Fate Denied: A Star Wars SI

[Saphrith]

This idea was inspired by GSpectre's Officer of the Republic SI thread and shout out to him for helping me with not only the idea but proofreading this prologue.

This is something of a writing exercise for me but I feel that its been evolving in my head as I've given the idea more thought. This is Legends canon because I know it better and honestly like it more but I will include some canon elements here and there. I've got some extensive knowledge of the setting and hope to create some interesting divergences.

So by all means as this is a writing exercise for me. I encourage and accept feedback and criticism as well as discussion over the concepts.

Also that title is subject to change if I come up with something more fitting

45BBY Jedi Temple Coruscant


The lightsaber is heavy in my hands, lungs laboring as my opponent circles me, she was not nearly as tired as me. The training room is empty save for myself and Ilena with the assembled Knights and Masters in the viewing balcony above alongside my fellow apprentices.

The Force is with me though and through the colorless 'vision' it gives me I can see her smile; she's confident as ever and with good reason, I'm no slouch but she's better than me.

"Good fight Viera but this is it." And then she's on me lightsaber flashing.

I raise my saber to block and the sizzling as the two connect fills my ears before we begin the dance again; lightsabers flashing as I try to block, and maybe come up with a plan, calling to the Force I allow it to lift me into a forward leap, lightsaber flashing towards her head as I descend.

She's already blocked my strike and I get a glimpse of her lightsaber flashing towards me before I can think about it my blade is moving to intercept without any conscious input from me, our blades lock together, crackling and sparking I try to push her back or at least disengage but she is immovable and before I can try anything tricky her knee slams into my gut, knocking the wind from me. A follow up push knocks me to the ground and I don't get up, I can't beat her.

"I submit Ilena, you win." I briefly contemplate grabbing her training saber and surprising her but Ilena Xan is a friend and I don't really want to do that to her.

Her smile is warm, her aura in the Force brightening at her victory. I really hate being a Miraluka sometimes, it's done wonders for getting me used to the Force as a concept but I miss seeing color and form.

Master Bondara calls the match and the Apprentice tournament in Ilena's favor, The Rutian Twi'lek Battle master is honestly a lot of fun and I know full well I'll miss him when Maul kills him, I've considered saving him but I don't know how besides doing my damndest to hang around Coruscant in 32BBY in hopes I'm there when Maul arrives and can help him win or at least survive.

How long am I going to live? Assuming I don't get killed at Geonosis, during the Clone Wars, or during the purge? Food for thought, later that is.

He reaches down and effortlessly lifts me to my feet, giving me a reassuring pat on the back, a nice gesture but I'm not really broken up over the loss Ilena has always been better at me at lightsaber combat; not surprising considering I know she's destined to be a combat instructor herself later in life. I'm content with second place.

I have just enough time to steady myself as our other friends rush out to congratulate us; people I've come to know beyond their characterization in books: Arligan Zey, Politrix, Jai Maruk, Maks Leem, and Jang Li-Li.

"That was a great fight, you're guaranteed to get chosen by a master." Jang as perky as normal, strong in the Force and filled with potential but dead before her time at Ventress's hand.

"Thank you, Jang, it was an exhilarating fight, Ilena fights dirty though." I can feel her retort before I hear it.

"That was a legitimate move, stop being so petty." I shrug good-naturedly and tone out her lecture on the importance of close-combat skill, I can see where she'll get the nickname 'Iron Hands' from.

From behind her Zey frowns, and kicks at the ground in frustration. I resist calling him adorably grumpy.

"I'm just happy that Ilena avenged me." Oh Zey, you're just as grumpy as a child as you will be during the Clone Wars. I'm not sure what to do about that really and unsure of how much his attitude was stress, his actual personality or Traviss letting her bias show in her writing.

"You think too much Zey. If you didn't hesitate you'd have done much better." I'm not proud of head-butting him, in a moment of surprise, but it did work. He sighs and waves it off, not at all concerned.

"We all did well and there are plenty of potential Knights and Masters to take us as padawans. There's no need to let anxiety and worry get to us." Maks smiles at all of us, her friendly nature a calming reassurance, for them not for me. I know all of them become full-fledged Jedi in canon but I'm not so sure about my own future. Still I offer the Gran woman a smile if only to reassure her, she's too sweet to leave upset.

Master Bondara ushers us out of the training room and tells us to get some rest; we'll be informed in the morning whether we've been chosen or not. Twenty initiates filter out of the room and into the main hall, conversation filling my ears as everyone talks between themselves.

"Winning the tourney doesn't necessarily mean a Master will choose you, what matters is that you show the potential to be a Jedi, we all did that I think." Politrix hangs at the edge of the group, Jang's friend more than anyone else. I know of her death but little else. Another person to save, how I don't know but I will.

Jai already has a crush on her, it'll pass, unless I do something to push it forward.

I sighed, relaxing my tired muscles, "I'm going to hit the library and relax a bit. I'll see you in the morning." With a short bow, I excused myself, nodding at their farewells and going my own way.

It is haunting to walk down a translucent corridor, where if I focus, I can see through walls and doors with little difficulty. The Jedi around me existing as auras in the Force, colorless and with features I have to focus on to comprehend beyond basic shape. I hate it so much; I'd have been content as a Rodian if only to have normal sight back.

No use in complaining though, not like I can change it. Cope, I have to cope.

The Temple library is perhaps the most calming place for me and the only consolation for my forsaken existence. In another time, without the existential threat of Palpatine's purge, I would have been content to become a Jedi Librarian and spend my life here reading and learning the histories of thousands upon thousands of worlds. With the threat looming it serves as a place to relax and attempt to plan.

The Matukai and Luka Sene exist thankfully, so that's one part of my grand plan still in play, likewise there are short mentions of the Zeison Sha and Witches of Dathomir. I see no mention of the Fallanassi but Lucazec and Ialtra exist so when I get the chance I have to see if they're there and teaching their abilities. If not, then the Disciples of Twilight on Dyspeth are my best bet.


Learning the skills those orders teach would be invaluable to keeping myself alive and strengthening the Order through people I teach it to, assuming I teach anyone, but it does little to solve the big problems.

Palpatine and Hego Damask's efforts in building their power base and destabilizing the Republic are already underway. I've no way of stopping it now being all of 12 years old and when I'm finally free to act against them, reversing it will be impossible.

As such I've decided that outside a few certain events I'm not going to bother trying to run around behind them in an attempt to undo their plans. Instead I need to have plans to lessen the impact of theirs. If I can't prevent it, I need to counter it, and I have a rough plan to do that.

The first and most important part is that an army of clone troopers with ingrained loyalty to a Sith Lord who will turn on and kill you at a single command is a horrible idea. Three years is not enough time to train an army of non-clones to counter-balance them. However, ten to fifteen years is hopefully long enough. I need to find a way to support the Militarist faction in the Senate gain enough power to overturn that aspect of the Ruusan Reformations. Aks Moe is my best bet there, a militarist but ambitious and scheming enough to know how to maneuver and bribe, perfect for opposing the red tape Sidious will throw at him. I just need an inroad to meet him. Candadine Bru and Ambassador Golfhan are likewise going to be necessary partners in that area.

I bow slightly in greeting to Master Nu who returns the greeting but otherwise leaves me to my own devices. I've been here enough for her to grow accustomed to my presence. I go to my usual secluded terminal and begin bringing up the galactic map that I've been referencing. Millions of worlds and sectors pop up on the data terminals before me, I narrow the focus to the Mid Rim, still countless planets and sectors but I can comprehend the scale easier and I have an idea of what I need to find.

Thank you, extensive knowledge, of Legends canon and Jedi memory techniques. My target is simple, somewhere in the southwestern portion of the Mid Rim is the supposed destination of the Katana Fleet. Granted the Katana Fleet won't disappear for another year but hopefully it'll still disappear to the same place. Not good to place faith in random chance but with the Force involved who knows.

Though on the chance that it doesn't go there I need to do something else to offer aid to the Militarists. A Jedi's support for the faction could afford it a lot of weight but I don't know if it'll be enough. Even more I'm an apprentice right now, little more than an initiate. There's no way I have enough clout to give them some support, I need someone else to speak out in their favor on my behalf, someone known and respected.

And I have some ideas on who.

 

[Saphrith]

The next morning our entire clan is lined up in a large room reminiscent of an Amphitheatre, Master Bondara is there as well as several older Jedi in the seats, we're all on a stage of some sort and it's hard not to feel like an item on display. Despite my best attempt, I can't help the anxiety I feel, if no one chooses me then this is all for naught, I'll be sent to the agricorps until the purge.

Master Bondara is a font of serenity, like this is all a normal occurrence for him and perhaps it is, he's probably used to standing in front of a group of younglings ready to decide their fate like it's no big deal. I feel angry and it takes will to suppress that feeling, this isn't the time to get angry and that only leads to trouble anyways. I need to appear calm and steady for whoever has chosen me, if anyone.

Names are called, Ilena and Jang are among the first, two human Jedi standing to meet them. As the newly paired Masters and padawans meet they quickly file out of the room, likely not wanting their young charges to see any of their friends not be chosen. For a moment, I'm scared I won't be chosen, that I'll be assigned to one of the service corps.

"Viera Sarat" I release a breath I didn't realize I had been holding, for a moment I wasn't sure if I'd be chosen. The Jedi who stands to meet me is another Miraluka, a tall lithe man with short brown hair and a blindfold over his vestigial eye sockets.

I walk quickly to meet him and offer a quick polite bow as I approach. His presence in the Force is serene and calm, a seemingly friendly fellow and I dearly hope we get along.

"Padawan Sarat, I am Master Zun Tavik, as of today, I will be your teacher in the ways of the Jedi." His voice is reassuring and slightly condescending in the way adults can be towards children but I'm too happy at being chosen to complain on that regard, especially since by his reckoning I am a child.

"Thank you Master Tavik, I promise to do my best as your Padawan." He takes the flattery well; amusement clear in the way his Force aura shifts. He leads me from the room and out into the hallway, other Master-padawan pairs are milling in the hallway but I hardly have time to do more than wave at Ilena, Jang and Zey as Master Tavik leads me down the hallway.

"It's a bit crowded here Padawan, we'll talk more in the Room of a Thousand Fountains." Ooh, I love that room, it's the best part of the Temple outside the Library.

Our walk is mostly silent after that until we get to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and it takes my breath away every time.

The Room of a Thousand Fountains is a seven-story tall greenhouse, from the wooden doors it is only a short walk to veranda, several stone and dirt paths extending into the rest of the room. The paths are lined with benches and small secluded zones for meditation, surrounded by plants from a thousand different worlds. Master Tavik leads me down one of the dirt paths, we cross a wooden bridge over a babbling brook of water from who only knows where, to a small grove out of sight.

Zun takes a seat in the grass, shifting to sit cross legged and gesturing for me to take a seat across from him. The grass is warm as I sit, instantly it becomes a matter of habit to breathe out and relax, it's like I'm ten and in meditation class with Master Yoda.

"This clearing is where my own Master took me every morning we were in the Temple. When I started training padawans I decided to do the same, it's so much easier to relax and teach here." He looks at me, as much as one without eyes can.

"Master Bondara speaks highly of you, eager to learn both the ways of the Force and Lightsaber and mature for your age. Normally that wouldn't have made me choose you, but Master Nu told me you were spending time in the library, researching some interesting data files."

He pauses to give me a chance to react and probably to gauge my reaction but the only surprise is that they kept track of certain searches. Understandable in hindsight but I was never too worried about that and I'm hardly going to react like my hand was caught in the proverbial cookie jar.

He takes my silence with a short chuckle before speaking. "I was intrigued by your curiosity regarding the practices of the Luka Sene, Matukai and other Force-using orders. Not many Jedi take interest in such groups, outside of a select few." I wish that he was lying but everything I've seen has said that he's not.

"The skills and applications of the Force they teach seem useful not to mention their different philosophical views on the Force itself. I had hoped to have the opportunity to study with them someday and share those skills with the Order." I mean, much of initiate training was physical conditioning, imagine if Matukai conditioning was given to incoming initiates. Saying that it would double the effectiveness of the Order is probably not doing enough credit to the training.

Master Tavik smiles and sits up, leaning on his hands for support, "Well it's your lucky day then Padawan, in my younger years I spent some time at the Alpheridies Academy and learned the arts practiced by the Luka Sene, I'd be happy to pass those skills onto you. The other groups, well maybe when you're older we'll see but let's just focus more on Jedi skills for now."

That's fair I suppose, not like they would just immediately agree to let me go learn from them but the option isn't off the table so I'll take it. The smile on my face is genuine relief and excitement as I reply.

"I'll do my best Master; you won't be disappointed." He gives a slight nod in acknowledgment before shifting to a traditional meditative position

"Very well padawan, we'll be taking our trip to Ilum for constructing your lightsaber in a week. Go move your clothing to your new room and meet me back here. We'll do some meditation exercises together." He hands me a datapad from within his robes, it has directions to my new room and the keycode for the door. I stand, nod and with a quick "Yes, Master" I'm off.

The walk back to the initiate dormitories feels off now, It's been my home for six years and now I'm moving, not far admittedly but I've gotten so used to my fellows sleeping and existing beside me it's going to be strange by myself. When I arrive Jang, Ilena, and Politrix are there talking animatedly between themselves while they pack. I smile when I see them, familiar as they are to me and step further into the room. Jang notices me first and beams, her aura bright as the sun.

"Viera! I knew you'd get selected, Ilena, Pol, and I all got chosen as well. Our Masters sent us to collect our things and move to our new rooms, I assume you're here to pack up and move too?" I can see Ilena carefully folding her spare clothes into a bag while Politrix watches.

"Yes, I was chosen by Master Zun Tavik, another Miraluka like me." Ilena stops packing for a moment to look up at me.

"Really? I wonder if he chose you because of your shared species, who better to help you focus on your natural sense abilities." Astute as ever and quite frankly something I was wondering myself.

"He chose her because he can see her potential, she's going to be eye-mazing!" Jang finishes her pun with a giggle while me and Ilena can only groan at the horrible pun. I'm chuckling regardless and even Politrix is smiling slightly though she doesn't laugh, she never has.

"You're horrible." Ilena grumbles and I can feel Jang about to fire back with another pun or horrible joke, distraction time.

"What about you three, who chose you?" Jang eagerly takes to the new topic, either not noticing the obvious distraction or not caring.

"Well, Master Rana is a part of the Starfighter Corps, I figure she'll probably teach me to be a Jedi Ace like she is. It's going to be so much fun, flying all over the galaxy, bringing pirates to justice." Didn't she die in a Starfighter? I-I hate that I know that fact, I'm listening to her enthuse about something that will eventually get her killed.

"I'm sure you'll be an excellent pilot Jang, Ilena, I assume your master is more combat oriented. It would suit your talents for lightsaber combat." She nods hefting her pack over her shoulders.

"Yes, Master Bridger is one of the foremost Weapon Masters of the Order, he says he'll teach me everything he knows about lightsaber combat. I like him, he seems nice. Pol's Master, Kaim is a diplomat so she's already leaving for Denon tomorrow." I spare a glance towards Politrix who has already packed her bag and has been mostly content to watch us talk.

"Master Kaim says there's a local dispute he has been asked to settle, his familiarity with the parties involved makes him ideally suited for resolving it." That's literally one of the longest sentence I've heard her speak in a year outside lessons. Hopefully Kaim can get her to open up a bit more.

"Oh! You're leaving Coruscant already? You're so lucky! Master Rana says we aren't leaving for Ilum for a week, and Ilena's going in a couple of days. What about you Viera, when is your Master taking you to construct your lightsaber?"

"We'll be leaving next week, Master Tavik wants to spend some time meditating before we go." Which means Jang and I will be going to Ilum together most likely, which is fine really, company is always good.

"What about the others though, did you hear from them yet?" Zey and Jai obviously are in the boy's dorm but Maks should have been here unless I just missed her. Ilena answers before Jang can go on another excited tangent.

"Zey and Jai are going to be investigators and Maks is studying with the Historians." Oh Maks, my dream job, if only I wasn't in danger of the Purge I would have gladly aimed for being a Jedi Historian. Ah well, once the Sith are dealt with I can devote myself to studying the countless histories of the galaxy.

By this point all my meagre possessions are in the standard carry bag we're provided with and as I heft it onto my back I can't help the urge to just look around the room. I lived here for years and now I'm moving on to a new stage in my life. It's going off to college all over again. A quick glance and I can see everyone else is having a similar realization, well Ilena is pretending she doesn't and reading Politrix's expression is tricky but I assume she feels the same.

"Hey, come here you three." I take a step into the middle of the small dorm, Jang practically skips over while Ilena and Pol walk more sedately. We're roughly in a circle, standing reasonably close together. Ilena is to my right and Politrix on my left with Jang in between the two, I give Jang a look, and I'm happy to note she's already figured out what's going on.

Ilena realizes it far too late and me and Jang have our arms around her shoulders, pulling her into the impromptu huddle, Politrix doesn't attempt to stop it or escape. Ilena grumbles about the close-contact but gives in easily, she's used to us by now.

"This is a new stage of our lives as Jedi, we won't see each other as often as we did before but we will still see each other plenty, we're still the best of friends, all of us and by the Force we'll all become Knights and train padawans of our own. For now, though we'll be the best padawans we can be." I'm no good with motivational speeches but its fallen on me to be the balance between Ilena's restraint and Jang's exuberance.

"Yeah, we're stuck together, like a pack." Huh, thanks Jang, that's an opportunity I'm not passing up.

"Yeah, we're the Padawan Pack." I'm rewarded with Jang laughing and that's reward enough really.

"We'll need to let Jai, Zey, and Maks know too." Ilena says after a moment, doing her best to sound like she's putting up with us but it is impossible to miss the way her aura brightens. Politrix is silent but I'm confident of her support.

"Alright then, let's not disappoint our Masters, let's go and be the best Jedi we can be." Motivational speech finished we all bid each other farewell and move on to our new rooms.

Mine seems to be surprisingly close considering but not going to complain about that, the room itself is sparse with a small single bed, a dresser for clothes, a stand with a data terminal, though I imagine its access to library records is mostly restricted without authorization, and a small refresher and shower attachment. It's also connected by a door to another room and I imagine that's likely Tavik's.

