#oc: Baves Urety

[startrekandwars]

Secret Admirers

Word Count: 1361

Summary: Arif Bageeh was severely injured on an assignment. As a result, his men, padawan, and his love decide to spend a day doing something nice for him so he at least doesn’t feel like he’s been forgotten.

Tags: none

AN: written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Secret Admirer

This is admittedly the first time that his men have seen him injured. If he hadn’t been so sore or confined to quarters, it may have amused the injured Arif Bageeh. Naturally, while he was recovering, his padawan came in to talk about anything the young padawan could reasonably mention. The padawan talked about his training sessions with Jaro Tapal and Cal Kestis, his pranks that he’s pulled on Commander A’doxx with Shade’s assistance, and the different antics that he and Cal have gotten into with all of the clones. 

After Baves left, Commander A’doxx would then come in and brief him on whatever they had been doing, just so Arif knows what’s going on when he gets back into the field. Not if he does, when, and A’doxx is always so careful to frame it like that. Sometimes he grips about whatever prank Shade and Baves pulled on him, but he always follows it up with something along the lines of ‘But it stops Baves from worrying so much, so I don’t mind, just waiting for you to get back on your feet sir’.

The final visitor of every day was, of course, Jaro Tapal. They would talk about Baves’s progress or whatever new battle strategy he had for their men just so Arif wasn’t caught off guard by anything A’doxx could tell him. The most important part of their conversations were the parts where they were just talking until Arif fell asleep. Just long enough for Jaro to gently numb some of the pain Arif felt so he could actually sleep comfortably. Every night, the last thing Arif could remember was Jaro very softly saying, ‘sleep well’, before leaving his room.

That’s what made waking up so unusual today, the first thing Arif noticed was that his blankets were significantly softer than the one he had when he fell asleep, his hair had been braided at some point in the night, and he was fairly certain he could smell his favorite tea. He lifted his head some when he heard the door open, “Good morning, General Bageeh.”

“Good morning, A’doxx. Did someone get me a new blanket? This one is softer.” Arif carefully ran his hands over the blanket, tilting his head towards the commander. “And someone braided my hair, and I’m pretty sure my favorite tea is right next to me.”

He could sense amusement from the commander, but his answer didn’t line up with what he heard, “I don’t know general. I’m just here to brief you for today if you’re up for it.” A’doxx stood awkwardly next to his bed, and if Arif had to guess, he was trying to hide a smile.

“I appreciate the thought, but I didn’t sleep as well as I would have liked, so I trust you and your men to Jaro Tapal completely for today. Perhaps later, Commander.” He carefully reached out for the tea next to him and took a sip. Perfectly sweetened. 

“I understand sir, I’ll let you rest. Enjoy your tea, General.” With that, A’doxx left, barely making it outside the room before starting to laugh. Clearly, something was up.

While enjoying his tea, Arif opened a holocron to listen to some of his old research notes from his time on Dathomir. It at the very least was a good way to refresh his memory. 

He must have drifted off after finishing his tea, because he woke up to realize the holocron was next to him, and the door to his room was opening. “Hello Mast- sorry did I wake you?” Baves initially addressed his master as loudly and cheerfully as he could before dropping the volume at which he was speaking. He also could softly hear one of his favorite composers playing in the background of his room

“No, Baves, you didn’t. Perhaps you can answer a question for me, who’s idea was it to do all of these nice things for me today?” His padawan is an awful liar, as sweet as he is. Jaro sometimes jokes that maybe he and Baves might be related because neither of them can lie to save their lives, Arif tends to ignore this in favor of asking when he’s officially going to claim Cal as his son, seeing as how they both can be so optimistic.

“I don’t know what you mean, Master.” Baves was certainly lying, but he quickly deflected before he became too uncomfortable at the thought. “You’ll never guess what Shade and I did! We used some crate marker, you know, the stuff that never washes off, and we changed A’doxx’s armor so instead of it saying ‘Nightstalker’ it says ‘Nightlight’ and we also changed the color of his shoulder pads to hot pink!”

The miraluka jedi just sighed before smiling. Of course, his padawan did something like that. “Has the commander noticed that you two did that?”

