Special thanks to Rodger Rodger, who wanted to see Orto Plutonia again, and Noah Johnson, who wanted some Ahsoka interaction!
I've decided to release both parts of this short-arc because I think it keeps the flow better.
Peace-talk pt1 (Interlude)
Peace is such a fragile thing
Tensions have risen on Orto Plutonia once again. This time, the Jedi have spared Aliyah to go there and help the Pantarons settle this issue with the Talz. After all, she won't be deployed anywhere large with her commander currently sick.
As Aliyah prepared to board the destroyer, she was stopped by someone calling her name.
"Aliyah?" Ahsoka appeared behind her.
"Hm?" Aliyah turned around "Oh hey, kiddo. What are you doing here?"
"I've been assigned to go with you to Orto Plutonia."
Aliyah's smile stuck on her face. "What?"
"I'm to be under your guidance during this mission. Or so that's what Master Plo said to me." Ahsoka revealed.
A couple of hours ago…
"Ahsoka, I'm assigning you to go with Aliyah," Plo revealed to a very confused Ahsoka.
"Ok. But why?" She asked.
"It's occurred to me that she's been actively avoiding the search for a Padawan. You're to act as her apprentice on Orto Plutonia. Perhaps then, she'll finally realize it's not so bad being a teacher."
"I see." Ahsoka understood but was still a bit concerned. "Are you sure she won't hate you for this?"
"No. Because it's you." Plo said with utmost confidence. "Help her wherever you can. But try to do it from a student's perspective. And call her out if she's letting you do whatever you want. Because that's not teaching."
'Then I guess Anakin hasn't been doing a lot of teaching'. Ahsoka chuckled. "Sure thing, Master Plo."
Aliyah couldn't believe Plo did this. No doubt he made Ahsoka go with her to let her know what it's like to have a Padawan. Well, it could've been worse.
He could've stuck her with an actual youngling. At least Ahsoka's perfectly capable of looking after herself.
"Well, then. I guess you'll be learning from me in this mission." Aliyah said unsurely. "Please bear with me, I never taught before. So I apologise in advance if I don't do things the way Skywalker does."
Ahsoka shrugged and smiled. "Don't worry. Anakin's a bit of a wildcard for a teacher. You don't need him as an example."
Ouch. Aliyah thought.
The Republic destroyer soon reached the snow-covered world. Aliyah and Ashoka left the warmth of the ship to meet Senator Riyo Chuchi and Chairman Baron Papanoida on the surface.
"General Korentayer, thank you for coming to our assistance," Senator Chuchi greeted.
"Just doing my duty, milady," Aliyah replied.
Senator Chuchi nodded. Then she caught sight of Ahsoka standing next to Aliyah. "Padawan Tano, it's good to see you again!"
"Oh? You two are acquainted with each other?" Aliyah asked.
"Let's just say we've been through some 'fun' experiences together," Ahsoka went for the compromise.
Chuchi chuckled. "Yes, that was quite the experience. What a coincidence that we'd be going through another one together."
"Not quite this time," Ahsoka corrected. "Master Korentayer's the one in charge."
Aliyah nearly choked on her own spit. Master!? That sounded even more foreign than 'general' when she got knighted.
Chairman Papanoida ended the small-talk. "Well, either way, we're glad to have the Jedi's aid. The future of our relations with the Talz may very well depend on it."
The company of four and a translator droid made their way to the Talz home village. It had been expanded since the initial conflict between them and the Pantorans.
The Talz warmly greeted them upon arrival, despite their language barriers. Everyone was rather friendly. Aliyah couldn't see any signs of tension.
"Chairman, Senator, what exactly is the problem here?" She asked as they were escorted across the village.
"There's been talk of Chieftain Thi-Sen retiring soon. And that his son, Thaj, will take his place," Papanoida explained.
"I have a feeling the son is the problem," Ahsoka said.
Chuchi nodded. "Thaj never had much love for us. And it grew worse after the late Chairman Chi Cho led an attack on the Talz, which killed his brother."
"It's always the mistakes of the past that come back to haunt us," Aliyah shook her head.
"Indeed," Chuchi agreed. "Even though we gave the Talz sovereignty over Orto Plutonia, Thaj refuses to forgive us or even his father for making peace instead of exacting vengeance. And now that he's on the way to becoming Chieftain, the possibility of conflict increases."
The company and their Talz escorts kept walking across the village. Passing by several Talz who gave them respectful nods. Except for a group that bore blue and red cloaks. They gave the Jedi and Pantorans hostile looks.
