Gays in Space

Space the final Gaytier: These are the voyages of Gays in space. It's continuing mission; to seek out new ways to be gay, to write well rounded gays, to provide new characters in universes you love, and to bodly go where no gay has gone before. Be it star trek or Star wars, the gaytier is being explored. Stay safe fellow explorers, and may the force be with you

[startrekandwars]

Inbox is now open for requests!

Ships For Star Trek (subject to change):

-McSpirk

-McKirk

-Spirk

-Spones

-Anything involving my various ocs

Ships For Star Wars (subject to change):

-Anidala

-Kanera

-Anything with my various ocs

Types of accepted requests:

-Prompts

-Hcs

-Drabble Requests

-Character Studies

Not Accepted:

-Incest

-NSFW

[startrekandwars]

There is no chaos, there is harmony

Word Count: 667

Summary: Ramirhe Jacora finds a moment to teach his new padawan, Aubewem, just how easy it is to find harmony in the force even in the heat of battle.

AN: written for Jedi June "There is no chaos, there is harmony"

Ramirhe Jacora stood strong as he deflected more droid fire in the battle. The goal was simply to hold this position long enough for help to arrive. This was something that he could do. Beside him, though, his new padawan was not fairing so well. "Aubewem, I can tell you're uneasy."

"Let me guess, Master Jacora, you don't even need to use the force to do that?" She asked, glancing over her right shoulder at him. "This just... how can you be so calm."

This is where he would have made a joke about his family history, but he felt that would be inappropriate at this moment. "Because even here. Right now, there is still harmony."

The girl started up at him with her piercing grey eyes, "What? How can there be harmony here?"

He smiled a little bit, "Extend your senses past the moment, past right here. Look at things through the greater lense of the force, instead of just what your eyes can see."

She continued to stare at him, his green eyes had gone from looking at her to looking back ahead, but he didn't waver. "I'm not sure I can do that while fighting, Master."

"Very well, fall back. The line will still be here when you return," he responded. Admittedly, he didn't like that padawans were allowed to be on the front lines. He felt that padawans had no place in battle, but this was neither the time nor the place for that argument. And in truth, it was a distraction that he could not afford.

The teenaged girl fell quiet as she watched her master, "What am I looking for, exactly?"

"Harmony in the force, Aubewem. Wherever you can find it. If you can find it in the middle of a fight, you can find it anywhere." He was admittedly a little more focused on deflecting blaster bolts, as he now had to cover twice as much space. It's at times like these he wished he had taken his master up on learning how to use a dual-bladed lightsaber. He could make do with what he had. Worse comes to worst he could probably pick up a droid blaster and use that as well.

His padawan sat on the ground behind him and closed her eyes, holding her lightsaber in her hands. She reached out to the force and at first, was greeted only with more chaos. Supposedly, however, there was harmony even here. So she looked further. As she looked, she found what her master had been speaking of. Even though there were many chaotic emotions, all of the clones still worked well together. Even as habitat was destroyed in the crossfire, life still continued on. Plants still grew, birds still sang. Even now, as there was death all around her, life still existed. There was still harmony in the force. It wasn't a fragile thing. It was strong, it was constant. It was alive. And it would be there so long as she was willing to look for it.

"Do you see what I mean, little one?" If he didn't sound so sincere, he would have come across smug. Of course, he knew she would find what he told her to look for, he had a great deal of faith in his new padawan.

"I do." She stood back up and ignited her lightsaber, the blue blade creating a contrast to her master's bright green blade. "There is harmony in the force, even here. As long as I look for it."

"Very good. There's hope for you yet." He smiled more. Over head, gunships flew from behind them. "And it would appear that our help has arrived as well."

"You knew they were practically on top of us didn't you, Master Jacora?" Her tone wasn't accusatory, but she did look at him with greater interest than she did before.

"No. But I knew they would come in time. Trust in the force, little one, it is your greatest ally."

[startrekandwars]

There is no passion, there is serenity

Word Count: 1287

Summary: Sari Nebi has once again failed to complete a simple meditation exercise. She’d give just about anything to go scrub a gunship instead of trying to stack some stupid rocks. 

AN: Written for Jedi June “There is no passion, there is serenity”

Sari stared at the rocks in front of her and decided that if they would not stack, she would not bother staying, “This is a waste of my time! I could care less about some stupid rocks and whether or not I can make them stack while meditating. There are better things I could be doing right now.” 10 stones of various sizes ranging from large to small and short of using her eyes to do so, she could not stack them while meditating. Sure, she could use the force while looking at them, but the moment she was supposed to do it with her eyes closed? They just would get more jumbled. It was enough to make her want to trade with whatever shiny had to scrub the gunships.

“Such frustration young one, whatever is the reason for that?” Obi-Wan opened his eyes and watched the angry red head match from her meditation mat to her desk where she began to stare angrily at a tablet. “Sari,” he kept his tone gentle, but it didn’t take a jedi to see that she was frustrated, “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me little one.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she was curt, as she often was. “The exercise is useless- so why bother. When am I ever going to need to be able to stack rocks with my mind when sitting down? If the point is to be able to use the force when the world is chaotic around me I can already do that. So Why Organize Kriffing Rocks!”

Obi-Wan sighed and stood up, at least Anakin tried to listen to the lesson. “That’s not the point little one. Remind me, what is the jedi mantra?”

“There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the force,” she said the lines quickly and without thinking. So some things were getting through to her after all. “What about it?” Her golden eyes were still locked onto the tablet in front of her, reading the words as she scrolled through.

“The exercise is perfect for understanding the third line. Passion is defined as chaotic emotion, and serenity?” He was at least going to try to get her to answer the question. When she did not take the chance to answer the question, he sighed again “Serenity is defined as a state of being calm, at peace. Untroubled.” He sat down next to her and gently took the tablet from her hands. “The exercise requires that you find an untroubled state of mind to be able to both levitate and stack the rocks.”

She let him take the tablet away and finally looked up at him, “That will happen when Banthas fly.” 

He met her gaze with a raised eyebrow, “I have seen you find that sort of serenity before, Sari.”

“Yeah- in a fight it’s easy to find that kind of serenity. All that you need to focus on is your objective and your lightsabers. The rest comes easy. It’s just... I mean the force is right there and the rest just fades away. Only the moment exists. The moment and the force,” she crossed her arms and looked at him. “But here? Here there’s protocols and rules and the moment is... it’s... well frankly the moment sucks.”

The man offered her a small smile, “Well, yes. The moment does often suck when there is nothing to do. Everyone begins to feel anxious and that anxiety reaches you a little too easily. You become restless and then you can’t focus.”

“How dare you accurately assess what’s going on,” she tried to sound offended, but it mostly came across as mildly annoyed and amused. All of which masking the fact that he had accurately figured out what was truly on her mind. “Who gave you the right?”

Obi-Wan stood up and extended his hand to her, “I would like you to try a variation of the exercise. Will you humor me?”

“I don’t really have a choice,” she said, standing up after accepting her master’s hand. “What’s your proposal?”

“Don’t think of the rocks as rocks, think of them as a representation of your anxieties and the anxieties of others. Organize those through the stones,” he responded, “And if you want, do it all while doing a handstand. Set aside your emotions and the emotions of others to find peace.”

She squinted at the rocks and then at her master before going back to squinting at the rocks. “What’s the catch?”

“If you can manage to stack even three of them, we can swap morning meditation every day for morning lightsaber combat every other day. If you can’t, then we keep morning meditation every day until you achieve that much,” he responded. “This is not an easy lesson to learn, Sari. There won’t be a punishment for not understanding it, but if you can at least begin to show progress, I see no reason why there can’t be a reward.”

She stared at the rocks again and then at her master before sitting down on the mat and crossing her legs. She closed her eyes and opened herself up to the force slowly. She was anxious, yes. She wasn’t used to so much down time, to having to take a moment to be calm. Everything normally happens so fast she doesn’t know how to cope with things being slow. Her own frustrations and anxieties were small, though. 

Cody was worried about his men. There were new troops coming in who weren’t as seasoned as the others in their squads, he wondered if they would survive more than one battle. Waxer was worried about whether or not Ryloth would ever recover from the Separatist occupation, if any of the worlds they had been to would recover from the war. The further she extended her mind, the more she realized that the various concerns those around her had were more similar than different. They all boiled down to ‘what happens next?’ 

All except Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was harder to figure out, likely intentionally on his part. Anakin was often on his mind, and that’s no surprise there, but there was more to it than that. He wasn’t just worried about Anakin. She set aside her own emotions to try to understand what worried her master. He was concerned about his men, about her, about Ahsoka; all of these things make sense. Mandalore. Why do his ties lead him to Mandalore?

“Well done, Sari,” there was pride in his voice as he spoke. “You have successfully managed to stack multiple rocks, as I knew you could.”

She opened her eyes and stared, sure enough every rock was organized by size except two, which seemed to be flipped. “I... I guess so.” She stood up again and looked at the stack, gently setting it down. The stack remained structurally sound. “I guess it’s not a useless exercise after all. But it’s up there.”

“Oh, and what do you think is also a useless exercise?” He watched her with amusement as she took the tablet back. 

“Cleaning gunships.” Mandalore, she’d have to ask Anakin about that the next time she saw him. With her luck, that wouldn’t be too long now. “I’m going to go read in the hanger. It’s too... quiet here.” She avoided her master’s gaze as she walked towards the door. “I still think the moment sucks.”

“I never pretended to the contrary, young one. Enjoy your reading,” he didn’t protest as she walked through the doors, or as they shut behind her. 

