Taming the Shrew

[Gar]

Ni chewed her lip nervously and continued, "Master Henoch was always picking up 'hopeless cases'. Oh, that's what the academy board called me," she explains, smiling sadly, "I learned later that they really didn't want to bring a Zeltron into their school, but they didn't want to offend the planet Zeltros, either, so they chose the politically sound option and expected to have me expelled once I caused too much trouble"

She laughs dryly, "They didn't want a Zeltron Jedi graduating their academy and giving them a bad name. At least, that's all they expected that I'd become--a spot on their superior reputation. They hadn't have even met me yet, but I guess they had a point." Ni stared down at her hands and picked at her nails. "Master Henoch had a bleeding heart for the younglings and he thought the academy had lost sight of what it means to raise up them up in the ways of the Force. Long story short, I guess he believed that the current system at the academy was corrupt. He was a big advocate to those who did not have the connections to give them the edge in school..."

Ni sighs, "I did not know, at the time, how big of an advocate he was for me, or how hard he fought to keep me in the academy. But I remember something he told me once when he was really upset one day..." she quotes in a masculine, elderly tone, "'The true function of Master and padawan, Nienna, is to guide young souls to the Force and to help develop its connection to the individual. Every soul is unique; it should not be twisted and molded into a superficial, shiny copy of what everyone else expects it to be. You are to listen to the Force above all else. Other voices, even my voice, are secondary. What matters is that I help draw you closer to the Force to understand what it wants from you.'" The Zeltron grew silent for a moment, her face falling.