LordDarthYoda - I like to think of Yoda quietly sipping tea in his chambers, watching the news when there is a report of anti-Jedi outrage playing...and a big picture of Nara Nalto as one of the ring leaders - I think it would be amusing to watch Yoda do a spit take...
Speechbubbleme - I think the difference between Sascha and Nara would be that Nara would always try the bold, direct strategy, whereas Sascha would always try to find the 'clever' strategy. It's a very Anakin vs. Obi-wan sort of thing - both approaches work, but both Jedi play to their strengths. The University orientation was very much based on my own experiences at University and while this is a galaxy far, far away, I think that some things would very much stay the same...
BooshaBay - I feel like a lot of the anti-Jedi sentiment must exist (even before the clone wars), because most people react to the disbanding of the Jedi Order with little more than a shrug. I mean, if the Jedi were beloved, I'm pretty sure people would have been pretty upset if they were mysteriously eliminated.
A/N -Nothing from me this time.
As always, Please enjoy the next chapter.
Chapter 8: School Daze
Sascha and Nara spent the remainder of the day finding what information they could about Zven Hitplik as well as discussing what they wanted to do tomorrow and what plans they might make. Preliminary research on Zven revealed very little about the Zabrak, but Nara and Sascha both felt that they would do well to keep an eye on him and potentially follow him. Nara had also set up a 'not quite a date' with Zven for tomorrow night, which could potentially lead to some further clues. Or it could lead to nothing.
That night he slept on the couch with Nara not even broaching the question of sleeping in the same bed, only offering to swap places with him and have her sleep on the couch tomorrow. Judging by how uncomfortable his sleep had been, he was going to take Nara up on that offer.
He and Nara had woken up early so that they could go for a morning jog together, which was both good exercise, as well as being a nice way to map out the immediate area. He had developed quite a positive perception of Estimar in the short time he'd been on planet. Despite its relatively large size, the planet as a whole felt like it was a quiet, relaxing place, far different from the hustle and bustle of Coruscant. People here led quiet, happy lives. That was why it was so odd that this was becoming an epicenter for anti-Jedi sentiment? Estimar was prosperous. Why did it seem to care about the Jedi Order?
After they returned to their apartment, Sascha had a sanisteam, dressed himself in his new casual clothes and headed off to his first class of the day, which conveniently, was a class on Jedi History. If there was going to be a class that would draw the ire of the anti-Jedi students, it was likely to be this one. The professor, Hupert Taruk was a well-known scholar of Jedi history that had even been allowed within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to peruse the archives (under quiet supervision, of course, but even being let inside the archives of the Jedi was a right bestowed on few.) Professor Taruk had lectured for many years on Coruscant, but had semi-retired to teach on his homeword of Estimar.
Sascha found the lecture hall with some difficulty and settled into his seat roughly in the middle of the auditorium. He took out his datapad and hooked it into the charging station in his seat. While many Universities across the galaxy offered lectures that could be viewed from the comfort of home (wherever in the galaxy that happened to be), Apren Polytechnic clung to the old way of making students come in and physically be present in the lecture hall. Sascha thought that made sense. By being in an environment of learning it put one in the right mindset to learn. Besides, if one was paying thousands of credits for an education, he thought it made sense to have the professor physically present in the same room with you.
Having gotten to the classroom with plenty of time to spare before the lecture was supposed to begin, Sascha mapped out his surroundings, looking for where the exits were and determining the best escape route. While an earlier version of himself would have thought of this sort of analysis was kind of unsettling, a reminder that he could never really evade his Jedi training, the current version of himself simply had grown to accept it.
The class filled in slowly, in drips and drabs. There seemed to be a smattering of basically every species in the galaxy entering the classroom, a truly multi-species affair. Like many worlds in the Republic that had been settled in the expansion era, Estimar had a fairly large non-human population. A bored looking Sullustian eventually sat to Sascha's left, while a cute Miralian girl sat on his right.
Before Sascha could think of what to say, the Miralian dropped her datapad. It fell to the ground, making a loud, clattering sound. "Oh no..." she said, picking the device off the ground, "please don't be broken!" The Miralian pressed a few buttons and then slumped in her chair as if all her bones had simultaneously left her body all at once. "No..." she moaned, defeated.
