Star Wars: Diplomatic Simulationsby Alphadude007ChaptersEquestrian DiplomacyPinkie's PartyRainbow's RoutineEquestrian DiplomacyA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Star Wars: Diplomatic Simulations It is a time of civil war in the galaxy. Thousands of worlds are contested between the Galactic Republic and the advancing Sith Empire. With a savage new offensive, the Sith have begun pushing the Republic and their Jedi forces from the Outer Rim territories. As the Republic's forces continue to thin and scatter in the wake of Sith attacks, a small task force is sent by the Jedi Council of Dantooine to find the Star Forge, a mythical weapon used by the Sith to create endless waves of reinforcements. The task force, headed by Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, Republic pilot Carth Onasi, and a newly discovered Jedi Padawan, has discovered clues on Tatooine and Kashyyyk as to the Star Forge's location, as well as picking up additional crew members along the way. Now the motley task force flies to the water world of Manaan in search of the third clue… A lone Dynamic-class freighter soared through the swirling blue vortex of Hyperspace. The mahogany-orange and sand tan freighter, the Ebon Hawk, had just departed from the forest world of Kashyyyk, but not before its crew incited a wookie rebellion against the Czerka Corporation slavers that occupied the planet. As the Ebon Hawk flew through the faster-than-light travel lane, ten individuals gathered together in the ship's main hold to discuss what had just occurred. "That definitely could have gone better," you say as you rub a hand against the back of your head. "How could it not have gone any better?" a brown-furred wookie growls in his native tongue. "My people are free from the slavers now." "I don't know." A woman in two-tone brown Jedi robes with a dual-bladed lightsaber hilt at her belt speaks up from across the holodisplay in the middle of the room. "Think about what the Czerka will do with a planet-wide insurrection, Zaalbar. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of wookies will be killed." Zaalbar lets out a short roar. "You do not know them! My people will fight to the last if it means obtaining their freedom." Mission Vao, a young blue Twilek and Zaalbar's long time friend, chimes in. "I don't think she meant to offend you, Big Z, but Bastila does have a point." "I don't know, Mission," a balding old black man in Jedi robes, Jolee Bindo, counters. "I've lived down in the Shadowlands long enough to see what most wookie warriors are capable of. I think that as long as they have the numbers, the Czerka won't stand a chance." "Commentary: I say let the meatbags fight it out." A rust-red Hunter-Killer assassin droid, HK-47, voices its opinion. "We got what we came for and incidentally caused a major uprising. I fail to see any downside as to how the operation was completed." "Well I think we should let Kashyyyk serve as an example of how not to stay under the radar." The group's attention turns to a man in a brown-and-yellow Republic officer's uniform with short black hair and light beard. Carth Onasi continues. "The Czerka could have identified our vessel, or even worse, linked us to the previous incidents on Tatooine and Taris, and then our cover would be blown. The Sith would be scouring the galaxy for us and it all would be due to the fact that we couldn't stay out of wookie affairs." "But if we hadn't interfered, my people would still be enslaved," Zaalbar argues. "Regardless," a Cathar woman in scarlet and black Jedi robes, Juhani, speaks up with her thick accent. "I agree we need to be more cautious in the future." "Well I doubt the Selkath on Manaan are in a position for us to liberate them through some glorious revolution we didn't intend to create," you say optimistically. "But there are tensions on Manaan all the same," Bastila says. "With their kolto harvesting operations, the people of that world are torn between the Republic and the Sith. Tipping the natives' opinion toward allying with either side would place us squarely in the public eye." Several in the room nodded. With Manaan being the only planet in the galaxy where the healing agent kolto was naturally harvested, it was a valuable planet in the eyes of the Republic and Sith militaries. "So what then?" The room's attention focuses on a muscular man with grey buzz-cut hair. Canderous Ordo resumes his assumption. "Treat the planet as one big political minefield and try to stay out of anything that isn't our business?" "Exactly, Canderous," Bastila plainly replies. The Mandalorian mercenary folds his massive arms and chuckles. "Easier said than done with this group." "Well there's gotta be a way to prepare ourselves to interact with the populaces of different planets," Mission says. "Suggestion," says HK-47. "I was originally programed with multiple files that can used for planetary simulation to prepare for upcoming assignments. Each file focuses on a different species." You raise an eyebrow at the droid. "How many of these files do you have, HK?" "Answer: two thousand forty three files, Master," the assassin droid responds. Carth lets out a low whistle. "And you never said anything about this… why?" you ask with an incredulous look. "Answer: No one ever asked, Master. Why answer a question that hasn't been presented?" Jolee puts his hands on his hips and looks around at the others in the room. "Well then, who's going to be the first to try out these simulations?" Everyone turns to stare back at him. "What? I can't do it. I've been alive long enough to encounter hundreds of species. What more could I possibly learn?" Juhani points a finger at the old Jedi. "So why don't you go and be our emissary in future excursions, Jolee?" "I would," Jolee replies with a wily smirk. "But I'm too old to always be moving about. Besides, why rob you all of a valuable learning experience by doing all the talking myself?" Bastila closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Fine. So who is going to be the first volunteer?" You reluctantly raise your hand with a sigh. "I'll do it if no one else will." "Exclamation: Excellent!" HK-47 cheers. "I will be in the swoop garage when you are ready for simulation testing." As HK walks towards the adjacent room where a swoop bike sat in storage, Carth addresses the room. "Well let's get back to work, everyone." He then turns towards you. "You'd better go do a few simulations. No telling what kind of welcome we'll be receiving on Manaan." You nod in reply and begin walking towards the garage. You pass through the doorway separating the main hold and the garage to find HK-47 standing next to the repulsorlift swoop-racing bike that you "borrowed" from the previous user, along with the rest of the ship for that matter. You walk up to the droid and look up into its glowing red optical sensors. "Okay, HK. So how are we going to do this?" you ask. "Answer: The same way we do the turret simulations, Master," HK replied. "Instruction: Just select what simulation you wish to proceed with and I will run it for you." "Hmm. Alright," you say as you rub your chin contemplatively. "How will you present me the options for simulation?" "Instruction: Open the 'Simulations' file in my central mainframe. You will see the 'Turret' option as you have seen before. There is a second file labeled 'Diplomatic Scenarios'. Select that file and then choose which simulation you wish to run." You nod your head and reach for the droid's chest plate. After unlocking the plate, you swing it to the side and bring up the files HK told you. Within seconds of selecting the 'Diplomatic Scenarios' file, a massive archive of selections makes themselves available on the blue display. Numerous scenarios such as "Kashyyyk Tribal Dispute", "Coruscant Protestor Demonstration", and "Tusken Raider Mating Ritual" were available. You shake your head of any thoughts that the last file might have procured. You scan the list until you see a file labeled 'Personal'. "Uh, HK?" you ask while not taking your eyes of the list. "Did any of your owners leave behind any personal files?" "Answer," the assassin droid droned. "To my knowledge, none of the masters I've had have encoded any personal files into my databanks, however there are several files that have been encoded separate from my default programming, none of which have been tampered with or accessed by any previous owners. Speculation: it is possible that said files were made before my memory core was erased, so I would not know who programmed the files." Your eyes widen at the droid's words. So whoever programmed these files was HK's first owner, you conclude. You raise a finger and press the 'Personal' file. Time to find out a few things about your first master. HK spoke up again. "File accessed. Instruction: Connect neural interface with central mainframe and begin simulation preparation." You take out a neural band and secure it to your head. Electrical synapses jolt against your head and into your brain as you connect the band to HK's central mainframe. You press the 'Personal' display again. "Alert: Simulation beginning in three… two… one…" You open your eyes, ready to see the inner thoughts of the person who initially programmed one of the best assassin droids you'd ever encountered. To your surprise, you see a rolling green countryside with a blue sky and several puffy clouds dotting the expanse. You look around incredulously at the scenery. "What the-?" You appear to be on the outskirts of a decently sized village. Dirt roads snake their way between single, sometimes double, story houses made of wood with straw rooftops. A large circular structure juts up from the center of town as its conical spire points up into the sky with several flags fluttering from the top. You'd heard of such structures being the places of governance in the more primitive corners of the galaxy. What were they called...? Oh right, town halls. What amazed you even more than the atmosphere were the planet's populace. Small equine-like creatures walk along the paths doing their daily duties. Some stood behind grocery stands, others seemed to be selling local goods, while others stood by chatting with one another. A sack of local fruit catches your eye as it seems to be floating in the air with some kind of blue aura surrounding it. To the side, you see a white equine with a horn extending from its forehead that is enshrouded in the same aura. You rub your chin in thought. Hmm. So some of these creatures can wield the Force? Or is it some kind of local magic? You continue to look around the environment and find that some of the equines are even flying through the sky. Wait- flying?! You tilt your head back and, sure enough, winged equines are flying through the sky. Several seem to be moving clouds while a grey wall-eyed one tries to carry a bag of what appears to be paper letters. You chuckle a bit at the equine's clumsiness as a few letters attempt to escape the bag via the wind. You put your hands at your hips. "What kind of planet is this?" you wonder aloud. "Hi!" a cheery voice greets you from below. You look down to see a waist-high pink equine with a puffy mane of similar color staring up at you with massive light blue eyes. "Uh… hi?" You return the greeting. "My name's Pinkie Pie and welcome to Ponyville! What's your name?" You pause for a moment to think about your situation. Okay, I know this is all a simulation, but sweet mother of Sarlacc this place is weird. If this is a representation of an actual planet, I swear on the Force that I'll never visit. "My name's-" "Hey Pinkie Pie!" a brash-sounding female voice interrupts you as you look to see who spoke up. To your surprise, a cyan winged equine with a multicolored mane and tail glides towards the pink equine before you. The pink one turns to address the winged one. "Oh hey, Rainbow Dash! Whatcha up to?" Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie? Was HK-47's owner smoking death sticks when the programming was being made? "Just getting ready for some practice. Who's this guy?" Rainbow Dash asked as she eyes you suspiciously. Your hand wanders over your lightsaber as you regard the inquisitive equine. "Just a passerby," you reply carefully. "No need for any trouble here." "Aw come on, Dashie, don't be such a meanie to our new friend," Pinkie says while hugging your leg protectively. New friend? What? Your eyes dart between the two equines before Rainbow Dash's eyes soften. "Well a friend of Pinkie's is a friend of mine," Rainbow said as her gaze on you soon dissolved. "So, what're you up to, Pinkie?" "Just about to throw a welcome-to-Ponyville party for our newest friend here!" Pinkie gleefully replies as she tightens her grip on your leg. "Oh..." Rainbow gave Pinkie an uncertain look and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "You, don't mind if I borrow him for the day, do you?" You turn to Rainbow Dash in surprise. "What do you need with me?" "You seem like someone who has a keen eye for athleticism," Dash replied as she looks over your physique. "How would you like to help coach me on my moves. I'm planning on using them to audition for the Wonderbolts." "Wonderbolts?" you inquire with an eyebrow cocked. Rainbow's jaw drops. "You don't know who they are? The Wonderbolts are only the best flying team in all of Equestria! And I'm gonna join them," she says confidently. "Assuming I can get my moves right, that is." Equestria. You go over the name in your head. Fitting. Well whoever these Wonderbolts are, they must be quite the flying team to garner such respect. "But what about my party?" Pinkie Pie asked as she let go of your leg. "You only get a welcome-to-Ponyville party once. You don't want to miss out on that, do you?" You look up from Pinkie and look to Rainbow Dash. "Is there no way I can reschedule that observation session?" Rainbow folded her hooves and shook her head. "Nope. The audition is tomorrow, so you can't put off coaching me." "And there's no way we can have the party another time?" You ask as you pleadingly look down at Pinkie. "Sorry, but a welcoming party is a once-or-never kind of situation," Pinkie responded. You sigh as you weigh your options. On the one hand, you coach Rainbow Dash and help her fulfill her dreams. On the other, you have fun with a one-time-offer party with Pinkie Pie and some of the other townsfolk. Well, great. Another decision. Author's Note The choices are now available and are yours to decide, reader! Make whichever choice you please, but keep in mind the consequences of the one you choose. If you choose Pinkie, go to chapter 2. If Rainbow Dash, skip ahead to chapter 3. Pinkie's PartyAuthor's Note Pinkie's Party Star Wars: Diplomatic Simulations Pinkie's Party Well, can't please both of them, but a party does sound kind of nice, you figure. It'd be a much-needed shift in mood, in contrast to the past couple of days. You fold your arms as you make your decision. Even a Jedi can't be on the job a hundred percent of the time. You look up towards Rainbow Dash and give her an apologetic look. "Thanks for the offer, Rainbow Dash, but I think I'll go with Pinkie to her party." You can't help but feel guilty at the sight of Rainbow Dash's shoulders sagging while Pinkie's face lights up with glee. "Oh. Okay," Rainbow says halfheartedly. "Well, I think there's somepony else who could help coach me anyway. Thanks, though." With a large flap of her wings, she shot off, back towards the sky once more. You stare after her for a few moments before you feel a tug on the hem of your robes. "She'll be fine," Pinkie assures you. "Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in all of Ponyville. I know she'll do just fine." A soft smile tugs at the corner of your mouth. "Yeah, I guess so." Pinkie smiles up at you and motions for you to follow her. "Now come on, new buddy! Let's get to the party!" As you walk through the town, you can't help but feel the gaze of the four-legged villagers watching you. You glance at them occasionally, only for the equines to quickly turn away and pretend like they weren't watching. You can vaguely hear the whispers of the townsfolk as you walk through what you're assuming is the center of the village. In front of you, Pinkie continues to lead you on, despite the attention. "The party's just up ahead," she says cheerfully, pointing a hoof at the building she's walking towards. You look up to see a building that looks like a giant mishmash of confections. The first couple stories look like an off-balance cake with brown frosting and white icing around the perimeter; while the tower that makes up the third and fourth floors looks like a pair of stacked cupcakes, complete with candles on top. I feel full just looking at this place. Zaalbar would literally eat this place out of house and home. You purse your lips and hope Pinkie doesn't force you to eat too much at this party. "Here we are!" Pinkie cheerfully proclaims. "Sugarcube Corner!" As you and Pinkie arrive at the hot pink front door of the establishment, you can't help but notice her failed attempt to not make her smile any wider than it already was. "Close your eyes." Her words are dripping with anticipation. You smirk at the equine and comply. You hear the door in front of you open and a hoof nudges itself into your hand. You take hold and are guided through the door. Even though your eyes are closed, you can see a quick loss of light past your eyelids. You quickly tap into the Force for guidance. I'm sensing quite a few life forms around me. Is this part of the party? "Aaannd, open them!" you hear Pinkie say as she lets go of your hand. You open your eyes in compliance. Suddenly, an overhead light turns on and dozens of multicolored equines jump out of their hiding places. "SURPRISE!" they all shout. The sudden shout gives you a jolt of startled energy before you look around and see all the smiling faces of the equines. A surprise party. Wow, when was the last time I had one of those? Your mind wanders to when the merchant on Tatooine said there was a cargo shipment of gizka that was to be carried on your ship. Well, that was a surprise, but it wasn't a good one. You grind your teeth as you recall the bipedal little pests hopping around everywhere on the ship. "So what'd ya think?" Pinkie quickly hops up to you and asks. "Were you surprised, were ya, huh, huh, huh?" You smile at the party guests. "I sure was, Pinkie. Now who's ready to party?" A resounding 'Yay!' sounds from the small crowd as a light-hearted party tune began to play. "Come on! Lemme introduce you to my friends!" Pinkie begins hopping towards the group of equines who by this point were conversing amongst themselves, dancing to the music, or eating and drinking. You follow Pinkie, but not before quickly dodging a trio of younger equines that ran just past your feet. "You alright?" a more sophisticated voice asks to your right. You turn to see the white equine you'd seen at the market before, the one with the horn on its head and a curled deep purple hairstyle. "Oh yeah, I'm alright," you reply coolly. "I do apologize about that, my sister and her friends can be a tad rambunctious sometimes." You wave off her worried look with a nonchalant wave of your hand. "It's okay, no harm done." "Pardon me, but I've forgotten my manners." The equine extends her hoof in greeting. "My name is Rarity." "Nice to meet you, Rarity," you say as you grip the hoof in a shake. "My name's-" "Oh new best buddy!" Pinkie calls from further into the crowd. "Where'd ya go?" You look back down at Rarity. "Sorry, but I think I'd better go see what she wants." "Understandable, dear," Rarity replies. "Probably best you hurry to her quickly." Rarity… certainly a more sensible name than the ones I've heard earlier. You resume your walk towards the center of the room where you see a pink tuft of hair poking up from the crowd. That must be her. "Hey, Pinkie! What's up?" The equine's blue eyes turn to meet yours and instantly light up. "Hey, buddy! Meet my friend, Twilight Sparkle." You find yourself looking down at a lavender-colored equine that was roughly the same height as Pinkie, but with wings and horn this time. Must be the result of interbreeding. Wait, why did I think about that? They may be simulations, but you slap those images out of your mind. "Hello," Twilight says as she extends a hoof for you to shake. "As Pinkie has said before, my name's Twilight Sparkle." "Pleasure to meet you," you say with a warm grin. "Twilight here's a princess!" Pinkie proclaims, to which your eyebrows rise a bit. "But don't let that stop ya from being comfortable!" She looks down at a watch that you swear wasn't there a moment ago. "Oh, I need to go check on the cupcakes. See ya in a bit, Twilight!" As Pinkie skips off towards what you assume is the kitchen, you turn back to face Twilight. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, huh? Is that the governing system of this place? A monarchy of sorts?" Twilight rubs the back of her head bashfully at the mention of her title. "Well, it's more of a diarchy with both Princesses Celestia and Luna in charge. I just explore the aspects of friendship and help ponies make friends with one another." You let out a 'wow' and fold your arms. Never had you heard of any such ruling system in the galaxy. "Two rulers? Just out of curiosity, has either one of the two ever tried to assassinate the other for control?" Twilight's face snaps into one of shock. "What? Goodness, no. Is that what happens where you're from?" You purse your lips as you recall a certain group of red lightsaber-wielding warriors. "Well, where I'm from, there's a group of people whose central principle is founded on individual strength. There's a teacher and a pupil, and the pupil's job is to eventually take power for themselves by, eh, removing the teacher from authority." A contemplative look found itself in Twilight's eyes. "Removing the teacher from authority, huh? Can you tell me more about this group?" You cock an eyebrow at the equine's interest in Sith teachings. "Uh, I don't know much, but-" "SWEETIE BELLE, NO!" Everybody's attention turns towards the kitchen at the outburst. Your eyebrows furrow at the voice. What's Pinkie yelling about? "But how will I get a cooking cutie mark if I never try it?" a high-pitched younger female voice whines. "BECAUSE THEN YOU MIGHT MAKE A BAKED BAD!" Pinkie cries. Suddenly, Pinkie dashes through the kitchen door. "EVERYPONY DU-" Before she can finish, a massive 'KA-FOOM' is heard from the kitchen. Instantly, a wave of yellow icing explodes from the open door. Pinkie is blown away in the tidal wave of frosting as screaming ponies are swallowed up in the yellow wave. You close your eyes and brace yourself before the wall of crystallized sugar can hit you. Strangely, you don't feel a drop of icing. Instead you feel like you're standing in an open field again. You open your eyes to see Twilight and Pinkie Pie, conversing together. "Hey guys!" you call, but they don't seem to acknowledge your existence. Can they not see me? Maybe it's just part of the simulation. "How has Dashie been doing?" Pinkie asks. "I haven't seen her since the day Sweetie Belle made Sugarcube Corner's oven explode." A sad look fell upon Twilight's face. "Well Pinkie," she says while putting an arm on her friend's shoulder. "She didn't pass the test." "What?" Pinkie's eyes go wide in surprise. "But how?" "She tried one of those loop-de-loop, double barrel backflip tricks she'd been practicing but messed up on the backflip and ended up crashing into another pegasus that was carrying a boxful of kittens." Pinkie's confused look suddenly changes to one of alarm. "Oh no! Did the kitties make it?" "Thankfully, there was a small lake they fell into." Twilight says with a relieved smile. "They just got a little wet, is all." Pinkie wipes some sweat from her brow. "Whew. Good thing for those kitties, but bad for Rainbow Dash. Should I throw her a 'You tried your best' party to make her feel better?" Twilight shook her head. "I think it's best if she's left alone for now." As soon as the conversation was over, the environment around you faded into black. A robotic voice above you says, "Sequence terminated." You open your eyes and find yourself staring at HK-47's mainframe again. The droid looks down at you as you carefully take the neural band off. "Statement: Welcome back, Master. Supposition: I take it you learned a thing or two about diplomacy from your experience?" You blink several times as you rub your temples to ease the numbness. The transition from being in a simulation back to reality is never an easy one on the brain. "Yeah, yeah. I really learned… a lot." "Observation: You seem to be having trouble readjusting back to reality, Master. More so than when you experience the turret simulations. Query: Did you encounter anything out of the ordinary in the simulation?" You shut the droid's chest plate, lock it up again, stand back up and pat the droid on the shoulder. "You have no idea, HK." Well one thing I now know about HK's first owner: he was out of his damn mind. "Any status report from the others?" "Answer," HK replies. "Negative. Several of the crew members inquired as to how you were while in simulation, to which I replied that you were alright, despite your heart rate beating at almost sixty-two percent above the normal level." "What?" You put a hand to your chest. To your surprise, your heart is beating as if a crazed Bantha herd was chasing you. "Must be a side-effect from the simulation. Felt pretty real." "Conjecture: Perhaps, Master," HK says with a small nod. "Different simulations can have different effects on the body. Not something a droid would experience, however." You let out a sigh and put your hands on your hips. "Alright. I'd best see how the others are doing." "Statement: Very well, Master. Signing off." With that, HK-47 switched into passive mode. The walk to the cockpit is a slow one as you allow your heartbeat to slow down. You pass by the communications room and walk into the Ebon Hawk's cockpit. Carth is at the helm while the swirling blue of Hyperspace passes by outside. On his right is Bastila in the copilot's seat. "How did the simulation go?" Bastila asks you without turning around. Must've sensed my arrival. "It went well." "Did it?" Bastila turns her head and gives you a skeptical look. "The tone of your words tells otherwise." You roll your eyes and laugh at the assumption. "Come on, Bastila. It wasn't a mind-altering experience or something. Really, the simulation went just fine." "So you think you're going to be able to converse with the Selkath at a reasonable level?" Carth asks as he presses several buttons on the cockpit's main console. "Because we're just about to enter the Pyrshak system. No turning back once we reach Manaan's atmosphere." "Yep," you lie. "Leave all the negotiations to me." Bastila narrows her eyes at you suspiciously before turning back around to face forward. "Well let's hope we don't come into the kind of trouble we encountered on Kashyyyk." "Agreed. The lower profile we have, the better," Carth says as he reaches for a small lever and pulls it down. The swirling blue of Hyperspace fades out as a large blue planet shoots into view. The cobalt blue world of Manaan sat in wait for the freighter and its crew. You fold your arms and stare back at the watery world. There was no telling what was waiting for you and the others down there in your search for the Star Map. You determinedly suck in a breath and sigh. Well, I hope the Selkath are planning a party for us when we get there. Rainbow's RoutineAuthor's Note Rainbow's Routine Star Wars: Diplomatic Simulations Rainbow's Routine You fold your arms and contemplate your choice. Well, nuts. A party does sound pretty nice, but I think helping achieve someone else's dream will mean more in the long run. You turn to face Pinkie, whose face brightens up upon making eye contact with you. "Sorry, Pinkie, but I think I'm going to help Rainbow Dash with her tricks." Pinkie's happy demeanor deflates at your answer. "Oh. Okay," she says as she gives you a sad smile. "Well, I guess I'll go back to Sugarcube Corner and let you two get to work." As Pinkie walks off, you can't help but feel an opportunity for some fun had been missed. "She'll be fine," Rainbow Dash assures you. "Pinkie is the kind of pony who can have fun with anypony. Now come on, I'll show you to my practicing grounds." Before you can say anything in reply, Rainbow Dash takes off towards a group of hills in the distance. You look at the rainbow trail that is left in her wake as she flies. No way I can keep up with that on my own. However… You reach out into the Force and feel it course through your very being. You begin to run and let the Force carry you faster than you could normallly ever go. Being Force sensitive certainly has its advantages, you think with a grin as you start catching up to the flying equine ahead of you. Rainbow Dash looks behind her to see you within reaching distance. Her eyes widen at the sight of you being almost neck and neck with her. The surprised look in her eyes quickly molds into one of challenge as she starts flapping her wings even faster. You let the Force flow through your body and match your speed with Rainbow's. The two of you race for miles, over hills, along rivers, through the woods, and finally back into town. By the end of it, the both of you are panting as you try to catch your breath. The two of you stop just beside a lake on the outskirts of town. Rainbow's wings stop flapping as she drops to the ground and splays them out beside her. "How in Equestria," she says between huffs, "Are you that fast?" You put your hands on your knees before you respond. Sure, using the Force to carry your legs faster was beneficial, but it can still take a toll on the muscles. "What can I say? I work out my legs a lot." The cyan equine rolls her eyes at you. "Yeah right. Seriously, what's your secret? I don't see any wings on you and you were going as fast as I was!" Well, I'm not going to say outright I can use the Force, you think. Oh, I got it! "You know how some use magic around here, right?" Rainbow raises an eyebrow. "Yeah?" "I can use something like that to help me go faster." "Like superpowers?" Rainbow quickly stands as her features light up with wonder. "Oh my gosh, are you a superhero or something? Do you fight crime or bad guys like Daring Do?" You put up your hands in defense from the barrage of questions. "Whoa, whoa, I never said I was a superhero or anything like that. I just have this magical ability that enables me to do some pretty cool stuff." "Do these powers give you the ability to fly too?" she asked enthusiastically. You shake your head with a smile. "Nope, sorry." She shrugs at the response. "Oh well. So, you ready to see what I can do?" You sit on the grass and fold your arms. "Impress me." Rainbow Dash's subsequent expression practically screams 'Challenge accepted'. Instantly, she takes off into the sky with