Chapter Text
~Temple Guard’s P.O.V.~
There is nothing quite like a quiet patrol. The sun is sinking towards the horizon like a lazy wave, bathing the empty hallways in rich orange hues and making the electrum on my partner’s helmet shine each time we pass a window. I reach out to them, expanding my mental bridge to connect us as we walk in perfect synchronization. “Pull your hood forward a bit. Your mask is catching the light. We do not want to blind anyone.”
“Oh, thank you.” My partner replies, pulling their hood forward by the sides and then the top so it catches on the lip of the mask, keeping it better secured in place.
“Of course, partner. It must have slipped when that youngling grabbed it.” It’s funny, when most people want to convey humor, they make a sound or their shoulders shake. These are not options for us as any outward display of emotion or reaction could potentially be a tell for a visitor or fellow Jedi, a piece of data from which they can distinguish us from each other. So, instead, across our bond I feel a sort of vibration coming in waves. It crests and recedes as my partner struggles to maintain perfect telepathic connection through their silent humor.
“She was quite determined. I have never seen a youngling try so hard to get out of their créche master’s arms just to get to one of us.”
“I have.” I reply, a small smile on my face beneath the impassive mask as I recall the time.
“When?” My partner inquires, curiosity flowing across the bridge in the hopes I will divulge the story.
“Initiate Feral Opress, of Squall Clan. He wanted to get a closer look at my mask and robes but Master Tiich was trying to get him back to the créche. He actually managed to get out of Master Tiich’s arms to jump on me, though. He is fortunate I have good reflexes or he would have been on his own to not fall.” The vibrations return more intense than before as my partner laughs silently, making no outward movement as we bow in greeting to Master Yoda as he bows his head to us in return.
“To be struggling, Master Kaga looks.” Master Yoda comments, tilting his head back the way he came. “Him some help, would you give?”
My partner and I bow to Master Yoda again in recognition of his words before we make our way to the end of the hall. Temple guards do not run, for if we run then our fellow Jedi will think there is an emergency and get worried. We jog on occasion but we usually avoid it unless something - or someone - is going to break as it tends to have the same effect on our fellow Jedi as running.
At the end of the hall we turn the corner to see Master Kaga is carrying a very large collection of blankets and pillows.
We come to stand on Master Kaga’s right and I wait until he grunts out a greeting before I tilt my mask to pointedly look at the blankets and pillows, then back up to his face. This usually conveys to members that we guards would like an explanation.
Master Kaga takes a moment to pick up on this before nodding, “ah, yes, a bit of a telekinesis mishap during evening meditation. I think Initiate Opress saw something scary and, when I tried to ease him out of it, he startled.”
“Initiate Opress..which one is in Bergruutfas Clan again?” My partner asks.
“Savage. The middle one.”
“And is it common for younglings to destroy things during meditation?”
Oh right, my partner had outdoor patrols up until now. “Yes and no. Admittedly, they do not normally damage so many things, but it has been known to happen. Meditation can sometimes grant visions which then spark emotional outbursts which can translate into uncontrolled bursts of telekinesis. Savage is strong in the Force so I am not surprised this is a bit more damage than most his age.”
“But some of these are also because Initiate Monn is in shed again. Blankets need to be washed more regularly and for longer.” Master Kaga adds after our silence.
I reach out into the Force, generating a hand to cup the bottom of the pile of blankets and pillows, taking some of the weight off his arms.
Master Kaga widens his eyes in surprise but smiles and bows his head as best he can “Thank you.”
I nod, slowly and clearly, as I was taught to do in my guard training. “Get the other side?”
My partner slows by half a step, gliding behind Master Kaga and calling on the Force to take some of the weight off his other arm. We walk like that with Master Kaga between us until we reach his créche, opening the door for him and bowing before we leave.
* * *
“Younglings.”
“I see them.” The familiar energies are difficult to miss. Their excitement, their hesitation, all of it and more are on display in the Force.
“Should we not stop them?”
I focus the Force into my eyes, letting it expand my perception as the world loses all color, the walls turning dull and transparent as my partner and the younglings shine bright in their life and Force-sensitivity. I can see the younglings running down the hallway around the corner. “No, but alert the east patrol. The younglings will run right across their path.”
“On it.”
I can feel my partner leave my mindscape, presumably to alert the other patrol. In time, they will learn our technique to expand telepathy to include multiple people, as I have.
“What are they doing out of the créche at this hour?” My partner asks as they return to my mindscape.
