Resist: Well here is the start of the second chapter for the Christmas double feature, hope you guys enjoy.
Echo: Alright guys, you know the drill. Speaking of drill sergeant...John?
John: Sir, yes, sir. Resist and Echo do not own Star Wars or its characters. They also want to warn you that there is slight PG-13 material in this chapter. Carry on.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The Training Part II
Oni Kao stared out the viewport of the Akul as the clone in front of her counted down until they exited hyperspace. Her chin lifted up when the blue streaks disappeared and the luscious green planet of Delphon came into view. "Sir, we've arrived at Delphon," the clone said with a humorous tone that made the general snicker. "Not a very industrious planet, fortunately," she said.
"Sir?" the clone asked. Oni smiled at this before explaining. "I'm more of a nature lover, hence why I'm glad to be off that Coruscant." A grunt in amusement came from the man before Oni heard the sounds of footsteps behind her.
"Never thought I'd see this dust ball again" came a mumbled grunt from Arthur, who strode up beside his master, and looked at the planet out in the distance with hatred and anger. She sighed yet remained stoic. "Control your emotions, Padawan, we need you to be completely focused on the mission."
"Yeah," came the cold reply from Arthur. "Where is this master I'm suppose to meet?" asked Arthur, still staring out the viewport in disgust. Oni's golden eyes scanned the bright planet until she could see the faint outline of a Republic cruiser.
"The Claw is stationed in orbit above the planet near the middle," Kao snorted, "I was expecting a whole fleet to be here. I guess Aloke is not as cautious as she once was."
"Time changes people master," replied Arthur, still on unfixing his glare at his former home planet, "I wasn't always part of a gang on Delphon" finished Arthur, who's face slightly contracted.
Oni nodded, "Take that as a positive, then. I just meant that I don't know what she's like anymore. It's been almost two years since I last spoke with her." The woman tapped her fingers against the hilts of her lightsabers before resting a hand on the back of the clone's chair. "Rye, I need you to inform General Tano that Arthur and I are taking a shuttle over to her ship."
"Yes, sir," Rye said crisply before typing in a message to the Claw. Oni took a deep breath before turning to Arthur. "Alright, let's head over to the hangar. Better to get this over with."
Arthur slightly turned to face his master and gestured with his hand to lead the way. He let his hands slump down to his sides and grasps his lightsaber, ready for what he got himself into this time.
(Akul Hangar)
Green turned from his conversation and looked to the approaching Jedi. Glancing back at the three clones he was speaking to, he gestured with his helmet towards the general. "Sorry, boys, we'll have to finish this later," he said before taking off, putting his bucket on. As Oni walked up to the shuttle ramp, the commander called out to her. "Room for three, General?" The female Jedi grasped onto the lift pole and turned to him.
"I'm not sure if that's the wisest thing, Commander," she looked from Green to Arthur, almost asking for his permission. A gloom look glossed over Kao's eyes as she waited for the Padawan to say something.
Arthur relinquished his spot beside Master Kao and wordlessly gestured for Green to take the spot. The clone marshal gave him a thankful nod and reached over to give Oni's shoulder a squeeze. "Let's get going," the Jedi Master said calmly, "We don't want the wrath of Aloke Tano upon us." Just as she began walking, Oni turned to Arthur, "Would you like to pilot this time?"
Arthur leaned up against the back wall of the elevator and shrugged his shoulders, but allowed a small smirk to appear on his face, "Your funerals, but I'm game."
"I'm not sure if that was the wisest thing, general," Green said to Oni, who just rolled her eyes and began pushing the two onboard.
The three went through all preflight checks and began to make their way towards Aloke's ship, The Claw. Arthur docked their ship and began to make his way towards the exit. "Here we go" replied Arthur, quietly to himself as he double tapped his lightsaber.
Oni and Green, who were still sitting in the co-pilot chairs, turned to each other. "Does he seem a little too enthusiastic to you?" the commander asked, pointing a thumb in the Padawan's direction. Kao nodded, "It's scaring me."
"Me too," the clone said.
(The bridge of the Claw)
The Togruta general folded her hands behind her back as a clone reported in. "General, Kao's ship has docked and they're making their way to the bridge," he said from his station. The Jedi in front of him nodded in acknowledgement, "Good, make sure we have a welcoming party for our guests." The clone communications officer chuckled, "Commander John is already waiting for them in the hangar."
"Of course he is," Aloke rolled her eyes.
"General," an ARC trooper in gray armor, Elliot, approached her casually. "What is this Grand Master like?" Aloke scoffed and turned to smirk at her trooper. "She's a highly sophisticated Jedi Master who thinks herself above everyone else."
