Practice, Practice, Practice.
Here, have this.
Reviews and criticism are always welcome.
Anakin lept from one wall to another as he ran, doing his best to run along the sidewall that had placed itself in front of him an exact moment before he jumped from the previous floating square pad, until he leapt off and grabbed a series of handle bars. Then he leapt up from a pad on the ground. At first he resented the way the course always changed around him. But he grew to love the challenge after a while and in a way he thrived on it. He charged up a wall panel that floated into view, and ran across the next platform, leaping from one to the next. It wasn't long until he had leapt up on the edge of the training arena.
"Well done," Master Quinlan said. "Vast improvement over the last run." Anakin smiled. He found he liked Quinlan. He didn't like having to call him "Master" though. Anakin knew it was just a title, but it somehow still rubbed him the wrong way. It reminded him too much of Watto. Despite that, the Jedi Master seemed laid back, but like Luminara was a stickler for properly training his charges. "You can go wait and watch the others make their attempts."
Barriss called him over with a wave. They stood by each other as they watched Tara. Tara was one of two other humans in the group of padawans that were sent over. She had reddish blonde hair and pale skin. She was from Mandalore, which was rare. Anakin didn't entirely understand why that was. Master Adi might mention it in history class one of these days. Tara often used terms in her people's language to describe things and Anakin found himself getting lost along with anyone else talking to her. For some reason that annoyed Luminara when they were in class. She never said anything about it, but Anakin had grown to know her well enough to see on her face a mix of annoyance, but mostly a bit of embarrassment.
The other human was Sha'a Gi. He was sort of a scaredy nexu. But he was still a year younger than Anakin and he knew his fellow student would get past that fear in time.
Anakin found he only worried most of the time about his mother. She had sent him a message prior to leaving Coruscant saying Padme sent Threepio down to her, and got the droid a new chassis as well. That didn't sit well with him. Padme returning Threepio was good, but the fact someone else finished Threepio and not him. That is what didn't sit well with Anakin. Did they install the panels correctly? Did they mess anything else up?
Padme, he started thinking of her smile and the way she treated him after they left Tatooine. His thoughts drifted too much into those eyes for him to notice what was coming.
"Think fast!" In an instant a ball hit him on the side of the face. He looked to see Luminara smirking and some of the other students hiding smirks and chuckles.
"Got to keep focused Anakin." Quinlan had an amused look on his face, but he continued. "Remember to guard your mind and always be aware of your surroundings. Especially when one of us is throwing around cheap shots." Quinlan shook his head in Luminara's general direction.
"Hey, he'll thank me when he visits some place like Nar Shadda." Luminara called back from a different location in the training hall. Her voice was unapologetic.
Quinlan smirked, "We'll find a way to get her back, but first we have to finish class."
Anakin ran in the pit three more times that day. Luminara didn't throw the ball at him again. She was merely reminding the others and himself to keep alert. Anakin was used to keeping alert, especially to see if Watto came to work hungover or for customers who attempted a five, four, or even a three fingered discount.
He took some solace that he wasn't the only one to get hit with the ball, even Barriss got hit once, and Gendi, another Mirialan kid. Molr, the class's only Zabrak, would duck the shot Luminara threw at him, but Koff and Tara wouldn't get hit at all. Koff was a Duros and was tall for his age. When everyone was done with the course. Skii got hit. She was a Twi'lek with an orange hue to her skin. Anakin saw that Luminara was merely training them to keep their senses open and alert at all times.
Overall Anakin found he liked this group of Padawans he was placed with. Barriss was here and that made things even better. Barriss had started gaining a bit of confidence and often wasn't as meek as she was before. She would stand up for herself more often.
With class over, the floor of the training pit lifted up, returning its status as a floor. This room was also where they practiced Lightsaber combat. Luminara was especially strict while teaching bladework. Anakin found it odd how much of a shift he saw when she ran them through their katas. It was different to how she trained him on Tatooine. She was more laid back. Anakin supposed he wasn't learning to use a lightsaber back then. Luminara had been trying to teach him without knowing he was using the force at the time.
The Younglings all filed together for some basic sprinting, push ups and jumping jacks. After all that they got to sit down to cool off for a bit while they took turns in the fresher. Quinlan had them all practice meditation While they waited. It felt good to cool off. The Station didn't have a large fresher like at the temple. Now they only had one more class.
It wasn't long before they were ushered into the main classroom. Luminara had managed to get the other students she had missed at certain parts of the day.
"Remember, to always keep your guard up. Think of daily classes like a mission the Council will one day send you on as Jedi." Luminara stopped using the ball once they had been hit. She wouldn't have to use the ball much at times going down the line. Eventually never again.
They entered Shaak Ti's classroom. Master Shaak had been gone along with Master Adi the last day or two. The younglings had barely met the other masters in charge of the station. Something to do with the turrets acting up before they arrived on station. Anakin wasn't allowed to help with repairing those. Mostly because the Mandalorian man on Lam's crew would shoo them away. Tara had tried speaking Mando'a to him. That only seemed to make things worse, as he openly growled forcing them to run away as he threw a hydrospanner after them. They ran into Captain Lam once or twice. He was always polite and often answered any questions about his ship. Anakin still wasn't sure how Lam and his Crew fit into things around here, but Anakin was excited to see how. Lam had some fun stories to tell.
