Jedi Insurgency 203

The afternoon sun slanted between the durasteel towers of Gyndine’s capital, illuminating the smog choked atmosphere into a hazy molten gold. Single unit patrol walkers clanked in the distance, and several clone squads maintained order at checkpoints. Banners bearing the Imperial sigil hung from every lamp post, and speeches of Emperor Palpatine played on giant screens. Similar to Eriadu in scale and population, Gyndine was also a manufacturing hub. This city in particular had several different layers, and was a ‘miniature’ megalopolis with over 5 billion residents. 

Countless transports, work crews, and droid laborers were constantly busying about. Several spires on the surface level were being converted into giant laser batteries, and a brand new planetary shield generator was being installed. The preparation for war carried a level of urgency that surprised Corvus. 

A platoon of freshly geared Imperial Army soldiers marched by with pride on their faces. Indicating that already, non-clone soldiers were already beginning to make up the numbers in the Empire. On the side of the road, vendors hawked fried meiloorun skewers, children darted between market stalls, and speeders hummed along the crowded avenue. The streets were clean of any trash or debris, and he sensed a quiet pride from most of the people present. It seemed the firm hand of order had benefited these people well. 

He had to give it to Palpatine. Whilst the Empire sucked for a lot of people, an important shield-world at the edge of the Inner Rim was as good as it got. Life here seemed no different than any of the best modern countries on Earth. 

Walking down the street aimlessly, with his hands folded inside the sleeves of his dark robes, and a black cloth mask covering the lower half of his face, he glanced over his shoulder at Jax, curious how his student was holding up. 

Less than five days had passed since their escape from Nar Shaddaa. 

The memory of blasterfire and collapsing skybridges still flickered at the edge of Corvus's thoughts. Of Vader floating triumphantly in the air or the brief, yet passionate time spent with his lover. Or the sacrifices of his Ongree, and Jax's near death experience. So much had happened, that a day of relaxation like today was necessary. Otherwise, fighting one fierce battle back to back, could that truly be called living? 

Jax carried himself well, but there was a stiffness in his shoulders that Corvus had not missed. Feeling like he hadn't taught the teen anything new in a while, he felt that now would be the perfect opportunity to see how far Jax had grown, and have fun along the way. 

“Master.” Jax said quietly, eyeing a squad of stormtroopers marching past. “Are we scouting for a mission?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Corvus replied mildly. “Tell me, Jax how effective would you say your [Mind Trick] has become?”

“Effective enough to avoid trouble.” Jax slowly replied, his wintery eyes glanced at Corvus, seemingly already knowing why he was asking such a question. 

“How dreadfully modest.” Corvus boredly yawned. “To discover just how effective ‘enough to avoid trouble’ is, propose a contest!” 

“A contest?” Jax replied, furrowing his brows. 

“Yes.” Corvus gestured lazily toward the bustling street. “We each attempt to improve as many lives as possible before sundown. Don't worry my apprentice, I won't go healing everyone, and increasing your blood pressure.” Corvus cheekily laughed. 

Jax allowed the faintest of smiles. Maintaining his silence, he nodded without a word, agreeing to the contest. 

“The loser will buy dinner, the time limit is one hour.” Corvus said in a serious tone. 

Jax stared at him for a moment, and a brief-yet heavy-tyrants aura from the Zilo beast slowly leaked out before it was reeled in. 

“You’re on.” Jax agreed, as the fires of competition ignited in his veins. 

Corvus gave a big thumbs up, and then gestured for the white haired teen to join him. 

They had not walked far when their first opportunity presented itself. An elderly woman struggled with a crate of machine parts outside a repair shop. Her hands trembled; the crate was far too heavy.

Jax glanced at Corvus.

Corvus inclined his head as if to say: your move.

Jax approached with an easy calm, and glanced at a burly dockworker nearby, who was pretending not to notice the woman’s plight. Jax caught the man’s eye, letting the Force ripple gently beneath his words.

“You want to help her with that crate.”

The suggestion flowed smoothly into the burly man's mind like cool water through a spring, and was very subtle in the Force, Corvus almost failed to notice it. 

Scratching his head, the dockworker looked at the old lady with a scowl, and jogged up to her. 

“Hey, give that here, let's get you inside!” The burly guy said, and without giving the lady a chance to say no, he had already lifted it into her shop. 

The elderly woman beamed at him, calling him a true gentleman. To which the guy was a little confused at, but shrugged his shoulders in acceptance once she offered him some lemonade. 

Jax stepped back, satisfaction slowly pulsed from his aura. Although the teen didn't outwardly show it, Corvus was certain that his student was proud of himself. 

‘Ah, this is what being a Jedi is all about.’ Corvus thought to himself as he watched the old lady hold her back in pain. 

Whilst no one was watching, he covertly sent her a burst of [Heal]. 

“One.” Jax murmured. Yet a second later, he glared at Corvus after the act of healing. 

“Eh heh.” Corvus let out a dry laugh, ignoring his student's look, and kept walking forward. “That was a commendable effort, but let's see if you can manage something more complex than manual labor.”

They continued down the avenue until a pair of raised voices cut through the noise of the crowd. Two merchants argued viciously over stall space, one, a Rodian was holding something shiny above his head, whilst the other, a Bith was viciously poking the green skinned Rodian roughly on the chest. 

The Force sang the song of impending violence. One of these men was going to plot murder on the other over this sale! 

Without breaking stride, Corvus drifted past them. With a wave of the hand, he casually ensorceled both of them at the same time. 

