#third class droid

[sw5w]

...Recently Elected Ruler of the Naboo...

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:27:35

[contentment-of-cats]

New fic bit: Long Live the Empire

Leia looks out at the massed Imperial fleet, the remains of the Fifth Fleet and a major victory to obtain their surrender. The Republic forces are massed in a show of strength, the coverage by holonews blanketing the media. Grand Admiral Danner Ashbrough brought 500 ISD and smaller ships with him out of the 5,000 he once commanded. He and the senior officers' agreed to stand trial for war crimes, and those junior officers and enlisted with him would enter reorientation and amnesty programs. For now, the meeting will seal the agreement and handle the nuts and bolts. Ashbrough is pleasant, if oddly distant.

"I'm aware not everyone came with you, Grand Admiral." Leia studies the man's face. Most officers at flag rank have sabacc faces that rivals a duracrete wall for lack of expression.

"It is good that you are aware." The man could be standing in the Allisandre's ballroom, holding a glass of Chandrilan sparkle-wine. "I made this voluntary. Those who wished to leave were dispersed to other fleets."

"The Third, Seventh, and Eleventh?" Three thorns in the foot of the Republic with an estimated strength of 10,000 ISD class, at least four Supers, and thousands of smaller ships. "We'd appreciate some help with that. Mitigate your crimes with helpful information."

A small, polite smile. "We don't speak to them often, but they agreed to take in the die-hards."

Leia reaches out with the Force and encounters something like a shield around the man's mind. Luke, in her field of vision, looks puzzled and shakes his head. A text appeares on her datapad.

It's as if every mind on those ships is Jedi-proofed. Music, mathematics, even building model landspeeders.

"Grand Admiral Faro heads the Eleventh, I presume, with Marinth as Grand Admiral of the Seventh's remains." Now to pry open a vault. "I have intel that an officer named Pyrondi has the Third."

Something itches at the back of her mind and she glances at the battle computer to her left. All the Imps have their weapons powered down, hyperdrives offline, as agreed.

"Indeed?" Left unsaid that she was a protege of Grand Admiral Thrawn - like Rear Admiral Hammerly, Commodore Barlin, and others who formed a nucleus of the Trident Fleet. "Thrawn was said to have sent a core of officers with Faro and when she transferred."

"There's nothing on her. Her entire file is redacted. Not even a date of birth or a Homeworld."

"I met her briefly, once, at the Ascension Week games when I was still a Rear Admiral. I am afraid she did not make any disclosures to me. However, you may find the reasons in the Archives of the Senate, under seal."

They can't access and he doesn't need to know that. A COMPNOR general's dying act was to make the archives for every agency down to vermin control inaccessible. Threepio's estimate was that it would take at least a century to slice, and that would be with top slicing droids working nonstop. It could easily take one thousand years as they did not know how many placements the lock had.

"There are things that not even Grand Admirals can unlock. However, I was alive when the reason for the redaction happened. The heart of it was your friend Saw Gerrera." That small smile again. "Pyrondi will have to answer for herself."

"Saw Gerrera was nobody's friend."

"He was, long ago, an ally of your parents." A fleeting smile, more of a quirk of the lips. "I can tell you that if he is alive, he will very much wish not to be if Pyrondi finds him."

"He's dead."

"So you say. However, Pyrondi will look for him until she turns up his body or his bones. I was there to evacuate the world he destroyed so completely that not even decay will come to the dead. The body count of Jegsziv totaled an estimated two billion with less than half a million survivors." That smile again, wider. Leia wishes she could see his eyes under the bill of his kepi. "Rhydonium gas released from an well on the sea floor - an act of terrorism and sabotage that killed half a world in their beds and choked the rest to death on their own blood."

"I've never heard of it." The itch is stronger, almost a burning. A glance at Luke shows he can feel something, too. "Where is it located?"

"Well, secrets take time to uncover, but the truth always comes out. I do hope that you will meet her one day. Until that day and after it - long may she serve, and long live the Empire."

The white flash is soundless, but the shock wave and the onslaught of molten durasteel impacts the Republic ships in seconds. The Imperials caused their cores to go critical, igniting hundreds of mini novas, obliterating most of the Republic fleet in the space of a blink and a breath.

[burnwater13]

Boba Fett speaking to Fennec Shand (out of frame) while standing in the burned out hulk of Garsa Fwip's Sanctuary. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 6, In the Name of Honor. Calendar from DataWorks.

Grogu wondered why Boba Fett felt so strongly about Mos Espa. Was he really worried about the people there or was he worried about his reputation? He’d decided, when he met up with Bib Fortuna, according to Fennec, that he wanted to retire from bounty hunting because the clients were a lot of trouble for a small amount of gain. Bib Fortuna apparently being a good example of that.

Grogu could understand the problems that any bounty hunter had with bad the clients. The really bad ones. The ones that asked you to bring children in and the truly evil ones that asked you to bring them cold… you know… permanently cold. Uff. What kind of bounty hunter would take a job like that? A droid maybe? Or someone who was just evil. 

As far as Grogu could tell, Boba Fett was about the least evil bounty hunter he’d met, next to his dad. And Fennec. Grogu understood from the stories his dad had told him about Fennec that she had a heck of a reputation, but it seemed like the people she dealt with would have ended up that way sooner or later. He counted that in her favor, although he was sure that his masters would have scolded him. 

Jedi did not become bounty hunters and they did not hire them. If there was a person they needed to find… well… they found them. The Force was very useful for that sort of thing if you knew what you were doing. That was one of the first things that Grogu learned to do. He had too. It was the easiest way to find his way around the Jedi Temple. 

Imagine, if you will, being less than a third of a meter tall. If you were walking, and Master Yoda certainly thought that your character would be built better if you were walking, everything that might be useful as a landmark for you, was of no use to all the people there who were significantly taller. Since there were no Anzellans at the Temple, everyone was taller than Grogu. So asking for directions from any of the other younglings, padawans, or masters was complete waste of time. Take for example this exchange with Master Obi-Wan, one of the most sympathetic and considerate masters.

“Grogu, I need you to bring this data pack to Master Drallig. I believe he’s at the exterior training ground at this time of day.”

Grogu took the data pack, which was half his size and began to trot off.

“No, Grogu. Not that way. Master Drallig is at the exterior training ground. Go south down this corridor, turn left at the statue of Master Draebeert, and then proceed to the doors at the end of that corridor.”

Grogu, knowing that Master Obi-Wan meant well, nodded his head, turned around and began to trot down the corridor, also knowing that the tall human was watching him every step of the way now. 

“I appreciate you doing this for me, young one. It is very important that you don’t delay bringing the data pack to him. Thank you.”

Of course he hadn’t planned on delaying giving Master Drallig the data pack. That’s why he wasn’t going to the exterior training grounds because Grogu knew it was pouring rain outside. He’d seen the rain while he’d been doing work in the arboretum. When it rained, Master Drallig conducted classes in the small basement area of the gymnasium which was meant for practicing the physical arts, like wrestling, boxing, and martial arts. Grogu often went there just to watch the padawans train because everyone had already agreed that Grogu was not going to taking advantage of physical strength to win any argument. At least the kind that didn’t depend on the Force. 

So off he trotted and dutifully went down the hallway looking for a statue of someone he’d never heard of. Grogu suspected that Master Kenobi thought that Grogu would simply glance at the plaques that had been positioned on or near each statue. Of course they were all placed approximately 1.5 meters above the floor. For Grogu to be able to read them he’d have to across the hall from them and standing on a plinth that was about a half a meter tall. Needless to say, those plinths did not exist in the temple. 

So there he was  jumping up every time he reached a corridor and statue to see whose it was. After doing that three or four times, Master Drallig came up to him from the cross corridor and asked him what he was doing. 

Grogu had replied that he was looking for the Master to give him a data pack from Master Kenobi.

“I see. I think. In the future, simple close your eyes and reach out with the Force. Think of me and you will know my location. This works the same way as when you are ‘somehow’ locating any spare snacks in the training rooms.”

Master Drallig was almost smiling at him and Grogu returned the smile as he handed the tall human the data pack. He’d just thought he’d been lucky finding those snacks. Now that he knew it was the Force there was no end…

“And do not use that technique to avoid people or get into mischief with Ian. The two of you remind me of one of my padawans from years ago. If I didn’t know better I would say one or the other of your was Seb’s child. Now, back to your lessons.”

Grogu had tried not to laugh at the notion that any one padawan could out do Grogu and Ian at any sort of mischief, but if there was one, he wanted to meet them. Which brought him back to thinking about Boba Fett and why he became Daimyo of Mos Espa. It was the people. He’d met them. Listened to them. Promised to help them build a better life. Much like Master Drallig who had helped Grogu that day, so long ago. A life devoted to helping others. 

Grogu sighed. The people of Mos Espa had no idea how lucky they were.

[ooops-i-arted]

Dear oops,

Don't read this if you are still avoiding spoilers for season 3. Just perhaps reply if you can after you watch the show?

I've just listened to an interesting possible explanation of why season 3 of The Mandalorian has its take on Din and the Darksaber. ( I don't care if it's supposed to be his family name, not his personal - I'm not calling him Djarin!)

There was supposed to be a series called "Rangers of the New Republic" but Gina Carano's monkeyshines torpedoed it. This YouTube creator thinks that this show will reappear with Din and Grogu as reoccurring characters but not being the focus of the show ( it had better not be "Trapper Wolfe" Filoni!!) The last episode where Din talks to Carson Teva about getting some "unofficial work" points to this - Teva is the person who gave Cara Dune her marshall badge and now seems to be trying to ride herd on this part of the Outer Rim.

What do you think? They seem to have shunted Din and Grogu well out of The Mandalorian by giving them a happy ending and a tiny house with a pond for snacks/animal abuse depending on how hungry the kid is. So as far as I'm concerned The Mandalorian is over. Hell, I think Pascal only did voice overs this third season as we never saw him once. Happy to see they gave credit to the men who bring Din's armor to life in this season.

I respect your views on this show that I've loved for at least two seasons. So what do you think? And watch Screen Junkies "Honest Trailer" for Season 3 - it has a nice slap on Filoni forcing the Mandalorian into his cartoon world.

Be safe and be well

Jay

Do NOT get me started on the creep factor of Grogu using IG-11's skeleton as his battlebot body - ick!!!

I still haven't watched the end because my sister and I watch together and now I finished school+taking online classes this summer and her job is at her busy season so I have no idea when we're getting around to it. (Especially because I'm trying to convince her to watch at least season 1 of Rebels now. "You said Filoni ruined this show too!" "Yes but you will LOVE the Ghost crew! They have a murder droid!") But I've seen enough spoilers to know what happens. I mean, it could've been worse.

It veers a bit into conspiracy theory but I'm so behind the idea that Gina shitting the bed ruined all Favroni's plans. I'm guessing she was supposed to head Rangers of the New Republic and Din got the Mandalore plot (the show was SO CLEARLY setting up a Reluctant Ruler Turns Out To Be What His People Needs a la Movie!Aragorn in the season 2 finale). But instead of recasting Cara (maybe that wasn't a financially secure option to pin a show on a lesser name? because Katy O'Brian is RIGHT THERE as a perfect muscle lady Cara recast) Din got Cara's New Republic plotlines shoved into his show, he became the Ranger, and Bo-Katan was rebranded from compelling Anti-Hero who could make up for her mistakes to Mandalorian Barbie Princess who the narrative treats as Always Justified even when she shouldn't be (shouldn't her people turn on her for just giving the Darksaber to Gideon? or at least call her out and say she doesn't deserve it? isn't this the third time she's had it and failed to lead Mandalore?) and gets the Mandalore plotline THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DIN'S. IT MAKES NO SENSE.

And I feel icky agreeing with the assholes who prop up Gina but.... Cara was an important part of the show. She was a significant secondary character with lots of interesting hooks to tie into the plot: Former Rebel who left the New Republic, the perfect lens to see the faltering New Republic through by someone who saw its flaws and wouldn't go along with them early. Potential redemption arc by trying to Do The Right Thing and fix those flaws and/or help people against the Empire like she originally wanted to. Another Alderaanian besides Leia who we could've seen the Alderaanian people's fate through - are they and Cara still in mourning? Is there anger now? Are they rebuilding a New Alderaan? How has their culture suffered, endured, or changed?

Not to mention it is was so, so refreshing to see a new body type that was thicc and strong and still feminine. I haven't looked like the Rey/Ahsoka/Bo-Katan/literally almost everyone else body type that's always shown since I was 16. Cara and Gina's portrayal were really meaningful to me and it's so disappointing that Gina is a bigoted moron and that cost us a wonderful, unique, inspiring character. I know I keep harping on this I'm sorry. I love Cara so much and I REFUSE to hand her over to the bigots.

Idk. I really hate to say it, but it's the second time Filoni's one-trick pony writing style (look at these new interesting characters! Just kidding my TCW characters! LOOK AT THEM YOU'RE FORCED TO AHAHAHA) has caused me to have significantly less interest in a show I loved with amazing, unique characters. I was mad as fuck but now I've cooled off and I'm just turning back to my Caradin fanfiction when I actually have time to write, which has been next to zilch lately.

I also do not disagree that Grogu piloting IG-11's corpse is rather weird, but also that's pretty standard "we can't decide if droids are sentient or not" Star Wars fare. Myself I'm just too happy to see him FINALLY HAVE AN ASSISTIVE TALKING DEVICE it overrides anything else lol. (I do totally agree that Din Grogu is stupid. Lastname first conventions have not been established - for example, he's Boba Fett not Jango Boba. I think it would be great and make sense to have different naming conventions among different cultures, but this is a stupid way to do it. You can't even argue that it's just a Children of the Watch thing because Paz Vizla clearly has his well-known clan name last.)

