Robert Meta
patreon
Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 187
🕑 Added 2024-12-06 16:51:36 +0000 UTCThe trip from our temporary deep space fleet location to Dagobah was blessedly much calmer than the departure. Lefty seemed to take our response to heart and did not ask again, which spoke volumes for their stability. We also got to the bottom of why they were already a bit strange for a droid that should have been receiving frequent wipes. I reached out to Miru using the ship's hyperwave, since the question was bugging me.
"His second in command? The one with a black arm?" Miru asked through the hyperwave projection, looking for my confirmation. When I nodded, she smiled. "They haven't been getting wiped either. Boxi made the argument that he needed a second-in-command who would have unique thinking processes like him. I agreed, so I held off wiping them, too."
"And you didn't say anything?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, looking through the hyperwave projector. "You didn't warn anyone that you weren't wiping a combat droid's memory regularly?"
"In my defense, I am the head engineer. Which droid gets wiped and which doesn't is technically my purview," She pointed out, wincing when I crossed my arms. "Yeah, yeah, not a good enough excuse."
"Mostly because you never said anything, Miru. If you had told me, I probably would have agreed with the logic," I pointed out, the young Twi'lek sinking a bit lower. "But these are very dangerous combat droids. I should not have been left in the dark. Especially since they stopped being sacrificial, meaning we would be working even closer with them."
"You're right, I'm sorry," She said.
"Good, apology accepted," I said with a nod. "For future reference, you're not wrong. It is your purview. However, certain projects should still be brought to my attention, even if they are technically engineering-focused. For example, droids that are this dangerous or important, or anything that affects the combat teams, should not be a surprise to anyone, especially not me."
"Sure, no problem," She agreed with a small smile, which faded slightly. She was quiet for a few seconds before speaking up again. "So... they really saved you guys, huh?"
"Boxi and his crew? Absolutely," I confirmed, the droid's last moments flashing through my head. "I checked the numbers afterward, and the Executor would have chewed through the ships and our shields before we could outrun the Interdictor. It only would have taken a handful of seconds to disable our engines after that. We would have been sitting ducks."
"I'm glad their sacrifice meant something then, at least," Miru said, clearly not happy about it.
I noticed that Miru got closer to droids than most people, especially the droids she worked on. Whether it was a symptom of her age or her technological prowess. Either way, I did not like seeing her sad.
"I'm sorry, I wish… Well, I wish it could have been different," I admitted with my own sad frown.
"Yeah… well, listen, I need to get back to work," She said, seeming to struggle with how she should feel about what happened. "Tell Luke and the goblin I said 'hello.'"
"Will do, and good luck," I said, the connection winking out, leaving me on the bridge. I looked over at Lefty, the only other occupant.
"So, were you going to tell me you weren't receiving mind wipes?" I asked.
"It did not seem pertinent, and you did not inquire," They pointed out. "Has this unit made a mistake?"
"No, as far as I can tell, you're fine," I admitted, begrudgingly accepting that no, we hadn't actually asked. "But when we get back, I want you to submit to a full scan and check-up."
"Very well… Boss."
I stood from my seat and headed back to the lounge, leaving the bridge in the capable hands of a battle droid. When I entered the lounge, I found Ahsoka there, meditating as she tried to calm herself. This was a big moment for her, seeing someone who had almost banished her from her family, whom she had left behind because of the betrayal.
As I approached, she stirred, blinking away the meditation as she looked over at me with a smile.
"Figure it out?" She asked.
"It hasn't been getting its data wiped, at Boxi's request," I explained, shaking my head. "Had to chastise Miru for not telling me."
"She is a good kid, if a bit eager to prove herself."
"She is, and I am very proud of her."
I sat down beside my partner, putting my arm around her as she slid closer. Her warmth was a welcome feeling on the cold ship. After a few minutes of snuggling, she shifted slightly.
