Chapter Seven

Upon reaching the future site of the Academy, Lisa watched as Luke walked the perimeter, brushing the area with the Force.

Can’t rush this… she heard Luke think. The Force had made him work for this moment, and he wasn't about to disrupt that balance now.

Lisa sat at the edge of the bamboo forest in order to allow Luke to do what he needed to do. Plum fluffed up her wings and started preening while Pip curled up beside Lisa and closed his eyes. She gently stroked the fur on his back and the pup began to purr.

Luke had his hands spread at his sides as he walked around the area. In her mind, Lisa heard him murmuring to himself.

Here?...no…over here?...could be…no, perhaps here…

She knew he was picturing the future structures of the Academy – she could see glimpses through the link. She tried to match up what she remembered from the visions.

“I think the entrance was a little further to the right,” she called over to him and he looked over to her, adjusted his position, then smiled and nodded.

“Are you building a den?” asked Pip sleepily.

Lisa started to laugh and say no, but then stopped and thought about it. A school it may be – or would be one day – but it was to be more than that.

It was to house the future of the Jedi Order, yes, but also their loved ones because, as Luke and Lisa had discovered, attachments were not the weakness the old teachings said as long as one had the skills to navigate them.

It was to be the location of learning, of grounding, of community, of diversity. It was…to be a home.

She huffed out a breath. “I guess so…in a way,” she answered the juvenile Riverback. “We’ll be living here as well as teaching, so a ‘den’ would be part of it. We have a shelter built at our landing site, but once we figure out logistics, buildings will be here.”

“Like what?” asked Plum, poking her beak into Lisa’s hair to check for insects.

“Um…” She looked around and found a few rocks of different sizes. She arranged them in a crude imitation of the campus she’d seen in Luke’s visions. “So, this large one will be the teaching studio or classroom. These smaller ones would be kitchens for eating, dorms for living and sleeping. Maybe one for recreation…for play, because all work without a break is not good for the health of anyone.”

“Like swimming?” Pip asked, ears wiggling.

“Sure,” she answered. “Somewhere around here there should be a lake for deep swimming. The river is good for shallows.”

Pip snorted. “River IS deep,” he protested.

“For YOU,” said Plum. “For NOW. You’ll get bigger and it’ll stop being deep.”

The juvenile Riverback grunted and closed his eyes again. “Long time still.”

Luke came over and plopped down beside them in a very un-Jedi-like way. Seeing the amused look on Lisa’s face and the arranged stones, he voiced his curiosity.

She explained the conversation she’d been having with the two creatures. He chuckled when she’d finished and then took a moment to be silent with his eyes closed, face turned up to the sky.

He took in a deep breath, inhaling the clean air, and opened his eyes to look at them. He was about to ask a question when his stomach growled.

Lisa laughed as Pip and Plum canted their heads at the sound. “Yeah, I’m hungry, too.”

Luke grinned. “Let’s eat, then we can explore some more. We found the clearing; let’s see what else we can find.”

End chapter seven

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