[purgetrooper77]

Star Wars: Trails of Red Episode 3: The Doctor

Rated: T

tw: none that I could think of

On the planet Monsolar there was a squad of Bith gunmen hunting down a Bothan prisoner. The Bothan was carrying a blaster he stole from an unknown black market. He turned around only to see five Bith chasing him. He fired behind him only to kill one Bith. The Bith fired back but missed the Bothan. Suddenly a female yellow Nautolan with red eyes jumped out of the bushes and fired at the Bith squad. Three Bith soldiers were killed by the attacking Nautolan. The male Bothan turned around and shot down the last two Bith. The Nautolan approached the Bothan. "For a second I thought I was a goner." Bothan said. "I'm always by your side, Norzan." she replied. Norzan and the female Nautolan are close friends who go on adventures together. Both are running low on food and money. "There will be more of them soon." Norzan said. "Luckily I know a place where food is stored. Follow me." The two aliens went east and found a large sack of food outside the forest. It was near a large boulder covered in moss. Norzan felt something was wrong. "It could be a trap." Norzan said. "You actually think someone will use food to trap us?" she asked. "Gideeva, I am serious." "Okay, let's test it." Gideeva said. Gideeva picked up a nearby rock and threw it at the food. Three IG Assassin droids jumped out of the shadows only to be shot down and killed by Norzan. "Okay, that was a trap." Gideeva said. Gideeva was always a reckless Nautolan. She is very lucky to have Norzan by her side. "This planet is full of dangerous people." Norzan said. "Tell me about it, we can't find good food here." Gideeva complained. "The best place we can go now are the cave systems." "As in, we are going underground on this planet?" "What other choice do we have?" Gideeva looked at the surface of the planet. "Okay, I'll go underground with you." she said. The two close friends ran to find a cave system and hid underground. A Zeta-class Heavy Cargo Shuttle landed on the ground. There was a squad of Alzoc TK Troopers searching for a local criminal. "This is TK-1123, we have entered Monsolar." the leader of the squadron said. Two TK Troopers looked to their right only to see a dead Bith gunman on the ground. "Well, it looks like a criminal did that alright." said the third oldest TK Trooper. "Question is, what kind of criminal?" the fourth oldest TK Trooper asked. A Nosaurian peaked his head out from a tree. The TK Troopers turned on their night vision only to encounter the Nosaurian. "There's one!" the second oldest trooper yelled. The Nosaurian drew out his blaster and shot down two TK Troopers. The lead TK Trooper fired his blaster but the Nosaurian dodged the attack. He climbed down a tree and shot down three more TK Troopers. There were three TK Troopers left. "Get back to the shuttle and alert the Empire!" ordered the lead TK Trooper. TK-1123 was shot in the head by the Nosaurian. The last two TK Troopers ran away only to be shot down and killed by the Nosaurian. The Nosaurian ran away as soon as the entire squad of TK Troopers were killed. Gideeva and Norzan made it to the deep parts of the cave system. The caves are so deep, no one could see the two. Norzan drew out a flashlight so that both he and Gideeva could see a small amount of light in the cave. "What are we going to do now?" Gideeva asked. "Honestly I have no idea. Everyone either wants us captured or dead." "But why, what did we even do?" "The Empire hates Jedi Sympathizers and Separatist lovers." "I thought the Jedi did nothing wrong." Gideeva said. "The Jedi did nothing wrong. They helped fight the Clone War. It was that Sith Lord that clouded the minds of Clone Troopers which led them to kill their own generals." Norzan confirmed. "I understand the Jedi Sympathizer but not the Separatist lovers. I don't love Separatists at all." "The Empire knows you have Separatist relatives." Norzan explained. "Yeah but that doesn't mean I love Separatists, it means I tolerated my relatives political beliefs." Gideeva said. There were loud blaster noises coming from above. "What was that?" she asked. "We are not alone." Norzan said. Norzan gave Gideeva his flashlight and ran to investigate the blaster noise. Norzan jumped forward only to see a male Talpiddan staring at a dead Bith gunman. The Talpiddan turned around and spotted Norzan. Norzan took two steps backwards. "Hello, Bothan." the Talpiddan greeted. "Are you part of a criminal syndicate?" "I was, until my friends ditched me on this backwater planet. I was here to steal food from the rich. Apparently someone has beaten me to it." Norzan sees a medical symbol on the Talpiddan's left shoulder. "Are you a medic?" Norzan asked. "Yes I am, a cardiologist to be more exact. I am Dr. Tel Gikon." "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Norzan. I have a Nautolan friend in the caves. We need your help." Norzan told him. "I do have a ship west of here. Currently it is guarded by Bith gunmen and IG Assassins." "My friend and I will fend them off." Norzan told him. "You sure?" Gikon asked. "I am sure." Norzan assured. Gideeva ran up and met up with Gikon and Norzan. "I heard you were fending off people?" she asked. "Yes, but first introductions. Dr. Gikon this is my friend Gideeva. Gideeva this is Dr. Gikon. He is stranded like us." "We'll get to your ship in time. What kind of ship is it?" Gideeva asked. "It is a modified Nemesis-class gunship. West of here." Gikon answered. "Let's go." Gideeva encouraged. The three aliens readied their blasters and moved west of Monsolar. A large portion of Bith gunmen looked at the three friends as they all fired their blasters. Norzan shot down five Bith as Gikon shot down four. Gideeva shot down three Bith. The lead gunman fired his blaster. Norzan dodged the blaster fire and shot down the leader as Gikon shot down three Bith. Gideeva shot down two Bith gunmen that were near the gunship. Gikon turned to the right and shot down the last four gunmen. They all entered the gunship. Gikon got into the cockpit, activated the gunship, and took off from Monsolar never to return. Inonok, Bezz, Borkal, Edojan, and Mokor were in the Ubdur System. In the Ubdur System there was a small space station that has been around since 32 BBY. The population inside the station was lower than five hundred people. They were all enjoying the new life as life around them is surrounded by walls of chatter. "Ahh, this is the life we wanted." Edojan said. "Indeed, I'm glad we pulled the heist." Mokor said. "What do you all want to do?" Inonok asked. "I know a place where we all could go. There is a beautiful beach planet in the Trilon Sector filled with great food and amazing houses. We can go there, eat food, spend time at the beach, all of that fun stuff." Bezz said. "Sounds like a great idea." Edojan said. "Let's go there now." Mokor said. The space station was attacked by U-Wing bounty hunter ships. The starships arrived unannounced which put the entire station in a state of panic. Inonok got into his armed freighter and took off from the space station. He tailgated and destroyed two bounty hunter ships. Three U-Wings fired at the freighter. The freighter took little damage from the U-Wings. Inonok turned his ship around and destroyed four more bounty hunter ships. The remaining two U-Wings turned around but were all destroyed by Inonok's starship. Inonok made his armed freighter return to the space station. He got out of his freighter to explain everything to his friends. "What happened?" Bezz asked. "Bounty hunters attacked the space station. I assume they attacked because word got out that we stole from the Raaf Mansion." Inonok said. "Then we need to split up." Mokor said. "No, we need to fight off every bounty hunter till their clients can't send them anymore." Bezz said. "Or we could find the person who is sending bounty hunters after us." Borkal suggested. "Exactly what I was thinking." Inonok said. "Where do we go to do that?" Bezz asked. "I might know a place." "Where?" Edojan asked. "Kimanan, it's in the Inner Rim." Inonok answered. "Kimanan, there is nothing there." Mokor said. "I have heard stories about criminal activities involving bounty hunters there. Besides, it is the Inner Rim we're talking about. Nothing screams criminal activity without the Inner Rim." Inonok said. "Well I don't see why we can't go there." Bezz said. "Me too, let's go to Kimanan." Borkal said. The five rich aliens went into the armed freighter and took off from the space station. They jumped to hyperspace to start their next mission in the Inner Rim Territories.

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

Been a while since I posted any of the kel dor conlang, soooo here's a nice big summary talking about pronouns in keldeorinyaa. :D

There are five pronoun sets in common use:

Neutral (sapient animate, used by adults)

Diminutive (sapient animate, used by children)

Strong (sapient animate, used with family, to flirt, and to pick a fight)

Animate (non-sapient, used for animals)

Inanimate (used by droids and for non-living things)

Generally, they show up in the topic of a sentence, once or twice at the start of a conversation. They're frequently dropped after that, especially where context makes the meaning obvious.

Case is not marked on pronouns at all - this is done by postpositional grammatical particles. Pronouns do not reflect anyone's gender - the three sapient-animate sets display social status and attitude more than identity.

NEUTRAL PRONOUNS

These are the 'standard' set, used by most adults in most situations. They're not so much polite as a neutral option, appropriate in most everyday interactions.

⸻1st Person

Singular er is equivalent to I/me. Dual en/lan and plural egen/lagen are likewise equivalent to we/us.

Neutral pronouns are part of the 5th noun class (eyaan sadinan, used for all sapients), but do not pluralise according to class rules (eg. the dual and plural forms of er are not erka/erke but en/egen.)

⸻EXAMPLES.

"I am tired." ⸻ "er di ksaligheni." "We (two) ate fish." ⸻ "en di yanttoo ikazdal." “We all ate fish.” ⸻ “egen di yanttoo ikazdal.”

Keldeorinyaa distinguishes first-person dual and plural pronouns by clusivity—whether ‘we’ refers to both speaker and listener (inclusive) or includes the speaker and a third person, but not the listener (exclusive). en and egen are inclusive; lan and lagen are exclusive.

“We two (without you) went to Coruscant.” ⸻ “lan di korasanti de nadal.” “We (without you) went to Coruscant.” ⸻ “lagen di korasanti de nadal.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

ksaligheni — to be weary, to overexert oneself. You’ve had a full day and you’re ready to have a good long rest. Technically a verb; think of ‘I need a rest’, or ‘I tired myself out.’ yanttoo — fish, collective noun. Dorin’s fish tend to be sinewy and full of bones, and the usual kel dor practice is to just eat the bones as well. nadal — past tense form of nadi, to go/come/move about. Always comes with a word or phrase that names/describes where you’re going/have come from; in this sentence it is korasanti, Coruscant.

⸻2nd Person

Singular ke is equivalent to you, dual kan/lakne might be equivalent to you two, and plural kalak/kakne might be equivalent to you all.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“You are my friend.” — “ke di tvassiyar.” “You two are pests and troublemakers.” — “kan di tawidawi ivooliyetka.” “Have you all eaten?” — “kalak di ikazdal kya?”

Second-person pronouns can also be used to make a clusivity distinction; in this case, the inclusive dual/plural kan and kalak indicate that all of a group is present and being addressed. Exclusive lakne and kakne indicate that the people being addressed have been singled out of a larger group, or that one or more of their group are not currently present.

Typically, exclusive lakne/kakne are used by teachers addressing two or more of a class of students, or more broadly by community leaders and other authority figures speaking to subordinates, usually in the context of assigning, delegating, or checking up on tasks to be done. Swapping between inclusive and exclusive pronouns may be done in the same conversation in regards to the same people; for example, a manager at work checking in on your progress with a task and then joining in on the general conversation.

“Have you two finished?” — “lakne di anzandi kya?” “You lot have finished early.” — “kakne di nenssoode anzandal.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

tvassiyar — friend, specifically your own personal friend; the concept of friends in general is tvassiyaan. tawidawi — usually a quantifier meaning ‘too many’, but also used for household pests and, colloquially, for noisy energetic children. This speaker has used the neutral pronoun rather than the diminutive, so they’re probably talking to nearly-grown teenagers. ivooliyetka — troublemaker (affectionate). From ivooli, trouble you’ve made yourself, and the gentle agent suffix -etka. The non-affectionate version is ivooliyaan. nenssoode — early, ahead of schedule. anzandal — past tense form of anzandi, to finish a task, to complete.

⸻3rd Person

Third-person pronouns drop the inclusive/exclusive distinction, since the topic is now removed from both speaker and listener. Singular ze is the equivalent of she/her, he/him, they/them, and any other pronoun set you might use when speaking about a person, living or dead. Dual zan might be translated as those two, and plural ussa might be they or they all.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“She is waiting for dinner.” — “ze di meoykapsa iya mattaki.” “He is running.” — “ze di ssagiyar.” “Those two are going away.” — “zan di kon de nadi.” “They will help.” — “ussa di aysakitta.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

meoykapsa — night meal, evening meal, dinner. The main meal of the day. mattaki — to wait. Use of the present form implies momentary rather than ongoing relevance. ssagiyar — ongoing form of ssagir, to run. Use of the ongoing form implies that the running is probably planned for exercise’s sake rather than, say, running to catch the bus. aysakitta — future certain form of aysaki, to assist, to help.

DIMINUTIVE PRONOUNS

Diminutive pronouns are used primarily by children, and occasionally in informal settings by adults who are trying to sound cute, non-threatening, or possibly obnoxious. The transition from diminutive to neutral pronouns typically occurs around age 16/17, once the child’s tail has been fully absorbed during the third-stage growth period. Children are referred to by these pronouns, and use them among themselves; past a certain age, they switch to using neutral pronouns for adults.

Neutral pronouns are part of the 6th noun class (halmi sadinan, used for children and small precious things), but do not pluralise according to class rules (eg. the dual and plural forms of imi are not imigha/imikoy but imer/mani.)

⸻1st Person

Singular imi is equivalent to I/me. Dual imer/lam and plural mani/lemi are likewise equivalent to we/us.

⸻EXAMPLES.

"I saw a holo." — "imi di holo ksanadal." "We (two) went to the forest." — "imer di kalsala de nadal." “We all are going to Dorshan.” — “mani di na deorssan i naditta.”

Diminutive pronouns also maintain clusivity distinctions. imer and mani are inclusive; lam and lemi are exclusive.

“We two (without you) saw a shooting star!” — “lam di tol a ksanadal!” “We (without you) ate flowering urchin for breakfast.” — “lemi di sikapsa kyol kena ikazdal.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

ksanadal — past tense form of ksanadi, to see. Tends to imply you didn't pay much attention to it or weren't thinking about it, probably watched it for something to do. For more close observations, use ksameli. kalsala — forest, woods, a biome dominated by trees. Somewhat noteworthy on Dorin, where trees frequently get flattened by storms. deorssan — Dorshan, the largest city and de facto capital of Dorin. The name means great mud; it's located on and around the edges of a gigantic tidal mudflat. naditta — future certain tense of nadi, to go/come/move about. Paired with na intentional particle, meaning this is a planned event. tol — meteor, bolide, shooting star. Particularly exciting on Dorin, where dust clouds often obscure the stars. sikapsa — breakfast, firstmeal, more loosely anything you eat in the morning. kyol is a regional variant of the ksoli instrumental particle, here indicating what was eaten. kena — flowering urchin, a very common seafood all over Dorin. Basically a sort of sea urchin with long fleshy grabbing tendrils.

