# Star Wars: The Other Young Jedi Knights



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 2, 2005)

Okay, so I couldn't think of a better title. Trust me, I've been trying, but that one just stuck in my head and fits too well. So here we are, my second Star Wars SH(the first is Star Wars: Heroes of Another Kind and is still being updated! Check it out ). This story is set during the same time of the series as the Young Jedi Knights series of books, which is roughly about twenty two years after the Battle of Yavin. The PCs are all Jedi in training(or close to it), and it follows their little adventures that occur during their time at the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. Note that there will be a Rogues Gallery for this SH in the next few weeks, and also some art based on the SH(with depictions of the characters) to come soon.

Probably something important to note is that I plan to update this on Tuesdays and Thursday, with my other SH being updated the other three weekdays. There IS the possibility of weekend updates, but that will come down to whether I have the time to or not. 

Here's a breakdown of the PCs:

*Cira Thane:* A 19 year old Human female from Bastion, the central planet in the Imperial Remnant. While she technically grew up in the Empire, her mother was a diplomat for the Remnant and as such, Cira spent much of her youth traveling the galaxy. She displayed a great deal of potential with the Force as a young child, and when her parents heard about the Jedi Academy that Luke Skywalker had set up on Yavin IV, she was given the chance to attend. Though her deep connection to the Empire alienated her from most of the students early on, this quickly changed over the years she spent at the Academy thanks to the fact that she was nothing like the Imperials the other students had heard about.

*Cowan Bynar:* Also 19 years old, Cowan is a Human male from one of the Noble Houses on the planet Thyferra. His family is one of the many Houses that controls the distribution of the amazing healing agent, bacta, and they are rich because of it. His family had strong connections to the Rebellion during the Galactic Civil War due to the fact that many of their line were Jedi Knights during the Old Republic. Even though he was raised with everything he could have wanted, his parents did their best to keep him from becoming a stuck up brat like most kids in those situations seemed to turn into. This did nothing but good for him when he made the decision to attend the Jedi Academy, though he does do his best to keep to himself just as he used to do back on Thyferra.

*Gant Sekel:* At 20, Gant is the oldest in the group. He is not, however, Human. This would be easily missed if he was looked at from a distance, as he looks exactly like a Human except for the fact that he has no eyes. Gant is a Miraluka, a species of eyeless near-Humans who literally see through the Force itself. Because of this fact, most all Miraluka have been Jedi Knights or at least Force Users for all of the species' history. After the Empire nearly wiped out the Miraluka during the Jedi Purge, the species went into hiding on their homeworld and moved to a new Force Tradition...one that was, essentially, the Jedi Way, simply less agressive, as the Miraluka saw the Jedi's focus on war and their lightsabers as the reason for their fall. This persisted even after the fall of Palpatine, and while Gant learned the ways of the Force from his own people, he heard about the new Jedi Academy being set up by Luke Skywalker. He couldn't resist, and decided to attend...though he still clings to his people's beliefs, and so is the only student studying only the ways of the Force, and not to actually become a Jedi.

*Esah Reenin:* 18 years old and the youngest of the group, Esah is a blue skinned, female Mon Calamari. From a very young age, she displayed potential in the Force, moving her toys around without actually touching them and other signs that she wasn't exactly normal. With the Galactic Civil War over, and the Empire being beaten back from the Core Worlds, this potential was seen as a gift and not something that had to be hidden. So her parents did their best to encourage her, while at the same time doing their best to teach her the more artistic crafts of her people's culture. Esah embraced both, though when she made the chioce to attend the Jedi Academy, she had clearly made a choice between them.

And off we go...hope you enjoy.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 2, 2005)

*Part I
Chapter 1: Jungle Sunrise*

Twenty two years after the destruction of the first Death Star at Yavin. Eighteen years since the defeat of Emperor Palpatine at the forest moon of Endor. The Imperial Capital of Coruscant had fallen fifteen years earlier for the first time, and retaken again by the New Republic three years later. And then, not long after, Luke Skywalker returned to the fourth moon of Yavin. It was then that he set up the first foundations of his Jedi Academy to rebuild the Jedi Order after years and years of darkness. Since then, two generations of students had already passed through the new Academy, and old students had returned to assist Master Skywalker as teachers.

And this third generation of the new Jedi Knights looked to be the greatest yet. Though most of the attention seemed to be on the bigger names within the class, such as the Solo twins and, at least according to rumor, a member of the Hapan royal family, there were other promising students in the class. And it was also the largest group ever to attend the Academy, so much so that Master Skywalker divided up the students into groups of four. There was a method to the division, though that was only known to Master Skywalker himself. He did, at least, seem to know what he was doing.

Sitting on top of one of the smaller temples in the main complex of the Academy was a young human. He sat on the edge of the ancient flagstone step pyramid, looking out across the jungle beyond. The distant sun was rising and the orange gas giant, Yavin, was already taking up a huge amount of the sky above. And, as usual, it was hot. The human, no older than nineteen standard years, ran an already sweaty hand through matted, slightly scruffy dark brown hair. It hadn’t always been that way.

In fact, it used to be clean cut and perfect, as with the rest of him. But now...well, the jungles of Yavin were much different than lavish apartments on Thyferra. His parents would likely have been amazed to see him wearing a dirtied, grey and brown tunic instead of all those perfectly neat and clean clothes they always had back home. But that was Thyferra, and his parents were nobles in charge of one of the largest Houses on the planet. As with all of the noble houses on Thyferra, they dealt in bacta, and were rich because of it. The amazing healing qualities of the bacta was prized everywhere in the galaxy, and rarely found anywhere but on Thyferra. To say the planet had a monopoly on the substance was a grave understatement.

But Yavin IV did not lend itself to lavish apartments and expensive clothing. That was something that he had learned very early on after arriving at the Academy, right along with getting up early and going through the more strenuous training activities before the heat of the day really kicked in. He let out a deep breath and leaned back some. It had been a long morning. He hadn’t come to train as a Jedi expecting so much physical exertion. But then again, he hadn’t actually known what to expect beyond the stories his parents had told him as a child about his grandfather who had been a great Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars.

“Up here again, Cowan?” a familiar voice sounded from behind him. Cowan smiled and turned to look to the human...or rather, near human who had found a way up onto the roof of the temple. And he could very well have been seen as human unless one looked up at his face. And Cowan found that it was very hard not to look straight there, despite having known the other man for a few years now.

“Every morning, Gant,” Cowan said, turning around completely to look at his fellow student. He was tall, and wore a simple tan colour tunic over his equally tanned skin. Long, white hair hung over much of his face, but the majority of it, from the bridge of his nose and up to his hairline, was covered by a thick grey cloth. With most, that would have meant his eyes were covered, but Gant Sekel was a Miraluka, a species of near humans born without any eyes at all. All of their vision was through the Force itself, and they simply wore the cloth(or something similar) over their eyes because they found it was easier for other species to deal with them.

Gant smiled and nodded, calmly stepping over next to where Cowan sat and looking out across the jungle. That still looked so odd. Cowan knew that the Miraluka could see...but it wasn’t the same! Did he really see all the colours and nuances or was it simply like a sensor sweep of the area? It wasn’t something he could ask, as obviously, Gant would not be able to compare the two...or would he? It was something Cowan was still battling inside over what to do about.

“I still wonder how you get up here,” Cowan commented off hand as he got to his feet.

Gant simply smiled, a somewhat unnerving gesture without seeing any eyes added to it, “The same way you do. I climb,” he paused, then the smile became a somewhat cruel grin, “Except I do not take two hours to reach this point.”

“Oh, shut up,” Cowan rolled his eyes, a mixed message that he hoped the Miraluka caught. Standing up and stretching, Cowan attempted to ignore just how weak he looked when compared to the nearly two meter tall Miraluka. Not that Cowan was at all short at 1.8m tall, but somehow another centimeter seemed to make so much of a difference.

“Master Skywalker wants to see us,” Gant said, nodding towards the ground far below them.

That was interesting. Very, very interesting, “Master Skywalker? He hasn’t wanted to speak with us since he got back from Coruscant last month.”

Gant nodded again, but this time as acknowledgment of the truth, “I know. We...we think it might be something important.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Cowan asked with at least a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he started the long climb back down to the ground. The two of them got down two large steps on the large pyramid structure before he realized that Gant had hesitated while saying ‘we’. Which meant... “You meant all of us, don’t you? Not just the two of us?”

There was a hesitation again before Gant said, “Yes, all of us. I would have thought that you would be past your prejudices by now, Cowan.”

“I’ve got no problem with Esah,” Cowan answered a little too quickly, “I just can’t believe that an Imperial is here for any legitimate reason.”

“You’ve been saying that ever since we were all put together,” Gant grumbled as they continued the climb down. The Miraluka was keeping an obvious slow pace, though whether it was to speak with Cowan or simply not to get too far ahead, Cowan wasn’t sure. But now that they were about halfway down to the ground, Gant stopped and grabbed Cowan’s arm so that he wouldn’t go on. Gant then looked him straight in the eye, something that should not have been possible, and said firmly, “Cowan, I don’t care what you think the Imperials did to you or your family. I’ve heard it before, and yes, it was bad, but look at Esah. Her entire species was enslaved, Cowan. All of the Mon Calamari were treated as nothing but tools for the Empire. And my people, Cowan! We were hunted down and nearly completely wiped out. Tell me. If we can trust Cira, why can’t you?”

Cowan did not answer. He couldn’t. Gant was right, of course. There was no arguing with that. While Cowan’s family had been cheated and stolen from...the Mon Calamari had been enslaved and the Miraluka murdered. But still...Cowan didn’t trust the other human that was part of their training group.

“Lets just go,” he finally said under his breath before turning and continuing the climb down to the jungle floor.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 7, 2005)

*Chapter 2: Under the Trees*

In the greens and browns that made up the training grounds of Yavin IV, a blue skinned Mon Calamari was fairly easy to spot. Especially sitting against a one of the trees that lined the empty area between the jungle and the largest of the ancient Massassi temples. Esah Reenin sat back against the tree and looked up to the morning sky. She smiled...or at least, as best as a Mon Calamari could smile. She loved Yavin IV. It was warm, comfortably humid, and isolated. Though she did enjoy the company of others, and in fact, since her parents had been diplomats, had been constantly around others, it was very calming to have time to herself.

Or at least, mostly to herself. These days, she was rarely actually alone. Though, to be honest, Esah still considered herself to be alone while Cira was around. Not that Cira ignored her, but they simply seemed to get along without having to say much. Today, though, the human was pacing. Esah’s large orange eyes idly followed Cira as she paced.

Cira normally had a dignified look on her strong features. But today, her black hair was as much of a mess as her usually pristine uniform. Why she wore that was anyone’s guess, but at least she had removed the Imperial insignia from the shoulders. Esah didn’t have to look down to know that Cira’s boots were muddy and in horribly shape compared to the usual shining black. Even though the woman(or girl? Esah really didn’t know when that changed for humans) had never been in any kind of military school or had any of the training, she seemed determined to remind everyone of the Galactic Empire...or what was left of it.

This was, surprisingly, not a problem for Esah. Cira had not once shown any of the usual Imperial traits, other than some obscene attention to keeping her uniform far too clean. She was not against non-humans, nor was she for any kind of oppression, or even any of the other things that people seemed to associate with the Empire these days. Of course, their generation had never seen the Empire as it had once been...but their parents had. That should have counted for something, but didn’t seem to affect anyone here at the Academy.

“You should not be so nervous,” Esah finally said in a watery voice that all her species shared in one form or another.

Cira stopped her pacing, glared at the ground, then sighed, “I know! I know...I just...I don’t like Master Skywalker trying to work us up like this!”

Mon Calamari had no eyebrows to raise, but Esah preformed a gesture equivalent to this by raising her entire eye very slightly, “I do not believe telling us he would speak with as here in an hour is working us up for anything.”

Again, Cira sighed. She ran a hand through her hair and then wandered over to sit down in the dirt next to Esah. In a quieter voice that was definitely the result of a short calming technique they had all been taught very early on, she said, “I know. I’m...sorry I yelled at you. I just...there is only one thing I can think he would want to speak to us about.”

“I doubt any of us are ready to be Knights yet, Cira,” Esah’s reply came back quick enough to cut down the rising ego that thought brought in the both of them.

Eventually, Cira nodded before looking down at the grass-pocketed dirt under them, “We didn’t do anything wrong, did we?”

Esah shook her head, “I do not believe so. We have followed the training schedules very well and suddenly throwing a reprimand right away is not something I have ever seen Master Skywalker do.”

“Well, then I don’t have any ideas,” Cira grumbled, glaring idly at the dirt. Esah truly did not understand why the human got so upset when she didn’t know exactly what was going on. Some might have put it down as a personality trait, but Esah was starting to wonder if it was just a human thing...so many of them got worked up when they didn’t know every little tiny detail. Patience did not seem to be hardwired into their brains all that well.

Footsteps silence any response that Esah was preparing to make. Both of them looked up and, in obvious disappointment, found that the source of the sound was not, in fact, Master Skywalker. It was just the two other trainees, the eyeless Miraluka, Gant Sekel, and the human, Cowan Bynar. The latter of the two also had an annoyed look on his face, not all that unlike the one on Cira’s when she saw the two approaching...though they were likely for different reasons.

“I see you did not fall off the Temple,” Esah commented with a smile as she got back up to her feet to greet their two companions.

Cowan shrugged, the annoyance fading as he nodded to the Miraluka, “I don’t know how he does it either.”

Esah blinked, thought about it a moment, and then returned to a smile very unique to the Mon Calamari species, “I was referring to you.”

There was a short laugh from Cira as she also stood up, but Cowan’s only response was a look of blank surprise. How he managed it was beyond any of them, but he did. When some sense of normality slowly began to return and it looked like he had found some witty response to that, Cowan opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by more footsteps.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 8, 2005)

*Chapter 3: Our Test*

This time, when they turned to look it was, in fact, Master Skywalker. He was wearing the usual black tunic that they had all seen in the holos before even meeting him(which was, of course, an amazing thing as he’d been a childhood hero for pretty much all of them...even Cira). The Jedi Master nodded to them with his usual calming warm smile and motioned for them all to sit.

That was another thing they’d all noticed about him right away. He seemed to enjoy sitting in the actual dirt. Not that it really bothered any of them(though it had taken time to get used to, of course), but it seemed strange when there were obviously rocks and even chairs that were easily moved around.

When they had all sat in a circle on the ground, Master Skywalker looked across the four of them, “I can easily sense how eager you all are to know why I asked you here this morning, so I won’t waste your time with long speeches about how well you are doing in your training. Instead, I’ll prove to you how well you are doing,” he paused, a carefully timed moment that created such a silence that a ship could have been heard coming out of hyperspace three systems away, and then went on, “It is time for you to construct your lightsabers.”

Another pause. This one, though, was not so silent. Instead, it was filled with at least two sharp intakes of breath. Seemingly enjoying this, Master Skywalker’s smile grew slightly before he nodded, “I will provide you all with the technical details required in the actual construction, however I urge you not to simply follow them completely. Use the basics, expand from there. Your lightsaber is not simply a weapon, it is an extension of yourself, and it should reflect that in its construction. Of course, all of the necessary parts will be provided. All except one. Each lightsaber requires a main focusing crystal in addition to two smaller crystals. You must acquire the focusing crystal yourself. There are many locations here on Yavin IV ripe with compatible crystals, so there should not be any problem in finding one.”

He slowly trailed off into silence, picking up on a somewhat nervous feeling to his left. After a moment, Master Skywalker turned his head to look to the eyeless Gant, “Yes?”

At being caught so easily, the Miraluka smiled. He nodded to the Jedi Master and then spoke quietly, “Master, you know that I...have certain concerns.”

Before he could go on, Master Skywalker nodded and said, “I know, and I understand. However, everything I have learned about the ancient Jedi Order shows that the construction of a Jedi’s lightsaber is the crucial point in their training.”

“You will have to excuse me, Master, but I am not a Jedi,” Gant said somewhat flatly, and then continued before the Jedi Master could get a word in, “We spoke of this when I first arrived here. I welcome training in the Force, but my people were nearly wiped out because of our dependency on the Force. The Jedi lost their way during the Clone Wars, Master, they became far too focused on their weapons and ignored the will of the Force.”

Silence. A sigh sounded from Cowan, though the other two apprentices wanted to join in. They’d all heard this before. They’d come to a truce on the whole thing and it never came up anymore...but the Miraluka seemed to enjoy bringing it up anytime it seemed convenient to.