Honestly it's almost like a hostel room except meant for a single person instead of four or five. Cramped compared to my old home but it's my own room with my own privacy and that's just awesome after six years of bunking with other people, no matter how much I may like them.

After that it's back to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to find Master Tavik waiting for me, apparently while I was gone he left and came back because now there's a half dozen small objects arrayed around him. Mostly little trinkets but I can imagine the purpose.

"Welcome back Padawan, take a seat, I've got some things here for an exercise I'd like you to do while we meditate." I take my seat across from him, relaxing on the grass as he levitates the six objects in front of him.

"Padawan, while we meditate I want you to levitate each of these objects with the Force then once you're comfortable with that start spinning them in a circle around you. We'll do this for as long as you want to or until you can't anymore." Okay then, simple in theory it's a combination of exercises done as initiates. I take a moment to breathe in and relax before beginning.

The Force for me has always been like the sun, whenever I call on it for things other than basic sight its always felt like a warm sunny day, that feeling of the bathing in the warmth of the sun on a good summer day, growing up in Florida there were plenty of them, a good visual as any.

Now as the warmth suffuses through my skin and down to my bones, the anxieties of the past, my worries about the future gradually begin to fade out, floating away as if by a breeze while I remain grounded in place. The meditation classes as an initiate taught me well and as I take another deep breath to steady myself I allow my focus to spread out to the world around me, the grass beneath me, warm to the touch imbued with the light from the ceiling, swaying leaves in an artificial breeze, in the background the bubbling brooks and flowing waterfalls. In front of me the six trinkets begin to shake and slowly rise from the ground.

"Focus on the Force, feel the objects as they lift as if you were grasping them yourself. Don't focus too much on them or you'll overcompensate and it won't work. Remember work with the Force don't try to impose your will on it." The shaking begins to cease as they rise higher and higher. By now they're at head level with me.

"You're doing good Viera now when you're ready start spinning them, take it slow at first and build up speed." The warmth spreads to my fingers and in a moment they're clasped together as I narrow my focus onto the objects, giving them a gentle push to spin. The image of a Ferris-Wheel enters my head and I shift the objects slightly so they begin to spin in a circle.

"Don't narrow your focus Padawan, that's not a habit you want to get into." I don't nod as I'm trying to focus but I let myself expand my focus on my surroundings. I can understand that reasoning, no point doing better if you blind yourself to everything else around you. The objects wobble slightly but soon steady themselves and resume spinning.

For a while we just sit there, me levitating these trinkets with Master Tavik occasionally calling out encouragements or correcting me when I begin losing focus or stray from the goal. Soon though it becomes harder to maintain my focus, the trinkets wobble more and more and a dull throbbing in the back of my head tells me that we've been doing this for a long time.

Eventually it's too much and I drop the trinkets with a groan, falling back and laying down on the grass, my head is spinning slightly and it feels like a gong has gone off in my skull. Master Tavik nods to himself and smiles.

"Good work Padawan, a solid two hours, not bad for a beginner but we'll work on improving that later. Eventually you'll want to be able to do this without strain for several hours but that will come later, along with some more difficult exercises."

I stand shakily, still a little dizzy, and try to stretch my muscles, Master Tavik hasn't stood yet but simply looks up at me with a content expression.

"Go grab some lunch and we'll do some more exercises, you should feel better by then." I nod and bow, careful to not fall over forward before departing.

My first day as a Padawan, I'm quite excited for what comes next but also worried.
---
Alright part two is here. I tried my hand at focusing on more dialogue. Please point out all my grammatical mistakes as well as where I can improve in my storytelling. The next part is going to focus almost entirely on constructing the lightsaber as well as a couple of hooks for future divergences and changes. Part four will skip ahead a very short bit and we'll meet some canon characters. more well known characters too.

This part is a little rushed as I have a lot of work piled up so I wanted this out quickly so apologies if there are some errors I missed.

 

[Saphrith]

So I was inspired to keep writing and had some free time to do it, this one is quite a bit longer than the previous update.
--

The journey to Ilum is a relatively tedious one, travelling a long contiguous jump from Metellos that requires either advanced navigation computers or a Jedi Master piloting. In our case, we had Master Rana, a human woman in her late thirties with short hair tied in a ponytail. Jang's Jedi Master and noted Jedi Ace.

The small transport we're traveling in, Senate-class, in addition to its terrible naming scheme is not spacious at all. Barely enough room for the four of us in a single bunk room for sleeping, a connected refresher and a small eatery set aside for food. The rest is basically cargo and the pilot's seat. I'm more than used to being in tight confined spaces, living in a dorm with twelve other girls of various species prepared me well enough. Dealing with Jang's exuberance in such confined spaces is likewise familiar enough that I can simply tune it out.

Master Rana and Master Tavik less so, they watch Jang practically bounce around the room with her excitement with a combination of amusement, and wariness. They don't seem to want to stop her but also seem worried of her causing an explosion or other form of destruction of the ship's interior. That they eventually set us to meditation to keep us occupied is no surprise though Jang spent her time not meditating in the cockpit with Rana learning more about piloting.

I'd have liked to join her, we had the opportunity to play around in pilot sims our last two years as initiates but not as much as I'd have liked and being able to fly a ship would be fun I think. Master Tavik had me doing other things though, continuing the same exercise he had me doing previously with the obvious goal of getting me familiar and used to using the Force in such a manner.

Which is why I'm sitting here now, in the bunkroom, Master Rana and Master Tavik are in the cockpit discussing what I don't know and Jang is right beside me, talking. Talking incessantly, I don't think she even knows I've stopped replying, probably doesn't care, though to be fair I don't either.

"This is going to be so exciting! We're going to finally get our own lightsabers; what color will they be, what kind?" It's hard not to smile and listen, I'm certainly anticipating having an actual lightsaber but the fact that I won't even get to see what color it is makes it a bit depressing. It's otherwise just a tool to use, Jang's excited enough for me too.

"The crystal caves on Ilum are supposed to be so beautiful, Master Rana says that Ilum is itself a vergence of the Force, that the caves can cause visions and trials to those who enter seeking crystals."

Oh, right I had chosen to not think about that part of it. Master Tavik had told me the same thing, the caves would throw visions at me while I went in and that I might have visions while constructing the lightsaber itself. Quite the troubling idea, as I'm not sure what kind of trial or vision the Force might throw at me, does the Force realize my nature as a being from presumably another dimension? If so will it throw things related to that at me?

"Ooh Viera, what if my lightsaber was a saber staff or a lightwip? That'd be so cool, an exotic saber type would be awesome."

"I'm not sure if Master Rana is capable of properly teaching you how to use either of those weapons, you'd have to find a specialized teacher for your specific weapon."

"Maybe but it would still be awesome, right? There aren't many Jedi who use those weapons, it would be something special and notable."

I'm not sure what kind of lightsaber I'll make, its supposedly a thing that just happens while you're attuned to the Force, not necessarily a conscious decision. I imagine that it'll probably be a standard saber, at least I hope it is, I really don't want to have to go through the hassle of specialized training for one of the more exotic variants. Jang will probably get a standard saber if I remember right but then again maybe not.

I'm more interested in whether I could get away with using the visions here as a justification for preparing the Republic for the future, maybe even outing Sidious and his master to the Order. The obvious problem is that Master Tavik and the other Jedi might sense that I'm telling the truth about them being Sith but not about seeing it in a vision and doubt me. Or that they'll go with the logic that I only believe it to be true and not dismiss it. Is that a risk I want to take right now while I'm just some ordinary padawan, its chances of success are low and if it fails then they won't believe me later.

I could consider finding a Jedi Shadow to point in their direction but aside from the fact that there are few Shadows around right now, they're kept on a very short leash by the Council due to their tendency to paranoia. So, convincing one to see Palpatine as a Sith might not be too difficult, but getting the rest of the Jedi to believe them would be much harder. Maybe I can find and make friends with Taria Damsin and try to push her towards the Sith.

I suppose I'll have to wait and see if I even have any visions and of what before I decide to try and manipulate anything. But back to the issue at hand, I tilt my head in Jang's direction and offer her a smile.

"It would be very cool Jang, but impractical to burden another Jedi with special training and would take away from the training our Masters provided." She sighs dramatically at my complete lack of enthusiasm for her idea but acquiesces.

"I suppose, it'd delay training and make it harder for us to all become Knights together."

"We are the Padawan Pack after all." She smiles brightly and in that moment, I remind myself that I will do my best to not see her die.

"Yeah, we stick together, thick and thin." The moment is interrupted by Master Tavik entering the cabin.

"We just exited hyperspace, landing is in twenty, get into your winter gear and be ready to go." Time to go then, he heads back to the cockpit while we quickly get dressed and head to the small kitchen to grab some food.

The food here has been an experience I haven't decided whether to praise or abhor yet. Mostly it's been bread, fruits and vegetables of various sorts and the most meat I've eaten has been in stews. Some of it has been good, some not so much. I still shiver at the thought of Yoda's lunch special, but they'd dared me to try it!

Thankfully Master Tavik and Master Rana brought more palatable food and I help myself to some bread and fruit from the food synthesizer while Jang does the same. By the time we finish eating we've made planetfall and our Masters have likewise changed and prepared themselves for Ilum.

The ramp lowers and the view is breathtaking, not the vista as without color it's all translucent, but the Force is powerful here, the very ground radiates with Force energy, forming swirls of energy and patterns floating around the ground and mountain ranges to provide a mystifying effect.

Merely breathing is an invigorating sensation that I can hardly describe. Beside me Jang is staring in wonder at the snow and ice formations but that's not important right now. I just want to fall and breathe in this entire place, bask in the glow of the Force.

Master Tavik and Master Rana are both already heading off to the nearby cave entrance and reluctantly I follow them towards it, Jang right behind me, the cave entrance doesn't seem like anything special but as they lead us inside I can see crystals of various sorts and sizes already protruding from the walls and ground, the tunnel extending further inwards and a noticeably out of place box in the corridor. Master Rana and Master Tavik are already standing by it.

"Alright Padawans, listen up, inside this box are pre-prepared packs with all the materials you'll need for lightsaber construction." Rana lifts out two packs and hands one to me and the other to Jang as Tavik waits nearby.

"Go down the tunnel until you come to a fork, split up from there. The Force will guide you onward, but remember this chant: The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: the crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one."

She has us repeat the chant a few times till she's sure we'll remember it. I think it won't matter too much if I forget but I really don't want to. I've become somewhat fascinated with the ritual and ceremony behind the Order, the franchise didn't do enough to impart the general monasticism of the Jedi.

"Will we have enough parts in these packs for our lightsaber construction, what if we end up constructing something exotic?" Master Tavik nods in response to my question.

"Yes, the packs have enough materials for multiple lightsabers, so no matter what type of saber you end up making you'll be covered." He walks over towards me and crouches down, placing his hands on my shoulders. I realize this is supposed to be a touching reassurance to his young padawan but to me its just a bit creepy. He doesn't mean anything bad with it so I ignore it and let him have his piece.

"The tunnels will throw visions at you along the way, remember your training and work past them, you might also have visions while you construct your lightsaber, remember to trust the Force." I nod and he smiles, standing up straight and stepping back.

"Then good luck Padawan." Rana is already offering Jang her own advice and after a moment we're both off. For once Jang is silent as we approach the fork, I guess even she feels anxiety as much as her exuberance hides it

As we reach the fork I reach out to her, resting my hand on her shoulder and giving a firm squeeze.

"It'll be alright Jang, go make your lightsaber, I'll see you on the other side." She grins and nods, rushing down the left tunnel. I can't help but chuckle at her antics before turning down the right tunnel.

It doesn't really seem that bad at first, the tunnel is fairly illuminated with the Force, the coat is warm, and I'm not in the tunnel anymore.

Wait what?

That's not snow, there's sky and trees and grass and everything else expected of an idyllic garden world. I'm confident I haven't been teleported, only the Dark Woman can teleport so this must be what Master Tavik warned me about. Goddamnit this isn't really what I wanted out of this, I just wanted to get the lightsaber and get out. Alright, deep breath, breathe in and breathe out. I'm here and there's no going back now, just push forward.

The path before me goes downhill and I really hope that while I'm hallucinating this that my body isn't just walking into the actual tunnel walls and getting covered in snow. That would suck so much.

The rolling hill morphs and shifts as I walk, landscape changing from grassy hills to mountains and snowscapes and oceans of a thousand worlds. I don't recognize any of these places, kind of worried that I should but I'll deal with that later. What looks like a meteorite crashes down from the sky ahead of me, the sudden screaming sound and rumbling knocking me off my feet.

Alright, stand up, check for any bruises. No? I'm good then, time to go, I start to jog as I head in the direction of the crashing meteorite, nothing else to do and its straight ahead of me anyways. As I get closer I can't suppress the gnawing sensation growing in my gut even as I try to suppress and ignore it.

As it turns out, it wasn't a meteorite but a crashed starship. I don't recognize the design, the frame is too mangled and torn to be recognizable, fire is everywhere with debris scattered about the area. The pit in my gut is still there and now it's worse than ever, a quick scan of the area reveals the corpse on the other and of the wreck, facedown charred and still burning.

I step closer to the corpse, drawn in by something I can hardly explain to myself, the corpse's uniform is burned away, but the human features are present and I can see enough signs to say it was a woman. The hands are outstretched as if grasping for something and despite every instinct screaming not to I approach the hands, noticing its holding something, something metallic.

Holding a lightsaber.

For a moment, I just stare blankly, is this me, is the Force trying to show me how I die. I genuinely don't know but the feeling of recognition, that I should know is haunting me. Until I get it, it comes with a single moment of realization and I feel weak in the knees.

That's Jang, in canon she was shot down by Ventress. She died grasping at her lightsaber, an instinctual reaction per Ventress. The corpse doesn't suddenly animate and blame me for failing to save her and for that I'm grateful. I feel like I'm beating myself up as is, but no she's not dead, I just saw her a few minutes ago, she was fine.

I take a step back from the corpse, just to get distance and put as much distance between myself and that as I can. There's a small path leading further down the path and I take it gladly, so the question of whether the Force knows of my foreknowledge is answered.

She won't die, I won't allow it, she will survive this. The path leads off into a jungle and I'm not surprised when the path behind me disappears. The only way out is forward and I take it, pushing through leaves and brush to find a way out, anywhere I can go that isn't here. I just want to get my lightsaber built and leave.

"Viera!" the words stop me dead in my tracks as I look around for the source of the voice, my name is called again and I spin in place until I see her, approaching through the brush towards me.

"Pol!" Politrix is moving through the jungle towards me, another vision, she's on Denon right now this isn't her. It's another vision and she's going to die, I remember how she dies even as the grenade sails out from the trees towards her.

"Pol, look out, there's a grenade!" I shout trying to warn her off, she calls my name again apparently heedless of the danger even as the grenade detonates, and she disappears in a flash of fire and smoke.

Before I can even go to her the room shifts to metal, Maks and Jai are there with lightsabers drawn. The trend is clear now and even as I shout a warning Maks cries out in pain as a lightsaber blade erupts from her chest, the blade sizzling the flesh as she drops to the ground. Jai is next as two lightsabers neatly cut him in half, he doesn't make a sound as he falls to the ground.

"Viera." Jai mutters, repeating over and over and over. I can't move, he's not dead his master took him to Taris on a mission. Maks is on Tython studying the Jedi ruins there she's fine, they have to be fine. They're not dead, I didn't fail to save them cause they're not dead yet.

The world shifts before I can get to them, I'm in the Temple now, this is the Jedi Temple. Ilena and Zey are the only two of my friends I haven't seen yet. I know Zey survives the war because his clone decides to save him, so only Ilena is left. I can feel the bile building up as I step through the ruined Temple corridors, bodies litter the hallway clone and Jedi alike. Young and old, we're near the initiate halls right now. Ilena was a lightsaber instructor so she would have been here, teaching initiates lightsaber techniques.

Ilena's body is in the east hall by the stairs. There are several initiate bodies around her, she was obviously trying to get them to safety when she was killed. Numerous clone corpses surround her but the felling wound was a lightsaber to the chest, it seems Anakin killed her. I'm shaking as I stare at the corpse, I can't help it, it feels so real. Her body is cold to the touch, the stench of death is everywhere and I can feel the anger and pain in the air around me. Why, why show me this.

"It's because you're going to fail, do you really think you can stop what's coming?" Zey is behind me now, alive and well, it makes sense that as the only survivor would be the one to do this.

"You think because you know what happens that you can prevent this. What can you really do, the enemy is stronger than you, has more resources and even if you manage to change anything, then what? Then you'll be no better, you'll have no idea what's coming next." Breathe in and breathe out, just keep breathing.

"Sidious has advantage you can't match, no one will believe you without concrete evidence, how do you plan to get that evidence? Sidious hides his connection to the Dark Side well and you know they'll believe a respected Senator over some deranged Padawan."

"Your plan to prepare won't work, Sidious will sabotage it before it can get off the ground his power and reach is beyond anything you can hope to match. How do you plan to solve this? Can you even save them?

"I-I don't know, I can't know, what else can I do? I can't escape having to deal with it, the purge isn't just going to prevent itself if I do nothing, I don't want to die, I don't want my friends to die." I didn't ask for this, I didn't want this burden, I never wanted it.

"Can you save them? Even if you prevent the circumstances that killed them originally, they'll just die somewhere else, to something else. You can't protect them from the galaxy, no matter how much you may want to!" The frustration and anger has reached a crescendo within me and I turn to face him

"What else can I do! I'm not going to just sit back and do nothing. If I do nothing when I know what's coming, then how could I live with myself." Zey doesn't react but begins to circle me,

"You could accept the future, the fate of this galaxy. When the time comes stand and fall with your fellow Jedi or retreat into hiding and hit at Sidious when the rebellion happens."

"No, I refuse to accept that this is my fate, the fate of the galaxy. I'll do whatever I can to prevent that outcome I will deny this fate, one way or the other." He laughs, still circling me and I can see his shoulders shaking with mirth.

"And you believe you can do this, you think that you can stop what's coming, the seeds of war are already planted all it will take is one good spark to set the galaxy aflame. Do you think you can prepare the Jedi, the Republic for this storm?" He stops in front of me again, staring intently.