They all went to their usual assigned seats. Tara and Molr flanked him. Barriss was in the front row. This room had softer seats. Luminara walked up and stood at the head of the class.
"Alright, time for some lessons in the Mysteries of the Force. Master Shaak didn't give me any lesson plans so I will teach what I feel like teaching you until she gets back. Understood?" They all nodded.
"Good, now today we'll talk about Tutaminis." There were a few hush groans of annoyance. Tutaminis wasn't everyones' favorite. Anakin found himself intrigued. It hadn't been long since he had learned this himself, and despite tutaminis being relatively minor, it was still useful. He imagined trying to apply it while testing wire and motherboard connections on any droids he worked on. He thought of Threepio again.
"I know, I know," Luminara held up a hand to silence the groans. "Many of you have gone over this, but consider this a refresher course. It is a very useful ability. Transferring energy, even radiation by redirecting it elsewhere. You can even use it to heal injuries. While not as flashy as a good ol' force push or pull, this ability's utility cannot be understated especially in the field. I once used it to get out of a nasty set of force cuffs. Had I practiced more, I might have not shocked myself so much in order to get out of them." She shook her head briefly and wrung her wrists. "This power is even the basis for Stun Droid, or Ionize as the ability is called today."
Luminara moved to a small table with an old radio box sitting on top of it. She demonstrated as a remote floated above her and fired. The round impacted harmlessly off Mirialan's hand. She shifted her angle so they could see better the bolt dissipating around her hand. After a few more shots she pointed the opposite gloved hand palm out toward the old radio and it flared to life. It spat out some music in a language he only heard spoken by Tara. The human girl started buzzing in her seat, both physically and in the force, clearly enjoying the music.
"Hey!" Everyone in the room turned toward the entrance of the room. It was the Mandolorian from Lam's ship. He stormed in and went over to snatch it up. Luminara stopped him.
"Hold on Enjay, let me finish transferring this energy." Luminara's voice was casual, but she meant it. She clearly wasn't amused at the interruption.
Enjay ignored her and reached out anyway. His hands hit an invisible wall. He growled and muttered something about "Jetii", crossing his arms. Luminara smirked, but finished the transfer.
"What was it doing near the recycler?" Luminara asked.
"The di'kutla Cathar must have thought it was junk again." He started muttering in Mando'a.
"Watch your language in front of the younglings," Luminara admonished the Mando as she handed the radio back.
The Mandalorian shook his ugly orange colored helmet, took the radio, and stomped out.
"Well, it seems my tutaminis demonstration was cut short. Not that you'll needed that much of a refresher. Another lesson is make sure the items you find next to the compactor were in fact put there by the original owner." There were some chuckles. "Moving on," Luminara called down another remote. "Like I said earlier, this ability is a stepping stone for other abilities, such as Stun Droid or Mechu Macture if you want to get technical. Ionize is the preferred name we use today."
Luminara held up a hand, pointing it at the remote like a blaster. A small arc of lightning zapped out of the end of her index and middle finger and impacted on the small droid. Anakin felt a bit sorry for it as it hung in the air convulsing. He knew the little remote didn't have a higher processing unit, but it was still hard to watch.
"Alright, now it's your turn. The tricky part is simply directing the energy." Luminara looked around the room. "Pretty sure this room is insulated enough." She said to herself.
Practice ended up involving both powers. They had to take energy from a generator Luminara placed in the center of the room, and transfer energy to themselves via tutaminis and zap a remote assigned to each of them. After which the remote would have to be zapped using the basic Ionize. It took Anakin a few tries, but he got the hang of it relatively quickly. Luminara's words when she would stop and describe how to release the energy carried a strange feeling. It helped him, like a suggestion, sparking an innovative leap in knowledge.
Some of the kids used the finger slug thrower technique Luminara demonstrated earlier, while Anakin preferred the palm out method. All the students got their remotes up. It was learning the new technique that many in the class had issues with. Anakin could still feel a presence in the air. Then it was gone, and he somehow knew that he was on his own. Anakin hesitated. He could have done it, but he kept thinking of Threepio and R2.
"Having trouble Anakin?" He looked up and saw Luminara standing next to him.
"I shouldn't be…"
"Your thoughts are drifting to C-3P0." Anakin disliked the thought sensing aspect of using the force as much as he loved it.
"Yes." He looked around self-consciously. The other students seemed focused on their task. Some gave them looks of curiosity, but they paid them no mind after Luminara told them to focus.
"Understandable, but not all droids are good. Think of those battle droids who slaughtered gungans and poisoned the swamps of Naboo." The mention of Naboo caused him to recoil somewhat. The dark figure that stole him from Master Qui-gon after Anakin had blown up the lucrehulk. Then being tied to that dark and cold slab in that black dungeon of horrors. Luminara laid a hand on his shoulder.
