Castles ARE Conductive to thinking
"Knowledge is only valuable if put to use."
Merry music, light and whimsical rose up from the castle, stone walls rising high and proud. Vines clambered and crept up the sides, grasping and reaching for their own little piece of space. A gentle breeze blew over the nearby lake, the waters softly lapping at the edges. White sandy beaches followed the expanse of the lake, giving way to woodland and greenery. Beyond this were the forests.
Oh yes, the forests. Ancient old-growth forests stretched for miles and as far as the eyes could see, the timberland only briefly broken by expansive lakes and… oh yes, that one massive castle. Nobody knew how old it was, some rumored it went back to the days of the Old Republic. Some rumored it had been a temple belonging to the Jedi. Some rumored it had been a temple belonging to the Sith. Some even rumored this ancient house of many stories had even been a battleground between the Light and the Dark. Darth Desolous and his Pau'an forces against the Knights of the Jedi Order.
A sharp whine cut through the peaceful serenity of the arguably Light Sided planet, the sound of a Kom'rk-class rocketing over the lake. The originally MandalMotors Kom'rk-class starfighter, measuring a nice little 52.3 meters had it’s Mandalorian markings -specifically the Death Watch ones- removed, and replaced with those of the Republic. That could probably be construed as an insult by Mandalore hardliners but the pilot figured most would understand. Well, after all even as famous as -or infamous depending on your point of view- as Mandalore was, Gallus was pretty sure nobody wanted Death Watch sigils plastered all over their personal fighter craft. Sorta sent the wrong kind of message.
“Master?” a voice came from behind Gallus, the pilot pressing a few buttons in front of him. As he made the adjustments for landing, he began carefully watching the Kom’rk’s wings go into an upright position. From behind him, hoofsteps. A mare, a young filly about half his age emerged into the cockpit, her straw-gold mane tied into a ponytail. Pun not intended. Or maybe it was.
“Luster,” Gallus said as a dark red heavy-lifting droid of some sort began walking up, helping to guide the ship in for a landing. “We’ve arrived.”
“You still haven’t told me where here is, actually,” Luster said, the pink-toned mare scrambling up beside Gallus, despite the griffon’s protests. “...By the Force, that’s pretty. Like, seriously pretty. But why come all the way out here for… oh, don’t tell me you came all the way out here to the Outer Rim for a sight-seeing trip.”
“Mid-rim, actually. Right along the Western Reaches,” Gallus corrected picking his young padawan off the control console. “But yeah, more or less. Figured out that you needed to get out of the ‘house’ so to speak, or at least the archives for a few days. So, here we are. You want to see what the galaxy’s really like, here you go.”
“Annnnnnnnd this totally isn’t an excuse for you to go out and show off your flashy new starfighter to anyone and everyone, right?” Luster remarked as the ramp descended. “Boys and their toys, really! One of these days you’re going to tell me just how exactly you got ahold of something that should be, by all rights, in Mandalorian hands.”
“N-No, it’s totally not that,” Gallus stammered though his tone may, okay probably said otherwise. Gallus was a terrible liar, really. So sue him. It was something he inherited from his Master. “...Okay, yeah it probably is that, at least in part. But you have been spending way too much time in the archives Padawan of mine.”
“I thought you weren’t supposed to reprimand a Padawan in public?” Luster said.
“Was that reprimanding?” Gallus asked. “More like advising, I think. Anyone tell you that you've been spending a little too much time with Ahsoka? You’re really snippy.
“Weeeeeeeeelllll, I can’t help it if Padawan Tano is a friendly sort, very sweet,” Luster said before narrowing her eyes. “Also, that right there? That’s totally reprimanding in public. You’re not very good at following the code, you know that right?”
“Yes, well I view the code as more of a set of guidelines than actual bylaws,” Gallus said. “Truth be told if you ask me the Code is by no means the be-end all and end-all of things. The real world’s more complicated than that. Messier.”
