Despite the drama of Count Dooku's secession, there were few actual consequences in the months following it. The Senate's immediate reaction was to refuse to recognize the secession as legitimate, but little else could be decided amidst the intense political gridlock that followed. Factions quickly emerged, with some supporting the right of secession from the Republic while others demanded immediate military action to return the Separatist planets to the Republic's influence. In the middle, Chancellor Palpatine acted as a voice of moderation by refusing to accept the secession but also pushing back against calls for war.
Meanwhile, Count Dooku was constantly on the move. He traveled from system to system, and it seemed that everywhere he went new systems were joining his Separatist Alliance. He refused several attempts from Chancellor Palpatine to negotiate. According to Davek, it was because he didn't want to give up the power he now had as the leader of the Confederacy. According to Galara, it was because he was being hunted by Republic assassins.
For Naro, all that meant was that, despite being from one of the Separatist planets, his day to day life was mostly unchanged. Since the Senate didn't recognize the independence of Raxus Secendus, Naro was still technically a citizen of the Republic and thus entitled to continue studying at Carida. A week after the secession of his homeworld, Naro was back in class with a fresh schedule for the new semester.
But, even if the galaxy was in stalemate, politics had begun to seep into life at the academy regardless.
Three months after the Raxus Address, sympathizers of Count Dooku on Ryloth overthrew one of the major clan leaders in favor of a Separatist aligned proxy. Galara said it was a revolution of the people. Davek called it a coup.
Whatever the case, Carida Academy erupted into protests and counter protests. The cadet population at Carida was predominantly Core Worlders, but Mid and Inner Rim cadets made up a significant minority. When the Core Worlders organized a demonstration calling for Republic intervention on Ryloth, Mid and Inner Rimmers came out in force to shout them down.
The two groups clashed, and there was violence. Several cadets were beaten. Academy security had to be deployed to break up the demonstrations. Three Mid Rim and two Inner Rim cadets were expelled for violence. None of the Core Worlders were expelled; the one's who'd committed acts of violence were all from rich families who donated regularly to the academy.
Even Naro's classes were infected by the charged political atmosphere.
Towards the end of Naro's second semester, his classes once again shifted from lectures to simulations. Except, Naro noted, the simulation scenarios stopped being Jedi against Sith and increasingly became Republic against Separatist. BLUFOR was always the Galactic Republic with REDFOR usually being either the Confederacy of Independent Systems or the Trade Federation.
Naro still did extremely well in all the simulations, but he couldn't help but notice that he tended to be 'randomly' assigned to REDFOR in almost all of the scenarios.
The only place Naro could get a break from it all was with Lynara, and they began to spend even more time together. She never talked about politics with him, at least not unless they were discussing warfare. Even then, they were discussing war as a theoretical, and the politics involved seemed more distant when he talked with her.
Maybe that was all just in Naro's head. But he loved spending time with her, and she seemed to reciprocate that. So they did.
They fenced together relentlessly, doing drills and sparring whenever the salon was free. As time passed, Naro began to acquire his own gear. First he scraped enough credits together to get a helmet that didn't stink of someone else's sweat then he got a secondhand jacket off a graduating cadet. Eventually he got together his own gloves, though they were both secondhand and didn't match.
Several times, Lynara offered to just buy him a full set of gear with her family's money, but Naro always refused. She already paid for meals when they went out, and he didn't want to feel anymore like a social parasite than he already did.
As they continued fencing, Naro and Lynara both improved substantially. They were, as it turned out, the only really dedicated fencers at the academy and so they practiced far more than any other cadet. By the end of Naro's first year, the two of them were unmatched at the fencing salon.
"Damn," Emeris complained once after she'd fought a bout with Naro. "I remember when I could still beat you reliably."
Naro shrugged. "It's just practice. I spend a lot of time here."
"That's because your partner's a fencer too, and the two of you are attached at the hip." Emeris sighed. "Meanwhile I'm pulling all nighters trying to get my flight hours in. Who knew piloting could be such a pain."
Naro shrugged again. "Sure," he said agreeably. "Another pass?"