[startrekandwars]

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge

Word Count: 798

Summary: Arif Bageeh is a knight of the Jedi order seeking... some sort of knowledge. He has recently found himself on Ashas Ree in the Temple of the Force to learn that which he does not know.

AN: Written for Jedi June “There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge”

Legacy of Ashas Ree Arif Bageeh had been a knight of the jedi order for several years now. The Miraluka jedi had heard it all, or so he thought. He had been wandering the temple on Ashas Ree, following the faintest of echoes in the force, places that once had been full of Jedi and were no longer. These were hardly lost places, merely forgotten places. They would find purpose again, and they had had a purpose once before. All would be clear in the force in time.

On the back of his belt rested his dual-bladed lightsaber, he has been told that the blade of his weapon was a lovely and vibrant shade of green. 'The color of life and plants. A color of hope and endurance. He rather liked that description. His blade, he has been told, made for an interesting complement with his dark brown robes. And it made the choice of a muted green sash interesting, he wouldn't know, he picked the fabrics because they were soft and seemed correct.

He paused, faced with a choice between two different paths, one of these paths had been traveled by someone recently, the other had not. He went down the untraveled path. There he sensed a growing darkness. This whole sector of space had been shrouded in darkness, it made it harder for him to find his way through the force. Harder, not impossible. All things were possible through the force.

He paused at a door and outstretched his left hand before slowly feeling the wall. There was an older mechanism here, but it was not unusable. Extending a small tendril in the force, he opened the door. The darkness was stronger here. He could easily turn around, no one would think less of him. This temple, The Ashas Ree Temple of the Force, had been built here to contain and suppress a dark power here. He simply wished to know why.

With the force as his guide, he walked through the door. If he had been an apprentice still, the sound of the door shutting suddenly would have startled him, instead, he walked a little bit further. The air was cool and damp, and it felt as though the darkness was beginning to cling to his robes. He stopped only when he had found the coldest part in the passageway that he dared to walk.

There he sat down to meditate, removing his lightsaber from the back of his belt and igniting both of the blades. He straightened his back and opened himself up entirely to the force. As he did so, his lightsaber hovered in front of him, the song of his blades echoing throughout the hallway.

He wished to know the past of this temple, and this is the spot where the force would show him that. There was pain and suffering, this was a planet that had been a part of the Sith Empire, a temple that had been a symbol of the power of the darkside and all the pain that it caused. It had been ruled by the Sith Adas, and even now, his presence still touched every aspect of this world, though his influence had lessened. This is a world that had shown the fallen jedi Freedon Nadd, a Jedi prodigy of millennia past. A cycle that would repeat. The rise and fall of the Darkside, the rise and fall of the Lightside. It was no different than the water cycle on some worlds, no different than the life cycles of the stars that provide light to the worlds that circle them. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge, and now he had that which he had lacked before. He had an understanding and a purpose- to understand the life cycle of the force, he would go to different planets to study their ways, to study how they interact with the force. That is what he would teach his future padawan- he would teach an understanding of the force. Arif stood up and walked back out of the tunnels the same way he had gotten into them, not missing a single step. As he walked, he approached the parts of the temple that were still in use, that thrived with jedi of all cultures, ages, and experiences. Here the temple was alive, and it would flourish for a time still. "Master Bageeh, did you find what you were searching for?" A friendly voice asked. A padawan if he had to guess.

"I did find what I was looking for, you must inform your master that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to explore the temple. I hope to return here one day with something to teach all of you," he offered a smile and a polite bow.

[startrekandwars]

There is no emotion, there is peace

Word Count: 976

Summary: Matahd Sa explores his connection to his kyber crystal at three different points in his life, from a youngling to a padawan to a jedi knight.

AN: Written for Jedi June “There is no emotion, there is peace” A Youngling's Reflection The youngling togruta stood there, staring at the various lightsaber components. His violet eyes seemed to take in every detail on the crystal. It hummed softly in the force, a presence that would be as comforting to him one day as the jedi temple. This would form the heart of his lightsaber. This would be his focal point, something to ground him in the sea of emotions.

He sat down on the ground, meditating, gently lifting the pieces of his lightsaber in the force. He didn't need to see the pieces slotting together, instead, he took his time. There is no emotion. Those words seemed odd to him, everyone has emotions, there were emotions- sensations- from his very kyber crystal. It was as alive as anything else, and all living things had feelings. Then he remembered his lessons, sure there were emotions in the force, but those emotions did not shape his connection to the force. He could read them as easily as anything else, but it was internal peace he had that grounded him, that let him focus enough to connect to the force.

Matahd opened his eyes and stared at the lightsaber hovering in front of him. Every piece was deliberately picked, every piece deliberately placed. This lightsaber was his life, and the kyber crystal inside of it attuned only to him. When he ignited the blade, it would show to the order who he was. A piece of himself, an extension of his body and his soul. He extended his light blue hands and took the hilt. It was heavier than he thought it was going to be, yet as he held it, it was perfectly balanced.

He stood up, his eyes tracing every aspect of the hilt. Every piece fit perfectly, it was designed to allow for easy maintenance, and yet, it fit so sleekly together that one would not know he could easily repair it. He activated the lightsaber, revealing a deep blue blade, from some angles it seemed to almost cross the line to purple. Not yet. He could probably tilt the crystal and get a different color out of it, but he rather liked the variety in the blade. He slowly began to go through the basic stances he had been taught, listening to the hum of his lightsaber. This was a Jedi's weapon. A lightsaber, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. A weapon that required focus and precision to use. A Padawan's Trial

Matahd Sa stared at his lightsaber hilt as he fixed it again. There technically wasn't anything wrong with it. The lightsaber functioned beautifully, he just needed to drown out his emotions. Drown out his guilt. There is no emotion there is peace. Those were the words he was trying to focus on. He could do this all through the force, but he needed the physical touch. He needed to feel the metal in his hands, feel the weight of each piece. He needed to feel the gentle hum of the kyber crystal.

Mat held his kyber crystal up to the light. Maybe this was his grief talking, but he could have sworn that the crystal looked different now. It seemed to have different lines, small fractures in its core. The hum of the crystal was the same, and yet it felt different. He had lost some of his focus, perhaps that reflected in the blade.

"Commander, the general would like a word with you," Commander Eagle's voice came from behind him. The clone trooper's voice was calm and collected, in the force, his concern betrayed him.

Mat would never call him out on that. "I will be there in a moment." He put the crystal back inside his lightsaber and ignited it. A violet blade. Funny how as a youngling his blade had seemed closer to blue, now it was clearly purple. It almost matched his eyes. His white and teal lekku moved with him as he stood up, looking at the commander before turning his lightsaber off again. "Let's not worry my master, shall we?" A Knight's Reflection

He stared at the kyber crystal from the inquisitor. The poor crystals had been bled to get their blood-red coloring. Tortured. Matahd could understand the pain of the crystals, he had felt the death of the order, watched as friends turned and gunned down jedi. He had survived but at what cost?

Sitting down, he calmed his mind, focusing on the crystals. These crystals were not his, but they had come from Ilum, from a place of the jedi. There is no emotion, there is peace. The pain would pass and there would be a brighter future.

The hum of the crystals slowly became less of a scream and more of a harmony. They would no longer be used to cause pain. They would simply be kyber crystals, the heart of a lightsaber. A true reflection of their user.

Soon enough, the hum began to reflect that of the kyber crystal of his own lightsabers. He did not force the crystals to change, he simply meditated with them, found their connection to the force, and mended it, the way his was mending. He took the crystals out of his own lightsabers and put the inquisitor crystals in instead. Once he activated the blades, he saw that the light was white as the snow on ilum, bordering, perhaps, on blue. He was not meant to use these crystals, so he turned off the blades and put his own back in. A blue and a purple blade greeted him when he turned them back on. When the crystals resonated with a force user, he would feel comfortable handing them over, extending the teachings of the jedi the way he had been taught.

There is no emotion, there is peace. There is the Force.

[startrekandwars]

Inbox is now open for requests!

Ships For Star Trek (subject to change):

-McSpirk

-McKirk

-Spirk

-Spones

-Anything involving my various ocs

Ships For Star Wars (subject to change):

-Anidala

-Kanera

-Anything with my various ocs

Types of accepted requests:

-Prompts

-Hcs

-Drabble Requests

-Character Studies

Not Accepted:

-Incest

-NSFW

[startrekandwars]

Charlie Kirk finding out she’s going to be an aunt again

Oooooooo this is gonna be fun. Aight sit back, relax, and watch the Kirk siblings be dorks.

Commander Charlotte Meari Kirk is many things. One of them is hard to surprise. You can’t really surprise someone who can read your mind. That just isn’t how surprises work. She tends to try to let people just tell her when they are ready to but it doesn’t always happen. That’s why it’s important for the different Kirks to show a certain level of caution because otherwise, it turns into a bigger conversation of who is actually projecting their thoughts when.

Jim had decided that what he was going to do was two-fold, first, he was going to give his sister a package to open, and then he was going to fill in the blanks. When you don’t see your sister often because you both work in different places, exceptions have to be made. That’s why you show up without telling your older sister that you’re coming when she’s on her lunch break. “Hey Charlie, you busy?”

Charlie looked up from her medical journals and grinned, “No, Jim. I didn’t know you were coming if I did-“

“The whole point was that you weren’t supposed to know. It’s hardly a surprise id you know I’m coming.” Jim countered, walking into her office. The medical center on Yorktown was certainly a sight to behold, and Charlie looked like she belonged, wearing medical white instead of her former science blue shirt and black pants. “Before you attempt to insist that I come over for dinner, as I absolutely will, I have something for you.” Her office was neat as always, and on the walls were picture frames of her, her kids, and her husband.

