Midnight, and the stars were out. All was silent about the compound, the few who lived there were all-asleep, save one. The air was cool; a crisp feel was coming in with the wind.

One pair of eyes was not closed; one heart beat not slow, steady. He was sleeping on a cot, outside the makeshift library that had been designated for the wealth of books retrieved from the Iron City.

Tobal lay looking up at the stars. Back on solid ground, finally. The Iron City had been solid, but the concept of floating about in the stars was not one that appealed to this man. With a mutter Tobal turned, to rest on his side. The cot was far from comfortable. It was the right length, but it had no width to it. His arms continued to fall off, and dragging his blanket with them.

A sight of frustration escaped his lips, and he stood. The moonlight bathed the rooftops with an unnatural blue glow. This moon was not a normal red, it was almost white; and the brightness bothered him.

Was not much he could do about it though, couldn’t change the past, or a moon’s color. Tobal moved into the library, almost ghosting. Books were piled in towers everywhere, a futile attempt at order. Vyktor and Dak had been going through the volumes one by one, each marveling at the words contained there in. Tobal was left out in this, for the gift of reading had not been bestowed upon him.

Navigating his way through the spires of paper, Tobal finally found the center of the library. Here a tall iron box with three locks stood, three bands of durasteel holding it shut. Tobal reached out, and touched the box experimentally. Vyktor had worked the box over several times, testing it for any weak spots; neither Vyktor nor Dak wished anyone to be taking what was held inside.

Tobal frowned, as he held one of the locks. It was large, with two fingerprint scanners and three tranquilizer dart holes. Vyktor said that if the lock was fiddled with twice, the darts would go off, thus knocking out whoever was messing with it. Carefully allowing the lock to drop back into place, Tobal walked around to the back of the box. Here there were no locks, simply three durasteel bands.

He knew what was in here, five holocrons to be exact. Dak and Vyktor had managed to get one to operate. They seemed frustrated with the other four however. Holocrons, ancient Jedi “diaries” of a sort. Dak had said that sometimes a Jedi would record a holocron as a teaching tool for when the Jedi was long dead. Perhaps one of these holocrons could teach Tobal to read, so that he could study the books with the other Shadow Jedi.

Reaching back, to the small object hidden behind his long shirt, Tobal looked around. He really did not wish to be seen doing something like what he was thinking of. No one was in sight, not a sound was carried to his ears. Bringing his hand back, the man stooped, and began to work over one of the durasteel bands.

Almost immediately there was a loud pop, and the band snapped out, lashing Tobal cruelly in the face. Blood flowed, instantly staining his clothing, and the floor. A small curse escaped Tobal’s lips, and he quickly ripped a shred of cloth off of his shirt. He quickly bound the cloth about his face, covering the deep gash on his cheek. Holding the makeshift bandage with one hand, Tobal began to work on the second durasteel band, and in a few seconds, the third. All three now cut, Tobal replaced the cutting tool in his pocket, and moved around to the front of the box.

The box seemed different, somehow, as if the bonds made it impossibly inaccessible. Moving his hands up the side slowly, tracing every marking, Tobal gazed with bated breath. Now his hands were on the lid, moving with an accord of their own. The lid lifted easily, and blue moon light infiltrated what had been hidden from its rays.

Resting upon a cushion of foam lay five cubes. Intricately carved, they seemed to glow with an unnatural light. One caught Tobal’s eye immediately, it had a fist relief carving on all sides. The others had similar carvings, each unique in their own way. The one with twelve men carved on each side was the one Dak and Vyktor had managed to get working. Tobal avoided that one; he knew it only taught healing, or some other talent.

Grasping the cube with a fist, Tobal hastily replaced the lid on the box, and jogged out to his cot. He knew there would be no hope of hiding what he had done, so he had better find out quickly if any of these would teach him to read the Jedi books.

Once at his cot, Tobal placed the cube on it, and kneeled in front. He studied the cube, attempting to discover what made it work. There were no buttons to push, nor triggers to pull. The cube appeared to be solid, no little doorway. Slowly it dawned upon him that if Vyktor and Dak could not get it to work, what hope would he have at it.

Fustration built up, and Tobal cursed. How would he ever keep up with the others, if he could not read like they? They would get ahead of him, and soon be more powerful. They would then mock him, call him the “primitive one”. He would become the scorn of the Shadow Jedi. Rage exploded from Tobal, and he slammed his fist down on the ground as hard as he could. Over, and over, and over. Anger seethed from him, and he continued to beat a tattoo into the stone. Wham, wham, wham, wham

“Fear leads to anger, and anger is of the darkside young one.” The rough, gravely voice behind Tobal startled him. He jumped up, spinning around. There, hovering above the holocron, was a twelve inch figure. Long white hair, and a grizzled greenish face were prominent features, features that stood out to Tobal.

“Who… who are you?” Tobal asked. He flexed his fist, as if preparing to defend himself.

“I am Jedi Master Arca Jeth, the Jedi of this holocron. I will also ask you the same question, young one”

“I… I am Tobal Hadul, son of Tobal Hadul, of the tribe Hukir, sept Tan.” Tobal replied, giving his full title.