⸻2nd Person

Singular ani is equivalent to you, dual alan/lakne might be equivalent to you two, and plural alak/kakne might be equivalent to you all.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“You are too loud.” — “ani di tawidawi kaagi re.” “You two ate all the snails!” — “alan di naidaa deolorre ikazdal oro ya!” “All of you, listen up!” — “alak di kaalidi ge!”

Second-person exclusive pronouns take the same form in the diminutive set as in the neutral set—potentially to practice usage of a less-commonly-used but socially and grammatically important function. Children use these almost solely in play to begin with.

“You two made a real mess of it.” — “lakne di khooto ravedal me.” “You lot will make the bread.” — “kakne di itek gelitta ge.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

kaagi — a loud sound. Used as an adjective here (see the re qualitative particle). naidaa — quantifier meaning all of a given group or class. Whatever you’re talking about, the sentence applies to all of it. deolorre — snails (plural), class noun. Snails on Dorin can be quite large and fast-growing, and many species are fundamental to kel dor cuisine. oro ya — the negative form of the ya moral particle, used to pass judgement on an action. Dad found out you and ur brother ate all the snails and now he’s pissed… kaalidi — to listen, to pay attention, plus the ge imperative particle, which turns the verb into an instruction or command. ravedal — past tense of ravedi, to make a mess. Used with me judgemental particle for emphasis, so whatever task was given here, it’s been fucked up big time. itek — bread (Dorin style). Dorin bread tends to be flat, not risen much, and can be sweet or savory. The definition includes a lot of things we might call pastry. Making it is a simple task, often delegated to children to keep them out of the way. gelitta — future certain tense of gelissi, to make. Used for things you physically make. gelissi is a slightly irregular verb; the usual i-verb conjugation here would be gelissitta, but ss /ʃ/ and tt /tʃ/ make such a similar sound that the third and fourth syllables merged.

⸻3rd Person

Third-person diminutive pronouns again drop the inclusive/exclusive distinction, since the topic is now removed from both speaker and listener. Singular mez translates to they/them, dual mizan to roughly them or those two, and plural ssuma to they all.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“They didn’t do it.” — “mez di orodal.” “He helped the tooka.” — “mez di tooka aysakal.” “Those two live in Dorshan.” — “mizaan di deorssan de legantiyeh.” “They all haven’t got a garden.” — “ussa di tessala opali orodiyeh.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

orodal — past tense form of orodi, a verb form used broadly to negate ideas and deny your own involvement in actions. Roughly equivalent to ‘did not’. legantiyeh — ongoing form of leganti, to occupy/inhabit. tessala — garden, orchard, cultivated forest. Broadly, an area where the growth of plants is being deliberately managed for some reason. opali — to keep, to maintain, to save for the future. Implies deliberate effort; not used for something you put away and forgot about. Gardens take opali because maintaining them requires work. ‘They’ in this sentence may have land for a garden; they just aren’t taking care of it or using it.

STRONG PRONOUNS

Strong pronouns are part of strong speech (rrumyarinyaa), a register of keldeorinyaa used most traditionally to signal intimacy, among close family and friends. Over time, usage of strong speech expanded to encompass flirting — an implication that the speaker might like to know the listener more intimately — and picking a fight (probably as a deliberate breaking of the taboo). Usage of rrumyarinyaa in these less traditional manners is limited, as only context can tell you which one is intended—most people will refrain unless they’re very sure they’re giving off the right vibe.

Strong pronouns are part of the 5th noun class (eyaan sadinan, used for sapient people), but do not pluralise according to class rules (eg. the dual and plural forms of tveta are not tvetaka/tvetake but udi/dev.) The clusivity distinction does not appear in strong pronouns.

⸻1st Person

Singular tveta is equivalent to I/me. Dual udi and plural dev are likewise equivalent to we/us.

⸻EXAMPLES.

"I asked for alcohol." — "tveta di nikta a kyalaiya tya." "We (two) might go to Dorshan next year." — "udi di lelanggavari deorssan i nadiya dekho naa." “We all slept well.” — “dev di kohti aliikal naa.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

nikta — alcoholic drinks. Very strong (by human standards) as a rule. kyalaiya — strong form of kyalai, to ask. Tense information sometimes disappears in strong verbs, usually where it's implied in context. tya — desirability particle, used to indicate something you want or would like to happen. lelanggavari — next year. In formal grammar this would be lekde anggavari; strong speech often involves contractions of this sort. nadiya dekho — future uncertain tense + strong form of nadi, to go/come/move about. The speaker is entertaining the idea, but hasn’t decided either way yet. kohti — good, high-quality, a general expression of approval. aliikal — past tense form of aliiki, to sleep.

⸻2nd Person

Singular tatva is equivalent to you, dual uda might be equivalent to you two, and plural dima might be equivalent to you all.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“You haven’t got a house.” — “tatva di ta lenka orodi.” “You two need to leave!” — “uda di kon de nadi ge!” “All of you, please help with the cooking.” — “dima di ge paksi aysaki.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

lenka — house, dwelling. Typically large, may host multiple extended families. Dug into ground in many locations. paksi — to cook, to prepare food. Used with the ge imperative particle; this is an instruction, not a request. (ge and the la request particle are considered equally polite; there’s no need to soften ge the way ‘please’ is used in English.)

⸻3rd Person

Singular tvaza is equivalent to they, dual azdi might be equivalent to those two, and plural degi might be equivalent to them all.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“They are an absolute disaster.” — “tvaza di datsiganyetka naa.” “Those two are very handsome.” — “azda di kagatsi naare.” “I heard they all missed the train.” — “degi di tse veyrrewani lessoode me.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

datsiganyetka — ‘absolute disaster (affectionate)’. From tsiganyi, an event which causes major negative consequences indiscriminately, plus the intensity marker prefix da-, plus the gentle agent suffix -etka. This might be a very clumsy or socially inept person, or someone with incredibly bad luck, but you feel sympathetic towards them rather than annoyed. kagatsi — emphatic form of katsi, meaning beautiful, handsome, or aesthetically pleasing in general. Can be used on all genders. Given the strong pronoun in the sentence, this specific usage could be translated as ‘hot as fuck’. tse — hearsay particle, used to indicate that the information you’re talking about is second-hand and you can’t personally swear by its accuracy. veyrrewani — train, more or less. From rrewani, a single-file column of linked vehicles, plus veyni, an adjective meaning fast or swift. lessoode — late, after the scheduled time. Plus the me judgemental particle; the speaker here is probably gently mocking the subject.

INANIMATE PRONOUNS

Inanimate pronouns originally were used only in the third person, to refer to inorganic items and plants. Development of AI capable of holding a conversation led to the coining of first and second-person inanimate pronouns, to avoid the awkwardness of combining pronouns from two different noun classes.

Inanimate pronouns are part of the 10th noun class (nin sadinan, used for random items and things that don’t fit in the other classes), but do not pluralise according to class rules (eg. the dual and plural of dessa is not dessari/dessarie but deggada.) Unlike other pronoun sets, the dual and plural numbers are merged in first and second-person (third-person dual and plural remains distinct). Clusivity distinctions are not made.

⸻1st Person

Singular dessa is equivalent to I/me. Dual/plural deggada is equivalent to we/us.

⸻EXAMPLES.

"I am a protocol droid." — "dessa di purotnisen dorroy." “We were made on Corellia.” — “deggada di correli de gelissal.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

purotnisen — partial loanword: protocol + nisen, law. Really only used in the context of offworld things. dorroy — loanword from droid.

⸻2nd Person

Singular deona is equivalent to you, dual/plural ggedina might be equivalent to you all.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“You will be fixed soon.” — “deona di maakedi kyakohgitta.” “You all work on the ships.” — “ggedina di nakssi de kokiyeh.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

kyakohgitta — future certain tense of kyakohgatti, to be fixed/repaired. nakssi — ship. Can mean spaceships, water ships, or atmospheric transports. kokiyeh — ongoing form of koki, to work, to labour.

⸻3rd Person

Singular nin is equivalent to it or that one, dual nan might be equivalent to those two, and plural ninan might be equivalent to those.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“It is pale blue.” — “nin di khapu re.” “Those two cost five hundred credits on Bilbringi.” — “nan di bilibringi de kohgopali kedit a ninteral.” “Those won’t grow in this climate.” — “ninan di nakyaran ade boli oroditta.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

khapu — pale blue, light blue, shading into purple. Dark blues are kher. kedit — loanword, from credit (originally borrowed as keredit) ninteral — past tense of ninteri, to barter, to trade. Also used for buying things outright; this speaker technically did trade five hundred credits for whatever they’re showing off. nakyaran — local climate, from proximal particle nak + yaran, weather. ade — locative particle, delineates environment or conditions under which an action or event occurs. boli — to grow. oroditta — future certain form of orodi; more or less ‘not going to happen’.

ANIMATE PRONOUNS

Animate (non-sapient) pronouns are used for animals. There is no first-person, on the basis that anything capable of comprehending language enough to understand pronoun usage is almost definitely sapient.

Animate pronouns are part of the 7th noun class (tanssir sadinan, used for terrestrial animals). They do not perfectly pluralise according to noun class rules, but are closer to it than the others. Clusivity distinctions are not made.

⸻2nd Person

Second-person animate pronouns are not used in formal or neutral speech; they are exclusively used in the sense of sentimental babytalk directed at a beloved pet.

Singular gita is equivalent to you, dual tanta corresponds to you two, and plural tenanta might be equivalent to you all.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“You are so small!” — “gita di giya naare!” “Time for bed, you two.” — “tanta di aliiki loy naa.” “Why must you all eat so much?” — “tenanta di kya tawidawi ikazdizi me?”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

giya — small. Addition of the naare emphatic-quality particle makes it more like ‘very small’. loy — time, particularly the present moment. kya — question particle, sort of a verbal question mark. Usage of kya + the me judgemental particle is super common in rhetorical questions; the speaker knows the answer and is resigned to it. ikazdizi — habitual form of ikazdi, to eat. This speaker’s pets are big eaters, perhaps.

⸻3rd Person

Singular gi is equivalent to it or that one, dual tan might be equivalent to those two, and plural tenan might be equivalent to those.

⸻EXAMPLES.

“It looks healthy.” — “gi a katigati ksameli naa.” “Those two have been traded.” — “tan di ninhayal.” “Those haven’t got enough water.” — “tenan di torowi yan tyagi.”

⸻VOCAB NOTES.

katigati — healthy, vigorous, living well. ksameli — to observe. Used for observations you've thought about, and descriptions in a fairly literal sense: “This is what it looks like to me.” ninhayal — past tense form of ninhayi, to be bartered or traded. The passive verb equivalent of ninteri. torowi — quantifier meaning ‘not enough’, ‘rare, or ‘only a small amount’. yan — water. tyagi — to need, to require. The formula "torowi [x] tyagi" is commonly translated as "needs more [x] than it has."

[innocet]

What is the Locke Lambert episode pitch?

My working title is “Childlore.”

In the third great and bountiful human empire, “families” have fallen out of fashion. The youth of the upper classes, for their own good, live on school-planets raised by care-droids and only coming into contact with adults once they graduate.

To the students, graduation may as well be the rapture, and failure may as well be death. Nobody knows what happens to those with too high or too low exam scores; only that they are removed from the student body to a bright new future or horrible unknown fate.

Locke Lambert, a too-cool-for-school 18-year-old, is the last of her class not to graduate, with grades just good enough to escape failure but not quite good enough to get her out. When Locke’s partner’s grades suddenly jump high enough to graduate without her and a mysterious “auditor” known as the Doctor and his “early-graduate assistant” visit the planet, she tries to get his help to escape failing her last year of courses.

[imaybelactoseintolerant]

Commander Luthal

Chapter Five: Master and Padawan

Word Count: 4519

Back to Arwen and her being an emotional child, don't worry, this is the last of her more emotional chapters as she'll begin maturing as she grows.

Enjoy!

Masterlist

Previous | Next

The tournament for Jedi Initiates felt more high staked than the previous year, perhaps because Arwen was nine now, and the oldest youngling to compete was nearly thirteen. Nearly four additional years of experience, and Arwen still could barely do anything more than call a practise saber to her hand.

Nevertheless, Arwen practised dutifully, confident that her saber skills alone would be enough. Shii-Cho and Makashi came to her easily now, even as she learned newer, more advanced techniques, and she found it easier to call on the Force for tiny bursts of strength and speed during spars and practice than in class with Master Yoda teaching her clan.

Master Rancisis seemed reluctant to allow her to move too far ahead, however, no matter how good she got. She was certain that if he let her, she would be able to beat more than the six younglings she was often pitted against. The oldest ones in her clan, twelve, seemed much less skilled than the nine year olds that had been moved into their room that year. No longer would she have to spar with children as young as four—which simply turned into her allowing them to practise Shii-Cho on her, and offered her no challenge—and she thought that would mean a greater challenge for her. But it seemed that the eldest in Thranta Clan had less competitive spirit than the younglings who had aged up with her and been moved into their crèche room.

Master Rancisis, after growing tired of hearing her beg for a challenge, had allowed her to group spar with the eldest initiates in her clan. They must not have expected much of a challenge, because when she told them to all fight against her, they moved slowly and took turns. It wasn’t until their third round, after disarming them all one by one because they seemed to put such little effort in, that they took her seriously.

She still won within fifteen minutes. She was certain that most of her old crèche mates could have beaten them. Tarrock certainly could, and he’d been less and less concerned with saber practice with each coming day, much to her disappointment.

