Playlist:

❶ "Shuttle Tydirium Approaches Endor"—Return of the Jedi EST

❷ "Yoda and the Younglings" 0:07–3:59—Attack of the Clones EST

❶ "Look, I'm trying to reach the quartermaster," Naluma said over the communicator in the study on Khalkha. For the tenth time this week, she wished that Luke was not away on a mission—again. Everything functioned more smoothly with him around.

The receptionist on the other end asked, "May I ask who is speaking?"

Naluma rubbed her forehead and sighed. "This is Jedi Master Naluma Fau at the Jedi Academy."

"Could you please hold?"

"Yes, I'll wait." 

Naluma stared out the window in the courtyard, the kedari trees beckoning her outside, away from this nightmare called bureaucracy. She longed to return to Endor—or even Ahch-To—time alone with Luke in the middle of nature. They had enjoyed precious little time together over the last year since their wedding. Always another mission. 

The voice on the other end pulled her from her reverie. "Quartermaster's Office. Specialist Nekkott speaking."

"Specialist, I need to speak to someone about why my order was kicked back to me." Naluma's peace eluded her as her voice heightened.

"And who are you? Which division?" Nekkott asked.

"Jedi Master Naluma Fau. Jedi Academy," Naluma said for the fifth time today.

"You have exceeded your allocated budget, ma'am."

"That's never been a problem before." Naluma massaged her neck. "Can you connect me to the quartermaster? . . . Thank you."

"Captain Pondarea."

"Captain, this is Jedi Master Naluma Fau of the Jedi Academy. I need to push my order through, but it keeps getting kicked back." Naluma reached out, clutching at the tendrils of the Force to restore her peace.

"I'm sorry, Master Fau, but the Jedi Academy has exceeded its allocated budget."

Naluma inhaled a deep breath before responding. "Yes, that's what your clerk said," Naluma said with a staccato tempo, resolving to remain civil. "Captain, I have twenty new Padawan arriving in two months, and I need these requisitions now."

"Well, we might be able to fill some of your requisitions next month when your budget cycles."

"You don't understand, Captain. We have only one carrier authorized for shipments to our classified location. It will take him some time to ferry the shipments to us."

"I'm sorry, Master Fau. My hands are tied. I do not have the proper authorization to fulfill this requisition."

"I see, Captain. Well, could you tell me where I could get the proper authorization?"

"The Senate Appropriations Committee."

"Thank you." Naluma's back stiffened. "You've been very helpful." She disconnected the call before the captain could respond. "The Senate Appropriations Committee. Great!" The Jedi Master sat back in the desk chair and lifted her hand to her mouth, wishing for the hundredth time in the last two years that Luke were here.

Since they had returned from their honeymoon, Luke had been gone on missions more than he had been at the academy. His absence left Naluma running the academy, teaching a full schedule, counseling wayward Padawan, and handling the administrative duties as well.

Although one other Jedi Knight was on staff at all times, Naluma wished they had the personnel for one or two more. They were stretched too thin this year.

She glanced at her chronometer, realizing she was late for her next class. "Great. The second-years have an exam today in Intermediate Galactic Basic Language, too," she said under her breath. Clutching her stomach as it twinged in pain, she decamped to the classroom.

❷ "You ought to know better by now." Naluma wrangled a lingering group of second years grazing in the courtyard as she crossed. She opened the door and called them in. "Second years, in here now."

As soon as they were seated in the classroom on the second floor, Padawan Piedras raised his hand. "Master Fau, why do we have to study Galactic Basic anyway? We can talk real good already." The small human male with dark skin and straight hair tilted his head as he waited for a response.

Naluma rolled her eyes. "For one, you should say 'speak really well.'" She pulled up a text on the 2D projector. "Class, remember when we read this story last week?"

The Padawan smiled and gossiped and nodded.

"And how would you describe that story?"

Pepin shouted, "Adventurous! Scary!"

Naluma winked at him. "You even said that it made you feel like you were in the story with the space pilot at one time and forgot that you were reading, Pepin."

Taking the stylus, she crossed out a few words and inserted a few on the text. "But look at this. What if the author just wrote 'real good' instead of using all those great adjectives and verbs, not to mention those specific nouns?"