She raised an eyebrow. “Alright. You aren’t going to tell me are you?” She watched as Jim sat down across from her and set her data PADD down.

“Nope. And don’t treat with telepathy either. I promise you can figure this out.” He handed the present over, trying to suppress a stupid grin. 

At that, Charlie took the present. “You’re being awfully suspicious. Did I forget something important?”

“Just open the present, Charlie. You’d think I was planning your death or something.” Jim was still grinning.

She sighed again and then opened the present. Inside was a black t-shirt which read, ‘Universe’s Best Aunt’. “Jim I don’t-” She paused. His stupid grin. The t-shirt. It all made a little too much sense. “No-”

“Charlie when have I lied to you? It’s next to impossible to lie to you. I’m surprised I was able to hide it long enough for you to open the present. You might be able to read minds but sometimes you can miss the obvious.” He continued to grin. 

“Congradulations, Jim. But now I am absolutely going to make you come to dinner. Please tell me-”

“I have a matching shirt for Chris and for the kids. I take it you all haven’t moved?” Jim was still grinning. “I’ll let you get back your very important work.”

[startrekandwars]

Appearances are Deceiving

Word Count: 1919

Summary: Baves Urety finally reveals who he is to Din while also trying to avoid being killed by Bossk, a bounty hunter who is after the former Jedi. 

Tags: None

AN: Written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Always A Bigger Fish

Din Djaren has been traveling with Baves for some time now. His new partner wasn't the most talkative person, but he was far from quiet. The thing that Din noticed was that Baves was mostly observant. Maybe too observant. The child seemed to like Baves, and it was hard to fault the poor kid. Baves has this... aura that puts you at ease and makes you want to like him. He's so optimistic even if he doesn't voice it. It's written all over his face. 

The few times Baves has talked about his past, he just mentions his father taught him just about everything he knows. If it wasn't his father, it was one of his brothers. He also mentions that before the fall of the Empire, he worked as a bodyguard, and then decided to become a Bodyguard for hire. People used to pay this man to protect them. They used to pay him a lot.

Now is a good time for Din to observe Baves. He was an inch, maybe two taller. He could only be a couple years older than him too, though it's hard to tell because Baves keeps his face clean shaven. Baves says that he doesn't remember how old he is, and judging by how familiar the miralian is with a blaster, the mandalorian believes him. Baves isn't the strongest person. He looks like he should struggle to hold the child, all long limbs, and not a lot of muscle. He's also flexible. Din has watched Baves twist in ways he didn't realize a humanoid could twist their body. Baves looks like he couldn't hurt a fly, and he often tends to talk his way out of problems. It often works too. His royal blue eyes help soften his face, and the fact that there's a permanent smile on his face helps a lot. Even with out that, there are the beginnings of smile lines around the corner of his eyes. Din has never seen Baves's hair, and he had a feeling he never would. He could guess that his hair is jet black, if he were to judge it based off of the man's eyebrows. 

Din just can't place his finger on it, but he can tell Baves is holding back. He's too aware of things to not be holding back. It's like he knows what people expect him to be able to do, and he tries to embody those ideas. 

Even now, as they were walking through the market and Baves looks like he doesn't have a care in the world, Din has also learned that he is drinking in as much information as he can. "Oooooooh, Din look at this scarf!" Baves picked up a dark green head scarf with teal embroidery in miralian styles. "It's stunning!"

"You have seven scarves on the ship, Baves." Din countered, watching the man. None the less, the look in his eyes was hard to say no to. "When would you even wear it?"

"I don't know, around. I wear all seven of those scarves by the way." Baves countered, looking back at the scarf. "It's very pretty... But I suppose I don't need another one until something unthinkable happens to a scarf, like a grease stain." He put the scarf back, bowed politely, and kept walking. "I'm going to see if I can find any jogan fruit."

Din simply nodded and watched Baves walk away. Oh yes, that man could wrap just about anyone around his finger. Not because he was trying to be malicious, but because he was just so... kind. He was the sort of person you would want to protect. 

"Is that young man with you? Because if so, good for you. I don't know what a Mandalorian such as yourself would see in a man as kind as him, but if you want to win his heart, you should probably buy that scarf." The shop keeper said, sounding amused. She was a Miralian, but unlike Baves, she didn't cover her hair all the time, it was jet black and feel to her shoulders.

"I'm not-" How does he explain that he's not romantically with that man? "He's an associate of mine. We're not involved." 

"A pity, you don't find men like him everywhere in the galaxy. He's really one of a kind." She answered, looking back at Din before going to help a different customer. 

Din simply nodded. "That he is." The bounty hunter started to walk in the direction Baves had walked off in until he heard blaster fire and screams from that direction. Then he started to sprint. 

In the middle of the commotion was Baves, standing light on his feet, but looking relaxed. "Well that was rude!"

"Baves Urety- I am here to collect the bounty on your head. You can come quietly or loudly, but you will be coming with me." Bossk, a Trandoshan. And a member of the guild. Apparently there was a puck on Baves, and if Bossk was here to collect, then it was some bounty.

Baves sighed. He looked... bored. This happens to him a lot. "You know, a wise man once told me that there are always bigger fish out there. So you think you're the bigger fish in the ocean?" His question was really more of a statement. "Listen, Bossk. I just want to buy some jogan fruit and then I'll get out of your way- I'm not really looking for a fig-" When Bossk shot at Baves again, he side stepped, like he knew it was coming without even taking a breath from his sentence, "-ht today. We could leave in peace."

"No way, that bounty on your head can buy me a small planet!" Bossk countered. "Now come quietly. I would hate to make a mess of you."

The Miralian just shrugged. That was it. Bossk has two inches on Baves and several pounds of muscle on him. Anyone else should be very afraid of staring down Bossk, but the fact that there has been noise so far means that Baves Urety had managed to avoid Bossk for this long. "Fine, we'll do it your way. I can't give you a real fight to remember, but I can at least give you a run for your credits." That was when Baves chose to make his first move. He moved fast, faster than anyone can just run. He avoided Bossk's follow up shots with ease, a practiced ease, before jumping high over the Trandoshan, flipping and landing quietly on top of the roof of a shop. "But first you'll have to catch me!" 

Din could have sworn Baves glanced in his direction. He was acting as a distraction, buying Din time to get back to the ship and make sure that the child was still safe. He was doing this intentionally. Din didn't even have time to consider shouting Baves's name. The miralian was already running in the exact opposite direction. So Din was running towards the ship.

~*~*~

Bossk isn't an easy bounty hunter to avoid, Baves just had to hope Din understood what he was doing, that he was buying them time. Besides, he was a bit of a romantic who had trusted Din with his lightsaber, even if Din didn't know he had it. So the name of the game was evade Bossk long enough to get him out of civilization. Or at least innocent bystanders. "Wow- they call you a bounty hunter? I wonder what the Score Keeper thinks of you? I've fought clankers that have better aim than you do!" That being said, Bossk was getting familiar with how Baves was evading him. 

Once Baves could see the end of the market, he grinned and used the force to leap even further than he normally tries, turning around in the air and firing two rounds at Bossk. They were both close but neither of them hit the bounty hunter. "Kriff I miss my lightsaber."

"Running isn't like you- Urety, but it makes for a good hunt!" Bossk kept shooting at him, and Baves was all out of cover. He's good, he can evade people shooting at him for a while, but without his lightsaber, he was going to get shot eventually. 

"Well, I've really needed the exercise and it's been a while since people have tried to kill me, so I'm just drawing this out for as long as I can!" He countered, trying to find anything he could use to his advantage. 

Bossk shot at him again, and this time, Baves decided to get up close and personal. If he was too close for Bossk to use his gun effectively, then the former jedi could last a little bit longer. Again, Baves sprinted, using the force to move even faster and decided to disarm the Trandoshan with the force, flinging the weapon out of his hands, "Now this is what I expect when I made you my prey!"

"You talk too much," Baves countered, blocking the flurry of punches and opting to try to knock Bossk onto the ground. Sure he could use the force but he tries not to. 

Bossk had a wicked smile on his face, and the Force warned Baves of what was about to happen before he could process it. He ducked low, barely avoiding a flurry of blasts from an assassin droid. "Kriff!" He was standing too close.

Overhead, he could hear a ship. Din's ship. Din didn't say anything on the ramp, he just tossed Baves his lightsaber. Din trusts him enough not to just disappear with this apparently. 

Baves caught it and ignited it, the green blade humming into life, just in time to deflect the shots back at the assassin droid, taking it out. "That's better."

Bossk hissed right before Baves hit him over the head with his lightsaber hilt, "Oh shut up please! I've had enough of you for one life time." 

Instead of waiting for Din to land, he just leapt up onto the ramp, turning his lightsaber back off and handing the hilt back over, "Here."

"No- I'm a Mandalorian, weapons are a part of my religion, and I know just what you're doing when you're handing that over to me." Din countered, closing the ramp once Baves was back inside. "You're a jedi."

"Well that's one thing to take away from today- you got the jogan fruit?" Baves had been focused on trying to do what he felt was right until he saw the real prize of today. "How?"

"The shopkeeper was grateful since you managed to not destroy any of his property. I also got you that scarf." Baves didn't need to force to know that Din was watching him as he set the lightsaber down on the seat, picking up a jogan fruit. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The miralian turned and shrugged, "Mandalorians hate the jedi, for good reason, but you need someone to teach the child how to use the force. And I am a Jedi." 

Din looked at Baves, his expression unreadable with his helmet on. Perhaps that's for the best. "So you trusted me with your life... You were right about one thing though, Bossk wasn't the bigger fish."

"True, but there will always be another. Thank you for coming back for me." Baves's signature smile was back on his face, but it was sincere. 

