Jedi Academy
The Magnificent Seven
Chapter 7
(My first Jedi Knight story. Just so you know, Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. Bless his genius mind. So if anything is in violation of the Star Wars spirit, let HIM speak up. Thanks)
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Jaden Korr sat in the infirmary, watching over one of her students who had returned last night from a rescue mission on Dathomir. It was past midnight now, and the young man in front of her, Random, had been here for about 24 hours. The medics had given him some medicine that would ease the pain in his body, but also made him sleepy.
Random's body itself, was beaten. According to the others on his team, he had tried to lead a large group of 20 angry Rancors away from the ship so the others could take off. Apparently, he hadn't been all that lucky in getting away from them.
But now he was home at Yavin 4. Deep inside the Jedi Academy where he was safe. The soft beds here at the infirmary had been so comfortable for him, that he hadn't opened his eyes since he arrived. Wandering deep into his own personal dream world, free and happy.
But the others had been deeply worried about him. They had all been sitting with him for hours during his stay, making sure he was comfortable and warm. The silent Kel Dor that Jaden knew was Ryu had been here nearly all the time since he had arrived. So had the young pilot girl, Kayley, Jaden had to literally drag her out of the room so she could get to bed. Their training had to continue tomorrow morning.
The soft sound coming from the computers in the infirmary was relaxing, and the others in the same room seemed to have no problems in sleeping.
Looking at his nightstand, she counted at least 5 Jedi Holocrons for him to read when he woke up. Of course, how to use The Force to heal the body was on top of the little pile of cubes.
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The first beams of sunlight hit the top of the temple as a new day greeted the planet once again. The shadows slowly crawled down from the mighty walls and into the jungle outside the Academy. The whole forest that covered most of the view seemed to come to life as sounds from animals tuned up, waking the first sleepyheads from their beds
Phoenix sat straight in his bed and stretched his arms and let out a lazy yawn before swinging himself out of the comfort and onto the floor. Straightening up his pjs, he threw his pillow over at Ryu, who instantly woke up.
"Rise 'nd shine, ya sleepy morons. Breakfast in 10 minutes," Phoenix said and danced around the beds. Waking them up one by one in a way that couldn't be healthy. For the one doing the waking.
"Tween… tell that brother of yours to shut up unless he wants an extra ventilation hole in his head" Auron growled from under his blanket.
"Phoenix… just leave us alone, eh? Ya can bug us at noon," Tween mumbled as she slipped out of her bed and into her boots. Phoenix clapped his hands in excitement and zipped out of the chamber to find some breakfast.
The rest of the boys slipped into their training clothes and followed Phoenix's trail of destruction and laughter while Selene, Tween and Kayley stayed behind in the chamber. The young medic and the young Zabrak flopped down next to Kayley and looked under the bangs of her hair that hid a sleepy expression.
"Hey… You look like you haven't slept for days… You okay?" Selene asked and got the young pilot's attention.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Kayley yawned and ran her hands through her long brown hair. Selene let out a faint giggle and shook her head.
"Kayley… hon… ya look like a Bantha just sat its hairy arse on ya," Tween joked and put her hand on Kayley's shoulder.
"Well… I'm worried about Random, that's all. Master Jaden didn't want me to stay with him during last night," Kayley answered. Selene leaned back into the bed and supported herself with her arms, remembering Random's health when they dragged him into the shuttle back on Dathomir.
"You two seem to get along pretty well, is there something more then meets the eye here?" Selene said and looked at Kayley, who now was instantly awake.
"Just what are you insinuating here?" Kayley snapped, causing Tween to giggle.
"All I'm saying is that is seems you and Random are having a very close friendship."
"Aye… so close that I can nearly hear wedding bells," Tween said and received a pillow in the face, knocking her out of the bed.
"So you two insinuate that I'm in love with Random?" Kayley hissed and stood ready with the pillow, prepared to bash the crap out of anything who said a word out of line.
"Insinuating? No. Flat out TELLING you," Selene said and grabbed Tween with her as she ran out of the bed and dived for cover in the corridor. The two girls were both quickly on their feet again and ran like crazy down the hall towards the dining room.
Kayley strapped on her boots and ran after them with a killer-look, only to crash into Jaden on the way out of the chamber. Jaden stood steady as a rock, while Kayley fell back inside and landed on her back.
"Where's the fire?" Jaden asked and looked down at the young pilot stumbling back to her feet.
"N..nothing, Jaden… ma'am…I mean Master," Kayley stammered and brushed herself. She hesitated on telling Jaden the real reason why she was in a hurry, but a tingly feeling in the back of her head told her that Jaden already knew.
"I was… just rushing to breakfast. I'm hungry," she finished with a grin.
"Mhm, sure. Listen, while you are at the dining room, would you be kind enough to fetch Random a plate? He hasn't eaten at all since you arrived, and he'll be awake in a few minutes according to the doctors. I'm a little busy right now," Jaden said and was about to walk away when Kayley stopped her.
