A/N: We're glad that many of you enjoyed our last story, "Shadowfax," and thanks for sticking with us!
To all who don't know it yet, our stories originated as online role-playing and are situated in our alternative Star Wars universe – well, mainly the universe of Episode One, pretending that the tragedy of the Great Jedi Purge never happened. Ahem. There are approximately twenty-five stories pre-written in this series which focuses on Master Eeth Koth and his padawan learner Raven Trebeck as well as some characters surrounding them, especially Eeth's first padawan Lakhri Tumuel and Lakhri's padawan Flynt. Although each story can stand alone, it might be a better reading experience to start from the beginning with "Of Padawans Fake and True."
"Growth" picks up six months after our teams arrived back at the Temple from their mission to Shadowfax where Raven sustained serious injuries due to her overconfidence. In "Growth" we are reacquainted with Bram, Raven's twin brother, and a couple of other characters we have not seen in a while. We hope you enjoy catching up on their stories.
Now for the standard disclaimer: As everyone who has read and followed our stories ought to know by now, authority and discipline, including corporal punishment, are central themes. To any newcomers, see the aforementioned statement and take it as your only warning. We don't post content warnings at the beginning of each chapter for this. Also, we realise that our master characters will at times come across as harsh. However, please keep in mind that this is a fictional universe in which teenagers with extraordinary, potentially lethal abilities are raised to do an incredibly hard, dangerous and responsible job. Their masters feel an obligation to keep them in line in order to protect them and others by various types of discipline, including corporal punishment, i.e., spanking with the hand and different implements. And sometimes, they will need to dispense with the cuddling and tell their charges to do their duty. These are teenagers, after all, not small children. There will always be times to offer comfort and moments of closeness between master and padawan, but they might sometimes have to wait. Plus, masters might have their own issues … which is certainly true for Eeth. His journey with Raven is a learning experience for him as much as for his padawan.
Fortunately for our padawans, our master characters have near-magical healing abilities at their disposal, allowing us to indulge our preference for strict discipline – but hopefully not at the expense of character development and progression of the storyline!
If you like our stories (or if you don't like them for reasons other than those of which you have been warned), let us know in a review; we love to hear what you guys think. And that's enough of the preliminaries. Enjoy!
Bram pocketed away the data chip that held his first performance review, looking rather unhappy. He had started training as a paramedic two years ago, and his performance back on Chine had been so good that he had received a grant for a six-month training course on Coruscant which was going to enable him to deal with diseases and injuries that he would never encounter on Chine. To his great disappointment, his twin sister, Raven, and her master had been away on a mission when he arrived on Coruscant. He had nevertheless started his course with enthusiasm. However, Coruscant offered many distractions. Bram had soon found a number of friends that showed him around the usual and more unusual attractions. He did not get as much sleep as he might have needed, and his punctuality and diligence in his studies were not the best either, as the review clearly stated.
Oh well, Bram thought. This was only a preliminary review informing him of his progress, or lack thereof, during the first four weeks; it would not be sent to his supervisors on Chine, and as he was legally an adult now, his parents would not need to know of it either. He would just have to improve in the coming eight weeks because a half-term report would be sent to Chine after three months and if it was not good enough, he would be sent back. That would be embarrassing, to say the least.
Bram hoped that things would improve when Raven was back, which, according to the Temple administration, would be the case tonight. He had not seen his sister since her visit to Chine three years ago, but he well remembered the fun they had had (as well as the trouble they had gotten themselves into). He also had a vivid memory of her master who was the most hard-ass person he had ever met – in a good, if slightly eccentric way. Eeth was sure to be unchanged, he thought; and hopefully, Raven was still a person he could have fun with. She might also provide him with an excuse to break up with Ran, Villat and Ansin, his current group of friends. He had met them in a pub in his first week on Coruscant and had had some good times with them. But judging from his performance review, their presence in his life did not exactly have a positive effect on his work habits, and they were more and more often trying to pull him into the type of adventure he was not sure he wanted to have.