Emeris made a face, but in the end she agreed, and they fought a dozen more passes until she was too tired to continue. Then Naro went to fight Lynara again.
Outside of fencing, they took every opportunity they had to go on dates off academy grounds. Lynara had made it a goal to see everything of note on Carida, so they spent their weekend passes shuttling around the planet on various adventures.
They toured ancient ruins, trekked across the countryside, and ate lavish meals at fancy restaurants. Whenever they weren't on the move, the two of them spent their time refining tactics and strategies. The Valorum-Tarrik Maneuver in particular went through several iterations. On one occasion, Lynara convinced him to hike up a mountain with her, carrying unknown bags on their backs.
"It's a surprise," she promised. "You'll see when we get to the top."
Three hours later, they reached the top of the mountain which, as it turned out, contained an ancient ruin carved into the cliffside. The ruin had been dug into the mountain, hollowing out a large central chamber.
"This is an ancient Jedi outpost. It's been long abandoned, and everything important was taken by Republic archeologists when it was rediscovered a few hundred years ago," Lynara explained. "I thought it'd be a nice place to fight."
"Stars above," Naro murmured, awed by the structure. Then he blinked and said, "Fight?"
Lynara grinned and slid her bag onto the ground. She produced two practice vibrorapiers from it.
"Your bag has our jackets and our lunch, so don't drop it," Lynara said. She threw one of the vibrorapiers to Naro.
He caught it and nearly choked when he saw the blade. "This is custom made!" he exclaimed.
Lynara gave a casual nod. "We're not allowed to take the one you usually borrow out of the salon, so I had one commissioned for you. It's yours if you want it. Otherwise, I'll just keep it on hand for occasions like this." She threw him a helmet and gloves, his helmet and gloves, from her bag.
Naro was mortified at the price she must have paid for the vibrorapier and wanted to reject it immediately. But she had a different concept of wealth than he did, and Naro was learning. So instead he said, "Thank you… this is incredible!" He tried the balance in his hand. "It's perfect. Exactly my preference."
Lynara beamed at that. She suppressed her smile and said, "You're welcome, naturally. Let's do a few bouts before lunch, yeah?"
He agreed, and the two of them fought in the ruins of the Jedi outpost, a somewhat magical experience.
It was even more magical when, after lunch, they climbed to the peak of the mountain and looked down on the landscape around them. Naro pressed his lips against Lynara's, and they kissed atop the mountain.
"I love you," Naro said without thinking. He froze, suddenly terrified at her response.
But Lynara just smiled and said, "I love you too."
The Republic was the closest it had been to a galactic-wide war in a millenia. Naro's planet had seceded, and the political situation was so bad that there was open violence at the academy.
But at that moment, he couldn't have been happier.
The end of Naro's first year came and went in a flash. In one moment, he felt overwhelmed by the number of simulations, tests, and live drills he was being put through. In the next, it was all over, and he was suddenly a second-year cadet.
They were given three weeks of break before the start of the new academic year. Naro would have gone home to see his parents, except that travel to Raxus Secendus was restricted.
Instead, Davek and Hawkor insisted on planning a trip for the whole group. They knew about Naro's situation, and they knew that Galara was in a similar one. Her mother had been forced to resign from the Senate and return to Serenno following the secession.
"We're not going to let you two spend your break alone at the academy of all places," Hawkor insisted.
"You really don't have to do all this," Naro protested.
Davek rolled his eyes. "You're right. We don't have to do this. We want to do this."
"Eh, what's the harm," Galara said. She shrugged at Naro. "It'll be fun."
Emeris leaned over. "You know, my family has a vacation house on Naboo."
So Naro spent his break with his friends on Naboo. It was an idyllic place with long stretches of grasslands and beautiful waterfalls. They stayed at a house on the shore of a massive lake with droids to care for their every need. Emeris's family gave them free rein of the place.
Most of their time was spent swimming and lounging about playing games. But, even in paradise, politics managed to penetrate their lives.
A week into their vacation, Loyalist and Separatist militias on the planet Ando began to clash in the streets of major cities. Images of atrocities committed by both sides permeated the HoloNet, and the planetary government fell to a vote of no confidence. A new, pro-Separatist government was formed with a tiny majority, and Ando voted to secede from the Republic.