"What's going on?" the young pilot asked.
"The Academy is having a special visitor today. Kyle Katarn's wife is landing in a few minutes. I think I should be there," Jaden said and looked back at Kayley who stood there like she was in shock.
"Master Katarn is married…? With who?"
"Her name is… WAS Jan Ors. Now she's Jan Katarn. They have been married for nearly 13 years now. She's an amazing woman and one of the best pilots in the galaxy. I'm sure you'll meet her soon enough," Jaden said and walked away. She was already getting late and it was a long way to the hangar.
Kayley just stood there like she was frozen on the spot, slowly digesting the information she just had received. Then she suddenly remembered her current mission. Snapping out of her daydreaming, she used what she had learned in Force Speed and darted towards the dining room. After all Random had done for her, she could at least give him a little meal for the trouble.
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Shortly after, Random woke up as he heard some of the other patients yelp as the good doctor was examining his leg after getting caught by one of the training sabers, according to the rumors.
The patients in this room had developed a way of communication that was based upon rumors and guessing. Whenever a new student was brought there, the talk already began, as well as sharing info about each other. Everyone knew Random's injuries and joked about him challenging a pack of Rancors to a boxing-match.
Sitting up in his bed, Random rubbed his eyes, looked around in the room and adjusteg to the sunlight that was blessing his face with warm waves.
He looked under the sheet and saw that his body had several bandages wrapped around him, but the good thing was that none of them had any signs of blood. That meant that he was healing AND still alive.
And speaking of healing, Random saw a few newly created Jedi Holocrons used for research on top of his nightstand. Like the kind of books students back home at Coruscant sat with most of the day, only these was much cooler. And of course, how to use the Force to heal wounds and injuries lay on top. Grabbing it, Random opened and started to read. It was strange to read something and learn it when all he could see was this comfortable light coming from the little cube.
Just as he began to get into the first chapter, the door to the infirmary opened and in stepped Ryu, Phoenix, Tween, Auron and Selene. Seeing that their friend was wide awake, they rushed over and started to interrogate him on how he felt, what he was thinking when he had all those Rancors after him and if he have had a nice night in this room.
All these questions rained over him and poor Random, still a bit tired from his last mission could barely finish an answer before he had to answer the next. But amongst all their voices, he still couldn't hear Kayley's voice.
But the sudden sound of the door opening again, caught the attention of all those around the bed as Jaden and Kyle walked into the infirmary. To Random's amazement, there was a woman walking right next to Kyle, holding his hand.
The woman herself looked beautiful, for an adult. She was dressed like a pilot with clothes similar to Kayley, except these were in a lighter color. Elegant brown hair formed a ponytail swished behind her head. Kyle's eyes locked onto Random and gave the young man a smile.
"Well, here is one who picked a wrong fight. How are you feeling, Random?" Kyle asked as everyone stood next to another around Random's bed. With having so many people look at him like this made Random feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Oh, everyone. I would like you all to meet my wife, Jan. Jan, meet Jaden's students. These are the ones who brought back the missing pilots from Dathomir," Kyle said and everyone in the group greeted her. Jan smiled back at them all and felt honored to meet such polite students. Then turning towards the young man in the bed, her sense of humor couldn't be held back anymore.
"And judging by the looks of this poor creature, my guess is that YOU are the crazy-ass who thought playing tag with a group of Rancors was a smart idea," Jan said and saw that her remark made the young man grin. Kyle on his side wasn't the least surprised that Jan said that, but he was surprised that her remark also caused the others around him to giggle.
"………..cough cough well, the 'crazy-ass' is Random. This is Ryu, Phoenix, Tween, Selene and Auron and Ka…. Hey where is Kayley?" Kyle said and noticed for the first time that the team was missing a person.
"I sent her on a mission to get Random some breakfast, but I would have expected her to arrive by now," Jaden said and closed her eyes, using her knowledge in the Force to try and locate her. If Master Luke could locate someone halfway around the planet, a few corridors of stone would be a piece of Jawa-cake.
Her expression relaxed and finally, she opened her eyes and turned towards the door.
"She'll be walking in here in a few seconds… and she's not alone," Jaden said and a few seconds later, the metallic door slid open, revealing Kayley carrying a plate with lots of food. Next to her was a tall handsome boy, who obviously said something to make Kayley laugh.
Jan turned her head away from the two of them since she really didn't get a good look at them before they disappeared behind Kyle's back. But looking back at the boy on the bed, she saw a hint of shock in his eyes upon seeing them. Being the smart woman she had always been, she quickly understood what the young man was thinking… and feeling.
"Hey, Kayley… who's this lad, eh?" Phoenix asked as soon as he placed eyes on them.
"Hi guys. Oh, this is Arthas, an old friend of mine from Tatooine. I just met him by the food table and he wanted to catch up," Kayley said and walked over to Random and placed the plate she had brought on his lap. By now, Random had once again put on his normal expression, with a little added smile.
Now all eyes were at Kayley and her new 'old' friend.