"I am sorry for mentioning that." She quickly brought the subject back to the droids. "There are droids that may not be friendly, like assassin droids for one. You know this."
Anakin nodded his head. "I guess you are right. I will do better." He was going to use the ability this time.
He calmed his mind reaching out a hand and absorbing energy from the small generator. He focused on holding his palm up and sent a blast toward the remote.
The remote shook and sparked somewhat, but stuttered all the same. He looked at Luminara who nodded. She quickly noted another student, Koff, having trouble and went to help him. With that Anakin focused until...
"Got'em!" Tara said with a hint of amusement in her voice. She seemed to be zapping her remote a bit too hard.
"You are zapping it too hard. You'll burn it out." Anakin found himself saying aloud.
"So?" Tara reached out and drew a bit too much energy from the generator.
"They won't like it if we damage them beyond repair." Tara sent the Ionize at the remote anyway. It squawked and sparked violently, dropping to the floor dead.
"Oya!" She jumped excitedly.
Anakin was a bit angry with her, but he calmed himself and continued to practice. Taking care not to overload the remote like Tara did. Eventually the girl got tired of not doing anything and went over to pick up her remote. She shook it, trying to get it to work. She started muttering in her strange language again. They both felt Luminara's presence again.
She hovered behind Tara and Luminara raised an eyebrow as the initiate turned.
"You're pretty good at this." Tara beamed with pride. Luminara held up a hand and the remote flew from Tara's palm and into her own. "That being said, the point of the exercise was to practice on the remotes. It is hard to practice on a damaged remote. We don't have storage containers full of them like back on Coruscant. This lesson is about control as much as it is about learning Ionize." There was an undertone in Luminara's voice. One of authority.
Tara deflated somewhat. "I… I am sorry Jetii Al'verde."
"Prove it." Luminara stated plainly in Tara's language. He wasn't certain what Luminara said, but the girl's eyes widened finally realizing that perhaps Luminara understood some of the things she had been saying for the past week. The Jedi Master called over another spare remote. She took the damaged remote for repairs later. Anakin focused back on his own remote. Three other students ended up overloading their remotes. Though not intentionally. Luckily there were plenty of the little drones. Class was eventually called and they were given the rest of the day off. Luminara held Tara back for a moment, speaking in Mando'a to the girl. The girl nodded, seeming both chastised and strangely determined.
Anakin found himself staying back in class. He walked over to the workbench where Luminara was working on the remotes that were overloaded.
"Hey kid," she tossed him a remote. "Here, if you have free time, you can come and work on the remotes. The other droids on station will need permission from Ritch, the Head Engineer, before you can crack them open. Anyway, good thing you stayed back." She approached. "I got something to ask you that might come from the other side of the huttball field."
Anakin shrugged, focusing on his work.
Luminara put a hand on her tattooed chin, tapping it.
"How do I phrase this? Do you like using the title of Master for those that have the rank?"
Anakin had just unpinned the shell of the remote Tara had overloaded when she asked that question. He froze briefly, before he spoke Luminara cut in.
"Be honest."
"Not really," He answered honestly. It had been a hard adjustment. A small thing really. He quickly found the overload capacitor, and swapped it out. There were some other burnt parts. Tara had a penchant for going overboard.
"Okay, uhm, how 'bout you call us Mentor instead." Luminara unclipped a datapad from her belt. She typed something in. "I will let other instructors know not to call attention to it."
Anakin didn't like the idea he was getting special treatment. "You don't have to worry about me, Master Luminara." He didn't want that. This group of younglings were a lot less jealous than the last group. He was afraid Luminara would ruin that. Despite his fears, he did feel that Luminara was trying to help.
Luminara nodded. "It is your decision. I doubt the other students would even notice. They are all special cases in their own way. Especially Tara."
Anakin listened, curious of what he would learn of the odd human girl. Sensing his interest, Luminara continued.
"Tara is from Mandalore. Part of an outreach program you could say. Their leader, Jango Fett, agreed to send force sensitive initiates from his world the Jedi in exchange for a deal like what my people, The Mirialans, have with the Order. Tara is an experiment. Another reason she was put in my group is because I am considered an expert on Mandalorians."
"You got the misfits then?" Anakin found that amusing for some reason. Between himself being seen as a prodigy, and Barriss being considered a lost cause, it sort of made sense.
"You could say that." Luminara said with a smile as she waved the door to the room open and left. The door opened and Barriss was waiting outside.
"I was just waiting for Anakin." Barriss made to enter but Luminara jerked a thumb over at the workbench.
"Make sure he doesn't stay up too late." He could feel Luminara's presence recede as she left the training room. Anakin smiled as Barriss walked up next to him by the bench. He was happy to have her around. He liked Barriss. She was a good friend and a familiar face.
"What are you working on?"
"The remote Tara broke."
Barriss looked at the remote, on the table.
"She… is very loud."
