Survivor of Order 66

Chapter Two: A Frined

"Master, I want to give you something." A younger Martus chuckled, "What is it, my padawan?" His young student held out a piece of a metal breastplate, "This is a gift, for you." "Idonos. Where did you get this?! That's beskar, is it not?" "I...was given some after our last mission. I found someone to forge it, so it can protect you." Martus held the fine armor in his hands, "For me? Jedi don't wear armor. Besides, why me? Wouldn't you rather forge it for yourself?" The young boy looked at his feet as he spoke, "Because, you protect me, master. So, that armor is my way of returning a favor, so to speak." There was a moment of silence before Martus laughed, patting his padawan on his head, "Thank you, Idonos. I appreciate your kindness." The two Jedi began walking away, the memory growing fuzzy till it faded completely away, leaving Martus alone again.

Martus was pulled from his reminiscent by a knock on his door, the Jedi standing up from his chair, placing the beskar armor back on its shelf before answering the door. He was met face to face with Jin-oki, a bird/lizard alien, the Ishi Tib smiling at his sight. "Deroris, buddy. How are you?" "Fine, Jin-oki. Just fine," Jedi smiled as he shook the Ishi Tib's hand. "What brings you here?" Martus asked, being he wasn't used to many visitors to his home. Jin-oki scratched the head of his head, "Well, I...have an issue. Some off-worlders are disturbing some of my customers; getting drunk and rowdy." "You need me to scare them off, is that it?" Martus finished for Jin-oki, who only nodded yes. "You know I try to avoid violence when I can." "I understand," Jin-oki explained, "but I only need you to scare them. Understand that they're causing trouble in my restaurant." The Jedi became lost in thought, knowing he could help without laying a finger on anyone, but this morning's episode had him on edge. Martus finally gave in, "Alright, I'll come, but you'll owe me one." "Sure, that's fine. Anything you need, I'll-," Jin-oki started to say, but something behind Martus caught his eye. "What?" Martus asked, watching Jin-oki walk past him into his house, eyeing something on the Jedi's workbench. "You found a BD unit?!" Jin-oki exclaimed, picking up the mangled little droid he found earlier. "Is that what that was," the Jedi admitted. "I found it this morning, buried in the ground. I've never seen a droid like it before." "That's because only a few were made," the Ishi Tib stated as he carried it over to Martus, "and you managed to find one." "I would try to fix it," Martus replied, "but it's never been my strong suit." As Martus tried to grab the droid, Jin-oki kept his grip, "How about this? You take care of my problem, and I'll get this droid up and going." "You know I was joking when I said you owe me, right?" Jin-oki patted the Jedi's shoulder as they began walking down the dirt path, "I owe you something. We all do. We owe you for all the help you have given us."

