Panda and Tiger

Number 2

Honorable Piracy

I ducked, dodged, danced, bent, bobbed, swayed, bowed, crouched, dipped, dived, doubled, eluded, evaded, fenced, lowered, lurched, sidestepped, parried, plunged, shirked, shunned, shied, and stooped through all the blaster fire.

It would take only one hit to knock me out. Only one. Then I would fail and fall. And worse, I would disappoint Master Panda by Failing, and I won't let that happen.

The Force was with me. There, guiding me through the Hailstorm that engulfed me. I was the Force; the Force was me. A Symbiotic relationship that currently was saving me. Through the Force I was the room; I was the blasters; I was the beams of energy flying at me.

I was calm, despite the flurry of motion I had become. The Force would show me where to go, revealed little gaps in the laser fire that I could squeeze into, and where there wasn't room, showed me how to swing the, now blue, blade of my lightsaber so room would appear.

I love doing this. Sure, it's rather dangerous, but I still Love doing this.

I was moving slowly, and so was everything around me. I'm guessing the Force had a hand in that. Actually, come to think of it, everything probably wasn't moving slowly, I was moving fast.

But I'm going to get really tired soon. No matter how powerful a Jedi is, even with the enormous reserves of stamina the Force grants, they will fail sooner or later.

So I shifted my focus. Instead of being on the defensive, I went to the offensive. I stopped knocking away blaster shots and sending them back to where they came from, exploding the gun.

Soon many explosions rang through the air. It took a while, I can't say how long, as time was all screwy, but eventually I destroyed all the blasters.

With enormous gratitude, I thanked the Force for all it had done. Then, I slowly drew myself out of it.

Little did I know that the Force was the only thing keeping me upright; I collapsed on the deck.

I came to in a rather uncomfortable Medical bed. Well, it actually wasn't that uncomfortable. I was just so sore that it hurt to lie down.

There was some sort of buzzing going on around me. Then I realized it was voices. I eventually managed to tune in to the conversation.

"-ouldn't have let him in your chamber without at least asking me first."

I know that voice. It sounds very familiar.

"Master Jedi, It was a spur of the moment idea. He did volunteer"

"Commander Rex, I realize it was a Fun thing you wanted to try out, but look at the results."

"If I may say so sir, that boy there did a hell of a job in the chamber. Hell, I'd like to recommend him for a Corellian Bloodstripe if I could."

"He destroyed all your equipment."

"Equipment's replaceable. I certainly don't mind losing a couple hundred blasters for a show like that."

"It nearly killed him."

"Well, I should say so; spending four hours avoiding laser fire would make anyone exhausted. He broke the previous record by two and a half hours."

"Yes, he's good at doing things like that."

"If I may sir, that boy is a natural Warrior. Is he Corellian by any chance?"

"He is."

"Well, if he hadn't become a Jedi, I would have liked to train him in the military."

"He's a great kid. A little reckless and impulsive, but still a great kid. Five years ago he beat up a kid older then him."

"What did he do?"

"Well, Tiger doesn't know that I know, but the older boy had been abusing one of the smaller kids, and Tiger challenged him to a fight. They were wielding only wooden staffs. When it was over, the older boy was in the medical ward for two days."

"How old did you say he was then?"

"Eleven."

The second voice gave a low whistle. "At least the kid deserved it."

"Actually, Tiger was captured by one of the other Masters, Dooku, and when he was brought before the council without me, he didn't tell them about the smaller kid."

"Why not? It was an honorable thing to stand up for a friend."

"I think that he was ashamed for what he did. Tiger's afraid of hurting others, and that happens a lot when you don't think before you act."

"What did you do?"

"I went and found the video of what had happened. Then I showed it to the council. They were puzzled by Tiger's behavior as much as I, but agreed to not punish him severely. They did not even let him build his lightsaber until only recently."

"Well, I'd be proud to have a kid like that under my command."

Drowsiness settled in, and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up a little while later; Master Panda was in the Chair next to me, meditating. How like a Jedi.

"I'm in big trouble, aren't I." it was more of a statement of a fact than a question.

"Well, let's see here…" said Master Panda "You did a very foolish thing in trying out this Laser-arena-thing of Commander Rex's, you forgot to check with me to see if it was okay, you worked yourself to the point of exhaustion, and you destroyed over a thousand Credit's worth of equipment."

