Chapter Five – The Prank Side of the Force
It was almost funny seeing Mirax's expression as I explained everything to her. It was as if the idea had never occurred to her before that Imperials knew how to play jokes. Privately, I had to agree, however, I didn't say so. In truth, it seemed like the only thing Imperials ever did, or at least seemed to do, was march around in stiff lines shouting off orders at each other. Or attack 'Rebels'.
I still don't get it, Mirax said to me, using the Force. How the kriff do you do it?
Sighting heavily in the connection I had with her, I slipped Mirax a datapad. The screen displayed, I knew, the words 'I'll show you the trick later. Have fun with whatever he assigns you.' He was Mace Windu. And Mace Windu was still standing a few feet away from us.
After a moment, the Jedi Master looked at me, his expression unreadable, as he studied my face. Silently, he nodded me off towards the Archives, since he had 'disturbed' me from my work, after all. As I turned to move back into the Archives' hall, I saw Mirax's jaw drop. Tallon, you're letting me take the blame?
Continuing my trek, albeit slightly slower now, I replied, Why not? It's a Hutt eat Hutt galaxy out there.
Behind me, I felt Mace Windu's powerful presence suddenly move away. Amazed, I looked over my shoulder to see him heading off in the general direction of Yoda's 'Youngling Rooms'. More specifically, the place where all the padawans without masters were. Somehow, I got the feeling that a nine year old by the name of Cloud Ritril would be hearing the yelling side of Mace Windu's voice.
Mirax had started to say that what I had done was not funny, letting her get all the blame. The moment Mace exited, she grinned sheepishly and added, Oh. Wait, never mind.
Good. The old bat's gone off. Come on, I'll show you the trick, I told her, watching Mace Windu as he stuck his head into a classroom, obviously with Master Yoda teaching. Very clearly he could be heard asking to 'borrow' Cloud Ritril. As the pair walked away, the boy following doggedly after the Master, Mirax grinned at me.
"Not bad, Tallon, not bad at all."
Grinning at her, I gave a dramatic bow and said, "Thank you, thank you very much." Quickly stifling my hyper energy, I grinned. "Now, what you're lacking is the ability to clear your mind," I told her.
Mirax's reply was to roll her eyes, then tell me in no uncertain terms- as if I didn't already know, "I'm a Corellian. Corellians aren't known for being subtle."
I grinned at her, shaking my head as I lead her in the other direction from Windu down the hall. "That old bat just half-notices your face, but then goes on to inspect your thoughts. If you're busy thinking 'please don't figure it out', then he'll know. You just gotta make your mind totally blank. Or use my current idea: make it busy with other stuff from the Archive and look like you were interrupted." Pausing, I thought over her last comment. Corellians? Corellians! What the kriff did she think I was, a Nubian?! Raising an eyebrow, I replied, "And you're saying Imperials are better? Halcyon, my family relocated to Bastion two generations back. I'm a purebred Corellian and I'm just as bad."
We reached the large meditation room. Surprisingly, it was pleasantly empty. The far wall was convex all the way until it reached the ends of the room and made of crystal clear transparisteel. I walked forward, going over to it to see the dawn mounting over Coruscant's unsleeping skyscrapers and their lights. Behind me, Mirax shifted on her feet.
"Bastion is Imperial. Imperial means blank, emotionless people."
Still staring out the transparisteel wall, I sighed. "Ask anyone at Bastion who the person who got sent to the director of the Academy the most was and you'll get the same answer from any- and everyone. I'm horrible at being emotionless."
Mirax walked up next to me and though I didn't look at her, I could sense the smile she was wearing. "Well then," she said at last. "I suppose if you can do it, I can." That pretty much sealed our fate.
* * * * *
Three weeks later and two of me were standing in the main hall of the Temple. In front of me stood Mace Windu, his back to me, as he yelled at the illusion I'd created. The illusion was sighing heavily at the moment, shaking her nonexistent head. In spite of myself, I couldn't help grinning. It took all of my control not to burst out laughing at the sight of the esteemed Jedi Master Mace Windu yelling at an illusion created by a padawan- namely, me.
He continued yelling at the illusion for a full fifteen minutes, ranting on about the Order and the Jedi Code and how 'I' should be ashamed of 'myself' for pulling pranks on the Masters and Knights of the Temple. By the end of it, I was thoroughly bored. My illusion-self continued to look penitent to his words. After a final remark, Master Windu walked around 'me' and went into the Council chamber.
Mirax jumped out the shadows behind me, laughing silently. When she finally could breathe again, she grinned, saying through gasps of laugher, "That was kriffing wizard! You have no idea!"
Mock bowing to her, I looked over my shoulder and quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her into a doorframe with an overhang. Bror Afyon was walking down the hall. Looking up at her, I nodded my head sideways at him. You wanna try that illusion?
Mirax contemplated for a minute, watching the other padawan, then she grinned and nodded. Of course. What do you think the Halcyon name is?
Keeping my laughter to a bare minimum, I watched as an illusion form of Mirax walked up behind Bror and waved a hand in front of his face. Bror turned, when he saw who it 'was' and gave a soft sigh.
"So," I could hear him say, "where's you mini-me?"
Deciding to give him as good a startle as I could before he figured out what was going on, I concentrated on the Force, and with it created an illusion of myself. And it appeared out of thin air in front of Bror.
The other padawan jumped away from where 'we' were standing, looking between the two illusions as if he had gone mad. Mirax tapped my shoulder and pointed, saying, Come on, let's go.
So we went.
The two of us walked out into the hall again, coming to stand by our illusioned selves. Bror gaped at the 'four' of us, blinking hurriedly.
Finally, he spoke. "What the kriff?!"