"So… just an old friend, eh?" Phoenix asked and eyed the boy called Arthas. Somehow it seemed like they had more than just a friendship behind them.
"Well… ex-boyfriend is closer to the truth, but I hope to change that again," Arthas said with a smile and put an arm around Kayley's shoulders. Most of the group stared at them in disbelief. Random felt like someone had pierced him with a lightsaber.
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After a few minutes, the doctor came and told them to leave the room so he could check on Random's condition in peace. Maybe determine if he was fit enough to go back to training.
As the group walked down the hallway, Phoenix suddenly grabbed both Auron and Ryu and pulled them into a room. Checking if anyone was there, they discovered that they had entered one of the older training halls for lightsaber sparring. Auron and Ryu were hurled into the room while Phoenix closed and locked the door behind them.
"What is the meaning of this, Phoenix? Have some respect," Auron snapped, a little mad for being pulled around like that. Ryu just looked at Phoenix, crossing his arms. His posture and arms told him that he didn't like this sudden change of behavior from the young Zabrak.
"Quiet, lads. We got to do something, aye?"
"What do you mean? Have those horns on your head finally affected your brain?"
"What do I mean? Didn't you see the look on Random's face? Ryu, ya always pay attention to details. Have ya ever seen yer friend like that before?" Phoenix said and looked at the young Kel Dor. Ryu just looked back at him for a few second, then turning towards Auron. Then he slowly shook his head. Phoenix started to talk again.
"Listen, lads. I think we can state clear as a lightsaber that our noble teamleader has a slight crush on the good lass Kayley, savvy?"
"Random has a crush on Kayley? Get out of here…… really? He is?" Auron continued.
"DOH! They call me thick headed, eh… I think I got the short end of the stick there, laddie. Didn't ya two see them back on Dathomir… when we spent that night in that big-ass tree. They were sitting closer together than a married couple," Phoenix babbled and gave both boys a evil glare. Ryu and Auron looked at him in a state of mild shock, before looking at each other.
"Uhm… I must confess I was pretty much sleeping through the whole night, so I didn't see anything," Auron said and turned his head away from Ryu and back to Phoenix. Ryu made a few signals with his hands and the message was clear as day.
"He's right, aye. R-man has been acting strange lately around her. I think mute-boy here knows him better than any of us, savvy… no offence, Ryu," Phoenix said and flashed a huge grin. Ryu just waved him off, telling him it was okay.
"Okay… say that Random HAS a crush on Kayley… seeing her with that Arthas guy can't exactly add points to his favor… and the given fact that the two of them have been a couple before back on Tatooine isn't exactly good news… but what can we do?" Auron asked yet again. Phoenix started to scratch his horny skull and started to walk in circles.
"Well… we can't let this happen. What we'll do is simply this…" Phoenix said with a evil grin on his tattooed face and gestured the two of them to come closer.
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Back in the infirmary, Random just lay in his bed, neither touching or wanting his food. The pain from the Rancor's fist hurt like hell, but what he had just witnessed was unbearable. He felt like someone had rammed a lightsaber through his gut and used Force Lightening on his drafty remains.
He knew he had no claim whatsoever on Kayley, but lately, he had felt some strange feelings every time he saw her, thought about her, felt her and smelled her. She had become this little obsession of his… He was deeply in love with her, but right now, he was reduced to nothing but a spectator. He closed his eyes and remembered from his history lessons the old Code Of The Jedi… the first of them "There is no emotions… there is peace."
Right now he wished that he could feel that, but he couldn't.
"Well, with THAT attitude, you won't get anywhere," he suddenly heard a female voice speak to him. Quickly being snapped back to reality, Random felt his heart jump into his throat. His eyes quickly looked over to the door where the voice came from.
In the doorway, stood none other than Jan. Kyle's wife. Leaning at the wall with her arms folded, she looked right at him with a sly smile on her face. Random felt himself blush a bit from being caught off guard like that… and for being talked to a person of such importance.
"Wha….? Random stammered. The woman walked over and found a chair to sit on.
"You look like someone told you that you would die tomorrow or something," Jan said and gave him a look that meant 'You know what I'm talking about'. All Random could do was to look down on himself and realize that he did looked depressed. That wasn't right with the Jedi Code.
"So… you have a voice or do I have to beat the truth out of you?" she said, leaning back into the chair, waiting for the boy to talk.
"What is there to talk about?" Random mumbled. Jan recognized the sadness in his voice, like a man on the brink of destruction in the heart.
"About this girl you love. Come on, it's written all over your messed-up face."
Random sighed and looked over at her. Taking a good look at her face, he couldn't determine if she was wise or just a wiseass.
"You a telepath or something?" Random replied, trying to look away, but her eyes had captured him like he was under some sort of spell. Any attempt to look away, she would jump at him and bite his head off… like a snake ready to strike.
"I'm not a telepath, kid. I've just seen that face on myself quite a few times in the past. I don't have numbers on how many times Kyle has caused that face on me," she said with a sudden gentleness in her voice. Her face slowly growing sad.