I winced. Hot water's not a good thing to be in, and Master Panda had his you've-done-bad-and-you-shouldn't-have-done-that tone of voice on.

"You also achieved a near impossible feat, survived a Blaster storm of fire for three hours, defeated the room, relied on the Force for all of this, made yourself a name among the Crew, and possibly won the Corellian Bloodstripe, albeit second class."

It was so much like Master Panda to state the bad with the good. Wait, did he say Corellian Bloodstripe?

"Corellian Bloodstripe?" Blink, Blink.

"Yes, Commander Rex thinks you deserve it for this little incident. He originally wanted to give you First Class Bloodstripes, but upon reflection, Second Class seems more fitting, as you weren't in any real danger."

"Still, second class Bloodstripes… Wow."

I should probably explain the whole Bloodstripe thing.

Bloodstripes are a symbol of courage awarded by the Corellian military. Basically if one does something great enough, or something which is truly heroic, they can be recommended for the stripe. There are two classes, First Class and Second Class, second being the lower class. Most First Class Bloodstripes are handed out posthumously.

"Yes, a great feat deserves a reward is what Commander Rex said." Master Panda opened his eyes and looked directly at me. "So, what did you think of the Arena?"

"Wait, so you're not mad at me?"

"Should I be? You seem to have learned your lesson. Why persist in a finished argument?"

I rolled my eyes "You're right of course"

"That's why I'm the master and you are the Padawan." He said smugly "Now, what did you think."

"Well, I said, "It's a great workout; Good practice in opening oneself to the force during battle. Why?"

"Even though I have to not condone your actions, the laser arena does appeal as a training exercise."

"Yeah, Cin Drollig would have a field day sending younglings through it."

"Yes, the Troll would."

I swung myself out of bed. Ow. I was really sore.

"Any attacks while I was out?" I asked.

"No sign of the pirates."

Yeah, pirates, the reason Master Panda and I were on Corellia.

A group of pirates had started attacks on trading vessels in system, not unusual for the Corellian Sector, but this group is different.

The specifically target the goods of a trading organization, Corellian Goods. Every ship they own has been attacked, boarded and all goods seized. Even if they try sending their products on other vessels, they are still boarded and only those products are seized. Later the goods are returned by escape pod to Corellia's surface.

Naturally, this is damaging to Corellian Goods. The driving force behind the company, Mant Karx, Started harping on the Corellian Security Forces to stop the problem. After a while, the CSF called the Jedi Council. Normally, they'd just say it was a frivolous for Jedi to get in to, but, in my opinion, they need a cannon fodder mission to send me on, something not too dangerous, and something that would take a while.

When I mentioned this to Master Panda, he pointed out that I must have a high opinion of myself if the council is trying so hard to keep me down. Once again, he was right.

Still, these pirates are intriguing. They obviously aren't in it for the goods, or they wouldn't send them back. And since they're only attacking Corellian goods property, it stands to reason that they have a personal vendetta against the company.

It doesn't help that Karx is rather anti-Jedi. You see, in order for Corellian goods to have a vendetta against them, they need to have done something to the pirates. Karx refuses to co-operate in any way with Master Panda or I. Personally, I think he did something bad to piss off some crime boss, like miss a payment or something, and now they are getting on his case.

And that brings us where we are now, aboard the victory class warship Deadly, Commanded by the fearless Commander Thrak Rex. He kinda had a training room he dubbed the "Laser Arena", and had wanted to know if I wanted to try my mettle.

Panda and I made our way to the bridge. Commander Rex saluted us with his characteristic military salute. His uniform was crisp and orderly, and a red Bloodstripe decorated his left leg.

That was the reason for my sudden infatuation with the Corellian Bloodstripe, Commander Rex had explained to me the entire history behind them. When I asked him what he had done to earn them, he replied that he kept his wits about him in battle, and that the Bloodstripe had come from doing that.

"Master Jedi, Padawan" he gave a slight head bow, "we're presently a couple light-years from Talus and Tralus, our ETA will be in an hour."

Master Panda and I had cooked up a nice plan. Since the Pirates had been attacking ships containing Corellian Goods' products, Master Panda and I were going to hide out on two different ships, one containing Corellian goods, and one claiming to do so. This would give us a chance to figure out how much information the Pirates have been getting, as well as let us have a chance at the pirates.

