[X] She decides to speak with Bastila about it.
In the end, you decide to speak with Mum about this. As both your Jedi Master and your mother, Mum is supposed to be there for you and give you advice in uncertain situations like this. So continue to meditate while you wait for her to return, something that takes a few hours before Mum finally walks up the ramp of the
Red Banner, looking weary, but unharmed.
"Mum-I mean Master Shan," you greet her, "Did the mission go well?"
"Yes, it did," replies Mum, "We got some technicians into the Czerka computers and were able to shut down most of the war droids remotely. The rest got eliminated with minimal casualties before they could turn on any of the labourers and the Czerka supervisors didn't put up a fight once it was clear that we were going to win."
"Did you free the slaves?" asks Kira eagerly as she approaches the two of you from the other side of the ship.
"Four mines with three thousand slave miners between them," answers Mum, "I've already called in some transports to take them somewhere they can be given new lives. In the meantime, we are clearing out Czerka's influence on Kaliton and restoring the power of the local government, which is thankfully democratic. Things would be more difficult if Kaltion was an autocracy of some kind given how much Tol has been pushing that the Republic is a democracy over the last decade."
"Tol?" inquires Kira while you recognise the name.
"Tol Cressa, the current Supreme Chancellor," you answer her, "Basically the head of the Senate and the Galactic Republic though he is getting on in his age at this point. Good friend of Dad's."
"Tol Cressa has been good for the Republic," says Mum, "While Revan has been fixing the military since the Third Sith War, Tol has been fixing the damage done by the Sith and doing his best to ensure the Galactic Republic lives up to its ideals by routing out corruption. Unfortunately, the flip side of him being Supreme Chancellor for a long time means that he is old and old enough that ambitious senators are angling to be his successor rather than his replacement."
"It is also something of an open secret that Tol is planning to retire so he can spend his last few years in peace," you add as you glance at Mum for her reaction, "Master Shan knows him better than I do so she might be able to confirm one way or another."
"Tol is planning to abdicate in a year or two once he has got someone he trusts in a firm position to take his place," admits Mum before getting very serious, "Of course, that isn't public knowledge or set in stone so no matter how many people suspect it, you can't go around telling people that I've said that."
"I understand," says Kira while you nod.
"Hey M-I mean Master Shan," you start, trying to not awkwardly look at Kira, "I was hoping to speak with you in private."
"Kira, would you mind leaving the ship for a bit?" asks Mum as she turns to Kira, "I can give you a couple hundred credits to treat yourself out or do some shopping?"
"Sure," answers Kira as she walks past Mum to head down the ramp, "I'll come back in an hour or two."
"Come on Luka, let's find somewhere more comfortable to have this conversation," says Mum as Kira exits the ship.
You follow Mum further into the
Red Banner where you take up the seats that you and Kira sat in earlier.
"Now Luka, what is that you wanted to talk to me about?" asks Mum.
"Well, I've gotten good at picking out emotions though the Force thanks to honing my Force Sense," you start off as you think about to word all of this, "So when I was speaking with Kira when I got back here, I noticed some odd emotions and reactions from her. It was a little while later when I was mediating on recent events that I realised that Kira has a crush on me."
"I see," replies Mum, sounding slight thoughtful, "I had wondered...never mind, how did you deal with that?"
"Got confused and decided to seek your advice when you got back before doing anything else," you tell her, "Which brings us to now."
"A cautious response as is the usual with you," says Mum, "While Kira has these feelings, I don't get the impressive that she is aware of them."
"I don't think she is either," you agree, "I can't be sure either way, but she is acting with these feeling for me without realising that she has them."
"I went though something similar with your father," says Mum with a wistful sigh, "I developed feelings for him as early as his training at Dantooine after Taris, but it wasn't until he pointed out that I had described our feelings as mutual attraction at Tatooine that I realised the extent of them."
"With you and Dad...?" you ask inquiringly.
"I was in varying degrees of denial until after I was redeemed at the Star Forge while Revan always flirted and courted me whenever he had the chance," replies Mum and she sounds positively nostalgic, "I found him so vain and arrogant at first, seeing him as obnoxious womanizer. But he kept at it without crossing any lines so I didn't shut him down that hard and eventually, he won me over."
"I'm glad he did, I would exist if he hadn't," you note, deciding not to reflect on that possibility.
"True, but we are getting off-topic," says Mum, "I would recommend two, no, three things. First, figure out what your feelings are. Second, get to know Kira better as person regardless of whatever feelings you might hold for. I would recommend that even if she wasn't attracted to you. Third, do not rush things. It doesn't seem to that much of a concern with you, but I've seen many a relationship failing due to people rushing into prematurely and had your father tried to rush me into a relationship, it would have never flourished like it has. You understand?"
"I understand," you reply with a nod, "Figure out my feelings, get to know Kira as a person and don't rush things."
"Good."
What are Luka's feelings on Kira right now?
[] She thinks that she has her own crush on Kira.
[] She is too conflicted to know either way at the moment.
