Bothawui

[Noto Saar]

“Get away kid. I got nothing to say to you.” The elderly bothan tried to shoo away the youngling while carrying a large bag of produce. 

Noto unfortunately didn’t seem to know better then to listen, but instead continued to follow. 

 

“Come on, you’re the great Hiera! I know you are!” Noto said, struggling to keep up with the elderly male.

The bothan shook his head. “No idea what you're talking about kid. Get away.”

 

The elderly bothan, grey hair flowing in annoyance, dropped a couple of fruits. A curse in Bothese came from his lips, and then was  quickly cut off for swearing in front of a child. Noto didn’t seem to notice though, as two ‘hand’ appendages reached out and grabbed some of the wayward fruit. 

 

“No I know it! I got a memory like a...um...like a Bothan! You are the one who brought the great Sun Reveal to the Republic!”

 

Noto looked at the Bothan as he held out the fruit. Despite his face plates showing no emotion, his eyes showed desperation. Not to mention, alonside the growling stomach, hunger. The kid obviously hadn’t eaten for a while.

 

 Hiera sighed as he denied the fruit, unable to see a kid starving. 

 

Noto saw his opportunity. 

 

"Hiera, please! You're...You’re the only person who can help me!”    

 

Hiera turned and tried to walk away. “With what kid? You want to know where the Jedi are? Last time I heard, that was Coruscant.”

 

Noto fumed a bit as once again he tried to chase after the elderly being.

 

 “Ya...until Hesperium crashed and war broke out. Now no one seems to know where the Jedi are, and I need to find them!” 

 

“Listen squid head....” The bothan started again, but was cut off as the child rushed in front of him and stood his ground. 

 

“Please...I know I’m supposed to respect my elders, and my parents would kill me for being so far away from home."  Noto began, wrapping four tentacles in front of him like the humans used their hands when begging. "But I must find the Jedi. I...I just must! And I have no idea where else to go...” The emotion in his voice was almost heartbreaking. 

“Crab! Listen…” Hiera sternly stated, trying not to get sucked into the kid's emotional pleas. “Look, even if I was who you think I was, which I am not, I’d be retired. For at least ten years. There would be no way I’d still have all that information you think I’d have.”

“But I thought a spy never truly gives up his work. Even after death. ” Noto stated in response, earning a silent moment of shock from the elder.

 

Hiera looked the kid over.  It was obvious this kid had done his research and then some. While the current spymasters of the Bothan Spynet were secret, Hiera was famous for coming out with all the information he had on Black Sun.  That exact quote was something he had stated to several judges concerning those who died on the front lines of the network.

The bothan sighed again. Despite how he could just walk into his lonely home and lock the child out, he couldn’t fight his own words. 

“Alright, kid, alright. Last I heard, their actual base of operations wasn’t on Coruscant when Hesperium fell. But there’s no way I’m telling you where that is now…”

Noto started to speak, but stopped at the raised hand. 

“However, I have it on good authority that a Jedi Knight is arriving here today If you head over to the spaceport, you might find them. But you have to promise me one thing… if you can’t find him by the end of the day, you are leaving the planet. First flight to anywhere. Here take some credits, that’ll get you somewhere.”

Noto didn’t smile but he did smell. A whiff of a foul stench left his chitinous plates and tentacles. True, it smelled like dead fish left out in the baking sun for three days, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

“Oh thank you! Thank you so much!” 

And with that, Noto was off. Hiera shook his head

 

“Just remember what I said about leaving if you can’t find him!”

 

_______________

 

Through the bustling streets, past market vendors, factory workers getting off work, and  families enjoying their days off, Noto raced. Sights of people being busy with their every day life became a blur as the youngling made his way towards the Spaceport. He knew where it was since he had arrived there only a day ago. It was there where the Jedi was suppose to be.

 

People waved their hands as Noto passed by, his strong smell of excitement following him with each step. While it wasn’t making him popular, it was giving the Krevaaki space to run forward. Probably even better since Noto had the tendency to run into objects when he was excited.

 

Finally, Noto came to the spaceport, where officials were overlooking ship cargos, identifying passengers and conducting other official business actions. Noto looked around, hopeful to catch a sight of the Jedi. He didn’t know exactly what to look for. Brown robes? Lightsabers? A squad of rebel soldiers? 

 

Still, he had a chance to find a Jedi. He had a chance to grow as he believed he needed to. Wasn’t that what he needed to do? He had the force flowing through him, so shouldn't he find the Jedi? 

 

Noto found a place by a wall and sat down. His simple robes, loose fitting to hide all of his tentacles, draped about his red chiton. He leaned forward, pulling out one of the fruits Hiera gave him to eat, and watched every single person eagerly. Was that a Jedi? No, he was carrying a blastor. Ooh, how about her? No, look at all that gear. Maybe….no, no…

 

Noto’s excitement didn’t die out however. With each bite of the juicy fruit, Noto continued to stink up the area around him as he studied each individual, hoping beyond hope for a clue of who the Jedi knight would be. 

[Noto Saar]

"Are you lost child? Perhaps I can help you find what you're looking for?"

 

Noto looked up and was startled a bit. He exactly wasn’t used to seeing other species that often. However his shock quickly disappeared. He attempted the equivalent of a human smile, but for a Kravaaki, that was simply a shifting of a few faceplates, and only one of them near where his actual mouth was. 

 

Still, Noto accepted the fruit and tried to explain.

 

“Oh! Um, no sir, I’m not lost. Heh, well I don’t think I am. I’m just looking for someone. I’m told they were arriving today by...um, well I can’t tell you who... But I’m looking for someone! Though I don’t know what they look like. I..uh…um...”

 

It was at this moment that Noto realized how silly and stupid this sounded. A child, looking for a person who he didn’t even know what he looked like? How much more stupid could he have sounded?

 

However, something about the person struck Noto as familiar. Noto had met a few humans before, but they were so few and far between on Krevas. Surely Noto would have recalled a one-eyed human. And yet...

 

Suddenly another human approached. A man in uniform. Noto recognized the symbol of the Military. 

 

 “I am glad you could make it to Bothawui Master Jedi. And a young apprentice! We at the Republic Military will watch your career with great interest!”

 

Noto’s eyes widened 

 

“Oh no, I’m not his appren…”

 

Jedi!?!

 

Noto looked again at the one-eyed human, bewildered, now realizing what the other had said.  