Admittedly, he was a bit curious whether deathsticks were really as dangerous as everyone made out they were. Ran, Villat and Ansin seemed to have the time of their lives when they smoked them. Of course it was a highly addictive drug, he knew that much; but then, as a paramedic, he had access to drugs that could prevent addiction. On the other hand, deathsticks might turn out to be just as disappointing as his experiences with hard liquor had been, back on Chine; it had not tasted good, he could not remember much of what he had done while being drunk, and afterwards, he had had one hell of a hangover. Not to mention a spectacularly guilt-inducing talk with his father! In contrast to Bram, Ran, Villat and Ansin drank quite a lot, which was all the more reason for him to look forward to spending time with Raven instead of those three.
He entered his rather spartan dorm room and, trying to forget about his report, decided to have a quiet evening watching holos. For dinner, he ordered in Careenian food which he had come to like a lot. When he had finished eating, he dialled Raven's number at the Temple on his comlink, hoping that she might be home by now. It was Friday night. He would have to work the early shift tomorrow, but would be free all afternoon and all of Sunday. If Raven was free as well, they could finally meet and catch up with each other!
It was good to be back, Raven thought as she went through her bags in search of dirty laundry. By this stage in her apprenticeship, Raven had come to truly appreciate the time they got to spend at the Temple. Only this time, it wasn't just the return to home comforts that she was excited about, it was also the opportunity to meet up with her brother!
Her community service had ended quite a while ago, her business with the healers was nearly finished and they had been put back on the mission roster a little more than a month ago. They had been assigned a routine diplomatic mission shortly thereafter, which was owed to the fact that Raven had sustained considerable damage to her leg and this was the first time she was going to test it under field conditions. She had endured several surgeries already. According to the healers, after one final surgery, which was purely for aesthetics, her leg would be as good as it was going to get. She looked down at the wide, jagged scar that ran from mid-calf to the top of her thigh and traced it with a finger. She would never regain feeling in that area but this was a small price to pay, considering that she might have lost her life.
Their communit started beeping and Raven suspected that the call was from Bram. "I'm coming!" she tried to shout, but with both arms full of dirty clothing, her words were muffled. She dumped the laundry into their machine and ran into the common room, dressed in a clean sports top and her favourite pair of shorts that she had worn so often that the elastic was going and the seat was starting to wear out. "Bram?" she asked Eeth who had gotten to the call before it had gone to message.
"Yes, Bram," affirmed Eeth, who gave the young man on the screen a brief smile and stepped aside to let Raven take the call. "Feel free to make an appointment for the weekend, but not for tomorrow morning. And when you make plans, remember that we will need some time on Sunday to prepare for the week and look at your schedule, as well as for a workout."
"I will, I will," Raven replied hastily, eager to speak with her brother.
"Bram! I've missed you so much. You look tired, is everything okay?"
"Raven!" said Bram, visibly excited. "It's so great that you're finally back. I'm fine – well, apart from the fact that I've been stuck on this boring planet for a full month without a chance to meet you!"
He grinned at her. Of course, Coruscant was anything but boring, especially when compared to Chine, and he had arguably spent more time on entertainment than was good for him, but he was still extremely glad to see his sister, if only as a hologram.
"Are you up for some company?" Raven asked. It was eight pm on a Friday night, after all, and whatever their morning appointment turned out to be, she was eighteen and well able to survive without eight hours of sleep, she felt!
"Sure!" Bram said immediately, beaming at her. "Shall I come to the Temple? I'm not that far away, actually. 40 minutes by cab, maybe." He was vaguely aware that this might not be the best of ideas, given that his morning shift started at 5.30 am, but he had been looking forward so much to meeting Raven that he didn't care right now.
Raven was about to tell Bram that she'd ask. However, Eeth, who had not been able to help overhearing, thwarted their plan immediately.
"I am sorry," he said, stepping behind Raven and putting a hand on her shoulder, "but we have a mission debriefing coming up early tomorrow morning and will have to attend our post-mission checkup with the healers. Tonight, we still need to finish unpacking, take care of our laundry and shop for groceries. Raven will not be able to meet anyone right now. She will be free tomorrow afternoon and on Sunday, although not for the full day at this point."
"Awwww," said Bram, disappointed, although he secretly had to concede that Eeth's intervention might improve his performance at work tomorrow morning. "Not even for an hour?"
Eeth shook his head. "No," he said plainly and firmly.