"I don't know what I'm going to say to him," She admitted, laying her head on my shoulder. "It's been so long and… I feel like I should just forgive him, but…"
"I would imagine this is the kind of circumstance in which you don't know the answer until you are in the moment," I guessed, and she nodded silently. "In that case, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I have a feeling that, in that moment, it's all going to come to you."
She pulled away to look at me, a frown on her lips.
"You think I'll somehow know just what to say?" She asked, sounding doubtful. "I don't think that the solution to make everything better will just pop into my head, any more than it is right now."
"Of course won't," I agreed, garnering more confusion. "I'm saying that when you see him, you'll know exactly what you want to say. Whether it's to tell him he is a horrible person, or that you understand, or that he is a horrible person and you forgive him. Whatever it is, it's going to rush straight to your mouth, and you're going to have a hell of a time censuring yourself, if necessary."
"But how will that fix things? Making them better?" She asked, her brow bunched in concern and confusion. "Shouldn't I try and make up with him?"
"If that's what you want, maybe. But sometimes things are broken, and it's okay if they stay broken," I pointed out with a shrug. "I mean, a lot of time has passed. You've grown, he's had time to consider his mistakes, and you are both very different from when you last saw each other. Whether you get down there and feel you need to tear into him or that you're okay with forgiving him, whatever you say to him, I'll back you up."
She smiled at that and, for a moment, closed her eyes. She took a long, deep breath, letting it out slowly as if trying her best to release the stress and worry. When she was done, she opened her eyes, leaned in, and kissed me.
"Thank you for helping me ease my mind," She stated, taking my hand in hers. "Now, come on, let me ease yours."
I looked at her for a moment, a bit confused, and she smirked.
"Or, perhaps I should call it a reward?" She teased, standing up and pulling me to my feet. "You faced down Darth Vader and managed to pull off a minor miracle, escaping not only with our lives but with a significant prize. That seems like something worthy of a reward."
She leaned in again, this time whispering softly into my ear, before pulling back and walking away, looking over her shoulder as she went. When she disappeared into one of the bigger living quarters, my feet finally remembered how to work, and I rushed after her.
Time passed, and eventually, we finally arrived at Dagobah. As we dropped out of lightspeed and approached the planet, Ahsoka had a pretty similar reaction to the planet as Luke. She confirmed it was a darkness that seemed almost the antithesis of the vibrant, life-filled presence that Nirn had. She also agreed that if there was anywhere that could hide Yoda calling on the Force for so long, it was here.
Once we gave Ahsoka a minute to adjust, we landed pretty easily through the clouds and trees. Lefty, who had been with us when we first landed on the planet, brought up some of their scanning data and picked out the perfect spot for us to land. They managed to locate a spot with nice, relatively solid ground that was much closer to Yoda's home than the awkwardly slanted tree had been. On top of that, since I could just navigate us there directly, we arrived at Yoda's house even quicker.
As we approached, Ahsoka stepped forward, seemingly following her instincts as we entered the primary clearing around the old Jedi Masters home. As we entered, I could see that no one was home, but that didn't last long, as soon Luke came running in, breathing heavily but smoothly, with Yoda on his back.
"Hey!" He shouted, a smile on his face as he waved. "Just give us a second!"
The young Force-sensitive turned and backed himself up against a tree, one with a perch suitable for Yoda to climb off his back onto. When the small green goblin had climbed off his back and was secure on his perch, Luke stepped away and took off his backpack.
"Man, it is good to see you guys," He said when he was done. "It's been one heck of a month!"
"It's good to see you as well, Luke," I said, walking closer and shaking his hand. "I'd hug you, but damn, you are a mess."
"Yeah, I should have had you guys leave some more stuff behind," He admitted, pulling at his shirt, which was a mess of stains. "A sonic shower would have been amazing…"
Before I could respond, Ahsoka walked past us and caught my eye, making her way to where Yoda sat on his perch. The ancient Jedi Master, leaning on his cane, could hardly even look at her.
"Master Yoda. It is good to see you," Ahsoka said, and I knew her well enough to hear the honesty and depth of that response. "When I heard you survived… Well… I didn't know what to think."
