Into the Purge

Chapter Six: Personal Trials

Chapter Six: Personal Trials

"Come on Master! Hurry up!" The laughing voice called from high up in the tree. Lieleon sighed and chuckled at the same time. Always on the move, and always eager, her apprentice was never still for long. 

Summoning strength from the force she jumped into the air, landing neatly on a thick branch, after several similar jumps she finally met her Padawan near the top of the tree. 

Sheema was leaning against the trunk, idly twirling her Padawan braid around her finger, a sure sign she was impatient and being forced to wait. 

For a moment Lieleon merely studied the tall lanky sixteen year old in from of her... 

Was this really the same girl she had found almost six years ago? How could she have ever been small enough that Lieleion had to scoop her up to bring her level to her face?

Now she was just as tall as she was, with bright golden blonde hair. Her scars were still visible, but they had faded somewhat. Sheema had long ago told the story of the Sith Lord, and held the scars in an odd sort of pride. 

At the moment she was wearing a sleeveless light bown tunic, and darker brown combat pants, her hair was pulled back into a single braid that ran down her back, all except her Padawan braid, that she insisted on letting hang loose and free. 

"You could have done those last jumps in just one." Sheema commented, moving her body away from the trunk. 

Lieleon smiled slightly, even though it sounded as though the girl was criticizing her, she knew she was actually concerned. And thus with her new status of age, trying to mask it. 

"Did I forget to teach you patience in your training Padawan?" She asked, her eyebrows arching slightly at the younger girl. 

"No Master, I just couldn't sit still long enough to hear your lectures." Sheema replied, her own eyebrows copying her masters. 

Lieleon shut her eyes with a short sigh.

"Whatever happened to my patient little apprentice Shey? She was so much easier to teach." She said softly, a faint tilt of regret in her voice. 

For the first time Sheema looks almost startled by Lieleons words. 

"I'm sorry Master if I said the wrong thing. I didn't mean..." Lieleon stopped  her with a slight motion of her hand. 

"Then again, she has been replaced with a strong capable young woman. Though occasionally moody, one could not ask for a more receptive, and loyal apprentice." She finished, a true smile coming over her face. 

Carefully she sat down on the limb, Sheema stepped over and sat beside her, and for a moment the two were silent. 

"Thank you for those words Master, I do try so very hard to please you." Sheema said silently, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath of the morning air. 

"You please me everyday Sheema, you have learned so much. I can tell you will become a great Jedi some day." Sheema smiled slightly, and fingered her long Padawan braid. It hadn't been cut since the day she and her master promised to work together always, 

Nowadays the long stand reminded her of so many things, every time something significant happened, she had placed a bead on the end of her braid. Thus resulting is several brightly colored beads woven in various lengths of her braid. 

Each time she touched a bead a memory flashed through her mind. The first time Master Lieleon had left her in her barely running ship. Then when she head returned with w small second hand personal flyer for their use. 

The first time she had been off planet, which turned out to be called Endor. Finding the library on the planet Mandalore and reading about Endor, those fuzzy things were called Ewoks...

Sheema remember how relieved she had been when Master Lieleon had finally announced they were going home. They could have lived anywhere, but there home was on Endor. 

The first time she had successfully mediated, and the times she had faced down her fears when her master had left her alone on the planet.

She smiled to think of these things, nothing, nothing else in this whole universe could have made those years any better.  

Finally Lieleon broke through her wandering thoughts. 

"Your mind is wandering again Padawan." She said simply, not in reproof, merely observing. 

Sheema blushed, fingering her necklace as she did when she was nervous. 

"I'm sorry Master, I was just reflecting on the past."  She replied, turning her eyes towards the horizon. 

"So then you sense it as well..." Lieleon said quietly, faint satisfaction in her voice. 

"Sense what Master?" Sheema asked, her eyes cautious at the thought.

"The coming of change Sheema, if you can sense it, you must be ready." Lieleon replied, her eyes closed, as though carefully sensing the force. 

"What is it Master? What is about to happen? What is changing?" She demanded, moving a little closer to the older Jedi. Lieleon finally opened her eyes to look at the girl, a smile on her face. Reaching over she gently put her hand on Sheema's shoulder.

"You are what is about to change Sheema. You have grown strong, and capable in the force. No longer to you need me to complete you, we now complement each other, two individual beings, no longer halves." Lieleon explained, she waited to see if Sheema would make the connection on her own...

"Master, are you saying...?" Sheema asked, not daring to say the words aloud. The twi'lek merely nodded her head. 

"Today you begin the steps to becoming a Jedi Knight." She said simply, her eyes serious, but also gentle.

"What must I do Master?" Sheema asked softly, still not completely sure her Master was speaking correctly. 

Lieleon finally stood up, bracing herself against the stiff breeze that had sprung up. 

"I have a series of missions that you will need to complete, not only will these assess your learning, but also how you react to these missions in general... Now do you remember the last time we were in Mandalore?"

"Of course Master, much has befallen the planet as of late."  Sheema replied, they had been on the planet less than three weeks before. 

"There is a cause of that unrest. There is a certain clan of bounty hunters, they are calling themselves the Children of Death. They claim their predecessors were Death Watch warriors. They are using this as their excuse and rallying cry.

There is one, a sniper called Diern Valosho, he turned against his own members. Suddenly going rouge he has been taking to prey on any visitors from the Republic, and Jedi. But not just any Jedi, this monster only preys on the very young. Most of his kills have been of recently selected Padawan Learners.

The call has been put out for any Jedi to fnd this ruthless monster and derail his reign of terror... Therefore your mission is to go to Mandalore, and find Valsho, if you are unable to put and end to his killing sprees, you are to put an end to him... Can you do it my Padawan?" She asked, looking intently into Sheema's eyes. 

The girl turned the situation over in her head, then seeming to make up her mind she snapped back to attention. 

"I will do what I can to see this monster is stopped." She replied formally. 

"Then you may leave at once." Lieleon replied, before she even finished speaking, Sheema had jumped from the tree, and took off across the field to where their ship lay under cover. 

"Good luck my little Shey..: Lieleion whispered softly, knowing the words would carry into her apprentices mind. 

It was time for Sheema to discover herself.