Anakin couldn't help but giggle. Tara had yet to learn the concept of being quiet. She was too eager to impress, Anakin felt that she might not be here long if she kept that up.
"You like it here?" she asked.
"Yeah, so far. I like how much Luminara and Quinlan push us, especially Luminara. I was afraid she would go easy on me." Anakin admitted.
Barriss didn't seem as enthused about that aspect of their training, but picked a piece of the remote. She wasn't as good with machines as Anakin was. She did help him by passing tools. They didn't talk much. He would show her how to place certain parts and properly test the programming. Barriss would listen and sometimes ask what certain pieces of electronics did. Anakin was happy to teach her. Barriss would eventually remember it was time for them to get to bed.
Today was a free day for the younglings. I told them not to go into Lam's part of the Station, unless Lam said they could. The Smuggler had a lot of things lying around that weren't child friendly. The kids had taken to learning Ionize quite well in the past few days. Of course battle mediation made it rather easy to convey what I was trying to teach. It was hard to shut the power off sometimes if I was honest. Part of me wondered if there was a way to teach it like a standard ability. I broached the subject with Quinlan. He could relate, having Psychometry. A rare skill in the order.
It made me wonder briefly why Quinlan didn't go with Master Adi instead of Shaak Ti? I shrugged as I meditated rising just off the floor.
Battle meditation was a useful ability, and handy force multiplier. The Mandalorians I fought with to save Komari seemed almost superhuman in how they fought and fired their weapons. I could only imagine how the Clones would fight down the line with such a boon. That brought me to another avenue of thought. Where did Jango run off to? Did he become the clone template again? Why would he do so now as Mandalore? What reason could there be for that?
My comm beeped. It was Quinlan.
: Luminara, Shaak and Master Adi are back. Along with some guests. :
I got up from my meditation. It was when I reached out that I sensed him. Was that…? I all but dashed to the greeting hall just after the docking bay. It was him. He came back.
"Obi-wan?" I called out as I entered the room. "About time you found your way back here."
"Good to see you too, Luminara." He held his arms out and I gave him a brief hug. He was dressed in a simple set of brown pants with a tan shirt. There was a beskar pauldron strapped to his shoulder with the Clan Kryze symbol on it. He had grown his hair out somewhat. He was starting to look like a merc. After the quick embrace, I pointed at a woman in Mandalorian armor. The white and light blue of Clan Kryze. This had to be Satine.
"Who is this?"
"This is Satine of Clan Kryze. Ward of Mandalore Jango." Obi-wan introduced. " Satine, this is Master Luminara." The Mando wore a proper t-visored helm. I was glad to see the stupid night owl helmets weren't a thing in this universe. Hopefully.
She gave me a look. I met her gaze through the helmet. I didn't show any weakness as I looked up into Satine's visor directly.
"Su cuy'gar," I said evenly. Satine didn't seem all too surprised that I knew her tongue.
"Same to you. I heard how you saved Mand'alor's life in Keldabe."
"I was glad to help."
"You were also at Galidraan. I heard about that battle from those who were there. It sounded chaotic."
"It was a horrid affair overall. Luckily The Deathwatch is effectively dead."
I sensed an uneasy feeling in Satine's mind.
"Not exactly, Huntress is still out there. It is emboldening some former Deathwatch clans, but Huntress is so insane that many refuse to outright join her." That was the most I heard about Huntress in a while. Not since she offed Ki-Di Mundi. I would have to ask Master Adi about the details. Perhaps there was a reason the Council hadn't shared anything with me.
I decided to change the subject. I could inquire more later. Another thing came to mind.
"I heard you managed to reactivate a Basilisk War Droid." I just remembered that bit of information.
"Yes. Karoya the bes'uliik was left in Mand'alor'ad's care. I was hunting in Mandalore's southern Forests with my little sister, and I stumbled across an old weapons cache. I found all sorts of interesting things down there. Karoya was among them. We didn't expect her to have power. Especially when I hopped on its back for fun. She woke up and proceeded to nearly take me into the sky. What a rush. I hope I don't have to stay here too long. I really want to get back to her." There was an excited tone in her voice. All I could think was poor Myles. Having to deal with a giant war machine sized dog, while juggling the needs and wants of the Mandalorian Clans.
"I am sure the Senate wasn't happy to hear that. Doesn't its reactivation violate treaties or something?"
"It is a bit more complicated. Her blasters and missile launchers were disarmed, not that the ancient armament could still fire and the Senate could do nothing once Mand'alor announced she was a cultural artifact. Which Myles said she technically was considering she is close to 4000 years old." There was smugness in Satine's voice. Jango had found a competent Mandalorian senator it seemed.
I shook my head. "The Senate operates on "Rules for Thee, but not for Me." I would be more cautious than to step on their toes too much." I decided to change the subject before the Mandalorian Excision was mentioned. The details were sparse, but I am pretty sure the Sith were behind directing the Republic to attack Mandalore as a form of retribution for the Mandalorians allying with the Jedi during the New Sith Wars. More Baneite shadow play reekshit. Next time I was on Coruscant I would look for some better sources on the subject. Perhaps I was wrong, but I knew what to look for.