Pepin answered, "Pretty boring now."

Ben slurred. "Can't get boringer than it was."

Canoord whispered, "No such word as boringer, Ben."

The troubled youth turned to Canoord and harshly whispered, "Shut up."

The Jedi Master clenched her teeth together and ignore the comment. "But writing interesting stories is only half of our language skills. Jedi Knights have to write reports, write treaties, and even address the Senate. We would lose all credibility if our language skills weren't perfect." As Naluma programmed the tests on her datapad, another hand raised. "Yes?"

Padawan Kachinka asked, "Well, how about diagramming? We're not ever going to have to diagram a sentence for the Senate, are we?"

"No, but you will have to decipher legal wording in treaties and other documents. Diagramming will give you a subconscious ability to do just that." Naluma winced as she looked at her datapad again. "Cla—" another hand shot up. "Yes?"

Padawan Pepin asked, "Master Fau, may I please use the refresher?"

"Really? You didn't use it on your break ... or during those extra ten minutes I was late?"

Pepin shook his head.

"Yes, if it's an emergency ... but you will have an extra sanitation detail. Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

Pepin quickly ran out of the room, and then another hand waved.

"Yes, Kayenta?"

The hefty girl with light brown hair said, "It's Deholkesh's birthday today."

Naluma force a smile as she said, "Happy birthday, Deholkesh. Now, Class, take out your datapads. The exam is now act—"

Padawan Canoord raised his hand. Not waiting for acknowledgment, he said with urgency, "Master Naluma, I think I'm going to be si—"

Naluma levitated the rubbish bin to him as he lost his lunch. The poor kid spewed with violence into the bin. The entire class gathered around the boy, staring at the spectacle.

When a few gave surreptitious glances to Ben, Naluma caught the looks and smelled a jerbwat. She twisted her lips and furrowed her brows with suspicion. "Canoord, what did you eat?"

"Only what we all ate at the dining hall."

Naluma scrutinized the faces peering at her, but no one else appeared to be sick. 

When Canoord heaved again, Naluma adjusted her datapad to deactivate the exam. "Medbay," Naluma said as she escorted Canoord out of the room. "Class, we'll take the test tomorrow. You're dismissed."

As Naluma and Canoord left, she heard murmurs behind her and then giggles. Naluma hoped that Canoord's illness was not part of a trick aimed at her, but she had a bad feeling about it.

The second-year Padawan crowded around Ben. "Who wants to get sick tomorrow?" Ben Solo asked.

Pepin asked, "Why don't you do it?"

"Because Master Fau would immediately know it was a trick. But if one of you from Canoord's dorm did ... she would think it was an epidemic."

Pepin said, "I don't know. Canoord looked pretty sick. You never told us it would be that unpleasant."

"Relax. It's perfectly safe. It's what we use in field medicine when someone has swallowed poison," Ben said leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head while crossing his legs on his desk.

"Well, I think this is wrong. I'm not participating any more. And if you do, I'll tell Master Fau," Pepin said with his hands on his hips.

"You can't do that. You gave your word," Ben said with a whine as he sat up and placed his hands on the desk. He glowered at the rest of the students, his rage building within him.

"I had given my word for today only, but not for tomorrow. I suggest instead of wasting our time planning tricks, we actually study for the test instead," Pepin said.

After the Padawan left, Ben took his datapad and hurled it across the room, breaking a glass cabinet. With rage bubbling over, he threw everything off the desks with the Force, careening them into walls. 

He yelled down the corridor, "Fine, be that way. I'm never trusting you again. And just wait, one day, I'll get you back." 

Ben ran out of the complex down the trail to his secret grove.

In the medbay, Naluma cared for Canoord. His illness overtook all of his body functions, including his bowels. His body expelled everything from every orifice, embarrassing himself in front of Master Fau as he lost all control.

After they reached the medbay, Naluma retrieved a clean uniform for the boy. His stomach quieted after a few more minutes of heaving and expelling.

She handed him the clothes and a trash bag through the cracked bathroom door. "Strip your clothes and put them in the bag. Clean off in the shower and then get dressed."

As Canoord leaned against the shower wall, another wave of nausea hit him. A quarter hour passed before he was able to change his clothes.

