You have received a message from Linara Starlancer

[CragOrion]

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Sender: linara.toreos7746
Recipient: jacen.starlancer2187
Subject: Your sis

Hey sweetie, I know you’re busy doing your own thing, but dad and I thought you should know about your sister. She’s fine, but there’s no easy way to say it. We know you don’t care for these people, but it was Nara’s decision. She was approached at the academy by a jedi a week ago. They asked her to join them. I’m sorry we didn’t call you sooner, but Nara asked us not to. She knew you would be upset and try to talk her out of it. I think she knew what she wanted all along, she just needed time to be sure.

They just left this morning, that’s why I’m telling you now. Please call your sister, Jacen, give her your support. I know you don’t like them, but you know how they are. This may be your last chance to talk to her. They couldn’t say where she was going to train, just that it was somewhere in the mid-rim. You’ll only have a little while to contact her before she’s not allowed to receive calls anymore, so you need to call her soon.

There’s one last thing, and I know you won’t want to hear it. The Jedi that came to see us last night said that sometimes, force sensitivity can run in the family. We know you wont, but they urged us to have you contact them. There are people out there that would hurt you just for being a potential jedi, so just be careful, honey, and know you and your sister are in our thoughts. Dad won’t say it, but he wants you to come home. I do too, but we know you want to do your own thing. There is always a place for you here, just remember that, son. We love you.

Sincerely,
Mom

---

Seething from the news, Jace knocks his terminal off the desk in his room, sending it clattering to the floor, banging against the wall opposite from him. He sat there on his bed, staring daggers across at the now-flickering display. He couldn’t even begin to process this latest news from his mother. The jedi…why were they so interested in his sister, why did they give two whits about him. They didn’t care about anybody. That’s why they sat back and did nothing during the war, then condemned those who did. Because of their inaction, so many people were allowed to die. Because of their inaction, others had to step up in their place and do what they were too afraid to do. People who would never be seen again. People like his brother. Why…how could Nara even think about joining them? Doesn’t she know they won’t let her see her family anymore? The jedi never care about the families they split up and the hearts they break. The jedi…

"F#%&ing jedi…"

Jace stares at the damaged terminal as it lies broken on the floor. He didn’t care for the Jedi before, but now…now they’re taking his little sister away. They were never super close as far as siblings go, but he always thought someday that might change. Someday when they were older. He thought he had time to fix the distance between them. She could be annoying, but she was a good kid. Now…now he didn’t know if he would ever even see her again.

Never see her again? Now he’d never get the chance to change that. His eyes still hovering over the sputtering machinery on his floor, a growing sense of dread began to fill him. No, he couldn’t leave things like this. He had to talk to his sister again, even if it was just one last time. He had to…

Jace hopped off his bed and crossed over to the damaged terminal, crouching over it. He began fiddling with it, trying to get it to go back to the message, but the screen would not stop flickering. It wasn’t taking any more input. For the moments the screen flicked on, nothing seemed to change on it. It was locked up. Franticly, he tried powering it off and then back on, but the flickering screen showed a connection error. He spent the next half hour trying to pull the thing apart and seeing if he could fix it, but only found that the network component had been damaged beyond repair.

"Come on," he exclaimed.

If he didn’t get a hold of her soon, it would be too late! Why did he have to bust his only terminal in the base! Jace jumped up and grabbed his longcoat then darted out the door. His only hope was to get back to Veles in time to use a public terminal. He could worry about replacing his later. He just hoped he hadn’t wasted too much time fiddling with the damn thing…

Don’t be too late…don’t be too late…don’t be too late…

It was the only thing he could think the entire way back.

[CragOrion]

New Message

Sender: jacen.starlancer2187
Recipient: jaynara.starlancer1124
Subject: Hey midgetface

I just heard from mom. She says you’re going off to join the jedi? I really hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. I met this zabrak out here, Mel, who was studying with them, and he told me all about the different codes. Jedi, sith, grey. Its all a bunch of huttspit if you ask me. Each side is so full of themselves. Sith wanna take over everything, and Jedi wanna make you give up everything you ever cared about. INCLUDING your family. That just doesn’t seem right to me. Plus, you know Jay is dead because they sat on their hands during the war. I know I should be encouraging you or whatever. You chose this, but I just want you to really consider what they’re asking of you. I know we never really talked about anything serious before, but if you ever listen to me once in your life, listen to me now. The jedi are bad news. They’re hypocrites and homewreckers. They don’t care about you, just pushing their pacifist agenda of inaction. I could tell you so much of what I’ve seen out here that would shatter what you think of the jedi, but I think I’d hit the message limit size before I even got through half of it. Suffice it to say, the only GOOD jedi out there are the Revanchists. They at least weren’t afraid to take action when it was needed.