"Has there been any mention of where Jango went off to? Last I heard he was still gone." Satine's body posture and aura took on an uneasy stance.
"Only his ad has some idea of where he has gone off too. Myles is no great leader, even he himself recognizes that, but he is doing his best to hold things together in his father's absence. The clans won't act up unless Mand'alor has been gone too long without telling someone he is still alive. He is no Mandalore the Avenger to let things get that bad purposely."
"Good to hear, the last thing we need is another Civil War on Mandalore."
Quinlan came out of nowhere and grasped Obi-wan's forearm. "Brother, it's good to have you back."
"It is good to be back even if only for a few months." Obi-wan looked over at an approaching Adi Gallia.
"Master Adi." He gave a respectful bow.
Adi smiled. "It is good to see you, Obi-wan." She also hugged Obi-wan and gave a brief look at Satine. A mild look of annoyance could be felt from her aura. Gallia wasn't a fan of the Mandalorian deal with the Jedi. "And you, Kryze, if I recall." Satine gave a brief nod.
I turned to see Shaak Ti who raised an eyebrow. We moved away from the small cliche.
"Dare I ask how the lessons you stood in for went?"
"It went great, I taught the younglings Ionize." My bright expression died when I saw her confused look.
"That wasn't in the lesson plan I had left on your desk." What was she talking about?
"What desk?" I was genuinely curious, and trying to recall what she was talking about.
"In your office." Shaak seemed agitated now.
"So I have an office? That's cool."
Shaak gave up and let out a frustrated breath. "Just follow me. We showed you on the first day."
Oh, right, they did do that. The Turret Incident a week and half later really overrode memories of that day. Always sticking out as the highlight of the past few weeks for good reason.
"Now I remember. At least they took well to my lessons."
"Did you at least take notes on their progress?" That I did do and had with me. And my office literally turned out to be on the other side of the hall, directly across from my quarters. I facepalmed.
"Yes, in fact." I handed her the datapad. She looked through it as I explored my office. It was rather spartan. There were several selves I could put my models on. I saw the datapad she laid on the desk. I picked it up and skimmed through it. Shaak ti did plan on a little Tutaminis training, but she had planned to focus mostly on Meditation and even had mentions of the students that had a hard time staying awake.
"I see," I admitted. I was so focused on their lightsaber training I had sort of turned the training hall/arena into my office. I handed Shaak Ti's pad back.
Shaak Ti was still reading through my notes. Her eyes widened.
"I didn't think that I was so thorough with the Ionize notes." I offered the datapad to her. She got a guilty look on her face.
"Apologies, I browsed too far and found your notes on the younglings lightsaber scores. Impressively documented. Wait, are you critiquing my forms as well?"
I blushed and grabbed the pad from her. I was a bit meticulous with my training sessions. I often heard grumbles in the mornings, but nothing more than that once the morning run and stretches were out of the way. If I was lucky I could have the kids learn the first katas of Soresu toward the end of their training under my watch. That all depended on if this was the only batch I had to train. Would they send me more students? Would they send more Knights to the Enclave as well? A question I would pose to Master Gallia later.
It wasn't as if they weren't motivated. The mere prospect of becoming a Jedi was a great motivator in itself. I remember there was always a competitive friction back at the temple when I was a youngling. I wondered how I was going to deal with that. Among the initiates in my care. Best I could do was make them really hard to pass up.
"Oh, don't worry about that."
Shaak Ti frowned but let it go asII snatched the datapad from her.
"Why Ionize?"
Other than the massive army of droids they'll be pitted against in around a decade…
"My own recent experience while on Mandalore brought it to mind. The Assassin Droids sent after Jango were dispatched with relative ease. Even though it can outright destroy a droid if practiced enough. Even with a small amount of training, it will at least scramble their sensors. The Droid army used at Naboo comes to mind. Battle droids are seeing a lot more use nowadays. The Force is telling me it is something we shouldn't overlook." I shrugged.
I could feel Shaak Ti wasn't all too enthused about the change in lesson plan, but it wasn't as if I went out of my way to snub her plans purposely.
"I suppose, it helps to keep things interesting from time to time. Keeping the Younglings engaged on this Space Station has and will be even more challenging as time goes on."
I looked around, while the Space Station was out of the way. Shaak Ti was right that this place would grow suffocating in time. I had something else in mind choosing this place.
"Well I suppose we take advantage of the situation. Perhaps we take trips out to the old enclaves. Or visit different worlds to conduct training there for a time. Keep it fresh."
I waited for Shaak TI's thoughts on the matter. "That is a good idea. I doubt Master Adi would object. Provided one or two of us goes ahead to scout locations prior."
I figured she would agree "Fine with me."
"Master Adi had something she wanted to tell you." Shaak Ti left with that. I could sense she was considering places for the younglings to visit.
