Cath walked at a brisk pace, crossing the courtyard from the dormitory to the classrooms. Her green satchel bounced along on her back, filled with a notebook, her datapad and numerous datacards. She was running late as her chrono had failed to wake her on time. Her mentor, Kir-wan Queren, would lecture her later on learning to wake herself without the need for technology. At the moment however, Cath just hoped she'd get to lecture on time.

"Master Vallen, can I ask you something?"

Cath stopped walking and turned to face the apprentice who'd spoken. "I'm not Spark Vallen," she said. "We just look alike, or so I'm told. I only arrived a couple months ago."

Tommy Courneyea gaped, unsure what to say. "Oh, I'm sorry. But you look and sound just like her."

"So I'm told," she repeated. "Rumor has it that she left here a few weeks before I'd arrived."

"Our Shadow History instructor, Cy Terrin, suggests that she'll be back someday."

Cath shrugged. She'd heard lots of stories, both good and odd about Master Spark Vallen, from her own teacher, Kir-wan, as well as from other Jedi around the Force Academy campus.

Aware that she was hopelessly late for lecture now, Cath noted the ID on his lanyard and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Tommy?"

"Uh, no. But... thanks for asking. I will go and track down a teacher to speak with."

She watched as he darted off toward the Shadow Jedi area of the academy, then allowed herself a shrug. I'd better get moving. Does better late than never count for a Jedi? she wondered.

Cath hurried into the building and nearly ran down the hall to the enormous lecture hall. Instead of entering via the main doors at the lowest point of the auditorium, she detoured and ascended the exterior staircase two steps at a time.

Pausing for a moment to catch her breath, Cath neared the door. It whisked open automatically. She stepped forward, looking for an open seat, praying that her late entry would go unnoticed by Master Faulkner who stood below at the lectern.

"You're late?"

Cath jumped and whirled around. Caught by Kir-wan. Just perfect.

"Out here. Now," Kir-wan whispered.

She hurriedly followed her back out of the auditorium and into the dimly lit hallway.

"I'm sorry, Kir," she said immediately. "I had some complications getting here, the least of which being mis-recognized as Spark Val-"

"Stop."

Cath stood there, her determined blue eyes locked on her mentor's brown ones.

"No excuses, Cath. You are responsible for being to classes on time, regardless of what diversions there are to your day."

"But-"

"Catherine, no," Kir-wan said firmly. "I'd imagine that you mis-set your chrono again, didn't you?"

"Yes, Master. But I would have been on time had-"

"No excuses. Your problem lay in not setting-"

"-had Tommy C. from the Shadows not thought I was Spark!" she interrupted. "I hate that! I'm not Spark Vallen! Why can't people just let me be here and train?"

Kir-wan paused, seeing the anguish on her Padawan's face. "Cath, since you've already missed most of Mark's lecture today, why don't we just go back to my office? To talk?"

Cath watched her warily, then nodded.

++++++++++++++

There was a lot that Kir-wan didn't know about her student; Cath had arrived at the Force Academy suddenly, months earlier, startling the participants with her physical presence and personality, given that she was just like Spark Vallen, the Jedi Master gone missing. Meeting Catherine had been difficult for Kir since Spark had been her own Master, years earlier. Seeing her and speaking with her was somewhat uncomfortable at first because of the resemblances. And yet, while they had become quick friends and entered into a training relationship, there was still much Kir had to learn about her Padawan.

"Have a seat on the comfy couch," Kir said as they entered her office. "I'll brew some caf for us okay?"

"Umm... okay."

Kir watched as Cath sat her satchel down on the side of the couch and sat down casually, her right leg tucked under her body. Just like how Spark used to sit, she thought. Weird.

"Other than the mix-up this morning, how are you, dear?" Kir asked.

"I'm content, thanks. Have a bit of coursework to complete both from you, for a presentation and my Force sensing course, but I'm joyful despite all that. How are you?"

"I am great, thanks." She carried over two mugs of steaming hot caf and handed one to the Padawan. "Here you go - drink up!"

"Thanks, Kir."

She nodded. "So a lot of people are still calling you Spark, eh?"

"Yeah. Everyone thinks I'm her! They want her wisdom, advice and time. And they look at me like I'm crazy when I say I'm not Spark Vallen."

"Why does that bother you?"

Cath sighed. "Because it's like people are wanting me to be someone I'm not. And really... look: I know she was your teacher and that you hold her in high opinion, but I've also heard a lot of bad stuff about Spark Vallen. I don't really like being thought of as her, given all of that."

Kir-wan's hackles raised with Cath speaking ill of her former teacher. She took a deep breath, exhaled and let the tension go away. After all, Spark did have her dramas and problems. She was - at times - as much notorious as she was highly-regarded at the academy.

"I guess I can understand that, Cath," she said finally. "At the same time, Padawan, realize that you are among a group of Force sensitives. It speaks a great testament to what they sense about you if they sense the strengths that Spark had too."

"I don't know about that," the student replied. "When Tommy thought I was Spark this morning, I explained I wasn't, then offered to help him if I could. He almost seemed afraid of me, Kir. He nearly ran to get back to the Shadows area of the campus!"

Switching gears, she asked, "What are your thoughts on acceptance, Catherine?"

She rolled her eyes. "I have to find acceptance that for better or worse, I am going to be continually perceived as Spark Vallen. For some reason, we look alike and resonate in the Force very similarly. There's nothing I can do about that. So I have to accept it's going to happen and work from there."

Kir-wan grinned. Would this be what it would be like to have trained Spark?

"Right, right," she said. "You say it all well, but can you live it?"

Cath snorted. "What other choice do I have?"

"Oh, I should let you know that the other knights and masters who teach have spoken highly of your work so far, Cath," Kir said casually.

"Really?"

"Yes. They've said that you're doing a really fine job, and picking concepts up very quickly. When you make it to lecture on time, that is." Kir smiled.

Cath arched an eyebrow. "You didn't say what I was expecting."

"Oh? What's that?"

"I thought you were going to lecture me about learning to wake myself up through the Force."

For a moment, Kir couldn't find her breath, much less any words to speak in reply. The waking meditation? How in the name of all things scary of the Jundland Wastelands could she have known of that meditation? Spark developed that. But it's not even being taught yet! No one knows of it. Only Spark and me. What the--?

"Kir?"

"Oh! Well, yes, I could lecture you about that, but since you already are aware of it, what would be the point?" she said, trying to mask her confusion.

Catherine laughed. "What time is it?"

"What time do you sense it to be, Padawan?"

"Close enough to my next class time that if I don't get moving, I'm going to be late again," she replied.

Kir-wan giggled. "Then you'd best be off, dear. I will meet you after supper for meditation, alright?"

"Usual place," she agreed. "I'll be there."