"No, not alone but I can help others prepare, get other people invested and get things moving towards readiness. I won't stop, not now and not ever!"

"And your friends."

I'm breathing heavily, their deaths echoing in my mind. I can't save them, not from everything. If I should cause them some more pain by preventing their canon death, then I don't know if I could live with myself. But they're clearly not going to just ignore the war if it comes to it, there's no way I'll convince them to just run away from the Jedi and hide.

"I can only do my best, I can only be the best. I'll do everything I can to keep them alive and if they die even after all the changes I make then at least I know I did my best, I can live with that and I know they would understand that."

Zey looks at me for a long moment, I don't know what he'll say, strictly speaking he's a Force manifestation here to make me question my convictions. The fact that he's been an asshole about it is beside the point.

"You do that Jedi, you'll need something to cling to, for what's coming. Already your presence will change a great many things and not just for the better. Remain strong Jedi." Zey fades away into nothingness just as the ruined Temple does and before me lies a crystal, glowing strong in the Force.

Well that happened, where am I, how did I get into this cavern, I don't even see the tunnel anywhere near me, not even footprints in the snow. The pack containing the lightsaber parts are at my feet and here I am. I grab the crystal and instantly feel so much better, so much calmer now. Alright, I take a seat and move to a meditative position. What were the words again, ah yes I remember.

"The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: the crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one."

The various parts of the lightsaber float up around me alongside the crystal. The Force swirls around me, the warm sensation on my skin moves through me as the parts begin to float together. The methods of lightsaber creation were taught to us in our last year as initiates until we memorized them. For this moment, apparently.

"The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: the crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one."

The pieces move closer together forming the generic shape of the lightsaber, they're not fused together, I have to do that with the Force. The crystal resonates within the lightsaber shell as I work to hold the lightsaber together.

"The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: the crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one."

Now comes the tricky part, using the Force to fuse it together. It's a hard thing to articulate, using the Force to make the disparate pieces fuse together on a molecular level which seems difficult and odd, why a molecular level.

"The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: the crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one."

The lightsaber pieces are aligned, the crystal is in place and the fusing process begins, the most intense concentration is required for this and I do my best to block out all other thoughts and sink into the Force, just the Force and my lightsaber.

The cave around me disappears and I'm off to somewhere I don't recognize. Not this again, I don't want more castigation from the Force. But this seems different, I look around and kick myself for not recognizing where I am, a rocky and barren wasteland with no one around. A single tree stands in front of a large ruined structure that, in my opinion, feels like a Jedi Temple.

Is this Ossus, it is isn't it, that would make the tree Ood Bnar the Neti Jedi Master who turned himself into a tree to protect a collection of Jedi relics from Exar Kun. I can go recover him and the relics there, that would be useful for the Order. I wish the Force had shown me a vision I could use against Palpatine but beggars can't be choosers.

When my senses return, my lightsaber is on the snow in front of me, apparently fused together, how nice. I reach for it and stand. The moment of truth, I press the activator switch and the lightsaber springs to life with a snap-hiss.

"This is awesome, now to go find the others and get off this rock and away from pesky visions." I hook my new lightsaber to my belt and head off to look for the tunnel out of here. It's not that far away surprisingly enough, still no tracks of me walking in here or of how much time has passed, that's worrying.

Finding my way back is thankfully not as difficult as it could be, the Force doesn't force me into anymore visions, just the two. Master Tavik and Master Rana are waiting at the point where the tunnels converge and I can see Master Tavik smile as I approach and remove my lightsaber, activating it to show him I succeeded.

"Huh, Green's a good color for you Padawan." Rana says as she looks down the other tunnel and waits for Jang.

"Did you see anything during your journey Padawan? It's not uncommon for Miraluka given our increased sensory perceptions of the Force." A pointed question, yay but one I have an honest answer for.

"I saw a ruined, rocky world, with abandoned ruins and a single tree growing within them." I have to remember I don't know that the tree is Ood Bnar or that the world is Ossus, I can develop that later. Master Tavik nods, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Meditate on it later, it might have an ulterior meaning or it could be a premonition of events to come, the Force speaks to us in different ways." The Force is an asshole is what it is. Still I settle in and let myself fall into a simple meditation exercise while we wait for Jang.

"Master Rana, Viera!" I can hear her already, alongside the sounds of her running down the tunnel towards me. I stand and brush the snow off my coat, as she excitedly holds out her lightsaber, pressing the activation switch to show her success as well. Rana is clearly amused by something as she chuckles.

"And another green saber, think they coordinated that between them Tavik?" she says, glancing his way. Jang gasps and runs over to me and points at the lightsaber on my belt.

"You have a green lightsaber too, that's so cool, we match now." She grins and pats me on the shoulder and I smile even though I'm so tired from the day's events, she must have had an easy vision quest.

"Yeah, we match Jang, good to see you succeeded." She giggles even though it's not that funny.

"Well of course I did, we are the Padawan Pack, we stick together." I can hear Rana laughing and pointedly do not grimace, that may have been a poor idea on my part. I can tell it's going to be a thing that I will quickly tire of.

"Can we go back to the Temple now, I'm going to collapse in a moment." Master Tavik smiles and nods, turning towards the cave mouth.

"Agreed, come along Padawans let's go home." I nod and follow while Jang hangs back to talk excitedly with Master Rana. The vision from the cave still forms a pit in my gut and I expect my dreams to be plagued with some nightmares for the next few weeks but I'll cope, I'll have to.

I will deny my fate.
--
Alright so lightsaber construction is done, and this ends the prologue of this story. The next update timeskip about 6 months and finally we'll get to some legends events one in particular. We'll also get to meet some canon characters that people actually know of so yay.

 

[Saphrith]

44BBY Room of a Thousand Fountains Six Months Later

This is my life now, I'm sprawled out on the grass, basking in the warmth of the artificial lights and the general peace, my muscles are still sore but the good kind of sore that reminds you of the good exercise you've done. My lightsaber is resting on my belt and even now six months later I enjoy holding it in my hands, feeling it. Master Tavik thinks I may have gotten a Pontite crystal for my saber which would explain why it's so calming to hold.

In other news, now that I'm a padawan I've gained new opportunities, most significant the freedom of the Temple, when I'm not on assignment or training with Master Tavik. The Great Holocron in the Temple Archives is also now available to me and is simultaneously the most amazing and depressing thing ever. So much knowledge available to me, thousands of Jedi offering teachings ranging from cartographical reports on outlying systems to great Jedi philosophers discussing aspects of Jedi lore and doctrine. Even better is that they're actually interactive, I can talk and converse with them. Unfortunately, I've had to force myself to broaden my horizons and skillset to better prepare myself for what's coming, otherwise I'd never leave the Archives.

Master Tavik has been running me through Ataru and Niman forms in our training spars which is a bit of a mixed blessing, Ataru's a decent form but Niman is terrible for what I know is coming. It has no use in open battlefields and every noted practitioner of it who was at Geonosis died. Master Tavik disagrees with my criticism of this form and in his defense, he doesn't know what's coming. It's still frustrating though.

Ilena has been a much better sparring partner for this reason, she's all too willing to practice Ataru with me and whenever the two of us have some free time we tend to gravitate to the training rooms to practice against each other. I've also spent some time practicing blaster deflection with training remotes, sensing them is easy but testing my reflexes is the point.

Beyond that I've been meditating and practicing moving objects with the Force whenever I can. Flight simulators with Jang, sparring with Ilena, helping Maks with her studies, practicing with Jai and Zey when they're around, and discussing politics with Politrix. My free time has been severely limited as of late. Especially with how tense the Temple has been for the past three weeks. Master Tavik and the other senior Jedi aren't talking about it but I've noticed the tension. Is Galidraan about to happen, or the Stark Hyperspace War maybe? I know they're coming up soon just not exactly when.

Even now the Room of a Thousand Fountains is silent, the waterfall has stopped flowing and I think I'm the only one here right now, not even Yoda and he loves meditating at the bridge leading up to the waterfall.

I did manage to talk to Yoda in private after Ilum and talk to him about my vision in the cave and my belief that the old Academy on Ossus is what I was shown. He didn't commit to anything and I didn't expect him to but he said he'd meditate on it and bring it up to the Council during a free moment, so here's hoping.

Though now that I consider it, why is it so quiet in here, that's not right. I stand slowly, breathing out and calling on the Force I can feel my senses expand and fill the room around me. There's one person in the room with me now, they're…..at the top of the waterfall? Alright, I should probably go see what's going on. I swear something's off, I feel I should know what's going on but the memory is eluding me now.

Finding the path isn't hard nor is making the trek up to the top of the waterfall, the old me from before I came here would have been panting by the end of it, instead I'm not even winded. The top of the waterfall is a lake with rocky outcroppings on the side wide enough to walk on. I've contemplated swimming here but with the Waterfall it's too dangerous. Where's the person I sensed, I narrow my focus to the room and frown as the Force directs me to the lake.

Why is there someone in the lake? And why are they chained there, not moving. I don't even think as I toss my lightsaber to one of the rocks and dive in, the water is cold and refreshing but my goal is the person, small and close to my age, chained to the depths, they're still alive as I can feel them respond to my approach.

My hands feel for whatever's holding them in place, there are several, one around the neck, one holding both hands together and one around the feet. Go for the hands first, then they can help you do the rest. The synthcord is taut and firm but a few tugs with the Force has it undone quickly. My breath is almost out so I shoot to the surface for air, whoever's down there can obviously, breath underwater so they shouldn't need me with their hands freed.

After a few moments, a young Mon Calamari female surfaces and smiles at me, I don't immediately recognize her but she's another padawan I think. I swim towards the rock where I left my lightsaber and pull myself up, she's right behind me.

"Thank you so much, I thought I'd be trapped down there until they came back for me." She says as I help her out of the water.

"You're welcome, who's they and why did they tie you up down there? You're a Mon Calamari, what's the point of tying you up underwater?" If they were trying to kill her they failed spectacularly, she doesn't seem to notice the sarcasm.

"Xanatos and Bruck wanted me out of the way so they could destroy the Temple, they've stolen the Healing Crystals of Fire and plan to use them to ignite the Temple's fusion furnace." The-wait! Xanatos, Bruck Chun, the super healing crystals with the cliché name. I'd forgotten all about them, mostly because I found Xanatos to be a completely uninteresting character, same with Bruck. That means this has to be Bant Erin, Obi-Wan's friend.

"Where are they now?" I expand my senses again, the last thing I need is either Xanatos or Chun showing up here now, Chun I could probably handle but not Xanatos.

"I'm not sure, they chained me down here and left a little bit ago, I don't know where."

That's unfortunate, and would probably explain why the Temple's been on alert for the past week or so, goddamn it, I never cared for that plotline so I'd just ignored it. Now it's here to bite me on the ass. Well it was never a problem before without my help, not like I'm going to fuck this up.

"Alright, you're free now so we'll go get some of the Masters and let them stop the Temple from exploding." I really don't want to get involved in this situation any more than I need to, Xanatos was a terrible character and I shouldn't even be needed to solve him, let Qui-Gon deal with him.

I hear clashing lightsabers approach from above as I finish that statement and I suppress some very unhelpful language. Of course this would happen the minute I got involved. Alright I don't remember exactly who fights here if it's Xanatos and Qui-Gon then we need to run but if it's not then-

"Obi-Wan!" Bant's shout snaps my train of thought but it's actually the best news I could ask for as I look upwards, there he is, a young Ewan McGregor, lightsaber flashing as he retreats along the upper walkway. Normally its used by Temple staff to activate the lights, waterfalls, and ambient sound for the room but they're nowhere to be seen. Obi-Wan is fighting another young man, Bruck Chun if I had to guess.

"Bant, go find a Master and tell them about the furnace and what's going on here, I'll help your friend." Thankfully, with no weapon she's not in position to argue and takes off. Alright here goes nothing. I take hold of my lightsaber and ignite it, instantly as the blade extends I feel calm and the stress fades away.

The Force is my ally as I leap, allowing the Force to extend and guide my jump, I've practiced force jumping on occasion and it's surprisingly easy but still every time I feel anxious. It's such an exhilarating rush and then terror as inertia reasserts itself and pulls you towards the ground. As I land on the walkway, my lightsaber is already moving, guided not by my own hand as Bruck's lightsaber comes toward me. Okay he's reacting quickly, but he couldn't beat Obi-Wan in canon so with me here he's in even worse shape.

"Another weakling come to die." Bruck from what I remember was the stereotypical jock type bully. Which is weird, how the hell did that attitude survive initiate training

"He's fallen to the Dark Side, be careful!" Thank you, Obi-Wan I hadn't noticed, the obvious. It's odd however, this is my first encounter with someone consciously using the Dark Side, I remember the typical yellow eyes of doom but as a Miraluka it's rather different. Despite Obi-Wan's words he hasn't fallen, not yet, but he's close. The Force swirls around him but it's twisting in places, distorted. It's almost like looking at something through a kaleidoscope or looking at a tree with a single rot inside and seeing it grow. It's honestly disturbing, and I have to force myself to keep looking at him, I need to defeat him quickly.

Another strike comes my way and I raise my saber to block. Obi-Wan tries to attack from behind, oddly content with a lethal strike but Bruck simply disengages with me and turns to block Obi-Wan.

Alright, this is harder than I thought, he's open but do I kill him? It would be easy to do, he's not nearly good enough to fight me and Obi-Wan, finding an opening to kill him would be easy. It's not the Jedi way though, non-lethal is the name of the game unless no other choice presents itself. Taking him alive it is then.

I swing my lightsaber towards him, aiming for destroy his own lightsaber when he ducks and I have to quickly stop before I sever Obi-Wan's head. Damnit, he seems to have figured out a strategy of trying to force us into each other.

Well I can play that game, we don't need to win, we just need to stall. I raise my lightsaber into a defensive position and wait, Bruck watches me and Obi-Wan warily for a moment before he senses I'm not moving against him. He takes the cue and begins to attack Obi-Wan furiously as I follow, not necessarily attacking but still staying close enough to intervene. Obi-Wan seems to be tired and he spares me an incredulous glance

"What're you standing there for, help me!" Obi-Wan is not as amused by my less than helpfulness, alright might as well give him a break for a few minutes.

"Alright, disengage and rest, let me handle him." Step forward, overhand Shii-Cho slash and watch as Bruck blocks it reflexively, continue engaging to draw his attention. Obi-Wan seems to understand my plan and hangs back cautiously, I can see the exhaustion in him from here.

"Another weak padawan like Oafy-Wan there, Xanatos was right you're all fools not to use this power." Oh, my god he sounds like a combination of Biff Tannen and Flash from the Spider-Man cartoons. I do not grace him with a reply and continue my strategy of delaying, it can't take that long for Bant to find a more experienced Jedi to come to our aid, if we even need it

Unlike Obi-Wan, Bruck is not nearly as exhausted and he seems to be more than willing to lash out at anyone nearby, he takes a swing for Obi-Wan but is forced to back off when I press the attack.

"You can die first, bitch," Very mature, he's not a happy camper. I offer a smile in return and flourish my saber in an over the top manner, which only angers him more.

Bruck seems to have not realized my plan, all too happy to just attack my defense furiously, Obi-Wan is watching and waiting for a sign to take over and attack but I've got this for the moment, Bruck is hitting surprisingly hard and fast, obviously, the boon the Dark Side has given him. However, it's pointless as I'm still better than him, compared to Ilena this is nothing.

Seriously she hits like a truck.

His strength and stamina is not limitless though and eventually it seems like but he's tiring, his swings coming slower and with less force. Where the hell are the senior Jedi? They better be busy keeping the Temple from exploding, otherwise this delay is horrible. Bruck growls, something I don't hear and cuts the grating below him and jumping towards the top of the waterfall. I make to follow but the walkway splits under me and I'm forced to jump to the ground. I summon the Force again; the bright warmth of the sun invigorates my body and guides me to safety on the rocks lining the lake. A quick look shows Obi-Wan has done likewise.

Bruck is already further down the hill, he's trying to run.

"After him! Keep him contained." I leap after him, and as I descend he turns, swinging to try to bisect me as I land. My Ataru training with Master Tavik kicks in, the basic rolls at least. The minute I hit the ground I'm ducking and rolling backwards, his blade passing inches over my head. Okay, that was too close, we're in the open now-Ah, he's kicked me, I'm tumbling down the slope.

He's chasing me, my saber is deactivated so I don't accidentally kill myself and he's almost on top of me. I come to a halt, momentum finally stalled and I see him standing over me for a moment before Obi-Wan tackles him from behind. He stumbles forward and trips over me, sending both him and Obi-Wan to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

I scramble to my feet, and look around, Bruck's Lightsaber is farther off and I rush for it, igniting my own saber and destroying it with one clean cut, the grass around it scorched from the strike. Alright, that's done with now back to Obi-Wan.

And his own saber has been knocked aside, the two have descended into almost childish brawling, I hesitate for only a moment, I'm already done with this shit and I stride over to Bruck who is too busy punching Obi-Wan to notice me before I kick him in the face. His head jerks with the force of the kick and he's unconscious immediately.

He'll wake with a massive headache and in some serious trouble but I don't really care about him anymore. Obi-Wan stands slowly, panting noticeably from his ordeal. He does not look relieved though.

"My friend Bant, she's missing, Bruck said they'd taken her somewhere." Oh, well I can relieve his fears there.

"Don't worry, I found her in the lake and sent her off to find a Master to fix this whole situation." By all means, let's end this so I can go back to training for the upcoming war. Obi-Wan offers his hand and I take it, shaking firmly as I was taught.

"Thank you for that then, I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, padawan to Qui-Gon Jinn." Force that accent is amazing, I'm remembering why I adored Obi-Wan in the prequels, but now is not the time.

"Viera Sarat, padawan to Zun Tavik, a pleasure to meet you Obi-Wan." He takes a moment to retrieve his lightsaber and I walk over to Brun's, a bit of fiddling around with the casing reveals the transmitter I just remembered was there. Now we have some evidence should any shenanigans happen.

"What is going on here!" And that's when Anoon Bondarda storms into the room in all his Battlemaster glory, I just shrug and point to Obi-Wan.