Raven watched the disappointment flash across her brother's face and blew out a sigh. By this point in her career, the padawan had not only learned that challenging Eeth was to be avoided, but also that it was advisable to pick her battles. An hour with Bram now would not be worth the consequences of arguing.
"Argh, post mission checkups, see what you doctor types put us through," Raven said good-naturedly, although she couldn't hide the disappointment from her twin any more than she could from Eeth. "Maybe we could meet out some time tomorrow?" she suggested, not sure how much of Coruscant Bram had experienced yet.
"Yes, let's," said Bram enthusiastically. "I finish work at two. We could go to the Eldora sector; that's not far for either of us to travel. I'd also love to see what kind of a life you have at the Temple, but maybe we could do that later? Like, on Sunday? I don't want to impose on you so soon after your return. I'd invite you to my dorm, but it's not much; I don't even have a second chair. Would Eldora's be alright?"
The question was directed at Eeth nearly as much as it was at Raven.
"It would," said Eeth, giving Bram a brief smile. "After her checkup, Raven will be free to borrow a speeder and meet you."
With this, he stepped out of the projection, heading back to his room to sort out his laundry and let the two plan their Saturday afternoon.
"You get to borrow a speeder?" Bram asked enviously. "Cool. Can you pick me up from the hospital, then?"
Raven's grin widened. "I will pick you up at two," she agreed. Neither twin was new to the concept of 'borrowing' speeders, although this time it would actually be legitimate since Raven had long ago qualified for her solo licence on Coruscant and they wouldn't be called to task as they had for borrowing their uncle Dennis' speeder bike back on Chine all those years ago. Still, Raven had an idea … that she wasn't going to let on for now.
"Great!" said Bram. "I'll see you then."
They ended the connection and Raven turned towards Eeth who had just emerged from his room with a basketful of laundry.
"He looks tired," she told him, knowing that he would have noticed the same.
"He does," Eeth agreed. "But then, being a paramedic is hard work, and he might well have to work irregular shifts. Besides, unlike you, he cannot draw on the Force to deal with fatigue. He did seem very happy to see you, though."
"I know, but still…" Raven frowned. She wasn't frantically worried about Bram but neither was she entirely placated. However, it was not as if she could do anything about it right now. Eeth wasn't going to let her leave the Temple and thus, she'd just have to wait.
When they had finished unpacking, Eeth took her to the gym for a quick workout. It was exactly what she needed, having been stuck on a spaceship for days. Eeth ran her to exhaustion, pushing her harder than he had in a while, and she really appreciated it. Her ability with a lightsaber had improved significantly over the years to the point where the eighteen-year-old managed to score the occasional point against her master, although those were few and far between and tonight was not one of those times.
Exhausted from the workout and their mission, Raven helped put away some groceries and got ready for bed. It was almost eleven in the evening by the time they had finished their evening meditation and turned in for the night.
The next morning saw them giving their mission report, which led to an extended discussion with the Council about subsequent action that might be taken based on their findings. Once that was over with, Eeth took Raven to the healers for their post-mission checkup.
This, again, took longer than expected.
"Is anything the matter?" Eeth asked the healer on duty, a human who had presented herself as Thraksit.
"Well, yes," said Thraksit, depositing a few items and walking over to a cooler unit in. "An outbreak of a new disease has been reported from Pnatyn two days after you left. We have been able to obtain some specifics. According to your blood samples, the virus is not currently active in either of you. But it has a long period of incubation. Both of you need to be immunised in case the virus is dormant in your bodies. And I'm afraid the only way we can administer this vaccine is by hypodermic."
She returned with the tray that held two syringes which were already filled with a clear liquid.
Eeth nodded. "Of course," he said. "Where do you want to put it?"
"Your upper arm will be fine," replied Thraksit.
Eeth rolled up his tunic sleeve, and the shot was administered within ten seconds.
"You next," said Thraksit, turning towards Raven.
Raven stood, complying without complaint. For the longest time she had been afraid of needles, so much so that several times Eeth had held her down to administer them. After her injuries, courtesy of the eenyai, however, such things no longer held a candle to what she had endured. Raven pulled up her tunic and exposed her left ass cheek. "I have more fat here," she explained.