"Really? I didn't know that… I'm sorry."
"It's no big deal, kid. Kyle and I go way back, but it just took us some time to… open our eyes to each other and discover the truth about our feelings. To see other girls trying to hit on him, it really hurt my feelings," Jan quietly said to him. Random sat up straight in his bed and pulled his knees up to his chest, listening to her words.
This woman had faced what he was now in the middle of and she obviously had stepped out victorious. Maybe he could do the same. Maybe.
"But no matter how bad things were going and no matter how much it hurt my feelings, I told myself that Kyle couldn't be blamed for anything. The longer I kept my feelings hidden, the more he could slip away. I wouldn't give up hope. THAT'S what you got to do unless you are planning on staying miserable for the rest of your life," Jan finished and looked at him.
"Uhm… so… what do you want me to do?" Random asked and scratched his head. But before he could do anything else, the 'snake' lunged at him and grabbed him forcefully by his collar and pulled him close to her face. Her eyes were burning.
"I want you to tell her the truth, whelp, and if you DON'T, I'm gonna make sure only the dentist at this place can identify your body, is that crystal clear!" Jan snarled at him, causing the attention to most of the people in the room.
Random was about to say something, but he was too damn scared of this sudden change of mood. This was it… she WAS gonna bite his head off…
"Uhm… why… why do you want to help me?" was all Random could say. Jan sighed and let go of his collar, letting him fall back onto the bed. Her expression was once back to calm.
"Cause I see something of myself in you, kid… And I don't want you to go as long as I did before you confess. So tell me a little about her, from your own point of view," Jan said and sat back down in her chair again. Random sighed and relaxed. He had a feeling it wasn't dangerous to talk to this woman.
"Well where can I start? Ever since I first saw her just outside this temple, I felt there was something special about her. She had the spirit, the smile, the guts and the looks. When I saw that we were all in the same group, I was so happy. It was like fate. You think it was our destiny, Jan?" Random said and felt his cheek blushed, hearing himself talk about Kayley like this.
"Only one way to find out, kiddo. Ask her. If she says 'yes' it's fate, if she says 'no'… you'll get the idea."
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Meanwhile, many students gathered outside in the training ground at a timber-structure used for lightsaber duels. Huge logs forming a several layered structured where the students could train their saberskills, as well as balance and coordination.
On the biggest structure, Ryu, Auron and Phoenix trained against several Training Remotes. These small hovering druids circled around them, blasting small charges at them for them to deflect. Phoenix looked over his shoulder for a short moment and saw that Arthas and his group were doing the same on the structure next to them. This was perfect for their little plan.
High up in the academy, Luke Skywalker sat in meditation, diving deep inside the nature of the Force. Each day, he discovered new limits for his powers, picking up a mischief plot from just outside the temple wasn't as hard as it sounded.
Rolling his eyes, the old Jedi stood up and walked over to the window. Looking down at the training ground, he spotted several students gathering around one of the big duel-structures.
He counted at least 30 of them, eagerly watching the preparation of a duel between two young Jedi.
Sighing to himself, he sent a mental note to the two duelists masters, telling them what was going on. In the meantime, he would enjoy this show. It was always entertaining to see newcomers duel, just to see if they had the skills.
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Ryu and Arthas stood on each log, looking at each other without so much as a word. The calm wind washed over them, sending the delightful smell from the jungle through the arena. Both fighters presented their weapons and bowed to each other, a common ritual in the Jedi Order.
Once the greetings were over, the two of them took their stance and activated their weapons. The rough humming and the bright light from the blades colored their faces, one emerald as the forest, one blue as the skies.
The students gathered around, looking at the two with awe. Arthas was the best in his group when it came to using a lightsaber, but Ryu's reputation of being only matched by his own master was widely known around the academy.
Phoenix was already taking bets about the fight, walking from student to student and gathering their credits. Everyone wanted a part of the bet.
The human agaist the Kel Dor.
Arthas was the first to make his move, charging towards Ryu with his saber and brought it into a wide swing. The calm Kel Dor was fast and easily dodged the poorly planned attack. Arthas shifted grip on his handle and tried another swing and this time, he was rewarded with the sound of the two energy-blades brutally connecting. The two opponents stood in the lock, faces mere inches away from each other.
Suddenly, instead of pushing his weight towards Arthas, Ryu took a quick step backwards, still keeping his balance on the log. Arthas didn't expect this sudden change of attack and lost his foothold for a half second, all the time Ryu needed to totally get him off the log.
Victory was short, as Arthas managed to get his hand on one of the logs below and swung himself over to another, once again facing Ryu. The crowd stared in awe at the two of them. One could hardly believe these two were mere padawans. Both of them displayed skills beyond most of the other students.
Yet below their masks of calm and metal, the two duelists felt the peril emerging from the other one. This was no longer a mere duel between students, but a duel to determine who was the best.
