Timeframe: Prequel trilogy. Final year of the Clone Wars, one year before Order 66.

Genre: Adventure, Action, Angst, Drama, H/C

Cannon Character Mentions: Mace Windu, Yoda

Summary: After leaving the Jedi Order when his former Master fell to the dark side, 14-year-old Tyro is faced with a choice - live his life out at AgriCorps, doing what good he can, or join an infamous Jedi General and fight in the Clone Wars for one last shot at becoming a Padawan.

Jedi General Gavyn, and former Padawan Tyro must team up to stop a terrorist faction threatening to bring the war back to Tirahnn, a farming and trading planet.

Warnings: Language (mild, mostly star wars swears), violence (moderate)

A/N:

This story and those to follow, chronicle the story of Gavyn, a Jedi Master and General, and his Padawan, Tyro, during the final year of the Clone Wars.

These characters were initially created for an Order 66 Star Wars D20 campaign, so we figured we should let them have some fun before meeting their inevitable fates.

In the spirit of tabletop games we tried something new, and wrote this piece using six-sided-dice for turning points and supporting characters, creating some rather interesting situations that really pushed these characters to their limits.

Beginnings

Tyro watched the last remaining outposts of the great market speed past the windows of the train in vibrant streaks before giving into rolling countryside. It had been a long day of bartering and haggling and generally trying to get people to take him seriously when he asserted exactly what he wanted and that yes, he did know precisely how much was fair price. Really Tyro enjoyed it for the experience of the whole thing. A day in the city was exhausting, and as much as he loved the change in atmosphere and the people watching, he was going to relish the week ahead of nothing but machine and droid repairs.

He leaned back in his seat and sighed, resting an arm over the crate of machine parts he had just acquired. It looked casual enough, but Tyro was alert, watching without looking, as he had been trained. One never knew what sorts would show up on a planet like Tirahnn. From produce to high-end luxury items, the bazaar here drew all sorts. He didn't have a problem with that, some of his best friends had been, well technically, criminals. One just had to be aware of the conditions and risks, and as usual, Tyro wasn't taking any but the most calculated.

Not that there were many risks to take on a planet like this. Compared to the undercity of Coruscant, navigating Tirahan was nothing, the culture was just different. And compared to the kind of work he had done in the last year, maintaining machines on a farm hardly carried any risk.

The demeanor he kept was casual enough, but Tyro let his bright green mohawk, studded and patched leather jacket, and eight piercings do most of the talking for him. While it was the norm the undercity, and the only real way to blend in without being a target, Tyro was finding his fashion taste had a few other advantages in a more diverse and comparatively amenable place such as this. It eliminated small talk for one. It also assured him personal space on a packed commuter train.

Satisfied that no one was going to dare getting anywhere near him for a good while, Tyro pulled what was now a lukewarm burger from his bag. The taste of the first bite was mingled with a sour tinge of guilt. Swallowing it down he reminded himself that the money he had paid for it had been his, fairly earned for helping a guy out with his broken speeder earlier in the day in a favor turned commission. Besides, it was his birthday. Not that, he reminded himself, the event should matter, but being fourteen was one step closer to being respected. Which meant he could do his job better, which in turn meant more profit and, perhaps, more justification for future burgers.

Before he could decide if that was okay to consider or not he had finished the burger. Years of eating for the utility of it, or perhaps just being hungry and thir...no fourteen necessitated its consumption in less than four bites. With nothing else to do Tyro pulled on his headphones and stared out at the moonlit countryside.

It seemed that every time Gavyn visited Coruscant the Jedi High Council pushed him harder and harder to take another Padawan, yet it seemed with each visit the students were younger and younger. He had no interest in bringing a child into the front lines of battle. Recently, however, Gavyn had caught wind of a scandal, resulting in the expulsion of a Jedi, and leaving his apprentice to work at Agricorps. It was surprising to Gavyn that no master had taken him, since many other generals were losing their apprentices in battle. Apparently this boy's former master had dabbled in the Dark Side, which many seemed to think would rub off on his apprentice, or that he would get them expelled for some breach of conduct as well. Gavyn felt like he knew better, this kids was faced with temptation, and still turned in his master for what he believed in. Gavyn needed that. Someone to watch his back and make sure he walked the path in the midst of war.

After a short inquiry, he found the location that Tyro- that was the boy's name- was sent to. He was sent to Tirahnn, luckily not too far off the beaten path. Gavyn had landed late in the day in the bustling spaceport, overwhelmed with the crowds and thick scents of fresh products being whisked away to the market. He made a mental note to pick up a few particularly exotic foods for Ace, since he didn't know the next time he would be in a place with such a wealth of diversity without the atrocious markup on Coruscant.