After collecting his thoughts, Master Skywalker nodded politely, “I understand your position on this, Gant. I will not require you to do this, but there is more to constructing a lightsaber than simply building a weapon. It is a deeply important part of one’s training to connect with the living Force through the galaxy around us. I would like you to still find a crystal and even attune it as your fellow apprentices will.”

A pause. Then, after a moment in which the three others wondered if this would turn into something more, Gant simply nodded. Everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief at that. Even Master Skywalker looked relieved when he smiled and looked across to the rest of them, “Well, then, I won’t hold you here any longer. But be careful in the forest, and take a comlink with you just in case. I would also like it if you did not venture too far on your own.”

They nodded, and then Master Skywalker was gone. They all knew why he didn’t want them going alone. There had been at least two incidents with other students having wandered off too far on their own and either ran into some of the indigenous predators or simply gotten lost in the vast jungles. There were also...other threats they were all aware of. Namely from some of the other ancient Massassi Temples, none of which were expected to house any Dark Side Spirits as one of them had contained once...but it was better to be safe and not be alone.


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## Mirage_Patrick (Sep 9, 2005)

haven't read yet...but exciting to see another story hour from ya.  If this is half as enjoyable as your other I will be happy


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 14, 2005)

*Chapter 4: Jungles and Lakes*

“I am not sulking!” Cowan yelled over the rock. He couldn’t see Cira, as she’s just climbed over it, making a comment over her shoulder in the process. Grumbling something to himself, he did his best to follow, climbing up the rock and then sliding back down the other side to the jungle a meter below. When he hit, he only landed on his feet due to his back being against the rock.

“You are sulking,” the Imperial girl said with an emotionless face before turning back and leading the way through the jungle again. When he’d caught up, again, she added, “You don’t like me and since Gant went with Esah, you got stuck with me and now you’re sulking because you didn’t get your way.”

They were headed north. North to the forested mountains that weren’t too far from the Academy Temple. There were some caves up there that many students had found crystals in, and so it was a fairly common area to head go. They also both had blaster pistols with them...which had been a point of contention with Cowan. He didn’t like the idea of an Imperial with a weapon behind him.

Of course, that just meant he was forced to follow. Though forced wasn’t exactly right, as Cira was in much better shape than he was, and so was leading the way by sheer physical ability. At least she seemed to know where she was going. Seemed.

“You’re sure you know where to go?” Cowan asked as he stepped over some of the underbrush that littered the wild jungles and forests of Yavin IV.

The dark haired human looked over her shoulder at him, but didn’t even respond. She just rolled her eyes and kept going. He really was impossible to even speak to. She couldn’t believe that someone hadn’t killed him years ago with that attitude. But she wouldn’t kill him, despite those dark urges that told her just how easy it would be. That would only encourage that kind of attitude towards her, and that was the last thing she needed.

One day, Cira figured he’d either get passed his blind idiocy and treat her like he did the rest of the students or someone would kill him for making a comment at the wrong place. Not that she would do it, of course, but say the wrong thing to the wrong person and its bound to cause consequences.

Five minutes more of walking through the thickening forest passed in uneasy, yet peaceful silence. They could both hear the skittering of small animals here and there, but the creatures stayed out of sight. Even the predators had a habit of avoiding the students most of the time. Though, it was the most part that caused them to carry blasters. Both were also attempting to reach out with the Force and feel the surrounding area, both for protection and because Master Skywalker had implied it was a good way to find exactly the right spot where their own crystal would be.

And then, almost out of no where, Cira stopped. This meant that, because Cowan wasn’t paying attention, he walked right into her and they both fell. She went forward and face first into the dirt, and he went back, the back of his head slamming into a tree root thanks to her instincts causing her to automatically push him away. Two thuds were followed by two groans.

Still groaning, Cowan sat up and rubbed the back of his head. At the same time, Cira was getting up to her knees and trying to get the dirt off of her face. She took a moment to turn back over her shoulder and glare, “Thank you.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have stopped!” Cowan argued, catching the sarcasm and deciding to go straight to the defensive.

“And you should have been paying attention!” she dusted her tunic off before getting back to her feet again. Stepping over to him, she offered a hand.

Unsurprisingly, Cowan didn’t take it, and just go to his feet on his own. Though there was a glare from that, his eyes locked on the reason why she had stopped. He couldn’t help saying, “Oh.”

“Yes, oh,” Cira said with a sigh. She then turned back around and carefully started down the steep drop that she had almost fallen face first down. It was a clearing. A huge one, at that. About ten meters down, the grass became a sprawling, clear blue lake. There were a few ancient pillars here and there, most on the grass but a couple sticking out of the water. Despite that, there was no sign of any actual temple in the clearing.

It took care to get down the dirt and rock drop to the lake below without killing oneself, but somehow, they both made it. Or rather, somehow, Cowan made it. It was beginning to become obvious that his supposed lack of coordination had more to do with the need to prove himself than actual stupidity. That was comforting, at least...it meant he might eventually figure out how stupid it was and he wouldn’t get them all killed because of it.

When they were down, Cira idly walked over to the water’s edge and looked across the huge lake. She let out a calming sigh. She loved this place because it was so unlike Bastion. The Imperial capital was not a sprawling city, but it sure wasn’t paradise either. Places like Yavin IV were just so rare in the galaxy...uninhabited and, generally, untouched. But there was something else...

“I thought we were going to the mountains,” Cowan’s usual annoyed tone cut off her thoughts.

Cira turned around to see him idly wandering back and forth. Amazingly, he was ignoring the dirt covering his brown and grey tunic. Maybe he wasn’t such a brat after all. But she didn’t say anything in response. There was something else, and it was starting to bug her. Cira bit her lower lip and looked out across the lake again. What was that?

An idea struck her suddenly. And in a moment, she was pulling off her own dark blue tunic. That got a yelp of surprise from Cowan, “What are you doing?!”

“I’ll be right back,” she said flatly after stripping down to her underclothes. His surprise was only evidence that he hadn’t been to any of the nearby lakes with other students. No one way dumb enough to swim in their clothes, were they?

Not waiting for a response, and deciding it was best he didn’t stare at her like that anymore, Cira turned to the water and jumped in, swimming out for a short distance before finally diving down. There was something down there. She couldn’t see it amongst the rocks and muck at the bottom of the lake not far below, but she could feel it. Feel...yes. Not far though. After coming up for air, Cira took a deep breath and dove deeper, using the Force to feel out where exactly it was calling her to...


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 16, 2005)

*Chapter 5: The Clearing in the South*

In all honesty, the fact that Cira and Cowan had gotten ‘stuck’ together was not a random occurrence. It was the fault of their two other training companions, who were getting sick of the infighting between the two humans and decided to disappear into the forest before they could even ask who would go with who. And they had also gone south, deeper into the forests and away from where most of the students went. An hour and they hadn’t been found, so it looked like the plan had worked out well enough.

“Is it normally so quiet out here?” Esah asked, using a fin-like hand to move a larger branch out of the way to keep up with Gant’s pace.

He shrugged, and said over his shoulder, “The wildlife generally likes to stay away. They are...close, but far enough away.”

“Ah...right,” she stepped over a root and looked around. She couldn’t actually see anything beyond trees, leaves, roots, and dirt. Not counting her Miraluka companion, of course. Reaching out with the Force, though, she could feel the creatures that were keeping their distance. And he could ‘see’ them. Esah smiled to herself as she thought about what that would be like before asking, “So where are we going, anyway?”

“Well, the only others I know of that went this direction as far as we’ve gone so far were those Solo kids,” Gant said as he ducked under a large tree branch.

She followed, bending farther to make sure not to hit her larger head, as she remembered the rumors that had been flying around the Academy in the last couple of weeks, “Right, right. Found some old TIE fighter, didn’t they?”

“Something like that.”

“Then why are we going this way...?” the Mon Calamari asked just as she started to notice that the trees were separating and becoming far less dense.

At her question, Gant actually stopped and turned his head to ‘look’ at her. Or rather, probably to show her the smile on his face, “Because no one else does.”

Esah laughed and nodded, but couldn’t help shaking the feeling that this was the ‘right’ direction to go. They continued on for another ten minutes in silence. All the while, the trees began to separate more and more until, finally, it opened up into a large clearing. Sure, they could still see trees on all sides, but any clearing at all was large on Yavin IV. They walked out into the clearing, and Esah couldn’t help looking up. The overbearing orange of the gas giant, Yavin, hung there, outshining most of the sky’s blue. It was...still something she was getting used to, but always a constant reminder that Yavin IV was a moon, and not an actual planet.

“What does it look like?”

The words surprised Esah. She even jumped slightly and looked down from the sky to where Gant stood. His head was turned up, ‘looking’ at the sky but definitely not seeing it like she did. After a moment, she looked back up and said quietly, “It looks beautiful...what does it look like to you?”

There was a pause, and it was obvious he was trying to find a way to describe it. Probably in the same way she had tried to figure out how to explain the scene without describing colours. He didn’t know what colours were...or did he? But Gant cut off her thoughts by saying, “It looks beautiful.”

She smiled and laughed slightly, “One day I want you to explain to me just how the world looks to you.”

“Only if you explain the same to me,” Gant said with a grin, finally turning back down. His mouth opened to say something else, but no sound escaped. He turned around and looked back towards the direction they had originally been going in.

Esah took a step to the side and looked the same direction, but only saw the tree line, “What is it?”

“Something...close. I can...see it like I see Master Skywalker.”

That took a moment to translate, but when she figured it out, the Mon Calamari girl didn’t like it, “Strong in the Force, you mean?”

“Not that strong...but not like you or the others,” Gant clarified before kneeling down and seeming to ‘look’ harder. She could feel him reaching out with the Force.

Deciding it was a bad idea to just stand around, Esah also did her best to stretch out and feel the nearby area. It was a basic task, but something she found difficult, for some reason. Perhaps it was the ‘clear your mind’ part that always got her. But that didn’t matter...it worked, and she could feel something.

“Predator?” she asked, having the sudden feeling that they had been tracked and watched the entire time.

But Gant shook his head, “There aren’t any Force Sensitive predators on the moon...or at least, there shouldn’t be.”

“Another student then,” that time, Esah didn’t ask. It was the obvious next logical step.

But again, Gant shook his head, “You can feel it, too, can’t you? It feels like...like a predator.”

Esah sighed and nodded. Not only did it feel like a predator, but it felt like a very dangerous thing. Something that was waiting for just the right time to strike. And she could feel that...feel the need to strike. It was almost terrifying.

“Should we go back...?” despite the watery quality to her voice, Esah was very good at expressing worry so that everyone around her, no matter what the species, would get the message clearly.

“What does a predator do if you turn your back on it?” Gant asked, though it was definitely a question that did not need to be answered. It attacked. Which left one option.

“Master Skywalker’s going to kill you when we get back,” she was suddenly whispering, but just as Gant was back on his feet and slowly creeping towards the presence, she was doing the same. She wasn’t about to let him charge into this alone...and besides, she was just as curious.

Gant nodded, but then pointed ahead to where they could both feel the presence, “Stay alert...and don’t get separated.”

Ahead of them, just against the tree line, something moved.


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## Kylara (Sep 19, 2005)

I always really liked that series of books, I'd just about kill to play in a game in this setting.  Keep up the story hour.  

What were the character creation guidelines, out of curiosity?


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 19, 2005)

Kylara said:
			
		

> I always really liked that series of books, I'd just about kill to play in a game in this setting.  Keep up the story hour.
> 
> What were the character creation guidelines, out of curiosity?



 Pretty normal character creation...4d6 drop lowest for stats and all start at 4th level. I'll post up the PC stats within the week, and then add NPCs and such as they pop up in the story. Hopefully I'll keep up and not get behind...

Glad you like it.


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## Animus (Sep 19, 2005)

I'd have to day that I've always liked your work, be it your story hour or PbP stuff (I lurk there from time to time). You have a solid handle on the Star Wars universe.


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## Angcuru (Sep 21, 2005)

Kylara said:
			
		

> I always really liked that series of books, I'd just about kill to play in a game in this setting.  Keep up the story hour.



I've got some slots open in a PbP game if you're interested.     And yes, he must keep up with the story hour-y goodness.


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## Kylara (Sep 21, 2005)

Angcuru said:
			
		

> I've got some slots open in a PbP game if you're interested.     And yes, he must keep up with the story hour-y goodness.




Its the setting and the atmosphere of the Young Jedi Knights series of books that does it for me.  All I can say is I am waiting with bated breath for the next update


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 22, 2005)

Really glad you all like this.  Sorry for lack of update yesterday...insanely busy this week(family member in hospital, nothing serious, but I've been stuck doing the organizing of phone calls and such from the rest of the family).

I WILL post the update tonight(along with the usual Wednesday update to my other SH ).

And as a random note, obviously, I too love the YJK time period. In fact, the whole New Republic(pre-NJO) era is probably my absolute favourite era. But the YJK books just really did something for me when I read them. Absolutely loved them, despite how odd some of the events that occured were. Was just a lot of fun to read, and its why Jacen Solo's my favorite of the Star Wars characters now.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 22, 2005)

*Chapter 6: We Aren't Alone*

Sitting at the edge of the water, Cowan sighed. It was boring out here. Sure, it was a nice place to look at, but that only worked for so long. Once you’d been on Yavin IV for more than a month, it was just another lake with forest around it. In the end, they were all pretty much the same. Though, truthfully, all the ancient columns and other stones that had interesting engravings on them were at least mildly interesting.

With another look over the water, he wondered if Cira had drowned. It had been a good while since she’d dove down under the water. But no, bodies would usually float up, wouldn’t they? Cowan shrugged to himself. She’d be up eventually. Then they could keep going and get back and he wouldn’t have to even see her for another twelve or so hours. And that brought up another tangent. Had he really been here so long that he was no longer phased in any way by an at least relatively attractive young woman stripping down to her underclothes?

Apparently, he had, and Cowan wasn’t even sure if that was a bad thing or not. But it was something. Another random thought to take up time while he waited for her to reappear. His excuse for simply sitting there was, currently, that he was guarding her tunic. Not that he would stop anyone that happened to walk by and take it...but this was Yavin IV, and nothing like that ever happened anyway...so he was back to sitting and being useless only a second after coming up with an excuse.

And then, finally, a hand escaped from the water. A moment later, Cira’s head appeared and she was gasping for breath. He sat up slightly, noticing that she was still holding her arm above the water. She was...holding something. Cowan tried to look harder but couldn’t make out whatever it was. So, he waited until she’d managed to swim closer before asking the obvious, “What is that?”

Without actually saying anything, Cira threw the thing his direction. It flew in a long arc, and Cowan had to jump back slightly and reach out to catch it. And, of course, it hurt. After yelping out of surprise more than actual pain, he realized he was holding a small(and sharp edged) clear blue crystal of some kind or another. He flipped it over and idly inspecting it and, when she had gotten out of the water and had a seat in the grass not too far from him, he asked the next question, “Where was it?”

At first, it sounded as if Cira wasn’t going to dignify that with an answer, but she lay back and did her best not to use any sarcasm at all(as there was enough tension between them as is, and she was getting tired of it), “Small cave down there. I think someone else has been there...that one was all that was left.”

“Ah...” Cowan trailed off before tossing it back over to her, “Guess that means we have to keep going.”

Cira caught it gracefully and then lay the small crystal down on her tunic which was still on the ground next to her, “Its still early in the day, we have time.”

With nothing to say to that, the usual silence returned. Cowan forced back a sigh as he did his best to think. No...not think. Feel. The best way to get back and be done with this was to find where the Force was calling him to. So...do that, then away from Cira, and no more annoyances until the next day. Some break was better than none, at least.

“You want to start moving on or keep resting for a little while longer?” Cira broke the silence with a tone that any normal person would have identified as friendly, and even attempting to be helpful, but, of course, Cowan didn’t see it that way. To him, it just sounded pushy any annoying.

This time, he did allow himself a dramatic sigh before glancing over to her, “I was waiting on you.”

As he idly dusted himself and got back to his feet, Cira sighed, too. One day, she was just going to give up trying with him. She was beginning to think he was just trying to provoke her to get into a fight with him so he had an excuse to start claiming that he was right all along. Not that she would give him the pleasure of that, but one day she was going to harm him if he kept this up.

“Just a second, then,” she said calmly before getting up and trying her best to get the rest of the dirt off of her before pulling on her tunic and the rest of her clothes again. She didn’t mind being damp, so it wasn’t really a problem at all. After clasping the belt and putting the crystal in one of them small pockets attached to said belt, she tried to straighten out the deep blue tunic before motioning off in a random direction, “Lead on.”