"Least I can do. Besides, you're handy in a fight." With that, Din climbed the ladder back into the cockpit. 

[startrekandwars]

INBOX IS OPEN

The inbox is currently open for prompt requests.

Liked a drabble and want to know what happens next? Comment the name for the drabble and I’ll write a sequel!

Want to see different characters in drabbles? 

Force Users

Clones and Admirals

Or comment a couple canon characters!

[startrekandwars]

A Price Too High

Word Count: 942

Summary: Third Sister has tracked Ramirhe Jacora down on Lothal for the confrontation she has been waiting for for a life time.

Tags: None?

AN: this was written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt When Facing A Master and is the sequel to Green Eyes

Third Sister watched Ramirhe Jacora walk through the empty streets of Lothal, as the planet was under a curfew, and he was finally allowed a little bit of peace and quiet on a planet he called home because of his wife. Being a former Jedi Master made avoiding the stormtroopers child's play for him, even now as he got older and his injuries caught up to him.

Time did not soften those green eyes, nor did it make him more familiar with his cybernetic leg. There was a slight limp to his walk that wasn't there when Third Sister knew him. Perhaps this is for the best, her being here will put him out of his misery and make her life make sense.

"I can sense you watching me. Come out, Inquisitor." Ramirhe Jacora was a little too aware of the force for his own good. He could sense her, of course, he could sense her. He had been her master at one point. Oh, how the apprentice can fall so far.

"You are Ramirhe Jacora, a Jedi Knight of the traitorous Jedi Order. Surrender now, or die." There was no sympathy in her voice, no concern for how the Jedi might feel. She was only there to end his life by any means possible. By any way possible. She had to kill him.

Ramirhe turned, his green eyes pierce through her soul, even with a mask covering her face. "If you think you can kill me, Inquisitor, then you are foolish and have bought into the lies of the Darkside. That your anger and hate makes you stronger." He didn't ignite his lightsaber. Instead, he waited for her to make the first move.

"Your age has made you arrogant, Jedi." Aubewem ignited her dual bladed lightsaber and lunged at him.

At the last second possible, Ramirhe sidestepped, moving into a block with his own lightsaber, holding her off at a distance without letting her keep her balance. "My age has made me arrogant? Perhaps. I learned a long time ago that arrogance has a steep price that you do not always pay yourself." Ramirhe spoke with a mandalorian accent, it made some of his voice seem softer, and yet somehow all the more offended.

"You learned? No, if that were true then your actions would have reflected that, Jedi." The venom in Aubewem's voice could cut most people like a knife. "I refuse to believe that you have 'learned' anything in your life. You have never truly suffered- you don't know anything!" She lashed out, striking wildly at her former master, each blow getting blocked with the kind of ease that he has always had. There was no way she could defeat him even now, he was a master of his own craft. He was a master and she will always be the apprentice.

He was more practiced, more controlled. He was centered. And now he was frowning. "I have never truly suffered? That's a very pointed attack. One you could only give if you knew me better than I thought." He didn't even bother listing every time he has suffered in his life, that would defeat the purpose of his following question, "Who are you?"

Third Sister stepped back, spinning her lightsaber the old fashioned way, with her hands. "So you have forgotten in your age. I shouldn't be surprised." She took off her helmet and let it fall to the ground. Surprise and terror were clearly visible in her old master's eyes. "It is none other than your biggest mistake. And nothing but your death will bring me the peace that has eluded me since that day on Mygeeto!"

Ramirhe turned off his lightsaber and continued to stare at her. "If that is what I can do for you now, so be it." He suddenly looked exhausted, like all of the life was drained out of him. His padawan was standing before him, and all she wanted was for him to die. "I searched for you every second of every day that I could. After the war I searched even longer for you and found nothing- no sign- no trace. I could sense nothing but pain every time I looked for you. It got to the point that my wife was worried I would end up working myself to death before I found you. I failed you, Aubewem, of that there is no mistake... I just wished I could have saved you then."

She charged at him, bringing her lightsaber dangerously close to his heart, but hesitating before she could stab him. There was the man who failed her, and somehow- life seemed to be a worse punishment than death. "Aren't you going to fight for your life, Jedi?!"

He shook his head, gently placing his hand on the side of her face, "No... I forfeited that right when I brought you to fight Dooku, Aubewem. It should have been me, not you." His green eyes continued to stare into her, "Do what you must to find peace, my fallen apprentice."

He accepted his fate. A fate he did not deserve. For what? For her? Because he thinks that it might save her now? Aubewem stepped back, no longer staring at him. "Go. Go to your home. And live with the knowledge of what your arrogance has cost me."

Ramirhe reached out to her slowly before recognizing what she was doing. He chose to bow instead. "I thank you for my life then, Inquisitor."

"Do not thank me, Jedi. The next time we meet, I will kill you." She picked up her helmet and just jumped off the building.

[startrekandwars]

Green Eyes

Word Count: 692

Summary: Third Sister sees a holonet broadcast that brings to light the memories she had before she became an Inquisitor. Memories linked to one man.

Tags: Torture Mention

AN: Written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars writing prompt An Unforgettable Detail

The Third Sister stared at her reflection. She tried not to think about her life before she was an Inquisitor. It was easier to forget. It was less painful to forget. Remembering made her angry, it made her hate herself. She was tired of hating herself. But she couldn’t forget one thing. His eyes. Her master’s eyes. 

His green eyes always had so much concern in them, and she sometimes felt like they could pierce her soul even now, through the holonet, as he stands behind his wife, looking sad.

She doesn’t remember that day well, or maybe she does but she doesn’t want to. It starts out easy enough. A mission on Mygeeto. A simple mission. Scout the area for a good spot to put a temporary base. Then he shows up. The emperor’s second apprentice. Her master was helpless against him, though he tried so hard to fight the sith. It was inevitable that he was to fail. He was weak. Count Dooku was not. 

Dooku tossed him aside like he was nothing, leaving him helpless but to watch, “Leave my padawan alone!” Did he say that? Or was he unable to speak from being kicked in the chest? She couldn’t recall anymore. She remembered igniting her lightsaber and trying to fight the sith lord, and then nothing. She was hit on the head and everything was black. 

Then she woke up in a cell, a dark voice said one thing only, “Begin.” And then all she could feel was pain as she was being tortured. Electrocuted again and again and again until she could not remember her own name. Until she could almost not remember his name. Ramirhe Jacora. His name is Ramirhe Jacora.

She remembered being told her master died during Order 66, like all of the other traitors, and that if she behaved, if she was good, she could one day surpass him. So she let herself be called Third Sister. She became a tool of the empire. It was easier.

Was it easier? Or was it just the path of least resistance? 

Ramirhe Jacora stood tall behind Senator Alyeil Laygos, who was addressing Lothal. She almost didn’t recognize him, but she knew those eyes. She could never forget those eyes. Dedicated, strong, concerned, and a piercing shade of green. 

“Well, Third Sister, what are you thinking?”Fifth Brother asked from behind her. “You keep watching that new broadcast. As long as Senator Laygos plays her part, we are to do nothing.” 

“I know, Fifth Brother. It is the man behind her that I am watching.” Watching his green eyes. Would he recognize her? Would he welcome her into his arms? Would he apologize for not saving her? Has he forgotten that day? “I will investigate the man personally. I believe he may become a threat to the empire.”

“Why do you believe that? He is a quiet man, he seems to be little more than a trophy husband to the senator.”

“His name is Ramirhe Jacora- he was a Jedi Master trained by Master Pavi Bevu. Do not let his looks deceive you, he is just as skilled in lightsaber combat as she.” With that, she picked up her cloak and put it on. “Jacora is many things, but harmless has never been one of them. Besides, I know his weakness.”

Fifth Brother grabbed her arm, “Be careful, Third Sister. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment.” How ironic, that was the last sentence her master said before the fight. Before she was taken.

“I have no such weaknesses, Fifth Brother. Be mindful of who you are accusing of emotions clouding judgment.” She pulled away and walked towards the hanger.

Those green eyes. She had to do something to stop those green eyes from appearing in her dreams, trying to pull her to the lightside. Ramirhe Jacora. He was either going to die, or she was. There is no way around that. Someone had to die. She could not forget his gaze. A gaze she had come to trust at one point in her life. A gaze that was a reminder of her past now. 

[startrekandwars]

Rivals

Word Count: 1260

Tags: Depression mention

Summary: Jaan Kuran reflects on the different types of teachers her most recent padawan, Matahd Sa, has had and compares herself to them and how she falls short compared to what she thinks he expects from her.

AN: written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Rivals

If you were to ask Jaan Kuran who her rival was, it would be Matahd Sa’s memory. Her latest padawan has had a variety of different teachers for all sorts of reasons. Master Qui-Gon Jinn showed confidence in his ability to become a Jedi, and gave him a technique to ground himself he still uses to date. Master Almenia Costa believed in him and his ability to move forward, she challenged him to learn as much as he could, to stay kind, to use his awareness of emotions in the force to help him understand people. She encouraged him to be a person who could be so bright in the Force, to feel all of his emotions in full and not let them control him. Master Mace Windu taught Mat how to use Vaapad, a variation of form Seven he developed, using your opponent’s emotions against them. It is a form Matahd excels at, to her amusement and dismay. His ability to sense his opponent’s emotions and turn them into energy in a fight is almost limitless.

No one could say that Matahd Sa did not have the skill to be a Jedi Knight. Some would argue that like his peer, Anakin Skywalker, he was one of the more skilled Jedi of their time. His level of competence was almost unparalleled, and he could work well with others. He was willing to listen, because all of his teachers taught him that, and she had to compete with that. People she respected as Jedi. She has to compete with his memory of those people. 