Sand and grime, a dirty nasty world. Hell, really. Villages often growing up in poverty, and it was a fight to stay alive. The Outer Rim was no place for the weak, and often it was where the Lawless ran havoc. The Jedi Order held no sway here, and at times it was wondered if the great and the mighty Knights of the Republic saw this part of the universe as best left forgotten.
Anyone who could pay protection, often did. Bounty Hunters were often the law out here, for good or for ill. A young griffon scavenged through the wreckage of an abandoned hut, grabbing what little he could and then dashing out before the womp-rats and Jawas could arrive. Arvala-7 was no place for those who didn’t have the heart of a survivor. The light-blue griffon ran for it, fruits in hand, wings needing a good preening. Sadly, such luxuries were beyond him at the moment.
“Hey, there he goes!” a voice shouted in Jawaese, and Gallus flinched. Great, he wasn’t fast enough and now they were onto him. Electric bolts scorched and scarred his form, any slower and he’d be a wriggling mess on the ground. The brown-hooded scavengers crawled out of every nook and cranny, their yellow eyes gleaming in the low light from out under their hoods.
And soon Gallus found himself surrounded by the little things. “Togo togu! (Hands off!)” he said to the creatures. Mind you, he probably could have just screeched. It wasn’t like nobody would be able to tell the difference. “Ya e'um pukay. Mombay m'bwa (I won’t sell! That is mine.)”
“Mombay m'bwa…” said the clan leader and Gallus swallowed. “Mob un loo?”
“Yanna kuzu peekay. Mombay m'bwa. (This is not for sale. That is mine.)” Gallus returned. “Ubanya, taa baa? (Good day, thank you.)”
“Yukusu kenza keena. (Let’s make a deal.)” the clan leader said. “Yukusu kenza keena?”
“Nyeta! Nyeta on the ‘Yukusu kenza keena’ type of thing! Sabioto!” Gallus replied beginning to get desperate. There was only so much Jawanese he actually knew. “Okay? Ya e'um pukay!”
“Hkeek nkulla!” the clan leader said. Although Gallus didn’t get exactly what he said, the general tone and the charging of weapons was sorta a hint.
“Shootogawa!” the clan leader said. Okay, that one he did get. Breaking off into a sprint, he scrambled down the streets and rounded a corner. Shouts and curses followed him, the usuals really. Street rat, and the like. Some of them a little bit nastier. Gallus pretended he hadn’t heard.
And then he tripped and fell into the mud, and as he picked himself up out of the squalor he sighed. Then came the laughter, Gallus the town fool in trouble again. Fighting back tears, the griffon tried to run but fell back in again. They didn’t understand, none of them. They actually had homes to go back to, most of them anyways. They didn’t have to barter with Jawas in broken language just to get food. Then he heard it. The familiar shouts of ‘Untinni!’
Gallus groaned to himself and then rapid fired off a: “Ny shootogawa! Yukusu kenza keena! Yukusu kenza keena! Sabioto! Sabioto!”
The Jawas aimed their rifles at him. The clan leader said, in almost perfect Basic: “You speak terrible Jawa. You sound like a Wookiee.”
“So, um, I guess we’re past the point of making a deal?” Gallus asked. “Like, are we really certain we’re past the point of making a deal? No ‘Yukusu kenza keena?’”
“I thought you didn’t want to make a deal,” the clan leader remarked, the other Jawas chittering behind him. “And now you do. Make up your mind, birdy. Or do you want to be squealing like a whoop rat? So no, there’s no ‘Yukusu kenza keena.’”
“Yes… um, well… You… Hkeek nkulla!” Gallus spat and in hindsight this probably wasn’t the best idea. Not with the ion blasters aimed directly right at him.
“Honestly, all of this fuss over some small whackfruits,” a voice said, feminine and warm. “And from a house that hasn’t actually been owned by anyone in years. Clearly, your priorities are not in order. Let the boy go. He has done nothing to deserve your ire.”
Gallus looked up and his eyes visibly widened. A few Jawa took a step back in fear, although this was assuredly not the woman’s intent. In front of Gallus was a Mirialan, with fair green skin and dressed almost completely in black. A lightsaber was at her hip.
“He called me a son of a bastard!” the clan leader.