Tarrock sparred with her perhaps once a month now, twice if she was lucky, and because she was now in the older half of Thranta Clan’s crèche rooms, her saber lessons were at a different time of day. Anakin was still practising with the younger half, and even if he was moved up to the older class, he had piloting lessons at this time. He’d have to do it with another class. She sparred with Anakin perhaps only once a month, if she was lucky.

Arwen was happy to spar with anyone who was willing, eager to help and get them up to her level, but no one seemed especially interested in it, leaving her after classes with training dummies and droids, and Master Plo when he wasn’t too busy, but that was more rare than sparring with Anakin.

The older initiates in Bear Clan were where the true challenge was, and it was why she still practised so fervently even when she outmatched those in her own clan. They’d lost their previous tournaments to Bear Clan twice, and Heliost once. It seemed their older initiates were more talented with a saber than her own. She wasn’t surprised by that.

Again, the lead up to the tournament seemed to be the only time her crèche mates put in any substantial effort into saber practice, but she could live with that. To her pleasure, a great many of them took to staying behind with her after saber lessons to practise. Some of the older initiates were growing antsy to be taken on as a padawan, and felt that by demonstrating their saber skills they may succeed in impressing a Jedi. Arwen felt much the same. There were a lot of older younglings in her clan, almost twenty. She hoped everyone would be made a padawan, but the odds weren’t great. There was no shame in going to the Service Corps, though most preferred not to.

In her first spar in the tournament, she disarmed her opponent in three seconds flat, using a difficult to master Makashi technique that she’d been practising for weeks now. Her crèche mates could now block or parry it, they’d been on the wrong end of it too many times, but the other younglings couldn’t.

She hoped the Jedi remembered that move, when they were considering who to pick.

The next day she’d been subjected to spars with older initiates who had much more skill in using Force techniques, jumping clear over head, pushing her dangerously close to the edge of the mat, pulling her forward when she wasn’t quite in position, and she’d taken more hits than she could ever remember taking before. Her fair skin was mottled black, blue and yellow after just the first one, but she’d won. Tarrock had been eliminated.

On the third day, her wins had secured Thranta Clan first place by only one point, after she’d won the very last round. She cheered with her other crèche mates, watched as several of the eldest were approached by Jedi, and smiled to herself. She’d make sure they won again next year. Maybe more initiates in her clan would get picked.

She counted all five of the twelve year olds in Thranta Clan get picked and, to her shock, one of the ten year olds. Still, it gave her hope—maybe next year she’d be picked. With a bright smile, she turned to Tarrock, only to find him missing. She looked around the room, certain that he hadn’t left yet, because surely he would want to celebrate their win—

Arwen found him across the room, wide eyed and nodding at the Jedi who spoke to him. They bowed to one another, and Arwen watched them walk out of the room together, throat tight and jealousy settling in a pit in her stomach.

Tarrock hadn’t even made it to the finals! He’d been eliminated on the second day! Arwen had won the tournament for Thranta Clan! She hadn’t lost a single spar! Why did Tarrock get picked, but not her? If someone picked him, they had to have thought he would make a good Jedi, so why had she been overlooked?

What had she done wrong?

She drew in a deep breath—it’s fine, she told herself. Maybe she’d be picked in a few minutes, if she waited for the crowd to clear?

But Arwen waited and waited, until the last of the Jedi had left the room. Nobody picked her.

She found Tarrock back in their room—or, she supposed it wasn’t his room anymore. He was packing his scant possessions into a bag; spare clothes and robes, a datapad for his studies, a piece of traditional Devaronian jewellery, and a textbook on healing. When he looked at her, he was smiling, and she managed to muster one up in return. It was a good day for him, she should be happy, not stewing in jealousy and thoughts of inadequacy.

“Padawan already? I think you’re the youngest one picked this year,” she could hear the jealousy in her own tone, but Tarrock was thankfully too happy to notice, bouncing on his feet as he stuffed his clothes away.

“Nope,” her heart sank, “Someone from Hawk-Bat Clan got picked too! She’s only eight!”

Arwen swallowed down her whimper. An eight year old got picked? There was absolutely no way she could have done better than Arwen in the tournament.

“Oh, that’s… great. Really, really good,” the smile she was forcing onto her face was growing more and more difficult to keep up. The corners of her mouth were slowly tugging downward, no matter how hard she tried to stop it.

“It is! And my new master—Arwen, she’s a Jedi Healer, she’s the one who gave me this!” He held out his textbook, looking at it reverently, “She let me sit in on her work a few times, and let me practise healing a cut on her! I didn’t think I did very well, I could barely get it to scab over after hours, but—well—she wants me to be her padawan! She thinks I’ll be a great healer one day, if I practise enough!”

She wanted to be happy for him, wanted to grin and jump and demand he take her to meet his new master so she knew her friend was in good hands. But happiness felt far out of her reach, and the only thing she could feel was envy and the sting of rejection.

Her smile getting more and more difficult to maintain, she spoke, “Better hurry and pack, Tarrock. Your master will be waiting to give you your padawan beads,” the words hurt to say, but Tarrock’s smile only brightened. He was gone within the minute, promising to come and see her when he had the time.

She looked at the now empty bed in the room, wanting the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Sleep evaded her, and during the night she snuck out to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to meditate.

It did not ease her feelings of rejection, her inadequacy, or her envy, but she was able to give Tarrock a real smile when he introduced her to Master Beelia Nu’lok, a yellow skinned Twi’lek woman with age lines around her eyes and mouth, and a kindly gaze.

She dedicated a lot more time to saber practice, and when the option of either adding piloting classes or extra saber lessons into her official schedule was offered, she opted for the latter. These additional saber lessons were for initiates looking to further their skills beyond that of most others.

It placed her amongst some of the more skilled initiates, or initiates who simply wanted to better themselves and had the drive to improve, and within the first week she already felt a more noticeable strain in her muscles as she worked to improve and fend off her opponents in spars.

Within weeks there was a noticeable improvement—her crèche mates stood nary a chance against her even in group spars now. Her fellow more advanced initiates were where the real challenge now lay. Several of them were familiar with Makashi, though only two others were more skilled at it.

It certainly pushed her more than she had been before, but in the best way. The ache in her muscles was a reminder that she was doing better, straining herself to improve. If she worked hard enough, a Jedi would notice soon.

Her spars with Tarrock lessened over the months, until eventually she only saw him outside of lessons when they occasionally crossed paths in the archives or at meal times. In a way the distance helped—her envy softened, helped by no small amount of hours spent meditating, and she was able to look at Tarrock and Master Beelia with a smile that was genuine. It seemed Tarrock was more than happy to put in the minimal amount of hours with his saber now anyway—something about it conflicting with his new goals of becoming an accomplished healer.

That statement had left Arwen feeling slightly hollow. Sparring had always been something she and Tarrock enjoyed doing together. He was one of the only people who could keep up with her, and she was the first person he’d felt comfortable sparring with. They’d talked about using their saber skills to impress the Jedi, they’d always said it would get them noticed.

But maybe Tarrock had a point. After all, he was a padawan and she was still an initiate.

Anakin was at the temple less and less frequently, always off on some mission with Master Kenobi, and when he returned he often had a lot to catch up on. It left little time for spars, but the surprise that both of them got when they saw how much the other had improved was almost worth it. Anakin had caught her off guard with a Makashi parry one day, and it had shocked her so much she’d nearly lost her saber in a single move, and she’d shocked Anakin so much with a Force assisted burst of speed—though barely enough to move three feet—that he’d almost dropped his saber.

Master Kenobi was rarely present, though seemed to warm up to her somewhat. She’d not seen a single suspicious glance from him, so she was somewhat confident she’d gained his trust, though she wasn’t sure what she’d done to do so.

By the time she was ten and ready to participate in the next tournament, she’d outmatched her classmates almost entirely—partly due to her rigorous training, but she was certain her innate Echani gift for reading body language was also a great help. She was certain she was less proficient at it than other Echani children her age, but it helped a great deal in the Jedi Temple.

Arwen supposed it was like learning a language, something that needed to be practised constantly, and was easier to learn when you were younger, not to mention easier to pick up on when everyone around you was doing the same. Mannerisms also played a large part. Echani people rarely changed their body language quirks and cues, and when they did it was over a lengthy period of time, something that people slowly read and learned over time through observation and combat. At the temple, and surely amongst all other groups of people, body language cues and ticks were more subject to change, and often quickly. They weren’t used for communicating, so they were not as personalised as Echani peoples, or even her own. The one sided, and often difficult to read, communication form was useful for little else at the temple besides combat, and reading more obvious emotions, rather than having nuanced discussions.

For the tournament she’d used it far more than she’d ever been able to, and she understood where the legend of some Echani warriors being so skilled at it that they could predict entire fights before they happened came from. It wasn’t hard to imagine some ancient warrior looking upon an opponent, taking stock of their body and face, their chosen weapons, the way their feet were positioned, and the way their eyes moved, and being able to understand every little detail about what that foe might do.

She wondered if perhaps those legends had some truth afterall. If those Echani warriors had been Force sensitive perhaps they had mastered having visions and applied it to combat, where her people were most comfortable.

She’d won the tournament once more, and this time it had been by several points. Thranta Clan was once more victorious, and Arwen waited with baited breath to be taken aside by a Jedi. Once more, she watched other initiates get selected, a few from her own clan, and several younger ones get chosen too. Arwen was left alone in the hall for the second time.

She headed for the Room of a Thousand Fountains—the only place she seemed to be able to meditate outside of spars—and saw Master Yoda along the way, meandering down the halls with his walking stick.

“Master Yoda?” She called tentatively. He stopped and turned, waiting for her to catch up. She was slightly taller than him now, “Is Master Plo back yet?” He often guided her through meditations when she couldn’t focus, and she couldn’t certainly use his help now.

“Need to see him, you do?”

“I was wondering if he could help me meditate…”

“Hmm. Troubled, you are. Assistance, do you require?”

She felt her cheeks heat. She didn’t want Master Yoda to think she couldn’t meditate without help, “Well, I don’t need help…”

“But want it, you do.”

She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek, but she couldn’t quell her embarrassment. Maybe this was why she hadn’t been picked yet. Maybe all the Jedi knew she needed too much guidance with meditation, and maybe she shouldn’t.

“Sorry, Master. I can do it without him.”

“Away, Master Plo still is. Another Jedi, I can send to you.”

She flushed even deeper, “No!” Master Yoda didn’t say anything, but his look conveyed enough, “No, it’s alright, Master. Thank you,” she said quietly, then bowed and quickly ran off, her face burning. She didn’t need any Jedi knowing she’d gone looking for Master Plo for help. She didn’t want any Jedi sent to help her either.

She settled in her usual spot for meditation, tried to quell the worst of her thoughts; that she was doing something wrong, that no Jedi would ever want her as a padawan, that it didn’t matter how hard she worked because she’d be sent to the Service Corps anyway, her inability to sort through her emotions by herself sometimes, her embarrassment at asking Master Yoda for Master Plo, the humiliation at the thought of him forcing some Jedi to help her—

Heat prickled at her cheeks again, no matter how hard she tried to work through her thoughts.

Some younglings didn’t get picked until right at the very last minute, she couldn’t possibly be good at everything, it was okay to ask for help—

“Arwen?”

Her eyes snapped open, landing on Master Kenobi. He was already sitting cross-legged in front of her. Oh no. Why did it have to be Master Kenobi? He’d probably tell Anakin that she couldn’t even meditate!

“I’m fine! I don’t need help,” she rushed out, trying to rise from her kneeling position, but stumbling as she did. Master Kenobi caught her arm before she fell, a gentle look in his eye that made her want to curl up in shame.

“It’s alright to want help, Arwen, and I’m more than happy to give it,” he spoke softly, not unlike Master Plo would, and she had trouble reconciling this Jedi before her with the one that Anakin complained was too much of a stick in the mud, having little tolerance for his emotions. To be fair, Anakin was a very emotional padawan.

“I don’t want to bother you,” she said thickly, but Master Kenobi just shook his head, guiding her back down into her meditation position.

“It’s not a bother. I’m happy to help. Now, close your eyes and tell me what’s bothering you.”

She felt tears stinging in her eyes, so she was happy to shut them. Maybe Master Kenobi would close his eyes too, and he wouldn’t realise how close she was to crying.

“I didn’t get picked again,” she whispered, afraid someone would overhear. They wouldn’t, not this far off the path, and not so close to the small waterfall, but the thought lingered in the back of her mind, “I’m ten, and I’ve won all my spars in the tournament. I’m the most advanced youngling when it comes to saber combat, and I’ve worked so hard to get that good!” She drew in a shaky breath, “But it feels like I keep getting overlooked. The older initiates in my clan got picked at the end of the last two tournaments, so did Tarrock and he’s my age, and an eight year old got picked last time.”

Master Kenobi hummed thoughtfully, “Do you think they are undeserving of being made padawans?”

“No!” She said quickly, “Of course they deserve to be padawans!”

“Ah, so you feel you deserve it more?”

Her frown deepened, “No.”

He hummed again, “Then why are you upset?”

She was quiet for a few moments, weighing her options. Did she want to tell him? Would he think she was being too emotional? Was it better to just tell him anyway, so he could help her work through it? Her shoulders slumped in defeat, “Am I not good enough to be a padawan, Master Kenobi? Am I doing something wrong? I can beat everyone on the mats, but it doesn’t seem to be getting me any kind of recognition,” she couldn’t keep the dejected tone from her voice. How could she?

“The tournament is not the only time that padawans can be selected, Arwen, do you know that?”

“Yes.”

“Then you know that you could be chosen by a Jedi at any time?”

“Yes.”

“Then why do you seem so set on impressing Jedi with your lightsaber skills?”

“Because that’s what I’m good at,” she said it like it should have been obvious to him, “I’m Echani, I’ve been holding weapons for longer than I can remember. I’m good at it, I spend all my free time practising it, I love it,” she squeezed her eyes shut tighter when she felt tears welling again, “When I was accepted into the Jedi Order, Master Yoda told me to honour my peoples traditions, and this is how I do it. I even based my studies on Echani and Kaleesh cultures, because they share similarities. If I can’t impress a Jedi with what I excel at, then what can I do? Even Master Rancisis—who’s taught me for years in saber lessons—looks at me like I’m doing something wrong, or like he doesn’t trust me. Is that how other Jedi feel?”