 

“Oh! Um, you...a Jedi! Oh god, I...uh…sorry, sorry, I... um...Modo hodo kollstk...”

 

Words completely abandoned the youngling as he reverted to his native tongue. Noto dropped all the fruit he had so far and raised two tentacles and hid his faceplates and another two to cover his eyes, unable to look at the two humans out of embarrassment.

[Noto Saar]

"Unless I'm the one he has been here waiting to arrive?"

 

Noto lowered his appendages, looked up at these words and knew that the Jedi understood what Noto was trying to do. Still, he was very embarrassed, realizing he had just been acting very immature. 

 

Noto wiped his deep red faceplates and his neck with one of his 'hands', a gesture of an apology on his homeworld, and stood up, a very swift and smooth motion since leg tentacles could bend in many directions. 

 

“Um, Jedi, sir, may I come with? I know I’m not an asset or anything, but I do need to talk to you. But it can wait of course! Um, I just don’t want to lose track of you and have no where else to go, so um, may I come along? Sorry, I don’t mean to, what you say in basic, be a bother, I just...um…

 

Noto placed another tentacle over his faceplate momentarily in embarrassment. Why was he so nervous!?! He had thought about this encounter over and over back home and now he was making a fool of himself!
 

[Noto Saar]

As the adults talked, Noto found himself sitting near Genesis, studying carefully. At the words of Coruscant, Noto couldn’t help but speak up, albeit softly. 

 

“Is that where you lost your eye...erm, sorry, I mean, uh, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt”

 

Noto then became quiet again and studied the other adult as the two continued. He had to think for a while. The face and voice was familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Perhaps he was a famous soldier? No, that didn’t seem right. Noto remembered how the Krevaaki species pointed out that you knew a soldier by sight by looking at their side or their clothes on their back. Noto noted the pistol, but he had seen so many pistols on passing travelers that he figured everyone carried one. 
But the clothes were decent. Not too fancy, but still nicely dressed. Noto rubbed his free tentacles together, thinking. 

 

“Ah! You’re Senetor Godfrey! Hero of the battle of Death Star III!” Noto placed a tentacle over where his mouth was hidden after his outburst. “Sorry again, I just couldn’t place your voice, until I remembered your talk about the Jedi actions on Carida. You were in a couple of my datapad readings about the state of the Jedi back home and... and um...sorry again, I’ll shut up now.” 

 

With that Noto backed up and tried again to remain quiet as the adults talked. He had no idea about wars or battles, except what he had read. Truth be told, those were his favorite parts, but only for the heroics that occurred. Still, the stuff about Godfrey were a thrilling good read. 
 

[Noto Saar]

When Genesis spoke and showed her eye, Noto cringed and shuddered a bit. Truly an aberration if he ever saw one. He remembered the word “Miralukian” but not much beyond that it was an alien species registered in some galactic data log. 

Still, a Mandalorian and a Jedi? Noto couldn’t help but scratch his head at that one. History was well documented on that relationship. 

“I was indeed at the Death Star, lost many friends, and as for Carida, that was a separate organization known as the Imperial Knights. They are the jedi under direct control of the Rebel Alliance Leader. Empress Raven Nasra, of whom I fought at the Death Star. Alliances are like that, one day you want to kill someone, the next you want to hug them. 

“Ah...um, sorry, Senator Godfrey, usually memorization is always my strong suit, as my dad would say. Must have got the names mixed up.” Noto apologized. “Though, um, if I may say so, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but that kind of alliance doesn’t sound very, um, lasting? Though if that wasn’t the jedi as was a different group, then I could see something better forming, but, uh, I never know”

Genesis asked about the possibility of the Sith coming to Bothawui.

“Oh! I was told that...!” Noto started to exclaim. “I...um...was told to get off the planet as soon as possible if I couldn’t find you, Jedi. He...my friend that is...um...I can't say who he is, but he is a Bothan and...uh...he didn’t say why, but now seeing all this...um...I think it seems...sorry, I’ll be quiet now, i promise.”

[Noto Saar]

Noto nodded at the senator’s words. He was sad that was certain. And with no wonder why. Noto didn’t need to be a student to know that times were bad for everyone. He just didn’t know how badly it was for everyone.

    “I don’t know...the Jedi always seemed supportive of democracy and it looked like democracy was gone during previous empires but it kinda came back so... it might need some edits or something, but I’m sure senator, there will be a place for you in it at the end."

    Genesis spoke. Noto felt bad. He couldn’t help but imagine that this gloomy mood was his fault, despite no evidence pointing to such a conclusion. 

    “I...uh...I don’t want to kill...but uh...I mean, so what is the plan right now for Bothawui? I mean, if you guys can’t defend it, um...well, why don’t the systems surrender?”

    Noto felt bad for saying it, but he had to explain. “I mean, if they surrender, the Sith don’t attack right? Rebels go into hiding like usual, and strike back when the time is right?” 
 

[Noto Saar]

Noto flinched under the harsh words said to him, forcing the young one to regret all the words he had spoken so far. He was in an area he did not belong. A child in a world of adults. Perhaps he shouldn’t have left his home. The universe was much scarier then all the books he had read.
He only felt more guilty when Genesis spoke up and countered the senator’s words with his own. He should have just shut up. He should have stayed silent. He silently berated himself. Maybe he should just go home. Back to where it was safe. Back where he could just try to catch eel-crabs and read more and forget all about the force and the vision and…

Noto took a deep breath and allowed his faceplates to shift back to a normal position of a few centimeters from a look that was described as crying. No, he got this far. Besides, what would his mother say if he came back, credits spent and none the wiser? 

 

Noto thanked the force silently. Hopefully  the others couldn't tell that he had just been crying under his faceplates. Krevaaki tears ran internally under their plates. Humans looked so ugly when they cried, with their entire faces turning red. Krevaaki simply got a little softer and had their upper plates move up a fraction of a centimeter. It was good to be a crab-squid thing when emotions weren't in balance. 

“I’m...i’m trying to grow up sir… um...yes. Yes sir. Will do…”

With that, Noto fell silent again, not wanting to be a pain. Just get through this talk, and tell Genesis the vision he had and see if he could be trained to help make the galaxy a better place. 