Just promise me that you’re thinking this through carefully. I didn’t want the funeral to be the last time I saw you, and the Jedi will make sure it was if you go with them. I know you probably don’t think I care about you, but I do. I think you’re annoying as hell, but you’re MY annoying as hell sister, and I love you (yeah, shuttup, I’m allowed to be sappy just this once, okay?)

-Jace

[CragOrion]

Message Undeliverable
Relay bounced back message citing reason: Endpoint refused connection. No such user. Message redirect: none

Routing information fills the rest of the message

Jace braces his head against his hand as he receives the notification, and he mutters helplessly.

“Dammit…”

[CragOrion]

You have received a message from Guest98680

Sender: Guest98680
Recipient: jacen.starlancer2187
Subject: Don't be Mad Jace
Message marked Urgent

Hi Jace,

It’s me, Nara. I know you must have heard by now I left to join the Jedi Order. They agreed to let me send you a message because of how I left. I know it was harsh, please forgive me for that. I just already knew what you’d say. I know you partially blame the order for what happened to Jay, but its like dad always says. Life is about choices. Jay made his choice and he knew he might not come back. It stinks, but its how it is. I made my choice too, and I hope you can understand and respect that. More than that, theres just some things I want to say to you because I know I might not get the chance again.

I know you’ve never been the same since Jay died. Even though we never really talked about it, I knew. There were times I would be sitting in my classes, and I would just start to get really mad or upset, but I started realizing it wasnt coming from me. I could look up to the sky as the station you were working on orbited overhead, and I could just feel it from you. It was overwhelming at times. I know you thought the world of Jay, and I did too. He was always so brave and seemed like he knew the right thing to say or do. But I also look up to you too, Jace. I never told you that, but it’s true. I figure you wanted to go enlist as soon as you could and help him fight the Mandalorians, but when we got the news, it was like your fire died out. You used to get such fun out of life before. I wanted you to find that again.

You have to understand though, Jay’s death affected me profoundly too. He found an idea bigger than himself that he believed in so much that he gave his life to help achieve it. How could I do any less? How can I not admire him for being prepared to give the ultimate sacrifice for what he thought was right? I know the Jedi stayed out of that fight, but I feel like I’m honoring him by doing what I feel is right.

The Jedi are not evil people, Jace. They want the best for the the people of the galaxy and are prepared to make serious sacrifices in their own lives to achieve that. I believe that, I really do. And I know you’d tell me I was crazy for saying so but I think there could even be a place for you there too. I think you’d be able to find some peace in their teachings that you’ve been missing ever since Jay left to war. And yeah, I know what you must be thinking, but you’re wrong. I think you’ve been trying to hide it for so long so that noone would notice that you’ve started beliving it yourself, but you DO have the force in you. I kinda think that’s why you always kept me at arm’s length. Because you didn’t want to acknowledge the power there. Or the bond we shared. That the three of us shared. You don’t have to be afraid of it, just careful with it.

I asked Master Zan about it, and he said not only does the force sometimes run strongly in a family, but it is not unusual for siblings to carry a special bond through the force. He said he would be interested in meeting you also if you were open to it. Heh, I told him not to hold his breath, but really Jace, its something you should think about. Master Zan said that if you change your mind, you should travel to Coruscant and make an appointment with the headamster at their temple there and they would send word to him. I won’t be able to come, though, you’d just be meeting with Master Zan. But I hope you would be willing to give them a chance some day.

So that’s about it I guess. I love you, big brother, and I miss you. But I feel this is the right path for me. I hope you find the right path for you. Maybe we’ll even meet someday out among the stars. I’ll be a full fledged jedi and you’ll be…I don’t know what you’re doing now…but a big whatever that is! Anyway, goodbye brother. May the force be with you.

Love,
Jaynara

(p.s. Would you talk to dad? He was really hurt when you left with so little warning and he’s not talking about it)

---

Jace had hurried back to the HQ as soon as he realized who sent the message, and shut himself in his room with the new holonet terminal. He’d passed Aeve without a word on his way who looked like she was carrying a fresh supply of power cells to the tower. As he read through the mail from his sister, he went through a roller coaster of emotions. Nara had said a lot of things. She’d said a lot of things that he wasn’t sure how he felt about. He did know one thing. He’d be damned if he was gonna go crawling to Coruscant to see her new teacher.

Was it true what she was saying? Was he really just in denial of his own force talent? Why should it matter, he thought. Would having force powers change his opinion of the Jedi order’s code and phylosophy? He didn’t think it would. The force…did the possibility he might have some latent ability change his opinion that it was more trouble than it was worth? That, he wasn’t so sure about. He was certain that he didn’t want to be just another one of these directionless flaunts running about the wildlands, tossing lightning with no real aim purpose.

Jacen let out a sigh. He had a lot to think about