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I awoke on a Trade Federation ship in a typical sterile white med bay. I could only see out of one eye as bacta infused bandages all but covered the right side of my face. I was in some sort of plastoid hospital gown, lying on a bed. I made to sit up but a light green hand pushed me back down. I turned my head to see another Mirialan. He was the same Jedi healer who helped Myles Fett during Galidraan.
"Now, Now," his soft masciline voice commanded. "You are still recovering."
I groaned. "Troiken." I murmured. "We were-"
"Most of the soldiers led by Master Plo-Koon, were evacuated safely. It is over now." Plo earned his Master rank. Cool.
"What happened?"
"I will let Master Plo-Koon tell you. He has been stopping by every so often to check up on you. Oh, I am Knight Gren by the way, in case you need assistance." I managed a groggy nod before falling back to sleep.
I woke up later to see Plo-Koon sitting down next to me.
"Hey Master Plo." I said with a hint of amusement.
"I see even you managed to hear the news."
I nodded, feeling much better now so I sat up. "Yeah, Knight Gren called you by your new title earlier, but it is well earned. It seemed like I missed everything from the sound of it."
"You had your own battle to fight." Plo-Koon said.
"What exactly happened?" I asked.
Plo gave a brief recounting of events. How Tyvokka died on the ship of his blaster wounds after excavating the station. It sounded like he got the Star Wars equivalent of a Viking funeral when the ship exploded. How Tarkin's fleet was decimated after arriving in the system. Plo had managed to rally the survivors that landed on the ground to Mt. Avos. He briefly told me about each of the battles that took place. Apparently the Deathwatch Mando was quite a nuisance. She even blew up Senator Tarkin with a wrist rocket in the second battle before I took her out of the fight. Apparently the only thing people remember him doing was suggesting surrender. Not a good look. My escape was in the third battle during the sortie that served as a distraction to allow Senator Valorum and Gunray along with Master Gallia to escape. Overall, from the sound of it, Plo-Koon and Commander Jace Dallin were the real heroes of the war.
"May I ask what happened to you in the enemy base after you saved the ship?"
I sighed, recounting what happened. The reason I had my face cut open and how I used tutaminus to open the doors and knock out the guard. He perked up hearing how the cuffs, by using a kyber crystal, were able to sense the use of the force, and give the user a nasty shock. Plo-Koon touched his mask thinking. I finished the tale after the duel with the Deathwatch Mando.
"Quite an interesting design, I will admit. These cuffs seemed to play to a Jedi's weaknesses as well. Reliance on the Force. I noticed you didn't break your thumb to slip out of them more quickly." I facepalmed.
It was so obvious. Why didn't I just do that? I have been too reliant on the Force recently. It was just too easy to look to Force for every solution. What was that phrase, "You are not immune to propaganda," slipped into my mind. Poor excuse, but I have been a bit too caught up in the whole Space Monk studies since I was brought to the temple. I needed to get out more.
"Ugh, now I feel like a dikut, apologies, idiot." I admitted.
Plo chuckled, "It is good to be humbled, it is how we learn and grow."
"It seems you are already living up to your new title." I smirked.
"And you in yours." He replied, "You saved everyone on the ship by preventing that missile from destroying the airlock."
"A far cry from leading a besieged force for days with limited supplies and ammunition." I said.
"Had the ship been compromised, things would have been far worse. Your part in events was small, but no less important."
I nodded. Still feeling like an idiot about the ease in which I could have broken out of those damn cuffs. Well not easy, but easier. Breaking a thumb isn't exactly an easy thing to do. Plo got up and left.
"Plo," I called to him before he left, "I am sorry about Master Tyvokka."
He paused before looking back as he sensed my own pain as losing Master Tal'or. "Thank you Luminara. Worry not for he has rejoined the Force." I nodded and he left.
Knight Gren returned with my clothes and gear. He set them down and bid me to sit and hang my legs off the gurney. He removed the bandages from my face. He frowned.
