The two travelers stepped into the Cantina, and sat down at the bar. From what I could tell, they were Jedi, mainly because they were still in their tan and brown Jedi robes and their lightsabers were resting at their sides.
“Hey!” I called out over the din of the Cantina. “I suggest that you move.” My voice was very odd, because it was metallic and robotic, like a droid.
One of the Jedi, a large man with pale blonde hair turned in his seat and looked at me. “What do you mean?”
I chuckled. “That’s usually where Han Solo sits, and he really doesn’t like it when other people are in his seat.”
The female Jedi, who was sitting in that chair, got up. “Oh, sorry.”
“It’s fine.” I beckoned them with a long, pale finger. “You can sit next to me.”
The two Jedi sat down as far away from me as possible. Figures. Pretty much everyone shies away from me, and I’ve gotten used to it.
“So . . . what brings you here to the famous Mos Eisley Cantina?” I asked.
The man shifted uncomfortably. “We were looking for Siri, a Jedi that has been missing for over five years.”
I tried to keep the surprise from my eyes. “Oh, really? Why did you think to look at Tatooine?”
The woman shrugged. “We’ve been to a few other planets, and we got a hint from a friend of hers on Kashyyyk.”
“Interesting,” I murmured. All of the sudden, the bar went completely silent. The sound of boots smacking the hard-packed earth was the only thing making noise.
Oh, he’s here, I thought. A bit late, but if you were one of the most powerful men in the universe during the Rebellion, I guess you can come and go as you like.
As he sat down in his usual seat, someone sarcastically muttered, “Sahasinka notatingasa.” The war hero has returned. It was from the bartender, who didn’t like Han very much.
Han Solo looked exactly the same as when he agreed to take Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi to Alderan. Even with more gray than brown in his hair, he was still a handsome man.
“So . . . any new news?” he asked the person next to him, who was from Courscant. His name was Yuam, I think.
Yuam shrugged. “Nothing much. They started a search for Master Siri, who disappeared five years ago. Personally, I think she’s dead.” He spat out the word ‘dead’ with all the spite in his body.
Solo chuckled under his breath. “I don’t think so. Jedi are resilient things.” He glanced back at me. From behind my thick cloak that hid my face and most of my body, I shivered. Han knew I was the Jedi they were looking for, and I hoped that he wouldn’t blab to the Jedi about it. Please, please keep your mouth shut, Solo.
“And who are you?” Han asked the two Jedi.
“I am Ben, and this is my Padawan, Mari,” the man replied.
Han Solo got down from his chair and sat next to me. He was one of the few people who didn’t shy away from me. “So, how’s it going, Ben?”
Ben shrugged. “Pretty good. My father was wondering in you’d ever join the Jedi.”
Han laughed loudly. “I’ll be on my last breath when I join the Jedi. I don’t believe in that nonsense.”
“Figures. I’ll tell him when we get back to Courscant.”
“So, I hear you two are on Master Siri’s case, huh?” Han asked, taking a large swig of Mos Eisley’s famous desert beer.
“Yup,” Mari replied. She was a small thing, maybe twelve or thirteen at the most. She was an Argazdan, with green skin and thick black hair. She still had a lot of training in front of her.
“Why do you think you’d find her here?” Han Solo asked.
Ben shrugged. “The Cantina has a wide variety of customers here, so why wouldn’t a Jedi on the run be here?”
A lot of people stopped what they were doing and stared at Ben.
“You better watch your mouth, Jedi,” I said. “You’ll be dead in a few minutes if you keep about the Cantina’s ‘customers.’”
Han chuckled. “Your father learned that the hard way.”
After that, we lapsed into silence. It was so thick you could cut it with a lightsaber. A few minutes passed, and nothing happened.
“Okay, I know something about Master Siri, but we can’t say it here.” I started to get up. I waited for the Jedi to do the same. I doubted that Han Solo would come with us. As they got up, I prayed that they don’t see the four lightsabers hooked to my belt.
Yes, you probably guessed it. I’m Master Siri. The reason why I left the Jedi Order . . . well, it’s a long story.
“Lead the way,” Ben said.
I walked out of the Cantina, with Ben and Mari at my heels. Solo stayed back in the bar. As the sliding door opened, I walked out to my sand-speeder parked the farthest from the Cantina. The sun reflected harshly off my thick black cloak, but I needed it desperately to hide my identity.
“Where do you live?” Ben asked as we got in.
“On the outskirts,” I replied.
“But isn’t that dangerous?” Mari asked. “What about the Sand People?”
I chuckled as I pulled the strap across my lap. “They don’t bother me anymore.”
Ben cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
I turned the speeder on, and then started to navigate the crowded streets of Mos Eisley. “One of them tried to take some of my food, and I scared it off, and they haven’t dared to come near me again.” The thing I didn’t tell them is that I had whipped out my lightsabers and the Sand Person ran away in terror. I guess the genocide that Anakin Skywalker committed all those years ago hasn’t left their memories.
After a while, we left the city behind, and the desert stretched all around us. The heat intensified, and I really wanted to rip my cloak off, but I had to keep my identity a secret for as long as possible.
After a good five minutes, a small mound appeared in the sand. As we got closer, the mound started to take shape.
I stopped a few feet away from the small dome. I got out, and the two Jedi followed my lead. I opened the door, and a flight of stairs led down. Most houses in the desert were mostly underground, because the farther you get away from the sun, the cooler it is.
