When one door closes...

[Hamilton Ix]

Hamilton Ix, the now Masterless Padawan, paced back and forth through the small area marked off as the vistors waiting section, inside a med centre of a planet that he could not think if at this point in time. The strong, antiseptic smell of cleaning agents assaulted his nostrils, and the overly bright lights dangling from fixtures above his head reflected from the all white surfaces all around him, so no matter where he looked, he felt that he had to squint in order to cut the glare.

It had been nearly an hour since he had seen his Master become one with the Force. At a time when they should be celebrating the downfall of yet another Dark Side User, his heart was only filled with grief. In a last defiant act, his Master was striken down, unprepared and unguarded for the attack that came from a foe who they had believed to be defeated. Arrogance, his Master would have called it, had he survived. And it was this arrogance that led to the death of the man who had raised Hamilton since the very edges of his memory.

Having stopped to pick up the lightsaber hilts of the two combatants, Hamilton heard a noise coming from underneath a pile of rubble that had fallen during the melee. reaching out with the Force, he detected a being, injured and weakening as the moments ticked by. Spurred by the ingrained notion and belief that he should always help when possible, Hamilton used the force to slowly lift the larger pieces of building away. Finally, after what seemed like many long minutes, a small child was uncovered, bruised, broken clinging to life. Feeling his heart break at the sight of the child, and knowing that the duel betwen his Master and the Dark Jedi is hat caused that section of the building to collapse, Hamilton sprang to action. Using the Force to make sure that there were no spinal or neck injuries, he gently lifted the child and ran to his Masters, now his, speeder. Making sure that the child was secured firmly, Hamilton used all his exceptional skill as a pilot to make it to the med centre as quickly as possible.

It had been nearly 45 minutes since the took the child, and in that time, Hamlton seemed intent on wearing a path right through the middle of the room. He blamed himself. Had he been more open to the force, instead of focusing solely on the battle, he might have noticed the child there and saved him before he was trapped. Had he also focused moe on healing arts rather than martial arts, he may have done something for the child then and there, instead of risking more injury by moving him. he also blamed himself for not being strong enough. Had his Master felt that he was ready, they could have attacked the dark Sider together, ending the confontation before the child was placed in harms way.

No matter how he looked at it, Hamilton blamed himself. He should have been able to help, this would have saved his Master, and the child that was currently being treated for injuries that should have been avoidable. Finally stopping, Hamilton slumped into a chair and hunched over, holding his head in is hands as the inevitable feeling of survivors guilt roled over him so strongly that tears sprang from his eyes.

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Hamilton Ix"]

Forty five minutes before, a young man had carried in a small child that had been buried in rubble from a building collapse. She hadn’t heard anything on the holo news about a collapse in the city, but that wasn’t unusual.

Leori had instructed the clearly distraught man to put the child down on a stretcher. He could use her attention as well, but the injuries on the child took precedence. So, she directed him to the waiting area and instructed him to wait for her to return.

The Jedi Master had her work cut out for her. Leori did the small child a kindness and rendered him unconscious and into a coma to immobilize him so that she could work on repairing his injuries. She seated herself beside the stretcher and began to assess the extent of the damage and to accelerate the boy’s natural healing abilities to aid her efforts.

Forty five minutes later, she was confident that the boy would survive and was satisfied with her efforts for the time being. While she would have loved to take more time to completely heal the boy, but in the medical centre she didn’t have the luxury of spending all day with one patient. His body would take care of the rest. For the time being she left the boy in a coma so that he wouldn’t wake up afraid and alone and in pain.

She handed his case off to one of the nurses in the facility and instructed her to find the boy’s family while she investigated the circumstances of his injuries. Leori didn’t doubt it was an accident, but there was almost always more to the story.

Her eyes narrowed as she entered the waiting room. The sorrow and guilt radiating off of the young man nearly smacked her in the face. Leori actually blinked before slowly moving to a seat beside him. The Jedi Master was never one to telepathically press into the thoughts of another being uninvited, so she would have pry in other ways.