"Oh."
(The Claw's Hangar)
Arthur walked down the ramp and looked for the exit of the hangar and started to make his way over to the exit, leaving his master and clone commander comrades behind. Arthur, not completely paying attention, bumped into something and slightly stumbled backwards.
After regaining himself, Arthur noticed he bumped into an ARC Trooper, "Sorry about that, name's Arthur" he replied, extending his hand out to the trooper to shake. The man just eyed him for a moment before hesitantly shaking the outstretched hand.
"ARC Commander Alpha-C," he said, "But call me John."
"Um ok. John, I am here with my master and clone escort to meet with Master Aloke Tano for the mission on Delphon" replied Arthur.
John slipped on his helmet and continued to look at the kid as if he were speaking another language. "I know," he said, sounding slightly offended. Something elsewhere caught his attention and he brightened up, losing the look on his face.
Oni rested a hand on her Padawan's shoulder, giving him a scolding look. "Next time, please wait for us." Green held out his hand to John and beamed. "John, it's good to see you again." They grasped onto each other's forearms, a Mandalorian show of respect.
"It's been too long, brother," the ARC replied, "I hope the war has treated you well." Green laughed as he let go of his brother's arm, "That's crazy talk if I've ever heard it."
Arthur just stood silently watching and listening as his master and Green chit chatted and he slowly lost interest in their conversation and sneakily got out of his master's grip on his shoulder and made his way around the hangar as he waited for his master and Green to finish. Arthur just wanted to get in and get out and move as fast as hyperspace away from Delphon.
But his disappearing did not go unnoticed. Arthur, if he noticed his master's stare, didn't acknowledge it and patiently waited at the exit patiently. He wore an expression on his face that showed he was anxious, but there was also something deeper inside him.
The metal blast doors suddenly opened and a taller figure stood there. Her icy blue eyes scanned the hangar, spotting her commander, Green, and Oni. When her gaze traveled to Arthur, she squinted at him.
"Do you usually run off from your master?" she asked with a strict and scolding tone.
Arthur jumped at the sound of the voice. He turned to look at the taller woman, "No, I'm waiting for them to finish," replied Arthur, slightly stuttering.
Aloke Tano strode over to the Padawan with her hands on her hips. The red and white-skinned Togruta with tall, sharp montrals and a long, thick lekku tilted her head, the gold beads of her headdress clinking. "Well," she started, cocking a white brow, "Your Master never seemed to keep a leash on her apprentices anyways. Your name?" She folded her red arms that were tattooed with white, claw-like markings, her forearms protected by brown and black material with a clone gauntlet.
Arthur narrowed his eyes at the woman standing before him and took a step closer to her, "Why would I tell you? My master is one of the greatest Jedi to ever live," Arthur folded his arms as well to match the woman standing before him and gave an even more stern look, if that was possible.
Aforementioned Jedi Master glanced around John when she heard her Padawan's words. That'll teach Aloke.
Tano unfolded her arms and rested her hands on her twin lightsabers, her fingers tapping the fancy hilts. "Oh really?" Aloke asked rhetorically, her sarcasm obvious, "I didn't know that. It must be amazing to be a Padawan to the only Jedi Master to ever get on the Council without earning it."
Oni flinched at this. Yeah, she definitely still hates me.
"If anything, you didn't earn your Jedi Knight status," retorted Arthur, who gripped his own lightsaber and kept his hard gaze on her, not flinching at her words. "Master Kao saved my life plenty of times, more than I can count" added Arthur. Kao failed to hold back a cough at the first part of his comment.
Aloke's eyes narrowed at Arthur. "I spent a year in the wild without food or water and took a bullet for my Master. At least he taught me proper manners and how to act in front of superiors, Padawan Perry." John turned around from the conversation and narrowed his eyes at Arthur.
He took a moment to analyze the rest of her. She was wearing all black except for the brown material on her arms and the dark brown leather of her boots. Her crop top revealed her strong muscles that she had built up during the Clone Wars, making her look just as intimidating as the men she worked with. She had a standard Jedi belt, in black of course, for equipment and rations that hung somewhat loosely around the top of her leggings which hugged her tightly.
"So you know my name, is that suppose to frighten me? I went through torture with Dooku, as did my master, and I almost froze to death in a temple used to find kyber crystals when my master saved me," Arthur fired off remark after remark at the Jedi Knight before him, doing his best to stand up for his master.
Aloke scoffed lightly and smiled. "Who do you think I am?"