Nearby, Gallus uttered: “Oh, so that’s what it means? ...wow, my Jawaese is terrible then. I was hoping it actually meant worse!”
Once again, he had ion blasters aimed at him, and once again the Mirialan had to calm the clan down with a pointed look. “Let the boy go,” the Mirialan said. “He is just trying to survive, the same as you is he not?”
“Perhaps, but he still committed a personal offense!” the clan leader said. “I am not the son of a bastard!”
“Oh, so you’re the son of two bastards then? Well, that’s different then!” Gallus sniped from nearby and the Mirialan this time had to ‘remove’ the ion blasters.
“Young griffon, please stop offending the Jawas,” the Jedi said. “For your own sake. This is getting us nowhere.”
“Yes, but considering how much trouble I’ve gone through just to get these ‘few whackfruits’ well I think I deserve a few remarks of my own!” Gallus shouted. “So forgive me if I don’t want to defend myself, and keep these. It’ll feed me for a week!”
“I hardly see you defending yourself,” the clan leader said. “I see you making a fool of yourself.”
“Be silent!” the Jedi said her tone stern. “Gentlemen, if you are quite finished arguing with each other…? Dear Jawas, perhaps it is entirely possible we can make a deal? Yukusu kenza keena? One whackfruit for the boy’s life?”
“Ja'bo'ba…” the Jawa said in a tone of utter disgust. The word was one the Mirialan knew to mean ‘Jedi’. “Mambay…”
Smiling, one whackfruit was traded and Gallus was left to live. “Thank you… whoever you are. Y-You’re a Jedi, right? Can I see your lightsaber? Actually, w-who are you?”
And here the Jedi smiled. “You’re a curious young one, aren’t you? My name is Luminara Unduli…”
“You’re lost in thought again Master,” Luster said with a sigh. She’d seen this before, a few times with her master. He was… an interesting sort. That alone you could say about him. I mean boring sorts certainly didn’t take their padawans on ‘field trips’ in former Death Watch fightercraft. “Memories again?”
“Memories, but memories make us who we are my young Padawan,” Gallus said as the two continued their trek up to the castle. He smiled as he watched Luster’s eyes dart every which way, the young filly seemingly trying to take it all in at once. His smile turned sadder, at least she would grow up happier than he ever did. “I see you’re actually liking our little field trip, and here I thought you’d be complaining the whole way.”
“I didn't know there was this much green in the whole galaxy…” Luster whispered as they entered the castle courtyard. Flags and banners practically clouded their vision, the many-colored strips of cloth seemingly hanging everywhere. And every one of them bore something different. From that of the Republic’s logo to that of Mandalore to even that of the Hutts. It seemed a little bit of everyone had left their mark here. Just where exactly were they?
“Maz’s Castle, nobody I know knows it as anything but anything else,” Gallus said and he noticed the way Luster’s fur stood on end. “Relax, Padawan of Mine. Maz is perfectly safe, harmless even. Well, as long as you don’t pick a fight in her bar. She's run this watering hole for a thousand years. Maz is a bit of an acquired taste, so yeah, just fair warning. And whatever you do, don't stare…”
“Okay, A, don’t stare at what?” Luster started before Gallus answered before she had a chance to finish.
“Anything, it’s rude,” Gallus said as Luster continued on. Gallus was seemingly unaware of this, or if he was he simply didn’t care. The Knight instead continued to speak. “I mean, would you want people staring at you? First equestrian Padawan in ages, so…”
“And B, you took me to a bar? A bar for our little sightseeing trip?” Luster asked. “Suddenly, my excitement is lessened. But yeah, first equestrian padawan in ages. Of course, I’m going to get a few stares. Celestia, we’re Jedi. We’re going to get a few stares anyway right?”
Gallus made a little ‘fair’s fair’ motion with his claws as he opened the doors. The massive wooden doors let out a little ‘creak’ as Gallus did so. Luster continued on. “And point C, first you say Maz is harmless then you say she’s a bit of an acquired taste? Who or what are we meeting exactly?”
