Private A Great Jedi

[Ben Khal]

TERMINUS, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES​

"Come on, we're almost there!" Monira Opus called over her shoulder. "Catch up!"

Ben hurried after the Askajian girl, weaving his way through the bustling city. Between the summer heat and the press of bodies, he was already soaked with sweat. Monira looked equally uncomfortable, beads of perspiration dripping from her temples, but she hadn't complained. So neither did he.

The two had met at Snowpeak Sanctuary on Eshan a couple of weeks earlier. While they weren't exactly friends, they had a common goal. Both were masterless Padawans - a phenomenon which was becoming distressingly common now that the Jedi Order as they knew it had fractured - and both felt compelled to take matters into their own hands.

Their search for a master had brought them here, where a Jedi by the name of K'krul Xeth was purportedly working "undercover". Monira had discovered him in the Temple archives, along with a few writings about his great deeds. It seemed promising. Ben was a little wary, especially after what had happened with Nathan Bloodscrawl, but not to the point of being deterred. So the two had set out for Terminus, trading their Jedi robes for common civilian garb, and went looking for Master Xeth.

"Here it is," Monira said cheerfully, stopping in front of a building. Through the open doorway at the front, sounds of shouting and shattering glass could be heard.

Ben hesitated. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked.

She shrugged. "We won't know if we don't try."

Sighing, Ben nodded. "I'll go first," he said, stepping across the threshold. Hopefully this wouldn't turn out to be a mistake. After all that had happened in the past two years, he just wanted something to go right for once.

K'krul Xeth​

 

[K'krul Xeth]

Terminus was an excellent place in which to move invisibly. Aliens of all kinds moved through the crowded juncture world, all too enveloped in their own business to go digging around in anyone else's without a good reason. It was far from the Core, far from prying eyes. Xeth had become quite comfortable living his life here.

It case it wasn't clear by the fact that he was near passed out at a lounge chair inside of the club.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah, that's the guy."

Two burly aliens approached Xeth, one of them grabbing at his collar, causing the Gand to sluggishly rouse, "You're through, Xeth." He hoisted him up, seizing his right arm as the other alien came around to grab the left. "Whatever tricks you're pulling ain't gonna fly anymore."

"This one speaks nonsense. Xeth has pulled no tricks!" He denied, "Is Xeth not within his rights to use his talent and good fortune to their full advantage?"

The bouncer did not answer him, but ransacked the Gand's pockets for the many credits he had accumulated at the game tables in the club. Xeth did not put up a fight, merely waving a hand weakly in protest. They took him past the two youths that just entered, and threw him to the curb, "Come back again and you'll lose more than credits."

Xeth wobbled up into a sitting position, wiping off the muddy puddle of water than had splashed against his ragged clothes.

Ben Khal​

 

[Ben Khal]

Ben had barely stepped across the threshold when a pair of thugs hauled a Gand past him. He turned around, one hand on his lightsaber hilt, ready to intervene. But they merely tossed the alien onto the curb with a warning.

Focusing on the disgraced Gand, Ben's eyes widened. Was this the great Jedi Master they had been looking for, landing flat on his ass in the mud after being thrown out of a sleazy bar?

Monira seemed to read the situation very differently than he did. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, bending down to help the Gand up. "Are you okay?"

K'krul Xeth​

 

[K'krul Xeth]

Xeth would've blinked if his compound eyes were capable of doing so. Nobody had ever actually asked to see if he was 'okay' before. He sighed, a spout of vapor emanating from his respirator as he did, "Y-yes, yes. Xeth is more than capable of taking such unkindness in stride."

Xeth stood up, forcing himself into a more sturdy posture as if to reclaim some dignity. The two youths did not immediately go away, which caused Xeth more confusion, "Well-- Off you go, little larvae. Terminus is not a kind place."

Ben Khal​

 

[Ben Khal]

If it was wrong of Ben to assume the Gand was the Jedi they were looking for, the fact that he spoke in the third person conveniently confirmed his suspicions. By now the Padawans were both staring with wide eyes at Xeth, though their reactions to seeing him in the flesh were quite different.

"You're K'krul Xeth?" Ben asked incredulously, looking the Gand up and down with an expression like he'd just received an unpleasant surprise. "The great Jedi Weapons Master?"

"Oh-em-gee!" Monira exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "This is so cool! The Force really led us right to you!"

"We're Padawans," Ben added, eyes darting between his excited companion and the Gand. "We've been looking for a Master who can train us. Your name came up as a... possibility." Though looking at K'krul now, maybe there was an error in the system.

K'krul Xeth​