“Ah, a tribe based civilization. Tell me Tobal Hadul, son of Tobal Hadul, do you understand what you just did?”

Tobal hesitated. Was this a trick question? He reasoned that he should simply tell the truth, and try to weather the results.

“I do not understand the question”

The holo figure gestured impatiently, his robes flowing to a wind Tobal did not feel. “The floor, the floor young one. Do you understand what you did to the floor.”

Tobal looked down at the floor, and stared. Right under his feet the stone surface was scorched, blackened. At the center of a circle of black, there was a smash, a dent as if a large stone had struck the pavement from a great height. Tobal blinked, and tried to find his voice.

“… did…. I…. Did I… do .. .. . That?”

“I see. You do not understand what you did.” The holographic figure seemed to jitter, as if concentrating. “You have not yet received any training whatsoever young one. What is one of your low stature doing with a holocron?” Master Arca Jeth seemed most displeased.

“I stole it.” Tobal gave the blunt truth. Often, at home, people could not take the raw truth. His father had said that people like those were not to be trusted.

“You… stole a holocron? Do you realize the punishment for stealing a holocron is death?”

Tobal stared. Vyktor had not mentioned anything about this to him.

“Death? Vyktor did not say anything about that to me. He just said he was locking up the holocrons to keep them safe.”

The transparent image wavered, and the dead Jedi master seemed to frown. The image disappeared, and then came back, fazing in and out for a few seconds.

“I…”

The holocron seemed to attempt to speak, but stopped. After a little more phasing in and out, the image solidified.

“What is it you wish to learn from me Young One.”

With those words, the image of the dead Jedi Master Arca Jeth sat on some invisible seat, and crossed his arms.
Without hesitation Tobal answered the question.

“I wish to learn to read.”

Laughter erupted from the hologram, and the image shifted, and jerked. Abruptly stopping, Master Jeth stood again.

“You have the purpose of this hologram wrong. I am a Jedi Master, and I specialize in lightsaber combat. When you wish to learn to use your lightsaber, then come to me.”

Arca Jeth began to fade away, the holocron slowly loosing the light it had held.

“NO! Please, stop!”, Tobal cried out, “If you cannot teach me to read, then, please, show me the use of your “lightsaber”

Shadow Jedi Knight Dark Emerald Jade walks out into the library rather angrily. She had been awoken by noise, first pounding, then screaming, and finally getting dressed to come down here.

Jadey looks around and spots Tobal Hadul, scowling at him.

"Do you have ANY idea what time it is?"

“You have not yet reached any level of adeptness with your force talent. You have not constructed a lightsaber. I do not teach novices, only knights wishing to expand their combat powers. Before you come to me, learn the basics of hand-to-hand combat, as well as some longstick sparing. Learn from your master, he will teach you.”

The image of the Master vanished, and Tobal growled. This was most definitely not planned for.

"Do you have ANY idea what time it is?"

Tobal whirled, the hidden blade coming out of his robes in a blur. He went into a defensive stance instinctively, his eyes glancing about.

It took five seconds for him to slow down, when he realized that the only person there was Jade. For a moment Tobal considered trying to hide what he had done. She’ll know…

“I was attempting to… to learn something from this… cube… and it is midnight, almost one-o’clock by the moon.”

Jadey rolls her eyes at his defensive move, and takes a step closer.

"Exactly! It is almost 1am and you are pounding down here. Now I have had a long day of healing after a fight I had earlier. But dont worry about me. I was a Sith once. Anything short of a bacta tank wont keep me down.

Anyways, why were you trying to learn something from this cube? Dont you have a Master for that? And dont try lying. I have been trained to tell lies from truth."

“Master? Huh.”

Tobal paused, carefully wording his reply in his head.

“No, I do not have a master. Both Dak and Vyktor are always buried in the ancient books, studying. I cannot read, so I cannot join them.”

Tobal felt a small sense of loneliness sweep over him, but it was gone as fast as it arrived.

“Why are you up so late Knight Jade?”

Jadey sighed and lowered her eyes, hiding the bit of sadness that shows there.

"I have recently lost someone important to me and I cannot sleep. But it no longer matters. I have to be up early and I have duties to perform."

Jadey turns to go back to her room, then stops on the threshold. Hand on knob, she turns around and looks at Tobal.

She sighs once more.

"Since you need a teacher for.......just about everything, and I have no apprentices, how about I become your Master?

I could use a change of duties for awhile. Whataya say?"

Tobal’s eyes widened. Finally, someone who was willing to teach him.

“What to we learn first?”

Another thought came to Tobal’s head,

“ and how am I to address you?”

Jadey chuckles softly and crosses her arms over her ample chest, leaning against the doorjam.

"First, we learn to read, then to fight, a little bit each day. It takes time to learn, and we have all the time in the galaxy, so be patient with my teaching. I have never done this before, so its new to both of us.

As for addressing me, if we were at my Empire, it would be required to call me Empress. But we are not at my Kingdom, so my royalty means nothing here.

However, you may address me as either Master or as Jade or even Master Jade. I will leave that choice up to you. Either of those 3 will be fine."