“Someone can be both harmless and an acquired taste. I mean, there’s me right?” Gallus asked and Luster snorted.
“Well, you’re certainly that Master…” Luster admitted with a grumble.
“Anyways, Maz Kanata. She’s a pirate, smuggler, well former pirate and smuggler. I’m not going to judge, everyone’s got to make a living somehow right?” Gallus remarked seemingly ignoring -or again, not caring- about Luster’s outraged squawk.
The squawk was soon drowned out by a shout of: “JEDI!”
Maz Kanata had run her tavern for over a thousand years, and she’d seen plenty of Jedi during her long life. It wasn’t really surprising then when she saw two, a Master and a Padawan by the look of them walk into her establishment. With a gleeful shout escaping her lips, all eyes turned to them.
She watched the Padawan shrink back into herself, suddenly a shy little thing right from the Temple grounds all over again. Her various patrons eyed the little filly -an equestrian! Oh, this just kept getting better!- with wary and suspicious eyes. Some more hungry glances. Infrablue Zedbeddy Coggins had to be warned back to his playing of the hypolliope horn cluster with a ‘look’ from Maz. Maz didn’t want to go for her blaster, but she would.
Her tavern turning into a free-for-all was not exactly desirable for repeat business after all. “Padawan?” Maz asked with a knowing look as Luster nervously trotted into the crowd.
A few whispers of ‘Jedi’ traveled amongst the crowd rather quickly. A group of three Mandalorians eyed the two curiously but didn’t do anything more.
“H-How’d you know?” the padawan asked nervously.
“Oh, it’s the look. I’ve seen it in plenty of Jedi, especially Padawans your age. You’re not the first I’ve seen, not even the first to come in here! It’s always the same,” Maz went on. “Wide-eyed, and curious about the world around them. A little bit fearful of the world around them before they undergo the Trials and learn to control their emotions.”
Maz politely refrained from mentioning she thought the majority of the Jedi code was pure Sithspit. No emotion, no passion? That may have worked for droids, but living flesh and blood beings? That was another matter entirely. Oh well, maybe in time the Order would learn and adapt. Or maybe not, they’d grown fat and proud in recent years. Far too fat and proud for her liking. Oh, give her someone like Revan, now there was a force-wielder if she ever saw one. Balanced himself between the Light and the Dark. May there be another like him or so help her…
“Wait, so you’ve met Jedi before?” the padawan asked, some of the unease beginning to melt away. “Like… b-before us?”
“Oh, plenty dear,” Maz said as she pulled up a chair. “Oh trust me, when you get as old as I do, seeing a Jedi is really both a pleasure and ‘you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all’ type of deals! Now, what’s you and your Master’s names?”
“L-Luster Dawn, and this is my Master Gallus. Well, he’s not really a Master just yet, only a Knight but y-you get the idea, right?” Luster stammered watching some of the patrons around the cantina.
“Oh, plenty. Jawa Juice?” Maz offered and Luster nodded hesitantly. Gallus went to his lightsaber -a practical thing, parts exposed and seemingly made of junk- but then thought the better of it. Maz was quick to reassure. “Oh, and don’t worry about any of the patrons. Everyone’s welcome here. Smugglers, pirates, Jedi, bounty hunters, they’re all welcomed. They all understand this, and they all also understand that the moment anyone starts something I’ll have them thrown out. See Grummgar over by the door?”
Luster’s head turned, Gallus’ following to see the quite frankly, massive dowutin at the front door. Both shared a look, how in the Force’s name did they miss him? Like, he easily had to be nine feet tall. How did you miss that?
“Yeah, anyone causes trouble he’ll be the one tossing you out by your ass into the lake,” Maz smirked. “Works every time. Not even the hassks off Hasskyn dare to even cross him. Everyone’s equal here, my dear.”
“E-Even them?” Luster nervously asked glancing back towards the Mandalorians who were still in the corner of the room. Under their faceless visages, she could only guess what they were thinking. Frankly, to her, these were the ones to be feared the most. Maz understood why. The Jedi-Mandalorian conflict had never truly faded from memory. Never mind the fact that the Viszla clan’s (in)famous darksaber was created by a Jedi himself!
