Within the gardens of the Jedi Temple, this was one of the areas that thankfully remained unscathed from Ultron's attack a few weeks ago. Since then, it has been frequented by many Jedi who have used the place as their place of temporary peace and respite from the madness that is going on elsewhere in the galaxy.

Currently, sitting under the tree was a certain Twi'lek Jedi Knight, her legs crossed, lightsaber in front of her, arms resting on her knees.

Her face appeared calm and serene, but that quickly faded and a frustrated look took over her face.

She mumbled to herself and took a deep breath, trying to clear her thoughts again, but within seconds she failed again.

Shaking her head, she tried again to calm herself and let the Force flow through her.

...

The Twi'lek Jedi suddenly pulled the grass from the ground in annoyance and forcibly threw it away from her in frustration.

She leaned back against the tree trunk and let out an exasperated groan.

As she was troubled by this inner turmoil, far behind her stood two Jedi Masters, very familiar to the young and frustrated Knight.

One was middle-aged, with black robes that matched his black hair, and had a prosthetic leg and prosthetic eyes.

Next to him was a Jedi Knight who maintained a serene and completely calm demeanor, her hair resembled plant roots, her entire temperament was closer to that of a plant, her appearance was more human except for the fact that she had no nose.

Both Jedi Knights, both Grand Masters of the Order, had been standing there for several minutes after noticing the frustrated state of the Twi'lek Jedi known as Aayla Secura.

"I've never seen her in such a state." The female Jedi spoke first.

"I do not have either."

"Have you talked to her, Torm?"

The old Jedi Master shook his head. "I have not seen her in some time, Tela Tha. This explosive war has separated many Jedi from one another."

"Unfortunately, tragedy and the heinous attack are what brought us together. Terra Sa," Master Neti said softly.

She felt a rough, gentle hand on her shoulder, and without looking up, she placed her own delicate hand on Tormes.

Tha squeezed his hand gently, expressing her gratitude and letting her emotions flow freely through the Force to the man beside her.

He responded to the thought in kind, and the two shared a moment of peace between them, they briefly looked away from Aayla and gazed at each other lovingly. After a few seconds, they broke eye contact and looked back at the Jedi Knight under the tree, trying to meditate again.

Terra Sa couldn't help laughing and shook his head happily.

"She's always more stubborn than she lets on," said Tha amusedly, walking towards Ayla, with Torm following closely behind.

"I fear she may have got it from me," said Torm to himself. "Or perhaps from Voss."

"You both tend to get stuck in crude ways," Terra Sa said lightly, earning a good-natured sneer from the man she loved.

As they got closer, they both had to stop themselves from laughing at Ella, who was now throwing rocks into the nearby lake because she had failed to enter a meditative state again, like a sulky little girl.

"Is there something bothering you, Ella?" Terra Sa asked calmly.

Aayla blinked and looked behind her to see two Jedi Knights that she greatly admired.

"Master Torm, Master Sa." Ayla quickly stood up and said softly. "I didn't feel you approaching. I'm sorry.

"It's okay," Torm said, waving his hand. "You seem to be troubled by something."

"Master Torm." Ayla sighed in exasperation. "Jabim... this is devastating.

"We know, Ella," Terra Sa said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We've seen the reports."

“So many lives were lost,” Ella said, looking down and shaking her head. “How could we let this happen?”

Torm smiled. "If I were an old fogey, I'd say something like May the Force bless you, or some other high-level nonsense. But the fact is, this is something none of us expected. I bet even the Sith themselves were in this state of confusion when Ultron stood up and declared war on the entire galaxy.

"This is a new enemy that will not be defeated by conventional means," admitted Sa.

Ayla simply slumped and gave her master a small smirk.

"Old fogey? That's the word you heard from Bligh, isn't it?

Torm gave her a smile. "He was a good man. Always comforted my old heart."

"Yeah." Ella sighed again, her mood dropping again. "Yeah..."

Terra Sa and Torm looked at each other, the latter motioned to her, and the former nodded.

"There is...there is something else that troubles you, my child. Terra Sa said motherly.

Ella was silent for a few seconds until she exhaled. “I…I’m worried about Steve.

"Ah, yes." Thom nodded. "The disappearance of Captain Rogers is disturbing, to say the least.

Both Thor and Terra clearly remembered their meeting with the super soldier, who had since shared some of his exploits with the Avengers. They were also well aware of the number of times Aayla had fought alongside him, and had encountered the two sparring on several occasions.

For the most part, they were just exchanging martial arts knowledge, until Terra told Torm that the conversation between the two was more personal. Some might say that it was just a show of friendship between them, but Neti Jedi Master found something unusual in this.

“He disappeared right before our eyes,” Ayla began. “I was fighting right next to him, and the next thing I knew, Steve’s shield was lying in the mud in front of me. I couldn’t believe I let this happen to him.”

"You're not wrong, Ella," Torm said kindly. "The past few days have been turbulent for everyone, so the last thing we need right now is unnecessary self-blame and guilt.

"The Avengers are feeling especially guilty right now," Aayla muttered. "They feel like it's their fault that Ultron is here because they didn't kill him the last time they fought."

“This was an unforeseen situation,” Terra said. “These things can happen. They’re beyond our control.

"But we can find Steve," Ella said firmly. "We owe him so much, we have to at least find him.

"He's out there somewhere." Torm reassured her. "We just have to be patient. Men like Captain Rogers are not easily ignored."

"In due time, the trail will lead to the wayward Captain America, Aayla," Terra Sar put in. "For now, I believe I agree with Master Yoda when I last spoke that many Jedi will need time to recover from these chaotic few days."

"How can we rest at a time like this?" Ella asked in disbelief.

"How can a person ignore the consequences of rash action when he knows it?" Torm retorted.

The Twi'lek Jedi bowed his head, gritting his teeth until she nodded.

"I...yeah, maybe a proper rest would be enough," Ella admitted.

"Okay." Terra Sa said, putting an arm around Ella's shoulders. "Come, I'll help you get some rest."

“Same as before?” Secura asked, smiling at the Jedi Master, who laughed calmly.

"Yes, dear. Just like before.

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