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Blue likes the conversation less and less. Escorting sounds a lot like an involuntary order. Extracting information with a tech team seems invasive.
”My compliance will not come through force. I will accompany you and answer questions of my own free will.”
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"Strange talk for a droid..." Ansil says to Rogar, he looks curiously at U6. "Alright -come along. I'll take you to the Jedi Hall for holding until you are properly claimed." He nods the roguish man and set off.
Once out of view Rogar, he says to U6, "We just have a quick stop before the Hall, just stay close by, those thugs could come back looking for you. Who is your master anyways?" Instead, he heads to the warehouse Yodi addressed.
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”I have no master.” Blue replies, seeming almost confused by his own statement.
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"That's nonsense. You must a have a master, someone you belong to? Do you have a name?..." Ansil asks with reservation, not sure what answer he'll get in return. "My name is Ansil Harbright. I am a Jedi.", he says with more firmness of certainty than he expected, "Padawan."
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”I am designated BL-U6 and I recognize no one as master.”
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"BLU6, That's what I'll call you -Blue Six." Ansil chatters as he leads them to the warehouse.
You both make your way through Coruscant’s underbelly towards the coordinates given Ansil by Master Yoda. You move carefully, and alert now knowing that Blue 6 is a desired commodity for some in the Capital.
An hour later, you arrive at ’Ursa Dogo’s Epic Eatery.’
The line of sentients is somewhat thin at the moment, but you can clearly see the eateries patrons look to the arrival of their food with eager anticipation.
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”This doesn't look like a warehouse”, Ansil double checks Yoda's directions, ”It's a food stand. But the name is right...”. Ansil takes the line, making sure Blue doesn't wander off. Once up, he orders a small dish and asks the cook, "I'm looking for Ursa Dogo, is she here?"
The female Nautolan looks up from her cooking and says, ”I’m Ursa Dogo. You must be Yoda’s Apprentice. He told me you would be coming.”
Ursa wipes her hands on her apron and signals to her assistants to take over. She leaves the kitchen and comes outside to stand with the both of you.
”What’s up with your Droid? Yoda said you would be alone.”
”Oh well,” Ursa says as she shrugs her shoulders. ”I trust the wisdom of the Jedi. Follow me.” She motions to both of you to follow as she leads you towards the back of the restaurant.
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"He's kinda... just tagging along", Ansil omits the details about the firefight earlier. "So what am I doing here? Did Yoda put me up to some dish washing lesson?"
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Blue-6 finds no logic in the Jedi’s destination.
As he follows the cook, he looks from the eatery to Ansil. ”Why are we here. Do you need to refuel?”
”We can certainly accommodate that, but later. For now, I have a promise to keep to my old friend Yoda. Do you know how many times he and I saved each other’s lives? Quite a bit. This is the least I can do for him.”
Ursa is relaxed as she leads you through a storage area in the back of her diner and then into her refrigerator room. Boxed food and various supplies line the cold walls as you feel the near frigid temperatures necessary to keep her them fresh. She moves a shelf easily out of the way revealing a hidden door behind. She types in a code into the security panel on the wall not trying to hide her movements.
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Blue notes the code with ease.
The door opens revealing a stairwell leading down. Ursa continues speaking nonchalantly. ”Once the Jedi win this war, all will be right with the Republic again. Watch and see. I have faith in the Force.” As you all descend the stairs, you see an impossibly big subterranean room for the eatery above.
”It looks like your Droid was damaged recently Padawan. Would you like me to repair it?” Ursa says as she looks over her shoulder at Blue 6.
”Actually it looks like the damage is mostly superficial. Must have been an interesting situation,” she says as she leads you down one of 3 halls.
”This subterranean bunker was left over from the old republic. It was used to house important dignitaries way back when the Republic was at war with Darth Malak and his Sith. Thanks to the powers that be that those guys are gone. My family and I took shelter here last week when the Seperatists attacked and tried to kidnap the Chancellor. I’m glad the Jedi were able to stop that from happening.”
She stops at a specific door and points to it. ”Yoda uses this room here to store stuff from time to time.”
She stops to look at her chrono. ”Well, I’ll leave you to it. Gotta get back to work. Come up and get your food when you’re ready. It was nice meeting you!” With that, Ursa turns and walks back the way she came.
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”Do you know how many times he and I saved each other’s lives?
-after eating this menu I'm sure, Ansil amuses but keeps his mouth shut as he sees a tentacle moving in the wok. When Ursa reveals the large room, "Whoa..."
"Well he's not exactly mine. I suppose a droid would want to be repaired" he looks at Blue "Right?"
As Ursa begins to leave, "Wait- what? I don't even know why Master Yoda sent me here. Leave me to what?! Hello...?" his shoulders sink, Poodoo
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”I am not his droid.” Blue replies automatically, having self-programmed the response into his subroutines.