"You are lucky. If you hadn't had your muscles reattached, you would have lost the ability to use most of your face on the affected side. That being said, there will be a nasty scar. Bacta heals scars but only recent ones. Yours was left untreated for a few days." He applied a new set of bandages. "I recommend you not take them off until we get back to the temple. Other than that, consider yourself fully discharged from the medbay." With that he left to go focus on the wounded soldiers.
I took my time getting dressed. I couldn't do my hair with the bandages in the way and settled for simply combing it. I looked in the mirror, adjusting my veil. The bandage covered half my face, making the damage look worse than it was. I hoped. When I was done, I exited the medbay.
I sensed Obi-wan and Quinlan Vos waiting for me. I hadn't had a chance to meet Quinlan yet. They seemed to be chatting about something.
The door opened and they bowed, I bowed back. "Obi-wan, Padawan Vos. It is good to see you both." I was surprised to see Vos' had a top knot instead of the dreadlocks he would adopt later on. Still had the face tattoo though. Wasn't sure on the origins of that. My own tattoos were to symbolize determination. Something Tal'or slapped on me after he took me on as a padawan.
"And you, Luminara." Obi-wan smiled. "Thank you for saving my life. It was a surprise when Master Plo-Koon brought you back. We thought you had died on the station."
"I managed to get out myself with the distraction that Master Plo-Koon's and Commander Dallin's sortie provided. It allowed me to get away a lot smoother. Got sidetracked with fighting that Deathwatch Merc. Last I remember is reaching Mt. Avos."
"She was Deathwatch? I thought they all perished at Galidraan?" Obi-wan said.
"If only, the Deathwatch, for all their di'kutla faults, operate in a cell based structure. While the majority did indeed die at Galidraan, there are still a few scattered about." I said.
"Couldn't have been easy, being trapped behind enemy lines like that." Vos said. "Heard they took your eye."
"Nah, just a wicked scar." I highlighted the spot under the bandages where it was. The Mandolorian wasn't far off from taking my eye from what I could remember.
"I thought Bacta healed scars." Obi-wan inquired.
"Doc said that's only if applied immediately." I said pointing a thumb over my shoulder at the medbay.. Obi-wan nodded.
"We were going to get something to eat." Vos said. "Master Plo-Koon said you were awake so we figured you would want to get something as well."
The mention of food caused my stomach to rumble very loudly. When was the last time I ate? "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea." I replied.
So we went to the mess hall. They served some Corealian dish. Some sort of stroganoff I think. I remembered that the Trade feds weren't soldiers so they didn't eat like soldiers. I didn't really taste the dish as I was hungrier than I realized.
"How does someone so skinny eat so much?" Vos asked as I was wolfing down my food. I wanted to reply but my mouth was full of food.
"Vos, this is probably the first real meal she had in days." Obi-wan gave Quinlin a disapproving look.
"Right. Still though." I resisted the urge to flick food at him. Though I was scarfing things down a bit too fast. I slowed my pace a bit.
Then even though he was under guard by two big Nemoidians, Iaco Stark all but strutted into the room. I remembered Plo had mentioned how he was able to telepathically link with Stark during the war, and convinced him to betray his fellow pirates in exchange for amnesty. I had thought, however, he would be locked up. Not allowed to roam around the ship.
I stood up in my seat. I was livid just seeing the smug shabtaab. Quinlan tugged my robes, breaking me from my tunnel vision. I realized what I did and sat back down. I nearly went over the edge there. I did my best to not rush over and strangle the man with my bare hands.
"Thank you Quinlan," I said almost robotically, focusing more on maintaining my emotions than on eating the dish. I did my best to bury the rage. Luckily Stark noticed the Jedi in the room and promptly decided to leave. He looked over and our eyes met briefly. I glared daggers at the man and he had the karking gall smile and wave. I clenched my fist. Again I wrestled with the urge to twist his head off with the force. I knew he wasn't the one to torture me and actually helped me somewhat by not allowing my toreture to progress at that point in time during my interrogation. Which helped calm my nerves somewhat even though he had his own reasons.