"Ask him, I just got here."

--

After that things began to happen very quickly, Bruck was expelled from the Order and last I heard he was facing charges for his role in the attempted destruction of the Temple, Xanatos fled but died on Telos IV as normal.


Obi-Wan and I received a commendation from the Council, Obi-Wan for his part in discovering the plot, myself for rescuing Bant and the both of us for working together to defeat the fallen initiate. Master Tavik seemed quite pleased and I'll take that as a plus.

Afterwards Obi-Wan, Bant, and Siri Tachi joined our little group of padawans. Bant took to Maks and Jai quite well and Obi-Wan and Siri have proven to be adept and able duelists for both myself and Ilena.

However, a few weeks later I found myself with Master Tavik, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan before the Jedi Council, I assume we're here for a mission together, but what kind of mission I wonder.

Master Yoda stares deliberately at each of us for a moment before he taps his cane on the ground.

"Emerged, a crisis has, Pirates in the Outer Rim have joined together into a collective. Powerful and dangerous they have proven to be." Mace picks up from there.

"A pirate by the name of Iaco Stark has brought several different pirate groups together to form an army, they have all but stopped traffic out of Thyferra and if this continues we'll see a bacta shortage across the galaxy." Wait, what.

"Have the pirates made any demands?" Jinn is concerned, quite rightly, but holy shit this is the Stark Hyperspace War!

"None as of yet but the Senate is determined to see an end to hostilities, since the Judicial forces have failed, we are being sent as mediators over the conflict." Master Tavik frowns.

"Are we being ordered out by the Senate now; some Jedi Aces should be enough to help the Senate Judicial forces break up these pirates." Mace frowns.

"Possibly but the Chancellor has asked that we solve this peacefully if we can, Finis Valorum will be acting as the Republic negotiator for the talks alongside Nute Gunray representing the Trade Federation, we will be sending you along with a few other Jedi as bodyguards and representatives of the Order." Holy Shit, I'm going to be taking place in the Stark Hyperspace War. So many possibilities to die.

"Who else will be going with us." Jinn asks and I immediately turn to the person I know is coming along. The Wookiee Jedi Master roars out something unintelligible to me as he stands and speaks in surprisingly good basic

"I will be accompanying you as the leader of the Jedi delegation, as will my former apprentice Plo Koon." If I remember this right, Tholme and Quinlan Vos will be going to Thyferra and come to help us later. I mostly tune out the rest of the briefing, too focused on another more important factor.

Ranulph Tarkin.

The lead militarist of the era, he leads a fleet here and tries to steal the glory for solving the Stark problem, he fails and inevitably dies resulting in Wilhuff Tarkin's rise to prominence.

But what if he doesn't? Sure, he's a glory-seeking humanocentric bigot but he's rich and influential in the Senate, plus I remember faintly him and his men having a 'we're all equal' moment fighting alongside Plo Koon. If the same happens here would he move beyond his humanocentric ways?

Could I use this moment to offer my plan for the militarists? I'm not quite sure but this offers new opportunities I can't afford to pass up, provided I don't die along the way. Which is the real pressing thing here, could I die here? Obviously, I'm not required for any 'canon' events down the line so my chance of dying here is certainly higher than anyone else.

That's….worrying to say the least, I've given thought to my own mortality here but this will be the first time I'll have to face that mortality, I'm not sure how to handle it.

I turn to look at Obi-Wan next to me, he's obviously excited about such an important mission, lucky him he's likely to survive this.

"Transport has already been arranged, you leave tomorrow morning, dismissed." I bow alongside the other Jedi and we exit the Council chambers.

I need to meditate, I need to be calm.
________________________________________

Alright, Part Four is out and I'm going to put out a little query for you readers. There are a number of scenes that necessarily have to be cut from each part for one reason or another, would you be interested in short interludes posted every now and then? They're all canon to the story but they'll be covering a number of things I didn't put in each update.

 

[Saphrith]

I'm straining with exertion, sweat pouring from my forehead, I can feel the object before me but it's hard, like trying to write with your left hand after writing with your right for your entire life. Eventually it becomes too much and I let my concentration break, breathing heavily. Master Tavik is right beside me, resting a hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

"It's difficult at first, the power coming from generators and other devices is different from sensing the Force. The difference between artificial and organic may seem small in theory but in practice is not as easy." I nod slowly, frowning and trying to concentrate. The hyperdrive in front of me thrums quietly as it works and I get a sense of something there but it's hard to focus on it. My senses gravitate towards Master Tavik and the others, or onto me, anything organic.

It goes against the instincts trained into me by the Temple during my youngling years, I'm so used to sensing the Force itself and how it mixes with biological beings that trying to find an inorganically generated power is against all sense. Still, the skills are incredibly useful going by Master Tavik's description.

I stop practicing for a moment to catch my breath and just think, I've plenty to think about.

Sensing the location of electronics, power generators and their strength, even detecting shields and how strong they are. There are so many practical uses for this, A Sene Seeker attached to every fleet, detecting fluctuations in the shields of enemy ships and where to focus fire would increase the effectiveness of a navy tremendously. I'd just need to find a way to make it possible, if it even is possible.

In fact, add that to the list of suggestions for Ranulph, cooperate with Sene Seekers if possible. That's an unlikely scenario as the Seekers don't really leave Alpheridies except in specific circumstances but who knows maybe he can pull it off.

The other members of our mission have been busy with their own work, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan spend their time meditating, Senator Valorum and Adi Gallia seem fond of chatting about philosophy, from topics of skepticism to the ideas of justice and simple aesthetics, I'd have liked to join in but learning from Master Tavik takes priority

Tyvokka and Plo Koon have been going over the mission details, discussing strategy, talking points and offers they could make, all of it pointless so I don't pay much attention. Nute Gunray is thankfully coming in his own ship so I don't have to deal with him, not sure how I would anyways. The man is the definition of a fool who somehow lucks his way into positions of authority.

Our destination is a place called Troiken, small outer rim world only notable for its major spice exports, a relatively lawless place like most worlds in the outer rim and the perfect place for pirates and smugglers. I expected my first few years as a padawan to be light assignments, isn't this endangerment of a minor? Though to be fair most minors don't have mystical powers and a weapon that can repel blasters.

Still the media firestorm this would have caused back home would be amazing to watch from a distance. A thought crosses my mind, I turn to Master Tavik.

"Master Tavik, back in the Council chamber, you said something about the Order and the Senate, what did you mean by that?" He frowns, though he's not upset at me from what I can see, and sits down cross-legged.

"That's a complicated issue padawan; the Jedi are nominally under the supervision of the Judicial Department but we are not necessarily beholden to them. We work with them on interstellar matters when needed but otherwise we go where we're needed."

"But we're not outside the law, we obviously follow and enforce the laws of the Senate." Are we vigilantes, awesome. We're like magic Batman.

"Yes and no, the Jedi follow the Force and certainly enforce the laws of the Republic, we work with the Office of Criminal Investigations when needed but the Jedi are allowed leeway in the fulfillment of our mandate. I have no issue aiding the Republic in the Stark Crisis but the Senate does not 'order' us to get involved."

"So, you're afraid the Jedi are becoming another tool of the Senate to enforce legislation and policy?" Huh, he sounds like Dooku, before Sidious twisted him. Master Tavik nods slowly, clearly unhappy with the thought.

"I suppose so, the Senate isn't perfect and neither are the Jedi, but we have the benefit of the Force guiding us to the right decision, they do not. If they came to a decision that was unjust or went against the Light Side and insisted the Jedi enforce it, what then? It's better if the Jedi decide themselves what conflicts to get involved in and how." I'm not sure what side to take here, on the one hand Jedi should be held accountable for their actions but on the other hand, putting us under the command of a Senate with unpredictable motivations and desires seems flawed.

"Regardless, these negotiations are important to the safety of not just the Republic but the galaxy itself." No pressure at all.

"Why couldn't our first mission be diplomatic dispute on some mid rim world or something easier than negotiations for the fate of the Galaxy?" Because it was just my luck really, why did the Council want us on this mission? His soft chuckling is not helpful, I hate when he treats me like a child, I hate even more that I can't just tell him I'm an adult in a child's body.

"The Force works in mysterious ways padawan, we'll be fine. Hopefully our next mission will be less hectic." Somehow, I doubt that, but I'll take the reassurance, I'd hate to press my luck.

"I'd like that, in the meantime, I'm going to stretch my legs for a bit Master." I stand and he does likewise.

"Very well padawan, we're almost at Troiken, so we'll continue this training once the mission's over." I bow respectfully and take my leave; our ship isn't as small as the ship we took to Ilum but finding Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon isn't that hard. They're both in the crew quarters meditating, Obi-Wan takes note of my presence first and smiles, taking a moment to wave.

"Hello Viera, is your training done?"

"No, Master Tavik decided to take a break , and I figured I'd come check on you, see what you were doing." He scoots over to make room for me and I take the open spot next to him.

"Master Qui-Gon is having me meditate on the Living Force by sensing everyone on the ship right now." Well, that would be the only way to practice it here.

"So, you knew I was coming and didn't call out then." I poke him, gently, and look at Qui-Gon who is sitting in the corner of the room. Obi-Wan seems to misinterpret my statement.

"I-I, that is, I just." Aww did I embarrass him, adorable, the accent makes it even better.

"No, he was distracted, I had hoped meditating would help him overcome his anxiety for the mission." Obi-Wan flushes in embarrassment and I pointedly don't laugh at how adorable he is about it. Also, Qui-Gon has the Liam Neeson voice and I find myself wanting him to talk more, I could listen to that voice all day.

"You are welcome to join us Padawan Sarat, it might do Obi-Wan some good to have a friend to meditate with before the mission." I nod my acceptance this is the perfect time to ask him a question.

"Master Jinn, may I ask a question, if you don't mind that is."

"I don't know, Padawan Sarat, can you" he smiles and I sigh at the lack of definite answer. Oh well, might as well ask anyways.

"Master Jinn, have you ever studied with other Force using groups?" He pauses for a moment and even Obi-Wan looks at him quietly.

"Yes, I once had the pleasure of briefly studying with some followers of the Guardians of Breath. It was just a few years into my knighthood, I'd just graduated and wanted to spend time following the Force before taking a padawan. I met him on Dantooine, he was aiding the farmers with their crops." He pauses, trying to remember and both Obi-Wan and I are silent as we listen, not wanting to interrupt.

"I'd never met a Force user who wasn't a Jedi before but I knew it was possible, we ended up talking about the Living Force. The Guardians of Breath have developed an advanced version of the Consitor Sato used by the Agricorps as well as exceptional healing arts."

"Because of their connection to the Living Force?" I ask, Qui-Gon smiles and nods.

"Yes, much of what I know of the Living Force I learned from that man, the Council focuses too much on the Unifying Force, upon prophecy, destiny and looking forward. I prefer to follow the Living force and focus on the moment." Obi-Wan listens dutifully though he looks a bit uncomfortable at Qui-Gon's veiled chastisement of the Council. It sounds wise certainly but ironically it's Qui-Gon who insists upon Anakin being the Chosen One, a Unifying Force theory.

The sad thing is, Qui-Gon's right, the Council's focus on looking forward did end up blinding them to the threats and problems of the present. It was all you ever heard in the prequels, the future's clouded, or unknowable, or uncertain, take your pick. The problem is, aside from a freak accident killing 90% of the Council and letting Mavericks and other adherents of the Living Force fill the new seats, I don't see an easy way to convince them otherwise.

"Why the interest in such groups, I assume Master Tavik's lessons on the Luka Sene have to do with it?" I blink and focus back on Qui-Gon, seems I got a little distracted there.

"Yes, well that and I had done some reading on the Matukai Order and hoped to one day learn from them as well, I think that their abilities would be useful to the Order." Obi-Wan frowns, apparently trying to remember if he knows who the Matukai are.

"Ah yes, I remember hearing a story about them from my own master Dooku, he and Thames Cerulian, his Jedi Master, encountered a Matukai once." Really? Tertiary source it might be but I'll take the free information.

"There was a dispute in one of the smaller settlements on Ukio, two neighboring towns, miles from Sashasa had accused the other of sabotage and murder. Dooku and Thame were sent to mediate the conflict and discovered the presence of a gang of pirates hiding out in the nearby hills. Figuring it was likely the pirates raiding for food and supplies, Dooku and Thames went to arrest them and bring them to the ROCI."

"What's this got to do with Matukai, Master Jinn?" Obi-Wan, don't interrupt, he's getting there! Qui-Gon laughs softly and shakes his head.

"I'm getting there padawan, well as it turns out someone else was after the pirates, the Matukai in question. He was a young Pantoran man by the name of Del Kimer. There was a bit of a misunderstanding during their first meeting which resulted in a short fight." He trails off, clearly remembering Dooku telling him this tale and I get the impression it wasn't a flattering one.

"Dooku never got too detailed about it but did admit that he and Thame lost to Kimer, he was supposedly lightning fast and strong enough to shame even a Wookiee." Not to mention their ability to turn even a small connection to the Force into something powerful.

What would happen if a Matukai went to Alpheridies and taught the Miraluka there? Would it be possible to eventually have thousands of Miraluka with a strong connection to the Force? Give it a few centuries and a strong connection to the Force could be the norm for Miraluka.

"So, if these Matukai are so strong, why don't we work with them more?

"Well, Master Bodo Baas attempted to forge an alliance with the Matukai and Zeison Sha orders centuries ago but they decided against joining the Order." Yeah, something about autonomy and not caring for the Jedi ways, personally given the whole 'assimilate other force groups' I'm not surprised it failed, but no one wanted to learn from them?

Whatever, something to work at later, Obi-Wan isn't convinced it seems.

"What made them so special that the Order wanted to ally with them?" I can answer that!

"They use the Force to augment their bodies so much that they're immune to poison and disease, can adapt to any temperature, resist physical damage as well as augment their own speed and strength. They're some of the best martial artists in the galaxy and can strengthen their connection to the Force." That last bit alone makes studying their techniques worth it.

"So their training can make your connection to the Force stronger, wouldn't that be useful for the Jedi then? All those initiates who were denied Jedi training for having a weak connection to the Force could strengthen themselves with it." Another fair point and one Qui-Gon considers briefly.

"All true, after Master Baas failed to convince them to ally with the Order he suggested to the Council that the Matukai be left alone and I suppose no one has ever thought to do otherwise." Typical, well I'm sure it won't be that hard to go myself. Master Tavik trained with the Luka Sene so its obviously possible to spend time with other Force traditions.

"Well that's foolish, if we instructed initiates in Matukai techniques during their training then we wouldn't have to send so many to the Service Corps."

"Perhaps but that could cause problems if we ever get to the point where there aren't enough free Jedi to take those padawans." Oh indeed, the rules against multiple padawans per Jedi might have to be abolished for practicality's sake.

What a shame.

I shrug and he laughs, though whether he's laughing at my disregard for tradition or seemingly childish disregard for consequences is unclear, honestly knowing him it could be either. Before we can continue that line of thought the intercom comes to life.

"We've arrived at Troiken, everyone prepare for landing!" Qui-Gon stands and Obi-Wan and I quickly follow suit. We meet with Master Tavik on the way to the cockpit and once inside it's easy to see the planet coming into view ahead of us.

The Combine fleet is ahead of us orbiting Troiken, I can see the Raptor as well as numerous smaller ships, mostly patrol boats and modified freighters but here and there various starfighters and I think I see a CR-90 corvette. To an established military these guys would be a joke but with the armament limitations on the Judicial Forces I can see how they'd be considered a threat.

"Master Jedi, the pirates are hailing us, I've got coordinates for the location of the conference." Master Tyvokka roars and growls before the machine on his belt translates.

<Bring us down quickly, no need to spook them, these negotiations must succeed.> Valorum nods his agreement.

"Indeed, the security of the Republic is at stake, our negotiations will not fail." Quiet agreement from the others and I look up at Master Tavik as he places a hand reassuringly on my shoulder.

"We'll be fine padawan, trust in the Force and your training." He whispers and I nod graciously, I needed that I think. I'll be fine, this won't be my end and dare I say it, I'll do my best to make things turn out better than they're supposed to.

Still, that little knot of anxiety hasn't gone yet, it's final presentation day and I'm not sure I did my best to prepare. Only this time failure means death or severe injury for myself and/or others.

I barely notice when the ship lands outside of a small compound on Troiken's surface, I can see Gunray's ship on another landing pad and force myself to some measure of calm, hand resting lightly on my lightsaber.

A squad of pirates is waiting for us at the bottom of the ramp, human and alien alike, they're armed with a type of blaster rifle I don't recognize and blaster pistols on their hips. They're trying to look tough but I can see apprehension on their faces. Unsurprising, I'd be scared standing before seven Jedi with just one measly squad to support me.

I wonder if they know about the plan to backstab us, I can't sense any duplicity from any of them but that doesn't mean anything, my senses aren't nearly up to par with someone like Master Tyvokka or Master Tavik. Valorum strides forward confidently, every bit the diplomat, I can see how he managed to become Supreme Chancellor, he carries an obvious dignity and grace that lets him stand out even amongst numerous Jedi.

I don't bother memorizing the compound interior, we won't be here long and I've got other things to think about. Once the meeting starts Gunray will send Tarkin the coordinates for his fleet, simultaneously dooming them, Stark will reveal he knows about the fleet and the trap he's laid. The pirates attack and Gunray panics, his droids attack the Jedi and pirates, mortally wounding Master Tyvokka. After that it's straight to Mt. Avos and the siege there.

I need to protect Master Tyvokka, that said the only way I can think to do that is position myself between him and Gunray's droids. If I'm lucky I can block enough shots for him to respond and defend himself from the droids. With Tyvokka alive I can't say what the long-term effects will be but for the short-term another Jedi Master can only help our chances.

All too soon we arrive at the meeting room and I take a deep breath as we step inside. Time to get to work.
--

Next chapter will be longer and finally the SI gets the chance to lay out her plan to Ranulph Tarkin, so we can get that settled.

Also a fair warning I probably should have made at part 1. This is going to be a very long story, I'm not going to go into the daily experiences of the SI but I will be writing a number of 'custom' adventures. So I'll apologize in advance but this is not a fast-paced story.