Jaan tries to give Matahd freedom. Him being her padawan is an unusual situation- she is only his master until he feels comfortable to let himself become a Knight, or until she deems that he is indeed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, ready to be a Jedi Knight emotionally. She lets him organize battle strategies, give orders like her equal, travel to aid other Jedi without her presence, lead entire campaigns. As a warrior- she can safely say that he should be a Jedi Knight. His skill with a lightsaber is impressive, and she finds herself with nothing to teach him in lightsaber combat. She has nothing to teach him as a combatant. 

Matahd is a skilled negotiator. Perhaps it is from his time around Obi-Wan Kenobi, or perhaps from his time with Almenia Costa, but he can talk himself out of as many problems as he talks himself into. She has never had a padawan so skilled with negotiations, that was something she seemed to always fail to teach appropriately. 

As a pilot, his only rival is the likes of Anakin Skywalker. Those two can fly laps around the Separatists without any difficulty, something that amuses Jaan. They are their own rivals in the sense of combative flying, and it suits them. They work so well in tandem as they do alone. She was never much of a pilot, and here was her padawan, a master flying ace. 

When it comes to dealing with his emotions? That is where she has the most to teach him. At 21, he has sensed more deaths that were personal to him than a single Jedi ever should have. It has left him feeling unsure of his abilities to command, unwilling to trust his emotions. It’s frozen him. His depression is obvious. Togruta show distress with the colors of their lekku stripes. His used to be a dark green, complementing the teal of his skin and the violet shade his eyes were. Now his lekku were almost always a shade of turquoise, that worked, but displayed his constant emotional distress. Mat throws himself into dangerous situations, almost as though he feels he does not deserve the same safety he gives all of his men. She knows this. She constantly reminds him of the fact that his survival is not something he should be punished for. The first time she met him, the waves of total… sadness and self loathing almost unbalanced her. She had never sense that much pain from one person so young. When she met him, she understood why he did not trust himself to become a Jedi Knight. No one in good conscious could make him be a Knight until he could learn to let go. 

She tries to teach him this in several ways, but none seem to connect with him. He brushes off every single one. She knows why Matahd was assigned to her- She was a healer in the Jedi Temple before the war. She specialized in healing the broken minds of jedi, something Mat desperately needed and craved. What he really need, though, was a parent. He needed someone to hug him and tell him he was going to be okay. She is many things, but she is not a parent. She cannot lie to him like that, and she cannot comfort him the way he needs. Jaan knew Almenia was far more willing to hug her padawan, that Obi-Wan and Anakin both are willing to offer physical signs of affection that Mat is used to receiving, but he at the same time is hesitant to let someone else show that level of familiarity. He’s formal with her, even though she is one of the more informal jedi. He keeps a respectful tone most of the time, He doesn’t open himself up to her, and if he disagrees he always prefaces it with ‘with all due respect’. She should have let Obi-Wan train him, that would have been better.

“Master Kuran? May I come in?” Her padawan was good at concealing himself in the force when he wanted to be. 

“Of course you may, Mat.” She looked up from her lightsaber and offered her padawan a small smile,  “Is something on your mind?”

He shook his head and walked through the door, sitting in front of her. “No, I just… felt I should say I appreciate the fact that you took me on as your padawan. I know it was an unusual situation. And I am grateful for everything you have taught me.”

That caught her off guard, here she felt like she has taught him absolutely nothing. “What exactly are you thanking me for teaching you? I’m always happy to have a grateful student, but you seem to be a student that knows almost as much as his teacher.”

He blinked at her. It was times like these that it was easy for her to remember that his species were once predators. Between that and his very sharp teeth that she has never seen. On him, the expression made him look his age, he looked genuinely confused, “You taught me how to feel alive again, you’re trying to teach me how to trust in myself again. You’ve also shown me that there are different ways to lead people, and that is a valuable lesson I could not have gotten from anyone else. So thank you.”

Jaan smiled at him, “You’re welcome Mat. You’ve taught me a great deal as well. I am honored to be your teacher.”

“And I am honored to be your student.” With that, he stood up. He was tall, even for Togruta, and his montrails made him look even taller. “I’m going to go modify my starfighter now… if you need me.”

“I shall certainly find you if I do, Mat.” He was starting to open up. Perhaps she was reaching him after all. Perhaps she was creating a rival out of nothing.

[startrekandwars]

Trusting Fate

Word Count: 2200

Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi finds himself at odds with a young Sith Apprentice as they both share a single goal- Get off the planet alive.

Tags: N/A

AN: Written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt an Unlikely Team

Today could not get any stranger for Obi-Wan Kenobi. So far today he has been labeled as a criminal (which is fair seeing as how he managed to crash into a separatist planet and was now on the run), almost blown up twice (again, completely reasonable considering where he is), and now he is being rescued by a sith apprentice. "Come on, old man, unless you'd rather die here. To which case, stay in that alleyway. I don't care." Oh, and that apprentice? She only saved him after attempting to assassinate a Separatist Senator. For reasons that escape him.

"Because you know your way around better than I do?" He didn't appreciate her tone of voice. This girl was maybe 16 years old, deep red hair, amber eyes, and a tattoo that was on her forehead down the left side of her face and her chin, not to mention on both of her shoulders. The scar on the right side of her face likely ruined the matching side of the tattoo. "Why are you even helping me, young one?"

"Because you watched me almost assassinate someone. I need to keep an eye on my only living witness." She countered, glancing back on him before using the force to pull him into the different alley. "Force you move too slowly. And talk a lot." 

Obi-Wan stumbled, looking down at the girl, "And you're in a hurry. And afraid." He didn't even need the force to recognize she's scared. She's moving more like she's running from something. "You aren't being trained by the Count, so who is your master?"

The girl stopped, "None of your business, Jedi. Look do you want to get off this force forsaken rock or do you want to die here? I know I would rather get off this rock."

"Fine. But we're going to get off of this 'Force forsaken rock' my way." Obi-Wan countered, now standing next to her. "How well do you know Separatist protocol?"

"Better than you, clearly. I could get off just by showing my lightsaber to the right people. Or taking down the droids if I wanted to." She countered, looking at him. "Why should we do this your way?"

The older Jedi put his hand on her shoulder, "Because something tells me you would rather go anywhere else other than home, and you didn't kill two people today, which tells me that you doubt your master's teachings. So if you want a chance to leave him, you also have to play by a different rule book."

She frowned before sighing, releasing her hair from the ponytail to hide most of the tattoos on her face. "Fine. We'll try things your way. But if you get us captured, we're breaking out my way. What do you want to know about Separatist protocol?"

"How do officers bring in prisoners of war? Outside of dead." Obi-Wan watched as a guard walked past them, completely ignoring their existence, "How are you currently hiding us?"

"With the force. I'm making them think they've already looked over here and saw nothing. Their minds are easy to manipulate like that since they don't really care." She answered, looking at him and then following his gaze. "You aren't serious."

He offered her a smile, "It will be fine, young one. Besides, I'm sure you're cold not wearing any sleeves." He answered, walking out of the alleyway. "Oh excuse me officer! It's my daughter, she's been attacked!" The moment the guard turned, Obi-Wan knocked him out and dragged her into their alley. 

"I Am Not Your Daughter!" Sari hissed, looking at him. "My name is Sari." She started to take the parts of the guard's uniform that she would need to pass herself off as an officer. "And you're Obi-Wan Kenobi so you should really be careful. A lot of people want you very very dead. I still haven't made up my mind on whether or not I want to kill you."

"Would you rather I call you my niece or ward then?" He asked, watching her put on the jacket over her current tank top. In fact, most of her outfit easily turned into guard clothes. "Did you sneak onto this world as a guard? Why would a sith apprentice have to sneak onto the planet? Can't you just fly there?"

She looked at him, now disguised, "You're a jedi, can't you just mind trick yourself out of trouble instead of getting labeled a criminal and blown up? Twice- might I add. You got blown up twice." She looked at him and frowned more. "So what's the move, Jedi? Are you now going to become my commanding officer?"

"No, I'm going to be your prisoner, and we're going to steal a ship. Don't worry, I have a good feeling about this plan." He offered her what should have been a reassuring smile.

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this plan?" She only half muttered that, but she found some handcuffs and put them on Obi-Wan. "Why do you trust me not to kill you or turn you over?"

"The same reason your trusted me enough to try to save me. To use your words, we both want to get off this 'Force forsaken rock.' And you likely have a bad feeling because you're not used to doing good things. It will be fine, Sari." Obi-Wan countered, leaving the alleyway with Sari right behind him.

He was fairly certain she just rolled her eyes again, "Bad feelings are normally bad because something is going to go wrong. Move it prisoner." She kept her eyes looking forward, just over his shoulder. 

"You're on alert- why?"

Instead of an answer, she just shoved his shoulder, "Don't ask questions about things that don't concern you, prisoner. The mistress wants you transferred to a different prison district today and that's all you need to know." By shoving him, his head ended up looking down at the ground, avoiding it being seen well by a guard they were walking past. "Don't pretend you know me- we're not friends."

"No, we're not," Obi-Wan answered slowly. He was trusting her to lead them to a shipyard. Which he could see she was. "I take it you have a plan?"

At that, she walked in front of him, waving her hand in front of a guard "You're going to let me take a ship with weapons and a hyperdrive to transport the prisoner." 

"I'm... going to let you take a ship with weapons and a hyperdrive." The guard said slowly.

"You're going to call in that I have clearance to use this ship and that everything checks out." She waved her hand again. Obi-Wan had to admit it was fairly impressive. Mind tricks are not an easy thing to master.

