stolen knowledge

The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was a sacred place. A place of learning, of wisdom, of peace. It was where Jedi congregated when not on missions, where they could rejuvenate under the strong pull of the Light, where they could ground themselves and where they could relax in safety.

It was also a place where Padawans were trained. This was, occasionally, known to cause problems.

One such problem was currently racing down the marble corridors of the temple as if their life depended upon it, clutching a cube to their chest. They rounded a corner at great speed, and let out a sharp cry as their small form crashed into another.

They managed to regain their balance and avoid hitting the floor, their sharp green eyes darting up to verify the identity of the other Jedi. A warm smile spread across their face when they recognised Meetra and, without further greeting or explanation, they reached out with a hand and grabbed her by her sleeve, pulling her after them.

Meetra, to her credit, allowed herself to be pulled along, quickening her pace to match theirs. They weaved through the Temple with skill, eventually finding themselves in the old armoury, a room rarely used in times of peace. It was also a room that Padawans were not supposed to have access to without their Masters present - but this wouldn’t be the first time they had snuck in here.

For a few, long moments, neither of them spoke. Meetra watched as the other Padawan bent over, catching their breath after their run through the Temple. It was only when they straightened up and looked at her with a familiar, mischievous twinkle in their eyes that Meetra sighed and spoke:

“What have you pulled me into this time, Nix?”

“It really wasn’t my fault this time!” Nix insisted, but the smirk that they didn’t attempt to hide spoke otherwise. “Atris just has it out for me.”

Meetra crossed her arms over her chest and fixed Nix with a disapproving look that was typically reserved for misbehaving younglings.

Nix met Meetra’s glare with a grin, but brought their hand out from behind their back, revealing the holocron that they had been hiding.

“You stole from the Archives?” Meetra asked, not particularly surprised.

“Now, now. That’s such a bad-faith reading of my actions. I wouldn’t say I stole it. I simply… borrowed it without permission.”

Meetra raised an eyebrow.

“Look, clearly I was supposed to have this. I wouldn’t have succeeded if it wasn’t for the will of the Force - do you know how hard it is to steal from the Archives?”

“When have you ever failed at anything you have seriously put your mind to?” Meetra wondered, shaking her head slightly. “We really should return it.”

“Aren’t you curious about what could be in a forbidden holocron?”

“Of course I’m curious, but it must be forbidden for a reason,” Meetra attempted to reason, “Besides, perhaps you don’t care about Atris, but  I actually value what she thinks of me.”

Nix rolled their eyes. “Oh,  please . As if anything could damage her high opinion of you.”

Meetra looked Nix over critically for a moment, before letting out another sigh. “Why did you steal it, anyway?”

“ Borrowed ,” Nix was quick to correct, before moving on, “I assume you have heard of force bonds?”

“Of course. Such as the bond formed between a Master and Padawan.”

“Uh- well, yes  and  no. You see, Master Kae mentioned that there are other types of force bonds. Powerful ones, ones that can allow you to communicate over significant distance with no danger, ones that could allow you to share thoughts - or even dreams,” there was an awed look to Nix as they spoke, “ones that could allow you to influence those around you at a level that goes beyond a simple mind trick.”

Meetra frowned. “That sounds like manipulation to me.”

“Is the Force not the ultimate form of manipulation, when you really get down to it?”

“...No. No, that isn’t how I’d describe it, Nix.”

“Agree to disagree, then,” Nix waved the issue away, as if it was meaningless, “The true power of the Force is  fascinating . I know that you agree with me about that, at the very least. There’s so much to it, and we’ve barely scratched the surface in our training. I don’t see what’s so wrong about wanting to know more.”

“You should have faith in the Masters. If they think we aren’t ready for this knowledge, then we aren’t ready for it.”

“If I wasn’t ready, then why would Master Kae teach me about force bonds in the first place?”

“I don’t know - I’m not Master Kae - but surely asking her for more information would be far more productive than stealing from Atris- from the Archives.”

There was silence for a moment.

“...You did ask her for more information, didn’t you?”

“She said that it was a pointless line of questioning. That my efforts would be better spent in other areas. That I don’t have a natural affinity to force bonds anyway, so I’d be unlikely to achieve more than a theoretical understanding.”

“So you decided to take things into your own hands,” Meetra concluded. “One of these days, this anti-authority attitude of yours is going to get us into serious trouble.”

Nix grinned. “You said  us .”