“Arwen—”

“Because that’s not fair! I was told to honour my peoples traditions, and I’m doing that! I’m controlled when I fight, I’m focussed, I’m fair! I let the younger kids practise on me for as long as they want, I try to help my crèche mates as much as I can, even though they only seem to care about saber combat when the tournament pops up. I’m always practising and giving it everything I’ve got, but everyone overlooks me and picks someone who only cares about it for a competition!” Her eyes were open by the time she finished talking, and Master Kenobi’s were too. She waited to be scolded, told to calm down, but Master Kenobi just reached out a hand and put it on her shoulder.

“Not all Jedi are looking for a padawan so focussed on lightsabers. They aren’t what make you a Jedi, which I’m sure you understand,” she nodded, wiping her eyes before the tears could fall, “Many Jedi observe younglings for months before they decide to pick them. The tournament is, for most, something that the Jedi use as a final test, to see how well a youngling handles loss and pressure. There are more failures than successes during the tournament, and that is what a Jedi wants to see; how well you can handle failure, how quickly you can bounce back from it. It’s not about being the best.”

Arwen sighed, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I? I was once an initiate as well, Arwen.”

“Yes, but you’re a Jedi now. Someone chose you,” Master Kenobi was quiet for a few seconds, and Arwen looked down at the grass, “Sorry. Thank you for trying to help me,” she mumbled, expecting him to simply leave.

“I almost wasn’t a Jedi,” Arwen’s head snapped up.

“What? You?” She frowned. Master Kenobi was well known throughout the temple, and widely respected, “But you’re… you’re a Jedi Knight!”

“I almost wasn’t. I was quite the show off as an initiate, you know. Very confident, eager to impress. But my time as an initiate came and passed, and no master was willing to take me on. I was sent to the Agri Corps, and I spent a number of months there before my late master, Qui-Gon, happened upon me. After a rather deadly encounter where I saved his life, he took me on as a padawan.”

Arwen’s mouth opened and closed. She couldn’t imagine Master Kenobi as anything but what he was now, or that no master would ever want to take him on, or that he would ever be sent to the Service Corps.

“So you see, I understand exactly how you’re feeling right now. I once felt similarly,” Master Kenobi said, “You’re dedication to your saber practice is admirable, as is your wish to continue learning about your culture, and another one. But perhaps what you need is balance, young one.”

“Balance, Master Kenobi?”

He hummed, “Yes. Balance between honouring your traditions as an Echani, and your duties as an initiate. How do you do in your other lessons?”

Arwen frowned—it couldn’t be that simple, could it? “Fine, I guess. I take the normal classes; literature, history and politics, mathematics, science, and the ones more geared towards the Force and the Jedi,” the first three subjects required her to study her chosen cultures; Echani and Kaleesh.

“Are you taking piloting lessons? Or mechanics?”

Arwen shrank in on herself slightly, “I, uh, decided to take advanced saber lessons instead of piloting lessons.”

Master Kenobi gave her an indulgent smile, “And I suppose you have no interest in mechanics?” She shook her head. Anakin was always raving on about it, but she’d been to the orientation session for it, and she’d drifted off more than she ever had in any other lesson. She’d opted to keep that lesson slot open, and practise with her saber by herself, “Well, then perhaps you could ask to be allowed into the independent studies class.”

“What would I study?” She’d not chosen it because she couldn’t think of anything outside of her classes that she was interested in, and it seemed like a waste of time.

“Well, you know your interests better than I,” he gave her a pointed look.

“But… didn’t you say I was too focussed on saber combat?”

“Too focussed on the physical side of being a Jedi, yes. To temper yourself, adding on some independent studies into areas you're interested in—like lightsabers, for example—will help round you out a little more, and perhaps open you up to more areas you’d like to study. Some of the most respected members of our order are researchers, and it would reflect very well on you, showing you’re dedicated not only to the physical side of combat, but also to its less well known facets—its importance in Jedi philosophy, for example.”

“And… you think this will help? Then I’ll become a padawan?”

Master Kenobi gave her another gentle look, “What will be, will be. You will become a padawan, or you will not. All you can do is your best, Arwen. No one can ask for more than that.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, Arwen nodded. She got to her feet slowly, brushing off her knees as Master Kenobi followed suit. She bowed lowly, “Thank you, Master Kenobi. I will follow your counsel.”

He smiled down at her, putting a hand on her shoulder again, “Should you ever need assistance again, I’m more than happy to help, Arwen. Remember that.”

She nodded and they parted ways soon after, Arwen feeling much lighter than before. She began heading towards the crèche to find Master Kuula, and see if she could be admitted into the independent studies class late. She didn’t care how much catch up work she may have to do.

Arwen nodded, steeling herself. Her best. She could do that. She just hoped it would be enough.

[fanthatracks]

Darth Vader – Black, White & Red #2 STAR WARS DARTH VADER BLACK, WHITE & RED When Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side, he became Darth Vader, one of the most powerful Sith of all time. In his service to the evil Galactic Empire, he has left a trail of destruction and terror, striking fear into the hearts of millions across the galaxy…. Writers: Jason Aaron, David Pepose, Victoria Ying Penciller: Leonard Kirk, Alessandro Vitti, Marika Cresta Inker: Leonard Kirk Letterer: Joe Caramagna Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr. Cover artist: Adam Kubert Editor: Mark Paniccia Publication date: May 24, 2023 We kick off and return to last issues opening story Hard Shutdown, as Darth Vader finds himself in arguably the trickiest and most physically dangerous predicament we've ever seen him in, chained to a table as the son of the man who designed many of his own cybernetic systems is about to carve him up for sale to the highest bidder. However, this is Darth Vader - the threat looms for only a moment as the scientist about to start chopping suddenly loses control and begins slicing into his own people, and they run out of the room, only half of them managing to escape before the doors seal shut. Vader is using the Force, and Cyn's plans are turned against him as they prepare to shut Vader down for the final time.... We quickly turn to the second story of this second issue The Endless Mercy as Vader and the 501st forcibly enter a Phial-Class Heavy Transport, there to learn more about a secret bioweapon that's being designed. As Vaders troops scour the ship for clues, a huge creature attacks one of the troopers, and quickly they regroup as Vader ignites his blade, but the creatures are too strong and too many and as Vader's helmet is bashed off his head he is soon caught up in a web with his troopers. Vader manages to escape, fighting until he is brought to his knees and here he learns the truth - the queen of these creatures is Doctor Sera Lemare, the woman who was leading the bioresearch. Lemare explains how her research turned her crew into these creatures, how she then became queen to control this new hive mind and as she believes Vader is its newest member, he uses the dark side to fight his way out, sending the vessel screaming into the ground to destroy her and her work and walking from the flames victorious. [gallery link="file" columns="2" size="large" ids="144718,144719"] The third and final chapter Power is a fascinating snapshot of the galaxy and the power that rules it from the point of view of a kid in the Outer Rim. With no frame of reference to measure Vader against, we see young Niko, a keen young reader who's selling water from his rickshaw when he stumbles onto the turf of a streetgang who are less than impressed to see him. Telling Niko that the only thing that counts in the Outer Rim is power they work him over, damaging the vehicle and his droid, but undeterred he carries on, back home where he finds his homestead on fire and his mother panicking. There he sees Noegaud, the leader of the gang who appears to have ignited the flames just as laser blasts erupt and the Empire arrive. Niko watches, then sees Darth Vader on the hunt for a rebel who we realise is Noegaud, and Niko looks in shock....then smiles as Vader walks away. An interesting second issue, with a selection of tales that may well be canon but very much feel more like Star Wars Visions stories. Interesting, enjoyable, with great artwork and some solid situations, this is worth a read but so far not an essential read. [amazon box="B0BZZY7RTS"]

[sw5w]

Artoo's Work is Done

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 00:26:37

Like the last shot, you can see another view of the unidentified vessel in the portside hangar arm's inner wall hangar.

It's hard to make out, but it almost resembles Guri's Stinger from the Shadows of the Empire project, specifically the Galoob Micro Machines toy released in 1996, which may have fit perfectly into the model of the Lucrehulk used in filming.

[squidbrain]

All I've Ever Wanted

A Captain Rex x Oc fan creation!

The Clone Wars changed everything. Danger was seeping into even the safest of places. A peaceful planet finds itself wrapped up in a political uproar that endangers the royal family. The Jedi Council assigns the 501st to assist establishing a Clone presence on Ziphus. Their Captain takes on the task of protecting Ziphus’ Archduchess, a young diplomat named Sarela, but she proves to be quite a handful for the stoic soldier!

18+ only! Later chapters will have mature themes and explicit writing!

Chapter Three: Troubled Past

A young Captain struggles with his past as he ventures to Ziphus.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

“Every crate is accounted for and ready to be offloaded, Captain.”

Captain Bren nodded and patted his sergeant on the shoulder. “Good man. We touch down in thirty.”

Bren walked away from him to inspect the line of walkers. Everything looked good to go. Not a single thing out of place.

Bren or CT3924 to some, had been on two previous missions to establish republic bases before. He was very familiar with how they operated and was confident that this one would also go smoothly.

Still, he was a bit sour about being on a third base mission. They were important and he knew that, but he was itching for real action. To be back out with his brothers. To dirty up his armor again. But he was stuck on a Venator class ship, inspecting boxes, looking at manifests. Could life get any more boring?

He walked away from the walkers in search of his commander. He found Rila not far from him, checking a number of preloaded hoversleds. Building supplies, or so the crates read. Everything in these crates would make a base. A home for his brothers while the war raged on. There was some pride in the work, but it was still boring. 

“Everything’s ready for deployment. Sergeant says we’re good to go,” Bren told him.

Rila smiled and glanced away from his datapad to look at Bren. “Good. So why the sour mood?”

Bren didn’t answer right away. He crossed his arms and shrugged.

“That’s not an answer, son,” Rila said.

Bren sighed and shrugged again. “This is the third base mission we’ve gone on. Is that all I’m good for now? Crate jockey?”

Rila fully looked up from his datapad. He tucked it under his arm. “Is that what you think?”

“It’s pretty obvious. I’m never going back on the battlefield,” Bren felt his temper rising. “At this point I’d take a decomm over this. Absolute waste of training.”

“You don’t mean that,” Rila said evenly. He huffed a short sigh. “You are not being wasted and neither are your men. You are still healing.”

“I’m done healing!” Bren snapped.

Rila fixed him with a disappointed stare. “Your temper hasn’t healed yet. You’re angry about the accident and I’m not sending you back to the battlefield with so much anger in your blood.”

“The accident was six months ago,” Bren grumbled.

“May as well have happened last week with the way you carry yourself,” Rila retorted.

Bren scoffed. “I’m healed.”

“Your body is, but let’s give the mind a little more time,” he said.

Rila patted his shoulder and walked away from him. Bren watched him go and he sighed. He found a place to sit and his mind started to wander. It went right to the accident.

Six months ago Bren was captain of a company under two twin Jedi. A Kage brother and sister, Koda and Tess Marr. The twins were headstrong, but Tess was reckless in her quest to prove herself. Bren was given the all clear by his scout to press forward, but something nagged at him. It didn’t feel right. He expressed his concern to the twin Generals, but Tess ignored his worries.

She ordered them to push forward and clear the droids from the planet. Bren reminded her of the reinforcements coming, but she was convinced they could clear the enemy on their own. Bren knew it was for her own glory, but he didn’t have a choice. Against his will, he pushed forward. Straight into a trap.

His company was ravaged. He fought for as long as he could, but he was forced to retreat. He ordered his men to take cover in the brush and wait for help. When they headed into the overgrowth, one man called out a warning to turn back. They’d stumbled onto a nest of varactyls. 

Scared for their young, the creatures attacked. Bren was struck once in the face and his helmet was lost. He scrambled to his feet to make his getaway, but the great beast struck him again in the face. Without his helmet the pain was blinding. He collapsed, dazed and confused, wondering if he’d died. He’d never forget the sight of the varactyl standing on him. With his last bit of sense, he lifted his blaster and shot the poor beast. It fell on top of him and the weight was enough to knock the last bit of breath from his body.

If it wasn’t for his medic and his heavy artillery men, he never would have survived.

Still, he wasn’t without his scars. A thick scar ran up his jaw from his chin to his ear on his right. Smaller scars were scattered around it. He had one scar just to the side of his eye, showing how dangerously close he’d come to losing it

He shivered when he thought back to that moment. He had to keep himself busy. He couldn’t lose himself in those memories. He stood quickly and walked around the crates. Right into another person.

They made an ‘oof’ noise and stumbled backwards.

“Goodness me!” they said.

Bren looked down at the poor girl he’d just whopped and frowned. His commander, Zyrah.

The Firrerreo looked up at him with a smile. “In a hurry, Captain?”

“I’m really sorry, Commander. Wasn’t paying any attention,” he said.

She waved a hand. “Oh, it’s no worry! Everything alright? You’re tense.”

He hesitated to answer. He didn’t know Zyrah well yet. She'd joined the company a bit late. She’d been off studying when Master Ornil recalled her to help with the war effort.

He eventually nodded. “I’m fine, Commander. Just thinking and it got away from me.”

She also hesitated. He figured she could sense the lie. It was heavy and sour on his tongue. She nodded, though.

“I’m here, you know. If you need an ear or two,” she said.

“Thank you, Commander. It’s appreciated,” he replied.

She smiled again and nodded. “Master Ornil says we’re about to touch down and I’m to stick with you.”

He smiled slightly. “Sounds good to me, Commander.”

She walked with him toward the hangar doors. “Commander. Never thought I’d be called that.”

“Why’s that?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I’m a scholar. Didn’t think my skills would be needed in a war, you know?”

“You a poor fighter or something?” He was only teasing and he hoped she would sense his tone.

She giggled. “Stars, no. I’m just fine with a saber. Just didn’t expect to use it so much. I like being a scholar. I was never suited for the life of a knight. I’m still shocked I passed the padawan trials, honestly.”