John cracked his neck and excused himself from the group, stepping over to stand next to his general loyally. The clone looked intimidating with a shadow beard, the crisp, clean default clone hairstyle, piercing bright green eyes, and a jagged scar running down his right cheek. Not to mention he was also bigger than his brothers and was obviously wearing custom armor to fit his masculinity.
Arthur gave a quick glance to the ARC trooper, "What can't beat me by yourself, so you call in backup? I thought you were the 'superior'" Arthur added air quotes around the word superior and stood his ground.
John grasped onto Arthur's shoulder roughly and was about to say something before Aloke rested her hand against his chestpiece. They looked to each other and without a word, the clone let go of the Padawan, stepping back a few feet and his breathing slowed up a bit, calmed by the general. Aloke unlocked her gaze from his once he stopped moving and looked back at Arthur.
"I'm who they call when things go bad," Tano said calmly. She looked over at Oni and the two shared a brief nod. Turning back to Arthur, she narrowed her eyes. "And things have gone bad."
Kao walked over to Tano, bowing her head in respect, the Togruta doing the same. "I cannot teach this boy," Aloke said, resting her hands on her hips, "He's too arrogant."
Arthur looked to the ground, "I'm only defending my master" he mumbled. Aloke's look did not change at all and she continued to seek an answer from her old friend. Oni sighed and put her arm out in front of Arthur, signaling for him to step down. "That is exactly why Yoda has instructed that I bring him to you," she said, "If Obi-Wan and I cannot contain his anger, then perhaps your skills as a Sentinel can."
This caused the Togruta's eyes to soften. She looked between the Master and apprentice, contemplating. Sighing, she turned to her commander and began speaking in her native tongue. He nodded and sent a reply back. When the clone was gone, Aloke looked to Arthur.
"Very well," she said, "I accept the responsibility of teaching him."
Arthur looked between the two jedi, "I'm not getting handed off to another Jedi am I? Cause if that is the case, my home planet is right there and I'll just leave" said Arthur, very seriously.
Oni rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "Not this again."
Aloke laughed, "I would never consider training a Padawan whilst dealing in covert special tactics missions; that would be suicide. I might as well pull a rookie from the 501st, hand him a sniper rifle and a set of camo armor and send him to Hoth against a fleet of vulture droids."
Green raised a brow at her words and tilted his head in confusion. The Togruta looked back at him with a smirk, "Exactly."
"So when do I start this training then?" asked Arthur. Tano snickered and glanced at Kao, "You mentioned punishment the last time we spoke?"
Oni smiled down at her Padawan. "What's the longest you've run for, Arthur?"
Arthur gave her a glance, or more like a plea, and then looked to Aloke, "Couple miles, not much of a runner, though I did seem to run and rescue my master from Dooku" Arthur added that last part with a smirk.
Aloke couldn't contain a sinister laugh in amusement. "On this ship, my men run 20 miles a week in a training session, so I hope you brought some running shoes. Oh, and I hope you're not allergic to lots of situps, pushups, and weight lifting." Oni smiled and patted Arthur's shoulders, "I should send you here more often; maybe it'll teach you to not talk back to your superiors."
Arthur smirked, "Superiors or seniors? I didn't catch the last part" replied Arthur. Arthur then turned to Aloke, "Shall we start? Sounds too late to leave and hide on my home planet," Arthur said the last two words with hatred, but didn't mean to.
"That arrogance is going to be gone by the time I'm back, right?" Oni asked with a cocked brow at Aloke. The Togruta shrugged and gestured towards Arthur, "Yeah, pretty much. You'll be lucky if anything is left of him when the ARCs are done with him."
Arthur's smirk was gone from his face, "ARC training sounds great, but what about dark side training?" asked Arthur, with a worried expression after mentioning the dark side.
"Oh that'll come later," Aloke said casually, "The training works better when you're weak and vulnerable."
Arthur noded, looking slightly worried about being weak and vulnerable for the Jedi training, "So when does my ARC training start then?"
(ARC training with John and Arthur)
"You guys do this kind of training everyday?" panted Arthur to John, pain in his eyes. The ARC commander laughed as he continued running alongside the Padawan. Dozens of his conditioned men ran past them and gave them both odd looks.
"Not every day," John said, "The days we don't we do combat training."
Arthur rolled his eyes and groaned, trying to catch up with everyone. Only seconds later did he realize that his side was cramping. The Jedi Padawan stopped and put his hands on his head, breathing in and out. "I don't know how you guys do this."