Gavyn made his way to the train, which rode out regularly to the countryside, where the Agricorps commune was located. As soon as he ducked inside he could feel that there was another force-sensitive nearby. It was hard to tell if it was another Jedi, or the young Padawan he was searching for, the energy seemed unfocused and relaxed.

The place was packed with people and their wares, it was the time when everyone was going back home to their farms after a day in the market. For a man of Gavyn's stature, it was uncomfortable to say the least. He repeated "excuse me"s and "pardon"s like it was a chant. Finally, he caught a glimmer of open space near a window, and worked his way over to the seat.

Across from him was a teenager, rough around the edges, but clearly not malevolent. Still, the studded jacket and green mohawk didn't exactly invite friends. Something was drawing Gavyn to him, however, and after a moment he realized this boy was the source of the force sensitivity on the train. He looked about the right age to be Tyro, but he was clearly not a jedi.

Regardless, Gavyn felt compelled to introduce himself. He wondered if this youngster was aware of the force to sense a Jedi. "Hello." He nodded, pulling back his hood. "Gavyn Jervada. I hope you don't mind me taking this seat."

It hit Tyro like a bolt of lightning the moment the train pulled to a stop. For half a moment Tyro suspected danger, but with a presence in the force that strong it would have to be a sith or something. Not that he had ever come across one, but somehow he got the feeling that it wouldn't feel at all like this, which felt wholly benevolent and distinctly Jedi. But no one out here had that kind of presence, in fact he couldn't think of anyone with that kind of presence, not even Master Yoda. He took a deep breath and let it go, not centering on it. Whatever it was, it was none of his business.

Tyro settled back down as the train started again, happy to not worry about it. That didn't last long. He quickly looked back out the window to avoid making eye contact with what turned out to be an enormous person of a man as he entered the car. A wave of apprehension washed over him as the man drew closer, from the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the distinctive brown robes of a Jedi.

That made sense though, he reasoned. There was only an agricorps presence here on what was usually an entirely self-sufficient planet due to the battle a few months back. The citizens here needed less help growing things and more help getting their crops and lives back in order, and the republic was doing their best to make sure that made no dent in their economy. It was a disappointment to Tyro at first, that he wasn't somewhere helping people who really needed it, but he had come to understand that anyone could fall on hard times and everyone needed help from time to time. Doubtless this guy was here to check in on how things were doing, or solve some other diplomatic problem here. Yeah, that was it.

Unless he was here for...him. After almost a month of hearings and trials, and another month or so here they certainly didn't have anything else they needed from him, right? It had been horrible, he'd lost friends, a way of life. Like a good Jedi Knight he had put that all behind him though, even if he never would be one. He was content here, this was what the force meant for him to do.

Tyro feared the worst when the man stepped up to him, but then he introduced himself. Jervada…or would it be Master Jervada then? That name was familiar. For a moment Tyro considered replying in kind, addressing the man formally with a bow, introducing himself as Padawan Reval, but he wasn't a Padawan anymore, he remembered along with the sting of the braid that had been ripped from his hair.

Best keep it vague then. "Seat's yours," Tyro shrugged. He picked up the box of machine parts on his other side and set it below his feet to make more room. The guy was huge; tall, broad shoulders and a thick beard that made him look only larger. If the man was here for him he would say so, if not, he could go on with the life he had forged for himself.

Then it hit him. Jervada. That was the name of that General. He didn't know the details but, this was the guy they called in when it got real. Real enough that the cost of lives didn't matter. If he was here, something was about to go down.

Gavyn leaned back, making himself comfortable. He studied the teen further, certain in his feelings that he was force sensitive. There was nothing about him to indicate association with the Jedi however. He didn't wear the braid of an apprentice. He didn't wear simple robes, even simple farming robes. He seemed more like a civilian, and more like an urban civilian at that.

"What brought you into the city today?" Gavyn asked, hoping to while away the train ride with some conversation. He didn't know what the stuff in the box of metal scraps did, so couldn't make a fair guess about what this kid's job was.

"Er," Tyro started. The conversation caught him off guard. "Picking up parts for repairs." He wanted to leave it at that, pull on his headphones and just not get involved, but something about this guy was nagging him. He couldn't just turn a blind eye to it. "You?"

"I am on my way to visit the Agricorps settlement." Gavyn answered openly. He wasn't sure if the boy had heard about it, however. "They're a humanitarian group that are helping rebuild the acreage that was spoiled in the recent war. They haven't been here too long yet."

A sudden disturbance in the force rocked Gavyn. He stood up suddenly, backing away from the door. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he knew that this was not going to be a peaceful train ride after all.