“I mean... I’m sure he did but he just sighed loudly. He hasn’t figured out that we used crate marker.” Baves was ginning up until the door opened. “Shade?”

“Commander, General, I need to borrow Commander Urety. Commander A’doxx just figured out that we used crate marker and he’s on a war path.” Shade was nervous and mildly relieved. 

Baves stood up, “I’ll be back later Master Bageeh, assuming A’doxx doesn’t kill us for using crate marker.” With that, the padawan left in a hurry, running after Shade. 

“Shade- Baves! Come back here!” A’doxx shouted, running past the door as it closed, leaving Arif to laugh to himself as he heard the chase going on outside. Kids will be kids.

Arif drifted off again, and this time when he woke up, Jaro was sitting next to him, likely reading something on a datapad. “When did you come in?”

“A few minutes ago, you were asleep, so I didn’t want to wake you,” Jaro answered, placing his forehead gently against Arif’s for a moment. “Commander A’doxx almost killed your padawan and Shade earlier for using crate marker on his armor. I have never seen your commander so angry before.” The amusement in Jaro’s tone was enough to confirm that all parties were still alive, if annoyed that they have to fix A’doxx’s armor. “I can assure you they are all alive and well, if in various stages of annoyance.”

“I’m glad to hear that everyone survived the incident,” Arif mused, carefully sitting up some more. “Now I have a question for you- do you know who’s decided to get just about everything I love for me today?”

He didn’t need eyes to know that the Lasat jedi was grinning, and it was so obvious through the force. “You mean to tell me that you could not have guessed, Arif? You seem to be losing your touch, my love.” Jaro carefully took Arif’s hand and gave it a small squeeze, “Commander A’doxx and your men decided to get together and spend an entire day getting you things that you love in hopes that it would make you feel better. It would appear you have a battalion of secret admirers.”

“This was A’doxx’s idea? It sounds like something you would have done, beloved.” Though knowing that it was his men did make the events of the day that much more amusing. “That was very thoughtful of them. Would you be so kind as to tell them that I appreciate it very much?”

“Of course.” Jaro carefully placed a kiss on top of Arif’s head. “I have some more listening material for you if you would like it, but for now, you should probably rest some more.”

Arif nodded, settling back down into the very soft blankets. “Thank you, Jaro. And you’re probably right. Outside of the prank, how was Baves today?”

“He was alright if a little bit anxious. He is very concerned about you. I do not blame him. He seems to be mastering wall runs and his skills with a lightsaber are improving. I taught him a few more forms today, and he should be practicing them right now.” The other jedi master smiled, as he realized that Arif had already fallen back asleep. “Sleep well, my love.”

[startrekandwars]

Hour 36

Word Count: 1649

Tags: None

Summary: Arif Bageeh entrusted his padawan to lead a squadron of scouts to investigate another possible way around a canyon. 4 hours into the mission, his padawan and his padawan’s squad went silent. Now 36 hours later, as Arif leads the rest of his men in a dangerous fight, he finds himself worrying more and more for his padawan’s safety.

AN: This was written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Radio Silence.

Arif Bageeh wears his emotions on his sleeve when not in a combat situation. His men respect his command style of honesty first, which means that his men also know that right now, he was worried about his padawan. "Have we heard anything from Baves, Commander A'doxx?" The Mirakula general turned towards his commander, well aware of the active combat zone that they were in. 

It has been 36 hours since he lost contact with his padawan. 40 hours since his padawan went to go investigate another way to get around the canyon. 36 hours since Arif started to wonder if he should have switched places with his padawan.

"No sir! We still can't reach Commander Urety's squad! We'll keep trying to reach him." A'doxx looked back at his general before shooting down two battle droids. "We can try sending a rescue squad if we continue to not hear anything from him."

"Commander- I appreciate the gesture," his lightsaber flared back into life, using both ends up his dual bladed weapon to block incoming blaster fire. "Keep sending messages. We can only hope that we hear a response from him soon." He has to trust that his padawan will come back to him no matter what. "Just... Keep sending messages. We can't afford to divide our forces any more than they already are. See if you can contact anyone in his squad." He might be blind in the traditional sense, but he could still see his commander nodding through the force.