Arthas had strength and skills in his possession, but the silent Kel Dor possessed equal skills, but slightly faster movements. Ryu's mask made it hard to read his expression and anticipate where his attack would come from. Both sides feared the others power.
The two of them stood on each of their logs, just looking at each other. No words were spoken, no taunts were made. Not a single second was wasted. Not a single sound emerged from the area around them.
The fight took more place between their minds than between their bodies.
The trick is to know when to let the body and mind become one.
The sudden sound of the wind whispering through the leafs broke the everlasting silence.
Both Ryu and Arthas moved at the same time. The power behind the acceleration of their charge caused the thick logs under their feet to nearly snap. To the students around them, the speed was too great to follow. For the duelists, the world around them seemed to move in slow motion.
Both lightsabers clashed together in a huge flash of light and energy in mid air, stopping their flight effectively. Ryu felt the shockwave running through the bones of his arms as the force in Arthas' attack passed through him.
Still in midair, gravity grabbed a hold of them and dragged them both towards the ground. To see two Jedi in the air, using Force Push at the same time was something that would be engraved the audience's mind for a long time.
Ryu felt the tremors of the Force as he sailed through the air, landing on yet another log. Looking over to Arthas, he had landed as well, adjusting his balance and charging up his powers for another attack.
Ryu knew he had to be cunning in order to win this. He couldn't fend off his powerful strikes for too long. A plan quickly formed in his mind and was put into action.
Focusing his main source of Force energy on speed, Ryu jumped upwards, towards the big log above him. And turning his swordarm into a blur of motion, his lightsaber made two lightening quick slashes into the log cutting lose a 3 ft long piece of it.
Once again, gravity took hold of him and the log, but Ryu used the Force once again to grab the falling log and throw it towards Arthas. The human still hadn't fully prepared himself for another attack so soon, and instantly slashed diagonally at the flying debris.
As the log split in two in front of his face, all he could see was Ryu too close to comfort, using the milliseconds it would take to get the lightsaber back for defense to jump at him. And the duel ended swiftly with Ryu's glowing blade stopping a half inch from Arthas' neck.
Right there, it felt like time had frozen solid.
Again, a complete silence dominated the meadow. Not even the jungle seemed to make any noise. Both the duelists stood immobile just looking at each other, the students watching looked at them in awe, knowing the duel was over.
At the end of Ryu's lightsaber, he could see the bitterness seething from Arthas' face. Apparently, this boy wasn't used to losing a fight. That was, again Phoenix's whole plan of mischief, to make him feel intimidated by them and maybe level him down a bit.
Arthas had other plans and jumped up on his feet and right into Ryu a half second after he shut down his lightsaber. Ryu was caught off guard and was sent tumbling onto the mudcovered ground below, with Arthas on top of him. Looking up at him, he saw a fist raised, ready to punch him right into his mask.
Before Ryu could protect himself or Arthas deliver his attack, a loud male voice snapped them all back to reality.
"What is going on here!"
All heads turned towards the voice, including the two mud-wrestlers. Phoenix and Auron swallowed when they saw the upset expression of their master, Jaden… and the owner of the voice…
Arthas let go of Ryu's collar and stood up, feeling the sweat gather on his face already.
"M…Master Penin….."
Rosh Penin and Jaden Korr stood side by side, looking at their students, both looking slightly annoyed about their behavior. Ryu also got up and stood next to Arthas, both boys looking down at the ground like a pair of naughty, mud-covered kids being caught raiding the candy-store. Neither of them spoke up.
"Arthas… what have I told you about controlling your anger? When someone has their lightsaber at your neck like that, the duel is over… tricks like that are not allowed," Rosh said and walked up to his student.
"Yes, Master… I'm sorry… this won't happen again," Arthas apologized and looked over at Ryu.
"Congratulations on the victory… no hard feelings?"
Ryu just shook his head and slapped a mud covered hand on Arthas' back, messing him up a little more, earning a grumpy look from Jaden.
"Rosh… I'm sorry about all this… I'll talk to my students afterwards," Jaden said at Rosh, but the man just waved a hand at her.
"Don't Jaden… I saw perfectly well who tried to duel dirty," Rosh said and eyed Arthas.
"Young Arthas… the jungle-run, on the double," Rosh said with an almost bootcamp instructor voice. Arthas was about to protest, but bit his lip and did as he was ordered, running towards the track that lead into the jungle. The jungle-run was a fitting way of getting the young student back on his feet. Overconfidence and ego was something a Jedi would have to surpass.
Telling Jaden that he would deal with this himself soon enough, Rosh took the rest of his students to the next stage of today's training. Jaden bowed politely at her old friend and turned towards the guilty-looking boys.
"All right… you three come inside with me…," Jaden said and walked towards the temple. Ryu, Phoenix and Aaron looked at each other a little nervous, but did as she instructed. Ryu's back was a little sore, and the ventilation in his mask had some mud inside.
Phoenix hid his grin. At the cost of their Master's annoyance, they had at least showed Arthas that he wasn't welcome in their group. Auron just walked along, chanting to himself that he had nothing to do with this.