"Serves you right for talking back to The Guardian, kid," the clone laughed and stopped as well. He was barely breaking a sweat, and had a smirk plastered on his face. Handing his water to Arthur, he patted his shoulder.
"Uh, the what?" he asked before taking a sip from the bottle.
"There's this Jedi prophecy thing," John waved his hand to signal his inability to comprehend the Jedi ways, "Apparently she's this powerful Jedi that will save the galaxy from the Chosen One or something like that."
"Really? I never heard that prophecy before, maybe Master Kao has heard of it" replied Arthur. Arthur, with his hands on his knees, bent down, and was breathing heavily. "Sorry about earlier, I was only sticking up for my master. We've been through a lot lately and we didn't really start out on the friendliest of terms" apologized Arthur, still panting in-between his words.
"I know how that feels," John chuckled and rolled his eyes, "General Tano and I had the same troubles. But she and I are a team and we'd do anything to protect one another. I can see that you and General Kao are under the same terms?"
"Yeah, it was rough and I wanted to quit, but I'm doing this for my parents, who were killed on Delphon, my home planet" Arthur said, as his breathing became more calm. "I had to reconstruct another lightsaber and got stuck in a cave and was close to freezing to death and I thought my master would leave me because of all the tension we had, but she rescued me and I've been trying to prove myself to her ever since".
Arthur found his energy again and began to continue his run till it was time for his dark side training with Master Tano.
-This Time Skip is brought to you by the story Destiny by Darth Echo -
The Togruta held back her laughter as the very weak and tired Padawan walked into the observatory. She had decided to pick this room of all others mainly because the view of Delphon was so prominent that Arthur would be distracted Master Kao had informed her of Arthur's connection to the planet and what happened to his family.
"Over here," Aloke said as she sat down cross-legged in front of the viewport. She closed her eyes and let the Force flow through her. The woman could already feel Arthur's strong Force signature filled with hatred and lust for revenge. However, she remained calm; pushing him past his breaking point will come soon enough.
Arthur tried to remain calm when he walked into the room, but as soon as he saw Master Tano sitting cross legged and tuning into the force, he started to feel nervous, especially when he felt her feel his presence.
Arthur decided to say nothing and just casually walked up in front of Aloke and sat cross legged and began to do the same thing, with steady breaths.
Tano peeked out from one eye and scoffed before closing it again. "You lack discipline, young one. Your master is unable to control the darkness rising in you. Your arrogance only increases her struggles. Had you not been selfish, she wouldn't have gotten cut by the ice wall on Illum."
Arthur clenched his fists and was about to lash out, but was able to calm himself at the moment. He let out a deep breath and spoke, "Yes master, I know my rudeness and lack of respect toward Master Kao at the beginning caused many problems. Not only for me and her, but the entire team. I realize that now and I know I haven't been the best student for her and she deserves better. I know I'm not an easy student, that is why I am here" proclaimed Arthur, who felt somewhat better after letting all that out.
Tano's brows raised in praise. "Good," she paused, "But your parents wouldn't be proud of your actions, now would they?"
Arthur lost it and stood straight up, faster than V-19 starfighter. Using the force, Arthur through his hands out in front of him, pushing Aloke up against the wall, "Say it again! I dare you!" yelled Arthur, not letting Aloke down from the wall.
The female Togruta shrugged it off. She saw the burst coming and merely used the Force to protect her from injury. "There it is," she mumbled to herself with a smirk. Getting up, she lifted her hand. Suddenly, Arthur was floating in the air. "Just try to do that again, I dare you," she said sweetly. She knew that having him in a strong Force bubble would prevent him from using his powers and would infuriate him to the point of exhaustion.
Arthur, at first, tried punching at the bubble, which obviously didn't work. He then realized that she was controlling the bubble and huddled his body together as tightly as he could and then in one fluent motion, he outstretched his arms to either side of him, which was enough of a force push to have the bubble explode around him.
Arthur then eyed up Aloke with much hate and anger. Arthur's eyes were now yellow and he looked like he was burning with rage. He then did something that would have gotten any Jedi killed on the spot if this wasn't training. He outstretched one arm very quickly and levitated Aloke off the ground. Her hands at first went immediately to her neck to try and pull at invisible hands, "Do NOT mention my parents!" screamed Arthur. The giant view he got of Delphon didn't help matters either.
Tano flinched and gagged a couple times, but prevailed. She loosened his grip just enough so she could speak words. "How would Mia approve of your actions? Would she ever be with you knowing you murdered a fellow Jedi?"