I found Master Adi in the Hanger Bay talking with Ritch and an old Fafallen or Half Bothan. They were pretty much the Star Wars equivalent of a satyr. Where had he been? I would have sensed another Jedi on station. Then I noticed the T-6 Shuttle in the bay alongside Satine's craft. He must have just arrived. I frowned when I noticed Master Gren. He was unloading tools with a younger assistant. She was another Mirialan dressed similar to how Bariss dressed when she got older. She was busy floating boxes with proper medical equipment. I would no doubt meet her at some point.
"Master Adi, you had something to tell me?"
"Indeed, but first this is Bor, The Nowhere Enclave's new Archivist. Master Bor, this is Battlemaster Luminara." He bowed and I returned the gesture.
"Ah, the Sith Slayer! First to do so in around a thousand years. Darth Bane being the last recorded kill. Well, it seems not anymore. You also helped kill the Sith's master with Master Plo. It seems you may have ended a threat to the Republic before it could fully manifest."
I smiled, but frowned at the last statement. "I don't know about that. The apprentice on Coruscant was too under trained for someone who lived as long as Damask had. I fear that we missed one."
Bor dismissed me with a wave. "If so, the Sith have probably gone to ground for a few centuries."
I mentally shook my head. Hopefully the Council didn't hold this view. Adi seemed to agree with me from the feel of her aura. However, all the leads had dried up. Plagueis knew his actions in stealing Anakin might not pan out and prepared accordingly. However, I found it didn't hurt to let Sidious think he was in the clear for now.
"I better get to setting up the archives for the station. I would like to learn more about this place as well. The design is clearly Early High Republic and well built." The old fafallen meandered off talking to himself.
I was about to offer to escort the man, when Shaak TI entered into the hanger behind me and escorted him. I noted Gallia and I were alone.
"Shaak Ti mentioned you have something to tell me."
"Yes, We found something that might interest you." She held up a datapad. It showed a slicer signature. Specifically a symbol. A butterfly. Damn, I thought Komari wiped them out back on Corellia. Corellia was our last mission together before Yinchor.
"We must have missed one." We never learned who funded the group of humanocentric… terrorists wasn't the right word. Cabal was more apt of a description. They were behind the push to allow Near-Human species, descended from human stock into the fold. They still had some push back from the old guard, but since many of the old guard were also funding this movement, led me to believe at first it was another person like me. A reincarnate pulling the strings. I called them the Butterflies, but apparently their logo was based on an Eriaduian insect resembling a butterfly. A Deathkiss. I preferred butterfly.
"Indeed. They managed to escape, but they left a calling card."
"I will look into it. Was there anything else?" It seemed I was the one who would be forwarded any info on the Butterfly remnants.
"Yes, We will be moving the station about a few lightyears off course due to this attack." I mentally sighed, it won't matter with the damn Chancellor knowing about the move, but I kept my mouth shut and my emotions in check.
"Great, hopefully that will work…" An idea struck me. I didn't voice it to Master Adi for fear she would reject the idea. Haran, it was sometimes better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
"It will have to do for now." Adi looked over to where Ritch and his assistant were working on the post flight check on the shuttle Shaak and She had used previously. "There was one more thing I needed to discuss with Ritch."
I nodded and left the Jedi Master to her work. The information on the Last Butterfly was pocketed for later. I would have to make inquiries within the Order later. First, I had to find Lam. It wasn't a long walk. I saw that Enjay was grumbling as worked on one of Shaak Ti's turrets. I held back a chuckle as he bumped his helm on the side of the wall trying to connect a strut. I sighed and came over.
"What are you trying to connect?" Enjay turned his ugly helmet toward me.
"I got one last actuator to hook up and this turret will be back in shape. I did my best to look inside.
"Can you shine a light on it?" Enjay shrugged and did as told. "It has to go there?" I pointed and Mando nodded his head. I used the Force to connect the parts together.
"Hold it there!" Enjay shouted and quickly grabbed a tool and a bolt. He had it back together in a flash.
"Vor'e Jetii." Enjay got down and moved to another turret.
"Need more help?"
"No, If any Jetii is going to help, it should be the Togruta."
I shrugged, and went on my way.
I ran into Niraccab, Nira for short. The ship's escort as in the highly paid kind you see on the arms of the rich and powerful at parties. Her red skin and beautiful purple hair stuck out against the light blue dress she wore today.
"Ahh, Master Jedi, what can I do for you." I will admit she was hot and the way her words seemed to roll out her mouth was intoxicating. Was it the pheromones? No, I saw the pheromone masker attached to a choker on her neck.
"I am looking for Lam." I started doing everything to avoid looking at any part of her. I don't know why her presence in the force was so inviting. I thought of the Zeltron who worked with Zane back on Coruscant. She put the moves on me and I never felt this draw so strongly.
"You are in luck as I too am looking for him." She smirked. "Care to join me."
"Fine," Next I know she was sidled next to me. I held up my hand in reflex and she stuck out an elbow in a flash for my hand to rest on.
"My, my, you are full of surprises." She giggled and I grumbled. "Not often that I lead. I find this most amusing."