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Several levels above the training ground, Random was finally being let out of his bed. The queasy feeling in his body had stopped and his strength was coming back to him. A little shaky as his bare feet touched the cool stone floor, but not enough to make him fall again.
Looking around the silent room, nobody had seen him stumble, making him feel a little more victorious, a feeling he needed right now. The sight from earlier today still had its affections on him. Biting his lip, he started to walk forwards around the bed. It quickly sunk back into his memory and in a few minutes, he walked around the sick bay like nothing was wrong at all.
Upon returning to his bed, the maindoor opened and Random saw that Master Jaden and the rest of the group followed her. Half expecting to see Arthas in the back with Kayley, he felt a spark of joy when he saw she came by herself, but the expression on the boys looked like they had been caught doing something really naughty.
"Good to see you up and running, Random. How do you feel?" Jaden asked. Her otherwise calm features were now, serious. Something Random had never seen before.
"I'm feeling good. I think my body has completely healed. It'll just take me a little while to get used to walking again," he said, trying to smile as he sat down on the bed.
"That's good, because I have a few jobs for you all… and, no, Phoenix, it doesn't involve cleaning the entire temple, despite the fact that I'm tempted," Jaden replied.
Before Random could ask if something was wrong, Jaden continued.
"I have been instructed in giving you all a set of missions for you to carry out. This time, you won't travel as a unit, but in three different groups. These missions aren't big or difficult, but don't get careless. Expect resistance but avoid violent confrontations at all costs. Remember that you are Jedi, not soldiers.
Your destinations are Corellia, Tatooine and Coruscant.
Tween, I want you to take your brother and Ryu to Corellia. There is a mansion just outside Coronet where there has been some strange activity reported over the past few months. Lots of people go there, carrying supplies without the knowledge of the authorities, but nobody ever seem to leave the place. Your mission is to infiltrate the mansion, find what information you can and report to the local law enforcements."
Tween, Phoenix and Ryu all shared a little worried look, but if Master Jaden said was true, this mission wasn't that difficult.
"Auron and Selene. You two are going to Coruscant. A factory that specializes in building military spaceships have suffered some problems in what they believe to be Imperial agents trying to sabotage the factory. The guy running the place insists that no such thing has happened and we fear he might be on the Imperial payroll. Whether he is paid to shut up or he has no clue is unknown, but your job is to find out which one of them. Since Coruscant is under the control of The New Alliance, the Imperials wouldn't dare to send a large force there, so if you meet resistance it will be only from a small group."
Now Jaden turned towards Random and Kayley.
"You two are going to Tatooine. Our new Force seeking agents has newly discovered a place a few miles away from Mos Eisley where they feel a concentration of the Force and they want to send someone to investigate. Random, I know you still suffer from the aftereffects from your last mission, but this assignment won't have you deal with people, and since Kayley has some knowledge of the desert, you'll be in good hands. All you have to do is go out there, search the area and if you find anything, report back to the Academy.
Besides, Tatooine is far away, giving you an extra day to regain your strength."
"Uhm, who's taking the ship, since there's three groups?" Kayley wanted to know, sitting down next to Random.
"You and Random will take the ship. The rest of you will receive tickets to regular transport to your destinations. Everyone's top priority will be anonymity. The more people knowing you are Jedi, the more difficult things will get. Therefore I say once again, avoid confrontations at all costs, not just for their safety, but also your own," Jaden said in a voice the others know would be most unwise to argue with. Then the Zabrak woman continued her instructions.
"You will all receive further information about your missions once you get on board your ships. I'll give you a few minutes to talk amongst yourselves before you leave. May the Force be with all of you," Jaden finished and gave them a polite bow before leaving the chamber, leaving all seven to their own world.
"Uhm… did something happen while I was in sickbay?" Random asked as he once again saw the looks on the boys.
"Uhm…well….we….sort of managed to start a little fight…" Phoenix admitted.
"A duel," Auron corrected.
"With who?"
"Err… Arthas…" Phoenix said, once again getting the caught-kid expression. This caused Kayley to wake up.
"With Arthas?… Why would you do such a thing?" Kayley demanded to know.
"He was getting cocky at the duel-training, but good ol' Ryu here got him back to the ground… literally," Auron said and patted Ryu on the back, causing the silent Kel Dor to feel really guilty. They had done it to chase Arthas away from Kayley so Random could get a shot, but now it sounded just… stupid. Unnecessary. Fate had already brought them together in their upcoming mission.
"Hey, hey, whoa… easy now, guys… we should rather focus on each other for the moment. This is the first time we're gonna separate…" Selene said and to her relief, everyone agreed… for now. Everyone managed to hide their concern about each other for the next few minutes, keeping the 'teary-farewells' to a minimum.
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After that they all went back to their chambers, gathering their equipment assigned for their missions and left towards the hangar. The ancient corridors whispered a little 'good luck' to them with a comforting voice they all had began to familiarize with. Never before had this place felt more like home to them.