It was the first planet outside of the Outer Rim to do so.
Davek was outraged. "Count Dooku is spreading violence and chaos in order to threaten planets into secession!" he spat in disgust.
"They should have postponed the vote until after the violence had ended," Hawkor agreed. "As it was, the representatives couldn't be expected to vote honestly given the threat they were under."
But Galara scoffed, "Something had to be done. The people of Ando wanted change, and their representatives listened to them. You can't just postpone democracy until it's deemed safe again. That's the path to tyranny."
"Peace and stability do not create tyranny," Davek muttered.
"They do when you sacrifice democracy for them," Galara said.
Later that night, Naro heard a knock on his door. The vacation house was massive, and everyone had their own rooms. Naro's room was on the second floor. It had a balcony overlooking the lake, an incredible luxury to Naro. He opened the door to find Galara.
"Can we talk?" she asked.
Naro let her into the room and shut the door. "What is it?"
Galara gave him a serious look. "Before we begin, this conversation stays between us. Got it?"
Naro nodded, suddenly on edge.
"The others don't understand what we're going through," Galara said. "They can't understand, really, and that's not their fault. They're all Core Worlders. That's all they know. It is what it is. But the two of us are from the Outer Rim, and our homeworlds…"
"Galara, what are you saying?" Naro demanded.
She took a deep breath.
"I need to know which side you're on. If push comes to shove."
"You mean you want to know if I'm a Loyalist or a Separatist?" Naro accused.
Galara looked aside. "If you want to put it that way, you can."
"Neither," Naro spat.
"You can't expect me to believe that," Galara pressed. "You know the Republic is too flawed to continue. You know of its corruption first hand."
"The only thing I know is that this crisis makes everything worse," Naro snapped. He rubbed his face. "The Republic is corrupt, yes, but this can't be the only way forward. Violence in the academy? Militias on Ando? If the Separatists keep going on like this, the outcome will be war. Galactic war."
Galara narrowed her eyes. "There will only be war if the Republic wills it. The Confederacy wants nothing but independence. If there is to be war, then it will be because the Republic refuses to accept the sovereignty of its systems."
"Maybe if Count Dooku would agree to the Supreme Chancellor's negotiations, the Republic wouldn't feel so threatened," Naro retorted.
"The Supreme Chancellor…" Galara began, but she stopped and took a breath. "I don't want war anymore than you do. But we can't ignore the reality of the situation, and I need to know this. If it comes to war, are you with the Republic or are you with your home?"
"What you're asking is-"
"Please. Just humor me."
Naro could see the intensity in her eyes, so he forced himself to confront the question. Every consequence. His friends. His family. His homeworld. Lynara.
He exhaled slowly.
"My home," he whispered.
It felt like treachery. But either way he was a traitor to someone.
Blast it all.
Galara nodded slowly. "Good," she said. "Me too."
"You know this means we'd be fighting our friends, right?" Naro bit his lip. "Hawkor's not a military cadet, but Emeris is in interstellar piloting. She'd be at the front of it all. Davek is applied tactics and strategy like me. He'd be a fleet officer. And Lynara-"
"It won't come to that," Galara reassured. "If the Republic sees that the Confederacy is prepared for war, they won't risk it."
"Prepared for war?" Naro questioned. He looked at her, uncertainty plastered across his face. "What are you talking about?"
Galara looked aside then let out a breath. "I've been in communication with Count Dooku."
Naro stiffened.
"Don't look at me like that," she mumbled. "He's looking for cadets who would be willing to serve in a future military for the Confederacy, and I agreed. There's dozens others at Carida. Mostly Mid and Inner Rimmers."
"A Separatist military?" Naro hissed. "I thought you wanted to avoid war!"
"Preparing for war is not the same as fighting one," Galara said. "In fact, it's the best way to avoid one. The Republic won't try to force Separatist planets back into it if they know those planets will fight back. All this bluster about going to war is because the Core Worlds don't think the Outer Rim has the strength to resist them. If we present a strong show of force, they won't risk it."