Still, questions lingered. If the rebels weren’t going to run and hide, then did that mean they would fight? And wouldn’t that just get the sith more riled up? Wouldn’t that drag more innocents into the fray? Hiding and keeping their head down...that's what the Krevaaki would do, and it worked out perfectly. It’s what they have been doing the last few years. What they probably would do forever and ever. 
 

[Noto Saar]

Noto quickly followed Genesis, his tentacles slapping softly against the floor trying to keep up with the adult. The entire room felt tense, and he was just happy to leave the situation. He had seen adults argue and get tense with each other, but this felt different. In the past it was over small issues of teaching or debates on the meanings of certain stories. Here it was so much more important.

"He is right. His knowledge and experience far outweighs my own despite what Ive witnessed. But with that knowledge and experience comes stubbornness and the inability to see it from any side but his own."

Noto looked up at Genesis. The Jedi seemed so much sadder now, but maybe Noto was reading into it too much. 

When The Jedi bent down to be eye level with the Krevaaki, Noto stilled himself. His faceplates shifted slightly to a forced happier position, though in retrospect it was probably pointless. 

"So you came in search of the Jedi, have you?”

Noto nodded violently. It was his purpose here. He had traveled to a few other planets before here, each less likely to succeed. He was fortunate to remember the Bothan Spynet and the small detail about the Ex-Spymaster. 

“Are you sure this is the Life you wish to have thrust upon you?"

Noto nodded again. 

“Yes sir. Erm, I mean, I believe I need to. Uh, see, I know the Force flows through me and..um, the galaxy needs heroes right now. It would be selfish to hide back home, though I think some of the elders would’ve disagreed with me.”

"If so, then I, Jedi Knight Genesis Stormhelm, would like to offer you the position of my Padawan, my first."

Noto shook and jumped slightly. The little Krevaaki grew excited, and it showed not only visibly, but also with a strong pungent smell. 

“Thank you sir! Yes sir! Oh um, yes sir! Uh uh…” 

Noto didn’t know what to say. Today was being quite the rollercoaster for emotions. 

“Um..my name is Noto. Noto Saar. Of, um, Krevas. I, uh, don’t have much combat knowledge, since my kind don’t like that stuff, but I am very intelligent! At least, um, that’s what i’ve been told. Er..”

Noto realized he was trying to sell himself when he was already accepted, and grew a bit embarrassed. 

“Um, Sir Stormhelm,  thank you. I uh, wasn’t sure I’d  find a Jedi after seeing Corescant and Hesperium...so uh..thank you so much. I will be a good student! The best student! I promise!” 

[Noto Saar]

As Noto kept up with Genesis, he observed his new master. The way he walked, it said calmness and easygoing. But Noto was used to watching for the tiniest detail to describe a person’s emotions. 

 

Still, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to appear rude or nosy or anything, especially after had just been granted an apprenticeship. Noto couldn’t help but skip slightly as the two went into the inn, a noxious cloud following him. He imagined with excitement what the elders back home would have said. What his parents would have said! 

 

 It didn’t take long for Noto to unpack. All he had was what he carried on him. Some datapads, a few credits, some leftover food, and the model of his homeworld.  He couldn't help but stop but look at the model, the sphere slowly spinning on unseen power, with little simulated waves washing over tiny unseen rocks. 

 

"Tell me what you know of the Force and of the Jedi. Let me assess your knowledge and see where it is best we begin. With war coming to Bothawui, we have very little time to to prepare ourselves."

 

“The force...it is…” Noto started at the question. The crustacean stood up and held a tentacle up like a hand trying to remember something. 

 

“The force is what flows between all living things.” Noto began to quote, remembering his studies back home. “It is a field of energy that is both around and within life itself. Where there is life, there is the Force. Life produces the Force, and in turn the Force helps produce life.”

 

Noto had to cough once, a trick he had to help remember more things. He had to close his eyes. In his mind he conjured up the data pad he had read about the Force.  

 

“The force is characterized by several aspects, most notably the light and the dark side, utilized by the Jedi and the Sith respectively. While the other aspects are countless and fascinating, to know anything more than the Light and the Dark is to dive deep into unsure territories. These conversations turn more philosophical than scientific so many ignore them.” 

 

Noto had to pause and scratch his shell, starting to stumble on what came next. 

 

“Um, Ah, for many, especially the unlearned and the uncaring, these traits are enough to know. The light is good. Selfless and helpful. The dark is bad. Selfish and harming. These facts are enough, even for some of the Jedi.  But for us, the people of the Shallows, we know that it is both indescribable but essential to understand”

 

Noto opened his eyes and looked at Genesis. 

 

“That um, was written by uh, Jedi Master Bodo Baas. We have a bunch of writings back home from various Jedi who visited or came from there. I guess people liked going there to meditate. I remember the book so well cause of the name. Musings of an old Crab.” 

 

Noto couldn’t help but shift a facial plate into a slight snicker. The name of the book always made him do that.  Still it was clear that Noto knew of the force in some kind of an academic sense. 

[Noto Saar]

As Genesis talked on and on, Noto simply stood still and listened intently. His eyes flashed with pleasure, as if he was back home learning from one of his elders some important and secret information that no other being was privy to. He almost wanted to giggle at how his newly met master behaved himself. He wasn’t like any adult he had known before. 

 

But Noto wasn’t perfectly still as he initially appeared . Under his plates he mouthed some of the words, committing terms and definitions to memory.

 

“You are much better than any of my teachers back home. Trust me, they could droll on forever.  Teacher Siffo Droller would talk for eight hours straight. It was horrible, I couldn't move from my sitting stone until he was done and it was right before mealtime."

 

Like a true student, Noto tried putting his teacher’s words into his own version that he could easily understand.

 

“So, the Force is like...a deep ocean…” Noto started, his eyes looking around as he searched for the right terms.  Naturally he drew from what was familiar to him. “The um, the living force is like the plankton in the waves, giving birth to life and fueling the growth of life existing within it. Life feeds on the Living Force. But the Cosmic force is the water in the ocean itself. The Living Force makes life, like the plankton. In turn, life gives the ocean, the Cosmic Force, more mass and more direction? Is that a good way of putting it?”

 

Noto brought up two tentacles and moved back towards his bed. As he sat down, he rubbed his chin a bit, deep in thought. 

 

“But you said the dark side corrupts, which in turn corrupts more and more… like a virus? Or maybe a bacteria? But if that is true, can it be stopped?” 

