A Night In Coruscant

[Kartikeyan]

“You have improved Arai.” Ren Atori said, deactivating his practice saber as he bent over to catch his breath. He rested his hands on his knees for a moment with beads of sweat dripping from exhausted body. His cream outer tunic was soaked from hours of intense saber practice with his longtime friend Arai Munkaira, both padawans to the Jedi Order on Courscant. Ren was on temple duty while his master was off on a mission to the Nixor Spaceport. With the war going on, he figured he might as well train and who better to train against than a friend so skilled in dueling? “I think I am done practicing for the day, how about we hit the refreshers than go get something to eat?” He finally stood up fully and tossed Arai the practice saber.

Arai stood three meters away from Ren, also in a cream outer tunic but sleeveless. In his hand was a blue practice saber humming in the air, then hushed back into the hilt when Ren decided to officially yield. It was their twenty-fifth spar and Arai broke the tie breaker, but only by a margin. “Sure thing, but I don’t feel like eating at the temple tonight.” He said, catching Ren’s practice saber as he walked over to place them away in a locker inside the training room. “You know Ren, your Djem So is excellent. Your footwork is on point and your strikes are accurate. You could have won if you wouldn’t have left yourself too open. You should work on keeping your core guarded but regardless, I’d hate to be your enemy.” He gave Ren a friendly smirk as they both left the training room, each parting ways to their rooms in different sectors of the massive temple.

It was late into the evening, reddish-orange skies shedding light through the transparisteel windows of the upper clerestory shining into the elaborate halls of the jedi temple. It wasn’t that many jedi around expect for Initiates and those who taught them, other padawans left behind by their master, if they had one, and council members, but they were so deeply concentrated in the force these days they wandered the halls without much word. “Must be the war.” Arai said to himself. The majority knights and masters were off on missions and duties throughout the galaxy, besides the ones being guardians to the temple itself. The temple had always been a quiet and relaxing place, but this was too much of a relief for Arai. He wished he could be out there doing his part to serve the good of the galaxy in the war, being out there with his friends and jedi brothers and sisters. He wondered how they were doing and glad he hadn’t felt any of them perish in the force.

After taking a hot shower, Arai felt refresh in body and mind. He often meditated in a sort of cleaning trance as he removed all impurities while taken a shower. Once he dried himself off with a white towel, he went to his bed were he had his streeth clothes laid out prior to entering his refresher. He quickly got dressed, wearing his black leather jacket open revealing a black tank-top, black pants and leather belt, and black boots. He went to his mirror to get a look at himself. He really looked refreshed and ready to go out, handsome as well, but Arai stared into the cold steel gray reflection of his eyes. He missed his parents, taken away from him by a horrible sad tragedy. It was not just his mom that died that day, but so did his dad. His dad would never have done anything like that, he would have never killed his loving wife and strike his own son with the dark side. Karti had died, given rise to some lost being of the dark side. For all Arai knew, he had to kill his mom to become a master of something among the sith because that is what they do, kill for ranks.

Arai shook his head, taken the moment to pity the sith and walked to retrieve his lightsaber off his desk while resting on a small gray pillow. Next to it another lay covered by a white synthsilk cloth draped over on a lightsaber stand. This one belonged to her mother, killed by a sith. She was but one of the many victims to their regime and order since they came back around. Soon, it will be time for him to do what he must to fight back the ways of the sith from being fear, pain, corruption and suffering from the galaxy. His mother my not have become one with force when she died, but he knew with all his heart she was the finest example of a jedi knight and master ever in his life and so was his father. He had to remember, the Jedi were his family too. He tucked his lightsaber away into the inner pocket of his jacket in left his room.