"It's just…" Naro rubbed his head. "You're working for Count Dooku?"
"I'm working with Count Dooku," she emphasized. "For the betterment of my planet. For our planets." She sighed. "I recommended you to him. He wants to speak with you if you're willing."
"You mean he wants me to join his military," Naro spat.
"I want you to join," Galara urged. "No one wants war, but war is coming, and a strong deterrence may be the only way to stop it. Aren't you tired of just sitting back and watching the galaxy tear itself apart?"
Naro was quiet for a few moments. Then he sighed and said, "Fine. I'll speak with him. But no promises."
"Thank you," Galara said. "You're doing the right thing. I'll arrange the meeting."
The next day, Emeris wanted to show them one of the nearby waterfalls, so they packed lunches and hiked across the lovely countryside. The waterfall was beautiful. Really the whole of Naboo was beautiful, a paradise world if Naro had ever seen one, but the waterfall was exceptional, and they all clambered to get as close as they could. Some locals laughed at them when they emerged soaking wet from the spray.
After that, they dried themselves on a series of nearby boulders. It was a heavenly experience, as the rock was warm from the sun, and there wasn't a single cloud in the brilliantly blue sky. They lay there for hours, soaking in the sun, until Galara said she was hungry. A blanket was laid out on the grass. Hawkor produced a wonderful selection of exotic fruits. They ate lunch and enjoyed paradise.
On the hike back, Naro had a chance to look at his friends all together and be content. They talked and made jokes, and if there were any hard feelings left over from the politics of yesterday, they were quickly forgotten in a torrent of laughter as Hawkor described one very eccentric instructor he'd had. Naro laughed so hard that his stomach began to hurt.
Paradise.
But when night fell and they returned to their lodgings, Naro heard a knock on his door again. He opened the door to Galara.
"Walk with me," she said. She started going down the hall.
Naro pulled on his shoes and hurried after her.
They exited the vacation house, walking along a dirt path that led away from the lake into a small forest. Galara stopped, seemingly at random, a few minutes after they'd left sight of the house. She unveiled a handheld holoprojector and held it out.
"Ready?" she asked.
Not really.
"Yes."
Galara turned on the holoprojector. A miniature hologram of Count Dooku appeared in her hand.
"Naro Tarrik, a great pleasure to meet you again," Count Dooku said.
"Galara said you wanted to speak with me," Naro stated, before wondering if he was being too blunt.
He's a count; who am I to address him like that?
But then again. He's the one behind this whole blasted crisis.
"Your friend is correct," the count said smoothly. "I have a proposition with high potential for someone of your exceptional talent."
"You want me to join your military," Naro said.
Count Dooku smiled warmly. "Yes. That is exactly why I wanted to speak with you. I am certain you are already aware of the many flaws of the Republic, so I will not belabor that point. The Confederacy of Independent Systems seeks to create a better galaxy, but, in order to do so, it must first be allowed the freedom to decide its own future. The Republic has no right to force Separatist planets to remain in it, yet there are many in the Senate who seek to do exactly that. A military must be created to protect the sovereign rights of Separatist planets, and I would like to offer you a place in it."
Naro bit his lip. "Creating a military would only provoke the Republic into war."
"On the contrary, creating a military is the best way to avoid one," Count Dooku argued. "The Senate understands its own weaknesses better than most. The Republic has no military of its own, and the Jedi Order is not numerous enough to fight a war. The Republic will not risk a war which it clearly cannot win."
"There must be a better way," Naro replied. "If you agreed to negotiate with the Chancellor, you could find a compromise that avoids war."
Count Dooku shook his head. "Centuries of corruption and Core World dominance cannot be undone by a simple compromise. Even if some agreement is made with the Chancellor, it would never pass through the Senate. There are too many interests at stake there."
"But you haven't tried," Naro insisted. "Maybe if you agreed to the Chancellor's negotiations-"
The count raised a hand, and Naro went quiet. "I can see your passion, my young friend, and it is an inspiring thing indeed. I would like to extend to you the offer of a commission in the Confederacy of Independent Systems Navy, for when it is created. You would be made a captain and command your own ship. Your skills will be of great help there, and I have no doubt you would see rapid advancement."