a flap of her wings and begins her moves. She starts with a simple loop-de-loop but swiftly dives towards you upon its completion. Her dive quickly turns into a game of chicken as neither of you budge in anticipation of Rainbow's approach. As she starts to get close, you sense that she isn't planning on stopping in her dive. You go from your sitting position to laying flat on the ground moments before Rainbow Dash pulls up, mere inches from your prostrate form. You sit back up and turn to see Rainbow pulling up into the blue expanse above. Your eyes narrow at a silver gleam in Rainbow's hoof catches your eye. She didn't. Your hand reaches for where your lightsaber should be only to find that it was gone. That sneaky little thief. Mission would be proud. Rainbow turns back around and begins spinning as she shoots towards the ground. Again, she pulls up just before careening into the dirt and begins gliding a few inches off the ground. She rotates her body ninety degrees and zips past your chest. You watch her climb up again, this time you can hear some of her laughter in the distance. Well, she's a daring flyer, I'll give her that. You cup your hands around your mouth and shout, "Hey, Rainbow!" Rainbow halts in midair and turns to look at you. "How about you show me something my pilot can't already do in his sleep!" "Oh really?" Rainbow Dash laughed. "Well watch this!" You watch Rainbow as she starts climbing higher into the sky. As she ventures closer to the sun, you put a hand up to your forehead to shield your eyes. Soon, she was just a small rainbow-haired spec against the blue sky. Suddenly, she angles herself towards the ground and collapses her wings as she begins another dive. This time, however, it looks like she's trying to go as fast as she can as she flaps her wings to give her extra speed. With her hooves extended in front of her, you see something akin to a sonic barrier beginning to develop around her as she shoots faster and faster towards the ground. The barrier around her is beginning to look like the exterior of a bubble she's trying to pop. To your dismay and her own, Rainbow Dash's dive is suddenly halted by the barrier and she is catapulted back into the sky. The winged equine flails around in the air before crashing headfirst into a nearby cloud. "Uh, I'm guessing that didn't work out the way you wanted it to," you point out. "No kidding," Rainbow answers, disgruntled, as she picks herself up from the cloud. You raise an eyebrow as she begins descending back towards the ground. "So what were you trying to do up there? All your other stunts looked pretty good." As Rainbow touches down on the dirt in front of you, gives you an appreciative grin. "Thanks, but I was attempting to perform a Sonic Rainboom." "Let me guess," you say. "Basically a sonic boom, but with a rainbow instead of a shattered air barrier." Rainbow shrugs at the supposition. "Kind of. If completed, I can make rainbows wherever I want them. It's pretty much the biggest showing of pegasus magic there is." Her expression turns sour. "And I can't believe I wasn't able to do it," she says in a frustrated tone. "I've done it twice already. Why couldn't I do it again?" You give her a tentative pat on the head. How am I supposed to know what the signs for sympathy are here? "Well you botched one trick. The others were pretty good. I say just focus on the ones you already know how to do and perfect them for the performance." "Thanks," Rainbow replies with a smile. "Oh, by the way, here's that metal stick of yours." She holds up the lightsaber that was still in her hoof for you to take. You grasp it from her hoof and feel the familiar touch of the metal hilt. "Thank you. So are we going to continue with your routine or-" "Hi guys!" The two of you turn to see Pinkie standing behind a sky blue cannon on two-tone purple wheels. An alarmed look crosses your face as you find yourself staring down the barrel of said cannon. "Uh, Pinkie? What's that?" you ask while pointing a curious finger at the contraption. Pinkie gives the cannon a couple pats. "This here's my party cannon, silly." Party cannon? You cautiously sidestep away from cannon's muzzle. "Pinkie, what'd you bring that for?" Rainbow Dash asks with her hooves on her hips. "Well you said that you wouldn't be able to come to my party," she says with a hoof pointing you. "So I figured I'd bring the party to you!" "I like that you're trying to have it both ways here, Pinks," Rainbow Dash says. "But we're kind of in the middle of practice here." "No worries, Dashie!" Pinkie exclaims. "It'll take no time at all to set up. All it'll take is a one, two, three!" She presses a button on the back of the cannon as you and Rainbow prepare for the cannon to go off. Strangely enough, it doesn't. "Something wrong with your party cannon, Pinkie?" Rainbow asks. Pinkie scratches her head with an eyebrow cocked. "I dunno. The last time I used it was a few weeks ago, so it should be good to go." She gets from behind the cannon and walks around to the front of the cannon. Your eyes go wide when you see her look down the barrel. "Wait, wait, wait!" You raise a hand and channel the Force to push Pinkie away from the explosive end of the cannon. Pinkie gives a startled yelp as she is launched to the side. "Hey! What was that for?" Rainbow jumps in front of Pinkie defensively. I guess these equines don't know much about the dangers of projectile weapons, you figure as you get down on one knee before the equines. "Sorry about that, but don't you know better than not to look down at something that's going to shoot stuff at a very high speed towards you? That would mess up your face pretty quickly." "I guess the thought hadn't occurred to me before," Pinkie replies innocently as she stands back up. You walk around to the back of the cannon and sit down behind it. "I can be good with this sort of stuff. Mind if I take a look?" Pinkie gives you a smile "Sure!" You look down at the rear of the cannon to just see the color-matched firing button. After looking up to see no one was in the line of fire, you press the button like Pinkie had done. "Is there a way to open this-" A sudden explosion fills your ears as confetti, pre-inflated balloons and other party supplies slam into your face. The blast sends you onto your back as the party supplies rain down and cover you. As you lie on your back from the blast, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are immediately on top of you. "Are you okay, buddy?" Pinkie asked. "Whoa. Who knew party stuff could do that to a person's face?" Rainbow adds. You close your eyes as you try to recover from the explosion. In the darkness, you hear a robotic voice say, "Simulation terminated." You open your eyes to find yourself staring at HK-47's mainframe again. "Statement: Greetings, Master. Welcome back from the simulation," the assassin droid says. As you carefully remove the neural band from your head, you stand back up. "Thanks, HK. Did I miss any- gah!" Pain explodes in your head as you are sent to your knees once more. You hear footsteps quickly rush into the swoop garage behind you. "Hey, you okay?" You recognize the childish voice. Mission. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just a headache." "Speculation: During the simulation, you may have experienced sensory overload and the transition from the simulation to reality has amplified the feeling. Query: Did you encounter any flashing lights or colors during the simulation?" "Something like that," you answer as you open your eyes to see a small blue hand extended in front of you. You look up to see Mission looking concernedly at you before grabbing her hand as she helps you to your feet. "You sure you're okay? I may not have much experience with simulations, but I'm pretty sure that going from seeing one thing to another thing so quickly can mess with your head." You flash a smirk at the young Twi'lek. "Thanks, Mission, but I'm fine. Everyone else doing alright?" "Everyone's pretty much the same since you started the simulation. Although I did hear that we're gonna be landing on Manaan soon." "Guess I'll go see how Carth and Bastila are holding up." You give Mission a pat on the shoulder. "You and Zaalbar best prep yourselves for landing." Mission grins and gives you a quick salute. "You got it." With that, she leaves the garage. "Request: Might I shut down to conserve power, Master?" HK asks. "Running that simulation proved taxing on my circuits and I plan on killing several meatbags while we're on Manaan." "We'll see how things go down while we're there," you say with a chuckle. "But yes, you may shut down for a bit." "Statement: Thank you, Master. Shutting down." HK said. No sooner had the words been spoken, his eyes faded as his body slumped over. You walk out of the garage and head towards the cockpit. After passing the communications room, you walk through the cockpit's entryway to find Bastila in the copilot's seat and Carth behind the controls of the ship. "How did the simulation go?" Bastila asks you without turning around. Must've sensed my arrival, you figure. "It went well." "Did it?" Bastila turns her head and gives you a skeptical look. "The tone of your words speaks otherwise." You roll your eyes and laugh at the assumption. "Come on, Bastila. It wasn't a mind-altering experience or something. Really, the simulation went just fine." "So you think you're going to be able to converse with the Selkath at a reasonable level?" Carth asks as he presses several buttons on the cockpit's main console. "Because we're just about to enter the Pyrshak system. No turning back once we reach Manaan's atmosphere." "Yep," you lie. "Leave all the negotiations to me." Bastila narrows her eyes at you suspiciously before turning back around to face forward. "Well let's hope we don't come into the kind of trouble we encountered on Kashyyyk." "Agreed. The lower profile we have, the better," Carth says as he reaches for a small lever and pulls it down. The swirling blue of Hyperspace fades out as a large blue planet shoots into view. The cobalt blue world of Manaan sat in wait for the freighter and its crew. You fold your arms and stare back at the watery world. There was no telling what was waiting for you and the others down there in your search for the Star Map. You determinedly suck in a breath and sigh. Well, I hope the Selkath have some tricks they want to show me.
