It was good to see him, though. Elzar could already feel his mood lifting, even though Stellan’s blue eyes were now fixed attentively on him.

“What is it?”

“You look good.”

“And you sound surprised.”

“I’ve just been worried about you. The last time we spoke …”

The last time they’d spoken, Elzar had still been troubled by his vision of the future, a vision he was now convinced he had averted by his presence on Valo.

Elzar shrugged, trying to make light of things as usual. “What can I say? Valo agrees with me. Who would have known.”

“The Force?”

Elzar fought the urge to roll his eyes. That was peak Stellan right there. “Well, yes … naturally.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you so relaxed. How has it been?”

“The preparations? Remarkably straightforward, thanks in no small part to Samera.”

“Coordinator Ra-oon?”

Elzar cursed himself for his slip. The last thing he wanted Stellan to think was that he was getting overfamiliar.

“She’s quite extraordinary,” he said quickly. “Nothing seems to faze her. She takes everything in her stride and sees solutions when others see problems.”

“Sounds like you think we should recruit her.”

Elzar chuckled. “I think she’s a little too old to start training. Besides, I don’t think she’s particularly Force-sensitive, just talented.”

“There’s no just about it.”

Elzar felt rather than heard the sadness in his friend’s words.

“Stell?”

Stellan smiled, a little embarrassed. “You reminded me of something Rana used to say.”

“You miss her, don’t you?”

“She is with me all the time.”

“In the Force.”

Stellan nodded.

“Not to mention on your belt.”

Stellan’s hand went instantly to the long silver lightsaber hilt he obviously thought Elzar hadn’t noticed, tucked away beneath his robe.

“Shouldn’t that be in the repository?” Elzar asked.

“It will be,” Stellan told him, subconsciously pulling his cloak around him so the light couldn’t glint off his late Master’s lightsaber. “When I have learned everything she has to teach me.”

Elzar’s eyebrows rose in mock surprise. “You mean the great Stellan Gios doesn’t already know everything?”

He felt a little shove from the Force, the equivalent of a nudge in the ribs, a lighthearted reminder to behave that Stellan had employed since they were younglings. He raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m just saying.”

“You’re always just saying something.”

Stellan fell quiet, and they walked in silence for a moment before Elzar asked: “Did you feel it?”

“When she passed?”

Stellan took a moment before completing his answer. “I knew long before the call came from Coruscant.”

“Followed by your call to the Council Chamber. I wanted to be there, you know, at your elevation …”

“You had your duties.”

That was true enough, Elzar thought, thinking of the waves of Ashla.

“Besides,” Stellan continued. “Avar was there.”

“She passed on my congratulations?”