Naro went to speak, but the count raised his hand again.
"In exchange, to demonstrate that I truly have exhausted all other options, I will agree to negotiate with the Supreme Chancellor. I do not expect much to arise from it, but I will negotiate in good faith and do my utmost to secure a lasting peace. This is my gift to you, for your well intentioned idealism and your youthful passion. What do you say, friend?"
Naro spent a long moment considering the offer. But, in the end, it was an opportunity he couldn't refuse. He was certain that if the count finally agreed to be at the negotiating table, something could be worked out. Anything to avoid war.
"I accept." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "What happens now?"
Count Dooku bowed ever so slightly. "For now, you should return to your studies until you are called on. If you are called on," he added with a nod. "I will negotiate and hope that peace can be achieved through talk alone. But, if that proves impossible, be ever vigilant."
And with that, the hologram disappeared into Galara's palm.
"He offered you a captaincy! Your own ship!" she marveled.
Naro blinked. "What did he offer you?"
"The rank of lieutenant and the position of Chief Logistics Officer on a ship." She shrugged. "It's what I study, so I wasn't expecting a bridge command or anything. But still, you as a captain! We haven't even graduated yet!"
Naro shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I'm not a captain yet either. Hopefully I don't have to become one if the negotiations go well."
"Right, of course. But just imagine you in command of your own ship. Incredible."
"If only it wasn't for a war against our own friends," Naro murmured.
Three days later, as Naro and his friends were enjoying breakfast, it was announced over the HoloNet that Count Dooku had agreed to negotiations with representatives from the Supreme Chancellor's office. They were to take place in a week, and the initial meeting was intended to be the first of several discussions which would handle the finer points of disagreement Separatist planets had with the Republic. Master Shaak Ti of the Jedi Order was originally intended to supervise the talks, but concerns about the Jedi Order's ties with the Republic meant that the talks would be held without Jedi mediation.
Hawkor was ecstatic over the news. He was a firm believer in the Diplomatic Corps and the efficacy of negotiation in conflict resolution. In his eyes, the crisis had only been prolonged because Count Dooku had spurned prior talks.
"Now we'll see some real progress," Hawkor promised.
Davek was less certain, but even he thought it was a positive change. He'd been adamant that Count Dooku would never negotiate for fear of losing power.
"It's a change of pace," he mused after finishing a glass of blue milk. "I wonder what made him change his mind."
Naro just grinned quietly at Galara.
But, as their vacation came to a close and they began to prepare to return to Carida, it became widely reported that the talks had failed. Count Dooku and his representatives from the Confederacy had stormed away from the negotiating table. In the wake of it all, dozens more planets declared their secession from the Republic.
Hawkor shook his head at the news. "Chancellor Palpatine shouldn't have put Senator Pavond in charge of the negotiating team. He might claim he's a moderate, but really he's more of a hardliner. Palpatine should have appointed someone like Senator Amidala; as it was, the talks were doomed to fail."
"Senator Amidala is too junior to represent the entire Republic," Davek said. "Pavond's a brute, but he has the Republic's interests at heart, and he has the seniority."
"I hear Senator Pavond threatened to invade Serenno before spilling his drink onto Dooku's lap," Emeris said. She wasn't usually interested in politics, but the failed talks had generated all sorts of rumors.
"According to one of his own aides, Pavond suggested that Separatist planets shouldn't be allowed to trade with Republic planets and that they should be forced to pay a lump sum for all the investment they had received from the Republic," Galara added. She wrinkled her nose in derision. "Apparently he also called Count Dooku a 'backwater nerf herder' and a 'failed Jedi'."
Naro shook his head, disgusted. "It's ridiculous. Count Dooku finally agrees to negotiate and this is who Palpatine sends? This is mockery. It's like he wanted the talks to fail."
"Pavond wasn't the right diplomat," Davek agreed. "But you can't pretend like he's the only one at fault here. Dooku's demands were absurd. A full restructuring of Senate procedure and planetary representation? Ridiculous."