Equestrian DiplomacyA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Star Wars: Diplomatic Simulations It is a time of civil war in the galaxy. Thousands of worlds are contested between the Galactic Republic and the advancing Sith Empire. With a savage new offensive, the Sith have begun pushing the Republic and their Jedi forces from the Outer Rim territories. As the Republic's forces continue to thin and scatter in the wake of Sith attacks, a small task force is sent by the Jedi Council of Dantooine to find the Star Forge, a mythical weapon used by the Sith to create endless waves of reinforcements. The task force, headed by Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, Republic pilot Carth Onasi, and a newly discovered Jedi Padawan, has discovered clues on Tatooine and Kashyyyk as to the Star Forge's location, as well as picking up additional crew members along the way. Now the motley task force flies to the water world of Manaan in search of the third clue… A lone Dynamic-class freighter soared through the swirling blue vortex of Hyperspace. The mahogany-orange and sand tan freighter, the Ebon Hawk, had just departed from the forest world of Kashyyyk, but not before its crew incited a wookie rebellion against the Czerka Corporation slavers that occupied the planet. As the Ebon Hawk flew through the faster-than-light travel lane, ten individuals gathered together in the ship's main hold to discuss what had just occurred. "That definitely could have gone better," you say as you rub a hand against the back of your head. "How could it not have gone any better?" a brown-furred wookie growls in his native tongue. "My people are free from the slavers now." "I don't know." A woman in two-tone brown Jedi robes with a dual-bladed lightsaber hilt at her belt speaks up from across the holodisplay in the middle of the room. "Think about what the Czerka will do with a planet-wide insurrection, Zaalbar. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of wookies will be killed." Zaalbar lets out a short roar. "You do not know them! My people will fight to the last if it means obtaining their freedom." Mission Vao, a young blue Twilek and Zaalbar's long time friend, chimes in. "I don't think she meant to offend you, Big Z, but Bastila does have a point." "I don't know, Mission," a balding old black man in Jedi robes, Jolee Bindo, counters. "I've lived down in the Shadowlands long enough to see what most wookie warriors are capable of. I think that as long as they have the numbers, the Czerka won't stand a chance." "Commentary: I say let the meatbags fight it out." A rust-red Hunter-Killer assassin droid, HK-47, voices its opinion. "We got what we came for and incidentally caused a major uprising. I fail to see any downside as to how the operation was completed." "Well I think we should let Kashyyyk serve as an example of how not to stay under the radar." The group's attention turns to a man in a brown-and-yellow Republic officer's uniform with short black hair and light beard. Carth Onasi continues. "The Czerka could have identified our vessel, or even worse, linked us to the previous incidents on Tatooine and Taris, and then our cover would be blown. The Sith would be scouring the galaxy for us and it all would be due to the fact that we couldn't stay out of wookie affairs." "But if we hadn't interfered, my people would still be enslaved," Zaalbar argues. "Regardless," a Cathar woman in scarlet and black Jedi robes, Juhani, speaks up with her thick accent. "I agree we need to be more cautious in the future." "Well I doubt the Selkath on Manaan are in a position for us to liberate them through some glorious revolution we didn't intend to create," you say optimistically. "But there are tensions on Manaan all the same," Bastila says. "With their kolto harvesting operations, the people of that world are torn between the Republic and the Sith. Tipping the natives' opinion toward allying with either side would place us squarely in the public eye." Several in the room nodded. With Manaan being the only planet in the galaxy where the healing agent kolto was naturally harvested, it was a valuable planet in the eyes of the Republic and Sith militaries. "So what then?" The room's attention focuses on a muscular man with grey buzz-cut hair. Canderous Ordo resumes his assumption. "Treat the planet as one big political minefield and try to stay out of anything that isn't our business?" "Exactly, Canderous," Bastila plainly replies. The Mandalorian mercenary folds his massive arms and chuckles. "Easier said than done with this group." "Well there's gotta be a way to prepare ourselves to interact with the populaces of different planets," Mission says. "Suggestion," says HK-47. "I was originally programed with multiple files that can used for planetary simulation to prepare for upcoming assignments. Each file focuses on a different species." You raise an eyebrow at the droid. "How many of these files do you have, HK?" "Answer: two thousand forty three files, Master," the assassin droid responds. Carth lets out a low whistle. "And you never said anything about this… why?" you ask with an incredulous look. "Answer: No one ever asked, Master. Why answer a question that hasn't been presented?" Jolee puts his hands on his hips and looks around at the others in the room. "Well then, who's going to be the first to try out these simulations?" Everyone turns to stare back at him. "What? I can't do it. I've been alive long enough to encounter hundreds of species. What more could I possibly learn?" Juhani points a finger at the old Jedi. "So why don't you go and be our emissary in future excursions, Jolee?" "I would," Jolee replies with a wily smirk. "But I'm too old to always be moving about. Besides, why rob you all of a valuable learning experience by doing all the talking myself?" Bastila closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Fine. So who is going to be the first volunteer?" You reluctantly raise your hand with a sigh. "I'll do it if no one else will." "Exclamation: Excellent!" HK-47 cheers. "I will be in the swoop garage when you are ready for simulation testing." As HK walks towards the adjacent room where a swoop bike sat in storage, Carth addresses the room. "Well let's get back to work, everyone." He then turns towards you. "You'd better go do a few simulations. No telling what kind of welcome we'll be receiving on Manaan." You nod in reply and begin walking towards the garage. You pass through the doorway separating the main hold and the garage to find HK-47 standing next to the repulsorlift swoop-racing bike that you "borrowed" from the previous user, along with the rest of the ship for that matter. You walk up to the droid and look up into its glowing red optical sensors. "Okay, HK. So how are we going to do this?" you ask. "Answer: The same way we do the turret simulations, Master," HK replied. "Instruction: Just select what simulation you wish to proceed with and I will run it for you." "Hmm. Alright," you say as you rub your chin contemplatively. "How will you present me the options for simulation?" "Instruction: Open the 'Simulations' file in my central mainframe. You will see the 'Turret' option as you have seen before. There is a second file labeled 'Diplomatic Scenarios'. Select that file and then choose which simulation you wish to run." You nod your head and reach for the droid's chest plate. After unlocking the plate, you swing it to the side and bring up the files HK told you. Within seconds of selecting the 'Diplomatic Scenarios' file, a massive archive of selections makes themselves available on the blue display. Numerous scenarios such as "Kashyyyk Tribal Dispute", "Coruscant Protestor Demonstration", and "Tusken Raider Mating Ritual" were available. You shake your head of any thoughts that the last file might have procured. You scan the list until you see a file labeled 'Personal'. "Uh, HK?" you ask while not taking your eyes of the list. "Did any of your owners leave behind any personal files?" "Answer," the assassin droid droned. "To my knowledge, none of the masters I've had have encoded any personal files into my databanks, however there are several files that have been encoded separate from my default programming, none of which have been tampered with or accessed by any previous owners. Speculation: it is possible that said files were made before my memory core was erased, so I would not know who programmed the files." Your eyes widen at the droid's words. So whoever programmed these files was HK's first owner, you conclude. You raise a finger and press the 'Personal' file. Time to find out a few things about your first master. HK spoke up again. "File accessed. Instruction: Connect neural interface with central mainframe and begin simulation preparation." You take out a neural band and secure it to your head. Electrical synapses jolt against your head and into your brain as you connect the band to HK's central mainframe. You press the 'Personal' display again. "Alert: Simulation beginning in three… two… one…" You open your eyes, ready to see the inner thoughts of the person who initially programmed one of the best assassin droids you'd ever encountered. To your surprise, you see a rolling green countryside with a blue sky and several puffy clouds dotting the expanse. You look around incredulously at the scenery. "What the-?" You appear to be on the outskirts of a decently sized village. Dirt roads snake their way between single, sometimes double, story houses made of wood with straw rooftops. A large circular structure juts up from the center of town as its conical spire points up into the sky with several flags fluttering from the top. You'd heard of such structures being the places of governance in the more primitive corners of the galaxy. What were they called...? Oh right, town halls. What amazed you even more than the atmosphere were the planet's populace. Small equine-like creatures walk along the paths doing their daily duties. Some stood behind grocery stands, others seemed to be selling local goods, while others stood by chatting with one another. A sack of local fruit catches your eye as it seems to be floating in the air with some kind of blue aura surrounding it. To the side, you see a white equine with a horn extending from its forehead that is enshrouded in the same aura. You rub your chin in thought. Hmm. So some of these creatures can wield the Force? Or is it some kind of local magic? You continue to look around the environment and find that some of the equines are even flying through the sky. Wait- flying?! You tilt your head back and, sure enough, winged equines are flying through the sky. Several seem to be moving clouds while a grey wall-eyed one tries to carry a bag of what appears to be paper letters. You chuckle a bit at the equine's clumsiness as a few letters attempt to escape the bag via the wind. You put your hands at your hips. "What kind of planet is this?" you wonder aloud. "Hi!" a cheery voice greets you from below. You look down to see a waist-high pink equine with a puffy mane of similar color staring up at you with massive light blue eyes. "Uh… hi?" You return the greeting. "My name's Pinkie Pie and welcome to Ponyville! What's your name?" You pause for a moment to think about your situation. Okay, I know this is all a simulation, but sweet mother of Sarlacc this place is weird. If this is a representation of an actual planet, I swear on the Force that I'll never visit. "My name's-" "Hey Pinkie Pie!" a brash-sounding female voice interrupts you as you look to see who spoke up. To your surprise, a cyan winged equine with a multicolored mane and tail glides towards the pink equine before you. The pink one turns to address the winged one. "Oh hey, Rainbow Dash! Whatcha up to?" Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie? Was HK-47's owner smoking death sticks when the programming was being made? "Just getting ready for some practice. Who's this guy?" Rainbow Dash asked as she eyes you suspiciously. Your hand wanders over your lightsaber as you regard the inquisitive equine. "Just a passerby," you reply carefully. "No need for any trouble here." "Aw come on, Dashie, don't be such a meanie to our new friend," Pinkie says while hugging your leg protectively. New friend? What? Your eyes dart between the two equines before Rainbow Dash's eyes soften. "Well a friend of Pinkie's is a friend of mine," Rainbow said as her gaze on you soon dissolved. "So, what're you up to, Pinkie?" "Just about to throw a welcome-to-Ponyville party for our newest friend here!" Pinkie gleefully replies as she tightens her grip on your leg. "Oh..." Rainbow gave Pinkie an uncertain look and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "You, don't mind if I borrow him for the day, do you?" You turn to Rainbow Dash in surprise. "What do you need with me?" "You seem like someone who has a keen eye for athleticism," Dash replied as she looks over your physique. "How would you like to help coach me on my moves. I'm planning on using them to audition for the Wonderbolts." "Wonderbolts?" you inquire with an eyebrow cocked. Rainbow's jaw drops. "You don't know who they are? The Wonderbolts are only the best flying team in all of Equestria! And I'm gonna join them," she says confidently. "Assuming I can get my moves right, that is." Equestria. You go over the name in your head. Fitting. Well whoever these Wonderbolts are, they must be quite the flying team to garner such respect. "But what about my party?" Pinkie Pie asked as she let go of your leg. "You only get a welcome-to-Ponyville party once. You don't want to miss out on that, do you?" You look up from Pinkie and look to Rainbow Dash. "Is there no way I can reschedule that observation session?" Rainbow folded her hooves and shook her head. "Nope. The audition is tomorrow, so you can't put off coaching me." "And there's no way we can have the party another time?" You ask as you pleadingly look down at Pinkie. "Sorry, but a welcoming party is a once-or-never kind of situation," Pinkie responded. You sigh as you weigh your options. On the one hand, you coach Rainbow Dash and help her fulfill her dreams. On the other, you have fun with a one-time-offer party with Pinkie Pie and some of the other townsfolk. Well, great. Another decision. Author's Note The choices are now available and are yours to decide, reader! Make whichever choice you please, but keep in mind the consequences of the one you choose. If you choose Pinkie, go to chapter 2. If Rainbow Dash, skip ahead to chapter 3.
Pinkie's PartyAuthor's Note Pinkie's Party Star Wars: Diplomatic Simulations Pinkie's Party Well, can't please both of them, but a party does sound kind of nice, you figure. It'd be a much-needed shift in mood, in contrast to the past couple of days. You fold your arms as you make your decision. Even a Jedi can't be on the job a hundred percent of the time. You look up towards Rainbow Dash and give her an apologetic look. "Thanks for the offer, Rainbow Dash, but I think I'll go with Pinkie to her party." You can't help but feel guilty at the sight of Rainbow Dash's shoulders sagging while Pinkie's face lights up with glee. "Oh. Okay," Rainbow says halfheartedly. "Well, I think there's somepony else who could help coach me anyway. Thanks, though." With a large flap of her wings, she shot off, back towards the sky once more. You stare after her for a few moments before you feel a tug on the hem of your robes. "She'll be fine," Pinkie assures you. "Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in all of Ponyville. I know she'll do just fine." A soft smile tugs at the corner of your mouth. "Yeah, I guess so." Pinkie smiles up at you and motions for you to follow her. "Now come on, new buddy! Let's get to the party!" As you walk through the town, you can't help but feel the gaze of the four-legged villagers watching you. You glance at them occasionally, only for the equines to quickly turn away and pretend like they weren't watching. You can vaguely hear the whispers of the townsfolk as you walk through what you're assuming is the center of the village. In front of you, Pinkie continues to lead you on, despite the attention. "The party's just up ahead," she says cheerfully, pointing a hoof at the building she's walking towards. You look up to see a building that looks like a giant mishmash of confections. The first couple stories look like an off-balance cake with brown frosting and white icing around the perimeter; while the tower that makes up the third and fourth floors looks like a pair of stacked cupcakes, complete with candles on top. I feel full just looking at this place. Zaalbar would literally eat this place out of house and home. You purse your lips and hope Pinkie doesn't force you to eat too much at this party. "Here we are!" Pinkie cheerfully proclaims. "Sugarcube Corner!" As you and Pinkie arrive at the hot pink front door of the establishment, you can't help but notice her failed attempt to not make her smile any wider than it already was. "Close your eyes." Her words are dripping with anticipation. You smirk at the equine and comply. You hear the door in front of you open and a hoof nudges itself into your hand. You take hold and are guided through the door. Even though your eyes are closed, you can see a quick loss of light past your eyelids. You quickly tap into the Force for guidance. I'm sensing quite a few life forms around me. Is this part of the party? "Aaannd, open them!" you hear Pinkie say as she lets go of your hand. You open your eyes in compliance. Suddenly, an overhead light turns on and dozens of multicolored equines jump out of their hiding places. "SURPRISE!" they all shout. The sudden shout gives you a jolt of startled energy before you look around and see all the smiling faces of the equines. A surprise party. Wow, when was the last time I had one of those? Your mind wanders to when the merchant on Tatooine said there was a cargo shipment of gizka that was to be carried on your ship. Well, that was a surprise, but it wasn't a good one. You grind your teeth as you recall the bipedal little pests hopping around everywhere on the ship. "So what'd ya think?" Pinkie quickly hops up to you and asks. "Were you surprised, were ya, huh, huh, huh?" You smile at the party guests. "I sure was, Pinkie. Now who's ready to party?" A resounding 'Yay!' sounds from the small crowd as a light-hearted party tune began to play. "Come on! Lemme introduce you to my friends!" Pinkie begins hopping towards the group of equines who by this point were conversing amongst themselves, dancing to the music, or eating and drinking. You follow Pinkie, but not before quickly dodging a trio of younger equines that ran just past your feet. "You alright?" a more sophisticated voice asks to your right. You turn to see the white equine you'd seen at the market before, the one with the horn on its head and a curled deep purple hairstyle. "Oh yeah, I'm alright," you reply coolly. "I do apologize about that, my sister and her friends can be a tad rambunctious sometimes." You wave off her worried look with a nonchalant wave of your hand. "It's okay, no harm done." "Pardon me, but I've forgotten my manners." The equine extends her hoof in greeting. "My name is Rarity." "Nice to meet you, Rarity," you say as you grip the hoof in a shake. "My name's-" "Oh new best buddy!" Pinkie calls from further into the crowd. "Where'd ya go?" You look back down at Rarity. "Sorry, but I think I'd better go see what she wants." "Understandable, dear," Rarity replies. "Probably best you hurry to her quickly." Rarity… certainly a more sensible name than the ones I've heard earlier. You resume your walk towards the center of the room where you see a pink tuft of hair poking up from the crowd. That must be her. "Hey, Pinkie! What's up?" The equine's blue eyes turn to meet yours and instantly light up. "Hey, buddy! Meet my friend, Twilight Sparkle." You find yourself looking down at a lavender-colored equine that was roughly the same height as Pinkie, but with wings and horn this time. Must be the result of interbreeding. Wait, why did I think about that? They may be simulations, but you slap those images out of your mind. "Hello," Twilight says as she extends a hoof for you to shake. "As Pinkie has said before, my name's Twilight Sparkle." "Pleasure to meet you," you say with a warm grin. "Twilight here's a princess!" Pinkie proclaims, to which your eyebrows rise a bit. "But don't let that stop ya from being comfortable!" She looks down at a watch that you swear wasn't there a moment ago. "Oh, I need to go check on the cupcakes. See ya in a bit, Twilight!" As Pinkie skips off towards what you assume is the kitchen, you turn back to face Twilight. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, huh? Is that the governing system of this place? A monarchy of sorts?" Twilight rubs the back of her head bashfully at the mention of her title. "Well, it's more of a diarchy with both Princesses Celestia and Luna in charge. I just explore the aspects of friendship and help ponies make friends with one another." You let out a 'wow' and fold your arms. Never had you heard of any such ruling system in the galaxy. "Two rulers? Just out of curiosity, has either one of the two ever tried to assassinate the other for control?" Twilight's face snaps into one of shock. "What? Goodness, no. Is that what happens where you're from?" You purse your lips as you recall a certain group of red lightsaber-wielding warriors. "Well, where I'm from, there's a group of people whose central principle is founded on individual strength. There's a teacher and a pupil, and the pupil's job is to eventually take power for themselves by, eh, removing the teacher from authority." A contemplative look found itself in Twilight's eyes. "Removing the teacher from authority, huh? Can you tell me more about this group?" You cock an eyebrow at the equine's interest in Sith teachings. "Uh, I don't know much, but-" "SWEETIE BELLE, NO!" Everybody's attention turns towards the kitchen at the outburst. Your eyebrows furrow at the voice. What's Pinkie yelling about? "But how will I get a cooking cutie mark if I never try it?" a high-pitched younger female voice whines. "BECAUSE THEN YOU MIGHT MAKE A BAKED BAD!" Pinkie cries. Suddenly, Pinkie dashes through the kitchen door. "EVERYPONY DU-" Before she can finish, a massive 'KA-FOOM' is heard from the kitchen. Instantly, a wave of yellow icing explodes from the open door. Pinkie is blown away in the tidal wave of frosting as screaming ponies are swallowed up in the yellow wave. You close your eyes and brace yourself before the wall of crystallized sugar can hit you. Strangely, you don't feel a drop of icing. Instead you feel like you're standing in an open field again. You open your eyes to see Twilight and Pinkie Pie, conversing together. "Hey guys!" you call, but they don't seem to acknowledge your existence. Can they not see me? Maybe it's just part of the simulation. "How has Dashie been doing?" Pinkie asks. "I haven't seen her since the day Sweetie Belle made Sugarcube Corner's oven explode." A sad look fell upon Twilight's face. "Well Pinkie," she says while putting an arm on her friend's shoulder. "She didn't pass the test." "What?" Pinkie's eyes go wide in surprise. "But how?" "She tried one of those loop-de-loop, double barrel backflip tricks she'd been practicing but messed up on the backflip and ended up crashing into another pegasus that was carrying a boxful of kittens." Pinkie's confused look suddenly changes to one of alarm. "Oh no! Did the kitties make it?" "Thankfully, there was a small lake they fell into." Twilight says with a relieved smile. "They just got a little wet, is all." Pinkie wipes some sweat from her brow. "Whew. Good thing for those kitties, but bad for Rainbow Dash. Should I throw her a 'You tried your best' party to make her feel better?" Twilight shook her head. "I think it's best if she's left alone for now." As soon as the conversation was over, the environment around you faded into black. A robotic voice above you says, "Sequence terminated." You open your eyes and find yourself staring at HK-47's mainframe again. The droid looks down at you as you carefully take the neural band off. "Statement: Welcome back, Master. Supposition: I take it you learned a thing or two about diplomacy from your experience?" You blink several times as you rub your temples to ease the numbness. The transition from being in a simulation back to reality is never an easy one on the brain. "Yeah, yeah. I really learned… a lot." "Observation: You seem to be having trouble readjusting back to reality, Master. More so than when you experience the turret simulations. Query: Did you encounter anything out of the ordinary in the simulation?" You shut the droid's chest plate, lock it up again, stand back up and pat the droid on the shoulder. "You have no idea, HK." Well one thing I now know about HK's first owner: he was out of his damn mind. "Any status report from the others?" "Answer," HK replies. "Negative. Several of the crew members inquired as to how you were while in simulation, to which I replied that you were alright, despite your heart rate beating at almost sixty-two percent above the normal level." "What?" You put a hand to your chest. To your surprise, your heart is beating as if a crazed Bantha herd was chasing you. "Must be a side-effect from the simulation. Felt pretty real." "Conjecture: Perhaps, Master," HK says with a small nod. "Different simulations can have different effects on the body. Not something a droid would experience, however." You let out a sigh and put your hands on your hips. "Alright. I'd best see how the others are doing." "Statement: Very well, Master. Signing off." With that, HK-47 switched into passive mode. The walk to the cockpit is a slow one as you allow your heartbeat to slow down. You pass by the communications room and walk into the Ebon Hawk's cockpit. Carth is at the helm while the swirling blue of Hyperspace passes by outside. On his right is Bastila in the copilot's seat. "How did the simulation go?" Bastila asks you without turning around. Must've sensed my arrival. "It went well." "Did it?" Bastila turns her head and gives you a skeptical look. "The tone of your words tells otherwise." You roll your eyes and laugh at the assumption. "Come on, Bastila. It wasn't a mind-altering experience or something. Really, the simulation went just fine." "So you think you're going to be able to converse with the Selkath at a reasonable level?" Carth asks as he presses several buttons on the cockpit's main console. "Because we're just about to enter the Pyrshak system. No turning back once we reach Manaan's atmosphere." "Yep," you lie. "Leave all the negotiations to me." Bastila narrows her eyes at you suspiciously before turning back around to face forward. "Well let's hope we don't come into the kind of trouble we encountered on Kashyyyk." "Agreed. The lower profile we have, the better," Carth says as he reaches for a small lever and pulls it down. The swirling blue of Hyperspace fades out as a large blue planet shoots into view. The cobalt blue world of Manaan sat in wait for the freighter and its crew. You fold your arms and stare back at the watery world. There was no telling what was waiting for you and the others down there in your search for the Star Map. You determinedly suck in a breath and sigh. Well, I hope the Selkath are planning a party for us when we get there.
Rainbow's RoutineAuthor's Note Rainbow's Routine Star Wars: Diplomatic Simulations Rainbow's Routine You fold your arms and contemplate your choice. Well, nuts. A party does sound pretty nice, but I think helping achieve someone else's dream will mean more in the long run. You turn to face Pinkie, whose face brightens up upon making eye contact with you. "Sorry, Pinkie, but I think I'm going to help Rainbow Dash with her tricks." Pinkie's happy demeanor deflates at your answer. "Oh. Okay," she says as she gives you a sad smile. "Well, I guess I'll go back to Sugarcube Corner and let you two get to work." As Pinkie walks off, you can't help but feel an opportunity for some fun had been missed. "She'll be fine," Rainbow Dash assures you. "Pinkie is the kind of pony who can have fun with anypony. Now come on, I'll show you to my practicing grounds." Before you can say anything in reply, Rainbow Dash takes off towards a group of hills in the distance. You look at the rainbow trail that is left in her wake as she flies. No way I can keep up with that on my own. However… You reach out into the Force and feel it course through your very being. You begin to run and let the Force carry you faster than you could normallly ever go. Being Force sensitive certainly has its advantages, you think with a grin as you start catching up to the flying equine ahead of you. Rainbow Dash looks behind her to see you within reaching distance. Her eyes widen at the sight of you being almost neck and neck with her. The surprised look in her eyes quickly molds into one of challenge as she starts flapping her wings even faster. You let the Force flow through your body and match your speed with Rainbow's. The two of you race for miles, over hills, along rivers, through the woods, and finally back into town. By the end of it, the both of you are panting as you try to catch your breath. The two of you stop just beside a lake on the outskirts of town. Rainbow's wings stop flapping as she drops to the ground and splays them out beside her. "How in Equestria," she says between huffs, "Are you that fast?" You put your hands on your knees before you respond. Sure, using the Force to carry your legs faster was beneficial, but it can still take a toll on the muscles. "What can I say? I work out my legs a lot." The cyan equine rolls her eyes at you. "Yeah right. Seriously, what's your secret? I don't see any wings on you and you were going as fast as I was!" Well, I'm not going to say outright I can use the Force, you think. Oh, I got it! "You know how some use magic around here, right?" Rainbow raises an eyebrow. "Yeah?" "I can use something like that to help me go faster." "Like superpowers?" Rainbow quickly stands as her features light up with wonder. "Oh my gosh, are you a superhero or something? Do you fight crime or bad guys like Daring Do?" You put up your hands in defense from the barrage of questions. "Whoa, whoa, I never said I was a superhero or anything like that. I just have this magical ability that enables me to do some pretty cool stuff." "Do these powers give you the ability to fly too?" she asked enthusiastically. You shake your head with a smile. "Nope, sorry." She shrugs at the response. "Oh well. So, you ready to see what I can do?" You sit on the grass and fold your arms. "Impress me." Rainbow Dash's subsequent expression practically screams 'Challenge accepted'. Instantly, she takes off into the sky with a flap of her wings and begins her moves. She starts