~*~*~

Baves barely jumped over a fallen tree while fighting the battle droids, "Shade- can we reach Master Bageeh?! We still haven't been able to check in and it's been over a day and a half!"

"I keep trying, Commander," Shade kept shooting at the droids in front of them, making sure that the young padawan's back was covered even while he jumped over the trees to try to take down the super battle droids. "I'm pretty sure they're jamming our signal. Tracker- what about you?"

Tracker threw a droid popper into the middle of the squad of droids, "I think you're right Shade. I can't get through to anyone. I can't even reach the cruiser. I'll keep trying to reach anyone. Hey Aftermath- see if you can try to pin point what's jamming the signal." They all knew the chain of command, and they also all knew that keeping their young vod safe. Sometimes that means disobeying the chain of command.

Aftermath nodded once and pulled away from their position to look ahead. If there was a chance they could get communications back, they were all going to take it, no matter the risk.

~*~*~

The battle ended the moment Arif destroyed the last tank with his lightsaber and once again looked at his commander, "Did we lose any more squads?"

"No sir, but there's another incoming battalion of droids and there's still no word from Commander Urety." A'doxx walked up to his general and took his helmet off. "Sir, Admiral Styehal is suggesting a tactical retreat. If we go back to the cruiser we can try to find the commander's squad that way. Then we can handle the droids."

 Arif continued to face his commander, and the pain in A'doxx's voice was enough to imply that the commander didn't think there was a good chance of getting his padawan and his men back with their current resources. "Inform the Admiral that I appreciate his suggestion but I would like to try something before we retreat. Tell him his orders are to maintain his current position. If things get too dangerous, we'll retreat."

"Yes sir." A'doxx was about to walk away before pausing, "Sir... I know Shade and his lot. They'll look after the Commander no matter what... but after this long- I think we should either send a rescue squad or consider that they might be dead."

"Commander A'doxx, I appreciate your honesty, but I have not sensed their deaths through the force. They are alive somewhere, and we shall either find them after a temporary retreat or they shall find a way to contact us," he answered, placing his hand on his commander's shoulder. "Keep faith. Even now they fight for their lives."

The Commander nodded and put his helmet back on. "Of course, General. Sorry about that." He then walked away to contact the ever concerned Admiral.

Arif sat down on the ground, holding his lightsaber in his lap, focusing on his padawan to try to see where he was. He rarely tries this after a fight because he is too distracted to actually find anyone in particular, or it only shows him things too far away for him to be able to help.

As he exhaled, he started to hear blaster fire.

He inhaled, he could see trees and droids.

As he exhaled once more, he realized that he was seeing the fight from his padawan's perspective. Shade was almost right next to him, and too tall. "Aftermath, have you found it?"

"I see the jammer, Baves- and it's protected behind a shield generator. Kriff- are those droidekas?" Aftermath was still looking through his scopes, adjusting the distance some. "We don't have enough droid poppers to take those out safely Commander."

His padawan paused, turning to look ahead while blocking a shot that came directly at him. "But what about the droids themselves?"

Arif inhaled and the scene started to fade.

He exhaled and he could only hear a muffled reply that vague sounded like a maybe from Shade. By the time he inhaled again, he had his lightsaber in his lap, and his commander was sitting across from him, "Well sir?"

"They're still alive. The droids are jamming their signal which is why we can't reach them. They don't know about the incoming battalion." The jedi master let his brown and grey hair fall down before pulling it back up in a better pony tail. "Has the Admiral responded?"

"He has, and he wants to speak with you directly, General." A'doxx set down the holoprojector and turned it on. "Admiral, I have the General here, go ahead."

The admiral cleared his throat and looked at the general, not that he could see, "General Bageeh, the droid reinforcements are not far out. We need to retreat, we cannot hold our current position." Jacodav was not one to lose confidence so quickly in their position, which showed the gravity of the situation. "I seriously suggest that you evacuate while we can still get everyone safely onto the cruisers."

"I will not be leaving this planet without my padawan, Jacodav... Send the gunships, we'll evacuate the wounded first." Arif tightened his grip on his lightsaber. "I will not abandon him now, Admiral. I owe it to him to give him time to make the rendezvous, however late he may be.”