Cowan had, intelligently for once, been reaching out with the Force to the best of his ability and trying to focus. When he saw her point, though, he’d figured out a direction and shook his head, “This way.”

He started them north even more. They headed back into the thick jungle and towards the mountains that were no longer very far off. An hour and they were in the foothills, with the jungle turning into more of a loose collection of trees that was probably more of a forest now...if there was such a difference. And, thankfully, they were closer now. Cowan could feel that much. It was just a matter of determining exactly where he needed to go and then finding out how to get there.

“Cira,” he said the word over his shoulder in a tone that was very surprising. It wasn’t as antagonistic as usual. In fact, it was almost friendly.

Almost worried by this, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “Yeah?”

“Did you hear that?” this time he stopped and turned to face her. There was an look of concentration on his face, which was definitely trying to mask at least a hint of fear.

“Nooo...” she said more quietly this time, trying to focus on the sounds of the forest around them, “What am I listening for?”

Cowan waited to respond. Then, after a moment, he nodded, “That.”

Now confused, Cira shook her head slowly and tried not to wonder if the Thyferran was losing his mind. She bit her lower lip before saying slowly, “Still not hearing it...”

“I thought you were supposed to be better at this outdoors surviving than I am!” Cowan suddenly growled and threw up his arms in frustration, “It wasn’t even that quiet! I don’t see how you cou----“

The words were not so much cut off as drowned out...drowned out by a deep, and of course, very loud roar. It lasted for at least ten seconds, and the echo another twenty. When it had finally passed, the two young apprentices stared straight at each other, eyes wide and gaping.

Finally, Cowan managed to mumble, “...something like that, actually.”

Cira allowed herself a very slow nod, with one hand managing to move in slow motion to the blaster pistol that was on her hip, “...I did hear that.”

The only sound that followed for a few moments other than Cira removing her blaster pistol and checking the power pack in it. After that, she whispered, “Why are we not running from here?”

This was the part Cowan hadn’t been sure about. This was also the part he was really starting to hate. But he then got his own blaster pistol out and nodded towards the direction they were going(which just happened to also be the direction the angry roar had originated from), “I think I need to go that way.”

“Typical,” Cira said with a sigh and the slightly hint of a grin.

The same tiny expression tugged at Cowan’s face, “Yeah...at least we’ll have a good story to tell tonight.”

“Let’s just make sure we’re able to tell it.”


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 23, 2005)

*Chapter 7: We Aren't Alone Either*

It was not the movement at the edge of the forest that caused a sudden panic in both Gant and Esah. That was not a problem at all, as it could have easily been an animal of some kind. However, as the two of them moved around and slowly towards the tree line where they saw the movement, there was a sound that turned both of them to ice.

_Snap-hiss!_

The Mon Calamari and Miraluka exchanged a sudden glance of terror between each other. Only one thing in the entire galaxy made that sound. Esah’s hand was immediately going to the blaster pistol at her belt, and she was starting to worry about the fact that Gant had(yet again) refused to carry a weapon. They could both feel the aggression seeping from the tree line.

And then, a half second later, there was more movement. Esah’s large eyes were only able to catch a red and black blur shoot out of the trees and straight for them. Thanks to the Force, she jumped back and out of the way of the loud thrumming red blade that slashes straight through where both she and Gant had been standing. While her hand continue to fumble for the blaster pistol, her eyes tried to take in the figure that was no longer a blur in front of her.

Human. Definitely human...male? Yes. A little shorter than she was and probably about the same age as Cowan was. Black tunic...black robe...short, close-cropped blonde hair...two piercing yellow eyes glared at her next to the glowing red of the lightsaber in the young man’s hands.

“Die Jedi scum!” the human growled just as she got the blaster up and aimed at him. But he was moving again, too. Two steps forward and the lightsaber was swinging in a long arc to cut her across the waist. Somehow, Esah managed to twist around the swing. Remembering the meager combat training she’d been given so far, Esah saw the opening and ignore that there was a blaster in her left hand. Instead, she stepped into the young human, so close that he wouldn’t be able to bring his lightsaber around to swing at her, and drove her elbow into his stomach.

He gasped painfully, but managed to bring an arm around to punch her hard across the head. Esah stumbled back a few steps, dropping her blaster in the process as the world was spinning around her, and tried to do her best not to fall to the ground, too. And then, just as the human was preparing to run her through, he was sent flying forward and past her, face first into the dirt.

The Mon Calamari blinked, but then saw Gant moving closer. She noticed, also, that his robes were burnt across the left side. That hadn’t been there a few seconds earlier...

But she could hear movement behind her, and spun around to make sure her back was not to their attacker. He was back on his feet now, taking two steps away and raising his crimson coloured lightsaber in front of him in a defensive position that both of them were able to recognized. Immediately, Esah went for the blaster pistol on the ground, attempting to use the Force to call it to her hand. That brought their attacker out of his defensive stance.

He quickly dove forward at her, slicing down to take off her fin-shaped hand that was extended out towards the blaster pistol. But it was now very apparent that this young man was definitely young. He ignored Gant, and so the Miraluka quickly took advantage of this. The human wasn’t even close to Esah when Gant’s fist connected with his face.

There was a loud crack, followed by a cry of pain. This time, though, it was their attacker that stumbled back, his nose broken and bleeding. By now, the blaster pistol was in Esah’s hand, and she quickly spun it around to aim it at the human, “Do not move!”

For a second, he froze. In that short second, a fear could be seen in his eyes. It was deep, ingrained, and so potent that Esah was amazed the young man didn’t just run off then and there. But it only lasted for that second. When it had passed, a look of pure rage replaced it, and he let out an angry growl before charging forward recklessly.

The lightsaber swung in another long arc, but this time at lightning fast speed. The Force saved the two Jedi apprentices. Gant sidestepped the swipe, though the tip of the lightsaber left another burn mark across his tunic, an he quickly reacted by calling on the Force and launching it at their attacker as a huge, heavy wall. It slammed into the young man just as Esah ducked under the horizontal swing. He was sent back a good two meters, before another distinct sound shot out through the clearing.

Two sounds, actually. Both of them were the same sound, just as distinct as that of a lightsaber, and one that was all too common, also. Blaster fire.

Gant did not actually have to turn his head to see, but rather turn his focus in the Force. He did this, ‘looking’ from the empty place where their attacker had been to where his Mon Calamari companion was. She held her blaster pistol stretched out and aimed forward, though there was a look of surprise on her face(something that Gant had found was hard to identify, but instead gathered it from feeling her emotions rather than from ‘sight’). Shifting his vision along the path of the blaster’s aim, he saw the young human was on his back on the ground, sprawled out and lightsaber deactivated.

There were two black scorch marks on his chest.

In the silence, he suddenly became aware of another sound. Breathing. Heavy breathing...from Esah.

“Are you alright?” he asked, turning his focus back to her to make sure she hadn’t been injured.

Esah whispered in a distinctly watery voice, “I shouldn’t have done that...”

“He would have killed us,” Gant said calmly, suddenly realizing what her problem was, “It was an act of self defense. You did not murder him.”

Slowly, her head turned to face him, and eventually she managed a small nod. When she finally spoke again, she asked a question they were both thinking, “Who is that...?”

Gant shook his head, “I do not know. I...do not recognize him.”

“We should take him...um...” Esah paused a moment, then corrected herself, “...the body back to Master Skywalker.”

“I agree,” the Miraluka said with a nod before stepping over to pick up the smaller human. Over his shoulder, Gant said, “Whoever he was...whatever he was doing here, I do not think that Master Skywalker is going to like this.”

Esah sighed and nodded while she carefully holstered the blaster pistol, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”


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## Tamlyn (Sep 23, 2005)

We'll I'm officially hooked. I've had no experience with SW d20 or the book series, but thanks to your 2 SH's I'm about to dig into both. Thanks for opening my eyes!

~Tam


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 29, 2005)

*Chapter 8: Predator*

The forest had gone eerily silent. The only thing that Cira could hear was her and Cowan’s breathing. They had stood there in the same spot, blasters ready and eyes looking up the hill ahead of them where the distance roar had originated from. But nothing had happened. Nothing at all...so little nothing that both of them were extremely worried.

“We need to go that way...right?” Cira whispered, barely breaking the horrible silence.

Cowan nodded, and soon realized that she was waiting on him to make the first move. Besides, she’d gotten what she was out here for. It also might have had to do with the fact that she was at least a little afraid of what might be up there waiting on them...not that she wouldn’t still shoot at it, but it would be nice not to be the front line with someone like Cowan(who might not shoot to keep her alive) behind her.

As carefully as he could, Cowan started up the steep hill, stepping around one of the nearest trees in the process. Cira was behind him by only a few paces, her blaster pistol up and ready for any movement, and her mind stretching out with the Force as best she could manage. From the feel of it, Cowan was attempting the same thing.

They made it up to the top of the hill without being mauled. It led up to what looked to be the foothills of the jungle-covered mountains. The ground rose and fell for as far as they could see...which, in fact, wasn’t very far at all because of the extremely dense population of trees and underbrush. They exchanged glances to make sure the other hadn’t noticed anything, and Cowan started forward again.

He made it a step and a half. Suddenly, there was loud, predatory growl and a blur of movement. The dark coloured blur shot out of a small ditch in front of them, diving forward like a lightning bolt and slamming into Cowan hard...and claws first, he quickly discovered. The force of the impact sent Cowan back and onto the ground below, nearly sending him back down the steep hill and head first into one of the trees. Thankfully, though, he didn’t make it that far, and the creature’s claws simply dug into his chest deeper as they raked across him. It was, sadly, better than the alternative.

Now, though, Cira was actually able to see the thing. It was a large, black furred feline creature of some sort, with a thick tail, two long ears that were hard to miss, and powerful legs with extremely sharp looking claws extended out from the paws. Trying to ignore the fact that the thing was tearing at Cowan, she lined up her blaster and squeezed off a quick shot.

The loud sound of the blaster bolt echoed through the still silent jungle and likely did more than the actual shot itself...which went high over the feline’s back. But it did enough to get the thing’s attention. Its head spun around to glare at Cira with two angry, deep green eyes, and it even took a short moment to bear sharp fangs before pouncing at her.

She was ready, though, and dove to the side and out of the way. Landing in a roll, Cira’s arm thrashed out to wildly in the general direction of the creature and she attempted to fire off another blaster shot at it. The shot, unsurprisingly, missed. Instead of finding its mark, it found a tree and sent splinters of wood showering a small area around it. The feline ducked its head away from this before charging forward at her again, barring its fangs as it did.

Out of the corner of her vision, she caught sight of more movement, and so wasn’t at all shocked to hear the sound of another blaster shot. Cowan had managed to sit up slightly(while ignoring the searing pain of the slashes across his chest) and fire off a shot...a fairly well aimed one, too. The red bolt struck the feline creature in its side, throwing it off its path for Cira and to the ground with a snarl.

But it wasn’t down yet. It made a defiant sound as it climbed up to its feet again, making a sudden pounce at Cira, again. Though she hadn’t gotten to her feet yet, she managed to line up a shot and pull the trigger in a second. The red blaster bolt slammed hard into the creature’s head, burning and ruining the fur and skin. The only sound to be heard was a stifled yelp of pain, followed by a very heavy thud as the thing hit the ground.

The unhealthy silence returned.

It was broken only a few seconds later, though, by a loud groan from Cowan, followed by another thud. Cira looked that direction, noting that he had not, in fact, died. Instead, he’d simply lain back down on the ground, though he didn’t look to be in the greatest of shape.

“You alright?” she eventually asked after holstering her blaster pistol and idly nudging the downed feline with her boot.

There was a groan from Cowan, and he raised an arm to wave it idly in the air. It was a sign she interpreted as a yes. Despite that, though, she figured it would be a good idea to confirm this. Stepping around one of the larger trees, she looked down at the other younger human. The tunic he wore had four long slices down his chest. They looked to have gotten through to the skin, as there was a faint red tint of blood, but it definitely wasn’t deep.

Leaning over to look him in the eye and get his attention, Cira asked, “Planning to get up?”

“No...” he mumbled, looking away and down the hill again, “Comfortable here.”

“Fine then,” Cira shrugged and started down the hill very slowly, “I’ll just leave you here until some friends of that thing track down the smell.”

“No, wait!” Cowan’s reflexes were fast, but she was now out of reach of his arm so he couldn’t grab even her ankle. This meant he resorted to the next series of limbs, and kicked at her in an attempt to get her to stop. This did not, however, go as planned. His foot caught her in the back of the knee, and the next thing Cira knew, she was face first into one of the larger trees and her entire body hurt.

Now it was her turn to groan. Her muffled, and now annoyed, voice sounded without her head moving, “Cowan. Get up. Find the crystal. Now.”

It was a tone he couldn’t argue with. And so, he did get up as quickly as he could, but resisted the temptation to try and make things better by helping her off of the tree. Cowan quickly figured out that this would likely have been a bad idea. She’d probably overreact, anyway. Instead, he decided to wait until she was back, and then very carefully went back to leading the way...at least he could feel the Force pulling him to a location that wasn’t that far off.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 1, 2005)

*Chapter 9: Another Jedi Master...Another Lecture*

“You didn’t have to kill him,” Master Kenth Hamner said in his usual straight-to-the-point tone. He was a tall man, with a broad shouldered stature and sharp-lined features. He was also one of Master Skywalker’s original students, and now back at the Academy and assisting Master Skywalker in training new students. Currently, he was also the only one that Esah and Gant could find.

Though the Mon Calamari seemed slightly hurt by this accusation, Gant was unfazed, “He meant to kill us.”

The Jedi Master nodded slowly at that, but turned to face Gant’s eyeless gaze carefully. The two men were about the same height, but it was obvious who the Master was from the way Hamner spoke, “You didn’t have to kill him.”

Knowing that Gant was going to be stubborn, Esah stepped up and said softly, “We are sorry, Master...but there was not time to think. We...I...I have never been in such a situation before.”

Again, Master Hamner nodded, but his gaze seemed to soften slightly, “You did well to come out unscathed.”

Though he was talking to Esah, he was undoubtedly referring to the two lightsaber burn marks across Gant’s tunic that had somehow not reached the skin below. But nothing else was said on that topic, as Master Hamner turned to the small, cylindrical object that the two apprentices had also handed to him. The lightsaber that they had taken from the attacker was generic and basic. No style or personal touches at all. Even in his limited experience with fighting Dark Siders, Master Hamner knew that this didn’t fit. Everyone put their personal touch into their lightsabers. Which meant...

“Master,” Esah broke the train of thought in a very careful way, and when Master Hamner’s face cleared of the look of concentration, she went on, “I’ve...we’ve heard rumors about a...a Shadow Academy. What if this person came from there?”

“I believe he did,” the Jedi Master said quietly, turning back to look at the body lain out over an old console in what was once a control room that the Rebel Alliance had used decades earlier. Now it was just a room that got used when it was the most convenient, “And if that’s true, he got here somehow.”

Gant was the one to first pick up on where that was going to. Though he had no eyes to show it, Master Hamner and Esah both picked up the wave of thought that resonated from the Miraluka through the Force. Noticing he was being waited on, Gant asked, “You want us to search for a ship?”

“Or signs of a ship,” Master Hamner said with a nod. He then showed his more tactical minded outlook on things, “It could easily have been a drop off. But we will not know unless we check.”

There was a hesitation in the air. At first, it felt like a general feeling that was simply there...which wouldn’t be all that surprising, considering what had just happened to the two young apprentices. But it soon became apparent that this feeling resonated from the blue-skinned Mon Calamari. And, slowly, both the others turned to look to her calmly. When she realized this, she shrunk down a little(and would have blushed if Mon Calamari could), and said quietly, “W-w-what if there are others...?”

“Then remember that your blasters have stun settings,” the Jedi Master said with the slightly of grins on his face. He quickly added, “Try to avoid fighting. You both know the basics very well, otherwise Master Skywalker would not have put you on the path to constructing your lightsabers...” he paused, glanced to Gant, then tried again, “Lightsaber. You are now going to have to learn what all of those lessons you learned really mean.”

Esah opened her mouth to say something else, but decided it would just be repeating herself and Master Hamner just wasn’t the kind of person that was easy to ask for sympathy from. The aura of strength he gave off just seemed to negate any of that. So she decided to say nothing, staying silent and simply nodding.

The Jedi Master then turned away and stepped over to another console that had probably not been activated since the Battle of Yavin all those years ago. He picked up a few things, then returned to the two apprentices, handing them both the objects, “A comlink, survival kit, and a tracking beacon.”

If Gant had any eyebrows under the thick cloth he wore over where his eyes should have been, they would have raised at that, “A survival kit?”