 

[Saphrith]

The meeting room is rather large, about half the size of the temple hanger. I'm beginning to think this facility was 'appropriated' for this conference instead of designed for it. It also has several doors on each wall that could be hiding any number of pirates or other surprises. A table sits in the middle of the room, though I note it's not long enough to hold all of us.

Pricks.

Other than that, Nute Gunray is here with his battle droid escort, unfortunately these aren't the stupid B-1 battle droids. I could deal with them myself with no issue if they were, no these are the advanced hunter-killer droids. Has he already sent the coordinates to Tarkin? I've no way of knowing until it happens.

Iaco Stark is waiting for us at the table alongside the other co-directors of the Combine, flanked by a pair of guards. He's wearing some cliché try-hard pirate outfit with a high collar, too long sideburns and a little tuft of hair right under his lip. With the smirk on his face he looks like the definition of stupid. I'd say he was overconfident with only the pair of guards and squad with us but I'm sure there are more squads outside the room ready to swarm in at a moment's notice.

I can sense the tension in the air, the foreboding sense of something about to happen. It's like that sick feeling in your gut when you feel something's about to go wrong but all around. I feel like the very air itself is pressing down on me. A quick glance around tells me that the other Jedi sense it too, Master Tavik is tense and Obi-Wan seems to be glancing at the surrounding pirates cautiously.

"Senator Valorum, Representative Gunray, Master Jedi, welcome to Troiken." Stark says with false sincerity. He's not happy to be negotiating with us, for obvious reasons, this doesn't look good to his co-directors. Valorum seems to realize it too but he doesn't let it bother him as he approaches the table.

"Thank you, Director Stark, I am eager to begin the negotiations to end this regrettable conflict for both of our benefit." Stark's smile is disarming and casual but I know better, as the representatives position themselves around the table I make sure to stand behind Tyvokka. Valorum takes a seat and for a moment there is silence.

My hand reaches down for my lightsaber, Obi-Wan does likewise but no one draws just yet, though we all know what's about to happen. Only Valorum and Gunray seem oblivious

Eventually it is Tyvokka who breaks the silence, my body tenses, knowing what's about to happen.

<Director Stark, shall we skip the negotiations then and get to your intended solution?> Even as he finishes, Stark and his co-directors have drawn their blasters, pointing them at us, likewise the pirate guards have drawn theirs. The doors open and a dozen other pirates filter into the room, weapons drawn.

"What is the meaning of this Director Stark! These are meant to be peaceful negotiations." Valorum is shocked and a little afraid but he manages to suppress it surprisingly well, Stark gestures to Gunray with his pistol and the man flinches.

"Gunray here just transmitted the coordinates to your strikeforce, yes I have spies on Coruscant, I know about the attack force Senator Tarkin is bringing here!" His smile is vicious and smug now.

"Ah, but I still have the upper hand, I had my men add a virus on Gunray's signal, Tarkin's fleet will be scattered and broken up before they get here." I glance around and see that Master Tavik and the others all have their hands on their lightsabers but no one's drawn yet. We're all waiting for the right moment.

"We did no such thing! The Senate did not sanction this strike, please Director Stark, there's still time to negotiate peacefully." The pirates begin to spread out to surround us even as Stark refuses.

"After I capture you, I'll be able to negotiate with the Senate from a position of strength, now lay down your arms before my men- "He's cut off by a roar as Master Tyvokka literally flips the table and sends it barreling into the pirates.

And like a flipped switch, everyone draws their lightsabers, the Force guides my hand as I twist to deflect the incoming blaster bolts. And like that it's on, Stark and the other directors retreat towards the door as even more pirate's stream in.

"Padawan! Get behind me." Master Tavik is in front of me now, lightsaber flashing in fast, fluid motions as he bats blaster bolts back at the pirates. He's not getting them all but it's more manageable now as I join him, deflecting shots as best as I can.

Tyvokka has leapt into the fray, his lightsaber swinging with a fluid grace belying his species and size, instantly he becomes the center of attention, takin the attention of every pirate in the room

Adrenaline pumping, the Force and training guiding my hands to deflect blasters, my arms feel light as a feather, I'm moving faster than I thought possible and the knot of anxiety in my chest is gone, replaced by the sensation. Master Tavik is with me, a comforting presence, a wave of his hand and one of the chairs rises up and flings itself into one of the pirates. He takes the hit and tumbles

Gunray has backed away in his mechno-chair, his droids aren't firing yet but they are on alert. I see Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon fighting their way in his direction. Technically he does still need to be protected from the pirates. As much as I'd enjoy him out of the picture, I'd hate for someone more competent to replace him.

"Viceroy, we could use your droids!" I hear Qui-Gon call out and I immediately turn towards Tyvokka, fighting my way towards him, Master Tavik is right behind me. I can almost feel Gunray's fear and panic as he shouts for his droids to attack.

The droids, being droids, immediately obey but without specification they automatically focus on Master Tyvokka, the closest and arguably biggest threat. They open fire at Tyvokka's exposed back.

I'm already there and deflecting, Master Tavik is behind me shortly after. The droids don't miss a beat and switch fire to the two of us, behind us Tyvokka notices the droids and leaps in front of us. Tyvokka roars and a wave of Force energy sends the droids flying into the wall hard enough to break them instantly. Alright, Tyvokka is saved, now what. There are still pirates all over the place, but against seven Jedi working together it isn't much of a contest.

Already Stark and his co-directors have fled and the pirates left are starting to waver, a number of them are already wounded or dead and none of us are so much as injured. One pirate just throws down his blaster and runs, and like that the floodgates are opened and they all begin to flee.

I lower my lightsaber into a resting position but do not deactivate it yet, no telling where the next threat may come from. I look up at Master Tavik and he nods slowly, a small smile on his face, aura bright and steady.

"Good work, Padawan." I can't help but smile at the praise, yay I did good. I also prevented Tyvokka from being killed as normal so yay! Tyvokka steps towards us, the other Jedi behind him as he regards us.

<Good reflexes padawan, we need to leave before they regroup and come back.> Valorum is holding it together remarkably well, his aura is disturbed and tinged with fear but the man holds it together well.

"Where though, Master Tyvokka, the Stark fleet in orbit will shoot us down before we could escape and Senator Tarkin's fleet is being destroyed as we speak." Plo Koon steps forward.

"I did some research on this planet before we arrived, there is an abandoned mine at Mt. Avos. It's not too far from here and we could hole up there till we find a solution." I don't know what's going on in orbit right now, presumably bad things but we really ought to leave now, Tyvokka agrees.

<Very well, we should hurry then, protect Senator Valorum and representative Gunray.> Protect Gunray, sure I'll get right on that shit. A resounding boom shakes the facility and we all decide to get moving, an orbital bombardment would kill all us in short order.

Tyvokka and Plo Koon take the lead, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Adi Gallia in the middle, leaving me and Master Tavik to play rearguard. The Force warns me before I hear it and my lightsaber flashes, deflecting the shot from behind us. It seems like the pirates have already regained their morale and are on the attack. I can't tell how many are behind us but they are determined.

Master Tavik and I both spin around, deflecting shots and retreating backwards towards the landing pad. A quiet word I can't hear and Adi Gallia is now beside me, helping to deflect the incoming shots.

A gust of air blows down the corridor behind me as the doors open, I can hear the screaming of sublight engines coming from outside and I can only imagine a few fighters have come down to harass us. Our ship seems to still be intact, no such luck for Gunray's but for how long I don't know.

Valorum and Gunray are already rushing up the ramp while Tyvokka and the other Jedi turn to form a barrier, we turn and break into a sprint towards the ramp. As soon as the two of us go up the ramp, I can feel Qui-Gon and Obi-wan following.

Adi Gallia and Plo Koon are next, then Tyvokka last as the ramp rises up, the engines are already hot and we're taking off. The ship shakes and I have to lean on the wall to not stumble, seems like the fighters have taken notice of us. I manage to make it to the cockpit where things are no less tense. I can hear the comm crackle to life.

"Senator Tarkin, are you there? Come in Senator Tarkin! This is Jedi Master Plo Koon, please answer!" Plo Koon seems to be trying to hail Tarkin, though is he even here yet, or has he yet to arrive.

The comm is silent for a moment before our message reaches…whoever he sent it to, I can hear the sounds of multiple people talking quickly, mild panic before someone answers. The voice is curt, formal, and undeniably angry.

"This is the Invincible we read you, speak quickly." The irony is that he named a Consular-class cruiser 'Invincible', literally one of the worst ships ever, even for the Judicial Forces. Plo Koon does not find it as funny as I do, how sad.

"Iaco Stark uploaded a virus onto your navicomputers, the rest of your fleet is scattered, we're retreating to Mt. Avos, you need to abandon ship and join us there." Tarkin's end is silent and I can imagine the man fuming.

"You expect me to just give up!" Yep, he's not happy, can't really blame him. This was supposed to be his big moment and he gets screwed over hard. That said he's not stupid, he has to see that his position is untenable.

"Senator Tarkin, you don't have the firepower to fight off the Combine fleet, please for your soldiers, give the order. We can regroup at Mt. Avos." Silence on the comms before a sigh.

"Fine, I'll give the order, we'll be coming in hot, be ready." The comm cuts out and we're left on our own. Tyvokka rumbles quietly in Shyrieewook.

<He is quite the querulous man, how far is it to Mt. Avos?> The ship rocks as the fighters pursuing us open fire again. How durable is this ship, I feel like it's not going to last?

"It'd be going faster if these fighters weren't harassing us." Adi Gallia is making a valiant effort piloting this ship but you can only do so much with our transport.

"I believe, I have a method to deal with them, if you would be so kind as to assist me, Master Tyvokka." Plo Koon and Tyvokka both fall silent, and it's odd but I can see the way the Force surges within them, their aura seems to glow more radiantly, pulsing rhythmically as they stretch out to the pilots attacking us. So that's what a mind-trick looks like, huh, first time I've seen it.

In any case, it seems to have worked, they're not firing at us anymore. I hear Obi-Wan breath out behind me in relief and offer him a brief thumbs up he's holding it together much better than I would if I'd not known we'd succeed. Adi Gallia goes back to piloting and it seems like we'll have a few minutes of peace before we arrive at Mt. Avos.

Alright so Tarkin's troops are going to be abandoning ship and heading to Mt. Avos, we're likewise enroute and now we get to the arguably boring portion of this war, the siege. Our transport shakes again, and the fact that there isn't anything shooting at us tells me that our ship is almost at its end. The frown on Adi Gallia's face says something similar, though probably cruder.

"We're almost there, she's not going to hold together much longer but I can get us there, everyone get ready." Master Tavik places a hand on my shoulder and I give him my full attention, the distraction is welcome I guess.

"When we land, head for the mine as soon as you can and get to cover. I'll be right behind you." Alright, happy to do that, not sure what else I might consider doing.

"Look, over there!" I look towards where Obi-Wan is pointing, our destination is ahead of us but a cloud of dust has been shaken up around the area, as I look an impact hits the ground nearby and throws up more dust. I can vaguely see movement, looks like Tarkin's men are already arriving.

<Tarkin's troops are landing, bring us down next to them, we'll proceed into the mines together.> Adi Gallia turns the ships towards the impromptu landing area and sets down. Master Tavik puts his hand on my shoulder and firmly leads me towards the ramp, Qui-Gon and the others right behind us.

At least two dozen pods have landed around us and our unflyable ship, man that is damaged. I can see troops filing out and proceeding to the mine and two men just walking briskly, so that's Ranulph Tarkin which means the other one must be Jace Dallin, the more useful of the two. Man, his aura in the Force is bright with anger, frustration and a simmering bit of despair.

Beneath that though I can see that same forge of determination that led him to create his own private military force and make Seswenna one of the safest and most productive sectors in the Outer Rim. That's what I need though, Aks Moe has the intrigue to work through Senate bluster and Palpatine's machinations but he lacks the will. He's in it for the political prestige, so's Tarkin but at least Tarkin genuinely wants a strong military for the sake of safety and security for the Republic from pirates and slavers. He's rough and uneven but with a bit of work, maybe his flaws can be smoothed out or worked around to something profitable.

We're all sort of just jogging for the safety of the mines, dragging supplies with us, mostly little bits of food and medical supplies, no time for anything else really. I hear the sound of ship engines, there are transports landing in the distance, bringing the pirates assault force probably. The mine itself is located at the crest of a pretty significant hill, plenty of rock formations at the top for cover, all in all a good defensible position I think.

As we stagger into the mine I can't help but notice the odd looks we're getting, me and Master Tavik less so compared to Master Koon and Master Tyvokka. Ah yes, the humanocentrism of Tarkin and his men. Granted, it'll be mostly gone by the end of this crisis but it's still uncomfortable.

"Now what, damn you Valorum, you've brought us here just to make these mines our tomb?" Tarkin is not happy about anything really, not surprising that he lost his fleet. Valorum is all too willing to fire back.

"And typical of your zealous militarism you've cost countless lives here, if you hadn't decided to barge in Stark would have been willing to negotiate!" That is a fair point but it's doubtful whether or not Stark would actually agree to any terms brought.

I tune the rest of their argument out and focus on steadying myself. They know we're here, and it's a matter of when they decide to attack. Any moment certainly, if I remember right. Whatever, I'll just meditate a bit until the fight starts, I focus on the Force and then- a hand on my shoulder, shaking firmly, blasterfire? Where?

I stand up suddenly, looking to the left and right. Troopers are rushing out the mine entrance and I can hear the blasterfire coming from outside. Master Tavik is standing over me, his hand on my shoulder.

"Padawan, outside we're under assault." And with that he's already on the way out, lightsaber activated. I activate mine and follow him outside, blasterfire is immediately all around me, troops firing from covered position, pirate and Republic aligned.

Alright, hold up, what are we dealing with here? I can see the pirates position just past the base of the hill, they've got a staggered formation, they're using the lifepods for cover alongside a couple armed and armored landspeeders. The speeders each have a laser cannon on the back that they're firing. Master Tavik and the other Jedi seem plenty busy deflecting fire and keeping the pirates suppressed, those landspeeders are also out of range of any grenades we might have. Well, I can fix that, maybe.

I look around at the assembled troopers, one of them has to have a grenade, right?

"Anyone have a grenade? Quickly, I need one." No one moves, predictably they're still busy firing at the pirates. Okay, quick look around, the gentlemen to my right has a thermal detonator on him. I turn just enough to make sure he knows I'm talking to him.

"Trooper, I need your thermal detonator to take out those landspeeders." He scowls up at me, unhappy at what, that I interrupted him or that I'm asking for his grenade.

"None of us can toss a grenade that far and you think you can?" Alright, asshole.

"None of you have the Force, I do. I can make it go farther than any of you can throw. Besides, you have a better use for it right now? None of the pirates are in range yet." He scowls at me some more before giving in with a grunt and reaching for his detonator. He hands it to me quickly and goes back to shooting.

Alright, the idea behind this is simple, throw the grenade, catch it with the Force, increase the distance and guide it to the landspeeder. I've done all of those things separately before, combining them shouldn't be that hard. The arming button is obvious enough and I press it, giving the detonator my best toss.

"Fire in the hole!" Now as I reach out with the Force, sensing the detonator isn't hard. It's sailing through the air, in the Force a miniature sun just ready to burst. I grasp it with the Force and it's as if I was throwing it again, the detonator picks up speed and sails towards the speeder, the Force guiding it's descent.

A moment of silence and then the landspeeder's laser cannon, along with the entire back goes up in a brilliant explosion. It also seems to have taken out a couple pirates who were taking cover behind it. Should I feel bad about killing these people, I mean they were trying to kill me but still Jedi are supposed to avoid killing when possible.

Whatever, I'll moralize later, when the crisis is over and I can think more clearly about what I've been doing. I hold out my hand again, the trooper staring wide eyed at the distant explosion.

"Got anymore?" He looks at me for a moment before turning to a few of his compatriots.

"Curran, Malric, Ferriman! Toss me your thermal detonators." A few moments later I have a half dozen more thermal detonators in hand. Hurray for High Explosives!

The landspeeders are a bit ahead of me and start up, moving to avoid providing a steady target while still providing fire. Okay, ruin my plan then, I'll just aim for different targets. I look for the biggest clump of pirates and lob the first detonator. The explosion is bright, and the bodies sent flying give their friends something to think about before they group up.

And like before at the conference, the pirates aren't a very disciplined force, they're not winning a crushing victory so they're feeling less and less confident about this whole battle. I can already see a few running away and it's not long before more and more notice they're fleeing friends and decide living is preferable to dying. Eventually it's just a rout as they fall back to a point outside our range. And in a moment, it's over, I can hear the troops cheering but all I feel is a general sense of excitement and relief. I didn't die yet!

Now what, I look around, the troopers are celebrating or being pushed into defensive action by their sergeants, some are carrying the wounded into the mines with Plo Koon helping out, good for him. Master Tavik is approaching me, and he seems pleased with the outcome.

"Padawan, good work, you handled that well." I bow lightly, the praise is admittedly pleasing.

"Thank you, Master, I'll continue doing my best but next time, a mission to Alderaan would be nice." I can see Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon talking as well. Master Tavik turns to look back out at the pirates who seem to have formed a siege line farther out. He smiles at the joke.

"I'll look into it but we're not done here yet, you should go inside the mine and get some rest. They'll come back in force soon enough." Alright sure, rest sounds good, and if I spot Tarkin inside then even better. Inside Plo Koon is tending to the wounded, there're only a few wounded but with our small force even a few wounded is dangerous. I'll assume I'm not needed there unless specified otherwise, not much I could do anyways.

Valorum and Gunray are off to one side discussing something I can't hear, nor do I really care to. Tyvokka and Plo Koon are by the wounded, Adi Gallia is meditating and if I reach out, Tarkin and Jace Dallin both seem to have gone down one of the numerous side tunnels adjoining the main chamber. I'd say that's dangerous, going off alone, but Tarkin probably wants to vent and Jace went to be vented at.

Alright, here goes nothing, I start walking down the tunnel after them. The plan I have isn't the greatest, it's no master plan to save the Republic but it's the best I can think of given the situation. There simply isn't an established support infrastructure for a full military so nothing too fancy but with luck it will help get things started, lay the groundwork. It's not a long walk and I hear Tarkin before I see him.