Galara rolled her eyes. "It was a negotiation. He was expecting the Republic's representative to negotiate the terms, not insult him."
"Whatever the case," Hawkor said, "this mess has only made the crisis worse. There'll need to be more rounds of negotiation before anything gets done."
"More negotiations," Davek sneered. "Further talk won't solve anything without the power to back it up."
If only you knew, Naro thought. But, at the same time, he was starting to believe Davek was right. If talk won't work, maybe deterrence will.
Naro's second year at Carida Military Academy went by even faster than his first. He had a new slate of classes, but by now Naro knew the drill. The classes were easy enough with a little work, and Naro never had any real difficulties in them.
What was more concerning was the rapidly deteriorating political atmosphere at the academy.
Within two weeks of returning to Carida, there was another coup on Ryloth. This time the conspirators weren't successful, and the clan leader had the survivors tied to speeder bikes and dragged through the streets until they were dead. The brutality shocked many, giving Separatist sympathizers ammunition to criticize the Republic. At Carida, protests and counter protests once more erupted into violence. Academy security was deployed again. Almost a hundred cadets were sent to the clinic for serious injuries.
A week later, three Mid Rim cadets climbed the academy's flagpole and replaced the Galactic Roundel flag with a banner bearing the Separatist Hex. They were expelled, and another round of protests followed. Fifty Inner and Mid Rim cadets staged a hunger strike in front of the academy cafeteria. Ladrek D'Andar led a hundred Core Worlders with sticks and pipes to beat the strikers until they dispersed.
One cadet died of her injuries. Ladrek was brought before the administrators to be disciplined, but his expulsion was immediately moderated to a three day suspension upon the intervention of the D'Andar family. Local Carida police conducted an investigation and determined that the cadet's death was related to malnutrition as a result of her hunger strike, not violent action.
The cadet's friends claimed the Carida police had been bribed, and they ignited yet another wave of protests. Academy security was out in force from day one. This time there were only minor instances of violence.
That was only the first month back at Carida.
Every month, the galactic situation got worse. The number of planets in the Confederacy of Independent Systems grew rapidly from a dozen to a hundred to a thousand. The majority of the Outer Rim had seceded, and now Mid and Inner Rim planets were following suit. Riosa became the first Inner Rim planet to join the Separatists.
Even in the Core, there was conflict. A brawl broke out on Coruscant between Weequay and Houk drunkards, spurred on by political tensions, and fifteen died in the ensuing violence. The Jedi became stretched ever thinner as they were deployed to manage violence across the galaxy, and crime lords began to thrive in their absence. The Senate continued to face gridlock.
Still, life went on at the academy, and Naro's biggest concern was not the failing state of the Republic but rather his upcoming anniversary with Lynara.
He wanted to get something for her, mainly because she was always getting things for him, and he wanted to show he didn't take her for granted. That was hard, though, as Naro had very little money, and cadets were forbidden from being employed while attending the academy.
He resorted to scrimping by and using what money he did have to make bets with other cadets. Naro quickly discovered that many cadets liked to spend their time playing holochess with weekend tournaments being a common occurrence. Betting was plentiful during those tournaments, so Naro started entering them. To Naro, holochess seemed like an odd, abstracted form of warfare, and he picked it up quickly.
It went well enough. Naro wasn't a master by any means, but he was good enough to win more than not.
By his fifth tournament, Naro had enough money to get what he wanted.
He went to Ryleel's night market and picked up a small piece of aurodium from a scrap seller. For a dozen credits, he had the aurodium hammered into a flat disk by a smith and purchased a matching aurodium chain to go with it from a jeweler. Then he took the disk to the academy's fabrication department and, in exchange for the remainder of his credits, had it engraved and polished by a fellow cadet.
The result was a brilliant golden pendant. On one side the words, 'If you seek peace, prepare for war' were engraved on the aurodium. On the other was a stylized depiction of the Valorum-Tarrik Maneuver as it would be seen on a star chart, with arrows and dots representing ship movements in space.
Naro had spent a lot of time describing exactly what he wanted to the fabrication cadet. It was part of the reason it had cost him so much money.