"See those warriors over there?" Papanoida pointed out to the Jedi. "They're part of Thaj's loyalist guards. They believe in his ideals and will fight to the death for him."
"He already has an army?" Aliyah was concerned.
"Not big enough to call an army," Papanoida corrected. "But definitely big enough to lay some damage to Pantora."
Finally, the group reached the meeting hall. Inside, the Talz High Council and a slightly frailer-looking Thi-Sen greeted them.
"Good to see you, Chieftain," Papanoida went up to Thi-Sen, who gave him a friendly hug.
Thi-Sen proceeded to do the same with the remaining three visitors. The droid translated what he was saying.
"The great Thi-Sen is happy to see you too. He and his warriors bid you welcome to their land."
"Thank you, Chieftain," Chuchi gushed before politely taking a seat. "We're sure you already know why we're here."
Thi-Sen almost nodded in response. He took a seat across from his visitors. The droid translated, "He says, 'I do not wish for violence between us once I step down. But my son, Thaj makes it difficult.'"
"Perhaps we can speak to him?" Aliyah suggested.
"'That is precisely why we wanted this meeting'," Thi-Sen explained before gesturing to the door.
Two Talz guards opened it, and in walked a tall, well-built Talz, donning the same cloak as the loyalist guards.
It was Thaj.
Thi-Sen called him over. "'Son, come over and meet our—'"
Thaj picked up a chair and hurled it at Papanoida. Aliyah quickly used the Force to divert it away. Ahsoka pulled him and Chuchi back behind her.
He began grunting something in Talzii. The droid translated as best as it could. "He's not happy to see Republic invaders in his home. He wants you all to go now, or he'll call in his personal guards."
"Wait!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "Please, just give us a chance. We're only here to talk."
But Thaj pointed an accusing finger to both hers and Aliyah's lightsabers. "He calls you Jedi, hypocrites," the droid explained.
Aliyah looked at Ahsoka. Their eyes met in agreement.
"Fine." Aliyah removed her lightsaber.
Ahsoka did the same. They handed their weapons over to one of the Talz for safekeeping.
"Now, can we talk?" Aliyah asked.
Thaj took a long look at the Jedi and the Pantorans. Before firmly shaking his head in response. Thi-Sen stood up angrily.
He and Thaj began to argue. The droid summarized their argument. "Thi-Sen is upset that Thaj refuses to give you a chance. Even when you complied to his request. But Thaj calls him a traitor to the Talz. And that he's forgiven you too easily."
Thaj attempts to walk away, but Thi-Sen stops him. "'Why are you so insistent on causing conflict?'"
"'I don't know. Why don't you ask, Chur-Mec?'"
Thi-Sen was quiet. He froze in place. Thaj walked out of the room without opposition.
Chuchi whispered to the two Jedi, "Chur-Mec was his brother. Thi-Sen's other son."
The one who was killed in Chairman Cho's attack.
Aliyah and Papanoida went up to Thi-Sen. "I'm sorry we couldn't speak with him today," Aliyah apologized.
"'I don't blame you. His anger was something I should've addressed a long time ago,'" the droid translated what Thi-Sen sadly mumbled.
"Chieftain," Papanoida began. "You do realize your son could become an adversary against us. Even you. When it comes to that, we won't have any choice but to fight him."
Thi-Sen jerked. "'No. I know that he's rash and vengeful, but he is my son. And I love him.'"
The four visitors felt the Chieftain's sentiment. But if Thaj really decides to rebel against his father, they may have to go against Thi-Sen's wishes.
"Well, this could've gone better," Aliyah sighed as she and Ahsoka prepared for the night in their room.
It was a cozy cave-like den, located not too far from where Chuchi and Papanoida were staying. So if anything were to happen, they can rush to their aide.
"It could've been a lot worse," Ahsoka pointed out. "At least Thaj knows we're willing to comply with him."
Aliyah nodded as she joined Ahsoka on the large furry mat, which served as their bed. Soft and comfy.
She sat close to Ahsoka for warmth. "Have you ever been to a peace-talk?"
"Not exactly. But I did accompany Senator Amidala to one on Raxus."
"That's nice." Aliyah praised. "She was probably a better teacher than me today."
Ahsoka gave her a friendly hit. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You'll get the hang of it."
"I hope so. But to be honest, it's not the teaching part I'm scared about. It's the fact we're in a war right now. If I take a Padawan, I'd be taking them with me to battle. And, well, if something were to happen to them…I'd never forgive myself. Besides, I already have a lot of lives I'm responsible for right now."
Ahsoka slowly nodded. "That's understandable. I feel the same way about my Master all the time. And vice versa."