"I'm going to call in that you have clearance to use this ship and that everything checks out." The guard repeated. Then the guard used the communicator, "This is Vizila- there's going to be a ship leaving with a prisoner. Everything checks out."

Sari just nudged Obi-Wan forward towards the ship, and he had to admit. This worked better with her than it ever would have with Anakin. She's focused, but he can still sense her fear. Something scares her more than being trapped here. Once she closed the hatch, she took off the handcuffs. "Okay, Jedi. My way would have ended in bodies and so far no one has died today. Your move."

"Of course. Now, we follow protocol and leave the system. Once we're far enough away, I'll contact the fleet so they don't shoot us down and get us stuck on another planet. You... do know how to fly one of these right?"

She groaned and walked towards the cockpit. "Yeah, I do. what- you don't?"

"Oh I could learn, but I don't like flying. I have a feeling you won't be comforted by me flying anyways." Obi-Wan countered gently, sitting down in the seat next to her. "Lead the way, Sari." 

She looked over at him and then nodded a little bit, getting the ship out of the hangar easily. Once they were in orbit, she finally started to relax some. The tension that she kept in her shoulders left some. "You have a direction to head towards, Master Kenobi?"

"I do, set coordinates to the outer rim. That's where my fleet is." Obi-Wan answered, removing his lightsaber from his belt and putting it in the chair. "I'm going to contact my fleet now. "Thank you, Apprentice Sari."

She didn't look away from the controls. "Sari Nebi. My full name is Sari Nebi. And this wouldn't be happening without you, Master Kenobi... or my ability to mind trick guards."

"Of course," he smiled a little bit and walked towards the holoprojector, setting the frequency to the channel he normally uses. "Admiral Yularen, this is General Obi-Wan Kenobi, I'm on my way to rendezvous with the fleet now, I got a little... delayed."

"Well it's a good thing you're on your way master, I was starting to get worried," Anakin spoke up, walking into frame. "You're not in your fighter though.'

"No I had a bit of a situation, but I can assure you, it's being handled quite expertly. When I arrive, I'll have to contact the council immediately."

"What do you mean it's being handled expertly?" Apparently, Ahsoka was also in the room and had also walked into frame.

"It means Obi-Wan picked up a stray," Anakin answered. "Are you sure that's wise, master?"

The older Jedi sighed, "I did not pick up a stray, she actually picked me up. And yes, I'm sure." Obi-Wan glanced back towards the cockpit where Sari was now... meditating. That's the first time he's realized that she was calm in the force. Not angry, not afraid, but at peace. "I never understood my master's reasons for bringing you to the temple until now, Anakin. I am just as certain about her as he was about you. Her place is among the Jedi, if that's her wish."

Anakin opened his mouth and closed it again, "You're serious about this. You actually are seriously thinking about doing this. You know if they agree, and that's a big if, they'll make you train her."

"She already has some training in the force, and I have a suspicion about that. It's not like she doesn't know how to use the force at all. She's very skilled and reminds me a lot of you, Anakin. You'll see when you meet her." With that, Obi-Wan hung up and walked back to the cockpit, carefully sitting back down in his chair. 

"So are we not going to get shot at?" She didn't open her eyes, she didn't have to. 

"We won't. There will be a specific landing zone for us when we get there, Sari." He looked at his lightsaber and then took a closer look at her's. The style was influenced by the sith, there was no doubt about that, but it was also reminiscent of Qui-Gon Jinn's. He would know, considering he used his master's lightsaber for a while and considering that Matahd actively uses a copy of the hilt. While her version was warped, and definitively unique to her, the fundamentals were there. "Sari, I don't know what or who you want to run from, but I can offer you a place to run to. If you would be agreeable, I could teach you how to be a Jedi- like your master's master.

That got her to open her eyes. The amber seemed to be duller like it wasn't always her eye color. "How did you figure that out?"

"Your lightsaber is reminiscent of my master's... Xanatos is your master, isn't he? I've encountered him before." Obi-Wan was picking his words carefully. He had a feeling just because she was young doesn't mean he would beat her in a fight. 

She sighed a little bit, "Yeah okay. He was my Master... but I don't want to stay with him." She looked out of the cockpit, at the stars streaming past. "Maybe you're rubbing off on my but I think... I think I'm meant for something more... Would your council let you train me."

"It would not be unprecedented, but it would be difficult for you. You would have to constantly prove that you were not falling back to the Darkside," Obi-Wan gently put his hand on her shoulder, "But, I have a feeling one day, if you're willing, you'll be an excellent Jedi."

She was quiet for a moment before turning to look at him, "Alright. I'm in. But that also means you're stuck with me, Master Kenobi."

"I would not have it any other way, my young padawan." He smiled as they dropped out of hyperspace.

"General Kenobi, landing bay six has been cleared for you." Admiral Yularen's voice rang over his comms. "Welcome home, Sir."

"It is good to be home," Obi-Wan answered, not removing his hand. "It is very good to be home."

[startrekandwars]

The Workshop of Savomere

Word Count: 1247

Summary: Sari Nebi has discovered a space that once had a lot of use, but was lost to time, almost forgotten. The more time she spends in that forgotten workshop, the more certain she is that she was to become a Jedi all along. 

Tags: None

AN: written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars​ prompt The Underground

Older younglings and Padawans are masters of finding the forgotten areas of the Temple. Places that only a child would seek out, whether its to be alone with their thoughts, to play out of sight of the many jedi masters, or to find peace in a time of complete chaos.

These are the places that belong to the children or to those who have never forgotten a child’s place.The Temple is so big that there are many places like this one. It was once a Jedi’s private meditation spot or maybe their workshop that was lost to time. It was a spot that Sari found herself going to every time she was allowed to wander on her own in the Temple. When she first found it, she spent an entire day just dusting and trying to restore some of the usability to the room. 

After she had managed to get some of the worst of the dust cleared away, she explored what was in the chests. In them, she found tools and parts to build lightsabers and other small electronics. Some of them were so old that there was no value to them, others were still usable. Once she discovered the parts, she started to bring a chest with her when she disappeared to her space. 

The more she explored, the more she discovered. She found an old datapad, which she restored. The datapad was a Jedi’s private journal. She discovered that his name was Savomere, which means that a long time ago, this had been Savomere’s private getaway in the Temple.

Sari came to respect the space as much as Savomere had. In that room, she felt secure- free from judgment. There she could learn things about the jedi that were lost to the Archives. There were easily twenty holocrons in the workshop just waiting for someone to use them. She recognized some of the designs, but she couldn’t explain why. It wasn’t a Jedi design, but it wasn’t a Sith design either. It was entirely unique and entirely familiar. 

Sometimes, in the workshop, she didn’t feel alone. She felt like Master Savomere was there with her, either helping her fix her lightsaber for the fifth time that day or silently suggesting new reading material. 

This wasn’t a sacred spot, but it was an important spot. A spot that deserved her respect. The more frequently she went, the more she realized it. Now she found herself bowing politely at the door before walking in, the same way she would before walking into Master Kenobi’s private room. 

Sari was currently working on her lightsaber. While the red crystal she had, had served her well, she knew that both the sith influenced design and the red blade didn’t help prove she was trustworthy. So on the workbench, every single part for her lightsaber was laid out as she searched through the parts chest to see if there was anything useful to change her lightsaber design. She had discovered over the course of her training that she preferred a lightsaber with a longer handle than either of her masters, the more reminiscent of a staff, the more comfortable she was with the weapon.

In the closet, she had discovered a staff extension for a lightsaber, a custom body that had the symbol for the Jedi order on it, and a new emitter that wasn’t so... sith like. As for a kyber crystal? That required meditation. It turns out that Savomere had one hidden in the small stand next to the bed, which she used mostly as a meditation mat. The crystal had called out to her, deeming her worthy of use.

She laid out the new parts for her lightsaber, closing her eyes, and constructed it with the force, building her new weapon. This was an official new beginning for her, and she wanted her lightsaber to reflect that.

Sari picked up her newly completed weapon and spun it around in her hands. The weight was comfortable. It felt like she had always had such a lightsaber, even if the length was significantly longer, she could easily remove the staff addition if necessary for an assignment.”This is a lightsaber worthy of a Jedi.”

“A familiar handle, using you are. Seen it in many years, I have not.” Yoda’s voice rang from the doorway.

Sari turned off her lightsaber, putting it across her back instead of on her belt. “Grand Master Yoda- I didn’t realize you were standing there.”

“Indeed. Interesting that you found this spot. Know of the master, do you?” Yoda asked, bowing slightly before walking into the space, just as Sari had earlier.

The young padawan shook her head, sitting down in the middle of the room, her hands clearly in her lap. “No, I know the master’s name was Savomere, though. I also know that once he used to spend a lot of time in this room. The more I’ve come here the more I’ve realized that this was his sanctuary of sorts.”

“Indeed. Much like you, Master Savomere was. A former Sith was he, before a Jedi Master. A Sith Pureblood. Gentle was master Savomere. Very aware of his place in the temple. Approve of you using this space, he would- very similar the two of you. Yes... very similar.” Yoda had a fond smile on his face as he looked around the workshop. “Forgot about this, I did. Glad to see it in use again, I am. Very fond of this space, Master Savomere was. Hoped someone else would find this, he did. “

Sari studied the small, green Jedi Master before looking around the workshop. “No wonder this place called to me... Master Savomere was no different from me- he was a Sith who walked away and joined the Jedi... Master Yoda, would it be alright if I continued to use this space?”

The older jedi considered the question before nodding. “Yes. Permission you have already been given. Proof- that lightsaber is.” He turned to leave before pausing at the door, “Looking for you, your living master is. Go to him, you should.”