“My dad used to live on Tatooine when he was young,” Ben murmured.
I glanced back at him. “And your father is . . . ?”
“Luke Skywalker,” he replied.
“Ah,” I said to myself. Luke had taken me in, had mentored me for a while. The thing that I liked about him was that he hadn’t shied away from me when my blood test had come back when I first came to the Jedi Order.
“So, what do you know about Master Siri?” Mari asked as we entered the kitchen. Already, the temperature had decreased at least twenty degrees.
“First, I have to tell you a bit about myself. Now, don’t scream because a lot of people in the city think I’m doing some dark magic or something.” My fingers found the clasp of my cloak. With trembling fingers, I unclasped it and let it fall to the ground.
I was a cyborg, more machine than anything. My body was a pale, creamy white, with dark gray metal that served as my movable joints. I was over six feet, with very long legs and lanky arms. My head looked like a skull, and my bright yellow eyes shone through two openings in the mask.
Mari gasped. “You—you’re from Kalee!”
I chuckled darkly. “Yeah, I’m from Kalee, but I don’t remember it. I was very young when I left.”
“But . . . what does this have to do with Master Siri?” Ben asked.
“Because Master Siri is also from Kalee.”
It clicked in his eyes. “So . . . do you know her?”
“I do,” I said.
“Well, where is she?” Mari asked. She brushed her hair behind her ear, and the Padawan braid was suddenly noticeable.
“You’re looking at her.”
Ben and Mari just stared at me, their mouths wide open. “You’re Master Siri?” Ben forced out after a good minute.
I nodded. “Yes, I am. I have proof.” I unhooked one of my lightsabers and clicked it on. The bright green blade lit up the dim kitchen.
Mari blinked once. “But . . . why did you leave the Order?”
I clicked my lightsaber off and put it back on my belt. “It’s a long story.”
Ben sat down at the kitchen table. “I think we have a lot of time.”
I looked away, a few mechanisms in my neck creaking. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t. It’s very hard to talk about it.”
Ben glanced at me. “But you know, we have bring you back to Courscant.”

I didn’t want to meet Luke’s eyes, or anyone on the Council.
“Why did you leave?” Master Trewh asked. He was from Ziost, the dark forest planet. His dark midnight-black eyes bore into me. I could tell plainly he wasn’t happy.
“It is for a reason I wish to not tell the entire Council,” I replied.
“Siri, we will not tell anyone else in the Order,” Master Querti announced. “All that is said in the Council in confidential.”
It is, until you blab it to the other Jedi, I thought icily.
“I sense great resentment and distrust in you, Master Siri.” This comes from Hett, who could sense emotions because he was Iktotchi, and they were known for their psychic abilities.
No one said anything for a moment or two. I finally met Luke’s eyes, and they seem to say I must talk to you after this.
Master Leia suddenly sighed. “I don’t see anything useful about your wanderings, Siri. Did you uncover anything useful?”
“Nothing much, but I did hear that the Kamino cloners are creating another army.”
“Were you able to get more information?”
“I was able to travel to Kamino, and found out that the order was five thousand soldiers for a man named Commander Vagasehd, and he wanted the batch to be of Yuuzhan Vong origin.”
Master Querti gasped. “It could be the Yuuzhan Vong War all over again.”
Luke glanced at her. “We’ll send a few Jedi to investigate.” He then looked around at all the Council members. “I think this is enough. Council adjourned.”
Everyone started to stand up and walk out the door. I waited until everyone was gone except for Luke.
“It’s good to see you again,” he said.
“It’s been a long time.”
Luke motioned to the door. “Come. Let’s talk about this on the balcony.” I followed him out of the Council room. Around us, many Jedi of many different races walked around, going to and fro. When I walked passed, many stopped and stared. The older ones recognized me while the young ones had no clue who I was.
Luke and I walked up two flights of stairs in silence. When we arrived on the balcony that looked over Courscant, I could finally break that silence.
“I’m sorry I left,” I started. “It’s just that—well, you know my dilemma.”
Luke, who was staring out at the view, nodded. “I understand.”
I wiped my face with one of my metal hands. “I don’t know what I’m going to say to my fellow Jedi.”
Luke looked at me with a clear blue gaze. It reminded me of the beautiful lakes on my home planet. “Maybe you should tell them the truth, Siri.”
I blinked. “Huh?”
“Tell them who your great-grandfather was, I mean.”
From the second it left his mouth, I despised it. “No,” I replied. My voice suddenly became more metallic than usual. It usually did that when I got angry.
“Siri, I had to go through the same thing too.” At times like these, I could tell that Luke was troubled by his bloodline as well. “It’s not something that can be hidden for long. It’ll come out sooner or later.”
“But look at me!” I spread my arms out wide. “I look exactly like him! Even when I was younger, people kept saying, ‘oh, you like a certain general from the Clone Wars.’ How do you think that makes me feel? Really bad, if you want to know.”
“I’m sorry it makes you feel that way.”
Suddenly, a young Padawan ran onto the balcony. “Master Luke, there is a transmission from Senator Taggor waiting for you.”
Luke nodded. “Very well then.” He then glanced back at me. “I hope we can talk about this later, Master Siri.”
He left, and I felt hopelessly alone.