"Glad to see you, as well, I am, Ahsoka," He responded, finally looking at the Padawan he falsely exiled from his order almost twenty years ago. "Flourished, you have. A blessing in times as dark as these, it is."
"I had to survive, even if you-"
For a moment, her words came out with a bit more aggression, but she stopped herself. After a moment of thinking, she seemed to realize something, shaking her head before continuing.
"I am sorry, it is truly good to see you."
"Understand, I do," He assured her, clearly having noticed her shift. "What was done to you, unfair it was. Played into Darth Sidious's hands, we did. Kept you from where you needed to be, we did. From those who needed you. Our fault, it is. Much to atone for, we have."
All of us were silent, the only sound around us being the random swamp creatures that croaked and slithered. Eventually, Ahsoka shook her head, reached out, and took Yoda's small hand in hers.
"It's been too long, Master Yoda. What happened, happened, but… time heals all wounds, and while they may still sting…" Ahsoka paused and looked over at me with a watery smile, before looking back at someone she once considered a member of her family, albeit extended. "Too much has happened to let old healed wounds matter. What matters is now. What we do now, and what we do now to prepare for what happens next."
Yoda bowed his head at her words, eventually looking back up at Ahsoka, a smile on his face.
"A mentor's proudest moment, it is, when the student passes wisdom to their teacher," He said, holding her hand with both of his, his cane falling to the side. "Thank you, Ahsoka."
As the excitement settled a bit, I pulled Luke aside to give Yoda and Ahsoka some privacy. As they talked, Luke explained some of the training he had been going through and some of the lessons Yoda had been teaching him.
"For a few days, he tested me, pushed me and my connection to the Force," He explained, sitting heavily on the side of a tree, looking tired but satisfied. "Once he had learned what he wanted, he taught me other things, improving my connection to the Force, showing me how to pull it into myself, how to let it guide me. He also taught me a few Force techniques, but we stayed mostly away from them because any old holocron can teach things like that."
"I'm glad to hear you have been working so hard on your training and that it's been going well," I said with a smile, before letting it fade slightly. "Listen, at any point, did you feel something off while you were here? Maybe angry when nothing was really going on? A little extra frustrated for no reason, maybe?"
"I… there was a moment a few days ago. I was working on multitasking with multiple draws on the Force at once…" He said with a frown." I remember suddenly wanting to throw all the stones away or see if Yoda could still catch them if I threw them hard enough. Eventually, I assumed it was the influence of the planet, so I decided to take a break and meditate, but the feeling faded within a few hours. Why, how did you know that?"
I explained about our mission, telling how the Rebellion had invited us on another joined CIS raid. Eventually, we got to the good part, where his father showed up.
"I know you want to try and bring him back to the light, Luke, but, in all honesty, that's only something you can do," I explained. "I needed to focus on getting my people out in one piece, so… I may have resorted to pissing off your dad until he messed up and destroyed the bridge of the Executor, and he couldn't see my strategy coming."
"You… That was him, I felt?" Luke asked, surprise running through his face. "That's…"
"Plenty of Force-sensitive people probably felt it," I assured him. "Yoda probably felt it too, but it sounds like you didn't bring it up?"
"No, it passed while I was meditating," He admitted. "I thought the darkness on the planet was coming and going and that I had worked through it."
"I can only imagine him being your dad made it more extreme, but I wouldn't be surprised if Felia noticed it," I said with a shrug, quickly followed by a wince. "We should probably check in with her, just in case."
"So… what did you say to him?"
"I uh… might have mocked him for not having arms or legs…" I admitted with a wince.
"Really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Kind of a low blow."
"Maybe... I also might have compared the chances of him letting us go to the chances of him winning husband of the year."
That caught him by surprise, his jaw hanging open while his eyes went wide.
"Then I might have also intimated that Palpy is a pedophile, who started grooming him as soon as he joined the Jedi…" I said, before continuing with a wince. "And that his mother should have taught him stranger danger before he abandoned her on Tatooine to die."
