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FREIA'S CONCENTRATION BROKE when her holo-pad communicator beeped loudly. The sound reverberated between the walls of the secluded area and interrupted her daily meditation once again.

She bit her tongue, keeping her eyes shut as she silently counted to three and only after that, Freia reached for the communicator. Usually, she was able to keep her temper in check -- as long as her meditation wasn't interrupted twice in a row.

She answered the call and a small hologram appeared, hovering a few inches above the pad. The blue light illuminated the dimly lit room she was in.

'Master Windu,' she greeted the hologram of the council member politely.

'Alathfire,' his low and somewhat distorted voice said, and Freia hid her annoyance. She was a Jedi too, she too had a title but Windu always seemed to forget that.

For a split second, she closed her eyes and regained her posture. She could not think like that. It would bring dishonour on her title if they even knew, and threw her in a vicious circle if she wasn't careful.

'Chancellor Palpatine wants an update on the Separatists' plan confiscated from Dylkogh,' Mace Windu continued. 'The High Council sends you. You have a knack for diplomacy and Ryder is your padawan.'

Freia nodded. 'I will leave instantly, Master.'

'You will not be going alone, though. Bariyaan comes with you.'

Now, if someone was unworthy of their Jedi title in Freia's eyes, it was Estel Bariyaan. He flirted with everyone, he would even try to seduce a lamppost if he could win a bet with it. She couldn't stand the sight of him, which somehow encouraged Estel to flirt even more with her than with others.

'Certainly, Master,' Freia said between gritted teeth.

'Careful, young one,' Windu said. 'Your thoughts betray you. Chancellor Palpatine has a soft spot for Bariyaan, and might believe it sooner when you keep particular. . . information hidden. We do not want the Chancellor to know the Separatists might have a Force sensitive droid in the making, at least, not until we know it for certain. The Senate might panic and rush into things they might regret.'

Freia didn't feel comfortable about lying but she also understood the decision of the Council, and she nodded again.

Windu ended the call and the hologram disappeared.

'Great,' Freia muttered. She really needed an uninterrupted meditation right now, but alas, the Chancellor was waiting. In a swift movement, she uncrossed her legs and got up. She straightened her robes and opened the door.

Behind it were the Jedi Archives and her padawan sat at one of the many desks. It was scattered with scribbled papers while the schematics of the droid was displayed in front of Kai's eyes.

Freia had tried to keep up with him but he worked too chaotic and fast for her to understand. But even though his attention seemed to jump from one point to another, he did cover it all and triple-checked it as well. The boy was almost like a machine himself.

'I have a meeting with the Chancellor. Will you be alright?' Freia asked him, and Kai nodded almost invisible for the eye, and his hand continued to fly across the paper.

'Yes, master.'

Freia wanted to say something else, she was worried for him. He hadn't slept at all after he had gotten his mission, but she decided against it. Just like she didn't want to be interrupted during her meditation, he didn't want to be distracted from the one mission he actually enjoyed doing.

For a moment, she observed his tireless figure but then made her way outside the Temple.

✧✧

ARAMIS LAUGHED when the speeder next to him honked furiously as he closely shot past it in his own one. His surrounding was blurred but at the same time incredibly sharp; the rush of the race tickling his senses and making him feel alive.

Astaldo was close behind him but Aramis would be damned before he would lost from the padawan. Though he had to admit, Astaldo was a great pilot.

Aramis vertical dived towards the lane below, his body pressed into the seat as the engines' sound around him increased and decreased in a deafening roar due to the speed.

In the rear window, he saw Astaldo's speeder describing a circle around a stranger's to dodge it and the padawan was obviously having the time of his life. His eyes sparkled and his mouth moved in an inaudible laughter.

The final turn to the Senate Building -- their improvised finish line -- came up and without slowing down, Aramis yanked on his steering wheel while stepping on the gear as well to prevent losing control over his speeder.

The engine whistled in a low tone but didn't shut down and Aramis' speeder cut sharply through the right turn.

Astaldo didn't manage to turn that closely and the distance between their speeders grew longer.

In front of them lay the dome-shaped building and Aramis crossed the finish line firstly.

He put down his speeder and jumped out of it, landing with a soft thud on the asphalted path.

'That turn was insane,' Astaldo grinned when he caught up and climbed out of his speeder.

'I know,' Aramis answered, leaning against the red speeder and allowing the adrenaline to slowly leave his veins as his heartbeat slowed down.

'You have got to teach me how to do that.'

However, Astaldo's broad smile faded away when he noticed the pair of Senate Guards striding towards them. Their blue capes whisked into the wind and their expression was far from amused.

Astaldo glanced at the older Jedi but he didn't appear to be concerned at all.

'You cannot park here,' one of the Guards said, 'and how dare you to come speeding in like that. This is the Senate Building, and it demands respect.'

Aramis put his hands in his side, pushing his dark robe out of the way and flashing the hilt of his lightsaber to the Guards. 'At ease, good sirs. We are here on Jedi business. The Chancellor is expecting us.'

The Guards took a step back, ready to apologise but Aramis' heart skipped a beat when he heard Chancellor Palpatine's voice suddenly behind him.

'Am I now? I thought I had a meeting with Jedi Knights Freia and Estel.'

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characters introduced this chapter:

Jedi Knight Estel Bariyaan (mentioned only) by ShockerGuardian1731

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