Bren sat with her in the few seats near the doors and strapped in for the rumbles that breaking atmosphere brought. While he watched her buckle up, he realized he’d never gotten a chance to talk beyond relaying orders.

“What do you study?” he asked.

She beamed. “I’m an ancient historian. I study ancient texts and artifacts. Mostly Jedi, but I’ll look at anything, really. I’m thrilled to be on Ziphus! They have a rich culture and I’m hoping to see some of their historical sites before leaving.”

He chuckled softly. “I hope you get that chance.”

She looked up at him. “You should come with me! You need a little break.”

He considered and wondered why anyone would want to look at old junk, but then again, he did agree with her. He did need a break from all this crate shoving. He nodded.

“If I can, sure,” he said.

“Fantastic! I’ll beg my master on my knees if I must!”

He laughed! “I hope you don’t have to.”

The familiar rumbling finally gave way to a smooth descent. Bren leaned back in his seat and kicked his feet out. A few moments of relaxation before they started hauling crates and driving walkers down onto the planet.

Once they landed, the troopers sprung into action. Guiding walkers out of the ship, loading crates of supplies on hoversleds and following the walkers outside.

Bren walked down onto the surface and looked around. He stood near Zyrah, who was looking at her datapad. She looked up at him and motioned to the sprawling field he stood on.

“We’re inside of the twelfth province. They call it Firoghin. Governed by Hugo Rikil. We’ll be meeting him at some point, according to my Master. As well as the royal family,” she said.

Bren nodded. “Fantastic.”

“Something wrong?”

Bren shrugged. “Usually when we set these places up there’s a group of people mad that we’re stomping on their land. Angry that a bunch of soldiers are building a base on their precious grass.”

Zyrah nodded. “The Emperor specifically chose the twelfth district to avoid that. The only thing here is a water treatment plant. Our small outposts may upset a few people in other districts, but out here we won’t disturb anyone.”

He found that hard to believe. Someone was always complaining. As if he wasn’t protecting their lives. Ready to give his for theirs and they’re always mad about some guys in white armor and a patch of grass.

“Oo,” Zyrah said suddenly. “I felt that.”

“Felt what?”

“Your anger,” she replied.

He looked down at her. He didn’t know what to say.

“Deep breath with me. Come on. In through the nose, hold for four seconds, out through the mouth,” she said, turning to face him. She put a hand on his arm.

Bren wanted to walk away. Tell her she was being silly, but he couldn’t. He relaxed his arms and took a slow breath. He held it with her, then let it go. It did help. He gave himself a moment before he spoke.

“Thank you, Commander,” he said.

She smiled. “Any time, Captain.”

The rest of his day was spent directing his men and overseeing the offloading of the crates.

Bren toed a fine line when it came to his busy work. On one hand he was glad for it. He couldn’t think of the accident and how annoyed he was that he wasn’t on the battlefield yet. On the other hand, he was still angry that he had to do it. He wasn’t sure what he wanted anymore. Did he want to stay busy with base building or did he want to fling himself back at the enemy?

Rila came by just after dark and told him to call it quits. It was time for a meal and a rest, so Bren dismissed his men and confirmed the overnight guards were ready to watch over their work.

He headed back into the ship and up to the mess hall. Rila waved him over to a table once he had his ration kit. Bren joined him and cracked open his drink.

“Good progress today, eh?” Rila said.

Bren nodded. “Yep.”

Rila sighed a little. “Still mad at me?”

Bren shook his head. “Just tired.”

“You’re a pisspoor liar.”

Bren stabbed his fork a bit roughly into his food. “Yeah, well lying wasn’t on the training list as a kid.”

Rila sighed and put his own fork down. “You will be back on the field when Alpha gives the okay.”

“Oh, so never,” Bren grumbled.

“Alpha won’t do that to you,” Rila said.

“Yes, he will,” he grumbled.

“Son, I have never met a more impatient clone until I met you,” he sighed and returned to his meal.

Bren huffed and stabbed his food again.

“Stop it,” Rila said evenly.

“I want paint,” Bren suddenly blurted out.

Rila looked up at him. “What?”

“Paint. I want paint. For my armor,” he said.

Rila watched him for a moment. Bren didn’t look up, but he could feel his eyes on him.

“Alright,” he said softly. “I’m sure we have a can around somewhere.”

Bren nodded and grumbled a quiet thanks. They ate in silence after that.

When they finished and ditched their trash, Rila walked him down to the storage hangar. He dug around for a while until he produced a small jar of paint and a couple brushes. He handed them to Bren.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

Bren grit his teeth for a tense moment, but relaxed when the nerves in his cheek flared up. “A varactyl skull.”

Rila nodded. “Let me know if you need a steady hand.”

Bren nodded, but headed off without a word. He gathered up a few rags and his datapad and went outside. He wanted to be in nature. Or at least closer to it.

He sat on the grass and looked for a picture on the holonet while he shook the paint up. Once he found a good reference, he took his chest plate off. It wasn’t the one he was wearing then. It was new. Shiny. He hated the sheen it had. He opened the jar of paint and dipped his brush in.

Bren sat with the chest plate in his lap and slowly painted. He wanted mirrored varactyl skulls on the chest plate. The beast that caused the scars on his face, the dull ache in his chest. The hours and hours of physical therapy. And yet he couldn’t hate it. He felt guilty about shooting it. The moment haunted him. Even with the advanced development of his brain by the Kaminoans, he was still haunted by that moment. An innocent life taken by his hand. And now the chicks she was so desperate to protect were without a mother.

He heard a rustling in the grass behind him. He turned to see Zyrah approaching.

“Good evening, Captain. It’s quite late. Shouldn’t you be asleep?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Wasn’t sleepy.”

She peeked over his shoulder. “Skulls, hm?”

“Varactyl skulls,” he said.

“Ah,” she said. “I see.”

He stopped and looked up at her. “Heard the story, eh?”

She nodded and sat down. “I have. Commander Rila told me.”

Bren scoffed and went back to work. “You gonna pity me, too?”

“No,” she said. “I have a feeling if I do, you’ll no longer wish to talk to me. And I definitely don’t want that.”

Bren shook his head. “You’ll pity me anyway. Everyone does.”

“I won’t offer you pity. Only sympathy and understanding,” she said.

Bren, satisfied with the twin skulls on the plate, set it down and stood up. He took a few paces away from her. “Sympathy is just pity wrapped up in nice words!”

“You think so?”

“Yeah! People keep fucking saying how sorry they are for me! How much it must have hurt and how scared I must have been! How terrible it is that all those men had to die!”

“It is terrible. Don’t you agree?” she asked.

He turned to look at her. She had his helmet in her lap and she was painting on it. He was so worked up that it didn’t even register what she was doing.

“Yes, but that’s not the point! I’m angry! And no one will let me be angry!” he shouted.

“Yes, your anger rolls off of you in waves,” she said calmly. “I will let you be angry if it helps you.”

He shook his head and huffed out a laugh. “Oh, sure! Miss Jedi is going to condone anger? Aren’t you people against that shit?”

She nodded. “Yes. Anger leads to darkness. But that doesn’t mean we don’t still feel it.”

“I don’t get you people,” Bren grumbled, shaking his head.

“Anger is a wound. If you let it fester, it rots and kills you. If you treat it, it heals. Talk to me. Why are you so angry?” she asked.

Bren turned away from her and looked out at the grassy field. The night was calm. Still. Barely any wind. Only the soft cry of crickets in the grass.

He wanted to say it, but Zyrah was a stranger. Could he trust her? What if she ran to Rila? Or General Ornil? Or hell, Alpha? He took a steady breath and say back down next to her.

“Can you keep a secret?”

“I can.”

“Promise me you won’t run off and tell anyone.”

“You have my solemn vow, Captain. What you say will stay between us.”

He hesitated, but he spoke softly. “I trusted her.”

“Tess?” Zyrah questioned.

He nodded. “With my life. With the lives of my men. We got the all clear, but it wasn’t vocal. I got a message. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. Said it wasn’t safe. I told her to send a second scout and hunker down. I told her to wait for backup. She didn’t listen to me. She wanted to push forward, claim victory for our battalion. Be heroes.

But I told her that she was buying glory with blood. I begged her to reconsider. She dressed me down right there. In front of the company. Told me I was a coward. Said if I was so scared of pushing forward then I should have stayed on Kamino. I backed off. I know I shouldn't have, but what could I do? I let her push us forward while they brought up the rear.

They closed in on us from all sides. It was a fucking trap. I knew it, too. I knew we were walking into a fucking trap, but I couldn’t stop her. And we were slaughtered. I called a retreat. Figured I could face her wrath later. I forced the men into the brush, but there was a nest of varactyls. They had babies. So they attacked. Can’t blame them, you know?”

The whole time he talked, she painted. He was curious now, but he had more to say.

“One fucked me up good. Broke my jaw, crushed my chest. I shot it. Killed the poor thing,” he told her.

“Poor thing?” she asked.

“She just wanted to protect her babies. She was being a good mother. She was protecting her young from us,” he said. “I can’t hate her for that. I hate myself for killing her.”

“You shouldn't,” she said.

“Why?”

“Nature played its part. If not you, then something else would have come too close. Startled her into defending her young and she would have died regardless,” she said.

Bren shook his head. “Still.”

“So you’re angry with Tess Marr,” she said.

He watched her turn the paint brush over and scratch at the paint she had applied with the handle.

“Yeah,” he said. “She should have listened! To me! To Koda! But she was so hungry for glory!”

Zyrah nodded. “Everyone in the Temple talks about her. About how far she fell from grace.”

“She got all of those men killed. Her finger wasn’t on the trigger, but she’s the reason they’re all dead. She’s the reason Koda is dead.”

Again, Zyrah nodded. “A valid reason to be angry.”

“At least someone agrees,” he grumbled. “Can I speak loosely?”

“If it helps,” she replied.

“I hate that bitch,” he spat.

She looked up at him. “And now it’s time for me to talk. Do I have your permission?”

“You’re my Commander. You don’t need permission,” he said.

“No, no. Right now I am Zyrah. You are Bren. We are not Commander and Captain,” she said. “We are equals.”

He was taken aback, but he nodded. “Uh, well alright. Then you have my permission.”

“It’s time to let your anger go,” she said.

“There it is. Jedi crap,” he scoffed.

“Now hold on!” she protested. “I’m not done, Bren.”

He shook his head and motioned to her. “Continue.”

“What has your anger gotten you?” she asked.

He didn’t answer.

She motioned behind her. “This. It got you this.”

He shook his head and ripped some grass up. He tore at the little blades and tossed them away.

“Do you like doing this?” she asked.

He shook his head again. “Not really.”

“Tess Marr is paying the price for her actions. Her brother is dead. Stripped of command, her status as a Jedi is gone. She is alone in the galaxy. Her wrongs against you are great. She, as you said, paid for glory with blood. Someone else’s blood. But now she wanders alone. You have your brothers. You have men to lean on. So lean on them,” she said.

He looked over at her again. She offered him his helmet. He took it and looked at the paint. Feathers. All sweeping back from the forehead.

“Your headdress should be as grand as the beast that nearly bested you,” she said.

He breathed a little laugh. “Thank you, Commander.”

“Zyrah.”

He looked at her. “Zyrah.”

“I’d like us to be friends.”

He hesitated, but he couldn’t help but feel so relaxed around her. She radiated calm and he liked that about her. She smiled softly. He returned the smile.

“I’d like that.”

A first look at my baby Bren! I hope you like him, even though he has a stinky attitude <3 He's healing!

The post dividers are made by @saradika ! I have linked each image to the original post for ease of finding them!

Go away, Disney

[gahmah-raan]

Armogeist

Real Name: Balos Oiren Homeworld: Dromund Kaas Species: Formerly Human; Now a spirit bound to a suit of armor Gender: Male Age: 3500+ years (20 when body was lost) Weapon: Lightsaber pike, phrik shield Affiliation: Sith Empire (formerly), Valkoran Empire Lacking the same ideals as any other Sith, Balos Oiren also had it worse than most other Sith. In addition to suffering the rule that all Force-sensitives born in the Empire had to undergo brutal training, he was apprenticed to Darth Masochus, one of the most clinically insane Sith Lords of his time. In addition to the physical and psychological torture (which included among other things forcing him to flay his own parents alive) he endured at Masochus's hands, he was exiled along with his master just for being his apprentice. To start his exile, Masochus flayed Oiren alive before destroying his body, but rather than let him die (and going so far to taunt him with the classic belief in there being nothing after death), he bound his life-force to an immobile wooden figurine so he wouldn't be able to escape from Masochus through fleeing or suicide. When Masochus was summoned to the Valkoran Empire on Ockla Prime, most of the previously established leadership (most of which were former Jedi) forcefully took the immobilized Balos Oiren away from his abusive master. Seferin Vaelor (AKA Maesterus) and Ze'grein'aradi (Grein) contemplated letting him become one with the Force (introducing Balos to a less fatalistic belief), but since Emperor Valkor still had some plans for Oiren, the best they could do for him was give him a more mobile body that could be considered as close to living as possible: a bulky, archaic suit of ancient Ocklanite armor, and in addition to a lightsaber pike and cortosis shield, he was given the codename Armogeist. He may have been denied the chance for revenge on his former master (as Valkor still needed him), but getting to know some former Jedi has given him renewed outlook on life, separating him from the mindset that would make a Sith. However, he still longs for a proper death and to become one with the Force.

Design and concept-wise, he was inspired by a mix of Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist and the Knight and General classes in the Fire Emblem video game series. Older concepts for him didn't give him a shield, but one had lightsabers connected to his arms and shoulders, another had him using the Force to wield multiple lightsabers at once, and a third gave him the pike saber (more of a trident actually) except it had the lightsabers attached to the prongs and could be launched off. As for weapon choice, I always try to mix up the fighting styles for the Valkoran leaders. Maesterus uses a single lightsaber but he's also got Forceless-enhanced abilities such as the projectile bone spikes and his wings. Dynn Manthis used a double-bladed saber. Arcidus has his Force incineration ability and he uses stealth and blasters. Juganak has a lightsaber club and super strength. Neur is left-handed and wields a curved-hilt saber with a spike on the butt and she's flinch-resistant if her cybernetic headtails stop functioning. Machinus has no Force powers (due to being a former Jedi in the body of a droid) and uses technology to compensate. Masochus relies almost exclusively on the Force to do everything including moving his own body since he somehow trimmed off his own muscles and reanimating corpses. I gave Armogeist a shield because a pike is kinda hard to block projectiles with when you think about it.