"After all that trouble he caused, he gets to walk away scot free." Quinlan scowled.
Obi-wan played the voice of reason. "Without his aid, we would have never gotten off Trioken with so little casualties."
"I know, it just seems like a great injustice." Quinlan said a bit dejectedly.
"Oh I am sure the Republic will keep an eye on him for the rest of his days. One slip and they will throw the datapad at him." Obi-wan countered.
"Such is the life of a Jedi in service to the Republic." I said, my voice only had just a teeny tiny ounce of venom in it.
"You sound like my Master." Obi-wan noted with some disapproval..
"I am starting to think he is onto something." That is where I left it. I continued eating.
No one said anything. The two Padawans allowed me to cool off. When I finished my plate I stood.
"Which way is our quarters?" Quinlan gave me some directions pointing out the specific room I was given. "Thank you both. I need to meditate."
"We understand." Obi-wan said.
"No problem." said Quinlan with a small wave.
I left them both, allowing them to finish their own meals. A droid marched over and grabbed my plate from the table. I took note of the ship's layout as I walked. Munificent class ships would be something I would have to get used to navigating one day after all.
I found the quarters easily enough. Quinlan's directions were right on the nose. Shutting the door behind me. I kneeled and meditated, banishing the feelings of anger and rage I had felt in the mess hall. It wasn't long before the door chimed and I sensed the powerful presence of a Jedi Master.
"Enter," I said.
The Jedi Master in question slithered in. His upper body was humanoid with four arms, but the rest was like that of a snake.
"Knight Luminara. I am sorry to disturb your meditation. Do you have a moment to speak?" Master Oppo Rancisis inquired.
"Yes," I said while standing up to properly give him a formal bow. Rancisis was a hardliner even among traditionalists. I may have not been a fan of the Jedi and how they operated in this day and age, but being rude didn't get a person very far in any profession, barring the DMV.
He nodded. "I will get down to business then. Have you activated the Holocron recently?"
"Yeah, though only just before the Troiken Negotiations. The Gatekeeper was very stubborn and I was doing my best to come to terms with Tal'or's passing." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Mostly through more training."
"I see. Under the circumstances, it can be forgiven. That Holocron is known for being obstinate." He said with some annoyance in his voice like he knew from personal experience. "You should know that while I did not approve of your Knighthood, I understand you have been an exceptional padawan learner despite being knighted so early. It is clear you will only continue to expand your knowledge rather than rest upon your laurels like I myself feared. The reason I am here is that when we return to the Temple. I convinced Yarael Poof, and the Grandmaster for the three of us to train you in the art."
Woah, that was big. "So the three of you will alternate between sessions then?" I wondered aloud.
I sensed amusement from Master Rancisis. "No, though that was my original intent. Master Poof, suggested another avenue for your training." I wondered what he could be on about.
"Oh, what might that entail?" I said, curiosity peaked.
Rancisis snorted, "Master Poof didn't want me to "spoil the surprise." by telling you. Regardless, your training will begin the day after we arrive. I will add that you should bring the Holocron with you. That is all." We bowed and he left, slithering out of my room.
My thoughts zeroed in on what sort of Training regimen Master Poof could have dreamed up. The Master was known for being a trickster. So I was somewhat nervous as to what he could have had in mind. Luckily we weren't too far from Coruscant and I wouldn't have to wait long for an answer.
A/N: So I decided to skip the rest of the Stark War. I tried many times to make it work writing the chapter involving the siege over and over until I said to hell with it. So I decided to just move on and let the war be Plo's moment to shine. Next chapter will have a time skip. Then I will take some time to plot out a proper outline. I have been playing by ear up till now.