He presented it to Lynara in the ruins of Carida's ancient Jedi outpost. The ruins had become a favorite of theirs to hike to, and Naro had insisted they go there on their anniversary. When they reached the hollowed out central chamber, Naro retrieved the pendant from his bag and showed it to her.
"This…" Lynara said, slightly out of breath. "This is remarkable. That's the Valorum-Tarrik Maneuver, right? Magnificent. Truly."
She put it around her neck.
Of course, Naro wasn't the only one with a gift. Lynara pulled a sheathed vibrorapier from her pack with a silvery hilt. The scabbard was leather and etched with a diamond pattern that ran its entire length.
She handed it to him.
"This isn't a practice weapon," Naro said as he drew it from the scabbard.
The blade was real, sharpened all the way down to its point and with a switch that would activate its vibration generator. It was made of a silvery metal and had the words, 'The last argument of kings' engraved along the blade.
Naro knew Lynara enjoyed engravings like that. He was beginning to enjoy them himself.
"It's made with a cortosis-weave, so it'll resist even a lightsaber cut," Lynara stated. "Not enough to deactivate one, mind you, but enough to give you a fighting chance."
Naro gaped at the vibrorapier. "This must have cost a fortune," he said, shocked.
"Naturally," Lynara replied. "But I happen to have a few fortunes lying around. I modeled it after the practice sword I got you, so it should be the right weight and length."
Naro suppressed the urge to reject it as too expensive. He sheathed the vibrorapier.
"I love you," Lynara said.
He kissed her.
"I love you too."
Lynara's eyes twinkled. "Just so you don't think I'm too sweet…" The corners of her mouth rose to a grin. "I did commission a matching sword for myself. A sword like that's just too beautiful for only you to have." She shrugged. "I got a discount on the second one."
Naro's laugh echoed through the ruins of the Jedi outpost.
Naro's second year ended with a universal ban against political demonstrations on academy grounds. The latest protest had gone a step too far and resulted in the death of a Core World cadet after someone had smuggled a blaster to the counter protest. The cadet's family demanded an investigation, and the academy began cracking down on all forms of political expression to prevent further incidents.
Dozens of cadets, some with only a passing involvement in the protests, were expelled from the academy. The one who'd brought a blaster was arrested for murder. Academy security began enforcing stricter adherence to curfews and pass requirements.
The academy justified its new restrictions by stating that, as a military academy, it was not held to the same freedom of expression requirements as other Republic academies. That satisfied no one, though, as the Republic had no centralized military, and Carida Military Academy had in practice been operating like a typical civilian academy ever since the last galactic-wide war a thousand years ago. Aside from its emphasis on warfare-oriented curriculum, the academy was really only 'military' in name.
Regardless, the protests stopped. Political violence dissipated or, in some cases, went underground. Final simulations proceeded as usual.
Before he knew it, the year was over and Naro was a third-year cadet. Ladrek D'Andar graduated with the senior class and was thus finally gone from Naro's life. Naro vacationed with his friends on Naboo again to celebrate the end of the year.
By now, the Confederacy of Independent Systems had grown to encompass several thousand systems. The galaxy watched as HoloNet reporters continued to report failed negotiations between the Republic and the Confederacy. Tensions across the galaxy continued to spike.
Finally, just as Naro and his friends had returned from their second vacation on Naboo, something shifted, and the Military Creation Act was introduced to the Senate floor.
The political rhetoric immediately shifted. Suddenly the Loyalists were divided between Idealists and Militarists while Separatists denounced the act's implicit call for war. Senators were at each others' throats with many openly insulting others on the HoloNet. Militarist speakers began claiming the Separatists were making deals with corporate interests in order to secure access to their private droid armies.
At the academy, there were immediate changes in reaction to the act's proposal. Naro learned about them from Davek, only two days into the new academic year.
"You hear about the new program they're going to offer us?" Davek mentioned offhand as they were walking to the cafeteria.
Naro shook his head. "No. What program?"
"The academy's going to allow us to double our course loads so we can take two semesters' worth of classes in one. It'd mean we could graduate an entire year early," Davek said.