“Arif, I understand that but if we lose everyone here because you would rather wait to hear from him- then what does that show him?" The appeal didn't fall on deaf ears, but it wasn't going to be acted upon. "It's been 36 hours and we've heard nothing since their second check in. Are you even certain-"

"Admiral Styehal, my padawan and his men live still. That is not a debate nor wishful thinking," Arif interrupted, his tone was soft, but there was a hardness on his face. "We shall evacuate the wounded first and then everyone else. My orders still stand, continue attempting to reach Commander Urety and his squadron at all costs. Once we have him on board, we shall retreat, but not a moment sooner."

Jacodav studied his general's face before nodding, "Very well, General. The first round of gunships will be there soon."

~*~*~

Baves jumped down from the tree, just in front of the shield generator, keeping his hand carefully over the cable that Shade had attached to him in order to pull him up safely, "Hey droids! Looking for me?"

"How'd the jedi get over there? Blast him!" A Battle droid ordered. The tank turned around and prepared to fire.

Baves pressed the button miliseconds before the blast would have connected with him, leaving the shield generator destroyed. The second tank's shot destroyed the jammer just as Shade and Tracker both caught Baves in the tree. "Good thinking, Commander. Reckless as hell, but good thinking. This is Shade- can anyone read us?"

"Shade, this is Commander A'doxx. Is everyone alright?" The Commander's voice crackled over their comm links as the clones and jedi ran through the trees to get away from the battle droids.

"We're all alive Commander, but we could use an evac. We stumbled across a Droid base and we're sort of running away from it now. But we seriously crippled it. I think," Baves answered as he jumped, using the force to help Aftermath get back onto the tree trunk.

"We have a fix on your location, Baves. Kite should be able to meet you all in the clearing in fifteen minutes. It is good to hear your voice, padawan." Arif sounded relieved, perhaps too relieved. "Keep moving, we have much to discuss."

"Yes master!" Baves jumped out of the trees and kept running, he could hear his men jumping down behind him. He didn't even need to look to know that Shade was only a few steps behind him at all times. "Sorry about worrying you."

"Apologize later, my padawan. I'm just glad to hear from you now." Arif answered before ending the communication. 

~*~*~

Arif glanced at his commander and offered him a smile, "I told you they were all alive, A'doxx. Admiral, send the rest of the gunships. We're going to make a tactical retreat. My padawan has made contact with us."

"I'm glad to hear it, General and I look forward to seeing both of you back on board soon." Jacodav responded, smiling a little bit.

[startrekandwars]

With My Life

Word Count: 1020

Tags: None

Summary: Arfi Bageeh and Jaro Tapal meet to complete a Concordance of Fealty- a jedi tradition where they swap their lightsabers as sign of complete trust between two jedi. While they retrieve their personal lightsabers, they also talk about meaningless and meaningful things.

AN: written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt In Your Hands

Arif Bageeh is a Jedi Master who has trained two padawans before Baves Urety; though that doesn’t make the Miraluka Jedi master any more qualified to train his current padawan. And while he adores his padawan, this is one of the few times he has allowed himself to leave his padawan out of his ‘sight’ for several hours. Presently, his padawan was off in lessons somewhere in the temple; likely following Matahd Sa or Shiro Isiabill around if either of them were on Coruscant. Perhaps he’s currently with Cal Kestis- a thought he only considered when he sensed an extremely familiar presence behind him. “Jaro Tapal- It’s been a while hasn’t it?”

“Indeed it has, Arif Bageeh,” there was humor in the Lasaat’s voice as he sat down in front of him. “I just saw Cal and Baves run off Force knows where in the temple. I’m certain they’ll be fine.” The man carefully unhooked a lightsaber from his belt. “I do believe I have something to return to you- a product of your careful crafting which you have continually shown willingness to entrust to me. In returning this lightsaber I return your trust.”

Arif smiled a little bit and then unclipped Jaro Tapal’s lightsaber from his own belt, running his fingers over the edges of the emitters. “And I have a product of your hands which you continue to agree to entrust to me- your lightsaber which you made with care and thought. Through the act of returning this lightsaber, I too return your trust.” He was most surprised that he was actually granted the time to genuinely return the lightsaber to the Lasaat. 