Arthur immediately calmed and fell on his back, as Aloke dropped to the floor. They both were breathing heavy and Arthur looked at Aloke, with fear of what she was going to do to him. The yellow in his eyes faded away, allowing his normal green ones to reform. As soon as Aloke made eye contact with him, he back peddled as far back as he could till his back hit the wall and gazed at the accomplished master in fear and terror.
She rubbed her sore neck for a few moments before giving him a stern look. "It takes practice but you can fight the darkness within you," said Aloke, "And learn to send it elsewhere. I admit it will be difficult to teach an older Padawan, but I can manage." She smiled encouragingly. "Who do you think I am?" she asked for the second time since they've met.
Arthur, still looking at her in fear, tried to make himself sound calm, but it was obvious he was afraid when he actually spoke in a somewhat higher pitched voice, "Your….who they...call when things….get bad…...and it's bad" replied Arthur, remembering their earlier encounter.
Aloke nodded her thanks and lifted her wrist so that she could speak through her commlink. "I can see that you are finished for now. We'll resume the lessons tomorrow morning," she said, "I'll have my commander escort you to your temporary quarters."
Arthur slowly got up, still keeping his eyes locked on Aloke for any incoming blows. His back never left the wall when he got up, or when he made his way to the door. As he was about to leave, he heard a clearing of a throat and he turned around to Aloke.
"You're welcome, Padawan," Aloke said, "Get some good rest for tomorrow. Goodnight."
Arthur nodded and left the room and started to walk the halls of The Claw till he found Aloke's commander, who was making his way toward him. Arthur was still in a state of shock from what he did to Aloke to speak so he just nodded his head for a response.
"Ha!" John said as soon as he saw the Padawan's face, "That'll teach ya to behave." He shook his head and gestured in the direction of the quarters. "C'mon, we'll stop by the mess hall first and get some food in you. Wouldn't want to have you throwing up tomorrow. Aloke will make us clean it up."
Arthur allowed a smile on his face at the last bit John said, but it quickly vanished and he shook his head. "I'm not hungry. Why do I even have the force? All I do is hurt people I'm around" asked Arthur, staring at his hands as he rotated them.
"Because you were meant to have it, I guess," John shrugged, "I learned long ago that there's no figuring out the ways of the Force. I got my butt kicked by Tano once and that's all it took to put me in my place." The clone laughed and shook his head. "Trust me, you'll never think twice about talking back or hurting someone ever again."
The commander sighed and turned to see Arthur's distraught face. "I was a lot like you when I first started working with Aloke," he said, hoping the young man was listening.
Arthur glanced at him before turning his vision back in front of him, "I don't think you ever force choked Aloke and then look at her with fear and terror in your eyes" replied Arthur. John's eyes blazed with fury. He grasped onto Arthur's shoulder and shook him. "You. Did. WHAT?!" he dared him to repeat the words.
Arthur used all his might and pushed John's arms off his shoulders and gave a serious glare, "I. Force. Choked. Aloke!" he said in his face before backing off a bit, "There happy? I'm not proud of it but it happened. I'm going to the gym, don't even think about following me" replied Arthur before he hurried off.'
(Observatory)
John stepped into the observatory, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He noticed Aloke sitting in deep meditation and was hesitant to stir her. "Uh, General?" he asked first, looking around the room to see if anyone else was there. When he saw that it was all clear save for him and her, he marched up to her.
"Aloke," he poked her leg with his boot. She immediately woke up and looked around frantically. When her icy blue eyes settled upon his green ones, she raised a brow. "What is it, John?" she asked kindly. He knelt down and rubbed the back of his neck again. "You're gonna be really angry, but, uh," John stuttered as he tried to avoid eye contact with the woman.
Tano grasped onto his chin and made him look at her. "What happened?"
"Arthur-"
"SIR!" a clone's voice screamed through John's commlink, "The Padawan is tearing the gym apart!" Alpha-C cringed and dared to look at Aloke. Her eyes narrowed at him and her jaw clenched as she shook her head. "I'm going to kill you," she said as she stood up.
(The gym)
Arthur had lost control of himself as he continued to work through simulations and training non-stop. He had just finished up beating on several battle droid simulations and was now on a regular punching bag and was beating the snot out of it. He started off throwing regular punches, before he started using the force as well. As he continued to pound the living crap out of several punching bags, he was muttering to himself, "Stupid force," WHAM! "I should just quit," WHAM! "Almost killed Master Tano" WHAM! "John almost beats me up in the hall" WHAM! "I'm through with all of it!" Arthur throws in one more punch on the bag, WHAM, throwing all his might into it. The bag snapped off the chain that was holding it in place and skid across the floor till it came to a stop at Master Tano's feet. Master Tano had stood there watching the padawan long enough to hear everything he said.