"Oh, come on, Deacon! I want him to let go of his hate and rage, not make him hate more," He said, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, I could have kept going, but I held back!" I pointed out. "I never mentioned anything about angels, being a slave, Qui-gon Jinn getting himself killed so he didn't have to deal with him or anything to do with the high ground!"
"Did you actually hold back, or did you just not want to use all your good material at once?" Luke asked with an accusing look, and when I pointedly couldn't meet his eyes, he gave me a half-hearted shove. "Dammit, Deacon, he is one of the galaxy's biggest assholes. He doesn't need your help to be more angry!"
Comments
Jacob Laflamme
His best material would definitely be telling him Palps used Anakin's force bond with Padme to pull her life force into him to save Vader after Mustafar.
Caiban
Hmm just thinking but at this point he is a full blown sith so he is paranoid af. So i guesd he will rethink stuff with palpy now. Or at least when palpy learns about this he will get a bit suspicious about "little Ani" like the paranoid one he is
TyrTheFallen
Now we just need for Deacon to heal Yoda so he can have a final rematch with Palpy.
JKarrde
Indeed.
James Thomas
Ahh yes, true friendship/bro energy. When you do something dumb in the heat of the moment because your options are limited, but you feel guilty enough to confess to your friend who underscores just how much of a mess you've made. Then you bring up that at least you limited yourself as you totally had more fuel to dump on to the fire. He instantly sees through your bs and calls you out by asking if it really was restraint, or if you were keeping some in reserve for next time, and you're too honest to lie to your friend, but enough of a jerk to not admit the truth.
Alex
Thanks for the chapter. I wasn't expecting Ahsoka to wanna do the horizontal Monster Mash as a reward, so that took me off guard. And it looks like Luke took the news about as well as one could hope.
JKarrde
This is gold. I can imagine Palpatine looking at the damage to the SSD and then the wrecked bridge and just giving Vader a look and going 'What the hell happened here? Three Interdictors and countless fighters destroyed? Did he have a fleet ready for you?"
Fortunis
Ok not going to lie, that last interaction is funny as fuck 😂 🤣 😭 💀
Alita
Those bad babies could wage a small scale war CIS style if they wanted to. Image Deacon and Miru plus whatever other engineering types they have picked up along the way putting their heads together and going “let’s make the best small scale production runs of the best updated equipment we possibly can.” (Image custom APC, tank, droid and manned star fighter, and other things as well such as being able to make some custom line of battle droid that can be the throw away distraction but still way better than a B-1) imagine they hit a place in a heist and swing down pick up the loot in the Talos Chariot (like the precious metals with the rebellion) and the cargo hold disgorges and extra 40~50 inexpensive combat droids pop out and take up holding positions around the target and fight to the last. Once you escape they stage an immediate attack on the nearest enemy forces and fight to the end.
Alita
I was just thinking. Each clone wars era battleship Lucrehulk tends to have a lot of maintenance/manufacturing capacity for its droid star fighters and its ground based droid armies. They were supposed to be able to essentially take and capture a system and world all on their own with only a light naval escort to help enforce a blockade. Miru could hopefully modify that to work on and produce things like her modified droid star fighter. So long as they have the raw materials (and the blueprints)they should have the manufacturing capacity to produce anything the Skyforged needs the size for a small freighter and below on that thing.
Heinz
OMG YES. Have the interlude be from the perspective of some junior bridge officer, having to watch darth vader loose his shit so hard, he lost what was supposed to be an easy op
Freya
Tyftc
Giant Sloth
"'Did you actually hold back, or did you just not want to use all your good material at once?' Luke asked with an accusing look." BOTH LUKE, BOTH. Gawd, I wish we could have a small interlude to see anakin rage quit. lol
Cmols897
Obi-wan's true love, a tall hill
Duke of Coffee
Well hopefully Anakin would use that anger to take out Palpatine. 😜 Anyway segs finally happened, Anakin will get more angry if he discovered that. 😅
TexanWarrior
The high ground!