Normally, the words they had uttered signified the beginning or the end of a Concordance of Fealty- a sacred bond between two jedi, Yet he knew the moment that they had switched back to their personal lightsabers that there was more than just trust there. Arif and Jaro trusted each other with their lives. With the lives of their padawans. The Lives of their men. And of their own hearts. 

“It appears to me that my lightsaber prospered in your care- did you change my switch?” He knew his lightsaber so well he did not even need to run his hands over it to know there had been a change to the weapon he had crafted when he was a youngling.

Jaro nodded, “I did. It was sticking and causing the beam to waver during combat. It’s a similar one to the one that you had had in it.” Then he looked at his own lightsaber, “You seemed to have realigned the emitters. Why?”

Arif raised an eyebrow, “They were crooked ever so slightly. They aren’t now. It was something I noticed when I went to use it.”

The Lasaat looked at Arif and then laughed, “You would notice that the emitters were slightly crooked; it appears to me that my lightsaber prospered in your care, Arif. Though saying that is more of a formality- you and I both know this.”

“Sometimes I like standing on formality. Keeps us out of trouble with the padawans,” Arif countered, leaning over just enough to be able to rest his forehead against the other Jedi Master’s. “I trust you with more than just my lightsaber- every time I hand it over to you, I am handing you my life, Jaro... I am always putting my life in your hands. I always have and I always will.”

“And each time I give you my lightsaber, I entrust you with my heart, Arif- you’ve known this for years now. I would want no one else to be its keeper... and perhaps one day I will truly reclaim my heart from your care, but that day is not today.” Jaro gently put his hand over Arif’s. “But that is not what is on your mind, nor why your words sound more like a good-bye nor a confession of your deepest affections.”

The Mirakula pulled away and faced Jaro as though he was trying to study his face, which was impossible for him, but the expression was unmistakable. “The entire Council can sense it... there’s this... darkness coming. I don’t want... I sound like a padawan who doesn’t know any better- but I don’t want us to part ways again without me saying it at least once more to your face. Something is coming... something dark- and none of us can see what it is. I’ve never felt more blind in my entire life.” He put both of his hands in his lap over his lightsaber. “I can normally see glimpses of what’s coming- not that it helps me. But now every time I look... It’s just... suffering. So much suffering.”

Jaro frowned before letting out a slow breath, “You aren’t the first person to say that. Alana spoke with me when I went to visit the healers just to ask how I might be able to better help Cal sometimes... Apparently, Matahd was there for a week. She said that he tried to see something and it did nothing but cause him extreme agony. My understanding is he only said two things the whole time ‘Why can’t I see their faces’ and ‘What did he do to you?’”

“It’s been a long time since something like that took out Matahd from my understanding... If what you say is true- that someone who can naturally see into the future in the force couldn’t see anything... Then things are worse than we even know.” Arif continued to frown, but instead of staying on the ground, he stood up. “There is no use on dwelling on it. It won’t make things any clearer.”

Jaro watched him before standing up as well. “Care to spar then- for old time’s sake?”

The Mirakula grinned and ignited his lightsaber, “You make it sound like there isn’t a future! That’s my line!”

Jaro grinned and the green and blue blades clashed with an understanding that there would be another chance to do this. Sometime. In their future. After all, their lives were in the other’s hands.

[startrekandwars]

Lost in the Mist

Word Count: 1197

Tags: None

Summary: Bave Urety has managed to get lost deep in a swamp, separated from his master and all the clones. As he wanders through the swamp, he feels himself getting more and more lost.

AN: written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Something In The Mist

Baves frowned as he tried to look through the fog. He felt ridiculous because there was nothing nearby and yet.... something was in the mist. It was in front of him, he could sense it. His master’s words were echoing in his ears, “Remember, Baves. There are ways to see without using your eyes. There are ways to see using the force. That’s why we do the blindfold exercises. As long as you trust in the Force, nothing is too dark or misty to stop you from getting to your destination.”

“’Nothing can stop me from getting to my destination’ What does that even m e a n Master Bageeh.” He kept walking forwards anyways. That’s what he gets for managing to get separated in the fight. “It’s just fog Baves... that’s all it is. It’s just fog...” He pulled down his hood as he continued to walk. The chill that reached him from the fog was familiar in a way he couldn’t place. Just like what was pulling him deeper and deeper into the swamp.