“Always be prepared,” Master Hamner intoned, a phrase they’d heard from him far too often, “If there are others out there, it is best to take every precaution.”

Both of the apprentices nodded. He was right, of course. And, at this point, neither of them were going to turn down carrying an extra medkit with them...the weight was worth it. As was the tracking beacon. They divided the things amongst each other, fitting them to their belts or placing things in pockets, and in a matter of minutes were ready to leave again.

Master Hamner led them to the turbolift and went down to the hangar with them. He even quietly followed them out and to the forest’s edge, which got a few looks from some of the other students. Just as the two started off into the forest to the south again, the Jedi Master spoke up, “Be careful, be alert, and trust the Force.”

They stopped and nodded to him, saying at the same time but in completely different voices, “Yes, Master.”

He let them get a few more steps into the trees before adding, “And remember, you are still supposed to find crystals. Master Skywalker won’t like it if I let you get away with not doing that.”


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 1, 2005)

Finally stopped being lazy...here's the link to the PC stats. Should be posting NPC stats and other similar things as we come across them in the story hour. 

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=150869


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 5, 2005)

Sorry about lack of update...I've kind of slacked off in both SHs thanks to classes. Had two papers due and an exam tomorrow, so I've been swamped with all of that. However, I shall post the update that was meant for today(tuesday), later tomorrow(errr...wednesday, damn its already wednesday).


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 6, 2005)

*Chapter 10: Darkness*

The foothills of the jungle-covered mountains were difficult to navigate even for someone as surefooted as Cira normally was. The two young humans were still heading north, following nothing at all except for the guidance of a feeling that Cowan had. They were both being much more careful, though, since the attack of that animal just ten minutes earlier. Cowan, despite the long scratch marks across his chest left from the attack, was still leading the way, climbing up steep inclines with the help of tree branches and outstretched roots, all the while feeling something growing stronger and stronger.

It was close...very close.

“You dead?” Cira’s voice shook Cowan back into reality, causing him to jump slightly and realize he’d been standing in one place for close to five minutes, staring blankly at nothing in particular.

“Uh...no,” the words came out before he realized it was Cira there, still. Normally, he would have been short with her, more out of habit than anything. But why had he stopped like that? Think...feel. Reach out. Remember what Master Skywalker taught you...

There.

Cowan blinked, then his eyes followed the bright, pulsing sensation he could feel in the Force. Eventually, they landed on a small, dark spot off about ten meters to the left and up against one of the many inclines that showed the foothills were quickly becoming mountains. It didn’t feel like anything he’d ever experienced...it was not an emotion, or even an indistinct thought process like most animals were. Instead, it was just...strong. There. Pulling at the back of his mind like a tow cable.

Caution brought his hand down to the blaster pistol, drawing it from its holster and readying the weapon as he slowly started walking towards the dark spot. Cira stared at him blankly and let him get about ten paces away before finally drawing her own blaster and following, muttering to herself about him not saying and thing and just walking off like that. She was long past wondering whether he tried to annoy her on purpose. By this point, she was sure he did that...just not always when.

The Thyferran stopped a good three meters from the dark spot, which Cira now noticed was his aim. It was dark because the branches of the trees overhead seemed to come together more right above it than in the surrounding area. There were many spots like that throughout the jungle, so it didn’t surprise or worry either of them. But looking closer, Cira immediately noticed that this was darker...and quickly figured out why.

“I should probably go first,” she said, glancing over to try to make sure he was actually listening to her instead of standing there with that blank look again.

Cowan blinked again, then turned to show a somewhat confused look, “Why would you do that? I should be going first.”

“Yes...well...” Cira trailed off, shrugging idly and trying to ignore the dark strands of hair that suddenly fell in front of her eyes, “...you’re a bit injured. Or hadn’t you noticed that?”

Slowly, Cowan looked down at his slightly shredded tunic as if he hadn’t even noticed it before, “Oh...right. Of course. Yeah I...I guess that’s a good idea.”

Amazed at how cooperative he was being, Cira decided not to push her luck and started forward to what she was now sure was not simply a dark spot, but a small opening to some kind of animal’s den...or possibly a shallow cave. Whatever it was, it most definitely went in. She stepped over to it, reaching out with the Force first to make sure nothing jumped out, then when she was sure, stuck her head in. The hole was just big enough for her to squeeze in from the looks of it, but it looked to widen a little ways down. Or at least...she hoped it did. Otherwise it would be very cramped and simply pitch black.

“You’re sure you want to go in there?” Cira asked over her shoulder, suddenly not liking the idea of going in at all.

Cowan nodded and walked over to have a look into the blackness, too. After a moment, he sighed and nodded, “There’s something in there. Its...strong. You can stay out here, if you’d prefer.”

“No, I’ll lead the way,” Cira mumbled. Besides, it was too late to back out now. Staying back would probably just make things worse in the end, and she was at least slightly curious as to what could possibly be in such a cramped space.

She took a deep breath, checked with the Force one more time, then crawled in. It was tight on all sides...dirt from the feel of it. But there was enough room to move, and Cira was able to crawl her way a good distance before she heard a sound behind her. Not that she could turn around to see, but she was relatively sure the noise was Cowan. That this point, if it wasn’t, there wasn’t all that much she’d be able to do about it anyway.

Crawling onwards in the near pitch black of the...tunnel, Cira started to wonder how it was being held up. From what she could tell, it was all dirt, with only the occasional rock to dig into her side or stomach. Considering that the ground itself continued to go up from the entrance, they had to be under at least five or so meters of solid(well, relatively at least) dirt. Maybe the nearby tree roots were helping, but it still seemed far too perfect to be natural.

And then it got wider. And brighter. And immediately, Cira froze.

After a long pause in which she heard Cowan’s muffled questions behind her, she decided that it was best to let him see for herself. Carefully and slowly, she crawled out completely until she could turn around, then looked back at Cowan and pointed to the faint light ahead, “You need to see this.”

He crawled out and had to look back at her a few times before being sure he was not, actually, seeing things. In front of them, the entire place opened up into a very large chamber that was probably about the size of the docking bay in the lowest level of the main Academy Temple. All along the walls were small glowrods at equal distances to provide a dim, but adequate, light to see the entire chamber. And there was a lot to see. There were small structures throughout, all of them quite obviously made of some kind of metal, some of the shapes even reminded Cira of starship parts...but, thankfully, there were no full ships that she could actually see.

But what really caught their eyes were the figures moving about. Hundreds of them. All human, or at least near human, from what they could tell, but Cira and Cowan were laying up on a ledge high above the floor level and so couldn’t get a very clear view of things. They could, however, see the bright red glow in multiple places and hear the very distinct sound of lightsabers thrumming.

After a deep breath, Cira quietly whispered, “I think you’re going to have some trouble getting a crystal in here.”


((A short little thing that's actually unrelated to the SH. If you haven't done so already, go check out this thread and vote on the 2006 ENnies Judges. This is my first year running, and, yes, I'd like it if you'd vote for me, but I won't stop updating these SHs if I don't win. ))


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 7, 2005)

*Chapter 11: Our Plans*

“I don’t like this,” Esah whispered, ducking her blue head back behind the large tree that she and Gant were currently using as cover.

He was sitting with his back against it, still in the same slightly burned tunic, with his head facing the direction they had come from. However, Esah could feel his ‘vision’ was instead aimed back behind him and where she had just been looking. It was still unnerving to think he could face one way but be ‘looking’ a completely different direction.

“I do not understand how so many could arrive with the shield up and still go undetected,” the Miraluka whispered.

Carefully, Esah risked another glance around the tree. They were still deep in the forest, not too far south of the main Academy Temple complete. They had gone past the clearing where they had first encountered their attacker, and hadn’t gotten far before realizing it would be a good idea to take some cover and think.

There was a camp. Or at least, something similar to a camp. At least six different tents of sorts were spread through the thick section, masked by their dark colour and the trees and underbrush that were all over the place. It wasn’t too hard to spot the many different figures moving about, and at least a few other guards watching the outskirts diligently. According to Gant, there were at least thirty people there, all of whom resonated so strongly in the Force that even Esah had little trouble in detecting them.

“What are we supposed to do?” the Mon Calamari asked, turning back and glancing to the comlink she held in her hand.

Gant shook his head, “Too dangerous to send a message back to the Temple. We can’t risk that they might be able to intercept it.”

She sighed and managed a slow nod, “You’re right...but I don’t like the idea of running back and leaving whoever these people are out here.”

There was a short pause before Gant said quietly, “Neither do I.”

Silence. Both of them carefully reached out with the Force again, making sure to keep their own presence hidden enough to not give away the fact that they were only about fifteen meters out from the camp. Then, after drawing back again, Esah decided she was going to have to be the one to say it, “Master Skywalker will kill us.”

“Probably,” Gant agreed in a serious, matter-of-fact tone.

Esah managed a nod, looking up at the forest’s canopy far above them, “So what do we do?”

This required more time for the both of them to consider every possible option that wouldn’t get them killed. There were, thankfully, few options left so it didn’t take much time to go through them. Having considered everything, Gant suggested, “We can’t do any serious damage...but we can cause them problems.”

“Yes, but wouldn’t it be bad if they know that we know they’re here?” Esah asked, then blinked to make sure she understood the words she’d spoken. She knew that she had a habit of making things sound more complicated than they really were, and this time had nearly confused herself.

Gant, at least, understood what she meant, “Then we can’t do anything directly. Nothing that would arouse any suspicion. They obviously want to be hidden, so they have to think they’re still hidden no matter what we do.”

More silence as they both considered the few options left. At this point, everything they could think of was being eliminated far too quickly and it was starting to look like turning back and letting the Jedi Master’s know was about all they could do without making the situation any worse than it already was.

But Esah’s mind continued to latch onto one idea, and so, finally, she decided to see if Gant could find problems with it, “What if we get some of the local animals to attack them?”

Gant turned his head to face her, a gesture she knew was more out of kindness so that she didn’t feel odd talking to the side of his face than anything, then said quietly, “That could work. However, I’ve never been very good at understanding the minds of animals.”

“Neither am I,” the Mon Calamari said under her breath, but then shrugged and said, “Why do we have to be, though? Can’t we just get the things angry with us and lead them to the camp here?”

“Maybe...” Gant whispered, thinking it over, “But how do we shift their attention to the encampment? They’ll surely be tracking our scent.”

“Then we give them a false scent,” Esah said, a grin creeping onto her face. Gant’s face, however, looked confused and he was about to argue that. Immediately, though, Esah knew what the problem was and cut him off, “Use the Force to convince the animals that we continued into the camp. I think even I could do that.”

Gant laughed slightly, “Probably. That is simple enough.”

So, very carefully and still trying to remain hidden behind the large tree, Esah got to her feet and dusted her tunic off with his webbed hands. She waited for Gant to also get to her feet before looking back towards the direction they had come from, “Now...what do we go after?”

Gant smiled and began to carefully lead the way back towards the clearing, “Something big enough to cause more trouble than we would...” he trailed off, thinking about the area, “I’ve got an idea.”

“Uh-oh,” Esah mumbled, recognizing that tone of voice right away, “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

“Because you know I like to wander out here on my own everyday,” Gant said over his shoulder once they had reached the clearing. He then turned to the east and started that way, “And because it would be more fun to use a whole pack instead of just one animal.”


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 12, 2005)

*Chapter 12: First Test*

It took a long hour and a half to return to the main Academy Temple, and when Cira and Cowan returned they found the place in chaos. Of course, chaos to that place wasn’t anywhere near chaos anywhere else in the galaxy. However, seeing students and a few Masters quickly moving from here to there across the grounds with an obvious sense of worry and near panic on their minds was definitely close enough to count as chaos. At least a few were in groups, going through motions that looked to Cira like a very rushed kind of combat training with some of the younger students.

They plowed through a crowd and into the docking bay, silently agreeing to hunt down someone that would actually tell them what was going on. Easier said that done, of course. But after only a few paces into the hangar, in which they noticed the distinct shape of a YT-1300 transport that hadn’t been there earlier, the familiar and strong voice of Master Kenth Hamner called out.

“Cira! Cowan!” the two of them spun to see the tall Jedi Master jogging over to them from behind one of the small transport ships that usually ran supplies to the Academy.

“Master!” Cira let out a sigh of relief, “What is going on here?!”

Master Hamner came to a stop a few paces from the two apprentices, not even giving a glance around to the people moving everywhere around them and said in a void that could almost have been tired, “The Solo twins have just gotten back and they haven’t brought us any good news.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Cowan mumbled under his breath.

The Jedi Master didn’t seem to take notice, “The Shadow Academy is preparing an attack on us here on Yavin IV. They could be here within the hour.”

The two humans went silent. Yes, they knew about the Shadow Academy. It was hard not to. A small, hyperspace capable training academy run by some former student of Master Skywalker’s who was now completely bent on reviving the Empire in all its former ‘glory’, whatever that was. Even Cira couldn’t grasp that. But the point was, it was well known that they were preparing some kind of attack, but never known when...and it had only been a few months since the discovery of the Shadow Academy. Everyone had expected more time before an attack.

And despite all this, Cowan surprised himself by asking, “Where are Gant and Esah?”

“They went out to do a quick survey to the south,” Master Hamner responded quickly, “They ran into what was probably a scout for the Shadow Academy earlier.”

Cira and Cowan exchanged a careful look. Then, Cira decided it was her turn and said carefully, “There’s something up in the northern hills, too.”

The Jedi Master didn’t actually say anything, but his look said everything she needed to know. Quickly, she did her best to describe the small place, knowing full well that the entrance they had found was very likely not the main one at all. There was simply too much in that large cavern to necessitate everyone crawling in like that. Once she had finished, Master Hamner was still silent in a way that worried the two young Jedi. After a moment, though, he motioned for them to follow and led them into one of the small control rooms for the hangar that looked to be halfway through a conversion into a defensive position.

He reached over into a pile of various equipment and then, after retrieving something, extended two objects to the both of them. Neither needed a second to think what the cylindrical shapes were. Lightsabers. Both apprentices looked up in a mild form of shock, but Master Hamner simply extended them more, “You’ve trained with practice blades, you can use these.”

There was a pause where both of them carefully took the weapons, running their hands over the cold metal and trying to not look as amazed as they were. When they said nothing, the Jedi Master went on, “Yes, I know this is sooner than you expected, but we don’t have a choice anymore. You both know basic combat techniques and what to do in case of this kind of attack. But right now, you do not need to focus on that. Clear your minds, focus, and head to the south. Find Gant and Esah and bring them back here as quickly as you can. We can’t have students spread out through the jungles at a time like this, no matter how important what they’re doing could be.”

It was a natural reaction for the both of them to simply nod. But after a short second, Cowan stopped himself and asked, “What about what we found?”

“It will be dealt with,” Master Hamner’s response was short as he started to lead them back out into the hangar, “Get back here as quickly as you can. I don’t how long we have until the attack, but I promise you that we aren’t going to escape it. The New Republic doesn’t have a fleet within two days hyperspace trip from here, so we are on our own.”

They sighed together and nodded. It was Cira, this time, who said quietly, “Yes, Master.”

“Clear your minds,” Master Hamner intoned again, “Trust your feelings and do not worry. We will make it through this.”

Again, they nodded. It was easier said than done, but the Jedi Masters had always told them that the Force would test them one day. If this wasn’t that day, they had no idea when it would be. By the time the two humans had left Master Hamner behind and reached the jungle’s edge, they were running. Running as fast as they could and forgetting and previous difficulties between each other. This was more important than that. They could argue later.

And then, high above them, there was an explosion. Instinctively, their eyes shot up, looking up through the thick canopy above to see the soft blue sky...which had just shimmered green. The colour of the energy shield around the main section of the Academy. And there was a plume of flame. Another. Another explosion. And another.

Blurs of movement could be seen far above, and it wasn’t another second before the distinct shriek of TIE fighters reached their ears.

“By the Force...” Cowan whispered, his eyes turned back down to see Cira’s white face. Gaping with shock and surprise, they stared at each other for a long moment, hoping it was just a bad dream. Praying to anything that was in control of the galaxy that it wasn’t real. But it was. They could feel it. And that meant their friends were out there in the jungle, alone, and cut off from the rest of the Jedi.

Without another word, they ran south.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 18, 2005)

*Chapter 13: We're Late*

After only a few minutes, Gant had led Esah back north, across the clearing and then east a short ways. The ground did its usual dipping and rising through the forest, making it an interesting trek when one couldn’t actually set eyes on the ground below, but soon they came to a stop and Gant carefully pointed through the thick trees to a small patch of green ahead of them.