"Thank you Commander." Said Master Panda

"Anytime Master Jedi. Now, how are you, Young Padawan?" I swear his smile was so big it took up half his face.

"A little sore" I said "but no more worse for wear than usual. Did you get it on tape?" If anyone back at the Temple is going to believe me, I'd better have proof.

"All four hours and thirty-eight minutes of it. Why, you want a copy on a videodisc?"

"Yes, Please. I don't want to be accused of bragging."

"Smart move, I've met many soldiers and pilots who you can't tell if they're lying or not."

"Yeah, I'd like to avoid that. Many of the masters frown upon what they take as lying."

"That's because Lying come from fear" said Master Panda "and you should have nothing to fear. Besides, fear leads to anger-"

"Anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering." I finished "I know, I know."

"Well, it's good advice" Said Commander Rex "If half the people in this galaxy practiced the ways of the Jedi, there'd be a whole lot less battle going on. Then again, I'd be out of a Job."

"And you're rather good at your job." Said Master Panda, "but tell me, do you have the info on the ships?"

"It just came in a moment ago." Commander Rex activated a hologram. A blue-tinted bubble-like ship came into view. "This is the Calamari ship Ovalian, Master Jedi. You will rendezvous with its captain at Dock 18." He activated another thing on the holopad. "And this is the Corellian Freighter Bravado. The captain will expect you at dock 13, young Padawan."

"Which ship has the goods?" I asked

Commander Rex gave me a lop-sided grin. "I wish I could tell you, but I don't know. For obvious security reasons that seems to be classified."

"As it should be." Said Master Panda "this mission requires the identity of the ship carrying the actual cargo to be classified in order to reveal how high up the pirates gets their information."

"What should I do if I end up on the ship with the cargo and the Pirates show up?" I asked.

"Infiltrate and report" said Master Panda in the Tone he always uses when he's trying to drill in something "we need to know who these pirates are and where they get information."

"Don't forget what their shtick with Corellian Goods is." I added

Master Panda nodded. "That too. Is your comlink fully charged?

I pulled out my comlink and showed him the power level. "Fully charged. I also have a second power pack for it."

"Excuse me sir," said Commander Rex "but what shall I and the Deadly do when the pirates show up? It's our duty to chase away the pirates, but that might not be the best choice here."

"An excellent question." Said Master Panda thoughtfully "My suggestion is to watch from a distance. If our respective ships need help, I'm sure our captains won't mind."

"Yes, sir. I'll get the Macabre to watch as well so I'm not in a case of double jeopardy. Best of luck to you."

Commander Rex walked over to a standing officer on the bridge. Master Panda turned to me.

"Do you feel ready for this?" asked Master Panda. He must have seen the look on my face.

"Kinda. Maybe. Sorta. No."

"I could tell; you're quivering in the Force." Master Panda's look was one of concern. "What's the problem?"

"Nothing much." I said, "I'm just going out into an unfamiliar environment, to complete a task which may or may not end with me failing."

"Don't worry; you'll do fine. I know your judgment. Besides, if those pirates knew you were on their tail, and they knew you as much as I do, they'd be running scared about now." I snorted. "We all get pre-game jitters."

"Whoa, really? I had like no clue."

Panda laughed. "Go back to your cabin. Do one of those relaxing techniques I taught you. Use your lightsaber. I'll meet you in the hanger in ten minutes."

He strode off to somewhere. Ten minutes. How can I possibly get some Jedi calm in ten minutes?

I walked down to my cabin. They never tell you how much fear and doubt you go through before your mission. Usually, you hear of how brave So-and-so was. But in these moments before a mission, I feel more scared than I ever have in my life.

I don't like failing and disappointing people. Sure I'll piss off people like Master Dooku, but Master Dooku and his ilk never did anything to earn my loyalty, they always expect it.

I don't make friends out of the other Padawans. Sure, I've got very many Acquaintances, but besides Mace, I don't really have very many true friends. I'm loyal to the friends I have, and will try to go out of my way to help them if I can.

Actually, not having a lot of friends has only served to teach me the value of a true friend. Some Padawans, like Michell Maxweel, are glory hogs and surround themselves with people so they can have the illusion of having it all together. But, speaking as someone who has gazed underneath the veil of popularity and the friends you attract, it seems that those who seem to have the most friends are the ones truly alone, while the ones with few friends are the ones who have each others backs.