A strange noise echoed through the fog, which led to Baves immediately pulling his hood back up. If he focused, the noise sounded... kind of like a voice. It wasn’t one he has ever heard before. “... I’m a Jedi... Jedi don’t get scared. I’m not scared. Everything will be fine... Everything will be fine. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force.” The padawan wrapped his arms around himself as he kept walking, now also muttering the jedi code.

The noise echoed again throughout the swamp, this time resembling a voice he knew. Saying something he knew. His name. “Baaaveess.”

The got him to stop moving and look around. There was nothing moving in the fog but him. He was sure of that. The only life he could sense was the plants around him, and whatever was pulling him further into the fog. “Hello? Is anyone there?” His voice wavered as he slowly took a step forward. “Um... this may sound silly but I think I’m lost.” 

As he continued to walk, the ground seemed to change beneath him. It went from being squishy and wet to solid stone, though the fog remained. 

“Baaaaveees.” The voice now seemed to echo like it was inside of a large building instead of an open swamp and he could swear he could recognize it. “Baaaaaveees?” The voice resembled a man’s voice. He knew that voice. Why did he know that voice? 

He kept walking and the fog stayed around him. “Sure at least you stay, fog... why should everything be normal?” The building was familiar. It was part of the Jedi Temple, but it looked like it had been abandoned for several years. 

He could hear footsteps before he stopped to see a hooded man with an odd silhouette. It looked like the man had horns poking out of his hood. “Baves? Where are you?”

“I’m right here... Though I really think we shouldn’t be here,” A different voice spoke and Baves stopped moving. The man looked like he did if he was maybe twenty years older. He didn’t wear jedi robes, but he held himself like one. More importantly, he seemed tired. There was the beginnings of a beard on his face, and his hair was now long enough to escape the hood when he turned. “What have you found?”

“I don’t know.” The other man stood up, he was a togruta, and he could briefly see a green and white lek, “Why don’t you tell me?” The speaker was looking directly at the young padawan, not the older version of himself. “What have you found, Baves Urety.” the scene changed violently, and the speaker’s face was now a hollowed version of his own, “What have you found? Fear? Failure? What guides you right now, now that you’re lost?”

The padawan took a slow step backward. “I don’t understand- go away! Leave me alone!” Tears were streaming down Baves face but he didn’t remember when he started to cry. The hollow version of him reached towards him and Baves darted forward, now with his eyes closed.

“Let the force be your guide Baves, not your feelings.” He could faintly hear his master’s voice. “And whatever you do, don’t stop moving. You won’t get anywhere if you freeze.” 

Baves with his eyes still closed, running towards the thing calling him in the swamp. Whatever it was, it was better than the broken laugh he could hear echoing behind him. “Run little padawan. Run towards a future that will get you killed. Run blindly! R u n!”

He felt like he was practically tripping over each step before just leaping over what he thought was maybe a fallen tree. Then he felt like he was falling. Opening his eyes he realized he hadn’t jumped over a tree, but off of a cliff. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

He could hear a ship flying nearby now but he couldn’t place the type. It didn’t matter because something grabbed him, someone used the force to grab him. “Kite, get us as close as you can! Baves, try to stay calm!”

Baves visibly relaxed as Kite moved the gunship closer to him so that his master could pull him inside. Then, he found himself wrapped in a hug by his master. “Next time you plan on going after droids, bring someone else with you. I was worried something may have happened to you little one.”

“I really hope there isn’t a next time, Master Bageeh.” Baves let himself wrap his arms around the jedi master and closed his eyes again. “I thought I was going to stay lost for a while and and and-”

“It’s alright to say you were scared. You kept moving and you got out of the swap. Even if you were scared, it takes a lot more courage to keep moving than it does to stay still.” Arif countered, placing his hand gently on top of his padawan’s head. “You got out. You’re safe now.”

Baves just nodded and clung to his master for a little bit longer. “I was so scared... I thought I wasn’t going to ever get out of the swamp... but I got out because I closed my eyes and trusted the force.”