Jin-oki's restaurant was busy this time of day, all the patrons eating and enjoying their meals. Martus always loved the smells that his nose picked up, as he knew first hand how good Hekoy's food was. "There," Jin-oki pointed out to the corner of the restaurant, "those smugglers. They keep causing trouble, and you know me, I don't like confrontations." "It's fine, I'll talk to them," Martus assured him as he signaled him to calm down. "I'll just see what I can do about your little friend," Jin-oki stated, before taking the droid to the back. Martus then began his approach to the group, three men laughing over drinks and having a good time. He was only feet away before one smuggler noticed him, his voice boomed and slurred. "Well, looking here, friends! This old coot wants to join us." His friends laughed at his joke, Martus only politely smiling. "I'm not nearly old enough to be called coot, but I'll let that go. I've come to speak with you and your friends." "Speak away!" the man yelled, motioning for a chair, but Martus didn't move. "I need to ask you to leave, as you're disturbing the other patrons." The group went silent, the lead man squinting up at the calm stranger that stood at their table. The man then spoke, the joy gone from his voice, "I don't care for being told what to do. I suggest you leave." Martus gave a wry laugh and he smiled, "No. No, I don't think so. Not until I resolve this issue." Martus noticed the man messing with his belt, "Then I guess I'll make you leave." The man drew his blaster fast, but just as he fired, a blue energy blade came and reflected the bolt into a nearby wall. The whole place went silent, save for the humming of the lightsaber Martus now held, his eyes unbreaking focus from the startled smugglers. They then pushed back their chairs, stumbling to stand both out of drunkenness and fear. "We'll just...leave." the man muttered, before he and his group practically fled through the doors. As soon as he was sure none of them would come back, he turned his lightsaber off and clipped it back on his belt. He noticed the patrons were still staring, the silent ever present, until a slow clap broke out. Before he knew it, practically everyone in the restaurant was clapping for Martus, the Jedi felt himself mentally hiding himself from their gaze. "Alright, alright. Finish your meals," a voice called from the back door, Jin-oki leaning in the doorway. Martus joined Jin-oki as his patrons calmed down, "Solved your issue." "I saw that. Really smooth, but effective," joked Jin-oki, the two friends laughing with one another. "Come," Jin-oki motioned Martus to follow, "I'll show you my progress." "You barely had two minutes," Martus exclaimed, "how much did you get done?" Jin-oki walked him into a small workshop, as he was just as good a mechanic as he was a business owner. Martus saw the droid, now standing on its two legs similar to a bird, set up on a workbench. The missing parts were replaced with spares, though the BD droid now had a bit of a mismatched look to it. "It looks good," Martus said as he admired Jin-oki's repairs, "You work fast." "I hear that a lot. Still needs a strong enough charge to sustain itself, then it should be able to generate its own power." Jin-oki picked up the droid with the external power cell hooked up and handed it to Martus, who struggled to hold all of it at first. "Give it a few hours," Jin-oki explained, "and it should boot up on its own." "I can pay you," Martus tried to reason, but Jin-oki shook his head as they left the back and headed for the door. "No, it's not necessary. You saved me a lot of trouble chasing those guys off." As they got outside, the sun was noticeable and high in the sky, telling Martus it was mid-day or so. "Well, I'll see you around, Jin." The Ishi Tib gave a little bow as Martus walked off, "See you later, Deroris."

Martus found himself staring at the cube-like object in his hands, fidgeting with it as he tried to calm his nerves. It still bothered him, the wave of cold and voices he experienced this morning, the uneasy feeling he had since the episode. After a bit more fidgeting, Martus then focused and had the cube levitate from his hand. The corners then slowly shifted before clicking into place, floating and pulling away from the cube as a low blue light filled his house. Suddenly, a voice called out from the cube, the voice began to relay a message. "This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed. And our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust... our faith... our friendships. But we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you... always." The holocron began closing back up, the light fading as it descended back into the Jedi's hand. A book fell to the floor with a thud, Martus looked up to see the culprit: the awakened BD droid. It looked up at the Jedi and stepped back, he could tell it was scared, even if he couldn't sense its feelings. Martus stood up, the droid startled, but watched as he slowly approached. "It's ok," Martus said in a low tone as he extended his hand, "I won't hurt you." The droid looked cautiously before walking up to his hand, allowing him to pat the droid's head, which it seemed to like. "I'm Martus. Deroris Martus. I guess I'm your new owner, buddy." The droid looked up and gave a few happy chirps, sharing its joy at the news. "I'm glad you're happy. Now, what can you tell about why you were buried in the earth?" The little droid cocked its head, beeping as it was confused. "You don't remember? Though, I'm sure the weather wasn't kind to you." Martus stood up as the BD watched him, "I should get to bed. I need to rest if I'm to train more tomorrow." Martus stored the holocron he still had in a chest before he retired to his bed, the droid leaping from desk to chest till it got to his end table. Martus looked over at BD, "You can power down, buddy. You'll be safe with me, I assure you." The droid fidgeted a bit before it settled down, crouching down till it was in its sleep mode. Martus sighed as he listened to the sounds of nature, their calming natural music eased his mind. The worry of what he sensed still lingered on his mind, but he pulled it down, as he allowed himself to slip into sleep.