Silent Jedi

We're Different

A year after their trip to the Senate, the Krayt Dragons were enjoying another warm, sunny day on Coruscant. After so many years together, they were a tight-knit group.

Each one knew all of the other's strengths and weaknesses, but roommates all had a special bond.

Jett and Rosa had always been bestest pals, and were closer than ever. They were using the force to draw different pictures on the ground with outdoor color sticks.

Near one of the big trees, Eep and Beebo were meditating. When he meditated, Beebo folded all the way up, like when he was deactivated or charging.

Sorra and Puzz were practicing fighting moves again, all while wearing the flower crowns Sorra had just made them. Deetz and Gaar were, as usual, in the tree, observing. Roi and J'hute were playing "force tag," and Harpooni, the lone Quarren, was going for a swim in the pond.

The Loth Cats filed out for recess one by one. Because she always missed her brother, Etta spent a lot of time playing with everyone in the Krayt Dragons. She got along well enough with everyone to be called "Honorary Krayt Dragon," and several members of the clan even inquired about her being switched over, but their requests were all denied, much to Etta's disappointment.

"Etta! Etta! Come play tag with us tck-tck-tck-tck-tck!" Roi said, waving to his friend.

Etta's eyes seemed to drop, and she slowly turned her head and walked towards the rest of her class.

"Huh? She always wants to play tag with us tck-tck-tck-tck-tck!" Roi said.

"Perhaps she's having a bad day," J'hute said.

"Well come on, tck-tck-tck-tck-tck! We'll all go cheer her up!" Roi said.

He rallied all the other members of the Krayt Dragons, and they all went together to the tree where Etta was sitting, curled up into a little ball. She did her best to look away from them. Eep went to the front of the group, taking off his translator, and then spoke to his sister in Ithorian.

"What is she saying, Eep?" asked Beebo.

Eep put his translator back on. "She said—"

"Hey! Get away from her!" said a little voice.

The one running over to them was none other than Loth Cat member Iris Jack, their arch nemesis. She was the biggest tattletail ever and always walked around with her nose in her hair.

"Get lost, bossypants! We have every right to talk to our friend!" Harpooni said.

"Not. Any. More," Iris said, tapping her foot. "Loth Cats are officially no longer playing with Krayt Dragons."

"Oh yeah? Says who?" asked Harpooni.

"Not telling. But it's pretty obvious. None of you even have your lightsabers yet when all of us Loth Cats have ours now. You guys are clearly inferior," Iris said, her blond braid hoops tapping against her ears as she turned her head and stuck her nose in the air.

"That means nothing! Every Jedi works at their own pace! We'll all get our lightsabers soon! That's exactly what Master Chella said!" said Harpooni.

"Well I hate to break it to you, but your clan leader is lying to you! You guys are all the Jedi rejects who didn't make it into the Loth Cats! And you're a bad influence on us, so we're not allowed to play with you anymore," Iris said.

"Hmp. Iris Jack. More like Iris...Jerk!" Harpooni said.

The whole clan made an "ooh" sound. Even falling into a pit of lava on Mustafar couldn't leave that big of a burn. Roi, however, was unamused by his friend's sweet burn.

"Who said those things about us? Tck-tck-tck-tck-tck?" asked Roi. "Tell us or I'll make you tell!"

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, you big ugly Harch?"

Something snapped in Roi. He lifted Iris up, not with his hands, but with the force. He was doing something no one in the Krayt Dragons knew how to do: the force choke.

"Roi! Stop!" Sorra cried, grabbing one of his arms.

"Tell us!" Roi yelled.

"M-master K-Kellan," Iris said.

Roi let her down, and Iris fell to her knees, holding her throat while coughing and gasping. Etta rushed to her side, pointing and yelling at the Krayt Dragons. Eep tried to console her, but she knocked him off his feet with the force.

The Krayt Dragons turned and ran away, all while Etta was pointing and yelling.

"Eep? What is she saying?" Sorra asked.

"She said 'get away from us. You're all freaks,'" Eep said, his voice beginning to crack.

He turned his head away from the group and discreetly wiped away a single tear on his robe. Jett turned and saw both clean leaders, Master Chella and Master Kellan, tending to Iris. Roi was back on the other side of the playground, crying under a tree. He knew he was about to be in big, big trouble.

"I don't know what happened, tck-tck-tck-tck-tck," he said between sobs. "I just...snapped."

Violence isn't the Jedi way, Roi! Jett said to him.

"Roi, you need to go say you're sorry!" Rosa said.

"But...I'm scared I'll get in trouble tck-tck-tck-tck-tck!" he said.

"It appears to me that you already understand that you're in trouble," Eep said.

"Come on, Roi. We'll go with you to apologize, too. Krayt Dragons have to stick together," Sorra said.

"That's right! Go Krayt Dragons!" said Beebo, who quickly realized that it was a terrible time to cheer.

"Let's go, you big furball," said Puzz as she helped Roi up.

He wiped his tears and all the Krayt Dragons went together to the other side of the courtyard. All of the Loth Cats were waiting for them. Some had their hands on the lightsabers at their sides.

"Stand Down, my Loth Kaths," said Theo Kellan. The big, wolf-like man stepped in front of his clan. "There's no need for anymore violence."

"Roi," said Chella. He looked over at her hand, which was on his shoulder. "Let's go."

The Krayt Dragons watched as one of their own was led away by Master Chella. Kellan turned around to face them.

"I understand you have someone that you call 'Dragon Keeper,'" he said.

"That's me!" Sorra said, raising her hand.

Even though Master Chella was their clan leader, everyone elected Sorra as the runner up, for the few days where she wasn't around. The position was technically called Junior Clan Leader, but the Krayt Dragons couldn't go without putting their own spin on things. Dragon Keeper was much more fun.

"Get your clanmates through the rest of the day, until Master Chella returns," Kellan said.

"Yes Sir!" Sorra said, giving him a salute.

"Very good. Now get to your next class," he said.

"To galactic history, Krayt Dragons!" Sorra said.

Everyone followed her into the temple. They grabbed their books from their homeroom and went to galactic history. Originally, everyone was excited for the unit they were going to start today: the Outer Rim. But in class, every Krayt Dragon was dazed and distracted, wondering what was going to become of their friend Roi.