‘You both want the same thing. That is a profitable, long and successful partnership.’

The tension seemed to leak out of the merchants like air from a punctured balloon. 

“I always respected you, but was too jealous to say it. For twenty long years, I have been staring into your endless black eyes, and found something credits cannot buy.” The Rodian spoke in a longing tone. 

“The same to you, my friend. I-I always wanted to form a long term partnership with you!” The Bith said, slowly moving in closer. 

“Master, this…did you anticipate this?” Jax asked in confusion. 

‘!!!’ Corvus's mouth was agape as he watched the Rodian and Bith making out. He felt like shuddering because when comparing a Rodian's mouth to a Biss's, it just looked wrong!

“Ahem, the crisis has been averted, let us move on, my faithful apprentice!” Corvus coughed into his gloved hand, then briskly walked forward, ignoring that unexpected embarrassing blunder. 

Jax remained silent, but his raised eyebrows said enough. 

As they pressed forward, they came across a group of off-duty Imperial recruits loitering near a fountain jeering at a nervous street performer whose juggling pins kept clattering to the ground. The performer’s embarrassment rippled sharply through the Force.

Jax stepped and concentrated on the 22 or so guys who were giving the street performer a tough time. 

“You’re going to start clapping, and cheering the jester on. When you do, you'll recall how hard training was during your first week. You respect effort.”

The recruits blinked, their expressions softening. “Yeah…I guess the kid’s trying.” One of them said. 

Suddenly bursting into applause, the recruits startled the performer, who was shocked into dropping everything. Thinking he was being mocked by the suddenly overenthusiastic crowd, the street performer ran away crying. 

Jax’s stared forward in silent shock. 

“You should've made the performer more confident in themselves. Getting greedy for those 12 was your downfall. Sometimes, the largest outcome only requires one push. Knowing where to start the fire…that is a skill all into itself.” Corvus spoke deep from his heart, recalling how each of his [Mind Tricks] during missions were targeted for maximum effect. 

“Thank you for your instruction, Master.” Jax bowed his head, speaking with an intense sincerity. 

“Mnn, next is my turn.” Corvus simply stated, knowing Jax didn't need to be told twice. The kid was smart like that, he'd probably be thinking about this long into the night whilst staring at the ceiling.

Corvus stopped beside a ration dispensary where a harried Imperial clerk argued with a line of irate citizens. 

“Hurry up, will you?!” 

“My daughter types faster than you!” 

The clerk was sweating at these accusations, and licked his lips several times as he tried to satisfy their requests. 

Corvus chuckled. He never anticipated that he would help an Imperial, but low level logistic grunts were people too, even if they did fight for the wrong side. 

“You want to authorize an extra allotment from storage. It will cover for your slow speed acting as an excuse, and prevent unrest. This well thought out approach to handling complex affairs will reflect well on your record.”

The clerk swallowed hard, and then turned to a subordinate. “Open storage unit Aurek-Seven.” He then regarded the crowd, raising his voice. “Please be patient! Additional supplies are on the way, the Empire shall provide for its most needy!” 

A murmur of relief passed through the crowd like a breeze, and they all-albeit reluctantly-patiently waited in line once more. 

“That was well done, Master. I hope you continue to instruct me like this in the future. Master Kenobi may have designated me as a Jedi Knight, but I'll always be your student.”

“Heh, precocious brat. Don't you worry, Master will always be here whether you want me or not.” Corvus warmly smiled, and patted the teen on the shoulder. 

For the remaining time, they wandered on without urgency, weaving through plazas and skybridges. During this outing, they changed the fates of many people, even if only a little. A speeder driver reconsidered charging an outrageous fare. A tired nurse decided to take her overdue break. A pair of pickpockets abruptly chose to seek honest work unloading cargo instead.

By the time an hour had passed, their footsteps had conveniently placed them in front of a tantalizing smelling restaurant. 

Jax leaned against a railing overlooking the city’s lower tiers. “Seven encounters. It seems we tied, Master.” 

“Eight.” Corvus replied, crossing his arms. 

“Hmm?” Jax frowned, wondering when that had happened. 

Corvus gestured subtly toward a nearby stormtrooper who was now helping a lost child locate her parents. 

“I dislike losing.” Corvus laughed. 

Jax shook his head, but the tightness in his posture was gone now. The Force around him felt lighter, and less grim. 

Corvus studied him for a quiet moment, then sighed. 

“You're strong, Jax, a truly pure soul. I'm proud of you, never forget that.” 

Jax stiffened slightly. 

“Master, I-” He got out, then paused to look out over the city. “I keep replaying it in my mind. Ever since that night, I can still hear her screams.” 

“...Being a Jedi is not solely about surviving cataclysms. Sometimes it is about easing the small frictions of daily life. I hope you can find peace, my son.” Corvus solemnly stated, tightly gripping Jax's shoulder. 

He then gestured toward the street below, where laughter now rose from the burly worker and chatty old lady. 

“The Force flows through every mundane moment. Today you learned to shape it with thought, and care.” 

Jax was quiet, then nodded. 

“I suppose dinner is on me.” The teen said, quick to change the subject. 

Corvus gracefully chose not to say anything, then guided Jax inside. 

“Ahem, well, remember when I said we were scouting? Well, allow me to introduce an old acquaintance." Corvus coughed into his hand, and dragged Jax into a private booth. 

Waiting inside was a young man in his late 20's. It was one of the most famous super commandos in the Star Wars universe. 

Crix Madine!