John was beside her and mocked her body language with her arms folded over her chest. "Yep, just like me," the man said, looking at the bag. Aloke glanced at it for a mere moment before looking at Arthur. "Are you done?" she asked calmly.
"I'm done alright," replied Arthur coldly, "I'm done with this," he said as he gestured to everything around him, including Master Tano and John, "Just drop me on Delphon and I'll walk away" finished Arthur, who was breathing heavy from his episode at the gym.
"The door is that way," Aloke gestured behind her. Then a cold look came upon her face. "And when you walk out, shame will be cast upon your name forever. Everything you've worked towards will be worth nothing, and the people you care about will leave you. The darkness inside of you will consume you and your selfish ways will cause you to suffer for eternity. Is that what you want?" She stormed towards him, pointing at the exit. "If so, get out."
Arthur stood his ground, "Do you think I care anymore? The people I care about already left me. My parents are dead, Mia is off who knows where! I haven't accomplished anything or worked towards anything since becoming a Jedi! I lose myself in the dark side every day, I'm being trained by my third master, so you tell me if I worked for anything?" retorted Arthur, who sidestepped Master Tano and started to make his way toward the door.
John looked back and forth between them. "Are you actually going to let him go?" he asked in disbelief. Tano nodded her head and looked at the fleeing Padawan.
"If he wishes to become nothing, then that is his choice. Everything he's done for the Jedi Order will be erased and the Prophecy will never come true," the Togruta said loudly, knowing he'd take interest.
Arthur continued walking toward the door, but his pace slowed hoping to hear what she said, he was baffled that she actually said that he done things for the Order and he was pretty sure that he heard something about a prophecy.
"The Dark Side will win and the Jedi will be erased from the galaxy," Aloke said in a low, warning tone, "And he'll look back wondering what would have been if he hadn't turned his back and left." Whether or not if Arthur could see, Tano's eyes brimmed with actual tears. She sniffled and blinked them away. "If that's the life and future he wants, then he should go."
John ran a comforting hand up her back and squeezed her shoulder, bringing her close to his chest.
Arthur continued to walk towards the growing door, hearing Tano somewhat in a sad tone, made him debate his decision, but he decided to continue towards the door and walk away from his failure as a Jedi, till he thought he heard something that made him stop.
"Arthur, my son."
Arthur did a 360 and scanned for his mother, "Mother?" he asked, before deciding it was his mind playing tricks and continued slowly towards the door. He was sure he heard her voice.
"I'm here, Arthur."
Arthur stopped again, speaking loud enough for Aloke and John to hear this time, "Mother where are you? I don't see you" replied Arthur, looking frantically for any sign of his mother. Her Force signature was so strong it felt as though she were standing right in front of him.
"Listen to her, my son. She speaks the truth."
Arthur, fell to his knees, feeling her presence get even stronger with every time she spoke to him, "No she can't be, I have failed everyone so many times, it hurts to look at their faces and know that I have done nothing to help" replied Arthur, who was now forming tears in his eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by either John or Aloke.
John just stared at him as though he had grown a second head. Aloke leaned in towards him, eyes wide. "His mother is speaking to him," she said. The clone shook his head and blinked a couple times, "You sure he isn't going crazy? I can still shoot him." Tano glared at her commander and punched him in the gut not too harshly, though enough to wipe the look off his face.
"Sometimes we must live through the pain, Arthur. I taught you better than to turn your back on the people that need you," his mother said, chastising him.
Arthur looked up at the roof, "This pain, it eats away at me everyday, how do I fight it mother?" cried Arthur, "I can't live like this." The tears were now falling from his face and a small puddle was visible on the floor.
Aloke watched with genuine concern. She turned to say something to John, only to see him fumbling with his handcuffs. "JOHN!" she screeched, ripping them away and throwing them across the room. The clone didn't even flinch and just looked at her. "What?" he asked with a shrug.
"Good lord," she looked at him with a disgusted look before turning to Arthur, who was still talking to his mother's Force spirit.
"I wish I could take away your pain, honey," Arthur's mother continued, "But only Aloke can teach you how to get rid of it. Listen to her, learn from her. I love you, Arthur. This is goodbye for now."
Arthur, after hearing those last words, let the waterworks flow, "Mother please don't go, I can't lose you again. Please stay," cried Arthur, as he curled into a ball.
