JEDI ARCHIVES, NEW JEDI TEMPLE,

CORUSCANT, CORUSCANT SYSTEM

The Jedi Archives were often considered a place of thought and reflec-
tion for its visitors. It had been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times, by
the same conflicts it now records into endless towering shelves of Galactic
history.
Shi‟yi sat cross-legged at the base of one such shelf, sifting through the
old holocopies of her master‟s journals. She cradled the holopad in her lap
while she read and felt the warmth from it on her legs. There was nothing
more comfortable than a good book in a grand room.
It took her a few hours to find it, but she didn‟t mind. Wandering the
Archives was wandering through history. She was surrounded by tales,
stories, and entire pasts. The records of entire star systems and eras rising
and falling, thousands of centuries prior to her life. And still, there was an
unimaginable amount of stars in the galaxy today, and only a fraction of
them were described by the Galactic Alliance as „known space.‟ Shi‟yi
often thought space—the very concept of it—was impossible to under-
stand, let alone describe.
That was before she found the Force.
Reading through her master‟s journals provided her with a reminder, a
guideline she was taught long ago when training, that the Force was space.
It connected all things, all planets, all feelings and all thoughts. It was
what was. That was simply the truth. Shi‟yi believed now that understand-
ing the universe wasn‟t the question, but understanding the beings that
inhabit it.
 Her master always taught her that space is only dark and cold when
there is no one to light it. And after his death, Shi‟yi always tried to light
up everything and everyone around her. Including her former Apprentice.
His footsteps echoed throughout the endless aisles of information
stored in the First Hall. Shi‟yi looked up from the journal she was reading
and smiled as she saw him trotting towards her.
“Obviously you‟re here.” Zee said. His voice echoed in the halls as
well.
“Obviously.” She smiled and got up, sliding the journal back into its
labelled spot. The holocopy‟s spine turned bright blue when it slid back in.
“What is it?”
“Well, it seems like there‟s a mission.”
“Finally, your first one!” She laughed and abruptly hugged him.
“Good for you; don‟t think you need me anymore,” she started patting
him on the back since her arms couldn‟t reach his shoulders.
Zee scoffed and pulled her away. “Yes, I‟m well aware, but it‟s not for
me. It‟s for you. Council‟s waiting.”
“Really? And all the way up there?” Shi‟yi groaned.
“Yes, Master.” He bowed mockingly. She responded with smacking
him on the head.
“Ow.”
“It‟s former Master now, got it? What kind of mission?”
“Reconnaissance, I beli—”
“MASTER QUI-LI! WHERE ARE YOU?!” A voice bellowed from
the far end of the hall.
 “Here, Master Dj. Please, you can contact me through the Force, yell-
ing is quite unnecessary.” A frail Mriss in over-sized robes waddled
slowly towards them. His colourful wings flapped sporadically, feathers
falling behind him, as if he were trying to gain flight to get to them faster.
Both of them waited patiently while Master Dj came within talking
distance.
“Hello, Master,” Zee said almost robotically.
Master Dj looked at him with his sharp avian eyes, his beak slightly
parted.
Then suddenly he spurted, “What‟s his deal? You a synthdroid or
something?”
“Jedi Baohe is not accustomed to talking informally to superiors. His
recent knighting hasn‟t yet set in, has it?”
“No, I don‟t think so. Should I just call you Nurat then, Master?” Zee
replied.
Master Dj returned to a blank stare at him. He blinked, and looked back
at Shi‟yi.
“I don‟t think you‟ve taught your apprentice enough.”
Shi‟yi sighed deeply and crouched down to the Master‟s diminutive
height. His wings flapped twitchily, exposed from his robes, and a few
more feathers fell to the floor.
She talked slowly and in fragments so Master Dj could register the
words.
“What is it, Master? Why have you called me?”
 “Oh, well the Council wishes to see you, Master Qui-li. You have a
mission!” His feathered hands swung in excitement. Shi‟yi glanced back
at Zee who shrugged back at her, while hiding his laughter.
“Thank you, Master. Please, continue your Chief Librarian duties, I‟m
sure you have much archiving to do.”
“Oh, yes. Of course I do. Good luck, Master Qui-li. And congratula-
tions, Jedi Baohe.”
“Thank you, Master,” they both said in unison.
They bowed as he turned around and slowly snailed his way back into
the endless aisles.
“Did he ever battle? I mean, does he even have a lightsaber?” Zee
blurted.
“Nurat Dj fought in seventeen battles as a Jedi Guardian, three on his
home planet. He lost five apprentices during that time. His connection to
the Force was strong in those days. But all that fighting probably drained
him. Now he just delves in books, like people of his species are supposed
to do, because it‟s peaceful, and quiet. Nobody to lose. No death.”
She looked on as Master Dj finally turned the corner, and then
shifted her attention to Zee, who was staring intensively at his former
master. She could tell that her words had spoken to him, but Zee experi-
enced no true battle yet, nor did she think he wanted to. Nevertheless,
Shi‟yi recognized that stare of anticipation and wonderment, and of equal
anxiety towards the prospect of conflict, and the thought of death.
She broke the silence. “So, the Council?
Zee regained his train of thought. “Oh. Ah, yes. You leave today.”
“And you?”
 “I guess I wait for you to come back, Master.” He smiled coyly.
“Nice to see the life of a Knight is treating you well. Don‟t get lost in
these halls.”
She began walking towards the Archives‟ exit to the upper levels.
Zee shouted, “Already am!”
Shi‟yi shook her head and smiled. She thought about what Master Dj
had said about Zee, but she knew the truth behind it. Master Dj was known
for his attempts at humour, albeit dry at times. It was a side-effect of
spending several decades roaming the Archives as a Chief Librarian. His
sarcasm was often hard to pick up on, but Shi‟yi understood.
Zee was her first apprentice, but the entire Order held good faith in
him, and good faith in Shi‟yi‟s tutelage. Like her master once saw in her,
Shi‟yi knew it immediately. The Force was strong in this one.