"Then how do you prepare yourself for the worst outcome?" Aliyah asked curiously.
"That's the trick. We're always prepared. We have this trust between us. Whatever happens, we always believe in the other's abilities and that we'll come to each other's side when needed."
That opened Aliyah's mind. "I see." She put a hand on Ahsoka's back. "Thanks for sharing that with me."
"What are friends for? Er, I mean practice apprentices."
Suddenly a large gale blasted through the room. Ahsoka shivered and pulled her jacket tighter over her.
"Man, I'm freezing!" She said while chattering her teeth.
Aliyah also wrapped her jacket tighter. "Me too. How about it, kiddo? Are you up for sleeping like sandwiches tonight?"
"Oh yeah." Ahsoka scooted even closer. "Keep tight, keep warm. We're closing that gap Jedi call inappropriate for 'attachment' reasons."
Aliyah laughed. "Well, this is purely for survival reasons."
The two Jedi woke the next morning to the sound of fighting. They rushed outside to see what was going on.
All over the village, Talz were up in arms against each other. It was Thaj's loyalists against everyone else.
Aliyah panicked. "We need to protect the Chairman and the Senator!"
"Agreed," Ahsoka said before they both dashed towards the den they were staying at. They barged inside.
"Chairman! Senator!" Aliyah cried upon entering.
To their relief, both Papanoida and Chuchi—oh and the translator droid too—were unharmed. They were in company of a Talz warrior, who didn't don the cloak of Thaj's loyalists.
"Thank goodness," Chuchi went up to the Jedi. "We were about to go and get you."
"What's going on?" Ahsoka demanded.
"Thaj has started an uprising. He's trying to take over as Chieftain by force," Chuchi explained.
The Talz warrior next to them said something in Talzii. Papanoida introduced him to the Jedi, "This is Twel Mes, he's affiliated with Thi-Sen. He was the one who told what's going on."
Twel Mes pointed outside and grunted. "'We need to get to the Chieftain. Before Thaj does.'" The droid translated.
"He's willing to harm his own father…?" Aliyah muttered aloud.
"Unfortunately, vengeance can be blinding," Ahsoka said.
"I know. But this bloodshed is unnecessary." What Thi-Sen said the previous day echoed through Aliyah's head. "No harm is to come to Thaj. Not unless Thi-Sen says otherwise. Twel Mes, lead the way."
The droid translated Aliyah's command and Twel Mes ran outside, gesturing for everyone to follow him. They'll be taking a detour to the Chieftain's fortress.
Twel Mes led the Jedi and Pantorans through the battle-ridden village, fighting off any loyalist who tried to stop them, but not mortally wounding them.
Finally, they reached Thi-Sen's fortress. Inside, the place was littered with wounded Talz, both Thatj's loyalist and Thi-Sen's warriors. Chuchi shook her head. "This wasn't supposed to happen."
Ahsoka shared her thoughts. "We'll fix this, don't worry."
They rushed up the snowy ramp towards Thi-Sen's room. As soon as they arrived, Twel Mes based the door down.
What they saw inside, shocked them.
Thaj loomed over two injured Talz warriors—personal guards to Thi-Sen. While Thi-Sen, himself, stood across from them with mild injuries.
Thi-Sen softly grunted, as if to ask Thaj to stop this. But Thaj refused and quickly bent down to pick up a broken spear.
Ahsoka quickly pulled the spear towards her with the Force. Twel Mes used that chance to charge inside towards Thaj.
Chuchi, Papanoida, and Aliyah rushed over to Thi-Sen and his guards. "Are you ok?" They asked them.
Thi-Sen weakly shook them off. "He says, to not worry about him. Deal with Thaj," the droid translated.
As soon as the droid finished saying that, they looked up to see Thaj successfully pushing Twel Mes off of him and grab a nearby dagger. Ahsoka interfered before Thaj could lay in a killing blow.
"Lay down your weapon, Thaj!" She warned. The droid translated what she said loud and clear.
But Thaj refused. He swung at Ahsoka, who swiftly evaded his attacks. Suddenly, Thaj threw the dagger at Ahsoka's head. That transferred all her concentration to dodging the airborne weapon for a brief second, allowing Thaj to knock her off her feet.
"Ahsoka!" Aliyah was about to rush over but Thi-Sen beat her to it.
The Talz Chieftain placed himself in front of Ahsoka, shielding her from Thaj. Reluctantly, he engaged his son in a fight.
At first, it seemed like Thi-Sen had the upper hand, but the pain from his mild wound began affecting his abilities. And Thaj managed to lay in a painful cut across Thi-Sen's chest.
