[SpringsSong]

"Connect with the Force around me to sense my surroundings?" Xyshari asked.

"Yes," Lana said.  "I could never--"

"There are a great many things you did not know about my time as a Jedi, Lana," Xyshari said with a smirk.  "But since I doubt I'll ever return to that life now that I have you... well, where should I begin," she said.  Lana folded her arms as she gave a small sigh.

"You clearly knew how to handle a saberpike even before Senya taught us how to," she said.

[SpringsSong]

"Yes, I became quite proficient in the Shii-Cho and Ataru forms on the saberpike--Ataru more than Shii-Cho, as it is my favored form," Xyshari said.

"And my inability to read you unless I catch you completely off-guard?" Lana asked, raising a brow.

"I was trained to always have my guard up, and to condition my mind into an impenetrable fortress that even the most skilled Sith Inquisitor could not break through," Xyshari countered, pointing off in the direction she'd felt a pull from.

[SpringsSong]

"...and sometimes, when we are on an assignment... I lose sight of your presence in the Force entirely, even though you're right beside me.  It's as if you lose your connection to the Force, but I know that's not possible because I see the feats you perform," Lana said.

"I learned how to mask my presence in the Force, and my identity with it," Xyshari replied calmly.  Lana stopped short and gasped after a moment.

"You weren't," she said in disbelief.  Xyshari smiled.

"I was," she said.  "Before I was offered a seat on the Council, I reached the rank of Gatekeeper--leader of the Council High Guard."

[SpringsSong]

"And the Guard had a very specialized set of skills," Lana said.  "I remember encountering one once on an assignment.  They just... stood there stoically, never moving, and I couldn't sense anything from them--not an identity, no emotions, and no thoughts.  I could barely tell if they were a male or a female beneath the robes..."

"Mm, I think I know the time you are speaking of," Xyshari said.  "He performed very well, then, just as I trained him..."

[SpringsSong]

"One of your Council Guards?" Lana asked.

"Not just any Council Guard," Xyshari said.  "I know, as a Jedi, we are not to appear prideful about anything, but... I couldn't help but feel pride whenever I saw his progress.  From the time I took him on as a Padawan till the day I cut his braid in the presence of the Council as they named him a Knight..."

"A Padawan of yours," Lana said, finally understanding.

"He followed in my footsteps in the Order," Xyshari said.  "Becoming a Council Guard, and eventually taking up my mantle when I moved on.  He... was like a son to me."