Ren was already waiting in the main hallway by the time Arai got there. His fiery red wavy shoulder length hair was tied back in a single strand of lace that Arai could barely see. Ren had deep golden colored eyes and sun-kissed colored skin. He wore a brown jacket, white shirt, blue pants, and black shoes. He was slightly taller than Arai despite being a few months younger than him. “Feel ready to go out?” Arai asked as he came down the steps catching Ren’s attention for him to reply back, “As ready as you are but that was only one session just to let you know my friend, I am sure we will have plenty more in the days to come, assuming my master is gone for a long time.”

“She'll be back in no time, Master So'neeka is a very capable Jedi, you have a good master.” Arai replied. He no longer had a master and was still a padawan. He got quiet as he walked towards the main entrance and exit to the temple with Ren beside him.

“Thanks, so how come you want another master? I know it’s been two years and all but, it’s been two years. You could probably be a knight by now if you wanted to with all the progress you’ve made. You may not be taken part in the war but you’ve been helping out a lot here ever since the temple on Tython was destroyed.”

“The council will know when I am ready to be knighted. That time will come on its own and best not to worry about it. I still need a master to learn and see to it that I can be a knight. With a war on our hands, I’d like to be around a knight or master because I’ve never been in a war before. It would be good to have a new master to learn from on the battlefield.” Arai stepped out into the night, glancing up at the air into the heart of Coruscant, watching hoverlane traffic being active as ever.

“So where are we going out to?” Ren said already strolling down several stairs with his hands relaxed behind his head.

“Don’t really know.” Replied Arai with a small grin as he followed along beside Ren. “Let’s just see where the force guides us.”

“Why does that worry me slightly?” Ren shot Arai a curious glance, not really worried but found it different than what Arai normally had planned because he usually had a plan and destination. “I thought you knew Coruscant by now.”

“I do know Coruscant, but it’s what I don’t know that I am more interested in.” Arai reassured him. “Besides, what kind of night could happen to two padawans out getting something to eat?” Arai wasn’t really asking a question, he was even being more sarcastic than rhetorical, but Ren answered anyway.

“A crazy one.”

 

[Kartikeyan]

There was no difference to the giant city-planet besides the period of time. Coruscant had always been very active and awakened planet that did not see much rest at all. While people worked hard to their daily duties in the morning and evenings, it was always the night life that provided relaxation and comfort. The two padawans had already passed countless clubs, bars, and other places to eat. Though flashing signs and colorful lights caught their attention, they entered nothing that the ordinary mass of thousands of different species found pleasing until their stomachs could no longer bare the hunger and entered a small dinner at the edge of the street block.

Arai sat a table in front of a wide window looking at into the night and busy streets of Coruscant. Just as Ren took to sit down on the other side of the table, a gray metallic female service droid wearing a white apron quickly came to assist them in the emotionless systematic grace of a droid. “Good evening, can I get you two anything?” It said in a robotic feminine voice.

“Yes, I'll have the nerf steak special, all-almakian apple pie topped with beebleberry ice cream, and stim tea.” Said Ren.

The droid took the moment to process this than turned to Arai the moment Ren had finished ordering. “And for you sir?”

“Nerf burger, protato wedges, and a cup of caf.”

“Be back with you in just a few minutes.” The droid said, walking off to assist others inside the establishment, which wasn't many beside a family of three Biths, two loners sitting a separate tables, a dark skinned human male and togruta male which the droid now attended to. His attention snapped back to his friend Ren as he said something. “Don't you have one of these?” Ren was casually relaxed in his seat, holding up a TranspariPad 2.0. “I remembered what you told me about what did with you datapad and chrono, which I think was a great idea but I don't think you'd be wearing battle gauntlets around all the time just to check on what time it is.” Ren had a point. Arai needed something now that he could carry around, something personal and useful like the TranspariPad 2.0.

“How many much does these things even cost? I only have a thousand credits to my name.”

“They only cost 499 credits, so if you decide to get one you'll be half your names worth in credits.” That sparked a laugh out of both them that did not settle so quickly but wasn't loud enough to bring them in wondering eyes. Ren broke out to telling him all about what the little piece of tech could do, which Arai found to be more boring than informative. He already knew much about the TranspariPad and did not need to be reminded of it besides getting one. “Alright, alright” Arai said with a dull expression to show he was done listening to Ren go on and on. “I'll get one after we eat if that makes you happy.”