[burnwater13]

The droid teacher was droning on about hyperspace travel and smuggling and Grogu wondered why she didn’t just hand each of the children in the class room a blaster pistol and an eyepatch. They were all going to be pirates or smugglers based on what she was teaching them. 

He sighed. He was bored. His dad had dumped him at the school and gone off on an adventure without him and he didn’t really want to be pirate or a smuggler. Nope, he wanted to be a starship pilot. And not something crummy like a Tie Fighter pilot, where your ship didn’t even have a hyperdrive. Nope, he wanted to pilot something awe inspiring and useful, like a S-161-XL. 

You’ve never seen one? No surprise there, not many were made. A luxury yacht with a rotating wing design, their purpose was to make your friends green with envy. Or just filled with envy. Either way.  

What’s useful about a star yacht? First they have a great galley and a persevere and droid chef built in that could make any kind of food for any kind of person. No more ration packs and dried packets of stuff that turned out to be mostly made from vegetable fibers. 

Second, a star yacht has cabins with the most comfortable beds known to exist in the whole galaxy. Soft, slippery, bouncy, and warm. Importantly, there were at least two of them on the S-161-XL, which meant that Grogu wouldn’t need to listen to his dad snore unless he was missing that sound. Trust him, that’s not a sound you miss. 

Third, one of the cabins had a private privy and fresher. And they were custom designed to the owner/operator’s needs. Grogu wouldn’t have to use the Force to access switches, buttons, and valves any more. That would be a welcome change of pace. 

Fourth, beyond the creature comforts he’d just described, the bridge of the vessel could also be custom designed with his needs in mind. While he initially thought of the whole thing being made to his person specifications, he realized that he wanted his dad to be able to fly the ship once in a while as well, so instead of a tiny bridge, it would have a gliding pilot’s seat for him that allowed him to access all the necessary controls and would still give his dad room to move around. That seemed like a fair compromise. 

Fifth, most of the starships Grogu had ever seen were dull, like those stupid Tie Fighters buzzing overhead. Not the shooting and flying part, the black paint job part. An S-161-XL could be painted any color he wanted and if he wanted it to be painted like the lava flats, or Tatooine’s Dune Sea, he could get that at a small, extra cost. 

That was the sort of thing that Grogu knew that he couldn’t let his dad help him with. Din Djarin was perfectly happy with ship’s grey. Something about bounty hunters not wanting to stand out. Grogu always laughed at that considering how shiny his dad’s armor was. You could see reflections off him in a dark cabin. There was hiding being a Mandalorian for him. 

Finally, Grogu liked the esthetics of the ship’s design. It spoke to him. It said things like, ‘I’ll feed you well, keep you warm, give you a place where you belong, and help you reach your destination, safe and sound’. Grogu liked those things. 

Not that the Razor Crest hadn’t been a great ship in its own right. It had. But it’s best days were behind it. How many times could it be rebuilt and not show the signs of wear and tear. Especially tear. Spiders, X-wings, even Tie fighters, had left a mark on the ship. Then falling into the ocean. Being repaired by Mon Calamari, or as Din Djarin described it, ‘being redecorated as a Mon Calamari all you could eat seafood bar’. A score of other insults to the hull’s integrity, the ship’s reliability, and Grogu’s diminished willingness to fall out of his hammock had ruined his affection for the craft. It was a pity. 

But at least it wasn’t a Tie Fighter. 

[lego-star-wars-the-skywalsl]

lego star wars the skywalker saga studs x10 cheat code mod menu G249&

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 For the x10 stud multiplier modifier, you need a whopping ,, studs. The best way to do so is to continuously farm studs while utilizing. The Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga Studs x10 cheat can be unlocked by finding one of the data card locations and purchasing it from the. Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga cheat codes · C3PHOHO - C-3PO Holiday Special (Exclusive Code Item) · WOOKIEE - Chewbacca Holiday Special (. As we've previously stated, the stud multipliers in the Skywalker Saga are not cheat codes but high cost unlocks. Although it's a grind, this is. Extras menu cheat codes ; Studs x10, million Studs, 1 Datacard, Studs collected are worth 10 times as much. ; Super GNK Droid, 1 million Studs. Cheat codes are used by developers to add different functionalities to a video game. Some of these codes can be used to unlock characters from all nine classes and vehicles in the game. However, there are also cheat codes that can be used to alter the gameplay entirely. From infinite life and ammo to unlimited in-game currency, cheats can be used to achieve a lot of tasks. Cheats like these are a welcome addition to offline games. These codes can make the game a lot easier to play and finish. Cheat codes like the x10 studs are perfect for veterans as well as new players. You can play the game, and at the same time, some have extra fun and an overall enhanced experience. So, most players applaud and look forward to these cheats being unveiled by developers. Studs are the in-game currency in The Skywalker Saga. You need studs to buy anything in the game. There are three basic types of studs in The Skywalker Saga those being silver, gold, and blue. All these studs have different values and add different amounts to your overall tally. You need regularly collect these studs to save up enough for a character, skill, or ability upgrade. There are a plethora of ways in which you can earn studs in The Skywalker Saga. Each of these methods yields different results, and all of them are easy to follow. The first and the simplest way to collect studs is by walking around. When you are exploring areas, there will be studs scattered across the path. You can simply walk close to them to pick them up. The second way to collect studs is by destroying objects. You will come across a variety of intractable objects along your journey. You will simply have to hit them until they are destroyed to collect the studs. The third way is to kill enemies. Similar to every action game, whenever you will find an enemy, they will drop a bounty in the form of studs. You can pick these up and add them to your tally. The last way to earn studs is by completing missions and quests. Whenever you start a mission, you are required to perform some specific tasks. If you successfully perform these tasks and complete the mission, you will get more studs as a reward. You can use all the methods mentioned above to collect studs in The Skywalker Saga. These methods can be used to Farm Studs in the game. However, this entire process will be extremely slow and will not be worth the time and effort that is being put in. This is where the Stud multipliers come in handy. As the name suggests, the stud multipliers multiply the number of studs you collect in a mission. These are a perfect way to collect the maximum amount of studs with minimum effort. There are five different stud multipliers that you can unlock, and all of them offer you different bonuses. However, it is important to note that these multipliers cost a significant amount, and you have to gather that amount to make your purchase. The multipliers available in The Skywalker Saga are;. As you can see above, to unlock the x10 studs multiplier you will have to collect million studs. Additionally, you will also have to locate Datacards that are scattered across different worlds. If you are having difficulty locating these Datacards, you can consult our Skywalker Saga Datacard Locations guide. Once you have gotten your hands on the Datacard, you will have to collect million studs which is a tall order, to say the least. Luckily for you, there are perfect farming strategies that you can follow to earn millions of studs in a matter of minutes. Different people have different strategies to farm studs in The Skywalker Saga. However, we have found the following two strategies to be the best when it comes to collecting studs. If you follow this entire process step-by-step, you will be able to walk away with hundreds of millions of studs in mere minutes. To use this strategy, you will have to start by playing the Sequel Trilogy first. This is a basic mission that takes less than 2 minutes to complete. In this mission, you have to destroy the Droid Control Ship. As you are making your way through this narrow passageway, you must try to destroy as many terminals as you can. Destroying more terminals will add more studs to your overall tally. Next, you will have to destroy all the power cores that are in the area. Once you have taken care of all the power cores, the mission will end, and you will be able to collect your reward. After you have gotten your hands on the studs x10 multiplier, you can spam this mission again and again. This method of farming will allow you to earn more than million studs in two minutes. You will have to start with the Sequel Trilogy to implement this strategy. The mission will start with you in a ship as you are being followed by enemies. The main objective of this portion of the mission is to destroy all the enemy ships following you. However, before you do that, you will try to destroy as many pipes as you will. Once you have destroyed all the enemy ships, you will have to perform a few QTEs to jump to lightspeed and escape the first order. Once you have completed these events, the game will cut to Rey, and the mission will end. If you complete this mission without any multipliers, you will receive k studs as a reward. This is a significant starting amount that will aid you in unlocking the first multiplier and starting the farming process. That is an astonishing amount of studs considering that it will only take you 4 minutes to complete the mission. Let us know what you think about this guide in the comments below! Also, watch our video and learn how to farm studs faster in the game. Was this article helpful? He has a knack for well-written stories and amazing combat mechanics. When not found going on adventures with Nathan Drake, he's usually found creating 3D artwork and writing code. Related Articles. Close Search for.

[longmagazines]

Star wars battlefront wiki offline modes

#Star wars battlefront wiki offline modes series#

There are other non-player characters: Tusken Raiders in the Dune Sea of Tatooine and Jawas on the streets of Mos Eisley. Jedi characters appear but are not playable they only appear as allies in battle under certain circumstances, although Heroes can be "turned on" in the options menu. In Star Wars: Battlefront, Jedi heroes are featured: Luke Skywalker for the Rebels, Darth Vader for the Empire, Mace Windu for the Republic and Count Dooku for the CIS. After all command posts are captured, the player must wait twenty seconds until victory there is sometimes a lone enemy unit that seizes a command post, resetting the timer.Ī command post as seen in Star Wars: Battlefront. A faction can also win by possessing all of the command posts. In the game, both factions have a set amount of reinforcements (extra units or respawns), and the team to use all of them first, loses. Each faction also has a special fifth unit with unique abilities and weapons. Four of the classes are similar for each faction: a basic infantry soldier (a Super battle droid for the CIS), heavy weapons soldier, pilot and sniper. In each faction, five different classes of characters become available. However, factions can only play their historical adversary there can't be any Rebels vs. Star Wars: Battlefront encompasses battles between four main factions from both the original and prequel trilogies: the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems of the prequel era, and the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire of the classic trilogy. Unlike Star Wars: Battlefront, it was not released for Macintosh. Aspyr released a Macintosh port in July 2005.Ī sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront II, was released on Novemfor Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. It was developed by Pandemic Studios and LucasArts and released on Septem for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Macintosh, and Microsoft Windows, the same day as the release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. Star Wars: Battlefront is a first- and third-person video game based around battles in the Star Wars film series. Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Macintosh, mobile phone Star Wars: Battlefrontįirst-person shooter, third-person shooter For its sequel, see Star Wars: Battlefront II.

#Star wars battlefront wiki offline modes series#

For information about the series as a whole, see Star Wars: Battlefront (series). This article is about the first game in the series.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

A Painful Secret

MAIN MASTERLIST

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3,815ish

Summary: You have a secret chronic illness, unwilling to share the information out of fear. Obi-Wan knows you are hiding something.

Notes: This is based on my real life, so please be kind with the comments. (Obviously with some exaggeration.) I am a 4th grade teacher with Rheumatoid Arthritis and this week has been hell (because of students, parents, and my body).

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath as you tried to use the Force to push away your pain. You hated that meditation was doing nothing to ease any of your discomforts. With a sigh, you opened your eyes and glanced at the clock. You needed to get going to be down in the training rooms before your class of younglings got there. It took you a moment to gain your bearings before standing up. A whimper slipped through your lips as the moment hurt your aching joints even more. You knew that you should probably cancel your class or get another Jedi Master to sub, but that would be the third time in a week, and the Jedi Council—mainly one certain member—would be questioning you more than was already happening.

Only a few medical droids and two of the Jedi Healers knew of your illness. It was an illness of the joints and even with all the medicine in the Galaxy, there was no real treatment or cure for it. And, of course, it would only it worse with age. You had good days and bad days, right now though there seemed to be more bad days than good. You were known throughout the Jedi Order as a fighter, in actions and words, so giving in to this illness was not an option. Especially since you had the future of the Jedi Order relying on you.

As you walked through the Temple to reach the training room that was your classroom, you weren’t moving as fast as you like. You had your shields up around your Force signature to keep other Jedi from finding out your pain as you passed them. 

“Hello there, Master Y/N,” Obi-Wan Kenobi greeted as he came to walk beside you.

You pressed out a smile. “Hello, Master Obi-Wan,” you responded. “How are you doing today? Anakin cause you any trouble today?”

“Not yet,” he chuckled lightly. “I am good. I have been worried about how you have been, though.”

“Oh?”

“You have canceled classes twice this week. And your guards are up more often than not. It is unlike you.”

“I am fine, Obi-Wan.” The look in his eye made it clear he wasn’t believing you. “I promise.”

“Y/N,” he sighed, gently touching your arm as a signal to stop with him. You did. “We’ve known each other since we were younglings. I know when you are keeping something from me. You have been for a while and I have let you, allowing you to deal with whatever it is on your own time. But now you are missing your teaching assignment and your guards are up and you are holding yourself as if you are in constant pain. Y/N, I am begging you, tell me what is wrong. I just want to help.”

For a brief moment, you thought you might tell Obi-Wan. He could help you, and support you on your bad days. Then your mind got the better of you. Your thoughts quickly spiraling. What if he sees you as weak? What if he tells the Council and you are banned from helping with the war effort? Banned from teaching your younglings? Or worse, thrown from the Order because of it?

“I’m fine, Obi-Wan,” you lied, trying to convince him with a smile. “I do need to go. I am going to be late.”

