi Master though.
“An interesting Force signature, you have.” Master Yoda said, thankfully shifting the subject. “Think of mine, what did you, hrm?”
“It was very different from Master Ti’s, that’s for sure, sir.” Fox started, when the small master nodded he continued, “Yours is massive, I felt it all around me. Kinda like it was going to consume me. It was very impressive, sir.”
“Speak with such formalities, you need not.”
“Sorry, si-err- What would you prefer me to address you as?”
“Master, the young Jedi, refer to their elders by.”
“Ah, okay, master.”
Fox cursed himself internally. He knew that already, he had read about it, but he had let his clone training take over. He would try not to let it happen again.
“Be going, I should.” Master Yoda said as he stood. “Get some rest you should, young padawan. More lessons you have tomorrow.”
Fox stood and gave the Jedi Master a bow as he departed. His legs were a bit shaky though, so he chose to sit back down on the rock and take some more deep breaths. The vision had shaken him up more than he had thought. Five minutes later, his legs did not threaten to give out on him when he stood. He picked his way out of the Room of a Thousand Fountains and then pulled out his datapad, selected the navigation for his room, and made his way there.
Once back, Fox carefully removed his robes, showered off, and dressed in his sleep wear. There was a hamper in the fresher where he had placed his robes and sleep wear from the night before. As he had expected, there was a fresh set on the bed.
Fox knew he would not sleep tonight either, not just because of the uncomfortably quiet room, but because of the vision. Another thing that his batchmates had always been there for. Even though he could never fully explain it to them, they would treat it like a bad nightmare. They, most often Ponds, would comfort him and snuggle close until he drifted back to sleep. Now though, Fox felt cold and anxious. To quiet his mind, Fox decided to run through as many kata as he could remember, and when he ran out, he studied them on his pad.