"Damn them, Valorum and Tyvokka both, they've usurped my command for this fool's venture! We don't have the supplies to outlast them, a surrender would allow us to escape with minimal loss of life."

"Sir, we'd be hostages and there's no reason they wouldn't just butcher us for the trouble we've caused. That's Jace Dallin, a good man.

"If they butcher us then they'll have no bargaining power with the Senate, their navigational trick won't work forever, they need us to negotiate a profitable settlement."

"Sir, the men, they won't take it well, being told to surrender without a fight." Whatever Tarkin was about to reply is cut off as I step into the light of their lantern.

"What do you want, did your Master send you for me?" He's cautious, and defensive. Jace is much more restrained but he's wary as well, also loyalty to Tarkin, which is honestly a bit surprising.

"No sir, Senator Tarkin. I came on my own initiative, I really just wanted to see the founder of the Outland Regional Security Force myself." And oh, there goes his aura spiking, he's probably expecting a rebuke of some sort.

"And? You've seen me, seen it destroyed, are you here to gloat then, spout some platitude about peace and diplomacy to me? I don't need your scorn, go and run back to your Master." I can't really do that, he'll just wallow in self-pity and kill himself later.

"I apologize for the interruption Senator, I just wanted to say though that I approve of what you're doing, the Republic does need a strong military." That throws him off, both of them really, they didn't expect that. Tarkin doesn't reply, and for a moment I wonder if he will, continue then.

"But the problem is, I don't know why you're trying to convince the Senate to rescind that portion of the Ruusan Reformations." I sit down and lean against the cave wall, he's still wary and distrustful it seems.

"Because as useless as they are, I need them to approve creation of a military, despite what some may claim I am a loyalist and will follow the Republic's laws."

"Well yes true, but what I meant is, they'll never approve of a military creation act because you won a single victory. Instead of working from the top down, you'd be better off going from the system level up. You've already done it with this force of yours, why haven't you just banded together with more systems to increase the strength of this alliance?" He frowns but doesn't necessarily dismiss the question, he's still distrustful but he's at least listening to what I'm saying.

"Too many Outer Rim worlds who would be interested can't afford a defense force bigger than a consular and some used A-9's and the ones that can are either under corporate control or unwilling to risk joining me, Eriadu is rich and with my financial connections it's easier to support a larger fleet."

"Not much of a fleet if you ask me, the Consular's firepower isn't much to look at, nor the CR-90's of CEC. Rendili would be a much better place to go to." It's Jace that replies here, isn't he from Rendili?

"The Rendili dreadnaught has too high a crew requirement and for all the press it's gotten, it has far too many technical problems to be effective. Consular's are armed and only require a small crew."

"And how effective were they in orbit against Stark's flotilla? No, I'm not talking about the Dreadnaught, Rendili Stardrive still holds the design patent for the Hammerhead and Valor cruisers, don't they? From what I understand they don't require much in the ways of crew?" Now they're both frowning, they are old designs I'm not surprised they don't remember them immediately. Rendili Stardrive acquired the various patents from Rendili Hyperworks when the latter went out of business sometime after the New Sith Wars.

"Those're old designs, they wouldn't stand up to the ships of today, they've been out of production for nearly a thousand years." Tarkin remembered first, good for him then, but thankfully recent events have made that less of an issue.

"True, but after the Katana Fleet fiasco, Rendili's stock plummeted, wasn't their fault really. Hive Viruses are nasty, but that's how the market works. That's also adding to their inability to compete with KDY and CEC. The state they're in financially if you asked them to modernize those old designs they'd probably do so gladly. You could get the old Aurek fighters modernized too while you're at it." And now they're both thinking about it, and the potential implications so I press on.

"If you're going to get the Republic military reformed then what better way than bringing back the designs of the old Republic Navy? I mean even with the restrictions on firepower they could easily be respectable ships, and the starfighter compliments they carry would only make them more powerful. Landor system is still overrun with pirates last, I heard. You could get a journalist to document your efforts and go force them out. The press you'll get from that will put your cause in a better light and earn you support from local planetary governments. Keep doing that until you have enough popular support, then Senators will be much more willing to vote for you out of political gain if nothing else." Tarkin looks at me, then at Jace before eventually just shaking his head.

"And where do you expect me to get the men for that? Even with the lower crew requirements I still wouldn't be able to crew many of those ships, and that's not even getting into the pilots I'd need for the starfighters, ground troops, support personnel and more." I've also thought about that.

"Oh, all over really, there are plenty of outer rim and mid rim worlds with people who could be convinced to join up with a proper recruitment campaign. But to be more specific, Iridonia, Shili, and Ryloth are all good places to start." He frowns, trying to place the worlds but Jace figures it out first.

"The Twi'leks, Togruta, and Zabrak?" Tarkin scowls so hard I'm mildly afraid for his face.

"You expect me to trust aliens to defend the Republic?" Well, expected I guess but I had thought offering up three near-human species would be more palatable for him, humanocentrism is inconsistent.

"Well, I expect you to trust Republic citizens to defend the Republic. To be more specific it's a matter of opportunity. The Zabraks have a long martial history and serving in this little paramilitary excursion would appeal them. Regarding the Twi'leks, they do have a warrior culture, they're just not in the best place to show it. You could fix that though." Tarkin doesn't answer, he's just staring at the ground now, I can sense the turmoil and anger boiling inside him, Jace however seems at least a little bit intrigued, or maybe he's just talking for Tarkin, I don't know.

"How so, my knowledge of Twi'lek history isn't that good." No surprise there really, a galaxy with thousands of civilizations each with thousands of years of history, hard to memorize it all. I just made an effort to make this sales pitch.

"Well, the Twi'leks have always been popular targets for slavers, the truth is they tend to willingly give their own up into slavery to avoid raids they can't stop. Ryloth has no defense force, every attempt to create one has resulted in murders, pillaging and more on the part of the criminal guilds who control the slave trade on Ryloth. A well trained and disciplined military could break up those cartels." I'd always wondered why the Twi'leks never tried to form a defense force to protect themselves, that was a long and disheartening read. The savagery done in response was horrifying and it's not like the Judicial Forces ever had the influence or strength to protect an Outer Rim world so far from the Core.

"I mean, if they had to choose between you or the slavers, I don't doubt they'd jump into your camp, not to mention the support of Senator Taa." Oh boy, that's not a happy relationship.

"Orn Free Taa is a corpulent sack of corrupt filth who deserves to be ejected from any position of power." He isn't wrong really, Taa is terrible but until someone replaces him he's the go-between.

"Well, fair, but I believe he'll be up for reelection in a year or two, find someone better to replace him, work with them and get him out of office, standard political process." He scoffs but there's less anger behind it? No, the anger is there but it's directed elsewhere.

"It's been tried before, no one has the public presence to battle Taa's hold. Every opposition candidate has been some no-name joke." Jace, seems to get where I'm going though.

"But a politician who supported a successful defense of Ryloth against slaver attack and could run on a campaign of providing true security for the Twi'lek people could." I like to believe my smile is innocent, but I know better.

"I'm no political expert but Taa would be weak against such a candidate, would he not?" Tarkin shakes his head.

"It's a good idea but even I don't have the money to do all of this. If I put effort into it, in a year I could maybe get 12 Hammerhead's and a Valor crewed, the starfighters would be harder to fully crew but I could get some of them. There just isn't enough money to spare in the Tarkin family or Eriadu defense budget to do more."

"Anaxes and Carida would have the money though, same with Lansono and Malastare. A cooperative venture with the other militarists funding it would allow you to do more and if you're lucky, strengthen your hold on militarist leadership." And this is the perfect point to bring out my other card.

"And if I may, one of my fellow padawans is apprenticed to a member of the Jedi Starfighter corps, so I spend a good deal of time with her in the hanger and flight sim rooms. I hear a lot of gossip relating to the Jedi Aces. I've heard that one of the Aces, Master Clee Rhara is drawing up a proposal for a pilot's academy on Centax-2. She plans to present it to the Senate eventually." Tarkin scoffs before thinking it over.

"The Senate would never approve the funding needed to run an academy like that, at least not for long. I assume you want me and the other Militarists to offer funding instead?" I smile, smart man, he gets it.

"Yes, ideally you and your fellow militarists, even the reformist faction, could find some common ground to fund an academy like that. And if a number of pilots graduating from the academy ended up working as starfighter or capital ship pilots in the Outer Rim then well isn't that just a nice coincidence."

"Conveniently solving the need for pilots for expanding the security of the Outer Rim and the prototype for a new Republic Military, the College of Planetary Security Forces on Anaxes for ship crew and the academies on Corulag and Carida for infantry. I see what you're suggesting." He's calmer now, thinking the idea over.

"What I don't understand is why you came up with this idea for me and what you get out of it?" That's fair, he wants to know what my goal is, fair enough.

"My motives are depressingly simple I'm afraid, I do not like the growing tendency to use the Jedi as enforcers of the Senate, working with the Judicial forces to apprehend criminals and help solve local disputes is one thing but the Jedi are not a military force and should not be. I want you to succeed so that we do not have to get involved in the politics of the Senate. No more and no less, Senator." He looks like he doesn't want to believe that it's that simple but it is.

"Think on it please Senator, I have to go back to Master Tavik." I bow and walk back to the main cavern. If he survives this then maybe, maybe things will work out.
--

Alright, part 6, I got a bit carried away and wrote nearly twice as much as normal. But we have the SI's general plan to improve the Militartist's standing. It's not the greatest plan I admit, but considering the situation it's a good place to start. Get momentum going.

Feel free to nitpick and question the plan as much as you like. I probably didn't consider something when I made the plan, best find out what now.

 

[Saphrith]

Sleep came fitfully as every sound had me awake and listening for an assault on the mine.Between that and the general anxiety over the situation I didn't get nearly as much rest as I'd have liked. Obi-Wan was much the same and we ended up meditating together to try and compose ourselves. That turned out to be less helpful than I'd hoped but the familiarity of it was comfort enough.

Some of the troopers have proven relatively good company though the awkwardness of being a near-human in a militia whose humanocentric beliefs are swaying between xenophobic then tentatively not. They're trying, most of them, but it's still a bit awkward.

The trooper who provided me with the grenades in the previous battle, one Sergeant Errol Vance, sought me out almost immediately after my chat with Tarkin and he's become the most ardent 'pro-alien' among the group of troopers I've sort of become acquainted with. That isn't saying as much as I'd like but it's a start, right?

Though this has given me the freedom to tell jokes from my old life. Predictably they laughed the loudest at the dirtier jokes. I don't know if they just liked the jokes or appreciated the moment of levity but I don't care, I liked telling jokes back home, not much chance for it now.

The pirates, having failed their first assault have decided to starve us out as the better option. Our food supplies aren't going to last, but on a promising note Tarkin hasn't advocated surrendering yet. He's just been quiet, he hasn't approached me, hasn't really done much of anything.

Master Tavik, Qui-Gon and the other senior Jedi have been busy working with Jace, occasionally Tarkin, and the assembled soldiers to maintain a watch on the siege line and fortify the mines. We've done pretty good I think, though I haven't really been involved in it that much. The real issue now, is letting the Senate know what happened and getting help. Though from what I remember, the Senate said no and a Jedi Strikeforce is what'll save us.

The sound of boots on stone alerts me to Obi-Wan's approach as he sits down beside me, his aura is bright with…. something, excitement, anticipation, anxiety? I'm not quite sure but whatever it is its raised his spirits somewhat.

"Viera, I just heard from Master Qui-Gon, someone discovered an exit from the mine down one of the side tunnels." It'd probably only be able to handle a small group of people at a time but say a small team could escape from it.

I think I know what's he going to say but I'll pretend I don't for the sake of letting him have his peace.

"Are we retreating then? I was under the assumption that Mt. Avos was the most convenient place for us to bunker down?" He shakes his head, pointing over to where Qui-Gon is talking with Valorum, Gunray, and Tyvokka.

"Master Jinn, Master Gallia and I are going to take Senator Valorum and Nute Gunray through the tunnel and see if we can find transport for them to escape Troiken and go warn Coruscant." Alright, so here we go, diversionary battle is a go then.

"How do you expect to get past the pirates, their siege line and aerial patrols aren't going to just let you go unmolested."

"That'll be our job, padawan." Master Tavik walks over to us from the other senior Jedi, he's on edge himself, not worried but tense and ready to move at a moment's notice. I turn my head to focus on him and nod in response.

"How so, Master? I assume a diversion?" Obvious answer really and not just because I know it's coming. He nods and points to the gathering of troopers near the mine entrance.

"Indeed, we'll be launching a diversionary attack while Master Jinn, Master Gallia, and Padawan Kenobi escort Senator Valorum, and Minister Gunray out one of the side tunnels." I notice a name missing there.

"Not Senator Tarkin?" I had sorta hoped he'd leave if only to avoid any chance of him dying here but no such luck there. Master Tavik frowns and shakes his head.

"No, he's refused to leave, he and Jace Dallin will assist with the diversionary attack." Okay, can he even shoot? I guess I'll find out shortly. Obi-Wan grins and stands, stretching his arms.

"I can't wait to actually do something and not sit around here waiting for an attack." I listen to his exuberance quietly, he's almost like Jang in that regard though comparably he's more reserved than her, it's going to be disappointing to see him become less open and exuberant in the coming years.

"Be careful Obi-Wan, there's no guarantee this diversionary attack will completely draw them off. Don't get in over your head." He'll be fine but it doesn't hurt to say it. He nods and gives me a thumbs up.

"I'll be fine, same to you Viera, I expect to come back and find you alive and well." I stand quickly and give him a short nod. The others are gravitating toward the mine entrance and I should probably join them.

"I like living, I don't plan on stopping here, see you later Obi-Wan, may the Force be with you." He smiles and nods before rushing over to Qui-Gon and the others.

A flicker, a glimpse of something and I start walking in the direction of the aura, moving through troopers towards my target. Sgt. Vance is with the remnants of his squad, briefing them on the diversion, when I approach. He spots me and waves me over.

A tall man and surprisingly young, short cropped hair and the strangest not-jersey accent I've ever heard. We talked after the first battle and he's apparently from Commenor out near the Core Worlds. The third son of a miner who thought fighting out in the Outer Rim with Tarkin was the best way to start anew. Irony of ironies he ends up getting besieged inside a mine.

"Hey there, padawan, ready to rumble? We're just about ready to get this diversion started." I nod affirmative and can't help but grin back, reminded of why I sought him out personally. We both like high explosives and blowing things to pieces.

"I'm just about ready, do you have any more thermal detonators?" He nods and points towards a small satchel against the wall, I can already see the small balls of high yield explosives.

"I went around and got as many as I could, go wild with them. They'll be useful for this diversion I think." Oh, they will indeed. I grab the satchel, seven thermal detonators inside. Were these all he could find? I hope they're not all that we have.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" I hear Tarkin's voice and immediately turn towards the mine entrance. And there he is the daft man, blaster rifle in hand and an expression made of stone. Jace is beside him, similarly armed and tense.

"This attack is a diversion, that means you don't get too eager and overextend the battle line. We're to draw their attention until Senator Valorum and his escort are safely away. Jace steps forward and takes over.

"Stick with your squads and make for the escape pods, they'll be our best cover from enemy fire. Watch for those landspeeders and any artillery. When you hear their air power it's time to retreat." He turns to point at several troopers in particular.

"Zem, Dahn, Durame, Anjek, Mardin, you're on overwatch, you'll cover our retreat." The five troopers each nod, reaching for their sniper rifles and heading off to take up positions. Tarkin steps forward again and raises his blaster rifle.

"Let's show these pirate sum what we've got, for the Republic!" The cry is taken up and everyone is moving.

"Everybody out, let's go!" Jace yells and I grab the satchel and join the troopers exiting the mine entrance. How is this distraction going to work, their siege line is outside the range of our blasters, wouldn't we have to get closer to them to attack?

I hear someone yell charge and the lightsabers of the other Jedi ignite as they take off down the ridge and towards the siege line. I ignite my own lightsaber and sprint forward. All around me the troopers open fire in the direction of the pirate's siege line. It isn't long before they return fire and my lightsaber flashes before me, deflecting shots, Sgt. Vance and his squad behind me return fire as we run.

Dirt and dust are thrown up around me from the fire of the pirates and-oh shit is that a rocket! A plume of smoke and the ground in front of me explodes outwards and I stumble, barely falling to the ground. Okay where's that cover.

The crashed escape pods are still there though and they're perfect cover for us. Most of us get behind the pods before the landspeeders take hold of our position but as the sharp staccato of laser cannons and behind me four people drop, a moment of pain and surprise, their auras flashing in the Force and winking out of existence. I shiver slightly, that's horrifying, but I have to push past it. There is no death, there is the Force.

I'm just behind the cover enough to avoid the worst of the enemy fire and especially the laser cannons from the landspeeders but still enough to deflect some shots. Sgt. Vance and the others are occasionally ducking out of cover to fire at the pirates before slipping back into cover.

I am just a little envious of them right now.

The landspeeders haven't moved to flank us yet, but I can see through the escape pod we're hiding behind, the pirates are advancing towards our position with the speeders giving cover. There seems to be a little dip in the terrain between us and them, it's not much but it seems to be serving as a mini-trench. There are four speeders firing on us, and I have seven thermal detonators. Alright so same as before, toss the grenades precisely towards the landspeeders.

This time though, I need to move faster before they take off. Pick your target, prime the grenade and toss, accelerate and guide it towards its target and immediately onto the next. At first the only sound is the fire of blasters and then a trio of explosions go off in rapid succession. I can see two landspeeders detonate, pain, terror, and a blinding heat. The third detonator seems to have gone off course slightly, blasting into the front and taking out the repulsorlifts keeping it aloft. It's immobile now but the laser cannon is still functioning it seems. The fourth speeder takes off before the detonator hits. Though it does take out the three pirates around it, a sense of terror and raging heat, three detonators left.

Sgt. Vance ducks out of cover and opens fire on the advancing pirates before he turns back to me, it seems like the squads of pirates are halted at the lip of what seems to be a mini-hill? Whatever it is, its providing half decent cover from our attack.