“The little boy is in stable condition now,” she announced quietly before pausing to assess the man’s reaction. “I’d like to know what happened so that I can tell his parents when they arrive.”

 

[Hamilton Ix]

[member="Leori Sheltrak"]

Hamilton didn't sense the person approach. He had withdrawn from the force, making himself as small and insignificant as he felt. Therefore, he somewhat startled when she sat down beside him and spoke "The little boy is in stable condition now, I’d like to know what happened so that I can tell his parents when they arrive."

Hamilton took a deep breath and let it out slowly, focusing on a calming technique that his Master had taught him at a young age. Looking up with red rimmed eyes, Hamilton considered how much to tell this woman. He didn't even know who she was. The child however, and his parents, deserved to know the truth. Despite the calming technique, Hamilton's voice was still shaky, as he answered the woman's question. "My Master, he, I mean we, we were following leads of a Dark Jedi in the area. After months in system, we tracked the Jedi to an abandoned warehouse on the lower east side. My Master confronted the Dark Jedi and they began duelling. The child," Hamilton paused as his voice hitched from emotion, "The child must have been hiding. He was trapped when the wall collapsed. I don't even know who caused it.."

Hamilton stopped talking and closed his eyes, once again focusing on calming himself through the Force. "Both my Master and the Dark Jedi perished as a result of the duel. The other body is still there, but my Master, he became one with the Force. There is nothing left of him."

Straightening up a little, Hamilton ran a hand through his shaggy and unruly hair. "Please let them know that I am deeply sorry for what happened to their son, and if there is anything I can do, they need but ask." Hamilton figured he had some time on this planet befre he was allowed to depart, so he might as well make use of the time by trying to make amends to the family whose lives were alost ruined by an ancient vendetta between the two sides of force Users.

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Hamilton Ix"]

Leori hadn’t meant to startle the man but clearly he was distraught and unaware of his surroundings. Her presence was normally calming to others and she kept her tone gentle and voice soft unless agitated. At present, she was not agitated but calm. That sense of calm the Jedi Master radiated from her very being and into the room around her. It was her hope that her efforts as well as the common calming technique that he was practicing would allow him to recover from the shock.

Quietly she listened to the young Padawan, which she gathered from his offered words. Leori was not surprised to learn that there were Dark Jedi on the planet, as they often were on planets with a substantial population. The child was in the wrong place at the wrong time. What he was doing there was anyone’s guess, but that was a discussion for his parents to have with him at another time and place.

She was sad to hear of the loss of another Jedi Master. Loss happened all too often these days. Leori too had lost many colleagues, students and friends over the years. The distress of the Padawan made perfect sense to her now. Gently she placed a hand on his shoulder before speaking again. “The boy will be fine. I am certain that they will have words with their son when he wakes up.”

Leori turned in her seat to face him properly. “What’s your name? Are you injured, Padawan?” She checked him over with her eyes for any visible injuries. It was more likely that his pain was not physical at all, but still she could heal his physical wounds easily. His other injuries would require time, and meditation.

 

[Hamilton Ix]

[member="Leori Sheltrak"]

Hamilton felt calmer already. He was unsure if it was due to getting everything off his chest, his calming technique, or the calm that radiated from the woman beside him. Perhaps it was a combination of all three. Either way, calm started to return to Hamilton's troubled and distraught mind.

“The boy will be fine. I am certain that they will have words with their son when he wakes up. What’s your name? Are you injured, Padawan?”

The woman had turned to face him and he could feel her looking him over for any signs of injury "No, I'm fine. Physically anyway. I'm glad the young child will be alright. That is a burden I am not sure I would have been strong enough to bear." Taking a moment, Hamilton gathered his thoughts and prepared for the inevitable barrage of questions. "I'm Hamilton Ix, Padawan Learner. I am, or I should say I was, apprenticed to Master Jo'un."

Hamilton shifted slightly in his seat. He was not used to speaking to people other than his Master for long periods of time, and his Master definately did not look like the woman that sat before him. Hamilton tried to smile through the grief that he was still feeling "Any other questions?"