Kayley slowed down on the path to the ship. Looking to Random walking next to her, she still noticed he wasn't totally up and about just yet. Walking a bit slower, but she told herself that this was just because he had spent the past few days on a bed. He just needed some time to get the feeling back. Random suddenly looked up at her and noticed she was staring.
"What?" he asked, catching her attention. She quickly faced forward, getting a small hint of a blush on her cheeks.
"Uhm… nothing. Just glad to see you back on your feet. The days at training aren't the same with you," she said, almost afraid to look directly at him. Random just raised an eyebrow. That had to be some of the sweetest things he had heard all day, especially considering who the words came from.
"Oh… how so?"
"Well… because you are the leader of our little group. Things tend to be a little more… fun… when I… err… WE have you by our side. Sorry, Random, I keep messing words up. Things have been so… confusing as of late. Thus given my misplacing of certain words… and now I'm just rambling. I'll be quiet now," Kayley said and looked away from him.
"What's confusing you? Is it your friend?" Random asked, kind of expecting a yes-answer to that. His guess was correct.
"W… who? Arthas? Yeah… yes, he's causing a little stir, I admit. A part of me is happy to see him again… but there is always that other little part. Please don't ask about it. I really don't want to talk about that. There will be time to talk once we've taken off in The Silver Eagle," Kayley finished.
"Uhm… 'The Silver Eagle'?"
"That's what I decided to call our ship. She's like our little baby now. It's only appropriate that we name her, don't you think?" Kayley replied with a smile.
"The Silver Eagle… I like it," Random answered.
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Less than three hours later, Ryu, Phoenix and Tween were on a huge ship set to carry them to the planet of Corellia and towards their mission. They had given up their Jedi outfits, replaced with common clothing to avoid unwanted attention. Their lightsabers, that was the only weapons they brought along, were all carefully hidden under their jackets.
Sitting in their seats, they had been given their mission-briefing on something that was supposed to look like a newspaper.
"Unexplained disappearances… sounds described as 'terror screams'… no recorded residents during the last 50 years… sounds to me like a haunted mansion or something else worth being scared shitless, eh… This might be fun," Phoenix said with humor, as usual.
"Phoenix… please, just try to take this serious, eh? Ya don't hear us making jokes about this, do ya?" his sister Tween said to him. But she knew she was fighting an impossible battle.
"Well, given the fact that one of the two of ya can't really talk and knowing yer sense of humor… not really," said the young Zabrak with a huge grin on his face, causing another sigh from his sister.
"It says here that the security system has been inoperative for 30 years after the government shut down the energy-supply to this mansion. So I guess getting in and out will go undetected. Oh joy. And during the last 5 years, a street-gang of thugs and such has according to these reports, entered this mansion, never to come out again. Most likely to prove their silly courage. I'm betting 50 credits that the floor is so rotten and damaged that they all fall through it," Phoenix continued.
Ryu showed a few hand signs, stating his point of view. Tween nodded and got her brother's attention.
"I'm with Ryu on this one. Think about it… 5 years of disappearances and they still send their thugs in? There must be something fishy going on in there. And I doubt it's a sushi-restaurant."
"Fine… whatever you two feel. We're gonna bust in and find out. I've seen plenty of investigator-holocronvideoes to learn a trick or two," Phoenix said and put the briefing papers away.
"Really? And what's that?" Tween said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"That the investigator normally has to be removed from the case in order to solve it," he replied, giving the other two one of his proud grins.
Ryu sighed under the mask and banged his head against the table they were sitting at. This was gonna be a 'great' investigation, indeed.
The starship had set its course and charged up the hyperdrive. A few seconds later, the ship disappeared in the neverending distance that was space.
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End of chapter 7.
Phew, this has been some brutal times as of late. I'm no longer sure I'm fit to do this anymore. I feel like I can't keep up with the flow, mainly because I have MANY other flows to go with as well. That will be described a little lower on this page. Maybe ya all will understand.
First of all, I would like to thank Dash Rendar for doing a amazing job on beta-reading and correcting this chapter, when my own skills and computer fails me. I can't thank you enough.
Now for a lovely tradition. A "thank-you" to my reviewers. Bless you. At least most of you.
Alright, here goes:
Phantomsith: I sure hope this next chapter will be enlightening to ya. Thanks to you I have most of the ideas covered for their mission. Be prepared for some scary haunted-mansion action;)
Tinuviel Undomiel: I'll keep that grammer-correction in mind;) And I know the Kyle/Jan part in this chapter could have been bigger, but ya know they will return later on. Hope the scene with Random and Jan was as ya had hoped for.
Seriyu-the-ice-dragon: Yer absolutely right. Pain is on its way… Is it really that obvious? Heh heh.
Omeganian: Technically, when the Rancor lost his head, it kinda lost the other eye as well. Don't you agree? And thanks for the joke. It still cracks me up. Gave me a nice idea for a mission to Endor as well… thanks a lot.