Master Tavik and the other senior Jedi are spread out across our 'battle line' deflecting shots away and back at the pirate forces but no one's really advancing on the other. With most their landspeeders gone or turned into stationary emplacements they're not nearly as eager to advance as they might have been.

That other landspeeder drove off but I think it's coming back around I think and when it does I have a feeling we're going to want to be back into the safety of the mine.

"Padawan, toss a detonator onto their cover, see if you can smoke them out." Ah, right I can do that, another thermal detonator is primed and tossed. A moment of nothing then an explosion. Some dead, even more injured but they're not giving up just yet. Even they must realize that turning and running will only get them shot.

This is going well, too well, where's the threat. I toss another grenade and the explosion echoes across the field, but now there's a whine growing louder and louder. Did I not actually destroy the repulsorlifts on that other speeder? A quick look shows that It's still out, so what's making that noise?

The force gives me a warning, a sense of danger, right before the cries of everyone else reach me.

"Incoming!" someone shouts and I barely have time to even move before the descending A-6 starfighters open fire and burn lances of laserfire into the field. Dirt and stone explode outward, covering me and everyone else in dirt and dust.

That's, can we deal with that? Plo Koon managed one in a ship with no distractions and he had a talent for it. But I count at least seven A-6 fighters, and already they're whirring around for another run at us. I think it's about time to go back to the mine. And it looks like that one functioning landspeeder is already back on its way, to make things even worse for us.

I can hear running, Master Tavik is on his way over to me now and I take that as the cue to get ready to run for it.

"Padawan, back to the mine we're retreating." I nod quickly, too nervous to do anything else really. The A-6's come around for another run and we all hunker down to give a smaller target. Even still the attack is a nightmare. Our cover is glowing red hot and seems to even be melting in places from the heat. Master Tavik gives me a firm push towards the mine even as the others are already beginning to move.

"Go!" he turns back to join the other senior Jedi as a rearguard. I take off running, straining to keep up with the other, taller people around me. Damn these short teenage legs! A hand roughly grabs the collar of my tunic and hauls me up, before I can react, I am being carried by Sgt. Vance as he sprints towards the mine. The only consolation is that he's using a fireman's carry and not the princess carry. I swear I'd die from the mortification alone otherwise.

"Ah, hey! At least turn me around! I can deflect shots still." The mortification of being carried is warring with the underlying terror of the situation but he complies and my lightsaber flashes, batting at the few shots sent our way. Okay, I get it, I appear to be a thirteen-year-old girl to these older soldiers. It's fine, they're not being purposefully insulting to my ability, let it go.

That said he is running faster than I would be so whatever, we're already halfway up the hill. I can see the bodies of the pirates scattered over the mini-trench they tried to hide in and it is gruesome. I can also see the bodies of our own strewn around the escape pods, I easily count over a dozen.

We've crested the hill and he sets me down quickly, turning to give covering fire to the others coming up the hill. The senior Jedi coming up last, still deflecting the last of the oncoming shots from the pirates who have proven so far reluctant to come forward. The A-6's have pulled off but that won't be forever, but once we get into the mine proper they won't have a good shot on us.

Gosh I'm tired, feels like I've run a marathon, the adrenaline must be wearing off but I can't rest now, not until the battle's over. The other Jedi are at the top of the hill now and they're still firing. When are they going to stop? I'd really like them to stop.

My lightsaber is still deflecting shots but I'm getting slower and I know it, damn my childish stamina! And the whine is back, the starfighters are coming for another pass at us. Their laser cannons fire and we're only saved by the rock ceiling of the mine entrance. Even then the ground shakes and dust and rocks crack and fall down, pelting us. The pirates have stopped firing and for a moment all is quiet save for the whine of sublight engines. Have they given up? I think they've- no, the mine shakes again as they come around for another run.

Then comes the quiet, the long quiet where we all just sort of wonder what's about to happen. I think they've given up this time, they're not droids or professional soldiers, no way they can keep throwing themselves at us for that long and not just decide to give up.

Slowly, the pirates creep back to their siege line and everyone breathes out in relief. Another battle done and we're not dead yet. We're not done yet though, we have to consolidate ammo, get the wounded sorted and set up watches before we can rest.

Master Tavik taps me on the shoulder and pulls me aside to where Master Koon is inspecting the wounded. I was trained in basic first aid during my initiate years and I feel like I'm going to get some experience at it now.

"We need to bandage up the wounded, we can rest when that's done." Master Tavik gets to work on a wounded soldier and I nod, going to the first untreated soldier.

Back at the temple we always practiced on lifeless dummies and other simulated representations. Other times we'd pretend our fellow initiates were wounded and we'd need to treat them, all under the watchful eye of the Temple healers but this is something different entirely.

Patching up the wounded is a simultaneously enlightening and horrifying task. Blasters being energy based, most wounds are burns and not entry wounds so there's no blood, which is good because I hate blood, but the burns smell horrific. Roasted flesh and something that makes me think of sulfur, it's sickening and makes me glad I haven't really eaten much yet.

Another trooper is set down in front of me, there's a blaster bolt to her chest. Her uniform is burnt away at the front, the edges have melted and fused to her skin and the middle of her chest is burnt black from char. Okay that's serious, she's lucid though the Force only knows how with how much pain she has to be in.

"Please." It's no more than a whisper, I can barely hear it but I look up into her eyes. There's fear and pain and the sense of terror that death is looming over her. I offer my best smile as I reach for the bacta container.

"It's fine, don't worry, we'll get you patched up." I grab the bacta dispenser and inspect it closely, oh it's empty. I know I had some more around here, they'd been set out for me when I started. A glance around and oh Force they're all empty.

"Master Tavik, do you have any more bacta dispensers, I'm out?" He shakes his head, drat well Plo Koon then.

"What about you Master Koon, do you have any bacta to spare?" Plo Koon also shakes his head and I grimace, that's bad. A quick look around and I don't see anyone else rushing forward with bacta. We can't be out of bacta now! There's still so many wounded and my patient isn't going to last without bacta to her burn!

"Please." She rasps again and I can't stop the shaking as I turn my focus back to her. She's still just looking at me but the terror is overwhelming her now, her aura in the Force is flaring with terror and fear but it's also dimming steadily. She repeats herself and I don't know what to say, what do I say to her? I can't look away as the life slowly fades from her, I want to look away, I don't want to see this but my body won't listen to me.

Her eyes close, her lips are moving but no more words are coming out, she's dimming slowly but surely and in a moment of silence she dies.

I stand up from the new corpse, there's no point to patching up the wounded anymore, I don't know what to do anymore. Something's wrong, my hands are shaking, I try to still them and I can't. Her eyes close, life dims and I can't stop shaking.

There's a hand on my shoulder, I don't know who it is except I do but my brain won't focus on it, but its guiding me back into the mine, to a wall. I lean back against the cave wall, slumping down it until I'm sitting. A hand on my head, a sense of quiet.

I'm asleep before I realize what's happening.

 

[Saphrith]

So, this is my first Interlude. This got cut from part 7 because it went on a bit long and I thought the current ending of part 7 was better than this.
--

Consciousness returns to me slowly, a general sense of awakening and expanding senses. For a moment I'm confused, trying to figure out what's going on and where I am. Memory returns to me abruptly and I groan at the thought. Obi-Wan is standing over me, he looks concerned

'Please', the word echoes through my head again and I groan at the image. I don't want this right now. Breathe in, breathe out, keep going.

"Yes, Obi-Wan?" I say quietly, sitting up to better focus on him, and oh is that Quinlan Vos? The Kiffar padawan stands slightly behind Obi-Wan regarding me quietly. Obi-Wan smiles though I can tell there's an unease to it.

"Glad to see you survived while we were gone, I heard what happened during the distraction and I wanted to check on you." I don't really want to be reminded of what happened, but his concern is appreciated I guess.

"I'm fine Obi-Wan, just tired. It was a stressful battle." A snort from Vos that he doesn't even try to hide.

"That's the most bold-faced lie I've ever heard, good job." I give him a rude gesture and he laughs. I forgot he was a sarcastic bastard. Obi-Wan looks just a bit scandalized but if it comes down to it I'll lay blame on one of Tarkin's men for teaching me that gesture.

"Fine, I'm not okay, I look terrible but there's nothing I can do about it now so wait till we get back to the Temple before we argue this more." Vos shrugs and takes a seat to the left of me against the wall. Obi-Wan takes a seat to my right and for a moment there is quiet.

"So, who're you again?" I've never met Vos before and all said and done I'm not sure whether I'm better or worse off for having met him.

"Ah, Quinlan Vos, padawan to Jedi Master Tholme, a pleasure to meet you." I extend my hand and he reciprocates, shaking firmly.

"Viera Sarat, padawan to Jedi Master Zun Tavik." He nods, another stretch of silence then he speaks.

"So, I heard from some of the troopers you did some crazy stuff during the diversion, what's that about?" Vos turns to look at me and I shrug.

"I just tossed some grenades around, used the Force to guide them down." He frowns for some reason, what?

"How, thermal detonators aren't that big, you'd have to sense it, grab it and then direct its descent downwards." I shrug, not sure where's he going with this, it's just basics, right?

"How could I not? It's just the basics we learned as initiates when Master Yoda taught our lessons. All you gotta do is combine them." He always disguised his lessons as games, I did always like his lessons the best for that. Obi-Wan shakes his head in…disbelief?

"It's not that easy, Master Jinn has only just begun teaching me to sense things like that and I don't think I could focus enough to combine all of those different Force manipulations in the middle of a fight." Vos nods his agreement, is it really that odd?

"I was behind cover, what was there to worry about?" Vos rolls his eyes.

"Yeah because that just explains everything." Obi-Wan nods his assent and I take a moment to think about it. Is it really that odd? I'd always thought it was relatively simple, we learned all those things as children.

I shrug, not sure what to say.

"I don't know, I just did it. Try it yourself when we get back, I'm sure you can figure it out." Obi-Wan rolls his eyes and Vos just looks at me like I have two heads.

Distraction time!

"So, how'd you even get here Vos?" I know how he did but I need to pretend I don't. He shrugs and point back towards Tholme, who's talking with Tyvokka and Plo Koon. I remember him being a very solemn Jedi but a good one. He ended up surviving Order 66 if I remember right.

"Master Tholme and I were investigating the bacta crisis on Thyferra and hitched a ride on a bacta transport to the Core. It got hijacked and we hid while the pirates redirected it to Troiken. When we landed, we fought our way free and encountered Obi-Wan and Master Jinn." Wait, what?

"So, the transport you were on was hijacked by pirates and you decided not to fight them off?" What happened to the transport's crew? Did they get captured or killed? Vos shakes his head and shrugs.

"It was a droid crew so no need to worry about them and Master Tholme wanted to see where the pirates were going. Didn't even realize it was Stark's forces till we got here." Ah that explains it, not going to get into the subject of droid rights now. That's a bit complicated and a touchy subject I don't want to get into now.

After that no one really talks, it's a bit awkward, neither of us are familiar enough for easy conversation and this isn't really the place for it. Though one thing does come to mind.

"Hey Vos, Obi-Wan." They both turn to me.

"When this is over, I'll show you how I did that trick, then you'll see how easy it is." Vos snorts again and Obi-Wan chuckles. The dead woman's last word echoes in my head still, but its quieter now.

 

[Saphrith]

The next three days pass in a blur, the pirates haven't attacked us again, possibly out of fear and loss of numbers. Now with two additional Jedi, I'm pretty sure any attack on the mine would end poorly for them anyways.

Though, optimism aside our supplies of food, and ammunition are dwindling. Combined with no bacta, a concentrated assault on the mine would probably spell the end us. It's just a good thing for us that the pirates lack the discipline and morale to do just that.

Obi-Wan, Vos, and I have spent the interim meditating and sleeping. Vos is very blunt, to put it mildly, but I don't mind that too much, he's a good counter to Obi-Wan's more reserved nature. That said he's still a sarcastic bastard, he's just grown on me, like a fungus.

I haven't got the chance to talk to Tholme yet, I'm not even sure what I'd say to him if I did. I don't really remember much of his history except that he survives Order 66 and ends up falling in love with that one Jedi that's also a tree. T'ra Saa, I think that was her name.

Ranulph's been complicated as well, he's been talking with Tyvokka and some of his militia, I assume senior officers? But otherwise he's not been doing much. I haven't been able to approach him and gauge his mood, but since I haven't seen him call for us to surrender I assume we're good? Either way I'm more confident he'll survive the war and after that who knows what could happen.

Obi-Wan taps my shoulder quickly, shaking me out of my musings. He looks worried, more so than when he got back from escorting Valorum, I offer him a reassuring smile, hopefully.

"What's up Obi-Wan, has something happened?" he nods, not saying a word. That's odd, and actually a bit concerning, what could worry him like that? I stand up, no point continuing to meditate and glance around.

Okay, looks like a number of the remaining militia are congregating around the mine entrance, I can hear whispering but I can't really make out the words. They sound angry though, I can see Master Tavik and the other Jedi there as well.

"Alright, lead the way." I follow him closely, what have the pirates done, because they must have done something, not sure what else it could be.

I push my way through the assembled militia and immediately I feel so happy I can't see the way everyone else does.

The pirates have been busy removing the escape pods, depriving both us and them of potential cover but they've made way for impromptu stakes. I can see bodies on those stakes, a lot of bodies. They've been mutilated beyond recognition but the implication is clear. They're all members of the militia, a quick glance to my left and right and I can see the anger burning in the eyes of all of the militia members. If this was meant to break their morale it failed, more probably it's just there to taunt us or incite us into a suicidal charge.

Oh, movement! One of the pirates has moved from the siege lines and is approaching the middle of the field. He's got something in his hands, it's not a weapon I can tell that much, a voice amplifier maybe, the only thing that makes any sense for him to have outside of a weapon.

The pirate stops, and raises the device to his mouth, yep definitely a voice amplifier. Oh boy, this can only end well for all parties involved and I'm sure isn't them saying they surrender.

"Attention assholes, Jedi included!" Well fuck you too pal.

"The Senate has voted against sending aid to you on Troiken, no reinforcements are coming, surrender now and we promise you will be treated well." Well, me and the other Jedi will be treated well as hostages, the militia less so. The pirate continues and I notice one of the militia, Durame I think, raise her sniper rifle.

"You have twenty-four hours to surrender, if you do not we will attack and you will all die." That said he turns around and marches back towards the siege line.

Alright, look around, no one seems happy with the idea of surrender but when the food runs out it's probably going to look more appealing. Vos scoffs from somewhere behind me, when the hell did he get there?

"No one here seems keen on the idea, so I assume we'll have our last stand tomorrow. Good knowing you guys." I shrug, watching the activity around the siege line.

"Speak for yourself, we're going to win this somehow and survive ideally." Obi-Wan rolls his eyes, Vos is a bad influence, as he turns away from the grisly sight.

"And how will we do that, with little ammunition and being massively outnumbered." Oh, ye of little faith, I point towards Tyvokka and Plo Koon who are talking quickly to each other on the opposite end of the mine.

"I assume they have a plan, just a thought." Master Tavik, Qui-Gon Jinn and Tholme are already heading that way, I gesture to Obi-Wan and Vos and head over that way. Might as well go see what the plan is, even though I know what the plan is, I think.

Tyvokka growls softly as we approach, he and the other Jedi seem confident so that's a plus.

<Padawans, good of you to join us. Master Koon has a plan and will need all our help to do it. Take a seat.> The other Jedi are beginning to sit as well and I take the open seat next to Master Tavik, solidarity woo!

Plo Koon is the only one still standing and as he looks out over us I am reminded that he is also a member of the Baran Do Sages, the Force-using order from Dorin. When it comes time to go for my planned tour of the various Force organizations, he'll be one of my examples.

"The Senate has voted not to come to our aid, but they are not the only sources of help we have. My niece, Sha Koon, is an initiate in the Temple right now. If we all join in meditation, our combined presence in the Force will allow me to contact her and through her the Council." That honestly sounds like bullshit but I think telepathy is his strong suit?

How is this going to work exactly? It sounds like we're all going to be trying to just meditate and create a sort of mini Force Nexus that he can use to boost his telepathy. The Force can work like that? That's sorta ridiculous though, how come they never tried doing that to sense out Darth Sidious, or is it something situational and only useful in certain conditions? Something to ponder later I suppose.

"It's just like what we've been trained to do as initiates, trust Master Koon, he knows what he's doing." Master Jinn shifts into a meditative position and closes his eyes. Alright then, this is our plan, it's not a great plan but the fact that it's going to work makes it a little better I guess.

Alright so relax your focus, spread out your senses to the world around you. The Force is present, a relaxing warmth that begins in my chest and filters throughout my body. This is perhaps the greatest part of being able to use the Force. I swear when this whole Sith crisis is over, or I fail and end up having to wait for Luke, I'm going to spend the rest of my life in simple meditation.

I can feel the others beginning to meditate as well and their presence in the Force surrounds me. If I reach out I can poke each of them and follow the string of Force that binds all of them together. It's rather interesting really.

We're all meditating and I can feel things changing. It's strange, it almost feels like the Temple itself, that sense of being surrounded by the Light side of the Force. I almost feel like if I were to leave meditation I would find myself in the Temple itself.

Is this working? I can't tell, I'm not the one in contact with the Temple or Sha Koon so it's impossible to tell. How do I know when to stop, should I stop, this is nice? I'm sure that one of the other Jedi will alert me when it's time to stop.

Hang on, I wonder if I could try something. I narrow my sense and focus to Master Koon, his presence in the Force is bright and shiny, but there's tendrils reaching out to all of us, but especially to Tyvokka. However, there's one that goes seemingly nowhere and so I turn my attention to that one.

I don't really know what I'm doing here so I poke at it and it responds to me in ways I can't quite comprehend. Could I piggyback on that, I wonder? It's like a salmon swimming upriver, I am the salmon and Plo Koon is the river.

Sensation overwhelms me and the effort of focusing on my task is near impossible to overcome. But if there is one thing I have it is focus, and slowly I manage to wrest control of my own senses back and continue my journey.