Guessing that the datapad was indeed broken, Sascha put on his most beatific smile and said, "Hi. Can I maybe look at it? I'm pretty good at fixing things."
Clearly on the verge of tears, the Miralian put the device in his hands, "Please fix it...I don't have the credits for a new one."
Sascha looked at the datapad. The screen had a minor crack in it, but nothing that couldn't be fixed by getting the screen replaced. But it didn't matter what buttons he pushed, the datapad seemed to be dead. He toyed with the idea of giving her his datapad, only to realize that handing over his datapad full of information from the Jedi Temple was a bad idea and a quick way to blow his cover.
He pressed a few more buttons and handed the device back, "I'm sorry..."
The Miralian sobbed and put her head in her hands.
"...but I fixed it."
The Miralian almost jumped out of her chair, "You what?"
"When you dropped it, you hit the 'off' button. It works fine, minus the crack in the screen."
Despite having Jedi reflexes, Sascha could not avoid being enveloped in a hug from the Miralian (not that he was complaining.) "Thank you! I think I'm losing my mind and its the week day of classes."
Sascha gently extracted himself from the hug, "That's okay. It's my first week of class at Apren Polytechnic too."
"I suppose I should introduce myself then. I'm Riya Lein."
"Sascha Whitestar."
He managed to take a more detailed look at Riya. The Miralian had a pretty face, and soft blue eyes. She had a line of triangular tatoos that ran sideways on both cheeks which he found to be very striking. Riya wore a modest, plain, long, black, dress that wasn't particularly flattering. Still, that made the warm features on her face stand out even more.
"Where are you from, Sascha?"
He decided to go with the easy answer, "Coruscant. How about you?"
"Miral. I'm here on a scholarship. I thought it would cover all my expenses, but it feels like I'm already broke by the start of the first class."
"Hmm. Same," he said noncommittally.
"So why Jedi history, Sascha?" Riya asked.
"It fit into my schedule," he said, lying easily. "Plus, I figured that the Jedi have been involved in so many of the most important events in the history of the Republic, so I thought it would be interesting. What about you?"
"I'm studying biomechanical engineering here, they have a great program here. But I always wanted to learn more about the Jedi, and I had one free elective so here we are. I guess I've always been curious about the Jedi since one of my cousins is one."
"Really?"
"Yeah, her name is Luminara Unduli. She's pretty famous for working with the Senate, mostly with the previous chancellor."
Sascha tried to keep a straight face, but his shock must have shown clearly. This random student was related (tangentially, but legitimately related) to Luminara? That was some crazy coincidence. If it was true, of course.
"You think I'm lying," said Riya.
"I...umm..."
"It would be a silly thing to lie about, wouldn't it? It doesn't mean that I'm special in any way. Just related to someone who is."
"But people lie for silly reasons all the time," he said.
"They do, don't they," said Riya.
Sascha was spared from having to figure out what to say next by the entrance of their teacher, Professor Taruk walked in. The Professor was a tall Cerean that reminded Sascha of Ki-Adi Mundi. Dressed in a simple robe that was vaguely like what a Jedi might wear (but made out of far more comfortable materials), the Professor carried himself with a air of quiet dignity, that was reminiscent of the way some of the older Jedi Masters carried themselves.
The Professor took his spot at the lectern at the front of the classroom and spoke into the embedded microphone, "Good morning, class. I want to make sure that everyone is in the right place, this is Introduction to Jedi History. So if any of you happen to be in the wrong classroom, now is your chance to leave. Anyone in the wrong place? Don't worry it happens to at least one student each year..." The Cerean professor smiled and waited. After a moment of silence, a embarrassed looking Bothan picked up his things and headed for the exit.
The Cerean waited for the door to close before speaking again, "There is always one..." he said with a rueful smile. "On to more important matters, I am Professor Taruk, and..."
Suddenly, one student popped out of his seat. Sascha thought that he was another student that realized he was in the wrong classroom, but the tall, lanky human didn't look embarrassed. He looked angry.