"Well, you said you know where Lam is." I countered while rolling my eyes. Flashbacks of being led around a party or two entered my mind. I was about to let go when Nira all but launched off taking me with her.
"Indeed, Let us not tarry." She led me to the hangerbay in the "North" section of the station. "I see you have been to a high class party or two." I didn't feel like talking about this and tried to pick up the pace.
Nira quickly shifted and rolled me around as if in a dance. I was caught off guard by the action. I should have seen it coming through the force, but I was too busy trying not to remember the times I was forced to go to high class social functions with Komari.
The Zeltron twirled me around and pulled me close. Close enough for her to whisper near my ear, just short of my veil. How was she doing this? Was she Force-sensitive? Or was I just that out of sorts? Her words were soft, losing all the whimsy of earlier.
"I can feel you that suffered a great loss recently. You hide it well. I know, because I was trained to look for these things. I can help you." With that the whimsy returned to her voice. "Now on to annoy Lam, my dear Jedi." She pulled me along. I was too embarrassed and baffled to respond. We were in the hanger bay before long and Nira let go of my arm.
The only one outside the ship in the bay was a droid. An astromech, the one that fixed my Z-95 a while back. He was black with red racing stripes.
"Well if it isn't our little co-pilot." The Zeltron bent over and cooed. The droid bounced and immediately pulled a sheet over what it was working on with those tiny arms.
The droid beeped and whirred sheepishly and moved to cover something up. In fact one of his panels was closed as if something was stuck in the door panel while trying to hide it. I could see a little group of action figures under the hurriedly placed canopy. I shrugged. To each their own and I couldn't help but feel a certain sense of Deja Vu whenever I was around Lam's crew. I shook my head. I had almost forgotten why I had come here due to the incident in the hallway.
"Is your Captain around R2…" D4, the droid beeped, everyone called him D4.
"Alright then D4, You did a fantastic job on my headhunter." The R2 unit shrugged. He chirped that the Captain was in the cargo bay of the ship.
"Thanks." I left the droid to play with its action figures. After I was far enough away. "I see your Captain isn't fond of memory wipes."
The Zeltron skipped along in heels no less. "Nope, he claims it's because the ship is so old, memory wiping could erase knowledge of the ship's functions." She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "We all know the real reason is that he doesn't like doing it."
I shrugged. I didn't really believe in memory wipes either. The Zeltron smiled.
We found Lam in the cargo bay as expected. He was in a heated conversation.
"... care! You do not throw other crew members' personal items in the recycler! I know your species and his people have a history, but that was centuries ago!"
"His people destroyed our homeworld!" The Cathar growled.
"Yeah, and I seem to recall you bragging about how at least three of your ancestor's played crucial roles in the Excision that turned a third of Enjay's homeworld into a graveyard." Lam shot back.
"Only two thirds short," Yully muttered.
"I don't care. As long as you both are on my payroll, you will not kill each other! I already said the same thing to Enjay. I will not be having this conversation again. Are we clear?!"
The Cathar growled but backed down. Lam's tone returned to normal.
"I'll look for another job. Being cooped up on this station has been getting to us all."
"Yoo hoo!" The Zeltron called out. "Oh, Captain!"
Lam shook his head, but he didn't seem too bothered by the Zeltron's entrance.
"Ah, Nira, and Master Luminara. How are you?"
"I am great and lovely as always. This Jedi has a request to make of you?" Nira pushed me forward. I turned and scowled briefly at the Zeltron before turning my attention back to Lam.
"I just heard you mention that you were looking for work. I may have something for you. Paying work of course."
Lam and Yully looked at each other and then back to me. They waited patiently. I decided to just tell them.
"I want you to find a cloaking generator for this station."
"Gee, don't give us an impossible task or something." Yully said sarcastically.
"It is not impossible, but even on the black market, they don't grow on trees." Lam was hesitant.
Damn they were right. I considered how to acquire one. They were regulated pretty harshly and for good reason. Unless I could… Could I just buy one or have one built? I had the money. I owned a planet for kark's sake. Granted a relatively useless planet. That I didn't pay for, so much as I was left holding the bag. I decided to see what Lam could find first.
"It couldn't hurt to look. I can pay you for your time." I waited for Lam's response.
"I'll bite. We can look for more extra work, while we track that down." He smirked, "I assume the turrets going haywire has you paranoid."
"You could say that. I want this acquisition off the books as well." Lam rubbed his chin and like any good captain gave a look to his first mate to gauge her opinion on the matter. Yully shrugged.
"Well since you're paying us. Why not? It may take a while to track one down."
It was my turn to shrug. "I haven't foreseen any immediate danger at the moment. It is farther down the line is what I am concerned with."
"Right, Jedi powers. Well in case I make it a point to find one. I don't want my station to get blown up because a bunch of Jedi live here."
"Wonderful news, Lam and Yully can get our little home on the road once more." The Zelton twirled, sauntered out of the ship's cargo bay.
I took the chance to find out a bit about her.
"What's her deal? I know Zeltrons can be well… like Zeltrons, but she is… well you know."
Lam couldn't help but smile.