Thraksit didn't bat an eyelid at the request. Raven was quite small and lithe for her age and it stood to reason that it would hurt less in an area she had more padding.
"That will be all, for both of you," said Thraksit, disposing of the syringe and pulling off her gloves.
"Thank you," said Eeth. "Let us have a quick lunch, then find a speeder for you, padawan. It is already half past twelve."
Once arrived at the dining hall, the two sat and ate in silence for a while before a thought occurred to Raven. "According to Orion, the Temple recently acquired a new batch of hybrid speeders. They're a little like the speederbike Bram and I took out on Chine, remember? "The question had been rhetorical so she continued. "The newer models are designed to fly at any height. I thought it might be fun to tease Bram a little. Will you allow it?"
Raven was a fairly good driver and had a license for all types of speeders and speederbikes. Eeth saw no reason not to allow it.
"I will," he replied. "But stick to the speed limits. And take a helmet for Bram."
"Of course," Raven replied, not even trying to hide her exuberance. This was going to be fun!
Lunch could not finish fast enough for Raven but she ate without haste or complaint. Then she took the lead on their way towards their quarters. She needed to pick up her identification and some credits in case they were considering visiting clubs.
Twenty minutes later, Raven emerged from her bedroom clad in a pair of cargo pants and a lace top, a jacket slung over her shoulder and lightsaber stowed in a backpack which she shouldered. She had pulled her hair into a ponytail, concealing her padawan braid. To anyone looking, she appeared like any other civilian, albeit a young, drug-free and clean one. "What time do you want me back?" she asked Eeth, sitting to pull on her boots.
"By midnight, at the latest," said Eeth. After all, it was Sunday tomorrow, Raven was eighteen, and thus, anything before midnight would be unreasonable; then again, anything later than midnight would mean for her to miss too much sleep. Eeth had no intention to let her sleep in until noon!
"Midnight," Raven repeated and set the alarm on her watch. She had learned over the years that it was always best to have an alarm as a backup. Being late simply wasn't worth the consequences when Eeth was around. She offered Eeth a curt bow and took off for the hangar at a speed that was just under a jog. Seeing Bram again was going to be wonderful. Raven was really looking forward to surprising him with the bike, too.
It did not take Raven long to choose a ride. A droid trundled over and strapped an extra helmet to the pillion seat as Raven went over the preflight checks.
It was almost two in the afternoon so the lunch time traffic had died down a little, leaving the airways less congested than before – not that congestion proved a problem, considering the speeder Raven had chosen. Thirty-five minutes later, the padawan parked by the emergency entrance of the hospital and made for the main reception where she hoped to either find Bram waiting or get instructions on how best to locate him. Sure, she had his comlink code, but if he was still working, it was unlikely he could stop to answer it.
For Bram, it had been an average day, neither particularly quiet nor overly busy, and he had been able to quit at ten past two. He quickly changed into street clothes, threw his work clothes into the laundry and took off for the lobby. A few minutes after he had arrived there, leaning his back against a pillar facing out onto the street, his sister rushed in. She had hardly changed in the past three years, he noticed, although she had grown a little and definitely looked more feminine than he remembered her. His face lit up in a huge smile.
"Raven!" he exclaimed, storming towards her and engulfing her in a bear hug that lifted her off the ground. "I'm so glad to finally see you! How are you? I hope your mission wasn't too stressful? You look great!"
Twins they might be, but Bram had most definitely gotten the lion's share of both height and bulk. He had some facial hair but still looked younger than his age, as did most people from Chine. His height, however, was impressive compared to Raven's. Bram was tall, lithe yet had just enough muscle on his frame that he didn't look fragile. His blonde curls were cropped fairly short; he found it more practical that way.
"It's so good to see you!" Raven said. When he placed her down, she kept hold of him, studying his face and checking him through the Force. To her relief, he felt well-rested, less tired than she had noticed the other day. "I want to hear everything," she said, "but let's find somewhere to go first. Where do you go most of the time?"
Bram had done some research last night. "There's a music festival at Norcanot Park," he told Raven. "It's supposed to be great. Would you like to go? The sun is out, so this might be more fun than hanging out in a cafe or something."