[] She doesn't return Kira's feelings.
[] Write-in.
***
Once you and Mum have finished talking, you have some time before Kira gets back to the
Red Banner. Instead of returning to your meditation, you take the opportunity to catch up with your fellow eldest of the Shan siblings.
Your older brother Vaner is the first one that you call. Named after the name Mum gave Dad after his memory rewrite, he is a lot like Dad including a very clear physical resemblance. The biggest difference has to be that Vaner happens to be the only member of your family to lack Force Sensitivity. Which is really unfair for him because it means he is the only one of you that isn't trained to be a Jedi.
Not that good old Vaner is bothered by that. Okay, maybe he is a bit bothered, but he seems to have found his calling in politics. Which is good because the galaxy needs more good sentients in politics. You can only imagine how bad things would have gone for the Republic if Tol Cressa had hadn't spent the last few decades as Supreme Chancellor.
"Luka!" exclaims Vaner as he appears in blue via HoloNet before you, "How are you?"
"I'm doing better now," you reply as telling you are doing okay or fine is a bit of a lie, "I had my first run in with a darksider."
"Ah," mutters Vaner, giving you a sympathetic look, "Did it go well?"
"He ambushed me with a dozen thugs before maiming and capturing me," you admit and Vaner winces, "I got taken to his master, who gave me a session of impromptu torture before I was able to take the chance to escape. But I did escape, I've got a new lightsaber and I got a new prosthetic though Mum is going to get me a better one since this one doesn't feel quite right."
At the last bit, you hold up the clearly robotic forearm in question so your brother can see.
"Ouch, that must have hurt," says Vaner.
"Yeah, it did," you confirm as you lower your arm again, "So while all of that happened and Darth Malice got away, my first mission was a success because we took out her apprentice, rescued several hundred slaves and freed a planet from Czerka Corp, including saving about four thousand slaves they were illegally working in the mines here."
"That certainly sounds like a successful mission," says Vaner, "I'm sure any of those newly liberated slaves will agree that you did a good job."
"I feel I did pretty well," you agree, "Now, how have you been doing?"
"While it might not be as a good as freeing thousands of slaves and saving a world, but Senator Boldina has decided to let me join her senatorial entourage as one of her assistants," declares Vaner proudly and you feel good for him because working for Telos' senator has been his current goal in life, "I've got another couple of days left to wrap things up here on Telos and then I'll be taking a ship to Coruscant to join her in person."
"That is great to hear," you tell him earnestly, "I'm so glad that your hard work has paid off."
From there, the two of you discuss more of the details as you catch up on how your lives have been going. Eventually, Vaner has to go as he is a busy man thanks to his chosen path in life and you let him as you do need to speak with Helen.
Named after your maternal grandmother just as you are named after your maternal grandfather, Helen has been angling to become a Padawan like you despite being a year younger than you are. Which isn't too unlikely because most Jedi who start trying young end up becoming Padawans in their mid-teens. If anything, you are the oddity for becoming one as late as seventeen.
"Helen," you greet your younger sister as she appears in front of you.
"Luka," replies Helen, looking rather pleased with herself, "You won't believe what has happened?"
"I suspect that you've got good news to share?" you guess.
"Atton Rand has taken me as his Padawan," declares Helen, looking rather happy to share this news with you, "We haven't set out yet, but Master Rand is going to be helping the Republic deal with a pirate group and he'll be taking me with him."
"I'm glad that things are going well for you," you reply before holding up your right hand and arm, "Things have been more mixed for me."
"Sithspawn, what happen to you?" demands Helen as she stares at your arm.
"I got caught in a Sith ambush when I was making my way back to Mum," you explain, "I lost my hand and a bit before getting captured. I made a risky escape, ended up on a planet that Czerka Corp was trying to take over and then when Mum showed up, we freed it with Republic backup. I'll send you the reports once the situation is settled since the fighting ended less than an hour ago."
"Forget the reports, I want to hear what went down from you," replies Helen, "I mean, I still want the reports, but surely you can give your sister a first-hand accounting?"
"I've got the time so I don't see why not."
Current Stats
Vitality: 30/30
Force: 33/33
***
So this vote is basically determining how much romance you want right now. You have the options of Luka having her own attraction for Kira, being uncertain and not feeling anything right now. You do not have the options to either join straight into a relationship or permanently shut down the possibility of a relationship with Kira. You can potentially do those in the future, but right now, I am not allowing those options and will veto any write-in that tries to do either one.
Otherwise, Luka has gotten some motherly advice from Bastila and has been catching up with two of her siblings. It isn't all plot-advancing, but you do have to take the time to show and develop characters and their interactions with other characters to make people care about the NPCs so I'm going to try and show some of Luka's relationships here and there if only so I can do meaningful plots with them in the future.
For those wondering, I've made up the idea of Bastila's father being called Luke. In RL, I've named Luka as that as a homage/reference to Luke Skywalker, but in-universe, she is named after Bastila's late father.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