"No more Jedi propaganda!" the human shouted, pumping his fist into the air.
Sascha, stunned, watched as a few more students of varying species also stood from their seats and repeated, "No more Jedi propaganda!"
Professor Taruk held up his hands, "Students, please sit down."
More students joined in with the chant.
"Please, you must understand that I'm merely teaching history..."
But whatever the Professor was going to say was drowned out by more and more students standing and shouting. All of them repeating the phrase, "No more Jedi propaganda!" All told, it looked to Sascha that about a tenth of the students in the lecture hall were standing and shouting. Admittedly, some of the students were trying to persuade the protesters to sit down, but few were having much effect.
Sascha turned to his right and saw that his new Miralian friend Riya looked absolutely mortified at what was going on. For his part, he was having a hard time figuring out what he should do. Join the protesters and see if he could fit in? Try to take notes on who was shouting? Try to find the leaders and identify him or her?
At the front of the room, Professor Taruk was trying desperately to restore order in his classroom, "If you would all please sit down I'd be happy to address your concerns..."
The protesting students were not interested in a dialog though. The protesting students started up another chant, "No more Jedi tyranny!"
Sascha slunk in his seat. These protesters were ardently against an organization that they had likely had never affected their lives in any way. But still they wanted the Jedi, and thus him, off of their world. He really did not understand why there was this undercurrent of hatred against the Jedi. The Jedi fought for peace and was about as neutral as you could get.
Professor Taruk tried to wait out this new chant, but his patience wore out. "I will be calling security, so those of you who continue to interrupt my lecture please exit. There is a time and place to protest, but disrupting the lecture of your peers is not one of them."
"But this is the only way we can get our message heard," shouted back one student, whom Sascha was unable to identify.
"I don't care," replied this Professor, "Do it in someone else's classroom."
"Why do the Jedi get such loyalty from you?" the same speaker sneered. "How much are they paying you?"
Sascha finally got a good look at who was confronting the Professor. It was a tall, gangly looking looking Aybarian, and judging by the expression on his face, he was severely annoyed. Sascha quickly used the Force to probe the Aybarian, to find out if he was planning on inflicting violence. If he was, Sascha would intervene, undercover or not. But the Aybarian, his woolly hair visible underneath his shirt, seemed merely intent on proving a point.
The Aybarian started to make his way down the steps of the lecture hall, eventually standing directly in front of the Cerean professor, "Those who side with the Jedi are blind to the truth, Professor. This place of higher learning should not be subject to the lies and the deceptions of the Jedi Order. The truth will be heard Professor."
Professor Taruk tried to find a response to that, but couldn't find the words. Clearly heartbroken, the Professor watched about one of every ten students in his class walk out, still chanting their anti-Jedi slogans.
After the door closed behind them, there was an audible silence. No one wanted to say anything. Finally Professor Taruk spoke up, "We'll take a short break, I guess. I'll teach the class as long as there are no more interruptions."
The Cerean shambled out of the classroom, still obviously in a bit of shock. The students that were left in lecture hall began to speak amongst themselves.
Riya leaned over and spoke quietly to him, "That was...something."
"It was something all right," he said glumly.
"Are you okay? You look pale," asked Riya
Sascha wasn't feeling that great at the very moment, but he didn't want to show it. "I'm okay." He shook his head, "I guess I just don't understand why people are protesting a lecture."
Riya smiled slyly, "Don't you see what they did? They all signed up for this class so that students who really wanted to learn about Jedi history couldn't. Selfish and cynical. But if you wanted to stop people from learning about the Jedi...this is one small way to do it. Plus, they just cast doubt over anything we'll learn this semester."
"Good point." Sascha settled into his seat, and tried to conceal the sense of dread that he was currently feeling. This mission was turning out to be a bigger deal than he ever thought it might be.
Back in their apartment, the two Padawans were discussing what had happened during their day. Her day had been uneventful, which meant that she and Sascha were discussing what had happened during his Jedi history class. It was almost disappointing that the only interesting thing happened to Sascha. She preferred it when interesting things happened to her.