You rushed off, ignoring your joints screaming in pain as you headed for your training room. You sighed in relief once you were there and it was clear that Obi-Wan hadn’t followed you. Though your body needed a moment's rest, you needed to set up the room for your lesson. 

~~~

Obi-Wan watched with concern as you rushed away from him. He could tell that you were in pain, just by the way your body was moving. For months, Obi-Wan had been able to sense that you had been keeping something from him. It pained him to know that you felt the need to do so, as the two of you had always confided in each other since your days as younglings. The two of you had always sought each other out when you needed, but for some reason this was different. If you were in pain—if you were sick—he believed he had the right to know. You going through anything alone wasn’t an option for him.

Obi-Wan knew that you were a fighter, it was one of the reasons he fell in love with you. His love was the secret he was keeping from you—wisely, he believed. You were a strong and wise Jedi, someone many looked up to. Every youngling you taught ended up loving you, though you were strict and yet fun. You knew the importance of hard work though had a balance of play as well. Another reason Obi-Wan loved you. 

You were a Jedi that was looked upon with great pride and even envy. Obi-Wan believed that you would never break the Code for him. That is why he was content to just be your friend—close friend, albeit—but a friend nonetheless. So this secret you were keeping from him was not sitting well with him. Not at all. 

Once he was sure you were in the training room, readying it to teach your younglings a lesson, Obi-Wan went in search of his former Padawan. You and Anakin had bonded as Obi-Wan trained the boy. You were more of a mother figure to Anakin and the two of you could be found together often when you were both free. Obi-Wan found Anakin talking to Ahsoka in the hangar as the two of them looked over one of Anakin’s ships.

“Master Kenobi!” Ahsoka greeted.

“Hello, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan responded with a nod. He turned to her Master. “Anakin.”

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said with a smile as he wiped some oil off of his hands. “What brings you down here?”

“It’s about Y/N.”

Anakin immediately straightened with worry. “What is it? Is she okay? What’s wrong?”

“I am afraid I don’t know. I was hoping you did. Have you noticed anything different about her lately?”

Anakin took a few seconds to think over Obi-Wan’s question before responding. “Well, Y/N hasn’t been willing to spare with me like she used to. She always comes up with excuses.”

“She does the same with me,” Ahsoka added. You had taken her under your wing as soon as she became Anakin’s Padawan. You knew she needed a strong female influence in her life. “Now that I think of it, I haven’t spared with her in months.”

“Same. I have also noticed that sometimes when I touch her, she winces or tenses.” Obi-Wan nodded, having noticed the same things himself. “Do you think she’s sick?”

“I do not know,” Obi-Wan replied honestly.

“Have you tried looking up her medical records?” Ahsoka suggested. “You are a member of the Jedi Council, you do have access to them.”

“I could not break her trust like that.”

“Yet, you could ask us if we knew anything?” Anakin asked, in a slightly teasing tone.

“This is different, Anakin.” Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand down his face. His hand stopped, stroking his beard. “I am worried.”

“I’m sure Snips doesn’t mind trying to pry information out of her with me.”

“No, no,” Obi-Wan shook his head, “there’s no need for that. I will figure this out on my own.”

~~~

Teaching had worn you out. There were a few younglings that were still struggling with the ways of the Jedi Order and decided to wreak havoc today. The actions of the younglings forced you to stop your lessons and call in another Master to help you deal with the problem. Once the problem had been dealt it, you were not feeling up to teaching anymore and it was getting late anyway. You let your younglings go, telling them to meet at the same time and place the next day, before slowly making the trek up to your room.

Every joint in your body was screaming at you and begging for you to just lay down in the middle of the Temple corridors. When you reached the hallway where your room resided, you were practically using the wall to stand.

“Y/N?” Obi-Wan called, coming up from behind.

“Kriff,” you muttered under your breath.

Before you knew it, the man was at your side. “Are you alright? You don’t look so well.”

“I’m fine, Obi-Wan. Just tired. It was a long day of teaching.”

“Are you sure? You seem to be barely able to—“

“I just need rest. I’ll be fine in the morning.” You went to continue to your room but Obi-Wan moved to stand firmly in front of you.

“I do not believe you. Something is wrong. Why aren’t you willing to tell me what it is?”

“I’m not—“

“Stop lying to me. We’ve known each other for the majority of our lives. I know when you are keeping a secret from me.”

You bit your bottom lip briefly as you tried to reign in your quickly overwhelming emotions. “I’m handling it.”

“You don’t have to handle it on your own though. I’m here… or there’s Anakin and Ahsoka. Just, please, talk to someone—if not me—about what you are going through. I am worried, and I know that I am not the only one. Please, Y/N—“ He went to take your hand but you flinched away like he had hurt you. His eyes grew sadder if that was even possible. “Did someone hurt you?”

“No,” you shook your head, immediately regretting the movement.

“Because if someone hurt you, I will not stand for it. Tell me who—“

“No one hurt me, Obi-Wan. It’s not that.”

“Then are you…” He paused, swallowing. “My dear, are you sick?” 

You looked away, unable to meet his gaze. “Please, Obi-Wan, drop it.”

“Not when you are clearly struggling. Let me help you.”

“You can’t.” You finally looked at him with watery eyes. “No one can.”

Then, while Obi-Wan processed what you had said, you hurried to your room. The door slid shut behind you before you quickly locked it and leaned back against it. You began to cry as you slid down to the floor. Obi-Wan had pulled himself from his thoughts too late but had moved to stand at your closed door. He could hear your muffled cries behind the door and longed to hold you and help you. But Obi-Wan knew that he truly could not help you if you would not let him in—to both your room and the secret.

~~~

You woke up in the morning, having fallen asleep on the floor near your door. The position did not help your pain, only worsening it. You whimpered as you shakily tried standing. You were forced to use the door as a steady place to lean on as you slowly stood up straight. Breathing heavily, you leaned against the door with your eyes closed. You tried to use the Force to help control your pain as the Healers had taught you, but your brain was too scattered to focus properly.

It took you too long to get yourself to the refresher, then even longer to actually freshen up for the day. You tried to control your pain and trembling as you made your way down to the training room, where your younglings were already waiting. As you started your lesson, you could tell that the younglings were concerned about you. Your speech was slow, your body was shaking, and your face kept contorting in pain with even the slightest movement.

After about an hour and a half of teaching, your heart felt like it could beat out of your chest. Your hand came up to brace yourself against the column as black spots started in your vision.

“Master Y/N!” A youngling exclaimed. “Are you alright?”

“Jaki,” you breathlessly panted, “go get Master Kenobi… now please.” 

The youngling, Jaki, rushed out of the training room just as you had fainted.

~~~

Obi-Wan was dressed in his armor as he listened to the latest briefing about the war. He and Anakin were the only ones physically in the war room while a few of the Jedi Council joined via hologram. Obi-Wan had his hand on his beard as he tried to listen to what his fellow Council members were saying, but his thoughts kept coming back to you. He was broken out of his trace when the war room door slid open and a youngling rushed in.

“Master Kenobi! Master Kenobi!” The youngling shouted. Anakin and Obi-Wan spun around to face the youngling at the frantic tone of their voice.

“Jaki?” Obi-Wan questioned, recognizing the youngling as one of yours. “What is the matter?”

“It’s Master Y/N! There’s something wrong!”

The youngling didn’t get to say anything else before Obi-Wan was running out of the room and down the halls toward where he knew you to be. When he arrived in the training room, your other younglings were surrounding you, trying to wake you. Obi-Wan was quickly at your side.

“What happened?” He asked the younglings, eyes never leaving you for a second.

“We don’t know,” a youngling responded. “Master Y/N seemed to be in pain all day and then all of a sudden she told Jaki to get you and she collapsed. We haven’t been able to wake her.”

“Master Kenobi,” another youngling called. “Will she be alright?”

Oh, how Obi-Wan wished he could answer the youngling’s question. But he didn't know the answer himself. While he knelt beside you, not knowing what to do, Anakin arrived with Jaki.

“What’s happening?” Anakin asked as he came over. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I don’t know,” Obi-Wan stammered.

Anakin could tell how worried and frazzled his Master was becoming. “Obi-Wan, we need to get her to the Healers.”

“Right,” Obi-Wan gave a single nod before his arms went under you. He lifted you into his chest as he stood.

“I’ll take care of the younglings and join you when I can.” 

At any other moment, Obi-Wan would have teased Anakin for saying that he’d stay with the younglings, but you were currently laying unconscious in his arms for some unknown reason. Obi-Wan barely muttered a thank you before racing out of the room and toward medical. Once he had arrived, everything quickly became a blur. 

Despite his protests, you were ripped from Obi-Wan’s arms and taken away by the Healers. He had tried to follow after you but was stopped by a few Healers and medical droids. Though he could easily get through them, he heard the doors lock that would allow him into the room you were in and he knew it was pointless. He needed to let the Healers and droids do their jobs without getting in the way, no matter how much it pained him.

Obi-Wan found a seat near the doors, though he never sat down for too long. He found himself pacing, which is exactly what he was doing when Anakin and Ahsoka joined him after dealing with the younglings.

“Any news?” Ahsoka asked though she knew the answer already by how Obi-Wan was acting.

Obi-Wan shook his head. “Nothing,” he answered quietly. “They haven’t been out of the room at all.”

“She’ll be fine,” Anakin said, more for his own comfort than anything. “She’s a fighter.”

Obi-Wan stayed silent, though nodding along to Anakin’s words. He was fearing the worst. That maybe you wouldn’t survive. Obi-Wan didn’t know what he would do if that was the case. He had lived with you by his side for so long, that knowing anything different seemed next to impossible.

~~~

It was too long for anyone’s liking before a Healer had exited the room they had rushed you into. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan were quickly standing and giving the Healer their full attention.

“How is she?” Obi-Wan asked nervously. He hadn’t felt your loss in the Force, but that didn’t mean you were okay.

“Master Y/N will survive,” the Healer answered. The choice of words was unsettling to the group. “Master Kenobi, as a member of the Jedi Council, may I speak to you alone?”

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin and Ahsoka. Ahsoka nodded, having to drag Anakin out so that Obi-Wan and the Healer were alone.

“Master Kenobi, I want to be clear that when Master Y/N was first diagnosed that she specifically asked for her condition to be kept a secret, despite our advice,” the Healer carefully stated. “Now though, as the Healer over her, I feel the need to tell you what is going on with your friend.”

“What diagnosis?” Obi-Wan questioned.

The Healer sighed. “It was almost eight months ago when Master Y/N arrived feeling pain in various joints. We gave her something for it and sent her on her way, thinking that it would simply go away with time. A few weeks later, she was back in here with worse pain than before and in even more joints. After running more tests, it was determined that Y/N has a rare joint disease. It is not something we know a lot about. There is no real cure or treatment for it.”

“Will she—“ Obi-Wan had to stop himself from finishing his thought for a moment. “Will this kill her?”

“It might, eventually.” Obi-Wan took a deep inhale as his hand went up to cover his mouth. “But we will cross that bridge when it nears.”

“What happened today?”

“Y/N’s body couldn’t handle the pain and decided it needed to do something about it. This is the first time this has happened, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s not the last.”

“There has to be something—anything you can do for her.”

“We are doing our best to find a treatment. Y/N has been taught ways to handle the pain by using the Force. We do understand that it is not a long-term solution or that it might not work every time, but it’s what we can do right now.” Obi-Wan shook his head. “I know that you believe it is not enough, trust me, I agree. Y/N is a fighter though, I know she won’t give up.”

“That’s part of my fear,” Obi-Wan mumbled.

“When Y/N wakes, I will tell her that I told you and that the Jedi Council will be informed of her condition. I recommend that she stay out of anything that has to do with the war efforts. She may continue to teach, but staying close to the Temple would be the best option for her.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I agree… may I stay beside her until she wakes?”

“Unfortunately, the droids are doing one last round of some pain remedy and no one else is allowed in there while they work. I will get you as soon as you can come in.”

~~~

You were frustrated—mainly at your body—when you woke. The Healer over your case informed you about what had happened and the steps you needed to take going forward. You were unhappy about Obi-Wan and the Council knowing, more so that you couldn’t tell them yourself, but you understood the need for it. You were still in pain and exhausted when Obi-Wan was allowed to enter the room. Despite his stern expression, you knew that you had worried him. His expression was only because you hadn’t told him about your condition.

“How are you feeling?” Obi-Wan asked, keeping his distance from you.

“Exhausted…” you responded honestly. “In pain.”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “You should have told me. The moment you found out, you should have come to me.”

“I know.”

“I thought that we were closer than this.”

“We are.”

“Then why keep this from me? This is not some childish secret, this is your life we’re talking about. Your health!”

Tears formed in your eyes. “I know, Obi-Wan. And I am sorry. Though I know that there are not enough apologies in the world to make up for what I did, please just listen to me… I was scared. Scared that the Council would kick me out of the Order. Scared of what this disease would do to me and my ability to be a Jedi… But I was more scared that this would change your opinion of me.”

“Do you really think that little of me?”

“No… I think the world of you… that’s the problem.”

Slowly, Obi-Wan came up to stand beside your bed, closer to your feet than you would like.

“You mean the world to me,” Obi-Wan whispered. “I have been so worried and then when Jaki came rushing in saying something was wrong I— I thought the worse and then to see you laying there… it had all became a reality.”

“I’m so sorry, Obi-Wan,” you said quietly and tearfully. “I really am.”

“I can’t do that again.” 

Your heart dropped. This was it. He was ending your friendship because of your disease. The great Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle you.

“I can’t do the fear of the unknown like that again,” Obi-Wan continued. “And I can’t stand by and watch you suffer.”

“I… I understand,” you whispered.

“No, I don’t believe you do. What I am saying is that I can’t handle the secrecy. I need to know when you are in pain. I need to know what’s going on with you and how I can help you. I know that this will be a long and painful and unknown road, but I will not allow you to go through it on your own. Not anymore.”

“Obi-Wan—“

“I love you, Y/N. And I know it is against the code, but I feel that you need to know that.”

“Oh, my…”

“I understand if you cannot reciprocate it. I can handle it and it will not stop me from helping you through this.”

“Obi-Wan,” your hand gently took his, “I love you, too. I have for a long time.”

He broke out into a smile. “Really?”

“Really.” You copied his smile.

Obi-Wan leaned down and kissed you gently, careful as to not touch you much due to your pain. When you parted, he sat facing you on the bed.

“No more secrets,” he told you. “That’s an order.”

“Yes, General,” you teased. “Whatever you say.”