“There,” he whispered as quietly as possible, “Just under the lower branches.”

Esah leaned in to peer closer. She could feel the whatever-they-were in the Force without even trying, but actually laying eyes on them was much more difficult. But, after a few seconds of careful watching, she caught a soft movement right where Gant had pointed. In an equally quiet voice, she asked, “What are they?”

“Some kind of hawk-bat,” Gant answered, kneeling down to get a half-step closer.

“Hawk-bat?!” Esah tried not to yell, “You said pack! Pack implies canine! Not hawk-bats!”

Gant stopped his slow movement to ‘look’ over his shoulder at her and mumble, “I’m not an expert on animals.”

“Obviously,” Esah rolled her eyes and knelt down, too, “So what do we want to do?”

They both decided moving any closer was probably not a good idea, as it didn’t take much training in the Force to sense the alertness of the hawk-bats. So, instead, they sat there on the ground watching and thinking. There didn’t seem to be very many ways to get a group of hawk-bats all the way across that clearing and to the camp. But, thankfully, they meant the options were few and it was going to be easy to narrow them down to one.

Or at least, that was the hope.

Esah shifted slightly and tried to tip her head down so that the branch above her would stop brushing against her and whispered, “I am not sure we have the skill enough to do this.”

To her surprise, Gant actually nodded, but added quickly, “Probably not, but we don’t have to trick them the entire distance now, do we?”

As much as they could, Esah’s eyes widened, “You don’t really mean what I think you mean, do you?”

The grin that appeared on the Miraluka’s face was more worrying than anything she’d ever seen on him. It faded after a moment into a more simple, and normal, smile, “We run in and get them after us, get close enough to the camp and then disappear.”

Esah’s large, orange eyes blinked a few times as she put together his ‘plan’, if it could be called that, in her mind. She then sighed and shook her head, “You’re as bad as Cowan when you try to be, you know that?”

The only response was a quiet laugh and a nod.

Shaking her head, the Mon Calamari went on, “Hawk-bats, Gant...hawk-bats. You want us to run through there, and then all the way back to that camp with who knows how many hawk-bats after us?!”

“Seven.”

“Huh?”

“Seven hawk-bats,” Gant clarified helpfully.

Silence. Every few seconds, Esah’s mouth opened and closed...not for breath, but simply out of shock at what the Miraluka was sitting there and telling her. Finally, though, she found the correct words, “Seven?! Are you insane?! One is bad enough!”

That grin quickly returned to Gant’s face, “Now, now. Haven’t you learned anything from Master Skywalker? Trust in the Force, my friend!”

“Oh, I trust the Force!” she growled under her breath quickly, noticing that he was starting to move towards the hawk-bats again, “Its you that has me worried!”

But he was gone then, ducking under another branch and carefully creeping towards the nearby creatures. It was one of those times where Esah wondered if Miraluka really were just eye-less humans. Gant sure acted like one a good amount of the time. He was nearly as reckless as Cira or Cowan if he wanted to be. Esah, of course, ignored the fact that she could be, too, since that would have completely destroyed her theory. And besides, it was too late for complaining. He was already moving and she decided the only thing left to do was hope this wasn’t as crazy as it sounded and get ready to run.

Gant got about five meters from the hawk-bats before everything went horribly wrong. At first, the two apprentices could only identify a rush of movement. But a second later they quickly realized that the hawk-bat’s had suddenly jumped up from their perches and scattered. They did not, however, fly straight for Gant as would have been expected as normal behavior from the creatures. Instead, both Gant and Esah felt a sudden surge of panic from the creatures and then they were up and gone, off to the north with lightning speed.

There was just enough time for Gant to spin around and look confused before a deafening explosion rocked the ground, sending the two of them to the ground on their faces. The second the sound started to fade, there was another...and another...and another. They both managed to get up to their feet again, but anything yelled from one to the other was drowned out by the noise of the explosions and...and...

Their heads shot up to look (and sense) the source of the other sounds. Sublight drives could be heard screaming above, coupled with the very distinct screech of TIE Fighters. Vaguely, the shapes of a multitude of ships could be seen through the jungle canopy, but it was impossible to distinguish any actual design with such a bad view.

Gant scrambled across the ground to Esah, screaming at the top of his lungs, “I think we waited a little too long!”

Esah nodded, instinctively turning back towards the clearing they had come from. Very faintly, small lines of bright red could be seen. Glancing back to the Miraluka, she yelled, “I think you’re right!”


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 20, 2005)

*Chapter 14: Can We Do This?*

It took only a short run before Cira and Cowan were out of the protection of the shield. Not that the area was being bombed. It seems that the shield was the current target, though they were getting a good view of the TIE Bombers flying above the somewhat thinning canopy above the forest. Animals and creatures that normally would have stayed out of their way were scattering in all direction, not caring what got in their way as long as they got away from the deafening sounds.

And through the chaos, the two apprentices did their best to reach out with the Force to find their friends. While they could feel the distant presences, there was also a flood of...of other things. Bright, strong presences that were most definitely not Esah or Gant, but were also not too terribly far away. But in only a matter of minutes, those became the least of their worries.

“I heard something!” Cowan yelled over the roaring of the TIEs and other ships above. 

Cira nodded, a step ahead of him, and glanced off to their left. Through the thick forest, small points of bright red could be seen, “I think we’ve got friends.”

When she stopped, so did Cowan. He followed her gaze to see the same thing, then noticed she was taking the lightsaber off of her belt, “We can’t keep ahead of them?!”

Cira shook her head this time, “We could, but it wouldn’t be smart! There’s something else on the other side of Gant and Esah. If we leave these behind us we’ll be trapped.”

As the red points of light grew into large lines, the sharp _snap-hiss_ of a lightsaber blade activating sounded right next to Cowan. He looked over to see a bright green blade held up in front of Cira as she took on one of the defensive stances they’d been taught. Reluctantly, he removed the weapon from his belt and held the hilt in his hands, “I don’t think I can do this, Cira.”

“It’s a little late for doubts,” she responded quickly, taking a half step back as black-clad figures were beginning to come into view attached to the red blades they could already see.

“No,” Cowan shook his head as he felt the odd metallic hilt in his hands, “I really don’t think I can do this!”

Despite the fact that the...four approaching figures were now only about twenty meters in front of them, Cira risked a look to Cowan and said sternly, “Then go. Get Esah and Gant, and I’ll hold these four here.”

“But you can’t—“

”Then stay and help!” Cira snapped, her head turning back to face the figures that had now rounded the last of the large trees in the way. There was no more time to talk now. Cowan would do something, and now that was up to him. Cira’s mind focused in on the moment, drawing the Force to her as the four figures charged in, each with a bright red lightsaber blazing. They were all human, wearing the same black tunics but with completely different faces...two women...no, girls and two young men. None of them likely any older than Cira was. Hopefully they were just as inexperienced.

Quickly, Cira extended her right hand towards one of the girls that was on the far right, sending a heavy wave of the Force at her. The invisible attack slammed hard into the black-clad girl, sending her flying back a few meters and onto her back. Cira then immediately ducked under a long, horizontal swipe meant to remove her head from the rest of her body, and rolled left, bringing her green blade up to parry another strike aimed to cleave her in two.

A third lightsaber from the third attacker drove itself straight for her face, point first, but there was a sudden, very loud _snap-hiss_ that interrupted the humming and whirring of the other blades, and then a deafening crash as the red blade was thrown up and replaced by a bright blue one. Cowan then was forced to sidestep an attack at his back, as he’d stepped right in the middle of the three standing attackers to parry the strike at Cira, and got a good singe across his tunic for being in so close.

But Cira was up again, and she knew that this was where her talents truly were. She batted away a red blade swinging in at her face and then twisted around to put her back to back with Cowan, currently the safest defensive position they could manage. Planting her feet, she caught another blade at her side and then forced it away from the body of its possessor. The young man was flung back just enough that the weapon went high and away from his body, and Cira took advantage of the opening to plant a strong kick in the center of his chest.

He fell back two steps, and just as Cira prepared for another defense, a large branch came swinging in and slammed into the back of their attacker’s head with nearly enough force to crush a skull. The young man went down face first, lightsaber falling away and its safety mechanism deactivating it. Everything suddenly seemed to stop. Behind her, Cowan had managed to defend himself clumsily but successfully, though even he and his two attackers had frozen to spin around and see what had happened.

But before eyes could lock on and focus on what was going on, there was a rage filled cry from where Cira had thrown the first of their attackers. Eyes all again spun a different direction as the girl literally jumped from her spot straight for Cira and Cowan, red lightsaber up and prepared to swing straight down. But then there was a loud, and very familiar, sound just before a bright red bolt of energy slammed into the attacker’s chest, sending her back to the ground a second time...but this time without a chance to get up.

When she hit the ground, chaos erupted again. The two remaining attackers, both right in front of Cowan, growled a curse and swung their lightsabers violently at the young Thyferran. He feebly raised his blue blade up in a defensive position, but it was immediately apparent that it wasn’t going to do him any good. Cira pivoted around, swinging her green blade up in a long arc to bat away the first of the attacker’s swings, but unable to do anything about the second...which slammed hard into Cowan’s blade and sent him straight down onto his backside, hard.

There was a blur of motion behind her as Cira kicked the attacker in front of her back, and she managed to glance over to see the other suddenly flung against a nearby tree before dropping, unconscious. Her eyes, though, quickly returned to the last attacker in front of her, and she finally found an opening to attack. The bright green blade swung in at the young man’s torso, and though he managed to parry it with his own red blade, he was not able to defend himself from the tree branch that caught him across the skull and sent him to the ground in a second.

Cira immediately looked to her side to see Gant standing there, lightsaber-sized tree branch in his hand and a grin on his face, “You are welcome.”

“I’ll thank you later,” she said quickly before glancing back to see the blue-skinned Mon Calamari, Esah, helping Cowan up to his feet as quickly as she could, “Right now, can we leave?”

“That would be advisable,” Esah said as Cowan tried to shake off the dizzying attack that had sent him to the ground, “We are being pursued.”

There was silence as the four young apprentices both reached out with the Force and listened with their ears.

“There are more than four of them,” Cowan mumbled.

Gant nodded, then motioned back to the north, “That is why we should get moving.”

No one disagreed, and though it took a great deal of effort for Cowan(and Cira, to a point), in another moment they were all running back to the main Academy temple.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 27, 2005)

*Chapter 15: Not the Front Lines*

The four young apprentices arrived at the edge of the forest and the clearing that surrounded the main Temple grounds without incident...well, beyond the shaking of the ground and deafening shrieks of TIEs overhead. And when they exited the dense jungle and stepped out into the clearing, they were greeted with a sight that was actually expected: Chaos. The first thing the eyes locked onto were the bodies that littered the ground...and it wasn’t hard to realize that there were only about four types.

Black clad, tunic wearing young humans that were definitely students of the Shadow Academy, more casual clothed, even younger students of various species marked dead students of the Jedi Academy, brown and white uniformed figures of even different species were the small contingent of New Republic Troopers that had arrived to help defend, and white armored stormtroopers were scattered among the dirt and underbrush. For a long moment, the four students stood frozen, staring blankly at the scene in front of them. But sounds caught their ears and drew their attention to the fighting still ravaging the Temple. Eyes shot towards the sounds to see a mass of people at the entrance to the Temple’s hangar...

They spoke no words but all four quickly ran to help. Among the group ahead of them, every kind of uniform could be seen. Cowan and Cira activated their lightsabers halfway to the ground, and Esah raised her blaster pistol to fire a quick shot at a stormtrooper who had taken notice of them coming from behind. Gant simply held his tree branch back and ready, still in his refusal to take a life but damn well ready to cause concussions. At Esah’s blaster shot that took down the stormtrooper, others began to spin around to face the four approaching students.

Blaster bolts shot out at them from weapons none of them could actually see, and Cira and Cowan were lucky to deflect a few away just before they dove into the mass. None of them had any real way of knowing what was actually happening, and it was amazing they didn’t cut(or gun or club) down fellow students and New Republic troopers. But they didn’t. Maybe it was the Force...as they ducked, spun, pivoted, and pushed through the line, there wasn’t time to think what was doing what. There wasn’t even time to check if they’d taken any casualties. Something simply guided their actions through it, and in a matter of moments they were on the other side and standing next to a group of older students who were forming the front line of the defense. So far, it was working, as no one had gotten past them and into the hangar yet.

But just as they turned to help in the defense, a familiar voice yelled from behind them, “Gant! Back here!”

It was likely that the Miraluka was named because of how much taller he was, but when he shifted his range of ‘vision’ around behind him and caught that the speaker was Master Hamner, Gant quickly said, to the other three, “Come on.”

And they stepped back from the line, leaving others to take their place and defend the hangar. Quickly, and ducking a few blaster shots in the process, they retreated back to a small section of the hangar behind a large pillar where Master Hamner was ordering a few other apprentices, who then ran to the nearest turbolift. The tall Jedi Master spun around to face them and said immediately, “The shield is down.”

That froze them again...the one defense from the bombers...

“How?!” it was Cira who blurted that out, her borrowed lightsaber still thrumming at her side.

“How doesn’t matter right now,” Master Hamner snapped, “We need to get all the young students into the lower levels and out of their quarters immediately.”

Esah didn’t even wait for him to finish the sentence. She holstered her blaster pistol and started for the nearest unused turbolift, “We’re on it.”

As the others headed after their Mon Calamari companion, deactivating lightsabers and getting out of ‘combat mode’ as it were, Master Hamner called after them, “Be careful! There’s reports of explosions so there may be enemy troops up there!”

Nothing else was said. The four students reached the turbolift and hit the switch that would take them all the way to the top level. The last thing they saw in the hangar before the turbolift doors slid closed was Master Hamner igniting his lightsaber.

There was nothing to be said on the way up. The adrenaline was still flowing and they all knew what had to be done. But, only halfway up, Gant spoke up in his usual calm voice and said simply, “The top level is clear of anyone but the students.”

“And the others?” that was Cowan, sounding a bit nervous again...almost back to normal, even.

Esah, who had been doing the same thing as Gant and reaching out in the Force to check the levels, fielded that question, “Some do have guests.”

“We should go there first,” Cira stated firmly.

“No,” Gant answered immediately, and then quickly waved a hand to silence her protest, “There are others there, too. They will be safe for now. We start at the top and we work down. No leaving anyone behind.”

All of them nodded. The turbolift came to an abrupt halt a few seconds later and the door slid open to reveal the stone-walled corridor at the top level. Immediately, the four of them ran out and started going from door to door, yanking out children if they had to and getting them to the turbolift as fast as possible. As they got halfway down the corridor, the TIE Bombers began to make their first pass on the unshielded Temple.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 2, 2005)

*Chapter 16: Level 2. First Pass.*

Even through the thick, stone walls of the Great Temple, the screaming of the TIEs outside could be heard...which did nothing but cause the younger students to panic as they were urged to the turbolifts. It was only a matter of minutes and one was full. Reaching that point meant there was a decision to be made that none of the four apprentices wanted to make...but all knew it had to be.

“You take them,” Cira said to Gant and Esah over her shoulder as she urged the other students towards the turbolift that was empty at the other end of the hall, “We’ll take the next group down and then get the next level below.”

It was Esah who nodded and said in her watery voice, “We’ll take the level below that. Go quickly.”

She didn’t need to say the last part. All of them, probably even the children, could feel the urgency through the Force itself. As the turbolift door, with Esah, Gant, and the first group of probably ten students ranging from age eight to close to 14 inside, slid closed, Cira and Cowan turned and started to herd the rest of the students to the opposite end of the hall. They were running now. All of them. No words were necessary to tell everyone to run...even the youngest students with little training could feel the need to.

They were all in the turbolift in just a few seconds, and the moment that Cowan was in, Cira hit the switch. The door slid shut, and the turbolift shot down...then stopped suddenly a level below, the door opening again. Confused children started to look around and ask questions, but Cira said firmly, “The others will be with you at the underground levels. You’ll be safe.”

She then stepped out of the turbolift tube, grabbing Cowan’s arm and yanking him out as one of the children took charge and hit the switch to go down. There was a short glance between her and a small Duros boy, his large reddish eyes somehow showing fear despite having no eyebrows or pupils to hint that he was even looking at her...but the door slid closed and the turbolift left.

“What are you doing?!” Cowan finally growled out.

“They’ll be fine!” Cira yelled over her shoulder, now already heading for the other doors and checking to get anyone out who was still inside, “It’s the students still here we should worry about! Come on!”