 

Noto’s childish mind flashed back to the images of Naboo he had seen earlier with the Senator.  He shriveled slightly in fear, the one time his emotion was very visible. He reached and grabbed his model and held it up to his eyes, looking at the exact point where he had grown up. 

 

He remembered the anger in the senator’s face when Noto suggested a peaceful surrender, the only thing his home world could do if the Sith came. 

 

“Are places like my home doomed to eventually get attacked and destroyed by the Dark?”

 

Noto then looked up, remembering his vision. 

 

“Was that what happened on Coruscant? With the moon and those people hurting each other to get onto ships?” 

[Noto Saar]

Noto nodded at each word, a little more depressed now. This world he had entered into was a terrible one. One that was filled with much disease. Talking about Corescant only reminded him of that further. He could still see the vision he had when Hesperium fell. The screamings. The cries of pain. The gunfire and the smoke. The fear that was made real.

Thankfully his new master seemed to have a distraction ready. Upon pulling out the candy bar, Solus shifted around on his tentacles and looked at it intently. It had been a long time since he had something as sweet as…

 

“Chokolate!” Noto decreed almost immediately. "That bar I believe is made of Chokolate and judging by the packaging…"

 

Noto had to squint a bit, completely missing the point of the exercise of what was happening right now.

 

“Looks like it was made in Coruscant. I don't recognize the company, but it does look human designed. So knowing that, it’s probably filled with some kind of mixture of Chokolate powder, nerf milk, and sugar, since humans love sugar, at least thats what I've heard. Do you like sugar a lot sir, being only half human? You know, we can’t have sugar back home. Too addictive, at least, that's what the elders say. I never tasted it myself. But that bar is definitely made of chokolate. Maybe the powder came from Tammis III, but I can't be sure. I heared they make their own unique kind. ”

 

Noto scratched his head, trying to decipher where the bar came from, still oblivious to the point of what he should have been doing. Truth be told, once he had an idea how things should be done, he could stick with that idea for a while. Course, a lot of Krevaaki did that.  Still, at least he wasn't thinking about Coruscant anymore.  
 

[Noto Saar]

Had Noto been able to blush in embarrassment, he would have done so when he realized why Genesis had started laughing. Instead he raised a tentacle up to cover his eyes.

 

“Oh! Im sorry sir, I understand. Ack, I do tend to overthink things. I’m so sorry…”

 

Still, Noto noted something. Genesis had grown up poor and without knowing his parents. Noto could barely comprehend such a lifestyle, when he knew his parents and grew up in a very loving, if boring, community. 

 

“Alright, alright, calm my brain. Um, like the meditations the elders tried to teach me? Ok, ok, i can do that. Let me just...um…”

 

Noto had to adjust himself so his body was sitting on the bed and only two of his tentacles were being used to balance himself. With the ones that were free, he wrapped them completely around himself under his robes,  and became as still as possible.

 

"Let the water ebb and flow. Let the life grow and wither…" 

 

Noto closed his eyes as he focused on the old mantra his elders taught him. He didn't know why, but out of all the mantras that his people had, two rung out to him the most. 

 

"Let the peace reign over. Let the storm quietly pass"

 

Noto took a deep breath and started the mantra again, this time a bit more quiet. The goal was to quiet his brain, to open himself up. Something he had tried multiple times back home, but never really got it. 

 

Still, here he couldn't help but feel something. Perhaps it was the presence of Genesis, or the planet, but Noto felt something, like a tingle at the back of his brain. 

 

"Let the water ebb and flow. Let the life grow and wither. Let the peace reign over. Let the storm quietly pass"

 

It became a whisper at this point. But the feeling Noto had in the back of his head grew. It felt almost like home. A quiet ringing of the oceans of his planet. 

 

Noto opened his eyes and looked at the bar.

 

"Is that… some kind of nut? I feel like there are nuts in it. From...naboo I think.. "

[Noto Saar]

"Is it a nut? Or was it processed alongside nuts? It's important to be exact, to focus on what you see rather than think."

 

Noto looked at Genesis with a confused plate shifting. A quiver of the plates above his eyes. 

 

"To think leaves open too many variables, like giving a friend this bar without knowledge of his allergy to nuts."

 

“Ah! I see your meaning!” Noto exclaimed, unraveling his tentacles from his body.  “You believe specifics are better then common feelings! I too think that. It is better to have hard data then to have guesses. Very smart sir!”

 

Noto looked at the bar again and scratched his head. “We once had a Givin on our planet who thought very similar. A very weird man. He said that math was the key to precision. We cannot know the exact nature of the universe, but we can get very close, and that was why he found comfort in the math of the force. Now I see why he said that. Let me try again sir!” 

 

Once again, Noto wrapped his tentacles around himself, and closed his eyes. He repeated the mantra again and again, this time with more confidence and focus. It certainly came a bit easier, albeit with a stronger smell of Krevaaki excitement. Had Noto not been so focused, he would have been embarrassed by how thick the scent may have been in the room. 

 

However, Noto’s concentration allowed no distractions. His excitement fueled his meditation. Like a student finding a new piece of fascinating information, he was oblivious to the rest of the world.

 

He was accomplishing something. Something different and useful.

 

 “Let the water…” Noto said his mantra again, but slowly drifted off to silence. The force was guiding him. He was seeing something. No, not seeing. But his eyes were working. Seeing without seeing. Like before...like back home. But here…

 

"The candy bar… a shop" Noto said outloud, letting the Force guide him.. "A Store. Hairy hands passing it to human ones. It feels...peaceful." Noto felt his face squint together. The sight was changing.

 

"Another shop? Quiet. Torn apart. Ransacked? A hand grabbing it… focus… voices… fear and panic. Shoved into a bag. Another sight. The candy...liquid? Machines...things being mixed...chemicals…lots of heat...and...and…"

 

Noto opened his eyes, an almost misty cloud covering his pupil and iris. 

 

“Is...thats...Driss…” Noto had to unwrap and catch himself on the bed before tumbling forward. With a quick shake of his body, Noto regained his composure, albeit, breathing a bit heavier, and stomach now gurgling with extreme hunger.

 

“Whoah…” Noto exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. He didn't know it, but the misty cloud was now gone. His eyes were the large black, dilated eyes of a squid-like thing. 