I smile beneath the mask. “From what I have heard, Initiates Tiplar and Tiplee like to explore the temple when the halls are empty, while Initiate Opress has yet to master the art of saying ‘no’.”
“A skill that would serve him well.”
“Perhaps.”
“I do not follow.”
“It would serve him well, if he wanted to say no.”
* * *
“Good morning, Master Jedi. What can I get for you today?” asks the droid as I enter the workshop.
“I need a small welder. The Quartermaster should have one set aside for me?”
“Ah, yes. One moment.” The droid says, going to the terminal to check the records. “Oh dear,” the droid laments “I apologize, Master Jedi. It seems another Jedi is borrowing your tool.”
Not an unconquerable inconvenience. “Where might I find this Jedi?”
The droid points off to its right “The initiate is currently working on an astromech.”
An initiate in the workshop? Unusual but not unheard of. I bow to the droid and make my way down the lines of shelves to where all the broken astromechs are stored and stop. It takes a moment for my brain to start working again and I smile, waiting until the initiate stops for a moment before clearing my throat.
He turns and I am greeted with a familiar set of shining yellow eyes, black tattoos, and red skin. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you approach.” He says, shutting off the welder and placing it carefully on the workbench.
I bow my head “Sorry for interrupting. I-” have to stop myself before I finish that sentence and accidentally reveal that we have met before, “was not expecting to see an initiate here. Do you like to tinker?”
He shrugs “I like to have something to do with my hands, but droids are a bit boring as so much of how they work is more programming than the physical parts and..well I prefer working with the physical parts.” he shakes his head, turning to face me properly and bowing “Sorry. I’m Maul.”
I know. I bite my tongue before I can voice that thought though. I bow “Tulek-Ro. Would you mind terribly if I stole your welder for a few minutes?”
Maul blinks for a moment before shaking his head “Oh, no. I don’t mind.”
I pull out the pieces I brought with me, placing them on the countertop on the other side of the welder from the astromech leg Maul was working on.
He lets out an almost inaudible gasp as he climbs up on the stool, his hands on the counter so he can see what I’m working on. “What is that?”
On instinct, I fight the urge to chuckle, but then I remember that I am off duty so I am free to express myself however I see fit. With the moment gone, I smile instead. “Well, right now, it is just pieces. I hope for it to become a lightsaber though.”
“That looks a bit big to be a lightsaber.” He replies, studying my pieces.
Ah the unfiltered thoughts and words of a youngling. I nod “It is. I am trying to make a lightsaber glaive1.”
“What’s that?”
“It is a subvariant of the exotic, double-bladed lightsaber, also known as the saberstaff. The lightsaber glaive, according to ancient descriptions, is a hybrid between the double-bladed lightsaber and the long-handled lightsaber. So,” I lift the outer casing using telekinesis, showing him how long the handle will be, “like in a long-handled lightsaber, the hilt is much longer than the standard saber, but is never as long as the lightsaber pike - this is about as long as my thigh, knee, and half my calf.” I say, lowering it so he can see it against my leg.
Maul nods, his eyes fixated on the incomplete hilt.
It feels good to tell someone about this project. “And, like the double-bladed lightsaber, it has two blades - one on each end.” I say, pointing to each end where the emitters will sit. “However,” I say, raising my pointer finger for a moment, “the key difference in a glaive is that one of the blades will be significantly smaller than the other. I intend for the front blade of mine to be about as long as my forearm or thigh while the other will only be as long as my hand or my fist.”
Maul is still silent, staring at the unfinished hilt like he can see the glaive already. “Why did you decide to do this?” He finally asks.
Not the question I was expecting but not an unwelcome one. “It is my job. I am an artisan2, a lightsaber smith. I spend every day designing and constructing various lightsabers. Though my preference is for saberstaff variants. I also make practice sabers.”
“That’s a thing you can do here?”
Such an innocent question yet it also reveals a genuine interest. I smile and nod “Yes. Would you like to help me?”
His eyes are wide and I could swear I just saw his pupils dilate a little before he nods quickly “Yes! Please!”
I pull his stool closer to mine and reach into my robes. “First, I’ll have to show you the diagram I made for it.”
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- This is not a Canon or Legends material lightsaber variant. This is a concept that I have seen in art online and that I conceptualize as being possible in this universe. [ ▲ ]
- This is actually a Legends role Jedi can have in the Order. While Jedi Temple Guards seem to be full-time I personally like to think that they have two jobs, one public that keeps them in or around the temple to cover for the Temple Guard role. After all, they can't be on-duty all the time. [ ▲ ]