"Let's go to the festival, we have ages to hang out at cafes, "Raven said. "Come on, I have a surprise for you." When Bram followed, she led him to where she had parked the speederbike outside the hospital and gave a mischievous grin. "For old times' sake?" she said, unclipping his helmet and flicking down the pillion pegs.
Bram laughed out loud at seeing the speederbike. "Cool!" he said enthusiastically, accepting the helmet from Raven and taking a seat behind her. "I do hope you have your master's permission, though? Does he still have as much of a swing as I remember, or has old age left its mark?"
"I do, he does, and no, unfortunately age hasn't affected Eeth's swing in the slightest," Raven said, pulling on her helmet, dropping the bike into gear and activating the helmet intercom as they took off at a safe, albeit fun speed. "Although between Lakhri and myself, I think we have made a commendable effort at wearing it out."
"Oh," said Bram, slightly taken aback. "I was only joking. Mostly. I kind of thought he might have stopped doing that. I mean, you being an adult and all."
"Regrettably," said Raven, dodging into a traffic lane and squeezing their bike beside a freighter with mere centimeters between them, "my age doesn't seem to matter. He won't stop using physical correction until after I'm knighted."
Bram was quite astounded to hear that Eeth still held his sister accountable in the same way he had three years ago. However, just like then, he was not exactly shocked; rather, he felt a strange mixture between curiosity and, well, something like jealousy. Not that he minded the way his parents had raised him; they had always cared and still did! They had also been a lot stricter after Raven's visit than before. It had been a whole year until they had been persuaded to allow him to obtain his drivers' license, after all. But that was still nothing compared to Eeth, who was an authority figure writ large.
At this moment, the traffic began to bank up ahead. Raven reached back and grabbed her brother's leg. "Hang on," she said and, taking advantage of the speeder's lack of lag thanks to a turbo engine, she began weaving between speeders, making short work of the jam.
Bram whooped in delight. He had always had a daring streak, and that had not changed. However, he could not help notice that, whenever Raven took a swerve that forced them to lean right, she seemed to squirm on her seat.
"Hey, what's up with your bottom?" he asked Raven when she finally stopped the speederbike in front of Norcanot park, where heavy beats filled the air. "Are you hurt? Or did Eeth… well…"
"Hurt?" Raven looked confused for a moment before realisation dawned. "Oh! No, this isn't Eeth's fault. At least, not entirely. You know we had the post-mission check-up this morning? Well, according to Healer Thraksit, an outbreak of some new disease was reported on Pnatyn two days after we left. Unfortunately, the only method of administering a vaccine was through a hypodermic." Raven rubbed at the spot.
"Ouch," said Bram sympathetically. This, he could relate to; he had administered more shots of this type than he cared to remember.
The two siblings entered the park where music was performed on about a dozen different stages, with food stalls interspersed in between. It was loud, chaotic, and there were thousands of people around even though the place was only just starting to fill up.
"Compare this to Chine," Bram yelled at Raven over the noise, laughing. He bought them two containers of sliced-up bwalla fruit and a bag of popcorn at a stall. After a bit of strolling around, they found a spot where they could listen to music they both liked, but far enough from the stage that they could actually hear each other speak!
"So, how are things going for you?" Bram asked. "How long until you're going to be knighted?"
"Those questions go hand in hand," said Raven, taking a sip of her drink. "I haven't been doing so well with my training at all lately. The Council all but told me they were doubting my personality was suitable for a Jedi knight." When nobody was looking, Raven pulled up the leg of her cargo pants, revealing the horrendous scar left by the eenyai. "I wound up with this injury because I was overconfident on a mission and was almost killed by a large predator. If it wasn't for Eeth, I would have been eaten alive. Eeth, too, risked his life to save me and I put everyone on our mission in serious mortal danger for no good reason. I hate to drag us down but you're my brother and you deserve an honest answer."
Bram stared at her, horrified. It was not that he was unused to seeing gruesome injuries; they came with his job description. But realising first-hand what a dangerous career his sister had chosen still came as a shock.
"What about Eeth?" he asked when he had regained his voice. "I can't imagine he'd drop you. Could he even? But he wouldn't – would he?"