with a simple loop-de-loop but swiftly dives towards you upon its completion. Her dive quickly turns into a game of chicken as neither of you budge in anticipation of Rainbow's approach. As she starts to get close, you sense that she isn't planning on stopping in her dive. You go from your sitting position to laying flat on the ground moments before Rainbow Dash pulls up, mere inches from your prostrate form. You sit back up and turn to see Rainbow pulling up into the blue expanse above. Your eyes narrow at a silver gleam in Rainbow's hoof catches your eye. She didn't. Your hand reaches for where your lightsaber should be only to find that it was gone. That sneaky little thief. Mission would be proud. Rainbow turns back around and begins spinning as she shoots towards the ground. Again, she pulls up just before careening into the dirt and begins gliding a few inches off the ground. She rotates her body ninety degrees and zips past your chest. You watch her climb up again, this time you can hear some of her laughter in the distance. Well, she's a daring flyer, I'll give her that. You cup your hands around your mouth and shout, "Hey, Rainbow!" Rainbow halts in midair and turns to look at you. "How about you show me something my pilot can't already do in his sleep!" "Oh really?" Rainbow Dash laughed. "Well watch this!" You watch Rainbow as she starts climbing higher into the sky. As she ventures closer to the sun, you put a hand up to your forehead to shield your eyes. Soon, she was just a small rainbow-haired spec against the blue sky. Suddenly, she angles herself towards the ground and collapses her wings as she begins another dive. This time, however, it looks like she's trying to go as fast as she can as she flaps her wings to give her extra speed. With her hooves extended in front of her, you see something akin to a sonic barrier beginning to develop around her as she shoots faster and faster towards the ground. The barrier around her is beginning to look like the exterior of a bubble she's trying to pop. To your dismay and her own, Rainbow Dash's dive is suddenly halted by the barrier and she is catapulted back into the sky. The winged equine flails around in the air before crashing headfirst into a nearby cloud. "Uh, I'm guessing that didn't work out the way you wanted it to," you point out. "No kidding," Rainbow answers, disgruntled, as she picks herself up from the cloud. You raise an eyebrow as she begins descending back towards the ground. "So what were you trying to do up there? All your other stunts looked pretty good." As Rainbow touches down on the dirt in front of you, gives you an appreciative grin. "Thanks, but I was attempting to perform a Sonic Rainboom." "Let me guess," you say. "Basically a sonic boom, but with a rainbow instead of a shattered air barrier." Rainbow shrugs at the supposition. "Kind of. If completed, I can make rainbows wherever I want them. It's pretty much the biggest showing of pegasus magic there is." Her expression turns sour. "And I can't believe I wasn't able to do it," she says in a frustrated tone. "I've done it twice already. Why couldn't I do it again?" You give her a tentative pat on the head. How am I supposed to know what the signs for sympathy are here? "Well you botched one trick. The others were pretty good. I say just focus on the ones you already know how to do and perfect them for the performance." "Thanks," Rainbow replies with a smile. "Oh, by the way, here's that metal stick of yours." She holds up the lightsaber that was still in her hoof for you to take. You grasp it from her hoof and feel the familiar touch of the metal hilt. "Thank you. So are we going to continue with your routine or-" "Hi guys!" The two of you turn to see Pinkie standing behind a sky blue cannon on two-tone purple wheels. An alarmed look crosses your face as you find yourself staring down the barrel of said cannon. "Uh, Pinkie? What's that?" you ask while pointing a curious finger at the contraption. Pinkie gives the cannon a couple pats. "This here's my party cannon, silly." Party cannon? You cautiously sidestep away from cannon's muzzle. "Pinkie, what'd you bring that for?" Rainbow Dash asks with her hooves on her hips. "Well you said that you wouldn't be able to come to my party," she says with a hoof pointing you. "So I figured I'd bring the party to you!" "I like that you're trying to have it both ways here, Pinks," Rainbow Dash says. "But we're kind of in the middle of practice here." "No worries, Dashie!" Pinkie exclaims. "It'll take no time at all to set up. All it'll take is a one, two, three!" She presses a button on the back of the cannon as you and Rainbow prepare for the cannon to go off. Strangely enough, it doesn't. "Something wrong with your party cannon, Pinkie?" Rainbow asks. Pinkie scratches her head with an eyebrow cocked. "I dunno. The last time I used it was a few weeks ago, so it should be good to go." She gets from behind the cannon and walks around to the front of the cannon. Your eyes go wide when you see her look down the barrel. "Wait, wait, wait!" You raise a hand and channel the Force to push Pinkie away from the explosive end of the cannon. Pinkie gives a startled yelp as she is launched to the side. "Hey! What was that for?" Rainbow jumps in front of Pinkie defensively. I guess these equines don't know much about the dangers of projectile weapons, you figure as you get down on one knee before the equines. "Sorry about that, but don't you know better than not to look down at something that's going to shoot stuff at a very high speed towards you? That would mess up your face pretty quickly." "I guess the thought hadn't occurred to me before," Pinkie replies innocently as she stands back up. You walk around to the back of the cannon and sit down behind it. "I can be good with this sort of stuff. Mind if I take a look?" Pinkie gives you a smile "Sure!" You look down at the rear of the cannon to just see the color-matched firing button. After looking up to see no one was in the line of fire, you press the button like Pinkie had done. "Is there a way to open this-" A sudden explosion fills your ears as confetti, pre-inflated balloons and other party supplies slam into your face. The blast sends you onto your back as the party supplies rain down and cover you. As you lie on your back from the blast, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are immediately on top of you. "Are you okay, buddy?" Pinkie asked. "Whoa. Who knew party stuff could do that to a person's face?" Rainbow adds. You close your eyes as you try to recover from the explosion. In the darkness, you hear a robotic voice say, "Simulation terminated." You open your eyes to find yourself staring at HK-47's mainframe again. "Statement: Greetings, Master. Welcome back from the simulation," the assassin droid says. As you carefully remove the neural band from your head, you stand back up. "Thanks, HK. Did I miss any- gah!" Pain explodes in your head as you are sent to your knees once more. You hear footsteps quickly rush into the swoop garage behind you. "Hey, you okay?" You recognize the childish voice. Mission. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just a headache." "Speculation: During the simulation, you may have experienced sensory overload and the transition from the simulation to reality has amplified the feeling. Query: Did you encounter any flashing lights or colors during the simulation?" "Something like that," you answer as you open your eyes to see a small blue hand extended in front of you. You look up to see Mission looking concernedly at you before grabbing her hand as she helps you to your feet. "You sure you're okay? I may not have much experience with simulations, but I'm pretty sure that going from seeing one thing to another thing so quickly can mess with your head." You flash a smirk at the young Twi'lek. "Thanks, Mission, but I'm fine. Everyone else doing alright?" "Everyone's pretty much the same since you started the simulation. Although I did hear that we're gonna be landing on Manaan soon." "Guess I'll go see how Carth and Bastila are holding up." You give Mission a pat on the shoulder. "You and Zaalbar best prep yourselves for landing." Mission grins and gives you a quick salute. "You got it." With that, she leaves the garage. "Request: Might I shut down to conserve power, Master?" HK asks. "Running that simulation proved taxing on my circuits and I plan on killing several meatbags while we're on Manaan." "We'll see how things go down while we're there," you say with a chuckle. "But yes, you may shut down for a bit." "Statement: Thank you, Master. Shutting down." HK said. No sooner had the words been spoken, his eyes faded as his body slumped over. You walk out of the garage and head towards the cockpit. After passing the communications room, you walk through the cockpit's entryway to find Bastila in the copilot's seat and Carth behind the controls of the ship. "How did the simulation go?" Bastila asks you without turning around. Must've sensed my arrival, you figure. "It went well." "Did it?" Bastila turns her head and gives you a skeptical look. "The tone of your words speaks otherwise." You roll your eyes and laugh at the assumption. "Come on, Bastila. It wasn't a mind-altering experience or something. Really, the simulation went just fine." "So you think you're going to be able to converse with the Selkath at a reasonable level?" Carth asks as he presses several buttons on the cockpit's main console. "Because we're just about to enter the Pyrshak system. No turning back once we reach Manaan's atmosphere." "Yep," you lie. "Leave all the negotiations to me." Bastila narrows her eyes at you suspiciously before turning back around to face forward. "Well let's hope we don't come into the kind of trouble we encountered on Kashyyyk." "Agreed. The lower profile we have, the better," Carth says as he reaches for a small lever and pulls it down. The swirling blue of Hyperspace fades out as a large blue planet shoots into view. The cobalt blue world of Manaan sat in wait for the freighter and its crew. You fold your arms and stare back at the watery world. There was no telling what was waiting for you and the others down there in your search for the Star Map. You determinedly suck in a breath and sigh. Well, I hope the Selkath have some tricks they want to show me.