Where am I now? There's this sense of weightlessness that I can't place but I feel like I'm somewhere important now. The Force is brimming with power around me and I can't place it. Okay, so am I in the Temple now? I can't really bring anything into focus, it's all just blurry but I feel like I've done something incredible.

The strain is quite impressive though, I'm not used to this and I don't have nearly the necessary skill to hold the connection for long, alright time to go back to Troiken. Oh, boy my head hurts now, that wasn't really what I expected and I probably shouldn't have tried that. It seems like everyone else is coming out of their trances, I was doing that longer than I thought. Slowly I come back to myself, feeling the dull pain throbbing in my skull

How long have we been doing this? I can see people moving around a bit and outside the sun seems to be descending? Is it nearly dusk already?

Plo Koon looks pleased, I think? I can't really read his facial expressions like a human but I assume something positive happened.

"It seems to have worked, I managed to get in contact with my niece and through her, Master Rancisis." Wasn't that the guy who knew how to do Battle Meditation?

"They are organizing a Jedi strike force to relieve us here, I have also been in contact with Director Stark via telepathy. He's seen the fruitlessness of this siege and is willing to defect in exchange for a pardon. I realize it's not ideal but he has information we need in order to escape this situation

Alright, how are we going to do this. As I stand there's a commotion from the back of the mine, what's going on? I can see militia congregating around the area, their weapons are drawn, that doesn't look good what the hell?

We've all got our lightsabers drawn but not activated as we approach the disturbance, seems like something came out of one of the old side tunnels? Did the pirates try to sneak in? No, we'd be hearing blasterfire if it were.

The militia clear a path for us but do not drop their guns, the intruder is an….alien? greyish skin four arms, long neck and short head. Ah, that's a Xexto, they're native to Troiken, wait I think I remember this.

Upon sight of us, the Xexto raises his hands in what I assume is relief as he points towards us.

"Ah! Jedi, yes good Jedi, please tell these men to not shoot. I have come to help you, I mean no harm!" he seems rather afraid and for good reason but I don't sense any duplicity in him. Neither do the other Jedi and they return their lightsabers to their belt. Plo Koon steps forward to address the Xexto.

"I believe you, what is your name? The Xexto nods and points back to the tunnel he came from.

"I am Billibango, I live here, around the mountain and I know these tunnels. There is a secret way, out of the mines, that only Billibango knows. It's big enough to fit all of you!" That is useful, good job man.

Plo Koon seems to consider this news, it's good news. I think retreating from the mines might be a strategy now. A quick glance between the others shows they see it too. This is our way out of this siege.

"Moxt Xexto hate both sides, they view them as the cause of our woes, but not I. I know Jedi are good, the Jedi are protectors, I had wished to be a Jedi once, myself." Wait, is he? No, he's force-sensitive but it's minor, he'd hardly be sensitive enough to do anything even an initiate could do, but maybe, I should talk to him later if I can.

<Then we have our plan, we will need to split up to do it though.> Plo Koon considers the scenario, we need to do something about the navicomputer virus plaguing our ships. Otherwise when the Jedi reinforcements arrive they'll be destroyed and picked apart. Plo Koon seems to have come to the same conclusion.

"Agreed, according to Stark the patch for the virus is in the Combine headquarters we escaped from originally. But we'll need to broadcast it from a ship in orbit, probably the Raptor itself." Which means three teams at least, one to get the patch, one to transmit it to our reinforcements and the third to stay here and help lead the militia out of the mines.

Who's doing what though? I'm honestly preferential to staying here with the militia, it'll let me keep an eye on Tarkin to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid at the last minute. I swear if he kills himself here I'm going to flip. Qui-Gon steps forward with Obi-Wan following.

"Obi-Wan and I can get the virus patch from the Combine headquarters. We've been there before, we're at least passingly familiar with the base." Alright, that's one group, I give Obi-Wan a thumbs up and he smiles.

"Vos and I can sneak onto the Raptor to transmit the patch to the Order." Tholme and Vos look ready to go, that's good, which leaves me for the job I wanted. Plo Koon turns towards me and Master Tavik.

"We'll be retreating with the main force from the mines. When the pirates attack, we will trap them in the mines. To do that we'll need precisely timed explosives. Work with the militia to ensure this gets done." Alright, and I know just who to go to for the explosives.

We're adjourned shortly after, most everything else to discuss was simply details of the assignment. Left to my own devices and with a goal in mind, time to find Sgt. Vance.

He smiles upon seeing me, but it's a tired smile, he's exhausted and not likely to last much longer. Well it's a good thing we're going to get out of here alive.

"Hey padawan, what can I do for you?" His voice is strained, aww hold on buddy I've got a plan.

"We've got a plan to get out of here, but we need more explosives, charges if you have them." He looks at me for a moment before contemplating.

"We might have some det charges we could use, gonna take some time to set them up though." I shrug and do not try to hide my delight at the thought of making things explode.

"Well then, let's get started." He nods and stands, and it's off we go to collect weapons of mass destruction. Of which we find plenty, no grenades because I used a lot of them, but plenty of primed charges.

"Alright, we're going to have to set these at specific points along the tunnel passage, specifically where the pirates won't see them in time." He takes out the charge and sets it down in front of me. It's cylindrical instead of square with three buttons on it.

"Alright, the two red buttons set the timer and the green button primes it." I raise my hand.

"Ah, Sergeant- "he interrupts me.

"In a moment, now I know we're using remote detonation but the signal will be shaky in the tunnel, so we'll need to set a timer just in case" I again raise my hand.

"Sergeant Vance, I feel that I should-"Again I am interrupted.

"In a moment, now we'll need to remember to set these charges against fault points if we can find them to maximize tunnel collapse. Leave finding those to me, I've been in mines before so I know what to look for." Patiently I wait for him to finish, not really wanting to be interrupted a third time. He looks at me and makes a 'go on' gesture.

"Alright padawan, what's your question." I lower my hand and point to the buttons.

"I'm colorblind." The look on his face, as the realization dawns on him is quite frankly priceless. He looks at the color-coded buttons, mulling over my words.

"Oh…well then." I can't help laughing at that, okay that was the type of reaction I had hoped for. He sighs and runs his hand through his hair.

"Alright then, leave arming it to me I guess." I nod, still giggling uncontrollably. I love it. He growls something unpleasant under his breath but waves me off.

"Go get some rest, we've got till the morning to get some rest. I'll come find you then." I nod and pat him sympathetically on the back as he stands. He shakes his head, chuckles and heads off. I like him, I hope he survives.

Now then, I need to get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow.

My sleep that night was broken up by every sound within 100 feet of me. Always I would awaken with the sense that something was about to happen or that I'd slept too long. It's a stupid concern, Vance or Master Tavik would have awoken me if I had slept too long.

And still her death plagues my dreams, I don't know her name, the desire to know burns inside me but I know that if I ask, then it will only haunt me further. I must be strong, I must be focused. So, when I awoke an hour before dawn to find Obi-Wan, Vos, and their masters preparing to head out, I make sure to get a few final words in.

"Now, don't do anything too rash, if you get hurt because of your own recklessness then I swear I'll make you regret it." Obi-Wan smiles and Vos just rolls his eyes but Jinn and Tholme watch on silently, not really judging from what I can tell but watching nonetheless.

"We'll be fine, you're the one who'll be handling explosives, don't go blowing yourself up with all those charges." Obi-Wan bows and withdraws to Master Jinn. Vos shrugs and turns towards Master Tholme, waving as he departs.

"See you on the other side, Viera." They'll be fine, I know they will. They both depart with their Masters shortly afterwards and I am left to my own devices. Time to meditate.

Meditation is easy, even with my lingering drowsiness I can focus on my meditation without hardly trying. I need this, this comforting familiarity to chase away the jitters and prepare myself. Master Tavik taps me on the shoulder some amount of time later.

The rest of the militia are already awake and organizing, I can see a couple watching for a pirate assault while others prepare the wounded for transport through the tunnels, which is honestly going to be the hardest part of this retreat. Plo Koon and Tyvokka are talking with Ranulph and Jace, probably finalizing the plans for the retreat.

I can see Sgt. Vance approaching with the pack of explosives we'd gathered the night before. He waves at both of us and points to his pack.

"I've got the explosives right here Master Jedi, we'll need to set them as we retreat." Master Tavik nods and squeezes my shoulder briefly, I can sense calmness, reassurance and a firm determination from him, well as long as he's with me I'm confident this will work.

"Alright then, we'll be leaving shortly, be ready to go in ten." Sgt. Vance nods and goes back to his squad, Master Tavik turns to me and smiles.

"Alright padawan, this is it. I know this hasn't been a typical first mission but you've performed far better than I could have expected. You've done well, now we just have to do just a little more and we're through." I smile and nod in response, I like him, he's a good man.

"Of course, Master, I promise to do my best." Yes, let's get this over and done with. I'm ready to be out of here.

The moment is nice, and that's all the more reason that karma nips it in the bud. I can hear Jace calling everyone to get ready to move, time to go then. Sgt. Vance and the rest of the rearguard are waiting by the tunnel entrance as Billibango leads the other Jedi and militia through the tunnel path. Ranulph is…. going with Jace and Tyvokka, oh thank the Force he's not going to suicide himself. Excellent, he's not dead.

"Alright, padawan come along now." Master Tavik is waving me towards the tunnel, we're moving out now. Then he ducks into the tunnel, yay for being short, I don't have to duck to fit. It is rather cramped though.

I hate enclosed spaces, there's not much for me to do either! I can't place charges cause the buttons are colored and it's too risky to make a mistake. Both Master Tavik and I are just at the very rear of the pack to block blasters should the pirates catch up to us.

"Master Jedi, I need your lightsaber." Sgt. Vance is crouched next to an indent in the wall. There's a sort of crevice with a protruding edge that blocks off part of the interior of the crevice.

"Master Jedi, can you cut the edge of this rock? I need to fit a charge in there. It's the perfect spot for it." Master Tavik nods and ignites his saber, illuminating the tunnel even more with its bright glow, there's the sound of heat on rock and a solid thump as it hits the ground.

The retreat continues like that for some time, just silence broken by the occasional request for a specific lightsaber cut and then silence again. This is pretty anticlimactic, and I freeze the instant I say that, damn it karma!

Something's moving at the edge of my vision, coming towards us at a pretty steady rate, there's a glow too and chittering, what the hell.

I barely have time to scream as the challat eaters, the carnivorous insects prone to wander Troiken swarm towards us from the direction we just came. Where did they come…..from, shit. I remember now, originally Tyvokka died, which resulted in Vos wandering away from the group in grief, Obi-Wan following and the both of them encountering a swarm in a separate tunnel.

The other Jedi saved them and sealed up the tunnel with the Force, since Tyvokka never died here that didn't happen. And now they're after us with no convenient pirates to distract them. A panicked Force push slows the horde for mere moments but it gives me time to draw my saber. Not sure what good that'll do but I should do something. A hand grabs me by the shoulder and roughly yanks me back.

Master Tavik is in front of me now, hand extended towards the oncoming swarm and holding it back with the Force. It's like a barrier has been put up between him and the challat eaters that they keep bouncing off.

"Retreat quickly, go!" I guess lining the tunnel with explosives is a bust, time go fast. I hope everyone else is moving faster than we are. I move down the tunnel with the others, I can see Master Tavik retreating slowly, holding that barrier up from the carnivorous demons chasing us down.

Oh, boy is this turning out worse than I expected, wait why am I not helping him? I turn back towards him, I can see how the Force moves around him as he holds back the swarm. It's like a constant Force push, or maybe a geyser. Could I mimic him and do that?

Can't hurt to try, alright, extend your senses, arm out, hand facing the threat and push. The Force answers my call and pushes into Master Tavik's barrier. Not sure if that's working but it's not hurting so I don't care.

Okay, slow retreat, keep up the barrier, I don't want to die here and I especially don't want to be eaten alive by these bugs. Master Tavik hasn't yelled at me to go, maybe he's too busy holding the Challat Eater back, or maybe he just knows I won't listen to him.

How far is it until we reach the end? We've been going for at least an hour and a half before the challat eaters made their appearance and now we've been holding them back and retreating for probably thirty minutes.

There's a scream, from somewhere beyond the barrier, did one of ours get lost? Oh, that poor bastard, then numerous screams, the sound of blasterfire and a horrible crunching sound. Oh, my god, the pirates! Did they come after us, find an empty mine, go down a side tunnel and find the challat eaters?

That's nice and convenient, I'm not really concerned about the pirates, they have a clear retreat. We on the other hand need the reprieve. I can already see the number of challat eaters attacking us diminish. They're breaking themselves against a barrier they can't get around with more vulnerable food behind them. They're smart enough to realize they're not getting anywhere with this.

Within minutes they've trickled down to only a few attackers, then eventually none. There's a momentary pause as we wait for them to come back or redouble their assault but nothing happens. Master Tavik drops the barrier and I do too, why am I sweating? Master Tavik gives me a curt nod.

"Alright padawan, we've held them back, now move." No need to tell me twice, off we go!

Thankfully, the exit is only another twenty minutes away at as brisk a run as we can manage in the cramped corridor. Sgt. Vance is waiting, frantically gesturing for us to hurry.

"Come on, I'm blowing the charges, hurry up." We put on a burst of adrenaline, the exit is a small opening just large enough to fit us going single file but as soon as we're out I can feel the shaking from the detonated charges.

We're out, we're alive! I can't help but laugh at our luck and good fortune. Yes! I never want to see Troiken again.

There's something going on in the sky above us, brief flashes of something that I can barely see. Master Tavik looks up at the sky from beside me, a grin on his face.

"Looks like our friends have arrived, they're routing what's left of Stark's orbiting force. This war is as good as ours." Yeah it is, I take a seat and fall back to watch the flashes of light across the sky.

Finally, it's over.

 

[Saphrith]

"It's not that hard!" I don't understand how this is that hard. The breeze blowing through my hair is refreshing and I am once again so thankful for this vacation.

Well technically it's a training exercise but it's been more like a vacation, at least compared to Troiken. We've been on Raggoon VI for four days now and we've got another ten before we leave. The planet is a paradise, unspoiled by any industry and restricted for Jedi only.

There's forests, rolling plains, mountains and more with fruit trees and crops left to grow wild across the planet. Countless fish and fauna to eat, and oh how fun it was to go hunting and eat actual grilled meat! The Temple generally only ever served meat in stews or roasts with vegetables and other healthier foods. The chance to catch a nerf and grill an actual steak almost made me cry, also catching and grilling fish is amazing. If we weren't exercising so much I'd probably gain significant weight here.

Beyond that we've done nothing but run around, practice meditation, lifting objects, sensing the world around us. The occasional lightsaber practice, broken up with the occasional dip into the lake to swim and cool down. Which is conveniently where we are now.

Our campsite rests at the banks of a big lake, surrounded by forest on one side and a small cliff face on the other. After doing the obvious thing of jumping into the lake from the cliff, Obi-Wan and Vos asked me to show them how I did the trick with the grenades on Troiken.

To that end, we got Master Tavik and Master Jinn, Tholme was sent on a solo assignment for the duration of the trip, to set up a ring of stones to create a target zone on the opposite end of the lake from where we stood on the cliff. Then we gathered a number of rocks suitable for throwing and climbed up the cliff.

Once there I did my best to explain and show how I had combined three basic aspects of Control to do what I did, tossing a stone and using the Force to make it land in the circle on the opposite end of the lake. Then both Vos and Obi-Wan took their turn attempting it.

It didn't go well, both seem to be faltering at grasping the rock once in the air. That or they take too long to give it the extra boost it needs to hit the target. Vos's first attempt hit the bank of the lake, Obi-Wan's didn't even get that far.

Neither of them are happy with that and Vos is particularly sulky about it.

"It is that hard! How do you grab hold of the damn thing once it's in the air? I just, grab it? It's there, reaching out for it isn't that hard. Hell, it should be easier for them since they can physically see it, easier to visualize too I bet.

"Just sense it, focus your senses on the rock as it leaves your hand and when you push it, grab hold of it as well." Then you can nudge its decent towards the target you desire.

"We're not Miraluka! We don't have as easy a time sensing things like you do." Okay Vos, that's actually a good point I guess. I mean, it still doesn't sound as hard as it seems to be, but maybe that's my added years giving me an advantage. I sigh and heft another rock, tossing it to Vos.

"Alright Vos, come here to the edge with me and let me try to help you one more time." He steps up beside me and grips the rock tightly in his hand. Obi-Wan watches silently as I point out to the target.

"Alright, just focus on the rock for now, visualize it, feel it, whatever helps you. Throw it when you're ready." Vos grips the rock tightly, holding it in his hand and stares out at the target across the lake.

Then he throws, tossing the rock into the air.

"Alright! Give it a push, maintain that hold on it, don't lose your focus on it!" I can follow it's path in the air as it boosts towards the target. It's wobbling as Vos tries to hold onto it and guide its descent. He's doing better though, he might actually get close to it.

I can't hear the dull thud but I can sense its impact on the beach, inches from the target. Alright, go Vos! He's jumping up in joy, good for him, he's learning. He chuckles and gestures to Obi-Wan.

"You see that! I got so close, that was amazing!" Obi-Wan is grinning as well as he approaches.

"Yeah, I saw that, good job Vos, good job Viera." He says as he comes to rest on the edge of the cliff. Now what, just hone that skill I suppose.

Hm, that water is deep enough to be safe, we've jumped into it before. I turn to Vos with a disarming smile.

"Good job Vos, I think we ought to celebrate." He nods cheerfully before stopping, something in my tone seems to have made him suddenly nervous. He realizes my intention far too late to do anything.

"Viera, don't you da- "whatever he was about to say is cut off as a quick Force shove sends him over the cliff edge and towards the water. I'm not too worried, his reflexes have already kicked in and he's straightened his descent, splashing harmlessly into the water. I wave as he lands, he deserved that I think.

"Alright Obi-Wan, let's go I'm making steaks tonight." We got some edible mushrooms and onion-ish things to cook too, I'm pretty excited actually. Wait, why is Obi-Wan smiling.

A shove and I'm sent plummeting downwards, alright shift to land safely, Obi-Wan you're getting fed last for this. Despite that, I can't help but laugh before I splash down into the cool water.