“Oh it would my friend, I know a place not far from here that has them for sell. Same place I got mine actually and I don't feel so helpless with it.” He sat his TP down on the table and rested arm on the empty chair beside him.

“I have my lightsaber.” Arai said in a whisper, patting the front of his jacket to indicate Ren where his weapon was at. He knew long as he had his lightsaber close by there was no chance of him being vulnerable to anyone.

“So do I.” Ren made the same gestured, cluing Arai that he kept his lightsaber inside his jacket as well. It was the smartest thing either of them could do to keep their identities as jedi discretely as possible. “It wouldn't be wise to leave it behind. Not even on Coruscant can any jedi be too relaxed in these times of war, it almost feels mundane now.” Ren's voice got low with a hint of sad concern. He was talking about the war but Arai did not need the force to figure out Ren was thinking about what happened with Light of The Force and the Jedi Temple on Tython, both destroyed by the sith empire that killed hundreds of Jedi in both attacks. Was Coruscant next? Of course it was, they both knew but wouldn't speak it. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before it happened and when it did, what would become of the Galactic Alliance? The Senate? The Jedi?

“Here you go, enjoy the meal.” The voice of the droid snapped Arai from his thoughts. He knew it would do no good to think of the future in such disagreeableness, but still there was something very patient, yet relentless in the force spreading across the galaxy like a water leak slowly causing circuit damage. Arai suspected it was the dark side but the moment he took a bite of his nerf burger, all his worries melted away for the moment.

 

[Kartikeyan]

The two padawans walked out the dinner with satisfied stomachs. They disappeared into the crowded night streets on the entertainment district of Coruscant. Ren took them to a mini mall not far from where the dinner was that sold Transparipad. After paying the merchant the standard amount of credits, Arai was holding his very own personal datapad and two were on their way again.

“This is a highly remarkable datapad.” Arai stated while staring down at the transparent piece of tech, already performing a wireless downlink to transfer data from his datapad mounted on his gauntlets back at the temple to the one in his hands. At the same time, he was getting holonet news on all types of things, politics, sports, technology, etc. “I don't know why I never bothered to get one of these.”

“Me either, but now you're part of the team!” Ren smiled triumphantly while holding up his Transparipad. “Team Transparipad, that is. My master has one too, maybe I should give her a call.” He was well on his way to calling her before Arai stopped him.

“Wait-- what if your master is in the middle of her mission?”

“Well, she did say it would be very important and that she would contact me when she could.”

“Wait for her to contact you Ren, who knows what kind of situation she could be in.” Arai placed his Transparipad away in his side pocket.

“Yeah, you're right.” There was disappointment in Ren's voice as the smile on his face faded. Ren has been here for four days and he was already missing his master. What jedi who ever had a master could blame him? The bond between master and padawan is always strong, nearly inseparable, but sometimes masters went off to do dangerous task that was no place for their own padawan to be, that is just how it was now. “I'll see her in the future I guess.”

“The future is always in motion.”

“What does that really even mean anyway?”

“I think it means the future isn't set in motion because it doesn't yet exist. When it does, we call it the present, so nothing called the future really exist. So when you see your master, it wont be in the future, but the present. Even if the future doesn’t exist until it becomes the present, people in the present may attempt to determine what the future will be. For some believers, the force can pull certain strings in the world to make it turn out as it wills. But does the force also pull the strings of individual will? No, it doesn't. Everyone was born with freedom of will and thereby elected to have unlimited control over their own strings. That is why we are each responsible for our moral choices and merit whatever reward or punishment we deserve. But even if there might be no future to be determined, we haven't escaped the possibility of fate.”

Ren massaged his chin with his hand in deep critical thought. His eyes glowed with realization as he pointed his index finger up to the air. “I have faith that I will see my master.”