"She is from some order of monks. Yeah I was surprised too. They rarely leave Zeltros. 'Bout the extent of my knowledge on the matter. She is…" Lam got quiet for a moment. "An intriguing woman."
Yully shook her head. There was an amused expression on the Cathar's face and I didn't need the force to see Lam's infatuation with the zeltron woman. The Cathar simply turned and walked back into the cockpit.
There was an awkward moment of just Lam and I in the hangar. "I better leave you to it. You'll be leaving asap I assume."
"Yeah, just try not to blow up the station while I am gone. I am starting to like this place."
"Can't make any promises."
"I will be leaving Creek here. She, like you, has been paranoid about the code in the station's systems ever since the attack. The Jedi who went after the signal source lost the one on the other end?"
I gave a curt nod. "Yeah they bounced the signal through com buoys. I just wonder how they had access."
Lam was silent for a time, then he threw out a curve ball.
"Were you there?"
I looked over Lam. He had half his blaster disassembled and was cleaning the parts with a microfiber rag. I didn't understand, until he pointed to the right side of my face.
"Troiken."
"I could have gotten this scar anywhere." I said coyly. I relented after he raised an eyebrow. "Yes."
"Thought so." He set down another part on the workbench. His blaster was definitely an older model, but couldn't place it. It was well kept though.
"I assume you fought for that, Shabtaab, Iaco Stark?"
"Yeah," was all Lam said. "Had me convinced we were doing something noble. In the end he was a false hero. If I ever find out where that pile of poodoo went, I kill him." He took a calming breath and continued. "I don't recall seeing you on the battlefield."
"I wasn't." I said a bit more bitterly than I intended. "I was a guest of Stark's holding cells."
"So you were the one he was interrogating. Is that how you got that scar? Must have been a mean one."
I rubbed the old wound. I had some bacta treatments over the years. Komari insisted. There was enough of a line to indicate an injury, but not enough to be quite so noticeable any more.
"I pissed off Huntress." I shook my head. "Di'kutla thing to do."
"I didn't like her. Crazy even for a Mando. Enjay says she is Dar'manda, whatever that means?"
"She is Death Watch. Well was. The ones who weren't killed fell in line with Jango after the Mandalorian Civil War. Huntress is the last to roam about the Galaxy." Reverse Jango indeed.
"Stark allowed that?" Lam had an undertone of anger.
"I don't think so. I have doubts. He was intending to play "good cop," the problem was Huntress has a short temper." I admitted. "Don't think he cared for my condition all too much."
Lam took a moment to rub the shrap metal scars on his face. "I took some flak from a thermal detonator blast. I assume that was you when you escaped?"
I nodded. "Yeah, ironically Huntress stopped me from messing with you guys even more. I wasn't in a good headspace after the torture." I managed my wrists, and changed the subject. "I managed to cut off her arm. Used the pauldron to fashion a new lightsaber." I floated my blue lightsaber up briefly before attaching it to my belt.
Lam let out a small chuckle. "I lost some friends in the conflict. I should be angered that you were on the opposite side, but Iaco's betrayal infuriates me more. Have you ever heard what happened to him?"
"Got a job working in the Commerce Guild." It was probably stupid to tell Lam that, but I doubt he would go after a man with MegaCorp level protection.
"Of course." Lam shook his head.
My comm chirped and checked the message. It was from Quinlan. :Your turn to supervise.: I got up to leave. "I better go. I need to make sure the younglings aren't getting into trouble." Lam's mind was still back on Trioken. I snapped my fingers. With a bit of Battle Meditation I enhanced my words.
"Captain," I honestly didn't know what to say to make things better. I bowed a goodbye and Lam snapped out of his trance and got back to getting his ship ready.
"You saved my life." He admitted just before I was about to step on the ramp. "If you hadn't thrown that grenade, I wouldn't have been taken off the front. They all died. Those who went into that cavern." I knew the details. Iaco led his men into a trap after Plo convinced him via telepathic link. I simply inclined my head and walked away.
The younglings had an exhausting day. Quinlan convinced them to play various games. He had them sitting down watching a holo when I got there. It was some pop culture hit from when I was their age. I wasn't very big on the holonet growing up and still wasn't. I had seen it, of course. I wasn't a complete fun hater. Still, I found myself lifting my legs up and floating in the air, and just taking in the moment. Best seat in the house. Watching the younglings' faces as some actor dressed as Dak Stiker. He was Duros mercenary who often ended fighting for the oppressed village being stomped on by a local Sheriff or bandits on the lawless Outer Rim. Typical pseudo western stuff.
I just took in the moment. It was one of those times where you smack into a metaphorical wall. It was good to stop and remember where you were and who you were talking to. That it was in fact very real and not some dream. When I opened my eyes, I saw the movie was paused.
Every one of the initiates each had a familiar round ball in their hands. I couldn't help but smile at the irony. So I embraced my fate as Quinlan shouted. "Now's our chance! Get her!"
A/N: Yeah it's a bit of filler, but whatever keeps my fingers on the keyboard.