Sari was about to question what Yoda meant by saying that she had already been given permission to use the space before realizing that Obi-Wan was looking for him. “Kriff, I lost track of time!” She stood up and easily left the room, pausing at the door, and bowed softly. 

When she lifted her head she could have sworn she saw a Sith Pureblood standing in the middle of the room. He looked to be about Obi-Wan’s age, maybe a little older, but there was a kind smile on his face. He bowed back, “Thank you, Padawan. We will see each other again, I think.”

Sari was speechless, staring at Savomere. She knew that voice, she had heard it before, when she had first met Obi-Wan. He encouraged her to go with the jedi knight. “Thank you, Master Savomere.” She bowed again, and when she lifted her head again, he was gone. With that, she ran down the hallway, jumping over Master Yoda, “Sorry, Master!”

“Always in a hurry, you are. Still waiting for you, will your master be.” Yoda chided, watching her run down the abandoned hallway. Seeing someone new using these old halls, bringing life back into them, brought him a sense of peace. Yes, Savomere would approve of her using this space. She seemed to belong when she was in these forgotten hallways. 

[startrekandwars]

The Past is not Forgotten

Word Count: 1369

Summary: Sari Nebi finally learns about her past after meeting the man who brought her to the Jedi Temple. 

Tags: None

AN: Written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Long Forgotten Origins

Two blue lightsabers clashed with more force than was necessary. “Sari, you seem unfocused today. What’s bothering you?” Her master sounded concerned as he gently blocked her.

The younger redhead sighed and turned off her lightsaber, opting to sit down on the ground with a huff. “Visions in my sleep, keeping me awake. A cold feeling I thought I passed while I’m awake.”

Obi-Wan sighed and sat down across from her, turning off his lightsaber as well. “you spent most of your training learning the Darkside. It’s that cold feeling you have. Because you have been distressed, you have been reaching more and more for what is familiar to you- hence my query about what has you unfocused.” He paused and offered her a concerned look, “I cannot help you if you do not open yourself up and let me.”

She stared down at the lightsaber handle she built as a child. The crystal inside of it was new, but the handle was not. “I... hear a voice first. A woman’s voice. I can’t understand what she’s saying, but I feel safe. Then I open my eyes, and I see a man with tanned skin, long brown hair, a kind smile, and a piece of cloth over his eyes. He reaches out to me, but not with his hand initially.”

“He reached out to you in the Force.” Obi-Wan sounded wistful as he listened to his padawan, stroking his beard. “What happens next?”

“Well, next I’m in a dark room. I still feel safe-but beneath my feet is an ancient... wrongness I can’t name. When I’m about to fall asleep, I see him standing over me.” She tightened her grip on her lightsaber handle.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes and frowned, “You see Xanatos... If I understand what you have described so far, you have just revealed that Xanatos managed to steal you from the Jedi Temple. What the ancient wrongness you sense is, I do not know. Please, Sari, continue.”

“Then it’s training with Xanatos and that Harpy.” She paused and released her lightsaber handle. “And then its something different... A cold voice. I’ve heard it before. It sends chills down my spine, and he just... laughs. A woman screams and a man breaks down sobbing and then I wake up.”

“That is distressing..” Obi-Wan stood up and held out his hand to his padawan. “I do believe you will at least get one answer today. Come, there’s someone I think you should get properly introduced to.”

“The Jedi Master who will be helping us here?” She accepted his hand and used the force to pull up her lightsaber from the ground. “Why do you think I should meet this guy. What’s to say he won’t immediately hate me?”

Her master smiled. She hated that smile, that’s his ‘everything will be fine smile’. “You’ll be able to sense it before you can understand it, my young padawan. Let's head towards the hangers.”

She rolled her eyes and followed, using the force to pull her outer shirt off of the hanger she put it on, wrapping it around herself loosely. “Have I mentioned that I hate it when you’re vague? You have this smile and most of the time bad things happen after I see that smile.”

“I do not have a smile that means bad things happen next.” He sounded offended, though the smile on his face made it clear he was joking.

“You misheard me, Master. I said bad things happen after I see that smile. Normally you say ‘Everything is going to be fine’ and then things go horribly wrong. Then somehow we make it out alive and you say ‘See, my young padawan, I told you everything was going to be fine’ like you knew it was going to work out,” she countered, crossing her arms as she watched the ship land.

He was right- she could sense whoever this was before Obi-Wan could explain. She knew that presence in the Force- that was the first person to ever reach out to her in the Force. “What-”

The door opened to reveal a man with greying brown hair, a piece of blue cloth over where his eyes should be, and a kind smile on tan skin. “Master Kenobi, so good to see you again.”

“Master Bag-...” Obi-Wan was just staring at the man, “Is that a joke about your blindness, Master Bageeh?”

“Why naturally.” Arif continued to smile before turning his head towards Sari. The smile faded a little and looked sad, like he was seeing someone he hasn’t seen in a long time. “Hello there, little one. I believe we’ve met before a long time ago. My name is Master Arif Bageeh.”

Sari opened her mouth before closing it again, reaching out not with her hand but with the Force, the way he did so many years ago. “It wasn’t just a dream.”

“Well that’s a peculiar name,” Arif teased, still smiling warmly. “I know that basic is not my first language but generally an introduction is followed by another introduction.”

Obi-Wan gently put his hand on Sari’s shoulder, “This is my new padawan, Sari Nebi.”

Arif’s smile faded some again. “Sari Nebi... So that is the name your capture told you was yours. I always tried to see what happened to you after you were kidnapped. I know we have business to attend to, Master Kenobi, but may I borrow your padawan for a few moments. It seems we have much to discuss.” 

Obi-Wan offered Sari his signature, ‘everything will be fine’ smile. “Of course, Master Bageeh. I’ll be on the bridge, waiting for you there.”

Arif nodded and looked at Sari before holding out his hand, “Well, Padawan Nebi, would you be so kind as to lead me to your favorite thinking spot where Kenobi can’t find you?”

“I... Sure.” She took his hand and carefully started to lead him towards her favorite spot, in the repair portion of the hangars on top of a gunship her master refuses to get rid of or fix. It also means that Kenobi doesn’t immediately look for her there. “Follow me.” With that, she lept up through the air easily, landing on top of the gunship.

“An interesting choice to pick. Your back is covered on two sides, you can see everything in the hangar.” Arif lept up and landed next to her. “When did you start wondering who was going to kill you from behind?”

“Probably around the time Xanatos started to train me. You seemed upset when Obi-Wan told you my name.” She looked at her lightsaber, taking it apart with her hands instead of the force. 

He nodded a little bit, “Because I know your name. Nebi was your mother’s maiden name, and the name that your parents agreed would be best for you to use. But your name was actually Isarina Nebi Dendup. Princess of Onderon. Though Sari is close enough and it is what your mother called you. According to your grandfather, you have the spitting image of your father, but with his grey eyes.”

Sari opened her mouth and closed it again. “My eyes are amber... I guess that’s the price of using the Darkside for as long as I did.”

“You are a Jedi now, Sari. That is what matters.” Arif countered softly. “I should have looked harder, I could have prevented much of your hardships.” 

“Master Bageeh... You gave me a chance to be a Jedi. I’m just now using that chance. I’m going to make you proud. I’m going to make my parents... proud. But I want to earn the name Isarina Nebi Dendup. For right now- the name Sari Nebi suits me just fine.” She looked over at him to see the man smiling again. A real smile.

“Then Master Kenobi has taught you well so far. Come, let’s not keep him waiting, Sari Nebi.” He stood up and hopped down from the broken gunship.

Sari smiled and hopped down, putting her lightsaber back together quickly with the force and then attaching it to her belt. “I know a short cut.”

“Lead the way, padawan.”

[startrekandwars]

Rank for an Insult

Word Count: 1004

Tags: None

Summary: Admiral Isademe Yadon complains to Jedi Master Jaan Kuran about the behavior of her new padawan, Matahd Sa. As a result, Isademe learns something about the young man that she did not know before.

AN: Written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt The Highest Insult

Admiral Isademe Yadon admired Jedi Padawan Matahd Sa as a commanding officer. He was everything she expected from a Jedi General - focused, collected, insightful, and, more importantly, brilliant - but that didn’t stop her from hating his guts. Everyone had nothing but praise for him - how he was so willing to sacrifice himself to protect the Republic, how he was a hero at such a young age, and how he should be admired for that. All she could see was a spoiled child in an adult’s body. In many ways, he was just as bad as Jedi Master Skywalker if she was to believe Admiral Yularen. Matahd Sa was rude, arrogant, cocky, and worst of all, he was reckless. It was as if he stopped caring about how others viewed him in favor of doing things his own way. He must have never been scolded as a child, or if he was, it didn’t stick because he disobeyed authority like it was some god-given right of his. She couldn’t understand how Jedi Master Jaan Kuran could train someone like Matahd; he wasn’t worthy of her time.

“Isademe, is something on your mind?” Jaan smiled at her like she couldn’t easily read the Admiral’s every emotion. It was comforting actually, knowing that right now, that was the only illusion that they had.

“General Kuran... you and I have known each other for many years now. I would even go as far as to say that we’re friends... so why do you let that arrogant, self-centered, egotistical sculag run around like he’s a Jedi knight- let alone insult you by acting like he knows better than you do? He’s a padawan on a good day. On a bad day, he’s a selfish prick.” She crossed her arms and leaned back into her seat with her arms crossed. Jaan was used to Isamede griping about her new padawan, she understands how frustrating it can be for some people to work with her padawan, so she tries not to take it personally.