"Yes, he absolutely could. If Eeth thought I wasn't able to gain the necessary demeanor and skills from him in order to be knighted, he would be well within his rights to declare me unsuitable to the Council and I would be passed off to the AgriCorps." Raven put a hand on Bram's shoulder. "He won't, though. Eeth gave me his word that he would see me to knighthood and I believe him."
"Yeah, he's probably the type who'd try to make good on his promises," said Bram. Truth be told, he was feeling slightly better at hearing that he wasn't the only one here having problems with achieving the goals they had set for themselves. The only difference was that Raven had someone who would push her to achieve them, and he did not!
"What about you, how are things at your work?" asked Raven. "I was impressed to hear you got a scholarship."
"I did," said Bram with a laugh. "And I love it, although I'm not sure I'd want to spend the rest of my life here. It tends to get a bit … distracting." He sighed, and Raven leant in so she could hear him more clearly over the racket.
"To be honest," Bram admitted, "I just received my first performance review and it wasn't so great. Self-discipline has never been my strong suit, well, and being on Coruscant, with all those opportunities for going out and having a great time… Sometimes I don't get enough sleep, and I haven't always managed to be on time either."
"What does a 'not so great' performance review mean for you?" Raven asked, curious to know how bad this could be for her brother and sympathising with him.
Bram sighed. "Well, there's another review two months from now, and if that isn't good either, my stay might be cut short," he said reluctantly. "My employer back on Chine is paying me to learn something and apply myself and if they get the impression I'm not doing that, my funding will be withdrawn. But this is not going to happen. I cannot even begin to imagine what Dad would say if I allowed it to happen!"
He gave Raven another grin. "But don't worry about me," he said lightly. "I'll manage. I've done well enough in my training to be granted this stay in the first place, after all. I'm learning lots, and it's really a great experience so far. But I've missed you! I did make some friends, but, well, we're not that close. It's different with you." He gave her an affectionate grin.
Raven leaned over and hugged Bram briefly. "I've missed you too and I'll always be here for you," she said, really meaning that because she knew that Bram might be lonely as a new resident on Coruscant.
"Thank you," said Bram, returning the hug. "Same here. If you ever need anything, let me know. By the way, I've got all of tomorrow to myself. How about you?"
"I'm free for most of tomorrow afternoon. In the morning, Eeth wants to plan my class schedule and do a workout." Raven rolled her eyes.
"Ugh," said Bram. "I work like fifty hours a week, but at least when I'm free, I'm free. Tomorrow is my day off. I'll sleep in, then. And I can come and meet you at the Temple later, if you like? You could show me around, and then we could go out again for a while if Eeth allows it?"
"I'm usually dragged out of bed at six in the morning, but it's Sunday tomorrow and even Eeth isn't that ruthless," said Raven. "I'll ask if we can get the work we need to do done before lunch, and I should be free around the time you're ready to visit."
At that moment the band changed tunes to a livelier beat that, thanks to Flynt, Raven knew well. "C'mon, let's dance!" she said, jumping up.
"Sure," Bram said readily, jumping up as well and dragging her to the dance floor.
The two danced through several songs until the band announced a break and they decided to wander the festival for a couple of hours. They talked about everything that had happened since the last time they had spoken. Raven told Bram a little more about Shadowfax and the implications, some of the experiences she'd had both in the Temple with her friends and around Coruscant. She told him all about the exercises Eeth took her on in the lower levels and how the last time they had gone, she had almost caught him, but suspected he was just having an off day. "It happens to everyone at one time or another. I'll catch him one day," she said in a jovial albeit determined tone of voice.
It had started to get dark by the time they made their way back to the speeder, but neither teen was nearly ready to call it a night!
"We still have a few hours," said Raven, unclipping Bram's helmet and handing it to him. "How about you take me to the place you like to go most?"
Bram laughed. "Heck, I've got half a dozen!" he said. "Let's go to Chimmar's. It's the liveliest at this time of the day. Maybe we can go to Neremee's next door later, it's not going to fill up before ten thirty."
They found the speederbike and Bram gave Raven directions to Chimmar's, which was a kind of pub, filled with beings of all species. Bram fought his way to the bar, pulling Raven behind himself.