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Hamilton Ix"]

Leori half smiled. “You’d be surprised at the burdens a Jedi is capable of bearing. I know that is of little comfort at times like these, but you will get through this and be stronger for it.” This she knew from personal experience, and had shared with many padawans over the year.

She offered her hand to him. “A pleasure to meet you, Hamilton Ix. I’m Leori Sheltrak. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting your master in person, but I am saddened by the loss of another colleague.”

The Jedi Master sighed. “Did you or your Master serve a Jedi Order, or another organization? You’ll want to report in if that is the case. Is there anything I can do for you, Hamilton?”

 

[Hamilton Ix]

[member="Leori Sheltrak"]

The woam introduced herself as Leori Sheltrak, another Jedi, and offered her hand. Shaking the hand, he was surprised, thought he shouldn't have been, at the strength of grip. Not overly powerful, but surprising nonetheless based on the frame that was behind it.

She had asked if he or Master Jo'un served the Jedi Order, or another organization. The question made him chuckle softly, and he smiled before he answered. "That is a difficult question to answer Master Sheltrak. My Master had not reported to the Jedi Council in a many number of years, not that I know of anyway. I know that at one point he was an active member in the Order, though I am unsure as to what stopped this. As long as I had known him, we travelled the stars, going from one place to another, trying to help when we could, picking up supplies when necessary. Some would have called him a hermit, if he lived in a hut instead of a freighter."

Shaking his head slightly in disbelief that his Master was still gone, Hamilton continued "I know that he, and through him, I, followed the Jedi Code, and lived by it's tenets. Though I doubt I have been recorded as a Padawan in it's archives. So my answer is Yes, as well as No. For the time being that is."

Hamilton hoped he did not confuse her. He had a tendancy to either speak too much or too little. There was no middle ground.

He thought about her last question, about doing anything for him. He was unsure where to go next. What to do next, his world had been turned upside down so quickly, and he and his Master had never had a contingency plan should anything happen to him before Hamilton was fully trained. Shrugging, he answered as honestly as possible. "To be honest, I am not sure where to go from here. I am not ready to wander the stars like my Master did, righting wrongs and battling evil wherever it may hide. I'm not yet strong enough. However, as I have never known another Jedi, besides my Master, I am unsure how to proceed with the next stage of my life." Hamilton lifted his head and looked at Leori with doubt and uncertainty in his eyes "What would you do in my place?"

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Hamilton Ix"]

Leori listened to the Padawan, nodding as he spoke to indicate that she was listening and understanding him. It so happened that many Jedi had not found their way back to the order when the galaxy was thrown into chaos and they all seemed to lose six years or so as best she could tell. From what she heard, his Master operated as she had over most of her years after passing her trials. Travelling, and helping where she could.

She genuinely smiled when he finished talking. “I’ve been in your place before, Hamilton. My parents were both Jedi of the Order, and my Master is probably still somewhere in the galaxy but I haven’t seen him in a great many years and have no idea whether or not he’s even still alive after the chaos that went on in the galaxy. Like you and your master, I have spent my years travelling the galaxy and healing it. I am fully trained of course, but my specialty is healing.”

The Jedi Master took a long exaggerated breath before continuing. “Uncertainty about your path is normal. The Force guides us, but ultimately our choices forge our path. In your place, I would meditate on a new path, and the events that led to the fork in the road. You cannot change the past, but you can learn from it. Your Master has become one with the Force and will be there to guide you still. I can certainly offer you guidance, and further training, but first you must regain inner peace. It is normal to have emotions and I am not suggesting that suppress them, but you do need to have them under control before you make decisions that can influence your path.”

 

[Hamilton Ix]

[member="Leori Sheltrak"]

Hamilton listened to the Jedi Master's advice. It was pretty much what his Master would have told him, had he still been alive. He figured that this was the kind of wisdom that one learns as they progress along the path to become a Master of the Jedi Order. It seemed like he still had a long way to go and a lot to learn if he was ever going to be worthy of the title of Jedi Knight. He couldn't help but realize just how little he had grown with the Force. It was a wonder that his Master even kept him around. In his mind, Hamilton was a failure in comparison to the only two Jedi he had as a basis.

