The Council rarely concerned itself with individual Padawans. So probably they sought yet more information about the Nihil or wanted to chastise Reath for his carelessness. Maybe both.

Instead, as he knelt before them, Master Adampo said, “We wish to speak with you about your new master.”

“Has someone already chosen me?” Reath couldn’t imagine who. All the Masters he knew well had apprentices of their own—except, of course, those who had been with him on the Amaxine station, but surely one of them would’ve spoken to him first.

Master Rosason said, “No. You have suffered bereavement, and you alone can tell us the correct moment to resume your training.”

Reath hadn’t thought about when he’d like to start training again. Padawans didn’t get to make many huge decisions on their own, as a general rule, and his first reaction to this one was to wish it away. Choice felt like a burden. His grief for Master Jora was already heavy enough.

“Given the extraordinary circumstances,” continued Master Rosason, “we also welcome your input as to what sort of assignment would be most beneficial to you in future.”

“What do you mean?”

Master Adampo held out his hands, an expansive gesture. “Some in your situation might request a frontier assignment, in order to fulfill your late master’s wishes. However, others might ask for more time on Coruscant or one of the other Core Worlds, so that your working relationship with a new master can begin on more familiar ground. There are benefits and drawbacks to each option, and to other options we haven’t discussed here. It’s up to you to research, reflect, and give us an answer.”

I don’t have to go to the frontier after all, Reath thought.

Only a few weeks before, that would’ve been cause for celebration. But his freedom had been bought at too high a price.

His disquiet must’ve been apparent to the entire Council, because Master Rosason gently said, “You need not choose now. In fact, you should not; not enough time has passed for you to make an informed choice. We only wished to make you aware that this choice is yours.”

Reath thanked them and got out of the Council chambers as fast as he decently could. At least if the Masters had given him this responsibility, they’d allowed him the time to think things through. When he tried imagining his future, he could only picture one thing: going back to the Amaxine station to confront Nan and Hague—and arrest them if possible. To set right the one big mistake he’d ever made in his life.

And that was the one future that couldn’t happen.

Could it?