Arai smiled and nodded his head while shifting his hands into the side pockets of his pants. “Bingo, you got it.”

They both stopped in front of a balcony, staring down the countless meter drop into hover lane traffic. There was something about the luminous nights in Coruscant that always made Arai miss being on Tython. The temple life wasn't much of a difference but everything else outside it walls were. It was a very sociable and lively place that he only found to be pleasing after spending long days within the temple like tonight.

“Hello, there boys.”

They turned around to see who it was and became breathless. Before there eyes was a small group of four twi'lek women, one blue, two green, and one red, all beautifully attractive. “These two are handsome and strong looking.” The red one said seductively, radiating more lust and desire into the force than the other three. He felt a nudge in the force from Ren, telling him to play it cool. He watched Ren lean back against the balcony rail and put on the friendliest, eye catching smile ever. “You're all gorgeous looking yourselves.” Arai quiet silent and smiled while they giggled. He didn't want to co-sign with his friend but even he had to admit that they were all each captivating. In the right line of work, these women were more dangerous than a battle droid.

“You two wanna come to the Cayan Club with us?”

“It's gonna be fun.”

“We could use male escorts like yourselves.”

Arai checked the chrono on his transparipad, it was only two hours before midnight and they had some time, plus that club wasn't far at all from the temple. If anything, they would catch a cab back to the temple depending on how things would go. He could feel no danger or ill intent from none of them, just lust and desire. He glanced over at Ren to notice he was looking at him for confirmation as if he was his master.

“Sure, why not?” Arai shrugged and off the six of them went.

 

[Kartikeyan]

The club was dim with colorful glow lamps keeping it from being total dark. The inside was packed with various species enjoying the tender delight of activities the club had to offer. Some played sabacc, got drunk, watched the holonet, and danced. The two padawans and their four beautiful twi'lek women sat at a private round table booth conversing with one another. When Ren made it aware that the two of them were Jedi, it was over. They're interest levels skyrocketed tenfold through the force and with it came countless questions any jedi got when talking with non-force sensitives. Arruna'shak, the red twi'lek with golden eyes wearing a black exotic dress, was sitting comfortable on Ren's lap in an embrace that almost seemed intimate. Nalanal'dira, one of the green twi'lek sat beside Ren. The other green twi'lek, Ree Turrazza and blue one, Gola'arcona sat on either side of Arai. They were all listening to Ren tell the story of how him and his master were marooned on Mimban for two weeks while on their mission to recover stolen artifacts from a museum on Andara.

“And when we apprehended the thieves, the GA finally got our signal and we were able to recover all the stolen artifacts without a scratch!” Ren finished. They were marveled by the story, clapping and cheering to hear of the courageous actions that led to the mission's success.

“What about you Jedi Arai'munkaira?” Asked Nalanal'dira, her blue eyes fixed on him. Now they were all curious to hear something about him. One of his adventurous tales of being a padawan. Before he could speak, Arruna'shak added more to her friend's question. “Where is your master?” They couldn't notice it, but Ren could. He had the senses of a jedi to notice Arai flinch at that moment she asked by his master. Ren knew the story of how Master Maya Munkaira was killed by Master Karti, now Sith, both his parents. Ren couldn't be wonder, was it fated to happen like that?