"Thank you, Master Fau," he said as he opened the door to the unit. Canoord wobbled on his legs.

"Think you can make it to the bed on your own?"

"Maybe not," he said as his legs gave out.

Naluma caught him before he hit the floor and helped him to the bed. She took the bin and flushed the contents, hosing it out in the shower.

When she returned, she administered an electrolyte drink to the pale Padawan and monitored his vital signs.

Canoord's heart rate had elevated slightly, but all other vital signs were normal.

"So, what did you drink, take, or eat? You don't have a fever." Naluma rested her hands on her hips and shifted her weight back.

"I drank something, but I gave my word not to tell," Canoord mumbled.

"That was foolish." Naluma furrowed her brow and tilted her head. "You do know I can strip this information from your mind, don't you?"

"Yeah, but you won't." Canoord grinned.

Naluma grimaced. The kids knew her too well. "If you gave me permission . . ."

"I gave my word I wouldn't do that either."

"Was your word about what you took or who put you up to it?" Naluma crossed her arms and leaned against the counter.

"I guess who."

"Then tell me what. I need to make sure there won't be any further problems."

"It was the stuff in the medkit we give to people who swallow poison."

"And why?"

"We weren't ready for the test. And some of us will be held back a year group if we don't pass this one. Since I have the lowest grade, I volunteered."

"I thought you guys were stalling." Naluma sighed and rubbed her forehead as her headache returned. "What aren't you ready for?"

"Mostly the diagramming but also word usage. Most of us have had extra duties this week and not a lot of time to study."

"You've had extra duties because of the broken common room window. And you still found time to ski yesterday."

"But the powder was perfect yesterday. Even you were out there. Today it's iced over."

"Well, no more free time this week. Instead, mandatory extra lessons until the entire class knows the material perfectly. And, do me a favor—never promise you won't tell on someone again. It's not snitching. If you had ingested too much of this stuff, you could be dead."

"Yes, Master Fau. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too." Something tells me you still aren't telling me the whole truth. What in the world does Ben have over you that he's able to get you to lie like this?

The class moaned when they received the news about extra lessons, but they were as surprised as Master Fau when they witnessed the damage to the classroom that evening.

Naluma stood in front of the class with her arms crossed, glaring at them, waiting for someone to confess. After a few minutes of silence, she raised her eyebrows and asked, "Who would like to explain the broken cabinet and damaged walls?"

Everyone looked at Ben, but Ben only glared at Master Fau. He then scowled at the rest of the class.

Kayenta spoke with care, so as not to lie. "We all take responsibility for it, Master Fau."

Pepin stood up with clenched fists. "Well, I don't. You might be afraid of Lord Solo over there, but I'm done taking his punishments for him. Master Fau, Ben had a temper tantrum, plain and simple. He's the one who broke the window in the common room."

Naluma stepped in front of Ben. "Is this true, Ben?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Ben crossed his arms and glowered at Master Fau and then back at Pepin.

"A Jedi owns up to his wrongs. He does not hide behind his friends. I'm extremely disappointed in you Ben." Naluma raised her eyebrows at him and crossed her arms. "After the lesson tonight, we will deal with this. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Fau," Ben spat out with anger.

Did you know . . .

● This is one of the first instances of the Republic and the Jedi rubbing each other the wrong way with the refusal to fill their supply order.

● Ben's been a Padawan for over a year now. He is 11, the others in his class are 12, 13, or 14.

● There is a lot going on in this chapter in the subtext. When analyzing it, take the following facts into consideration: Ben is a bully who is pulled to the dark side and is communicating with a dark side entity secretly. He dislikes Naluma (maybe "dislike" is too weak, maybe all-out "hate"). And he controls everyone by blackmail and bribery. Nothing that happened in this classroom is entirely as it appeared or completely innocent.

Tell me what you think . . .

● What do you think would have happened had Canoord died from an overdose of the drug?

● I mentioned above that Ben hates Naluma. His hatred for her has grown over the last year. Why? There are many reasons, some stemming from his first day on Khalkha and others that are deep-seated in him.

● How is Ben's bad influence on the Jedi being shown? Is it just a naughty boy, or is there a deeper purpose?