If anything, their newfound friendship only cemented that he had been right to follow the leading of the Force on the moon of Ashla. This felt right, all of it. He’d spent the last few weeks walking the streets and touring the fair park, reaching out with the Force, looking for any hint of danger. All the time, the vision was there in the back of his mind, but it diminished slightly with every passing day as if his very presence on Valo was counteracting the evil he’d foreseen. He didn’t understand why, but he didn’t have to. The Force wasn’t some kind of technical manual, laying out every step of a plan. It was something you interpreted, something you felt, and Elzar felt more at peace than he had for years. Even the thought of becoming Valo’s Jedi marshal didn’t fill him with dread. Not long ago, the thought of being shackled to one planet would have made his head throb, but now that he was here, all that had changed. How much of that was to do with Samera? There was certainly an easiness between them that rivaled his friendship with Stellan or even Avar, an easy comfort that he liked almost as much as Samera’s laugh. She laughed often and loud, especially in Elzar’s presence, and he did, too. More than he had in years.

He glanced over at her, admiring her long red hair, which she’d gathered into a high plait. She was talking through her latest conversation with the Togruta ambassador, but he wasn’t listening, not really. Instead his eyes dropped down to the long line of her neck before flicking back up. She spotted him looking and he glanced away, pretending to look up at the giant sky-islands that floated above the lake. Each was designed to replicate the environment and landscape of a key planet in the Republic. It was one of the fair’s main attractions, a way for visitors to explore just some of the Republic’s rich diversity in one place.

“Have you been to Onderon?” Samera asked suddenly.

“The planet?”

She nodded toward the floating platform. “No, the island.”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I visited the slopes on the Rhinnal island though.”

“Did you ski?”

“No. I wanted to see the environmental controls. To maintain that much snow in this heat …”

“Yes, yes, it’s a marvel of enviro-engineering, but you have to try the turbo-ski run. Perhaps I can show you after the opening ceremony.”

“Will you have time, with the fair in full swing?”

“I’ll make time.”

She caught his eye, and this time he didn’t look away.

“So, what’s on Onderon?” he finally said, breaking the moment.

“Jungle safaris.”

“Without the wildlife, I hope.”