“Yes, even them,” Maz said her voice warm and understanding. She turned to Gallus. “So, a Jedi far from home and the skylines of Coruscant. What brings you to my fair keep? Oh, you’re not trying to reclaim it for the Order are you?”
Noting the expression on Gallus’ face, and the stammers of: “N-No, I-I wouldn’t even dare to dream of…” she then burst out laughing.
“You’re too easy to get to, seems the Trials didn’t purge embarrassment from one’s mind eh?” Maz laughed before looking back at Luster. “I like him. Don’t you? He’s way too easy, this one!”
“Yes, yes he is!” Luster agreed.
“...they’re ganging up on me,” Gallus muttered. Maz could only laugh even harder.
“So, you’re the one who I heard had a Mandalorian Kom'rk?” Maz asked. “Well, you’re a brave one Gallus. Says a lot of things about a person when they fly a Kom'rk. Brave or stupid, I’m guessing you’re a little bit of both. I like that in you.”
“Um… thanks?” Gallus asked as he drank some of his coffee. “...I’m guessing I’m supposed to take that as a compliment…”
“Oh, you are. Jedi play it too safe these days,” Maz remarked. “No emotion, and no passion!”
“But the Code says-!” Luster started before a pointed look from Maz silenced her.
“The Code, as I’m sure your Master has already explained to you is by no means the end of things. In the real world, you’ll find out it’s much more complicated, much…”
“...Messier,” Luster finished. “You know, suddenly I know exactly where Master Gallus may have got it.”
“Oh, did he?” Maz said sending Gallus an approving look before her ancient eyes spotted something else in another corner of the room. She raised her voice with a fury unfitting of someone her age. “HEY YOU, NO SELLING THE DEATHSTICKS! YOU CAN SELL THEM OUTSIDE OR IN SOME OTHER CANTINA! BUT YOU CAN’T SELL THEM HERE!”
“Allow me,” Gallus said picking himself up off his chair before walking over and pulling the Kenobi Manuver.
“Hey, you want to buy some deathsticks?” one of the hassks asked, fishing out some glowing multicolored syringes.
“No, I don’t want to buy some deathsticks. I want you to go home and rethink your life,” Gallus said subtly waving his hand. By this point, the music had ground to a screeching halt, the band at play having realized what was going on. And little by little everyone else had realized it too.
“No, I don’t want you to buy some deathsticks. I want to go home and rethink my life.” the hassk said. Right after this he went, and walked right out the door as if nothing had happened.
“Much better,” Maz nodded. “Hey, if being a Knight doesn’t work out for you, maybe you could come out here and be my bodyguard eh? A handsome former Jedi, oh that is a tempting prospect…”
Grummgar made a noise, with Gallus and Luster sharing a look. At first, it was because of Maz’s borderline flirting and then it was because of the noise the giant made. “I’m, uh, not sure but I think he has something to say about it.” Luster said.
As for Maz? She just waved it off. “Oh, he’s just jealous. I’m quite a catch around these parts, don’t you know?” she remarked and Gallus looked incredulous. Maz chuckled before answering with a: “Hey, former pirate queen and smuggler who has her own castle? You Jedi may not think of material wants and needs, but they sure do!”
Then came another shout: “Hey, the Jedi’s doing one of his freaky mind-control things to the deathsticker! Get him, before he uses it on all of us!”
One of the barfly -A teedo off Jakku by the look of him- charged forwards, Maz looking annoyed. “Oh, do they never read the rules on the signs? No. fighting. in. the. cantina! Every time…” she uttered going back to grab a drink.
The attacker for his part was judo-flipped into a table, the trio of Mandalorians looking on. Two more, hassr by the look of them drew knives only for Luster to toss them into a wall with a force push. Seeing this, another one of the scum went for Luster. Gallus’ eyes widened before a gold beam of light blocked the barfly’s path.
“Hands off the Padawan. Your fear and bigoted posturing is not welcome here,” Gallus said to the attacker, his lightsaber level at his throat. “Are we clear about this?”