Turning his thoughts back to what Leori had said, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to have parents that were Jedi. Actually, he supposed it was exactly like how he was raised. The only parental figure in his life had been his Master. Hamilton remembered very little of his early childhood, and any memories that made their way to the fore front of his thoughts he dismissed as childish imaginings. In his memories, all the children that he grew up with looked exactly like him. His childhood must have been lonely and boring if even his imaginary friends couldn't be bothered to look any different.

Taking a deep breath, Hamilton held it fr a three count before slowly letting it out "I understand Master, 'There s no emotion, there is Peace'. I need to make sure that I have a cool head on my shoulders before making a decision that will dominate the remainder of my life. I think though that I would like to see one of the Academies. I haven't had much exposure to what you would call a 'regular' Padawan life. There has been no interaction with other Force User's other than my Master, and I would like to gauge my progression against those who have. I guess I just want to make sure that I am not lacking in any areas."

Hamilton ran his hand through his hair, a nervous gesture that his Master had noticed and gently chided him on. Hamilton knew that no matter what happens next, his life as he knew it would change forever, for better or worse. "I will do as you ask Master and meditate on this. Perhaps you are right and Master Jo'un will guide me towards the right course of action."

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Hamilton Ix"]

Leori smiled and nodded. “Exactly right. I can certainly take you to see the temples and academies, but don’t be concerned with your progress compared to others. Each learner will be different, and learn at different paces with different teachers. There are many learners that start training before they can even talk, and others that don’t start until adulthood. Each learner has different talents as well which become focal points of their training.”

For a moment she paused. “Start by meditating. We will talk more when you’ve had a chance to reflect and explore the possibilities. We can leave in a few days if you’re ready by then.”

 

[Hamilton Ix]

[member="Leori Sheltrak"]

Hamilton nodded, knowing that he shouldn't be comparing himself to others. Knowing that everyone had their own learning curve. He couldn't help it however. He was the last Padawan that his Master had trained. He was his Masters legacy. He wanted to do the man proud.

"I will do as you say Master Sheltrak. I will go back to the my Masters ship and meditate on what to do next. Hopefully he will be able to offer some guidance. He was a very wise man. I will meet you back here in two days, if that is alright with you?"

Hamilton waited fer her answer, then bowed to her and walked out the door and back to the speeder that was waiting for him. The same speeder that had brought him and the young boy to the med centre, the same speeder that had brought him and his Master to confront the Dark Jedi. It was now the speeder that sped him towards the waiting ship on the outskirts of the town, and towards his new life, whatever that may be.

Two days later.....

Padawan Hamilton Ix walked back towards the med centre where he had first met Master Sheltrak, and he hoped that she was still around. He had forgotten to ask for her comlink frequency, however in hindsight, he was glad that he didn't 'Hey, um.. if I ever need to reach you, can I get your comm frequency?' Hamilton didn't have very much experience with the opposite sex, however it seemed like a cheesy pickup line whenever he said it in his head, so he knew that it would sound even worse coming out of his mouth.

Stopping just inside the doors, Hamilton took a quick look around before determining that she was not in the immediate vicinity. Walking over to the waiting area, Hamilton sat down and waited, having nothing better or pressing to do.

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Hamilton Ix"]

Leori nodded, and repeated his words “Two days. May the Force be with you, Hamilton.” And she watched him leave. Hopefully he would find peace, if nothing else. Paths could be forged later, but he would need to reflect on the events that led him to his present location. This was the fork in the road. There was no rush to choose a path, but if he chose the wrong path there was no correcting course. Time was on his side, if he chose to use it. The Jedi Master was fairly certain that he would choose the right path even without guidance. She would simply be there to light the way.

——————

Two days later…

A nurse leaned over and whispered in her ear. Leori nodded. She had been expecting Hamilton to return. “I will be there shortly,” she replied with her eyes closed. Her task was almost done. And it was the last task of the day.

A quarter of an hour later, she walked to the waiting room. With a smile she greeted him, “hello Hamilton. How are you doing?” And she sat down beside him.