Jedi Artisan 010

AN: IK some ppl in the community find this lightsaber color offputting…but it achieved a 57% victory in a poll I held, so thems the brakes.

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Entering the swamp, Zane had his lightsaber ignited, and was chopping through vines with ease. The pure white beam of super hot plasma hummed happily, the Force Bonded kyber crystal was pleased that it could be put to good use. 

Trudging through the mud, Zane tiredly yawned, and walked through a cloud of gnats like it was nothing. Not a single one of them bit him, or clung to his skin, it was as if he was air, invisible and seamless. 

“So uncivilized.” Shaak Ti muttered, stepping around the living cloud of flies. 

“Ah, ah, is that jealousy I detect?” Zane looked over his shoulder, and wagged a finger. 

“No.” Shaak Ti pouted. 

“Whilst you resort to common repellents, Master Oogway has taught me how to become ‘one with nature.’ Pretty cool, huh?” 

“I don't see how you learned anything from him, all you two did was sunbathe for most of your apprenticeship.” Shaak Ti scowled, and cut down a lizard-like predator that tried to ambush her from a treetop. 

Zane momentarily closed his eyes as he recalled an early lesson with the ancient turtle alien. 

He was younger then, and was sitting cross-legged atop a broad, mossy stone that overlooked a valley bathed in a soft glow. The air had been warm, and distant clouds were purple pink, like sherbet. Wind moved lazily through tall reeds below, bending them in gentle waves. 

Beside him sat Master Oogway.

The ancient master’s shell caught the sunlight like polished jade, and his staff rested lightly across his knees. He appeared utterly still, so still that one might mistake him for a rock. 

Zane at the time, was excited to test out his super powers-the Force-every waking moment, and wasn't too keen on sitting around doing nothing. Even if he was a chill dude in his past life, this was Star Wars! Learning space magic, and becoming a Jedi was any boy's dream come true! He'd already mastered-or at least become proficient-in meditating, and connecting with the Force, so what they were currently doing seemed utterly pointless to Zane. Naturally, he was impatient. 

After hours of this, he couldn't help but question his teacher. 

“Master, why are we sitting here doing nothing?”

Oogway did not open his eyes, and still maintained that steady as a rock pose. 

“Nothing?” Oogway echoed mildly.

“Yes. We’ve been here for eight hours. There are villages on this planet that we've been assigned to provide relief aid to. The Order taught us to be proactive in our efforts.” He gestured vaguely at the horizon. “This feels like…idling.”

A slow smile creased the ancient master’s face.

“Ah. You have been most productive, sitting there.” Oogway slowly spoke. 

Zane blinked in confusion. “I have?”

“To sit still when your mind wishes to run is sometimes the hardest labor of all.”

Zane rolled his eyes. Those medical supplies weren't going to deliver themselves. 

Oogway’s eyes opened. They were bright, amused, and looked at him with mischievous curiosity. 

“Tell me, Zane, is the planet beneath us doing nothing?”

“No?” Zane cautiously replied, not understanding what this line of questioning had to do with their mission. 

“The planet works tirelessly.” Oogway continued. “It spins so that oceans do not spill into the stars. It pulls with gravity so that you do not float away when distracted.” He tapped a stone lightly with his staff. “Very considerate.”

Despite himself, Zane smirked, the old man was crazy, but he felt the Force subtly thrum in approval with each of his words. 

“And the sun?” Oogway tilted his head toward the sky. “It labors without complaint, gifting us warmth and light. It does not ask whether we deserve it. It simply shines.”

Zane followed his gaze, squinting at the great ball of yellow light above.

Oogway gently folded his hands into his sleeves, and continued to speak. 

“So. The planet works. The sun works. And we-”

“Sit.” Zane muttered.

“-work.” Oogway corrected with a gentle chuckle. “By appreciating these gifts. Gratitude is not idleness, my student. Awareness is not inaction. When you sit in harmony with the Force, you are not doing nothing. You are allowing everything else to do its job.”

Suddenly, several dozen medical frigates broke out of the atmosphere, and Oogway held up a communicator from within his sleeve. It was blinking rapidly, signaling a call was trying to come through. 

Zane exhaled slowly, and felt a warm smile spread across his face. Closing his eyes, he reflected over Master Oogway’s words. He felt the weight of gravity anchoring him, the warmth of sunlight against his skin. The valley below shimmered with quiet life.

For the first time that afternoon, he stopped worrying about learning cool new powers, or the well being of the people. 

“You have an interesting take on the word ‘work’ Master.” Zane sighed. 

Oogway’s eyes twinkled in response. 

“Then the planet will continue spinning after I am long gone, and the sun will continue shining. They are very patient teachers. I look forward to the next time you feel you are wasting your time, my Padawan.” Oogway smiled, and then once more closed his eyes, perfectly blending in with the mossy hillside. 

The memory faded, and Zane breathed out a cool mist of air. A light sprinkle began to fall atop their heads, and the croak of amphibians began to play. 

The mists of Mimban began to thicken, severely limiting visibility. Mud sucked softly at their boots with every step, and phosphorescent fungi glimmered faintly along fallen logs, providing an eerie purple light in this dim, dismal place. 