Snackfiend101: I have a few people who is up for beta-reading, but since it's been a too long time since they said they would, I don't know who is still up for it. As for the review, yer idea with the team splitting up looks to be on the roll now. Hope ya like it next time around;)
Katarn da man: I appreciate your feelings about this story, and I'm sorry for the delay. My mood for writing isn't what is used to be anymore. Your action of reviewing 4 times is appreciated, but I must ask you NOT to rush me in any way. We all have our problems in life, even I have some. So I write only when I have the time to write.
Dynamis: Thanks for liking the previous chapter;) And yeah I know I'm taking my time. As for Random, he doesn't really deserve this punishment, but being the leader, ya have to do certain things in order to ensure the survival of your fellow teammates.
Shanesnest: What I have in story art, I lack in speed of progress… My sparetime is far from what it used to be in the good old days where I could type something for a chapter every single day. Maybe I'm no longer fit to be an fanfiction author… Even I sense that my chapters now isn't as good as they used to be… for that I'm ashamed. But thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate them all.
Shalashaska-001: Made it pretty obvious that it would return, didn't I… I love to keep the audience on their toes.
Blackheart Syaoran: The reason why I didn't put in the Dathomir Witches is simply because I DON'T KNOW how they look like nor how they behave. If I knew, then I'm sure I would have thrown them into the story. As for the Sith guys, they are lurking around, so don't you worry about a thing. They will show up and cause some heavy trouble for our friends.
Some Star Wars Nut Who Happene: Or should I call you Dash Rendar from now on? Since our students are young and inexperienced in the force, the amount of Force Powers will be basic at the beginning. Later, I'll give them some other powers, but not yet. Your idea of a mission sounds fair enough, and might be tested out in the future. As for more romance, keep reading and you'll be rewarded for yer patience.
Wrrohm: My dear friend, there is no such thing as getting away easy… going easy is for sissies and pushovers. So HAH! As for the Siths, they are coming, so don't you worry….or maybe you SHOULD worry….depends… Thanks a lot for your review. Nowadays, I need all the good words I can get.
Zeroray: Thanks for liking this story as much as ya say ya do… I know by now somebody must have reviewed your stories. I'm sorry for falling out of this story-writing business, but like I'll say below all these thank-you notes…I've had my troubles… please understand. And I hope that the FOLLOWING chapter will be equally tension filled as the Dathomir mission.
: I know it would be a crime not to finish this story and I thank you for saying it's the best you have read. But another crime is to set aside my own life to dedicate myself to writing. I study HARD to become what I dream of becoming, and to do that, I must focus on school and my real work. This has to affect my writing here at FanFiction. It's not pleasant, but it's the hard facts of life…
Star Wars Fan: Another one saying this is the best story they have ever read. Hearing that mean a lot to me. Thank you.
Nerwen Aldarion: Hunt me down, eh? Ya know, reviews like this has a double meaning. One: you like this story and obviously want me to continue my writing. But two: you actually threaten me into my face here at FanFiction… THAT is something I do NOT tolerate, joking or not. So if you still want to hunt me down, then I welcome you to try… I would be surprised if you won;)
Kuragarik: I understand yer view from the Rancor's side of the situation, but given yer optimism, I wouldn't like to stand next to you if ya try to consult a Rancor. Mistake or not, a Rancor would rather eat ya then to make friends with ya. But thanks anyway for commenting the level of realism in this story, cause that is what I try to create.
Delirium-3000: Another new face saying how much ya like this story. Warms a broken heart pretty good. I really appreciate it. And to be honest, your idea for a mission is in fact already under construction… at least on the planning level. So either yer good at reading my mind, or yer good at guessing;) Who knows? But thanks again.
Star Wars Fan: I don't know if you reviewed this story twice or just using the same name as above, but I'm working what I can to update. But I can't work more than I am capable of. Nobody can.
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Alright, that's all the reviewers. Another NOTE for everyone is that ideas for missions are now over for this time around. I have so many plans and so little time than I can't afford to have more sent to me. I know ya might have some good ideas or wishes, but I can only take THIS much. So if ya stick around to next round of mission-suggestions, I'm sure I can do something about it.
And a FINAL note to all who think I write and update too slow, I ask you all to STOP rushing me. Reviews asking me nicely to continue is okay, but reviews and even E-Mails containing threats towards me if I don't update is something that will NOT be tolerated. IF this keeps up, I will pack my stuff and leave this section for good.
Since last time I wrote, things were different than they are today. Since last time, I've had 5 exams, 100 job applications, homework every single day, a painful break-up, sickness, a hospital stay and for a LONG time I haven't been able to access FanFiction until only a few days ago and some other things I rather not talk about.
If people have troubles dealing with these statements of facts, tough luck. As I get older, my sparetime vanishes day by day until there is nothing left. I'm a busy man who now has to focus my mind on the things I will do for a living instead of my hobbies. I know this might sound harsh and cruel, right up until ya try to place yerself in my situation… think about that until next update.