 

“Uh...um...Driss nuts...” Noto said, still panting a bit. “That’s uh, Driss nuts sir! It’s made with Driss nuts!”
 

[Noto Saar]

“Yes sir, it flowed through it and into me, but also the other way I think. Kinda like a tide or something. Water flows in. Water flows out. So you want me to move the force back into it and move it?”

 

Noto looked at the candy bar and felt his stomach gurgle a bit.  

 

“Um...yes sir, I will try...No i mean I will do so sir. I know Jedi like confident individuals, so I will do so sir.

 

Truthfully, Noto just wanted to eat. But he didn’t want to disappoint Genesis. And he really wanted to learn more then anything else. If he had to have some stomach cramps first, then so be it. 

 

Once again, the tentacles wrapped around his body, grabbing himself into a resting position. Noto slowed his breathing a bit with a few deep breaths and began the mantra again. 

 

"Let the water ebb and flow. Let the life grow and wither. Let the peace reign over. Let the storm quietly pass"

 

The sensation began much quicker and easier this time, almost immediately after the repeating the mantra with another repeat. Noto couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of the force flowing through him. It started again like a tingling sensation at the base of his back where his exoskeleton connected with his nerve tissue. It felt like warm water flowing on a cold spot. Soothing and gentle.

 

And Noto could feel the bar much easier. It’s presence was much easier to find, probably from the fact that Noto had felt a piece of its past. But could he influence it?

Noto focused on the bar. It’s history. Its composition. Its texture. How was he to move it towards him? Just imagining it moving?

 

Noto’s stomach growled again. He was very hungry. He just wanted to eat it. Like the fruit he had eaten earlier. Just to taste its sweetness, and crunchiness. If only he could move it like a wave of water moved a rock. 

 

Water...to move it like water. Like a stream moving a pebble, the force could move the candy bar. It wasn’t a powerful flood, but a stream. Noto was the guiding power of the stream. To focus the stream into a point. To make the direction be towards…

 

The candy bar suddenly flew through the air and struck Noto’s faceplates. Noto snapped out of his meditation with a slight scream and fell backwards. 
 

[Noto Saar]

When given permission, Noto devoured the candy bar with a maniacal energy only seen during a feeding frenzy in the shallows. Not only was Noto hungry and exhausted, he was eager to try the flavor of chokolate. 

 

And was it worth it. The sweet chokolate had been further dulcified with various sugars and mixtures. The chokolate itself was a little hard from age, but immediately became soft as the Krevaaki’s natural moisture was absorbed. Only the nuts remained hard and salty, giving the entire bar a sweet and crunchy sensation. It only took two large gulps to stuff the entire bar into Noto’s mouth. Each faceplate shifted up greatly, the only look of intense pleasure he could possibly give that anyone could understand.

 

“Mmmmm, this...mmmm” Noto had no words for the sensation he was having. 

 

"As we've discussed, the Force flows through all things, and as Sensitives, we are privy to it's currents. We can alter it's flow as well, just as you've proved. But we do not manipulate it."

 

Noto silenced himself, realizing he was still in the midst of a lesson. However, he did not stop eating, continuing to devour the protein bar with abandon.

 

"There is a fine line between altering the flow of the Force and manipulating it. To alter it is to simply use it momentarily and let it resumes it's course. But to manipulate it is to alter it's entirety before unleashing it. This is the basis that separate the Jedi from the Sith. We only alter it for a moment. They will alter it entirely."

 

Noto nodded, chewing a piece of the dry bar. “So we are like waves, where the sith are like dams. We push gently, where the sith completely changes it. I believe I understand sir. That must be why the Jedi are usually passive and reactive.”

 

At his master’s indication he crawled into his own bed, a mass of tentacles. It was a bit uncomfortable to be sure. Noto was so used to sleeping in water, drifting to sleep. But that didn’t bother him. Whether it was the excitement of the day, or the fact that the sugar had just kicked in and was giving his poor brain an excitement rush, Noto couldn’t focus on the lack of species-specific comforts around him. 

 

His mind was thinking about the force and the world around him, and how back at home he would have never had this kind of teaching, and how his parents would be proud of what he just did, and how the sith would eventually back off cause he was going to help the Jedi, and how his homeworld would stay safe, and how something like Coruscant wouldn’t happen again, 

 

Noto fell asleep almost instantly, his mind drifting through the force. Or rather, the memories of the past drifted back through the force. The memories of the vision of Coruscant came back in a rush. The hellfire from above. The screaming and running. The people taking off and the people stuck behind. 

 

But this was different. Noto was there this time. He could perceive himself. He could feel the heat on his plates. He could taste the smoke in the air. He could feel his eyes tear up and sand and debris hit his face.

 

And he was calm. So much different from when he last had this vision. And so he dreamed through the night, watching Hesperium fall all over again, until he awoke the next morning. 

[Noto Saar]

Noto stirred to life slowly but surely. Never before had he had such a decent sleep, despite the dreams he had. And the fact that the sleep occurred on dry land made it all the more extraordinary. 

 

“Sleep well?”

 

Noto looked at his master and more noticeably, the food he had brought with him. Noto shifted his face plates a bit, indicating that he had indeed, but then realized that a simple nod would do. 

 

“Yes sir, thank you.” Noto said, moving the covers off and taking the food and busily chowed the food down, crushing it in his mandibles behind his facial plates. He spilled crumbs, and quickly wiped them off, trying not to appear too sloppy. 

 

“Such good dreams… well not good dreams, but well…” Noto struggled to put to words how he felt. “I...saw Coruscant again. I mean, I’ve never seen in it person, but I saw it in my dream. Hesperium fell. But it was different. I...uh…”

 

Noto paused and scratched his head. “See, um, my family and I discovered I was force sensitive sir when Hesperium fell. I uh....well they said I nearly died. Went into a coma I guess. But I dreamt and I witnessed Hesperium and it was terrible, like really bad, like, um, I don't know how to explain it…” 

 

Noto shook slightly at remembering how he felt when he had seen the fall of Corescants moon. The fear was almost palpable. The chaos was overwhelming. The fire from the sky. Those armored warriors attacking everyone they found. 

 

“But see, it was different this time. I felt...calm. Like, I was seeing it, but it wasn’t as vivid, or intense. I still saw things like people running and such. A huge firefight for a ship just to get off world. Men in armor attacking and destroying buildings. It was still terrible but.... I don’t know...it was different.”