Zane and Shaak Ti moved in careful silence, as the sound of nearby birds and small amphibians had come to a halt. It was clear that a predator lurked nearby. 

A sharp, high pitched shriek tore through the air, and both of them paused in their step, remaining utterly still. Although they were both Jedi Knights, that didn't mean they could be arrogant. Zane reached his senses out, but something was clouding his vision. The Force was an ebb & pull, and clarity was never certain. If it was always accurate, then even powerful men like Anakin or Palpatine would have easily prevented their own deaths. 

The stillness was absolute, it was so silent, the only noise one could hear was of a leaf falling into a nearby puddle. Or the soft pitter patter of rain falling into nearby bodies of water. 

Zane’s expression shifted, his easy grin faded as his gaze swept the fog-drenched undergrowth.

Water sloshed ahead, and he felt a premonition. 

Danger. 

It was simple, direct, and primal. Something hungry lurked in the jungle. 

From the curtain of mist, the shadow of something enormous moved. The creature emerged from a seemingly shallow body of water-less than 10ft away-with a rasp. Like an alligator camping out in the shallows, this creature possessed exceptional natural camouflage, and was almost impossible to notice whilst it was under water. 

Six segmented legs stabbed into the muck, lifting a massive armored body plated in a ridged exoskeleton. Its elongated skull tapered to a vicious beak lined with jagged inner teeth, and lidless eyes gleamed with feral intent. Its scythe-like forelimbs flexed, eager for violence. 

It was an Acklay. The exact same creature that Obi-Wan & Anakin fought in the arena in Episode II. 

Shaak Ti’s voice remained level, though her stance lowered slightly, preparing herself for anything. “We climb. Now.”

Zane rolled his eyes as he waved his lightsaber from left to right. “Climb? What am I, a frightened initiate? I’ve got this.”

The Acklay shrieked again and lunged forward with terrifying speed, its six legs propelling it in a spray of swamp water.

Zane waved his hand, and made several different vines sway in place, moving in such a way that the beast perfectly entangled itself. Caught mid stride, the Acklay slammed into the muck face first. 

“Auuuu!” Its unnatural screech echoed across the forested swamp, spreading far and wide. 

Zane was about to step forward, and plunge his saber into the beast's skull, when another shriek answered from the left.

And another shriek came from the right. 

And another shriek came from behind. 

And yet more shrieks still came from all sides! 

The sound of water sloshing was louder than a group of sugar-high kids at a pool party. 

A dozen Acklays materialized through the haze. Their claws carved furrows through mud as they ran forward. No slower than freight trains, the murderous aliens howled for blood. 

Zane blinked, and put his pinky finger in his ear, feeling like those shrieks would give him tinnitus. Recalling some memories from playing hunt mode in the OG Battlefront 2, he couldn't help but remember when his character was mobbed by these beasts, and mercilessly killed. 

“…Huh. I didn't think such a large predator would travel in packs.” Zane woodenly stated, the corner of his lips twitching in befuddled amusement. 

“So, who's the saber monkey now?” Shaak Ti raised an eyebrow, then gestured towards the pack of a dozen amphibians as if to say: ‘please, be my guest’ 

The nearest Acklay charged, and Zane sheathed his lightsaber without a second thought. 

Jumping upward, he felt the swoosh of air pass by his back as a claw narrowly missed its target. Grabbing a vine, he swung down like Tarzan, and grabbed onto Shaak Ti like she was some damsel in distress. A boyish grin spread across his face as he lived out a wish from his childhood. 

He sailed over one Acklay’s back as it reared, narrowly missing a swipe that carved through empty air where Shaak had stood a second before. 

An Acklay leapt, snapping its beak inches from his trailing robe. Shaak Ti dispatched it with a thrust and glanced up at him lifting a brow in unmistakable amusement.

“I believe.” She said slowly. “We should swing higher.” 

Coming to a halt, Zane crouched on a branch, and looked behind him, only to see those creeps climbing the trees, and jumping across them like spiders! 

His boyish grin became slightly strained.

“Must I take the lead in this dance?” Shaak Ti sarcastically remarked, and then pushed him forward off the ledge. 

“Whah-!” Zane called out in surprise, and rapidly blinked, as Shaak Ti had squeezed before she pushed! 

An Acklay screeched, jumping towards him with slobbering jowls. 

Shaak Ti grabbed him, and slung him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and confidently took them higher and higher up into the treetops. Her skills were good, and before long, they had lost the dangerous ambush predators. 

“…All right, maybe you were right.” Zane admitted. 

Shaak Ti’s eyes gleamed, and a heroic aura spread from her. “Hmph, I'm always right. You need to listen more.” She nagged. 

“Whatever you say, woman. Now can you let me go? You've been holding onto my ass pretty tightly for the last 30 minutes~” 

“I see the village up ahead, stay right where you are, the Coway are a primitive people. I need to hmm, what was it you said earlier? Ah yes, assert dominance!” Shaak Ti said with a bright grin, like an eager student learning from an actually good teacher. 

Her grip tightened, and she swung forward on the vines without sparing him a glance. 

Zane's mouth formed an O in surprise. 

His little Ti was growing up!