Following Ansil, he looks around the room, his head tilting left and right. ”This does not compute. Why are we here?”
You walk up to the door and find no way to gain entry. There is no control panel, latch, or knob. There is nowhere to grip to lift, and being that the door is a solid slab of heavy rock, you know that Blue 6 couldn’t lift it if he could get a grip.
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”I can guess how it can be opened”, Ansil inspects the barrier and turns to Blue, ”But it's utte2rly silly. The master can toss this granite like a coin. I can barely throw an empty garbage can!”
Eventually, Ansil resigns into giving it a try.
The wall moves up and then latches to some unseen locking mechanism embedded up in the wall. You both enter the room and see only one table with a green, glowing object sitting on it.
You immediately recognize the item Ansil. You were taught about these objects extensively at the temple. The design, shape, and perception of it easily indicates it’s creator as well. It can only be Master Yoda’s Holocron.
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”I do not understand humanoid art. Is this valuable?” Blue looks around to see if anything else is noteworthy about the room.
Your scan indicates nothing of worth but the object on the table.
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"A lot of value!" Ansil grabs the holocron, "But what's it doing here in a noodle shop" He double checks the instructions, making sure he wasn't sent for the table.
"Master Yoda says he'll be on Kashyyyk for a while. Strange he wouldn't take this with him. And it's not art - see?" he puts it to Blue's face.
"The activation mechanism is sealed inside - it can only be turned on by one method"
The Holocron flickers to life revealing a holographic image of Master Yoda.
“Greetings. Yoda I am. Help you I can. Help you I will. Ask of this Holocron, and my knowledge you will receive.”
The interactive hologram shows Master Yoda as he is today. It hovers there awaiting your response.
Ansil looks at Blue, then leans into the holocron. Asking as if it was Yoda himself that stood before him, incredulously "What am I doing here, Master Yoda?"
The mood of hologram seems to shift as if recognizing Ansil.
"Approach your destiny do you Ansil. Trust you I do. No longer a Padawan, are you. Prepared for your Trials, you are. Entrust my holocron to you, I have. Keep the ways of the Jedi, will you. To you do I entrust my legacy Ansil Harbright."
"What the bantha does that mean?!" Ansil exclaims and looks at Blue's equally blank face. After a few moments of contemplation, he says "Well I'm not going to figure that out standing around this locker. Come on Blue, let's get you to the Jedi Hall like your friend said."
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Blue watches the little green man in the holocron speak to Ansil. He wonders what communications malfunction causes it to speak so oddly.
At Ansil’s mention of a friend, Blue replies, ”Frienship requires emotion. I am incapable of such... feelings.”
Blue hesitates, wondering if that is true. Then he follows Ansil.
You both approach the Jedi Temple.
This night, the grounds seem bleak and almost deserted. The oppressiveness of the Clone Wars has clearly taken it's toll on the Jedi as many of it's senior Masters and Knights have been isolated and spread out amongst the many theatres of battle. What used to be a hub of learning and knowledge for the entire galaxy, has almost become an empty library with rare visitors.
You walk towards the main entrance, both of you looking at the immense statues of the founding Jedi.
As you ascend the steps, a voice calls out to you. "Hold there young Harbright. I have been expecting you...' Master Windu approaches you from the shadows with an expectant look on his face.
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At the already ghostly empty hall, "HOLY JEDI!", Ansil jumps at the specter that is Mace Windu coming out of the shadows. "Master Windu - where is everyone?"
"It's a quiet night tonight Padawan," says Master Windu as he looks over your shoulder at Blue 6. "The Mandalorian Drill Instructors have requested that you take this Droid to the Clone Training Facility as soon as possible. It is part of a larger investigation they are working on, and they need to access what it knows. As per Master Yoda's instructions, upon your return you will commence with your Jedi Trials. Are you prepared Padawan?"
Are you prepared Padawan?
To take a droid to a center? Or for the training afterwards? This must be a trick question...But then again I almost got killed going to get Yoda's takeout at the noodle stand.
"YES", Ancil blasts, "To both."
Ansil's attention wanders as all youths do. Even as a padawan with a life of discipline, it doesn't change the nature of childish thoughts in young minds. Gazing at Windu's bald head, I wonder if he chooses to wear a bare scalp, he thinks of his own traditional padawan crop cut with two stringy tails. It's kind of... nice and glistening. Maybe I'll wear it that way when I pass my trails.
Suddenly feeling the gaze of the master, Ansil snaps back to attention and nods firmly at Windu. Turning on his heels in an almost stormtrooper mocking fashion, he grabs Blue 6 by the arms, "Come on, let's get you sorted out."