“Clear…” the attacker said before shirking off, backing away before bumping right into Grummgar. The alien huffed, and with a crash the piece of scum was out the door. Gallus shot the dowutin a thankful look.
“I’m a father as well, kids are precious. They’re the galaxy’s next generation,” Grummgar said, his voice a deep rumble. “My uncle was a Jedi. I owe him that much.”
“The dowutin has a point,” one of the Mandalorian trio said and Gallus’ eyes widened. “Don’t get me wrong, none of us are fans of the Jedi order. But even we can tell you are a clan of two. This is the Way.”
“This is the Way.” the trio said in unison.
“...Um, this is the Way?” Gallus answered and once again…
“This is the Way.” the Mandalore trio said in unison. Grummgar huffed.
“Great, now you’ve got them started, they’ll be going ‘This is the Way’ all night if they’ve got anything to say about it…” he muttered before walking back to guard the door.
“Well, that was… unexpected,” Luster said and Gallus nodded in agreement. “Compliments from Mandalorians. But what’s this about being a ‘clan of two’?”
“Well, Padawan of Mine, maybe they mistake our master and student relationship for something more… familial,” Gallus replied not really sure how to feel about all of that. On the one hand, he supposed he sorta liked the idea of Luster being his adoptive daughter. But on the other, Jedi weren’t exactly supposed to feel attachment. Were they? “Then again, I suppose attachment and love are two very different things. And besides, you said it yourself right? The Code’s more like a set of guidelines really. I guess… well, to borrow a quote, this is the Way.”
“Well, getting involved in a bar fight and chatting it up with Mandalorians!” Luster said. “You were right about one thing, if I’d stayed in the Archives for the rest of my life I might never have gotten involved in any of those experiences. Maybe this is really living…”
“Yeah, maybe it is really living…” Gallus murmured lost in thought once again.
Arvala-7 again. Luminara and Gallus stood in the village chieftain’s hut. A grumpy old coot, everyone called him ‘Grandpa’. Gallus shrunk back into himself, any earlier confidence and bravado gone. Peeking out from behind a corner, he watched as Luminara talked with ‘Grandpa’.
“So, a Jedi finally comes to our fair little village, suppose it was about time really,” Grandpa said as he balanced himself on his cane, the feathers starting to leave him. “I suppose you’re going to go hide him away in that monastery of yours and train him to leave all behind as some magical space wizard. Now, quite personally I don’t care for the Jedi code, nor do I care for young kids being basically bednapped in their sleep. But as long as it gets the town fool away from here, so we don’t have to put up with ‘em than so be it…”
Gallus choked back a sob and Luminara sent him a kindly look. “You seem quite keen to get rid of your youngest member,” the Mirialan said, her tone almost accusatory. If Gallus didn’t know better, he could have sworn it actually was. But that seemed too… hostile for a Jedi, right?
“Because it’s what’s best for him,” Grandpa snorted.
“That’s a funny way of looking at it, if you say we bednap kids from their sleep and train them to let go of all emotions,” Luminara replied, her tone back to being even. The force rippled in the room, Gallus could feel it. It tingled and moved in waves. Was this the power of a Jedi?
“I’m not wrong, am I?” Grandpa asked pointedly. Luminara had no response. True, some of the Jedi Order’s tactics for finding new Padawans seemed… horrid but it was for the best. They needed to be trained. The power of the Force was destructive if not trained properly, honed and refined. Wild emotions led to dangerous destruction. Wild emotion not tempered led to fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. That was the Sith way, and Luminara would be damned to Korriban if she ever saw another Sith empire in her time.
“Yeah, I thought not,” Grandpa said. “Hope I gave you a lot to think about, Master Jedi.”
“Yes, perhaps you have,” Luminara said. “But all the same, if emotions are not mastered and controlled, the Force becomes unbalanced in an individual. Would you rather Gallus destroy your village in a fit of rage?”