"We'll see each other again…" she said as her Force signature grew weaker and weaker.
Aloke's eyes were rimmed with fresh tears for Arthur's pain. She understood exactly what he was going through; it happened to her when her sister passed away.
John kept glancing between the two, utterly confused. When he saw the general crying, he shook his head. "Oh, c'mon, not you, too," he stated with wide eyes. Aloke growled and turned to him, "You know what? Sleep!" With a wave of her hand, the clone commander's eyes shut closed and he fell backwards into a deep sleep.
"Arthur," the Togruta called out to him.
Arthur didn't move, not a twitch, he just sat there looking at his small puddle of tears. He had flashbacked to his home when times were great and he and his mother and father used to do things together, before the gang violence took them away from him. Arthur didn't let his emotions control him this time, as he only focused on the good times.
"That's it," Aloke smiled, feeling the darkness surrounding him dissipate. "You're doing it, Arthur!" She looked around the gym as though she couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Aloke turned to smile at John, but found him still sleeping on the floor. She hissed as her eyes widened, "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have done that." Her thoughts snapped back to Arthur, who was fighting against the darkness, and winning.
Arthur kept on remembering, but he was then flooded again with the day his parents were killed. Darkness began to overtake him, but he fought back strongly. He was exhausted and starting to give in, when he opened his eyes slightly and looked at Aloke, "Help me" he said, only loud enough for her to hear.
"No," she shouted, "Don't think about it. Think about her, not them." She slowly inched towards and knelt down. Placing a hand on his shaking shoulder, she said firmly, yet quietly, "Think about Mia."
Arthur did as he was told and began to come out on top, before long Arthur was back in control and had his eyes open entirely and looked at Aloke, "Um, can I stay?" he asked shakily.
"Huh?" Aloke asked with a raised brow, "What do you mean?"
"Can I still stay and continue to learn how to get rid of this?" asked Arthur, who was on his way out the door before he talked with his mother.
"Of course," Aloke said, "That whole "you better leave" thing was a test. Besides, how were you going to get off the ship without my permission?"
"Whatever," replied Arthur, he scanned his surroundings and found John on the floor, "Uh, did I do that?" he asked Aloke pointing to a sleeping John. She smirked and chuckled. "He kept trying to convince me that you needed to be confined, so I put his mind to sleep. Um...can you help me get him to his quarters? Then maybe you and I can get you some food before curfew."
"Yeah" said a relieved Arthur, knowing that he didn't accidently knock someone out while talking to his mother. Arthur and Aloke went over to John and picked him up and carried him through the ship, receiving stares from clones who walked by them. They entered into John's quarters and they put him on his bead. Arthur happened to glance into John's closet and found a Jedi robe.
"Um, Aloke? Why does John have a Jedi robe in his closet?" asked Arthur pointing to it. "You're not together like Kao and Green are are you?" asked Arthur with a smirk on his face.
Aloke narrowed her eyes at Arthur before quirking an eyebrow. "Kao and Green are what?" she asked as her eyes widened. Arthur shook his head, "You didn't answer the question Master Tano" Arthur replied still wearing his smirk, "Stop changing the subject."
Tano folded her arms over her chest and shook her head. "I've never seen that robe before," she stated, "I don't even know where you are getting this absurd idea."
"C'mon Aloke," started Arthur, "That's plausible deniability, which is like Interrogation 101," replied Arthur, who then looked down and found one of Aloke's boots on the floor of the closet, "Care to explain this then?" asked Arthur, tossing the boot on the bed.
Aloke rolled her eyes and mumbled to herself. "Thank God I didn't leave anything else," she said quietly, hoping the Padawan didn't hear. "So you are admitting it then?" asked Arthur, who's smirk grew even wider. "I'll have to bag the robe and shoe as Exhibit A and Exhibit B," he then paused for effect, "There isn't an Exhibit C or D I need to worry about is there Aloke?" asked Arthur, who was trying to hold back a laugh.
"Don't look in the bathroom," Aloke said, pointing a thumb back at the door leading to said room. She looked up at the ceiling with one eye squinted in thought. Then she looked back down, "Or the dresser." Aloke glanced at John, who squirmed around and grasped onto one of the pillows. He brought it to his side and spooned it. This made the Padawan laugh and Tano cringe when he said her name.
"And don't visit my room at all," the Togruta finished with a smile, "Else you might have an exhibit for every letter in the alphabet."
"Too much information," stated Arthur. He then looked around the room and received a questionable glance from Tano, "Should I look for handcuffs, or will you go to the mess hall quietly?" he asked, slightly chuckling.