Arai drew in a deep breath then exhaled softly through his nose. He had gotten over the death and fall of his parents but it wasn't something he wanted to think so heavily about. He didn't have to give them the personal tragic version, but it was going to be tragic no matter how he tried to tell it. “Me and my master were off on a mission to Tanaab with another jedi master two years ago.” It is begins. “A gang of pirates on speeder bikes were raiding this agricultural facility raising robas, banthas, and nerfs. We stayed there over the night then the next day the raiders came. It was thirteen of them, some doubled up on the eight speeder bikes that had. Me, my master, and the other master were all on speeder bike's heading to engage the raiders. Once they saw us, they pointed their blasters and started firing at us but it did not dawn on them that we were jedi until the blades of our lightsabers were ignited. We engaged them, reducing their numbers to four pirates on two speeder bikes in the first engagement. That was my first time using my lightsaber while maneuvering on a speeder bike and I was did good, taken out three pirates of my own, but my master and the other master were doing. They fought on their bikes like champions. We chased the remaining pirates back to their camp where they had stolen live-stock from their previous raids. It was easier dealing with the rest, deflecting blaster bolts while being close enough to disable their speeders with a lightsaber. Me and my master rounded up the live-stock and brought them back to the facility while the other master stayed to keep an eye on the pirates until transports could take them to GA jail. We make our way back to the campsite to pick up the other master. We did not know how, why, or when it happened, but that day I realized that master was a full fledged sith. The sith left me incapacitated with the force while he fought my master and ended up taken her life. When I got up, the sith struck me again, this time using the full extent of his dark side powers to leave me painfully unconscious. I awoke later to find the sith gone and my master laying dead in the grass.”

It was quiet for the group, taken in by his story in a different unexpected way than they had imagined. Instead of hearing of a courage tale with his master, they got the tragic fate of his mother and father without the personal mention to none of the women, but Ren knew. The pitiful look in his eyes said he knew all too well how Arai had felt after that experience. His presence in the force had grown distant and cold, many of the other padawans could sense it at that time and was glad when he finally radiated with warm and closest once again.

“This sith killed your master,” Arruna'shak broke the silence. “Doesn't that entitle you to have revenge?”

“No, it does not.” Arai was quick to answer. He had that same question two years ago and it almost drove him to the dark side. “Seeking revenge for a jedi is a path that leads to the dark side, the road to become like the sith. I cannot forgive the sith that killed my mother but I can't kill him based on my emotions. I have to stay having the mind of a Jedi to defeat him and the rest of the sith empire, to stay on the path of the light and not give in to darkness.”

“Nicely said Arai” Ren raised his glass of some fruity juice. “Cheers to the light side of the force.” They all raised their glasses together, given a celebrated 'cheers' together.

It was a quarter to midnight, but neither of them felt like going back to the temple after spending time getting to know each of the twi'lek women. They headed back to the large apartment complex that women were staying at where the two padawans spent the night in whatever room they wanted to. Ren of course shared a room with Arruna, the twins always slept together alone, so Arai was delighted to share a room with the beautiful Gola. She and the rest of her sisters, despite their seductiveness, were good normal teenaged girls, all of them went to school at the University of Coruscant. They all had some knowledge under their belts but still, they did not understand the force. No living being that is not force sensitive can ever understand the truth depths of the force. It was not everyday he got to cuddle in bed with a woman outside the temple, so he slept comfortable against her smooth blue skin.

It was not the sound of turbo lasers firing on the planet from the sith and mandalorian warships raining down on Coruscant that woke Arai up. The lives of those lost in the first wave was powerful enough to snap him out of his peaceful slumber with eyes of dread and confusion. It took him a few seconds to adjust to what was happening. He sat up on the bed quickly, feeling another tremor shake the buildings. Gola had woke up instantly beside him with fear, being completely aware of something not right. Arai slipped out of the bed and headed to the window slowly, he reached out to his lightsaber inside his jacket resting on a chair and called it. With an open hand gesture, his lightsaber zipped through the air into his hand as he arrived at the window. Having the metal handle in his grip he felt more ready to take on what ever he was about to see. He peered through the blinds for a long moment hoping that he was in a dream. The reality of things happening in this universe was depressing. He could not doubt the inevitable nightmare before his eyes as he glanced through blindfolds into chaos and destruction.

“What's going on Arai'munkaira?"

“The sith and mandalorians...” He turned to look at her. “They are attacking Coruscant!”

[End – Continued in (Insert thread name here) where it goes about what he was doing during the battle of Coruscant. Stay tuned]