Gallus let out a squeak of terror. Could he… could he really do that? Yes, this village was hell but it didn’t deserve it. And yet, all the same he could feel the power in him. His claws crackled with electricity. It would be easy, so easy just to… His eyes widened and the young griffon shuddered at the direction his thoughts were heading. No, not even Grandpa deserved that.
“The kid’s got power, yes I will agree,” Grandpa said. “You saw it too, right? Lightning at his claw tips. He’d grow up to be a powerful force in the universe. He’s afraid of me, isn’t he?”
“Well, considering how you treat your own kin, I’d understand his point of view…” Luminara replied. “Be that as it may however, I will not allow Gallus to go to the Dark Side.”
“And what will he lose in the process?” Grandpa asked, the elder griffon quirking an eyebrow. “But all the same, I’d be happy to see him go. He’s a burden upon this village, with his foolishness! He nearly got himself killed just today, via Jawas! Do you know how hard it is to keep that clan on our side? They’re some of our only sources of trade! Just last week they brought in several blurrgs for transport and a new R2 unit to help with the moisture vaporators!”
“So you’re only thinking of your village and not of the individual.” Luminara said sounding fairly disgusted.
“Of course I’m thinking of Gallus, damnit!” Grandpa finally roared. “Do you know what happens to a griffon or anybody else out here? Out in the wastes? We don’t have a functioning government aside from me, and barely any medical practitioners. Do you know what happens when someone gets sick? They freeze, or they starve and goddamnit nobody will lift a claw tip to help them because next week, it might be them! So yes, I’m going to send Gallus off to your Temple in the city because it’s the only chance he has of seeing the next year! I’m keen on it actually, not because he’s a troublemaker but because it’s… well, it’s what’s best for him!”
Gallus was struck speechless, and apparently so was Luminara. Grandpa actually… cared? Fighting back a sob, he hugged the elder who quickly shoved him away. “Yeah yeah kid, don’t think anything of it. I’ll be glad when you’re gone,” Grandpa muttered. “Now you, go with the Jedi. Make something of yourself, become someone this planet can actually be proud of. The Force knows we need one…”
“I… I think Arvala already has one…” Gallus said and if he didn’t know any better he could have sworn Grandpa’s eyes sparkled with tears. But that surely was just his imagination, right?
“Are… are you going to be okay?” Luminara asked back aboard her ship, a young mirialan by the name of Barriss Offee tending to Gallus’ wounds. Luminara’s padawan, he realized glumly. Of course, she already had a padawan. Of course she wouldn’t train him.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Luminara said her voice back to being motherly and kind. “And while I may not be your Master, I will make sure to help you along in any way I can.”
And when an older Gallus passed the Trials with flying colors -only slowed by a projection of Darth Phobos- it wasn’t just Shaak Ti who looked on with pride. It was a very pleased Luminara who watched from the wings. And Gallus thought of ‘Grandpa’, and smiled.
He was still smiling now, even far and away from the Core Worlds and the wilds of Arvala and Knights and stody old griffons with best intentions in mind. Yeah, he could handle this. Luster was his kid, really. If the Jedi Order had something to say about it, he’d have words with them.
He’d heard rumors of such things as Gray Jedi. Those who walked the line between Light and the Dark. While Gallus wasn’t fully ready to commit to that, he understood their point of view. The Force was the Force in the end, no matter how you used it.
“So, how goes things?” Barriss asked through a projector. Gallus meditated, deconstructing and reconstructing his saber as an exercise. Something Luminara taught him, helped to calm the mind. “Heard from the rumor mill, not that I pay attention to such things, that you decided to take your Padawan off on a trip to Takodana. Maz’s Castle, right?”
“News travels fast, doesn’t it?” Gallus said. “Alright, who told you? Was it Trixie? She’s a busybody, really.”
“Ahsoka actually,” the mirialan replied. “Mentioned it over at Dexter’s, actually. Long story, Master Skywalker decided me and her needed to ‘see the town’ as he put it and…”
“So I’m not the only one who had the idea of Padawans needing to live a little,” Gallus laughed. “Force! Guess it’s true, great minds do think alike!”