"Did you get any names of these protesters or anything?" she asked.
Sascha shook his head and looked at the ceiling of their apartment, "I can give general descriptions, but they weren't exactly wearing nametags."
"And how many were there?"
"Like 10% of the class maybe? It felt like more at the moment, because they were loud. And they were organized, coordinated." Her friend shook his head, "I think that this anti-Jedi sentiment is growing. Which means they are recruiting. What doesn't make sense is how we haven't been able to find how they are recruiting."
"It's been like three days Sascha. Give it time." Nara slid her legs out in front of her so she could sit more comfortably on the floor. "How about the girl that you were talking with. You got her number?"
Sascha blushed and stammered, "No."
Nara slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, "Why not?"
Sascha stood up, his face twisting into a mask of barely concealed anger, "What is your obsession with my dating life, Nara?"
Nara got up and stood face to face with Sascha, "Oh for Force sakes, Sascha! I don't care about your dating life! From the way you talked about her she seemed like a friendly face though! One that might have been useful to check in with occasionally to see if she's seen any of these anti-Jedi people! Aren't you the one building a network of friends? By the Force, I thought you'd know better!"
Sascha's look of anger faded into one of sheepishness, "I guess I screwed up."
"Yeah, you did." She sighed, "Look Sascha, we clearly do not know what we are up against. It's possible that you saw the entirety of the anti-Jedi group today in your classroom. Or it could be thousands of people strong. We don't know. And until we know, we need every source of information you can get, including random girls you meet in class."
Sascha sat heavily on the couch and again looked at the ceiling of the apartment. "You're right. Of course." His mouth quirked, "Usually I'm the one dishing out the good advice."
She smiled out of the corner of her mouth, "Who do you think I learned to give good advice from?"
"Your Master, of course," said Sascha modestly.
That was of course, partially true, but she had learned a lot from Sascha about how to analyze a mission. Her friend had an analytic mind that was well suited to such things. Her brain wasn't quite wired the same way, but she tried to learn as much as she could from Sascha's example. The single best thing she had learned from Sascha was that everything could be a clue, so pay attention to everything, even the things that you think didn't matter. Like the opinion of a random person you met in class. Was...whatever her name was the key to breaking this mission wide open? Almost certainly not. But it make no sense not to follow every lead to its logical conclusion. Jedi didn't always make for the best detectives, so they had to be tenacious, just like any other detective would be.
She tilted her head up to look at her friend, "Can I say something, Sascha?"
"Does it matter if I say no?" Sascha said sarcastically.
"Not really. Look, Sascha. I don't really care about your dating life. I think that I really put too much pressure on you to make things physical...I think I wanted you to be more like me. I've decided that I'll respect the choices that you make." She smiled impishly at him, "But if you ever want advice on how to woo the opposite sex, I'm willing to help you out."
Sascha actually looked touched, "Thank you, Nara."
She punched Sascha's shoulder, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for my date."
"Half-date."
She shrugged, "I might need to flirt with him to get him to say more than he wants to."
"Sounds like a fun assignment...he's not very good looking is he?"
"Let's just say the spikes on his head are not sexy. He's not bad looking. But he's not good looking either."
Sascha made a tsking sound, "So speciest, Nara."
"Puh-lease. I like men of all description and species. I just happen to like Togruta men more." Nara started towards the refresher, "Now excuse me while I go put on some makeup."
"Don't let me get in your way," remarked Sascha casually.
"I wasn't."
Nara spent maybe three minutes working on her appearance. A quasi date wasn't much to get worked up about, but it wouldn't help things to have her show up looking like a slob. It was a delicate balance, playing the female. Showing up in casual clothes and without any additional makeup would have been a surefire, if subtle, way to indicate to Zven that she wasn't interested in him romantically. However if she put too much time into her appearance, that could indicate the opposite, which was also something she wanted to avoid. So she had to find the middle ground. That was the nice thing about growing up in the Jedi Temple - there was no dating scene, so worrying about things like this was something she only needed to do on rare occasions.
She decided to add some blush to her cheeks, much as she had on Chandrilla, it was the kind of thing that showed that she had put some effort into her appearance without overdoing it.