 

Noto looked at Genesis face and noticed something. A bead of sweat. Another being may have ignored it, but for a Krevaaki who spent their life reading the tiniest adjustments of faces to read impressions…

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry sir, did I oversleep?” Noto got up, almost dropping some of the leftover food onto the floor, catching it just in time with a tentacle. “You’ve been busy! And i’m the padawan! Oh I’m so sorry, here, uh, let me clean up, ah, um, sorry. Usually I don’t sleep this well. I’ll get better at being alert sir, I’m sorry…”
 

[Noto Saar]

Noto sighed slightly in relief at Genesis words about worrying. However he instantly noticed his master’s demeanor change when talking about Corescant. After all, Genesis had witnessed first hand the chaos that the moon had caused, while Noto only had seen it through a vision. 

 

“Resonated with a ripple...that sounds right I think. Though I do not know if you are right or not…” Noto commented, stroking his face plates thoughtfully. He was learning so much.

 

Noto perked up as well, matching his master’s mood. He figured it would be best to learn via imitation. 

 

“Um, training or exploring? Uh um…” Noto began to think out loud. “Well, I uh haven’t had any physical training….but exploring is good, and we could help with defense…” Noto shook his head suddenly. “No no, training. Yes I know that a Jedi must be well bodied and fit, so I say training. But um, sir, uh...what kind of training did you have in mind? Would I be using a lightsaber?”

 

Noto said this questioningly. He was both excited at the prospect of using such a prodigious weapon, but to use a weapon would go against most things his people had taught him. Living well and wise was always better than living short and violent.
 

[Noto Saar]

“I actually don't wield a Lightsaber. Only the Force."

 

“Oh! How fascinating!” Noto exclaimed, genuinely shocked. “It was my belief that all Jedi carried that sacred weapon, if not for self defense but also as a mark of recognition. I’ve heard it said you can identify a jedi by the weapon on his belt…”

 

Noto was shocked that he had missed such a detail. It was not like him to miss such a thing. 

 

"But that will come later when you're more trained in using the Force. A weightless blade is hard to control, and I'd rather not having you lopping off any of your limbs."

 

Noto nodded, though slightly disappointed. He did realize that he was essentially a child, but he was a little anxious to see such a blade in action. The years of peace and quiet made the legendary stories of Jedi walking into enemy armies and dispatching droids with ease made them more than a tall tale around moonlit story circles at his home planet. 

 

Noto stood with Genesis and nodded. Even if his face said little, his smell pointed out he was excited. “Yes sir! After last night, I am, um, really hopeful I can prove myself. And this time I'm going to bring some food with us, so that way if I get hungry again...“

 

As Noto followed wherever Genesis led, he couldn't help but ask questions and let his thoughts emerge in a flood of words, complete with a tentacle coming up to stroke his facial plates quizzically. 

 

"So, if you don't use a blade, but just the Force, how do you fight? I mean, I know Jedi like peace above all, but violence is so common and um...well what i mean to say is that you said the Sith are very violent and without a weapon...um, sorry, I don't mean to be rude, I just don't understand. Oooh, are you one of those Jedi I heard about who, um, those...what are they called, Sages? I mean, those ones who prefer um, that thing you had me do last night? I mean i didn't think about it, but that makes a lot of sense now and I guess but then again does that mean..."

 

As the Krevaaki rambled, his scent became much stronger. It was more than obvious that Noto's true nature, quizzical and active, was emerging. 

[Noto Saar]

Noto took the pad excitedly and quickly started reading though it, then realized there was too much information to take in right now. Instead he deemed it study material for later and placed it inside his robes for safekeeping. Perhaps he could copy the information down into his own datapad if Genesis decided he needed the pad back. Still, what little Noto saw filled him with greater excitement. 

 

“I'm sure there are some who carry the Lightsaber as identification, but most only carry out of necessity. And not all who carry the Lightsaber is a Jedi. All of which are simple choices, like any aspect of life. And like life, each choice has both it's benefits and consequences. These choices are what define us."

 

Noto nodded as he took the tea that his master ordered. Noto studied the tea carefully, wondering if this was like the ‘sugar’ he had tasted last night. Lifting it to his mouth, he was surprised the taste was a bit more bitter than expected, but not repugnant. A little hot, but that would cool in time. 

 

Noto looked over the area while Genesis spoke. Where his master was focused on the vastness of the world, Noto was focused on his master. Reading the movements, the facial cues, and the tone of voice simply came natural to the squid-like crustacean. He read Genesis’ face like a book, and hung on every word.

 

Then Genesis demonstrated his ability with the force. Noto never understood how people needed to still beg in this wide open galaxy, when there were so many jobs in the galaxy to take, but still he watched the beggar. When the beggar stood up and left, Noto looked at Geneses curiously. 

 

“He'll be back here tomorrow. Don't worry." Genesis spoke after he filled his mouth with the remnants of his tea and rose, leaving behind a healthy tip. "Think of the Force similar to spice. Used correctly and as defined, and it is a healthy and manageable medicine capable of helping those in need. But use it recreationally, and it's a hole you will inevitably drown yourself in."

 

Noto nodded. “Sir, if you are able to do that with the Force, then why don’t you help get people to evacuate the planet with that ability? After all, if the military is confident that the...um…” Noto lowered his voice in case anyone nearby could overhear normal chatter. “If the sith forces attack, shouldn’t the planet be evacuated? Surely that wouldn’t be using the ability negatively?”

 

Genesis continued, with the subject of weapons

 

"It's not to say I fear falling to the Darkside again. No. That was a lesson well bought. I simply choose not to carry weapons or use them, especially blades, because I fell. And that is a part of my past, something I should not dwell on. Nor should you dwell on it. I am your teacher, and I have the knowledge to teach you the tools you will need. The choices of how you use those tools will be your's and your's alone."

 

Noto nodded at this. “ I understand, I think. I only hope I can make the right decisions with the tools.  So, if I may ask sir, what is it you want me to learn first? I do want to be helpful in the upcoming days sir."