Cowan grumbled something to himself that she didn’t hear, but he was soon helping her to check the doors. This level was emptier than the one above. They got halfway down the corridor and still had found no one. Fed up with how much time this was taking, Cira turned and ran as fast as she could to the far end of the corridor to start checking rooms from there to meet Cowan somewhere near the ‘middle.’

And then what they’d been hoping would have waited longer happened.

At first, there was a deafening boom that lasted only half a second before neither Cowan nor Cira could hear anything. Then the entire temple shook...and a moment later the roof and walls began to collapse and a great explosion of white hot flames erupted from the ceiling above. That was about when Cowan blacked out, but Cira stayed conscious long enough to feel herself slam face first into the stone floor.

Neither knew how long it was when the blackness faded into a muddied and dizzy consciousness. Hearing began to return as slowly as sight did, and Cowan even managed to push himself up from the stone floor slightly. He felt a mix of stones and other rubble fall off of his body, but thankfully none of it seemed to have been large enough to crush him. He felt dizzy though...and the small patch of red on the stone where he had lain was probably partially responsible for that.

But then he noticed the intense heat and the loud roaring all around him. Eyes focused more and he saw that the brown stones were tinted bright red...and it only took looking up some to see the entire corridor engulfed in thick flames. Or at least, the part of the corridor he could see. There were huge piles of debris all throughout the hall, and he was amazed at looking up that he couldn’t actually see outside. The top level shouldn’t have even been there anymore...

Feeling a tinge of something through the Force, Cowan was once again snapped into the moment...into the burning, destroyed high level of the Great Temple. At the top of his lungs, voice scratching at his throat and hurting as he spoke, Cowan yelled, “Cira?!”

He thought he heard a cough from farther away. He was sure, though, that he heard Cira through the flames when the sound traveled through the inferno, “You’re alive, too?”

Typical of her to act like that...so typical. She was just...just...

The words that Cowan said next slipped through as his mind argued with itself, “The whole corridor is on fire!!”

There was a long pause before Cira responded, and it even seemed like the roaring of the fire got louder. Then, though, the flames were drowned out by Cira’s voice, “I bloody well noticed!”

Cowan managed to get to his feet now, a hand resting on the hot wall next to him to steady himself. He did his best to peer ahead of him at the debris and the flames, knowing that was where Cira’s voice had been. But before he could say anything, her voice yelled through the flames, “Get to the turbolift on your end! Meet me on the level below!”

“But what about this level?!” Cowan nearly screamed at the fire, now suddenly angry again...despite his head spinning slightly, still.

“Cowan,” this time, Cira’s voice was somehow quiet and yet still could be heard over the flames, “Nothing could possibly be alive on this end...and unless you found anyone on yours...”

“Alright!” he snapped, just to shut her up and not have to think about what it looked like on the other side of the rubble...at the same time curious of Cira’s actual condition. But something stopped him from asking anything else, and he simply turned and headed for the other end of the corridor, trying to ignore the fact that he had to actually push through some flames and what very well looked to be a body part...they shouldn’t have missed anyone...but...no.

Focusing as best he could away from that, he got to the turbolift to find it, thankfully, still active. Cowan quickly hit the switch(which was scorching hot like the walls themselves), and waited for the lift to return...distantly, above the sounds of the roaring flames around him, Cowan could hear the screams of the ion engines of the TIE Bombers above...and the sounds were growing louder again.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 4, 2005)

*Chapter 17: Head On*

The turbolift came to an abrupt halt at the lowest of the underground levels, and the door immediately slid open to reveal a relatively small room with a few older Jedi herding the younger students to the safer storage areas. Esah and Gant did not leave the turbolift. Instead, they simply got the younger students out, made sure they the older Jedi knew there was another group, and hit the switch on the lift to head back up right away.

Halfway up, the turbolift came to another abrupt halt...but this time there was a loud explosion above to add to the stop...and they both felt the turbolift’s safety features kick in and lock them into place to prevent the thing from falling. Esah had instinctively gripped the wall of the lift and shut her eyes...but soon opened them back up to find little had changed, “What was that?”

Gant’s head was turned up and he seemed to be focusing on whatever the source of ‘that’ was, “The top level is gone...the two below it are severely damaged.”

Esah shifted slightly to look up, reaching out with the Force as she did so. After a moment, her head turned back to face him. She knew he couldn’t see through walls. He’d said it himself more than once. He saw in the Force like they all did when solid objects got in the way of the scanner-like vision his species had. So, after rubbing her forehead with a webbed hand, Esah asked, “How can you be sure?”

Now, Gant’s head went own and turned to face her, “I feel nothing up there.”

Esah took another moment and concentrated again. He was right. The emptiness of the sky seemed to occur much lower down than it usually did. The feeling of emptiness caused her stomach to turn, “We have to get up there.”

She was starting to reach up and open the top section of the turbolift to get out of the now-frozen-in-place lift. But Gant reached up and caught her wrist, saying flatly, “The bombers are still out there, Esah. They will kill us.”

One thing that Gant was very good at was leaving things unsaid. How he’d learned to speak only two sentences but cause her to think of five others was still beyond her. The Mon Calamari let out a watery sigh, “Then what are we supposed to do?! Just stand here while people...while Cira and Cowan could be dead?”

“They aren’t dead,” Gant answered before she’d finished the word ‘dead’, “But they can handle themselves.”

Again, Esah listened to the things that Gant was implying. But instead of asking a stupid question, she went straight to the point, “What do you want to do?”

Gant let go of her wrist now, motioning for her to open the hatch up so they could get into the actual lift tube, “Something needs to be done about the bombers.”

After Esah finished getting the hatch open, she climbed up and out to look up the small tube, saying down to her Miraluka companion, “I get the feeling there’s more to your idea than shooting at them.”

A moment later and up next to her on top of the turbolift, Gant smiled and nodded, “That’s about all I have at the moment...but the climb down should give us a little time to think.”

The climb down did give them time to think...but it was more than a little time. By the time they had reached the main hangar level, at least three more violent explosions had rocked the temple. They got the main door open and exited the tube into the hangar again, finding it to be in much worse shape than they’d left it. Parts of the ceiling had collapsed in places, and two of the larger columns were crumbling from the violent explosions. But the Jedi and New Republic troops were pushing the Shadow Academy and their troops back. No longer was the fight right at the edge of the hangar’s entrance, and it was still moving back towards the tree line.

Now, though, Gant and Esah knew what they were going to do. They just needed...

“This one,” the Mon Calamari called over to Gant, waving a blue hand at him as she headed for a fairly small shuttle. It was the kind of box-shaped transport that was really only used because it had to be, not because anyone actually liked them. But they worked...they were easy to fly...and most importantly, no one was watching it.

The two Jedi apprentices ran across the hangar to the shuttle, glad to find the hatch wasn’t locked or sealed...not that it would have stopped them. Esah would have been able to open it. But it did mean they didn’t have to wait anymore and that was just that much less time for the bombers to get another run in. The Mon Calamari was immediately in the pilot’s chair, her webbed hands clumsily working around controls that hadn’t been designed for her species. But, despite this, she was working amazingly fast and the ship’s systems were online before Gant was even seated next to her. By the time he was down and strapped in, Esah had the repulsorlifts operating and was already heading out of the hangar.

“You can use the sensors, yes?” she asked out of the side of her mouth, currently focusing on not flying into any of the Jedi that were making it interesting to get out of the hangar.

Gant nodded, but said nothing. He could see them, yes, but it was a bit ‘fuzzy’, if that was the right word to use. His species’ vision didn’t always like to cooperate with computer screens, and it took a lot of training and focus to really be able to ‘see’ them. Gant had just enough...which was all that mattered right now, anyway.

“Two clicks north,” he announced after those few moments of concentration, “There’s four of them and they’re starting to pull around.”

Esah nodded, despite the fact that he wasn’t even paying attention to her and likely couldn’t even sense the motion. He did, of course, feel the ship pulling around as she said, “We’ll head right for them.”

This was, finally, her turn to leave something important unsaid. And, thankfully, Gant didn’t miss it. They were heading straight at four TIE Bombers, which weren’t heavily armed but still had two blaster cannons...more than their shuttle had. They wouldn’t just let a shuttle rush them without putting up a fight.

Gant was going to have to get this right the first time.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 9, 2005)

*Chapter 18: Sure of It*

The entire corridor had collapsed in on itself...Cira could see patches of sky through the rubble, but for the moment it wasn’t her concern. Her concern, currently, was getting to the turbolift shaft...shaft, because she had watched the lift itself explode out of the thing and kill a young student who’d gotten in the way. There were at least two other bodies buried amongst the rubble, but she was doing her best to ignore that and just get down to safety.

Her left arm was broken, Cira was sure of it. Her right leg felt nearly broken, but she could move it without too much trouble and so she decided it was something at least. Though her vision was blurred from a heavy hit to the head, the Force was helping her to ease through that. She was no healer, though, and was simply doing her best to push on rather than fix any of the problems.

With her good arm, she pushed off the remainder of the stones and got to her feet for a third time. It was difficult to stand up and not be overcome with dizziness, but this time she was not going to fall back down again. It was becoming annoying. Gritting her teeth and pushing through the blurred world around her, Cira slowly moved to the turbolift shaft. She managed to get over the ruined lift itself without too much trouble, but then found herself in an interesting situation...and not a good one, either.

There was a ladder built into the stone structure around the lift tube, but she only had one arm and while she did have two legs, Cira was still limping. She allowed herself a sigh, which was soon drowned out by the screeching of the TIEs far above. That sure put things into perspective. Focus. Those TIEs would be coming around for another run soon. She had to get down. She took a glance down the tube.

Not all the way...just a level or two.

Cira allowed herself a few more deep breaths before carefully twisting around and grabbing onto the ladder on the inner side of the tube wall. Her right hand gripped the rungs tightly, while she kept her good foot down for balance. It was awkward, but left the weight off of her two injured limbs. 

That was the easy part.

Now the fun part.

Very carefully, and with a good amount of help from the Force, Cira began the climb down. It was less a climb, though, and more a well timed hop down one rung at a time. It took about five minutes before she managed to reach the next level down, and by then her good arm was starting to feel ready to break. She knew it was more because her concentration on the Force was fading, but it was still enough. Cira wasn’t going to risk going any farther...which meant now she had to find a way to get the door open.

Thankfully, that wasn’t going to be too difficult. Forcing her concentration back, Cira reached out and found the doors through the Force. Then, very carefully, she wrenched them open. A moment later when her eyes opened again, she saw it had worked. After allowing herself a proud smile, Cira swung herself down and to the not-so-ruined corridor. It hurt to land, but it was bearable enough.

“Cira?!” it sounded like Cowan’s voice, but it was a bit muffled.

“Huh?” she looked up, noticing he was about ten meters ahead of her and pointing a few of the younger students to the other turbolift. It was then that she noticed even her voice sounded somewhat off.

Cowan had turned away for a moment before quickly heading over to her. Cira was surprised to see that Cowan actually had a look of concern on his face, “You alright in there?”

Cira blinked a few times, tilted her head, and mumbled again, “Huh?”

Obviously, she’d taken more hits to the head than she had first thought. And she still wasn’t hearing as well as she knew she should be. In another surprising move, Cowan put an arm on her shoulder(her good one, thank the Force) and started to carefully lead her to the turbolift, “Come on. You need to get down there with the others.”

Maybe it was the adrenaline rush fading...or maybe it was just that she was alright now and no longer needed the push of the Force to keep her going, but Cira suddenly felt exhausted and covered in far too much pain. She was definitely going to have to question Cowan severely about this later on. He was acting far too strange...and spinning slightly. How he managed to walk in a straight line with everything spinning so much was beyond her.

By the time they’d made it to the turbolift, Cira had lost consciousness. Cowan did his best to get her in with one of the other older students who had been there, then sent the turbolift down. There were still a few left up on this level that would have to wait. He sighed and closed his eyes. He had been able to tell that Cira’s arm was broken. The way it just hung there at her side would have told that to someone with even Cowan’s lack of medical knowledge. He could also see that she had been limping severely, but that was easy to explain as there was a very large patch of deep red that had sunk through her tunic on that leg. And she had definitely taken a few hits to the head. Not only were there bruises, but Cowan had also see many cuts and gashes that allowed small streams of blood to seep down her face.

All in all, it was extremely discomforting to see. Not that he was suddenly her best of friends, of course, but despite all his feelings towards her, Cowan didn’t want her dead. Now, at least, he was sure of that much.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 11, 2005)

*Chapter 19: Of Insanity*

The small, generally unshielded shuttle continued its head-on path straight for the four TIE Bombers. Esah was still at the controls, her fin-like hands having trouble manipulating the controls of the ship but still managing to maneuver them out of the way of the green laser blasts that the TIEs were firing at them. If Gant had eyes to closed, they’d have been tightly shut...both due to the need for him to focus and at least a slight fear that they were going to get themselves killed, in his opinion, far too early.

Besides, Esah’s moving of the small shuttle back and forth was making him feel somewhat uneasy. He had never liked atmospheric flight all that much. At least in space there really was no up or down to confuse one’s stomach. But, so far, they still weren’t dead, so Gant was willing to give his Mon Calamari companion the benefit of the doubt.

And then the ship rocked from a laser hit, nearly breaking Gant’s concentration as he continued to reach out and out to find the TIEs in the Force. Forcing away the moment, and doing his best to not make a sarcastic comment about Esah’s flying, Gant drew on the Force in every way he had ever been taught through his life. And then he had it. Or rather...had a TIE.

Esah’s focus, currently, was on allowing both the Force and her natural pilot’s instincts to keep them from getting shot out of the sky. The bombers didn’t exactly have the best of short range weapons, but it was enough to take out a small cargo shuttle like they were in at the moment. While she wished for weapons to shoot back with, the Mon Calamari decided it would have just been one more thing to think about, and she still wasn’t sure if she’d be willing to trust a blind man to shoot when their lives were so much on the line.

About the time that this thought crept into her thoughts, the blind man came through. The left center TIE suddenly wobbled slightly, normally a sign of a malfunctioning system or a drunk pilot, but this time it was neither. The wobbling stopped a half second later as if the pilot had regained control...but what had really happened was the attacker had gained control. Then, very forcefully, the bomber was lunged to the side, its bent solar panels slamming straight into those of the other TIE in the center, which in turn was jolted to the side and took out the third of the bombers. There was no explosion as the three bombers twisted and fell out of the sky, their systems damaged and repulsorlifts unable to pull them out of the twisting fall that Gant had thrown them into.

But as they careened down to the trees below, Esah decided it was time to speak up, “Gant! You do know there were four bombers, yes?!”

The remaining of the TIEs fired two quick shots from its green laser cannons, both of which hit the shuttle. They were rocked more violently this time, and an annoying alarm sounded to alert the occupants that shields were not, in fact, working anymore. As if they needed to be reminded of that after such a hit. But no shots followed. None could. The TIE was already flying past, and shot straight over their small shuttle the second that the shield alarm had gone off.

Gant still wasn’t answering Esah’s question, and it was starting to annoy her more than the damned alarm that she couldn’t figure out how to turn off. One bomber was still bad enough, and it was nearly to the Temple again. Finding the right controls, Esah then growled in an odd, watery-but-obviously-angry voice, “Hang on!”

She then wrenched the entire shuttle around, performing a completely one-hundred and eighty degree turn without moving more than thirty meters forward. Needless to say, most starships did not enjoy this kind of maneuver...especially shuttles. Especially this shuttle. The ship creaked and groaned violently, but not so much so to drown out Gant’s sudden yelp of surprise and the loud smack of his hand catching the wall before his skull did.

“What in the Force are you doing?!” he suddenly screamed, obviously no longer focusing on the Force.

Esah violently pointed her blue hand at the TIE bomber in front of them that was starting its run on the Temple, “Four. Bombers.”

“I was working on it!” Gant snapped.

“And you were taking too long!” she snapped back. Then, after a moment when nothing happened, angrily asked, “Why the hell aren’t you doing anything?!”

“I lost my focus!” he yelled at her.

“Dammit, its going to get to the Temple!” Esah tried to use the Force to calm herself, but had never been all that good at it, especially in moments like this. But before Gant could say anything, an idea cropped up. It was crazy. It was absolutely insane. It was the definite proof that she’d been around humans far too long, because it was something that Cira would have thought of.

But it could work.

It could work...and with how close the bomber was to the Temple, it was about the only choice left.

Immediately, Esah’s hands were moving over the controls. Mainly to the sublight drives, kicking them into full speed and re-angling the shuttle slightly as they were jolted forward. Gant started to protest, but Esah was already climbing out of her chair and dragging him out of his. He was still trying to find words to ask if she’d lost her mind when she yanked a small pack out of a panel behind the pilots chair and thrust the thing into Gant, “Put this on and get ready.”