I don't want to fail Master Panda. It's not because I'm afraid of what he'll do, but because I want him to be proud of me.

I sat down on my bunk in my quarters, and picked up my lightsaber. I flicked it on, and a yellow blade greeted me. Yellow, the color of fear. Since the crystal is attuned to my moods, it will show what mood I'm in based upon the color of the blade.

I opened my mind, started breathing slowly, and focused my mind on a field. With my mind I painted every grass blade, every leaf, ever bug and Animal. Then, I reached for the Force.

Through the Force, I felt the moisture in the room project, like for a hologram, and I opened my eyes.

I was sitting in a field, for miles around. My lightsaber glowed Green. I was ready.

I made my way through the crowded streets of the capital of Tralus, Rellidir. I was in full undercover Jedi garb, with a hood covering my Padawan Braid, and my lightsaber concealed up my sleeve, ready to be used in a moment's notice.

I found Dock 13 easily enough. It was not really hard to not notice the hulk of junk that looked like it could barely keep together, let alone fly off world. The Captain featured a Scar above his right eye, and a blaster at his hip. He didn't give any small talk, just took my fare, gave me poor directions to where I was supposed to be, and then told me to stay there if we got into trouble, said he didn't want to worry about my sorry behind if there was.

Either he doesn't know who I am, or he's good at pretending like he doesn't care. The Force seemed to indicate the first possibility.

As soon as I was alone, I snuck into the Cargo hold. It was actually easier than I thought it would be. I just acted like I knew where I was going, and I was supposed to be there.

It turns out my ship would be the one with the cargo from Corellian Goods. It wasn't that hard to find it in the crowded cargo hold. Someone had sprayed it with a luminescent paint. You'd have to be blind not to spot it.

I'd like to say I felt courageous and manly, and powerful. But I wasn't. If anything I felt like I was committing Hubris. Who was I to try to do this?

The glow-in-the-dark Cargo box tells me one major thing; this ship is slotted for attack. We haven't left the planet, and already our cover is blown. I wouldn't mind so much if the goods were on Master Panda's ship; He can handle anything coming his way. I pulled out my comlink.

"Tiger to Panda, come in Panda."

Static, whirring noise.

"Go ahead Tiger"

"Our cover is blown."

"How so?"

"The Pirates marked the cargo. They know which ship it's on."

"Is there any indication that they know about you?"

"I haven't felt anything."

"Then stay, but keep your lightsaber ready."

I checked my chronometer

"We're taking off in a minute." I looked at the cargo. Its glowing paint seemed to be an eye, looking at me. "Master" I found myself saying

"Yes?" His voice seemed a little strained.

"I'm going to hide in the cargo. This is an inside job. If I hide in there I can find out who the pirate are."

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"Forget safe. The pirates know where the cargo is, and they might know I'm a Jedi. If I hide in this thing, I can be taken aboard when they remove the Cargo."

"Very well. May the Force be with you."

I opened the cargo, shuffled around some stuff to make an area, and then sealed the chamber behind me.

I then resigned myself to waiting.

I don't know the specifics of what happened in the fight between the Bravado and the Pirates. In fact, I don't even know if there was a fight. But, it suffices to say that the Bravado was boarded about an hour after takeoff. I couldn't hear the pirates say anything, but I felt their minds through the Force.

The first mind was in a hurry. He was nervous; he didn't want to get caught. However he knew he had to get the cargo because it was right. I don't know why, but to him, taking the cargo was the right thing to do.

The second mind was different. I felt grief; Immense grief. I felt like crying it was so painful. This mind was sorrowing. But under the sorrow, was a spark of anger. Anger at those who had taken from him. Who had destroyed what he sorrowed over.

But what strikes me most about his anger was… it was right. His anger was a contradiction to everything I had been taught. Anger was evil. We shouldn't be angry. But this anger was different then most of the anger I had met before. It was right.

I payed attention to this mind as they pushed me on to a hovercart, then loaded me on their ship.

As I listened, I ran into a name. Mairya. This must be who he's grieving over. My dear sweet girl.

I was intruding, and I knew it. I withdrew from the guy's mind.

We touched down a long time later. Long enough for me to sneak a quick nap. We touched down on the ground, and then I was moved. I tensed, lightsaber at the ready.

The thing opened. I found myself looking at a blaster.

"Alright, who are you and what are you doing?"