She exited the refresher, and presented herself to Sascha. As usual, Sascha seemed to find her attempts to doll herself up more amusing than anything. "It took you that long to do that?"
Like most men that Nara had ever met, Sascha thought that makeup simply applied itself by some sort of incredible coincidence. "How does it look?"
"I don't know Nara, you have two eyes, and access to a mirror don't you?"
"Sascha, please drop the sarcasm for a moment. We are on a mission."
Her friend's mischievous look faded, "Sorry. Yeah you look good, Nara. Do you want me to come along? You know...as your..."
"...boyfriend. It's not a curse word, Sascha. And no, I think it's better if you don't come along."
He nodded, "Okay."
That was something she liked about Sascha. He was not overprotective and he trusted her. When she said that she didn't want him along, there was no argument and no chance he'd surreptitiously follow her like her life was some sort of boring holodrama.
"See you in a bit, Sascha. I have my comlink on if you need me. Keep yours on if I need you."
Sascha gave her a quick salute, "Good luck on your half date, Nara Nalto."
The location for her and Zven's 'not quite a date' was a quiet restaurant that was just outside of Apren Polytechnic's main campus. Nara arrived fashionably late and met Zven at the front door to the restaurant, "Sorry I'm late she apologized. I'm just getting used to getting around. I got lost twice," she said sheepishly.
Zven waved her apology away easily, "It happens." He waved at the restaurant, "This is one of my favourite places outside campus. It's busy at night, but as we are early enough, we should be able to get a booth still."
Nara took note that the restaurant was called Yeltash's diner, and that it purported to serve 'Authentic Chandrillan cuisine.' Having been to Chandrilla, knew that the Chandrillans preferred their meals to be vegetarian...which was not the kind of thing that interested her in terms of food. So that meant that either Zven had intentionally picked a stupid restaurant to bring her to. Or he didn't know about Togruta being carnivores.
Zven had at least dressed up a little, putting on clothes that were a bit more casual. A red skinned Zabrak with black tattoos, Zven carried himself with an air of intelligence and standoffishness. His high collared shirt even suggested as much. If Nara had just met him for the first time, she would have described him as a priggish intellectual. And considering she knew him a little bit, she was pretty sure that was an accurate assessment.
Zven graciously led her to an open booth and sat across from her. The menu for the restaurant popped up in holographic form off to her right. To her surprise the menu showed of a surprising amount of reasonably priced meats.
"You look surprised," Zven said evenly, hiding a little grin of amusement.
"Yeah...I just thought Chandrillan cuisine was largely vegetarian."
"Ah," said Zven, looking amused now, "That's because you seem to know something of Chandrillan culture. Most people here just associate 'Chandrilla' with 'quality.' So if you want your restaurant to be able to charge higher prices, despite being exactly the same as every other restaurant in the area..."
"You market it as something more upscale than it is," Nara finished. "Smart. Disingenuous, but smart." She shook her head, "But I don't get it, why do you eat here if its the same as other places?"
Zven shrugged, "Because I like to reward intelligence. And it was intelligent to market this place as a Chandrillan eatery."
"And that's why you wanted to meet with me. Because you respect intelligence," she said. It was a bit of a bold statement, but she wanted to acquire Zven's respect, and to do that she figured that she'd have to prove herself worthy of being around him (and what he surely thought as his 'advanced' intellect.) Instead of playing the passive female, she decided to be her usual, boisterous self.
Zven gave her an appraising look, "You are a bold one, aren't you Miss Nalto?"
"Just Nara is fine. And yes, I do have a reputation for being bold and speaking my mind. It tends to get me in trouble."
The Zabrak nodded knowingly, "Ah, I was similar when I was younger, but perhaps we should order food first before we get started on our conversation."
Nara smiled, showing her teeth a little, "I am hungry."
Zven bowed his head politely, "I will be a gentleman and offer to pay for your meal, though I am progressive enough not to be offended if you do not accept."