[Noto Saar]

“Ah! I see. We are passive guardians.” Noto nodded, but still scratched his chin as he sat beside Genesis.  "But still, sir, it, um, doesn’t make sense that if the military knows an attack could be incoming, why don’t they issue an evacuation? Surely more lives, um, could’ve been saved on Corescant had they known one day ahead that the moon was going to...um…”

Noto stopped. A few people were looking at him. It wasn’t clear if they had overheard, so Noto quietly silenced himself before causing what Genesis would call, mass hysteria. Still, he thought himself right. Fear might occur, but wouldn’t a little fear that saves thousands be worth it in the end?

The sight that greeted Noto when he got off the train made his twin hearts drop. The glamour and the richness of the city was absent here, but some of the heartless trash and scraps of society were. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like they would be here long, as Genesis went through the forests. Noto followed.

Quickly, Noto began to tire. Having the body of a student and not an athlete, his skills at navigating the underbrush was impressive only for his species natural advantage of numerous tentacles. Normally he kept two tentacles out for fine motor control, and two for propulsion, via walking. However, his species had a total of eight tentacles, and Noto had trained for of them for movement over both ground and sea. These four tentacles allowed him to travel longer than a human of his age, but he was still quickly tired and had to stop to take some deep gasps.

 
"You've shown your potential to focus and hone the Force, but now comes the taxing of it. You are tired. Your legs are likely stiff and sore. And even your breathing may be heavy.”

Noto nodded at this. He could feel some of the burn in his tentacles. And the arid climate was not helping him retain a cool temperature. 

“But the Force can aid you. It can grant you strength and endurance. It can grant you speed and agility. But first you have to expand yourself and know it's own. Open your mind up to the Force, relax and take deep slow breaths, focusing on your breathing as your mind reaches into the Flow of Life and of the Force here around us. Be a leaf upon it's stream, and travel it's waters."

Noto felt a bit confused. The Force could aid him? Nowhere in his reading did he hear about that. Though, maybe he would discover more in the readings that Genesis gave him. 

“Um, uh...um, ok...one second, let me...hoo, just need to breath a bit…”

Noto took a few more breaths and then closed his eyes, focusing on the Force like before. He began by speaking the mantra again. But between lines he gasps a bit more for air. 

Noto shook his head. He was having trouble focusing. 

“One second sir, I, um, just need a moment...hoo, one second, um…”
 

[Noto Saar]

“Technically I have two hearts sir, its common for my species and um…” Noto stopped himself, partially from breathing hard, but also from realizing how disrespectful he was being. Many times he had received a sting on the back for back-talking his elders. 

“Sorry, sorry...breath deep. Breath deep, I can do that.” Noto took a deep gasp of air, using two of his ‘hand’ tentacles to make a gesture of breathing in and out like a human would do so. 

Breath in. Breath out. Noto felt both of his hearts beat slightly slower, but not by much. Breath deeper. Let the air go in and out. Not just the air. The Force. It was in everything, correct? Why wouldn’t that include the air? Breathe in and out the Force. Feel the Force. Feel the presence of Genesis in the Force.

Even as Noto’s heart slowed, he could begin to feel the presence of things around him. Next to him on the ground there were eight different species of insects crawling around. The dirt they walked on held small pebbles, sand, and a tiny bit of water, barely holding the mixture together. 

The water. The water held it together. Like the force. The force held life together. The Water held the dirt, the Force held life. No, something was not correct in that. The Force held not just held life together, but him together. They were linked. The insects were linked with each other through the Force, and he was linked to the Insects. 

"Drop a stone into the flow of the water, and it ripples. But dip a cup in it, and you capture a part of it."

Noto nodded to these words. That was it. He was supposed to dip himself into the waters of the Force. He needed it to refill him. Without the binding agent, the dirt and pebbles and such would separate into useless, shaky ground. Without the Force, he would separate into a useless being. 

Don’t draw the Force in. Let it fill the body up. Let it flow like rain from a cloud to the ocean. Let it naturally flow. 

Noto breathed in deeply, his body completely at peace, and more importantly, rejuvenated. 

“I see the city where we came from. It’s… busy. But calm.”  Noto opened his eyes and looked at Genesis with both wonder and curiosity. 

[Noto Saar]

Noto's hearts skipped slightly at the compliment. Hearing how good he was doing had been a relatively rare thing. It was hard to exceed at something on a planet that pursued spiritual enlightenment over most things.

"Like the fish of the sea, even the subtlest of changes within it can alert us of potential dangers or those in need of help. And through this, we can attune our senses to notice like second nature, a living sixth sense."

Noto looked at Genesis with a slight crooked tilt.

"Sixth sense...you mean like precognition? "

Noto stroked his chin face plates and recalled what he had read on the force alerting people to danger. 

"If I recall correctly, master Bodo Bass described the force as a guide in of itself." Noto started. Then he raised a tentacle up as a quoting indication.  " some hear the force as a silent whisper, while some see it as a splash of colors when it is trying to communicate with the sensitive. It is neither aggressive, nor caring, but a simple feeling or statement. When it speaks its unbearable voice, it speaks with purpose. Those who listen to this voice appear to know the future, or are able to react faster then the speed of thought. In all actuality, they are simply listening and reacting off what the force is telling them.  It is imperative to listen to that voice in times of trouble, or it may become the last voice one might not hear."

Noto lowered his tentacle, indicating he was done quoting Musings of an Old Crab. 

"If I didn't believe in the force sir, I'd call it magic or something. But sir, I've never heard a voice or anything like that before. I've had to focus myself to know that the city is busy but calm. How is that going to protect me in the middle of conflict? I doubt my enemy will simple let me meditate in the middle of a battle...though, that would be funny to witness"

Noto giggled a bit at the image that popped into his head. A massive red painted warrior, about to kill noto, but then stops because noto wanted to meditate. 

[Noto Saar]

Noto’s face turned into confusion at first. Each face plate tried to move together in the center of his face, taking each millimeter as far as it could go. 

 

“So, you are telling me to treat my force sense as that...a sense...but…” Noto reached up and stroked his face plates again and looked around pointlessly, trying to piece things together outloud. “I do not use it as a sense. But with time it will become more sense like? I’m not sure how that makes sense. Not that I’m questioning you, sir, um, sorry, but uh, I am not eyeless, erm um, I mean…”

 

Noto placed a tentacle on his face in embarrassment. In that moment of silence and embarrassment, Noto felt a little bit of his suckers on his face. This momentary distraction led him down a new line of thought.

 

“But, if I keep practicing it, like you said…aha! I get it!”