"Sorry," Aloke shrugged, "John's already used that trick on me."
"Ewww, let's leave now before I lose my appetite" replied Arthur, who made for the exit. Aloke just laughed. She took one last glance at John, made sure he was asleep, and then followed Arthur to the mess hall.
Arthur and Aloke had got their food and just sat down at the table. It was getting close to curfew on the ship, so the mess hall was mostly deserted except for a few clones, who were still eating. Arthur then looked up towards Aloke,
"How often does talking with people from your past happen?" asked Arthur, who just ran that part of the day over and over in his mind. He was actually talking to his mother and not imagining it.
"Let's see," Aloke looked off in thought, "For me, it's only happened a few times in my life. So far I've only seen my sister. For some people, it can happen all the time. But if you're constantly seeing people and hearing things, I'm gonna side with John and handcuff you to an ARC-170."
"Enough with the handcuffs please," replied Arthur, holding up his hands in front of him. Arthur out of the corner of his eye recognized that his Master was here and was coming towards them. She didn't look very happy. When she arrived she gave Arthur a quick glance then turned to Aloke, "We need to talk" she replied. Arthur made to get up from the table with Aloke, but Oni motioned for him to stay.
Aloke tilted her head at this but nonetheless nodded at Oni, getting up. "What did you find on the planet's surface?" asked the Togruta as the two women exited the mess hall, leaving Arthur behind.
Arthur's curiosity got the best of him and decided to follow them from a distant, being careful to mask his force signature, since they were both highly trained Jedi Masters. He stayed just in ear shot and heard them talking to each other.
"What I am about to tell you Aloke, must not be mentioned to Arthur," started Oni, who then paused and waited for an acknowledgement from Aloke. "Alright," the woman said, "Go ahead."
Oni took a deep breath and then decided to start explaining the situation, "The gang that killed Arthur's parents is still alive and well, and they have captured Mia and are interrogating her now as we speak," Oni explained to Aloke.
The Togruta lightly gasped, "You mean the bounty hunter that helped Perry interrogate Koth?"
"Yes, the very same," answered Oni, "she means a lot to him, and if anything were to happen to her it could destroy him," she replied with much concern for her padawan. Tano nodded, "Very well. I'll have John roundup our best to rescue her." She looked to take off before she stopped and narrowed her eyes, sensing something. With a smirk, she shook her head and continued on back to the commander's quarters.
Arthur followed Aloke to John's quarters, but before she could enter or open the door, Arthur cleared his throat to get her attention, and leaned against the wall.
"When were you going to tell me?" asked Arthur, very quietly and very calmly, trying to not lose his cool and remembering his conversation with his mother.
"I was going to let you "sneak on" the shuttle when we departed," the Togruta turned to him, "But I guess you want your master to know?" She said the last part with humor and sarcasm.
"Stop lying," snapped Arthur, "You promised her not to tell me, how could you do this? I remain aboard to study and learn from you, and find that you and Master Kao are keeping secrets from me and leaving me out to dry while my friends are being interrogated" scrutinized Arthur.
Aloke raised a white brow. "But I'm not lying. You see, I told her I wouldn't tell you. You just eavesdropped on our conversation like you weren't supposed to. All I know is, is that you want to save your girlfriend from the gang. And, I never promised your master that I wouldn't take you. So I see no wrong doings as you so angrily point out."
Arthur felt embarrassed and bowed his head to Aloke, "I'm sorry, please forgive me Master Tano" Arthur pleaded. Arthur was running scenario after scenario in his head. What if Mia was killed, or if she survived, or what kind of trouble he'll get in when his master finds out.
"Stop thinking like that!" Aloke shouted and then looked around. Next time she spoke softer; "Especially around other Jedi. You have not yet learned how to mask your emotions. Now, let's grab John and go."
"What about the handcuffs?" smirked Arthur as he pulled up along side Aloke. She turned to him with gritted teeth. "ARTHUR!"
Resist: Well, Merry Christmas to all and we hope you enjoyed the double feature of chapters.
Echo: Dude, it's already Christmas? Geez.
John: Wait, is there Christmas in Star Wars?
Resist: You're the one that lives in Star Wars, so do you guys celebrate Christmas? If there isn't, there should be. Christmas is awesome!
Aloke: There's Christmas in the village I'm from, so yes, there is Christmas in Star Wars.
Echo: Okay, well we all hope you guys have a Merry Christmas and possibly get to see The Force Awakens!
Resist: I seeing it this weekend, so woohoo! Don't forget to drop some reviews on your guys' way out