“Huh?” he redirected his Force vision to look out front again, noting that they were now on a course below the bomber, but still rapidly approaching.

Esah pushed the pack into him harder, “We’re going to jump! There’s only one emergency pack. Put it on, don’t let go of me, and we jump!”

Gant was too stunned by the insanity of this idea to not start putting the pack on. Of course, his mouth had time to argue, “Are you insane?!”

“Yes! Now come on!” Esah pushed him over to the hatch, then put an arm around his neck and tried to hang on tightly, “The important part is to not let go of me.”

And then she hit the emergency release on the hatch. It slid open to a violent rush of air, and in a matter of moments they were out, falling to the trees below as the air stunk their bodies. But Gant did hold onto her at least...though both of them were currently directing their vision up and back. Not at all caring about the fact that the emergency pack was going to activate an yank them hard in a matter of seconds, they watched the shuttle.

It shot forward like a missile, heading straight under the TIE Bomber. When it started to head past the fighter, its boxy nose creeping out in front, a proton bomb could be seen shooting out of the second tube of the TIE. It went forward a couple of meters, then started down...down for barely a second before hitting the shuttle and exploding in a violent ball of fire that also consumed the TIE and sent the debris flying in all directions...but mostly beyond the Temple itself.

Both Gant and Esah breathed...then the pack activated, the internal repulsor unit kicked in, and they were jolted up at a painful rate.

But at least Gant held on.


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## Tamlyn (Nov 17, 2005)

It seems AMG missed his normal update schedule. I for one am extremely disappointed. I will have to punish him by scowling at my monitor while impatiently waiting for him to post a double-length update to make ammends for this egregious breach of protocol.

Impatiently yours,
Tam


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 18, 2005)

Tamlyn said:
			
		

> It seems AMG missed his normal update schedule. I for one am extremely disappointed. I will have to punish him by scowling at my monitor while impatiently waiting for him to post a double-length update to make ammends for this egregious breach of protocol.
> 
> Impatiently yours,
> Tam



 Hehehe. And I was just getting ready to post my excuse. So...here it is.

No update today(and I missed the one earlier in the week...um, oops). However, I'll be putting up a longer update to attempt to make up for the both of them tomorrow(Friday). Just haven't been in the right mood for things, especially today. Also, that's why my other story hour is actually getting a second update today instead. So...scoot on over there until tomorrow.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 19, 2005)

*Chapter 20: Ground Pounders*

Cira awoke to the blurriness that always accompanied the opening of eyes after unconsciousness. It was one of the mandatory laws of the galaxy that vision was to be blurry after that. But when her natural stubbornness and general annoyance broke through, she found herself looking up at the brown(and slightly greenish) ceiling that had to be in the Great Temple. Her ears began to refocus and soon picked up far too many voices at once, none of them even making an attempt to break through the general din.

But then she caught sight of Master Hamner, who looked much worse for wear considering how he’d looked last time they had seen the Jedi Master. He had definitely been through a fight...or four. But he seemed to take notice of her returning to the moment and quickly stepped over and next to the small cot she found herself laying on. In his usual firm voice, Master Hamner said, “Its good to see you awake. Now how long do you plan to take up space down here?”

“Huh...?” Cira blinked a few times before turning both ways to really take in the area. The entire room, what had once been a giant storage section, was filled with cots similar to the one she was in. Most of them were occupied by students in various stages of health, though there were even some with dark-tunic-clad Shadow Academy students who were still unconscious...but tied down just to be safe. From the general feel of chaos, Cira figured she could only have been out for an hour at most.

“Twenty minutes,” Master Hamner answered her unspoken question while doing his best to help her to sit up straight, “We’ve one what we could as quickly as possible. As you can see, things are a bit tight in here so it isn’t perfect. The broken bone in your arm has been set and should be okay if you be careful, but don’t push it. Same goes for your leg. Keep the weight off of it out there. The Force was able to help with the rest of it.”

Cira was no fool. She knew what was going to happen next, and knew that she was ready for it despite the fact that she wasn’t completely aware of just everything yet. And that brought up a vital question, “Where are the others?”

“Cowan just finished clearing the upper levels of the Temple, but the bombers have been destroyed so we’re safe for now,” the Jedi Master said as Cira slowly got to her feet and tested her leg. To her surprise, he sighed, “There’s been no sign of Esah or Gant since they brought the first group of students down here.”

“They’re not...”

“Its impossible to tell right now,” Master Hamner admitted, though quietly. His voice then returned to its usual hardness and he gently patted her on the back, “Lightsaber’s on your belt. Get up there and help finish this.”

There was no arguing with that. And besides, she had now figured out just how to walk without causing any pain. Her arm was going to make things difficult, but she knew that working out just how to not re-break it wouldn’t take too much trouble. If something started to hurt, sense said to stop. So she was in the turbolift in a few more moments with a couple other patched up students. They all exchanged silent glances, none of them knowing what to expect when they got up to the hangar.

And then the turbolift stopped. There was the longest of seconds where nothing happened...and then the door hissed open. It revealed a scene that was not all that much different from how any of them had left it when they’d been dragged down. The few ships left were pushed to the side and out of the way to give a good view of the open hangar door far on the opposite side from the wall where all the turbolifts were. Towards the hangar, red lances of blaster bolts arced back and forth. Different coloured lightsaber blades could be seen here and there, and bright flashes of white showed where two of the blades were meeting.

The fight hadn’t moved one meter. Or rather, it could have, but it was right back where Cira had left it. But it was easy to notice the one major difference. There were much more red lightsabers than those of any other colour. The Jedi students had not had intense training in combat...there had been some, but obviously not enough from the number of injured. While the numbers may had been in their favor before, the advantage had switched. Which meant just charging in and swinging the lightsaber wasn’t going to push this fight back one bit.

Cira’s hand lashed out and grabbed the shoulder of one of the other students with her as they ran straight for the fight. Immediately upon stopping the young student, a male Duros of roughly the same age as her, she nodded off to the side, “We need to get around and flank them.”

The Duros nodded his large, dark-blue head before also grabbing another student. In a moment, three of them were heading around to attempt to outflank who knew how many of the Shadow Academy’s troops. None of the three of them were Corellian. In fact, Cira was the only human among the three...but there was a mutual decision that odds were best ignored in what they were going to attempt. Sometimes, it was just best to act and trust in the Force.

Maybe all that training wasn’t going to waste, after all.

* * * *​
Not everyone was on the line and attempting to hold the hangar. Cowan had fallen in with a group who had come up with a similar plan to Cira’s. However, they weren’t going to be heading around to flank at all. Instead, the idea was to stop the shuttles that were still bringing down fresh attackers. Unlike with Cira, there was actually a sizable group heading out into the forest where the shuttles had been seen landing and taking off again. Sizable being a dozen, including Cowan. Most were human, but they were a very diverse group in both age and training. But what really mattered was the determination and listening to the Force...and that was something all of them shared, lightsaber or not.

“Shuttle coming down!” a green-skinned Rodian student, one of the older ones and nearly done with his training, called back to them. He had taken point, and was actually very well camouflaged in his brown tunic. It was amazing how the green and the brown made him fade into the forest around them.

Cowan nodded, knowing the Rodian(who’s name was escaping him at the moment) would see, then motioned for two of the younger students, a brother and sister from Coruscant, to follow him around. There was not a stated plan on how to attack the shuttles, but everyone seemed to be individually coming to something that would likely do the job.

Ahead of them was the small clearing where some of the shuttles were setting down and unloading the troops...and some supplies, according to the rodent-like Chandra-Fan among the students who had scouted even farther ahead thanks to his small size. The supplies was the worrying part. And Cowan could see a few crates next to one of the shuttles that was already down.

“I see three,” the brother whispered.

Cowan nodded, “When everyone’s ready, we’ll go for the nearest. You two grab those crates and get them back here and out of the way.”

Normally, Cowan would have expected an argument from this. These were, essentially, two kids...probably barely sixteen years old. Stereotype said they should be desperate for adventure and action. But these two young humans were caught up in something else, and their Jedi training helped to steer them to the correct course of action. Both nodded together.

And so they waited for an undetermined signal. They would simply know it. The fourth shuttle found a spot and slowly finished its descent. There was a small thump as its landing struts set down on the ground, and then a hiss of the ship that indicated it to be as old as design as it looked. Imperial but somehow looking older and more cobbled together than any Imperial commander would ever have allowed. But then something happened. Something...clicked. That was it. The signal.

As one, the ten students charged out of the clearing and straight for the four shuttles. It didn’t matter that only four of them had lightsabers, and that only another two had blasters. Unarmed or not, they were all still Jedi, and they were not going to let their home be destroyed.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 22, 2005)

*Chapter 21: Retreat*

Even with the active repulsor unit, the ground approached very quickly. Well...no...the trees approached first. It wasn’t exactly the most pleasant of landings, but in a matter of seconds, Esah and Gant crashed through the upper level of branches, cursing the whole way through, before reaching the ground with a very abrupt thud. Emergency repulsor units had their name for a reason. They were small, rough, and really only should be used in those emergencies where ejection seats with much better safety systems just weren’t possible. They were also about twenty years out of date.

“You are insane!” Gant growled from his position on the ground, sprawled out against a tree and trying to pry the unit off of his back. The landing had definitely not been a pretty one.

Despite the fact that Esah had landed on her face, there was a muffled sound that was almost laughter coming from the Mon Calamari. After pulling herself up off the ground, she looked over her shoulder to Gant and grinned widely, “It worked, didn’t it?”

Gant was shaking his eyeless skull, “I thought you Mon Calamari were supposed to be more intelligent than most species.”

“Oh, we are,” Esah’s smile somehow grew as she got to her feet and dusted her tunic off, “Of course, its always the brightest that go mad the fasted.”

If Gant had eyes, they would have rolled sky high. Despite this lack, though, somehow the feeling projected itself through the Force very clearly. Finally getting the straps detached from one another, Gant relieved himself of the repulsor unit and got to his feet, “Remind me to never fly with you again.”

Esah laughed and patted his shoulder with a webbed hand, “You know you enjoyed it. Besides, its not like you have eyes to create a fear of heights. Now come on, lets get back to everyone.”

As she turned and headed off, Gant grumbled under his breath, “I still have depth perception, thank you.”

Thankfully, when Gant turned to follow and nearly walked into a tree Esah was far enough ahead that she didn’t take any notice. That sure would have killed any credibility. But after that near miss, he made sure to keep his ‘sight’ focused more so than it had been before. This was definitely no time to walk into anything. They quickly made their way back to the main Temple complex, which wasn’t actually all that far from where they’d landed...if ‘land’ was really the correct term. Hit would probably have been better.

But the soon reached the clearing that surrounded the Great Temple and found it much as it been left...except the white armored Stormtroopers and black-clad Shadow Academy students were no longer at the edge of the hangar. There were more and more coming in, but for the moment, they’d been pushed back. The two students exchanged a quick(and odd, as only one of them had eyes) glance before deciding they’d better help out. But before they could move in, they caught sight of a group of students coming from the side of the Temple...and one of them...

“Cira!” Esah called out, getting the other’s attention in such a way that the human’s head nearly snapped off as it spun to find the source of the voice.

All of the students stopped as Cira slowed her pace and jogged forward, “We’re going to flank them as best as we can. There’s only five of us so two more could really help out.”

“Of course,” Gant answered with a short nod. 

As they joined the small group and headed in, no one spoke. All of them were silent for the same reason. They were losing this fight. They weren’t trained in combat as these Shadow Academy students were...and so far, they had only been surviving through superior numbers. But now that was failing. More kept coming...more and more. But what could they do but fight? There weren’t enough ships for all of them to run, and they’d be killed if they simply stood there and tried to hide.

All of the Jedi students knew that this was that moment Master Skywalker had always told them about. They were going to have to trust in the Force. Their lives were in the hands of the Force and all they could do was to allow it to guide them...even if it took them to their deaths.

None of them had time for another thought, because they were plunged straight into the fight. Lightsabers blazed, blaster bolts struck past, and cries of all kinds echoed around them. What actually happened was different every student and lost on all of them. All they really saw was exactly what was in front of them...and some fell. Many fell. It felt like an eternity in the center of that brawl...and then something happened.

At first, none of the Jedi were sure just what it was. But then brains began to catch up with the moment and quickly processed the information. It was a sound. Like a...cry. But there were words. It was Basic, but none of them could manage to make out exactly what was being said.

But their attackers did. In a matter of seconds, they were falling back...still fighting, yes, but falling back. One step at a time, faster with each step. Retreating back from the Temple...what had happened?! They were leaving! Running! They were gone!

Few of the students actually watched as one of the Solo kids fought the leader of the attack force and defeated him. Even fewer saw him get away...no one saw him call for the retreat.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 30, 2005)

*Chapter 22: Luck:*

Two stormtroopers managed to step out of the shuttle that had just set down in time to call out in surprise before two of the students that had lightsabers cut them down. Cowan had only long enough to see that much before he had to turn back to make sure the two younger students that were with him had grabbed the crates of what were likely supplies. They were starting back for the trees now, but more troops and even a few of the Shadow Academy students were disembarking from the various shuttles that were sitting in the clearing. 

And then there was a cry. Cowan spun around to watch a red lightsaber blade cut through both of the young students in one long sweep. The two collapsed to the ground, the crates of supplies crashing down with them. Standing there, grinning disturbingly, was a human girl, probably a year or two younger than he was, clad in the black of the Shadow Academy’s students. She was almost...laughing after having killed two kids. Cowan stared, finding himself frozen and unable to even lift the hilt of the lightsaber that he held so tightly in his hand.

A quick, panicked glance over his shoulder showed that their surprise assault on the shuttles was not going nearly as well as any of them had hoped. White armored troops were fighting their way off of the shuttle, easily gunning down the unarmed students and not really even having much trouble with the two left that did have lightsabers. And that was when Cowan realized that it was just himself and the two others who held lightsabers. All of the others were...dead. Dead?! It’d barely been two minutes! And yet...

A heavy whirring noise jolted Cowan’s attention back to the attacker ahead of him, and his eyes spun around to see that the girl had spun her red lightsaber blade up and into a ready position. Oh gods...she was going to kill him! And...and he couldn’t move!! No! This wasn’t how it was supposed to be! Before, he’d been fine!! But...but Cira had been there...and she’d acted first anyway. Now...now...

The Shadow Academy student was already starting for him, but then there was another sound behind him. And...being in the state he was, Cowan was dumb enough to turn his head to look. His eyes caught sight of one of the last two students already on the ground, and then a barrage of blaster bolts taking down the other. Which meant he was alone...alone and...

Something made Cowan move. Maybe it was the Force...but more likely it was a built in need to survive. Probably a little of both, at least. The cause didn’t really matter, though. But just as the girl with her bright red lightsaber charged in and swung it to cleave of his head, Cowan ducked and rolled past her. Immediately, panic seemed to take over his actions. Cowan did not get to his feet, ignite the lightsaber he still held tightly in his hand, and fight back. He probably should have...like the rest of the students he’d been with. But he didn’t.

As quickly as he could manage, Cowan scrambled up from his roll and back to his feet and ran. Blaster bolts and curses followed him, but Cowan managed to get to the tree line and continue running as fast as he could back towards the Great Temple. Not long through the trees, he quickly realized that he wasn’t actually being followed...but, of course, that didn’t slow him. It was five long minutes of running through the thick forest to get to the clearing in front of the Great Temple, and the second that he stepped out through the tree line, Cowan found himself face to face with at least fifteen blasters.

“Hold it!” the voice was familiar, and it didn’t take long for Cowan to catch sight of the tall, eyeless Gant stepping up from behind the group of New Republic troopers who were lowering their weapons now. Following the tall Miraluka were both Esah and Cira...and none of them really looked all that great. But they were all alive, and from the looks of things, the fight here was over.

Esah’s large mouth smiled broadly as she stepped over to Cowan, “It is good to see you are alright.”

Cowan sighed, but very quietly asked, “What happened...?”

“The fleet got here early,” Cira said, casually nodding up to the blue sky above, “And one of those Solo kids fought back the leader of the ground troops. Show offs, if you ask me.”

Cowan couldn’t help but nod at that. No matter how strong in the Force those kids were, they really had a habit of making things difficult around the Academy. At least the Hapan Princess that was here kept a low profile...but those damned Solo twins got so much attention that things could easily get distracted from all the other students and things that needed being done.

“They’re...running...?” Cowan eventually asked quietly, trying to edge around the escape he’d just made on his own.