Meetra returned the smile with a small one of her own. “You went to all of the trouble of stealing this thing… I suppose there’s no way of knowing how wrong you were until we open it. We can always return it to Atris after we’ve seen what’s inside.”

“See, Meetra?  Borrowing .”

The pair dropped to the ground, sitting awkwardly and placing the holocron between them. They looked towards each other, sharing a glance, before shutting their eyes and holding their hands out, channeling the Force from the world around them towards the holocron. Silence stretched for a moment, before the holocron sprang to life.

Meetra and Nix opened their eyes, looking at the holographic image of an ancient Jedi master. The master stood silently at first and, then, opened his mouth to speak:

“Ngyeh sha buchi co, lika dan sarl fan.”

Meetra blinked. “What… language is that?”

Nix was frowning heavily, an expression that Meetra recognised as frustration on their face. “After all of that… it must be some ancient, long-dead language.”

“I suppose it’s a precaution,” Meetra mused, “a further way to protect the knowledge recorded by these holocrons. Perhaps that is why you were able to steal it - because there was nothing  worth  stealing unless you have the proper knowledge.”

Nix leaned backwards, their head resting against the wall behind them. “Well, that was a pointless expedition.”

“Most are with you.”

“Hey!”

Meetra smiled innocently, then stood, scooping up the holocron. “Now, let’s go and find Atris.”

“You really know the exact worst things to say, don’t you?”

“She really isn’t that bad, if you’d give her a chance.”

Nix pulled a face. “Each to their own.”

The walk back to the Archives was slow, with Nix dragging their feet, either still feeling the disappointment from the holocron, or dreading the coming confrontation, however eventually they reached their destination.

Atris arrived within moments, a look that could only be described as rage on her face as she took in Nix. They pulled themself to their full height - which remained nearly a full foot shorter than Atris - and forced a smile. “Hey, Atris. Been a while.”

Before Atris could reply, Meetra cut in, “I’m sorry about them, Atris. Here’s the holocron. I hope that your Master didn’t give you grief over it.”

Atris’s irritation was quelled a fraction, and she took the offered holocron. “He has been preoccupied by other matters. If I return this quickly, he may not know that it was taken.”

Meetra offered her friend a relieved smile, “I won’t keep you, then. I promise that Nix will make this up to you.”

Nix sent Meetra a horrified look, but Meetra pretended not to notice.

Atris looked at Nix harshly once more. “ They had better .”

With those parting words, Atris turned and left, presumably to return the holocron.

.

“You’re late.”

Nix sighed, having hoped that they would have been able to return to their training before Kae noticed that they were missing.

“Did you find what you needed?” Kae asked, watching Nix with a knowing expression.

“No, not really,” Nix huffed. “I don’t see why you won’t just tell me what I want to know.”

“You’re confusing  want  and  need ,” Kae said, her voice carrying the usual harsh tone that Nix had long-since learnt to ignore. “Tell me what you found.”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing is nothing, Nix. Try again.”

“The holocron didn’t speak Basic - or any language I’ve heard of.”

Kae nodded. “And how did you feel about that?”

Nix blinked in surprise, then frowned. “I don’t know. Not  angry  , but… annoyed. Frustrated? If I had just  known  what it was saying…”

“And there is your failing. You rushed forwards on an impulse. At no point did you pause, did you prepare yourself. Knowledge is power, but what use is a holocron that you do not have the tools to understand?”

Nix listened to Kae speak, feeling a flush of shame as they realised that she was right. “So you’re saying I should have… trusted in you. Trusted in the Council. Accepted that I wasn’t ready for that knowledge, and… waited until I was?”

Kae laughed, her usual harsh demeanour broken. “No, Nix. You  should  trust in yourself, and your own judgement. I see no reason to teach you of force bonds, but if that is the knowledge you wish to pursue, then  pursue it .”

“I’m confused.”

“I’m not surprised. Come, sit.” Kae gestured to the space beside her on the ground and, cautiously, Nix approached and sat besides their Master. “There are abilities in the Force that allow you to take knowledge from the minds of others - skills, histories… even languages.”

A light shone behind Nix’s eyes and they gasped softly, “I can learn  languages  using the Force?”

“Calm yourself,” the harsh tone was back to Kae’s voice but, Nix couldn’t help but notice with a strange sense of warmth, there was an under-current of fondness, “and close your eyes. Inhale, and exhale. Feel the Force around you…”