Jaan sighed before she could say anything, though, she realized that they weren’t alone. Two clone commanders in the room wouldn’t recognize that Isamede’s gripes weren’t genuinely personal, just the complaints of a frustrated Admiral who can’t figure out how to work with the padawan. “General Kuran, Admiral Yadon- Permission to speak freely about the Admiral’s comments about General Sa?” Neldari usually is very quiet. He’d rather observe than make waves. His gentle disposition often puts him at odds with Commander Eagle and Matahd personality-wise, but it doesn’t affect his loyalty at all. His General was just insulted.

“Within reason, Commander Neldari.” There was only a hint of a warning in her voice. Jaan knew that this needed to be settled now before they all had to work together in combat. She can sense the anger and tension between the commanders and the Admiral, but she also knows that if this goes too far south, there will no longer be any trust between them.

The Commander nodded and took off the dark red-striped helmet everyone from the Corellia 200 wore to reveal an angry face. “Admiral Yadon- your insults were out of line and off base. You called General Sa arrogant. That implies that he believes himself to be better than he is. The General doubts himself so much that even if one person gets hurt, he believes he has failed or lost the battle even if to anyone else, it was clearly a victory. He doesn’t believe he is worthy of being even a padawan. Then you called him egotistical and self-centered. I doubt you noticed or even care, but he goes out of the way to get to know every single trooper he works with and one thing about us that makes us more than just a clone. That’s more than I can say for you, Admiral. Finally, you called him a sculag. That’s a Chiss insult that means weak-minded. I learned that work from my brief time under General Aszong and Admiral Zazz’olek’zolekka before being reassigned to work under General Sa again. If he were truly a sculag like you say, then the death of General Costa and the deaths of all of my vod would have killed him. General Sa is far from perfect, Admiral- but he’s not two-faced like you are. At least he has that going for him.” The Commander somehow managed to make the word Admiral sound like the worst insult he could say. Neldari glared at the clearly shocked Admiral before putting his helmet back on. “I’ve said my piece, General. I do not apologize for my words. General Sa wished for us to inform you that he believes he has a way to defeat Separatist General Kar’esesh’resrde at his own game, but he wants your opinion along with Admiral Yadon’s.” Instead of waiting to be dismissed, Neldari simply left the Admiral’s quarters.

Eagle only spoke up after a long moment of silence, “Admiral Yadon- I respect you as a commanding officer; however, I also know my vod. It takes a great deal to anger Neldari- and he is slow to forgive. I would suggest refraining from insulting the General again. General Sa is more forgiving than he is.” With that, Eagle also dismissed himself, leaving the General and Admiral alone once again.

“Isademe, you asked how I could let Matahd do as he sees fit. This is how. Everything you complained about is exactly what Neldari was correct about. It is easy to misunderstand his motivations, but you two could not be more alike,” Jaan mused. “Though I have never heard the word ‘Admiral’ used as an insult.”

“Neither have I... It seems I owe you an apology, Master Kuran.” Isademe said softly, staring at the door. “Be careful, your padawan could inspire a mutiny if he wanted to.”

“Then it is a good thing all he is trying to do is make sure that we all see a tomorrow.”

[startrekandwars]

Secret Admirers

Word Count: 1361

Summary: Arif Bageeh was severely injured on an assignment. As a result, his men, padawan, and his love decide to spend a day doing something nice for him so he at least doesn’t feel like he’s been forgotten.

Tags: none

AN: written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Secret Admirer

This is admittedly the first time that his men have seen him injured. If he hadn’t been so sore or confined to quarters, it may have amused the injured Arif Bageeh. Naturally, while he was recovering, his padawan came in to talk about anything the young padawan could reasonably mention. The padawan talked about his training sessions with Jaro Tapal and Cal Kestis, his pranks that he’s pulled on Commander A’doxx with Shade’s assistance, and the different antics that he and Cal have gotten into with all of the clones. 

After Baves left, Commander A’doxx would then come in and brief him on whatever they had been doing, just so Arif knows what’s going on when he gets back into the field. Not if he does, when, and A’doxx is always so careful to frame it like that. Sometimes he grips about whatever prank Shade and Baves pulled on him, but he always follows it up with something along the lines of ‘But it stops Baves from worrying so much, so I don’t mind, just waiting for you to get back on your feet sir’.

The final visitor of every day was, of course, Jaro Tapal. They would talk about Baves’s progress or whatever new battle strategy he had for their men just so Arif wasn’t caught off guard by anything A’doxx could tell him. The most important part of their conversations were the parts where they were just talking until Arif fell asleep. Just long enough for Jaro to gently numb some of the pain Arif felt so he could actually sleep comfortably. Every night, the last thing Arif could remember was Jaro very softly saying, ‘sleep well’, before leaving his room.

That’s what made waking up so unusual today, the first thing Arif noticed was that his blankets were significantly softer than the one he had when he fell asleep, his hair had been braided at some point in the night, and he was fairly certain he could smell his favorite tea. He lifted his head some when he heard the door open, “Good morning, General Bageeh.”

“Good morning, A’doxx. Did someone get me a new blanket? This one is softer.” Arif carefully ran his hands over the blanket, tilting his head towards the commander. “And someone braided my hair, and I’m pretty sure my favorite tea is right next to me.”

He could sense amusement from the commander, but his answer didn’t line up with what he heard, “I don’t know general. I’m just here to brief you for today if you’re up for it.” A’doxx stood awkwardly next to his bed, and if Arif had to guess, he was trying to hide a smile.

“I appreciate the thought, but I didn’t sleep as well as I would have liked, so I trust you and your men to Jaro Tapal completely for today. Perhaps later, Commander.” He carefully reached out for the tea next to him and took a sip. Perfectly sweetened. 

“I understand sir, I’ll let you rest. Enjoy your tea, General.” With that, A’doxx left, barely making it outside the room before starting to laugh. Clearly, something was up.

While enjoying his tea, Arif opened a holocron to listen to some of his old research notes from his time on Dathomir. It at the very least was a good way to refresh his memory. 

He must have drifted off after finishing his tea, because he woke up to realize the holocron was next to him, and the door to his room was opening. “Hello Mast- sorry did I wake you?” Baves initially addressed his master as loudly and cheerfully as he could before dropping the volume at which he was speaking. He also could softly hear one of his favorite composers playing in the background of his room

“No, Baves, you didn’t. Perhaps you can answer a question for me, who’s idea was it to do all of these nice things for me today?” His padawan is an awful liar, as sweet as he is. Jaro sometimes jokes that maybe he and Baves might be related because neither of them can lie to save their lives, Arif tends to ignore this in favor of asking when he’s officially going to claim Cal as his son, seeing as how they both can be so optimistic.

“I don’t know what you mean, Master.” Baves was certainly lying, but he quickly deflected before he became too uncomfortable at the thought. “You’ll never guess what Shade and I did! We used some crate marker, you know, the stuff that never washes off, and we changed A’doxx’s armor so instead of it saying ‘Nightstalker’ it says ‘Nightlight’ and we also changed the color of his shoulder pads to hot pink!”

The miraluka jedi just sighed before smiling. Of course, his padawan did something like that. “Has the commander noticed that you two did that?”

“I mean... I’m sure he did but he just sighed loudly. He hasn’t figured out that we used crate marker.” Baves was ginning up until the door opened. “Shade?”

“Commander, General, I need to borrow Commander Urety. Commander A’doxx just figured out that we used crate marker and he’s on a war path.” Shade was nervous and mildly relieved. 

Baves stood up, “I’ll be back later Master Bageeh, assuming A’doxx doesn’t kill us for using crate marker.” With that, the padawan left in a hurry, running after Shade. 

“Shade- Baves! Come back here!” A’doxx shouted, running past the door as it closed, leaving Arif to laugh to himself as he heard the chase going on outside. Kids will be kids.

Arif drifted off again, and this time when he woke up, Jaro was sitting next to him, likely reading something on a datapad. “When did you come in?”

“A few minutes ago, you were asleep, so I didn’t want to wake you,” Jaro answered, placing his forehead gently against Arif’s for a moment. “Commander A’doxx almost killed your padawan and Shade earlier for using crate marker on his armor. I have never seen your commander so angry before.” The amusement in Jaro’s tone was enough to confirm that all parties were still alive, if annoyed that they have to fix A’doxx’s armor. “I can assure you they are all alive and well, if in various stages of annoyance.”

“I’m glad to hear that everyone survived the incident,” Arif mused, carefully sitting up some more. “Now I have a question for you- do you know who’s decided to get just about everything I love for me today?”

He didn’t need eyes to know that the Lasat jedi was grinning, and it was so obvious through the force. “You mean to tell me that you could not have guessed, Arif? You seem to be losing your touch, my love.” Jaro carefully took Arif’s hand and gave it a small squeeze, “Commander A’doxx and your men decided to get together and spend an entire day getting you things that you love in hopes that it would make you feel better. It would appear you have a battalion of secret admirers.”

“This was A’doxx’s idea? It sounds like something you would have done, beloved.” Though knowing that it was his men did make the events of the day that much more amusing. “That was very thoughtful of them. Would you be so kind as to tell them that I appreciate it very much?”

“Of course.” Jaro carefully placed a kiss on top of Arif’s head. “I have some more listening material for you if you would like it, but for now, you should probably rest some more.”

Arif nodded, settling back down into the very soft blankets. “Thank you, Jaro. And you’re probably right. Outside of the prank, how was Baves today?”

“He was alright if a little bit anxious. He is very concerned about you. I do not blame him. He seems to be mastering wall runs and his skills with a lightsaber are improving. I taught him a few more forms today, and he should be practicing them right now.” The other jedi master smiled, as he realized that Arif had already fallen back asleep. “Sleep well, my love.”