“Oh, so you’re calling little old me a great mind?” Barriss teased. “Careful Gallus, otherwise I might think you’re fishing for compliments!”
“Now why would I need to go fishing?” Gallus returned. “Takodana, as it turns out has enough great lakes to make a gungan jealous!”
“Leave it to you to turn a joke on my part into an introspection of the environment,” Barriss said with a sigh and a shake of her head. “I trust you two are enjoying yourselves?”
“Fairly well, which means all things are going according to plan,” Gallus returned. “Got into a bar fight, sent someone selling deathsticks packing. Made him go home and rethink his life, with any luck.”
“Oh, so you pulled the Obi-Wan maneuver?” Barriss replied.
“Not sure how Master Kenobi will think of us naming little maneuvers after him,” Gallus replied. “Sure, might flatter Anakin 'Spinning is a Good Trick Skywalker' but Master Kenobi? Not sure about that.”
“Well, as long as it’s not a flying maneuver I’m sure he’ll be fine with it!” Offee teased and Gallus looked surprised.
“You, cracking jokes? Who are you and what have you down with Barriss Offee?” Gallus returned fire. “Are you sure you’re not a Clawdite?”
“Not since the last time I checked…” Bariss replied and if Gallus didn’t know any better he could have sworn the mirialan was actually smiling. The possibly a smile was soon to fade. “Okay, now what’s really bothering you? Even all the way out here on Coruscant I can feel it through the Force.”
“Am I that obvious?” Gallus asked.
“What do you think?” Barriss replied with a deadpan stare.
“Okay, so yeah I am that obvious…” Gallus muttered to himself.
“You always were the type to wear your emotions on your sleeve, if I remember how the saying goes…” Barriss replied.
“It’s heart on my sleeve.” Gallus corrected.
“Same difference,” Barriss waved him off. “In any event, now speak your mind. I’m your friend, Gallus, always have been since that day on Arvala-7.”
Gallus took a deep breath, and sighed. “Alright, so it’s like this you see. I may… care for Luster.”
“Don’t we all care for our Padawans?” Barriss asked.
“Not just in that Master Student type of way. More like father and daughter type of thing,” Gallus said and Barriss sucked in a breath.
“Oh…” she realized.
“Yeah, oh. Definitely an ‘oh’ sort of moment, you know?” Gallus said his meditation halted for the moment. The saber fell to the floor, Gallus knew he could re-construct it later. Right now his mind was too preoccupied with this particular problem. “I mean, I want to act on things, and give her all the childhood I never really had but the Order…”
“Ah, right. You keep on saying the Code’s more like guidelines right?” Barriss remarked before her eyes narrowed. “You’re… afraid, aren’t you?”
“Force yes, I’m afraid. Fear is a Sith emotion, isn’t it?” Gallus asked.
“No, Fear means you’re a living being. You’re not a droid Gallus, fear means you’re still alive. Remember that incident on Felucia? The one with the Acklay? Fear keeps you fast, fear keeps you alive.” Barriss said.
“But I’m not running for my life, I’m worried about…”
“You get my point,” Barriss said. “The Code is and should be flexible for given Jedi. Any Master on the Council should recognize this. Master Mundi? He has several wives, and yes it’s to help with the low birthrates of his species but I hear he cares for each child. Each and every one he’s given.”
“You’re right, and thank you…”
“I usually am, goodness knows you’d be a wreck without me!” Barriss said. “Now, don’t you have something to do?”
Gallus nodded and ran off, closing the transmission. He found Luster, practicing her saber maneuvers, her blade a unique folding one with two emitters. Each created a bright purple glow.
“Master Gallus, is something the matter?” Luster asked and Gallus smiled. He took a deep breath before speaking.
“Luster, I have something to tell you…”
END
Author's Note
Okay, so yeah. Back in the Star Wars game, see I don't just do KR crossovers! Now, I left a lot of things up to the imagination. Is this anthro or not? Is this an AU with no war or isn't it? Is it in the same universe as Masters and Students? All up to you really.
I just wanted to spin a tale about Gallus, Star Wars and some sharp wit and fluff. Really, that's all I set out to do.