For a brief second, the rogue Talz warrior felt regret for what he just did. But it faded away as he took a step towards his hurt father.
"No!" Ahsoka Force-pushed Thaj back before he could do worse.
Thaj quickly recovered from the push and attempted to jump towards Ahsoka. But that's when Aliyah pulled him down with the Force.
She used the Force to subdue Thaj whenever he attempted to make an attack. Quickly and precisely. Eventually, Thaj grew annoyed and leapt out the window.
He regrouped with his loyalists outside and escaped from the village
In the aftermath of Thaj's brief uprising, the Talz began fixing their village and healing their wounded. Aliyah, Ahsoka, Chuchi, and Papanoida waited for news of Thi-Sen's condition.
Before long, a Talz healer came up to them. "He says the Chieftain is alright. It's only a minor laceration," the droid translated.
The four of them breathed in relief. Papanoida spoke first, "This is the last thing we wanted. But if Thaj doesn't turn around soon, we'll have to ask for Republic forces."
"No. It won't come to that," Ahsoka insisted. "We can still fix this. Does anyone know where Thaj and his loyalists ran off to?"
One of the Talz warriors nodded. "He says their spies reported seeing them run off the to abandoned Republic listening post," the droid translated. "They may be planning their next attack."
Ahsoka turned to Aliyah. "We can head there and try to talk him down."
"Don't misunderstand me, Ahsoka. I want to do that too. But look at the state of this place right now," Aliyah gestured to the damaged village and injured Talz. "We need to prepare everyone in case Thaj can't be reasoned with. Protect these people, and protect him."
"Well, then in the meantime. We will deliberate with the Pantoran assembly about these events," Papanoida revealed. He and Chuchi said their farewells before walking away.
Leaving the two Jedi to indulge in their thoughts. Ahsoka leaned against a nearby ice pillar. "What Thaj is doing is shameful. Surely the death of his brother affected his father too."
Aliyah agreed. "Maybe if he realized he wasn't the only one suffering, he'd understand his father's notion for peace and sovereignty. And realize he still has a lot to live for."
"I sure hope so. Because fighting him without harming him is like a whole new combat technique," Ahsoka crossed her arms. "By the way, thanks for helping me out back there."
"I just drove him off. You did a great job holding Thaj back without laying a scratch on him." Aliyah smiled at her. "Skywalker taught you well."
Ahsoka beamed with pride. "Thanks. But still, it's good you intervened." She paused. "Besides, Masters shouldn't let their Padawans do whatever they want."
Oh, Plo definitely told her that. Aliyah shook her head before adding onto Ahsoka's sentence, "And neither should they restrict their every action."
"Well, then, Master. The next time we see Thaj, what should I do?"
Aliyah thought carefully about that. "Follow my lead, offer your suggestions, and if things go wrong, help me out."
Let's just hope things don't go wrong.
Peace-talk: To be continued…
Review responses~
Techpriest5154: Wow! I'm so flattered to be ranked so high on your favourite Clone Wars stories! Thank you! And I will indeed do my best to keep doing what I'm doing!
Starpottergeek: Thank you, thank you! And sorry if this arc wasn't clone-centric. The next one will be though!
Akira-Hayama: Thanks! Developing relationships between characters isn't the easiest thing for me (I'm more of an action/event writer), so it means a lot that you think I'm doing a good job so far! And I like how you always point out the traits of my OCs (such as Aliyah being transparent). You're definitely one of my top reviewers! :)
Radicalewe3: You gotta love Egad. And thanks for the compliment! I'm able to release on this kind of schedule because I write chapters ahead of time. Basically, I already have tons of chapters waiting to be released. I just revise and edit them whenever I need to. And I have a story plan to prevent me from straying off-plot.
Rodger Rodger: Now that's an interesting idea! I'll consider it! But you need to know, I'm already swarmed with ideas, so I can't guarantee I'll cover it!
lionkingfactsguy3: Oh my goodness! You're a healthcare worker? You have my utmost respect! Thank you for your hard work! It must be difficult for you during these dangerous times. I hope my story is able to bring you at least some happiness! :)
Constanza: Agreed. ;)
Katie L: The ship has sailed.
Age of Maul: What was it that made you cry? The story of Waxer and Numa? Or just the chapter in general? Anyways, here. *Passes some tissues
Femke-the-lotus: Aww, that's so thoughtful! That'll definitely speed up his recovery! Throwing up over Krell's foot is a equivalent to a death sentence. Steele simply got lucky that day.