"Most cadets can barely keep up with their current course load. Why are they trying to introduce this?" Naro asked.
"Apparently the administrators are preparing for the Military Creation Act to pass. There's concerns from some of the Militarist senators that there aren't enough qualified officers to build a Republic military, so the administrators have been under pressure to graduate as many cadets as possible in case the act passes." Davek shrugged. "Supposedly the work for each individual class will be reduced so that it's still a manageable course load."
"That's a load of bantha piss," Naro snorted. "They're going to rush out a bunch of unprepared cadets just because of this act?"
"Maybe," Davek said. "But I'm tempted. Don't you want to graduate early? Get on with your life?"
Why? Naro thought. My life at the academy has been the best it's ever been.
But regardless, by the end of the week, the academy was offering cadets double enrollments with the promise of an early graduation.
Emeris, Hawkor, Galara, and Davek all doubled their course loads. Hawkor did it because he was hoping that, if he graduated early enough, he'd be able to join the Diplomatic Corps in time to help in the negotiations with the Separatists. Emeris because she was impatient and wanted to fly. Galara because she thought the Confederacy would need her. Davek because he thought the Republic would need him.
Even Lynara chose to double her course load. When Naro asked why, she just said that she wanted the challenge.
Well. Naro was always eager for more military learning, and he didn't want to be left behind by his friends. He doubled his course load as well.
In an instant, Naro's life became nothing but classes. He went from six classes to twelve, and that meant nearly every waking hour of the day was spent in lectures, doing readings, or running simulations. Even eating was relegated to a secondary activity as he read from his datapad, and sleep became a much rarer luxury.
In the morning, he ate breakfast and attended bridge command, fleet disciplinary action, and intersystem reconnaissance. Then he had an hour of lunch to catch up on his readings. In the afternoon, it was starfighter tactics, flagship tactical maneuvering, and galactic strategic warfare. Then another hour for readings. After that was the long stretch until dinner where Naro endured hyperspace logistics, sublight strategic warfare, planetary ground strategy, theoretical hyperspace tactics, advanced fleet command, and planetside operational command. Next, an hour for dinner. Then lights out and time to finish whatever readings Naro hadn't managed to complete in between classes. Whatever time remained at the end of it all was for sleep.
Free time disappeared. He no longer fenced; there simply wasn't enough time for it. The only time he saw his friends was in the cafeteria, but everyone was too busy or too tired for conversation. The only time he saw Lynara was on weekends, when they sat together and did work for their many classes.
Naro's perception of time warped. Months passed. Every week seemed to blend together without distinctive events to differentiate them. On one hand, Naro was ecstatic to be learning so much so quickly. On the other, he could feel the workload grinding away at him. It wasn't even particularly difficult work. It was just omnipresent.
Things happened. Events in the galaxy went by without discussion or interest.
There was an assassination attempt against Senator Amidala. Or maybe there were two attempts? Naro didn't care; he was running on two hours of sleep and three cups of caf.
The Military Creation Act stalled out on the Senate floor. Galara didn't even have the energy to gloat about it.
A round of negotiations failed. Hawkor couldn't raise his head from his datapad.
The Jedi discovered a backroom deal between the Separatists and the Trade Federation. A vast army of battle droids was reported. Davek yawned and got another cup of caf.
Some junior representative from Naboo suggested granting emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine. Naro just buried his head and prepared for his next intersystem reconnaissance simulation.
The Senate voted in favor. No one commented.
The Chancellor used his emergency powers to create an army without a vote. Galara merely sighed.
Until, one day, Naro entered the cafeteria after getting four hours of sleep and noticed that people were actually talking to each other.
He sat down with his friends. "What happened?" he asked.
Galara gave him an icy look.
"We're at war."
So this chapter covers a lot of ground, roughly two years, very quickly. In lore, there's about two years between the Raxus Address and the Battle of Geonosis, but I felt that spending too much time at the academy would detract from the story. Hence the rapid movement of time throughout this chapter. I did my best to make it coherent and interesting, but oh well there's only so much that can be done.
Again, thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. This story has been a departure from what I am used to writing, so I appreciate all the feedback I receive.