"I'll pay for mine. Thank you for offering." Nara quickly sorted through the menu to order some fruit juice and some bantha meat strips. Judging by the tone of their meeting so far, Zven was not seeing this as a date – he was certainly being more friendly than flirty. That suited Nara fine, she didn't really want to lead anyone on to get the information she wanted.
Zven entered his order and turned his attention back to her, "How are you enjoying your time at Apren Polytechnic?"
"It's quite a change," she admitted. "I only had one class today, but it seems like everything is completely different than school back on Corsuscant."
"You'll get used to it," said Zven, not unkindly. "It is, however, a huge transition. Imagine, in your class today, there were students from more than a hundred different planets and school systems. Sure the Republic provides some guidelines for education, but there are many local...peculiarities when it comes to education. And Apren Polytechnic needs to create a curriculum that works for everyone. It's something I haven't fully appreciated until a few months ago."
Nara nodded noncommittally. It was a good point, and one that she hadn't considered, but wasn't exactly the information she was after.
Zven seemed to sense as much, "Sorry, I have the tendency to just say whatever that is on my mind."
"I think I'm wired similarly to you."
The two discussed pleasantries for a while until the food arrived. Nara's Bantha strips were delivered piping hot and with a side of what she hoped would be a nice, tangy sauce. Zven had ordered a somewhat fragrant but nice smelling stew.
Nara was about to take a bite of her food when Zven spoke, "So, have you decided if you are joining our little debating society yet?"
"I'm interested," she said in between bites, "But I'm trying to see if I'll have time for extracurricular activities, and if I do joining a club, I want to join one with my boyfriend so we can spend time together. I'm not sure he's the debating type though."
Zven hid a look of disappointment, "That is a shame, I have to say that you showed signs of being an excellent addition to our little club. We could use someone who is willing to debate more...controversial topics."
"I'm not ruling it out," she said. "I just want to make sure I pay attention to my studies." Nara was aware that she was playing something of a dangerous game here, there was a chance that Zven would cease his pursuit of her, but she judged that playing hard to get would make Zven more open to speaking his mind, which was what she needed.
"Ah, well, I suppose I can't begrudge you for your commitment to your studies," said Zven. Zven took his spoon and had a sip of his stew. "I did want to ask what possessed you to broach that particular topic. Are you interested in the Jedi? Or was it just a provocative debate topic?"
"A little bit of both," Nara admitted. "It was a topic I tried to bring up sometimes on Coruscant, but my teachers didn't want to discuss it. I thought that I might find a more receptive audience in a place of higher learning."
Zven hesitated, his intelligent eyes closing for a long moment, "You will find that although some are open to hearing all sorts of new and novel opinions, many are totally closed minded."
Nara tried to keep excitement out of her expression, it seemed like she was getting somewhere with Zven. Now that the bait had been cast, all she had to do now was reel him in...
"I'm not sure I totally believe my thesis about the Jedi being bad for the Republic, but the fact that no one wants to debate it always annoyed me." Nara took a casual bite of her food. Her heart was beating a little faster than usual, but she tried to remain calm, to remember her purpose for being here. It helped, slightly.
"I think that your thesis was correct," Zven said in a quiet voice, "Even though you made me debate against it. There is no doubt that the Jedi were useful in their day, but their day is long gone. There is no Sith empire to fight, no dark side to protect against. They should just go quietly into the night. Maintain their traditions if they must, but on a planet that is not part of the Republic. Leave us alone.
"I always thought it was kind of odd that the Republic is supposed to be a bastion of democracy, but it allows the Jedi Order to have such a big role within it. The Jedi Order is anything but democratic, I mean the same guy has been running it for like three hundred years! That seems totally ridiculous to me."
"I believe that it shows that the Jedi have no place in a modern, free-thinking, democratic Republic."
"I can see that," Nara said cautiously. "But how would one even try to get the Jedi to leave the Republic? They've been a part of it since its inception."
Zven's eyes quickly darted around, "I believe that it must be shown to as many people as possible that the Jedi Order is an anachronism that is no longer needed. Only by convincing others can a grassroots movement take hold. Only then can we make the politicians see the righteousness of our cause."
Nara smiled. Jackpot.