 

Noto suddenly jumped slightly, and in an entirely uncivilized way according to his peoples, brought out 6 of his eight tentacles from his robes for showing. The black mass of chitin, tentacles, and water probably would’ve made a frightening sight for any onlooker. 

 

“You say that meditation helps with focus! Like muscle memory! Like my tentacles! See, my people, after our first full lunar year cycle, we do a ceremony where our elders tell us which of our tentacles are meant for grabbing and which for walking. But we don’t know how to use them like that yet! So we practice and practice till it becomes second-nature! Aha!”

 

Noto’s face beamed with pleasure as he quickly put his tentacles back under his robes, aside from the two ‘hands’ he was used to having out. Still, he wiggled a bit in joy, which was very visible.

 

“Thats why you had me do that meditation right after that hike! I see sir! I see!”  

[Noto Saar]

Noto looked in the direction that his master had gazed towards, seeing the ships moving. However, where Genesis looked with deep thoughts, Noto’s brain was active with imagination. How to improve his concentration, how to build upon himself, how to deepen his connection. But these were not in any way deep, only the thoughts a child would have when discovering a new formula for a sweetened mixture. 

“So, then sir, what is next? More hiking? Running? Or something different? I don’t mind anything, I’m up for everything!” 

Noto bobbed his head up and down in excitement, eager to move on with his training, thinking he was showing traits of being a good student. Truth be told, he wasn’t one for physical exercise out of the water, but he wasn’t going to communicate that now. 
 

[Noto Saar]

When Genesis brought out the training device, Noto’s excitement rose a bit more. However, all of his excitement instantly turned to confusion when the blindfold was brought out. 

 

“Uhhhh….” Noto uttered as his master explained what was going to happen. “Ah, you mean this is how we, um, ok…” 

 

Even as Noto tied the blindfold over his eyes, his thought process was going as fast as usual. “But, if its not dangerous, will I honestly sense it? I mean, I don’t doubt you, but, er, I, ah nevermind. "

 

With the blindfold on, Noto rebalanced himself. He had forgotten how much he actually relied on sight out of the water. In the water, he could swim blindfolded, at least for a long time. The currents, the temperatures, all the factors of the water could guide him. But here, it was different. Much more empty. Even the breeze felt empty compared to the water he was used to. 

 

Still, Noto would try. Slowly he got himself into a ready position. “Alright, sense it. Avoid its attacks. Ok, I can do this. Ok, just got to focus on the Force. Focus on the force…”
 

[Noto Saar]

"Calm yourself Noto. Trust in yourself and in the Force."

 

Noto took a deep breath at this. A youngling raised in a worse situation would’ve made some snide comment about how easy that could be for someone, but the years of living with elders, loving parents, and calm oceans taught Noto to say something much more respectable. 

 

“Alright. I got this…” In truth, Noto did not have this. The sound of the device changing to a silent hum instantly captured the Krevaaski's attention. Noto’s attention only shifted slightly to Genesis when his master spoke again. 

 

“Right, I got to make my force sense more sense like. I need to open myself and YOUCH!” 

 

Noto yelped as the training sphere struck. The brief moment of pain in Noto’s hand tentacle was minor. The electricity, like Genesis had said, was harmless. But the surprise of it made it seem five times more intense than it actually was. Noto yelped and jumped backwards instinctively, nearly falling over before catching his balance. 

 

Noto grumbled slightly as he rubbed where he was struck. Still, he got back into a ready position and prepared himself. 

 

“The Force. Focus on the Force…” Noto whispered to himself, which then turned into a silent monologue. 

 

The Force is an ocean, and we are all in it. Listen to the Ocean, feel the waves. The waves. Everything makes a wave. Everything makes a wave. Listen to the waves. Listen…Feel and listen. Just feel and listen. Let the water ebb and flow…

 

The tingling in the back of Noto’s head began a bit. It was slight, but it was there. The feel of the Force touching his mind ever so slightly. The waves that the Force was feeding him was miniscule at best, but it was there. 

 

Noto’s body visibly began to relax. His arm  tentacles loosened while his locomotive ones swayed. His facial plates returned to a resting position. The Force, in its mysterious, unseen ways, fed the young squid-like being quietly. 

[Noto Saar]

The tingling in the back of Noto’s brain grew a bit more violent. Noto wasn’t sure if it was a sign that something was about to happen or if Noto was about to have a force vision, so he reacted as he only could. 

 

With a dash of panic. 

 

Noto’s tentacles flailed as the Krevaaki tried to pointlessly dodge wherever the electric jolt would come from. While his flailing did help him not get struck in the tentacle again, it only rewarded him by accidentally placing his head in remote’s targeting sensors. 

 

“Gah!” Noto again shouted, not in pain, but annoyance. His faceplates took the brunt of the pain, but his pride was hurt. 

 

“Sorry, sorry, I just, um… let me try again, ack, sorry…” 

 

Noto took a few deep breaths and quietly recited his mantra under his breath. The tingling began to return as usual. In the hot sunlight, a trickle of pale slime-sweat  dripped down from under the blindfold down Noto’s face plates. 

 

“The Ocean…the Force. The Ocean….the Force” Noto whispered. He was beginning to feel some of the life around him. At his feet something was crawling. No, burrowing. About a few centimeters down…a worm? There, a six winged bug brushed past on his left side. The air was not perfectly still, there was a breeze. No, not a breeze. There was…something floating…

 

The tingle in the back of Noto’s head became violent again. Noto wasn’t sure if he moved, or if the Force moved him, but his entire body leaned to the left. The remote’s prod grazed the Krevaaki cloaked shoulder. Had it been where it was a moment ago, Noto’s exposed neck would have been struck. 

 

The air grew rancid as Noto’s musk began to smell with excitement.  “I did it! I did it! Hahaha!” 
 

[Noto Saar]

This time, Noto did not react as quickly as he would have. His excitement from earlier had distracted him, and the drone moved much quicker then he would have anticipated. 

 

And this time, Noto was unbalanced. 

 

Yipe! Ah!” Noto exclaimed then scrambled slightly as he fell over backwards, clutching at where the training remote struck. Being slightly on a hill, Noto continued to tumble backwards until he eventually came to rest at the bottom. 

 

Noto pulled off the blindfold with a huff and for once, gave a look towards Genesis that was easy to read: a slight glare. 

 

“That wasn’t fair. I wasn’t even ready for that…”