Gant nodded, a motion he was still getting used to doing, but had found it helpful to get points across, “Yes. Its over now.”

“We won...?” Cowan pushed for it, though he was really just reaching for a hopeful thought in the shame of running that was still drowning him.

“If you could call this winning,” Cira was the one who answered as they finally started back towards the Great Temple. All around them, the ground was littered with bodies, “We got lucky, Cowan.”

Slowly falling into step with the others, Cowan tried to do what a ‘good’ student would do, “Master Skywalker says that there’s no such things as luck.”

That made Cira stop, and she carefully turned around to glare at straight at Cowan, “I’m not Master Skywalker. And trust me, bacta boy, this was luck.”

((Sorry for the long delays on updates. Holidays get hectic around here...also, these next couple of weeks could be a bit rough as its the last of the semester so I've got a huge amount of papers and stuff to do. Will still try to get updates on time, but they may be a day late or so.))


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Dec 3, 2005)

*Chapter 23: Aftermath*

It didn’t take long for the adrenaline rush of the battle to fade into pure exhaustion. Even the older students an the Jedi Masters that resided at the Academy had the tired, beaten look to them...despite the fact that they’d fought off the attack. Luck? Well, many of the younger students that had put aside their egos would agree to that...but the older students knew it wasn’t luck. But it had still be close. Far, far too close.

Thankfully, the TIE bombers had been taken out early enough that the Great Temple hadn’t been completely leveled. In fact, only the top few levels had been destroyed, and the repairs were already starting. It would take some time, but eventually things would return to normal...on the surface, at least. None of the students would be the same, though. For most, it had been their first encounter with death outside of holodramas and stories told by their parents. It was...shocking, to say the least, and thankfully there were enough senior Jedi that it wasn’t too difficult to deal with the students still that had been hit the worst.

The bodies that had littered the area had been cleared immediately. That had been the first concern of all of the Masters, knowing not only the sanitary problems the corpses would cause, but also the dangers of the young students seeing their dead friends. And it was hard to find a student who hadn’t lost a friend.

Of course, as usual, the Solo kids and their friends were getting all the credit and the praise. It was...annoying to a point, but at the same time it was nice to not be stuck in the spotlight. Master Hamner was doing his best to help all of the clean up efforts, but had tracked down Gant, Esah, Cira, and Cowan a few hours after the fighting stopped.

The five of them now stood at one of the smaller temples to the south that bordered one of the many lakes that dotted the endless forests of the small moon. They had all been relatively quiet, as there was so much to think about that the four of them were too busy trying to work things out to actually speak up.

After looking out across the pristine lake for a short while, Master Hamner turned around and said, “You all did very well today.”

“We did?” Cira asked, the first to question this obviously off-base compliment. While she wasn’t a typical Imperial in the way that most people thought of them in the galaxy, she was definitely a cynic...and somehow, that just went with the whole Imperial upbringing perfectly.

But Master Hamner simply nodded, a neutral expression still etched on his hard features, “Yes, Cira, you did. All of you...no matter what you may be thinking to the contrary.”

At that, the Jedi Master’s eyes fell on Cowan, who managed to make a surprised expression before staring down at the dirt. Everyone gave him a look, but then the moment passed and they all looked back to Master Hamner, who stopped toeing around the point, “We protected the Academy, but this fight is not over. You all proved yourselves out there. You acted like true Jedi by acting through the will of the Force instead of through your emotions. Now that we are forced to deal with less space to house all of the students in, we have been looking at alternate training exercises...and besides, you’ve all reached a point where you can learn much more outside the Academy than cooped up here waiting on a Master to help guide you.”

Silence. All of them were waiting for the next part. That sounded like the speech that would end with all of them being knighted. It had to be! Why else send students off on their own without a Master to make sure things went well? That was how it always had been!

But they got a surprise, “You are not ready to be Jedi Knights yet, however. It...puts us in a difficult position, but we trust the four of you. And there is a task that must be done that we believe you would all be well suited for.”

Another silence. This one was permeated by a sense of surprise and disappointment. But it didn’t take long for Gant to push those away and focus. Once that had been done, he took the hint displayed by the fact that Master Hamner wasn’t saying anything else and began to reach out with the Force. He focused more...harder...then let go and simply allowed the Force to bring what he searched for to him. That worked.

If Gant had eyes, this was the point where they’d have opened. Instead, he just said, “You want us to find out how the Shadow Academy got a foothold here on Yavin IV without us knowing about it.”

A rare, broad smile formed on Master Hamner’s face and he nodded, “Very good, Gant, very good.”

“You didn’t make it very difficult,” Cira said quietly, having picked it out just a second after Gant had.

The Jedi Master nodded, “True, but that’s not important. You will all be provided with a small starship, but I suggest giving us some time and starting here...talk with one of the Masters before you follow any leads off planet, though. For your protection, Esah, you will be provided with a lightsaber. Of course, this does not excuse any of you, including you Gant, from finding the necessary components to construct your personal lightsaber.”

They all nodded, and Gant thanked the Jedi Master for not pushing the subject of the weapon. It was nice to be beyond that point finally. Master Hamner then retrieved a small box from his robe and handed it to Esah, who just happened to be standing the closest to him, “Sensor equipment a few other things to help you get started. The sooner you’re able to figure out how this happened, the better we’ll all be,” and then, he bowed, “May the Force be with you.”

Then Master Hamner left. The four of them stood there in a new silence. This was a very important task...and it had been intrusted to, of all people, them?! Not that any of them(well, save maybe Cowan) believed they couldn’t do it, but it was just so...so sudden. They weren’t even Knights! But...but he’d just left! And they were stuck with it. All of them could imagine the Jedi Master walking off with a smug look on his face. He was too good at this. And besides, this was important...

“I believe he expects us to get started now,” Gant said slowly, finally breaking the silence.

Cira grinned and nodded, “Not very subtle, is he?”

“Not many Humans are, in my experience,” Esah laughed in her unique, Mon Calamari laugh that sounded more like someone drowning than a real laugh. It definitely was a sound one had to hear many times to understand as laughter.

“Yes, well, we try to keep up appearances,” joked Cira as she fell into step with the others as they got their bearings and started for one of the camps they’d found, “Right, Cowan?”

“...sure...” he was quiet, depressed sounding, and all together managed to kill the fun right there. He’d been like that since the end of the fighting, and none of them really wanted to get into the whys...at least not right now. Sometimes, it really was obvious that he was a spoiled little rich kid. And it was annoying enough that they were just going to have to let him get over it himself instead of pushing him and making it worse. But, at least it would keep things interesting.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Dec 7, 2005)

*Chapter 24: Encampment*

It wasn’t too terribly hard to find the small camp that Esah and Gant had found not a day earlier. Not only did they remember the way there, but it wasn’t as if it’d been years and years. It had been...hours. If that, even. It felt like so much longer...but it had only been hours. A few hours of pure chaos, sure, but that was still just a few hours. The fighting felt like it had been days, maybe even years after that small discovery of the camp.

“Its empty,” Esah announced, stepping into the camp area that was stuck in between a rather thick section of the jungle. The others all looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. Even Gant, without any eyes, managed the look. 

It was hard not to notice the place was empty. By the Force, it looked like whoever had been here left in such a hurry that they probably left their trousers behind. The fact that there was at least one pair of black trousers scattered on the ground amongst the general amount of junk only went to support this idea.

Cira followed Esah over a few of the smaller tree branches and had a careful look at the mess surrounding them, “There’s a few weapons scattered around...someone was definitely in a hurry.”

“I expect these crates contain food,” Gant said, walking around to one of the few tents still standing and carefully inspecting the crates that stood next to it with his hands. It was an...interesting thing to watch, to say the least. His hands seemed to just be supplementing the vision through the Force, adding those little extra information that his sensor-like vision might miss.

Slowly, the Mon Calamari woman made her way over to look at the crates, picking a few of the up to look at the ones beneath, “Medical supplies...spare parts...” she made a watery noise that was most likely a sigh and looked up at the canopy of the jungle above them, “I can understand cutting and running but I could have sworn they had enough ships to take all this.”

“Did they have enough time, though?” Gant asked, slowly finding his way over to another of the tents that was splattered on the ground and looking through the junk that it was covering up.

“They should have,” Cira’s voice was muffled from behind both a large tree and another of the tents, which she was currently inside and digging through. After a rustling noise, her black-haired head appeared out from under the tent, “All of a sudden retreating that quickly just seems...well, stupid.”

They all agreed with that, especially after finding out that the New Republic fleet that had arrived was not really a fleet at all. Two small cruisers and a few support ships with just two squadrons of starfighters was not, by any definition, a fleet. To call it one was insulting to fleets, especially like the Shadow Academy’s that was reported to have been above Yavin IV. Not only did they have a mobile space station that served as a training facility and the main base of the so-called Second Imperium, but they had at least ten squadrons of fighters and at least a dozen cruisers...not counting support ships. It didn’t make any sense.

“Maybe they planned to leave after a certain amount of time?” Cowan finally spoke up from his slow searching of another section.

Cira looked over in his direction and shrugged, “Maybe...still, they had the advantage in pretty much every aspect of the fight.”

There was an interesting noise from Esah’s direction that was not really describable beyond the fact that it was a noise and only Mon Calamari could ever dream to produce such a noise. It caused all eyes(well, all faces) to turn and look in her direction. She managed a weak smile on her blue face before laughing quietly, “Um...excuse me...” she paused a moment, rustled through some junk on the ground to get attention off of her, then produced a small datapad and held it up, “I think I’ve found something.”

No one actually left their places of searching, simply waiting for Esah to announce her findings beyond simply waving the datapad in the air. She seemed to pick up on this fairly quickly, finally pulling the small thing down and actually looking at it to see what it contained. Her fin-shaped hands had a bit of trouble with the smaller buttons, but after so many years she’d learned how to deal with those kind of problems.

“...it’s a log,” Esah finally said, very slowly and obviously distracted by reading the information that was now up in front of her. That got the others to stop what they were doing and sit up straight to look towards where the Mon Calamari was. Noticing she had their attention, Esah added some actual detail, “They were only here a week...doesn’t say how they arrived...something about another camp!”

She had a shocked look on her face and large eyes darted between each of her companions. Cira just shrugged and said flatly, “We know. We found it.”

If Gant had eyes, they’d have shifted very slowly towards both Cira and Cowan...which would have been an amazing feat, as the two of them were on opposite sides of the small encampment. Instead, though, the Miraluka shifted his vision in the Force, putting more focus into it to divide the focus between the two of them.

Cowan was the one who cracked first, “Would have told you...didn’t have time.”

Gant’s critical ‘look’ faded. Sometimes, he seemed to enjoy abusing his Force-vision and torturing the rest of them. He turned to face Esah again, though, and asked, “Anything else?”

“Nothing of interest, really...” Esah mumbled. She made an interesting sigh again and wave the datapad idly, “Whoever recorded this needs to be taught how to keep a log.”

“I’m sure they’d be happy to let you give them a lesson,” Cira said while she made her way over to Esah. The Mon Calamari got the hint and tossed the datapad over to her. Catching it, Cira looked it over casually, “Wow...even I can do better than this. They’re no record at all of any kind of supplies coming in...but they had to have done something. There’s a count of people and its changing far too much over each of the days...they were bringing people in.”

“But their’s no mention of how?” Cowan asked, biting his lip and suddenly forgetting all about any of his previous worries. Like the others, he was starting to get worried about that. It just didn’t feel...right.

Cira shook her head after another look over the datapad’s information, “Nothing...you don’t think...”

“...why not?” Gant finished slowly.

Esah was slowly starting to get to her feet, “But its all...all...” she waved her hands across the camp, “Its all a mess!”

At this point, Cira was starting to back to the rest of the jungle, “Exactly. No one keeps a log and leaves out such important information unless they want it to be found...and if they want it to be found there must be a reason...”

A trap. It had to be. It was too...too damned perfect. Slowly, they were all starting to make their way out of the camp. Esah managed two steps before she felt something different under her boot. It was...metal like some of the struts that were scattered around and had probably supported the tents that were now down across the ground...yet it gave way. Slowly, but surely, she felt her foot falling.

Esah’s eyes managed to go even wider when she realized why, but she wasn’t able to speak her words before there was a huge, deafening explosion.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Dec 15, 2005)

*Chapter 25: Casualties*

“Anyone else alive...?” Cowan called out. The voice sounded disturbingly loud after the absolute silence that had followed the sudden explosion. At least he had rolled over from being face down so that his voice could actually be understood. All the problems he’d had up to this point had suddenly faded away the second the trap had been set off and he’d hit the ground face first. It felt like his back had taken a scorching and his leg had landed on a rock, but overall he was alive...which, considering how big the explosion had been, was a good start.

There was a Cira-like groan a few meters off and around one of the now-burnt trees then the sound of some movement, “More or less.”

“There wasn’t any shrapnel,” sounded Gant, somehow still in his usual calm, controlled voice. Cowan could see the Miraluka carefully getting to his feet near where he’d been standing before.

“Just an incendiary...” Cira could now be seen leaning against the tree she’d dove to the ground next to. She and Gant looked about how Cowan felt, currently.

But he forced himself to his feet shakily and tried to ignore the dizziness, “This is a forest...I don’t think ‘just’ and ‘incendiary’ go very well together. Its amazing the whole thing didn’t catch fire.”

“There’s a few small fires over here,” Esah’s watery voice was quieter than the rest of theirs, but she didn’t sound to be dead. There was a pause, then the Mon Calamari spoke up again, “If...you wouldn’t mind...I could use a little help over here.”

Though the three of them started that direction, it was Cira who was closest and got there first. She arrived to find the entire left half of the Mon Calamari’s body was the same black colour that the ground and most of the trees were. Not only that, but her left leg looked...well...bad was the best way to describe it. At least Esah’s leg was still attached...

Immediately, Cira knelt down and tried to help Esah sit up some, “We need to get you back now.”

“Its okay...” Esah mumbled, waving her right(and still blue coloured) arm at the young human, “I’m okay.”

“Esah, your leg...”

She shook her head, “It doesn’t hurt.”

Cira had to take a moment to understand that, “It doesn’t hurt, or you can’t feel anything?”

“I believe that would be the same thing,” the answer came slow, but other than sounding tired, the Mon Calamari looked much worse off than she sounded.

As the other two of their companions arrived and assessed the situation(which didn’t take long, considering how Esah looked), Cira looked over her shoulder and said to the two others, “We need to get her back to the Temple now.”

Gant nodded, but it was Cowan who surprised them and said, “I’ll take her back. The two of you should probably keep looking around and find out what you can.”

All eyes(well, all senses) turned to Cowan and stared blankly. It was Esah who spoke up first, mumbling and nodding, “He’s right. We can’t abandon this just for a little burn. Besides, I think I can walk if Cowan can help me up.”

Nothing turned away from Cowan. After a moment, Cira said quietly, “You’re not walking on that leg.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Esah said with a mild glare this time, obviously getting annoyed by all the fuss. Yes, she was hurt, but there were worse things. It wasn’t like she was dead. Before anything else could be said, Cowan stepped over and did his best to help the Mon Calamari woman up to her feet...or rather, her foot. Her arm was draped over his shoulder and he did his best to hold her up. Esah’s right leg was doing alright at keeping her up as best as was possible, but Cowan was somehow able to support her weight. He wasn’t the strongest person on the planet, but he was managing.

“We’ll be fine,” Cowan eventually said, noting that Cira and Gant didn’t look to be too happy about this arrangement.

Esah glared again and nodded, “He’s right. Listen, we’ll contact you when we get back.”

And then, as one, the two slowly headed back towards the Great Temple.

Cira watched them disappear a few moments later and then finally turned to look at Gant. He was a little scorched, too, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. The cloth over his face, though, was now a much darker colour thanks to the scorching. Eventually, she said quietly, “What’s up with Cowan lately?”

“I do not know,” Gant answered right away, “But he does not seem willing to speak about it, whatever it is.”

“You think he’s running away?” she asked, idly turning and starting to give the burnt section of forest a good look over.

Gant shrugged and knelt down to sift through the destroyed trees and camp, “From something. I believe we will have to let him work it out himself, though. We should recover what we can from here and then head north...you said you and Cowan found something there, yes?”

“Definitely found something up there,” Cira said over her shoulder as she picked up a small, ruined datapad and sighed, “I don’t think we’ll find anything left here, though. That trap did a good job of burning pretty much everything but us.”

Gant nodded, despite the fact that Cira wasn’t looking his direction. He was so used to doing things like that for the benefit of the others that he sometimes didn’t even know they weren’t paying attention, “We will look anyway.”


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