Arif smiled a little and slowly released his padawan, “It’s not an easy lesson to learn. And when you’re ready, I’m here to talk about whatever you saw in the swamp... let’s get you something to eat and then we can go take on a few droids.”

Baves pulled away completely and nodded, “Okay.”

Shade put his hand on the padawan’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, commander. We’d be a lot more worried if you weren’t scared in that swamp than hearing that you were.” The clone offered him a smile before putting on his helmet. “Welcome back, Commander Urety.”

“Thanks Shade.” The padawan smiled a little bit and let himself continue to relax as they flew back to base. “It’s good to be back.” 

[startrekandwars]

What Stays Private

Word Count: 700

Tags: None

Summary: A year into the clone wars, thirteen year old Padawan Baves Urety has just been assigned to Jedi Master Arif Bageeh, yet the padawan feels as though nothing he does will be enough for him to be a good one. As the doubts he has grows, he finds himself more and more likely to just sit in his room and question himself in silence instead of ask his master for help.

AN: this fic was written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Behind Closed Doors

Baves sat in his room, having carefully taken apart his lightsaber and he was now staring at the pieces. He knows he could at any point just let himself fully relax, yet something was nagging at him in the back of his mind. His master, Arif Bageeh had made it clear that no matter what he should feel comfortable bringing anything up to him. He should feel comfortable just being himself. Yet as he stared at the pieces of his lightsaber, he felt like he didn’t deserve his padawan braid. 

He pulled down his hood and looked at his reflection in the mirror across his room. Blue eyes, green skin with a tattooed face all contrasted with black hair. A typical Mirialan, and completely different from his Miraluka master who was undoubtedly on the bridge planning their next move. Carefully pulling at his padawan braid, he frowned at his reflection. Like this, he truly looked like a padawan. The moment he pulled up his hood... he still looked like a padawan but it wasn’t nearly as obvious. 

He knows his master may not see the way anyone else does, and he knows that the blindfold was more for his comfort than anything else, but it didn’t stop him from feeling like he could sometimes look through him. 

A knock on the door drew Baves out of his thoughts, “Baves? I have something I would like to discuss with you if you have a moment.” There was no mistaking Master Bageeh’s voice even through a door. “Baves?”

“One moment master, I just... have to put my lightsaber back together.” He pulled up his hood and pinned it into place so not even his braid would be visible. He quickly pieced his lightsaber back together and placed it on his belt. Once he had, he stood up and opened his door to see his master leaning against the wall opposite of his. “Master?”

“I understand that you’ve been a little unsure of yourself, my young padawan.” Arif said softly. “Is there a reason why?”

He opened his mouth and then closed it again, trying not to look at his master, “I’m... I don’t look like a padawan should... How can I know that I’ll even be a good padawan anyways? Mirialan padawans often have a Mirialan master and then there’s me and I.... What if I’m not good enough?”

The older man smiled a little and moved to put his hand on his padawan’s shoulder, “Baves Urety, I would no thave asked you to be my padawan if I didn’t think you wouldn’t be a good padawan. I can only hope that I will be the master that you need, even if I’m not the one that you wanted or expected.” The Jedi Master slowly led his padawan down the hall. “You know... when I was your age I was terrified that I was never going to make it to a point where I would have a padawan of my own.”

“Why?” Baves looked up, his blue eyes searching for an answer on a face he could barely read.

“Because I wasn’t... a normal padawan. I don’t believe you’ll be a normal padawan either and there is nothing wrong with that... behind closed doors, you can have whatever doubts you want, but remember this. The moment you bring those doubts out, they are often nothing more than what you’ve worked up. The Force ahs a way of solving things, my young padawan. It just takes time.” Arif smiled at his padawan as they walked into the lift and took it to the bridge. “Now, I’ve been speaking with Admiral Styehal. He believes that we may have a solution to our current droid problem. I would like your opinion on the plan we’ve come up with.’

“You want my opinion? Why?” The padawan couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that his master would want his opinion on something this important.

“Because, you’re my padawan and this plan affects you and me.” They walked out of the lift side by side. “And remember no matter what your opinions are, I want to hear you say them. They are just as important as mine.”

[startrekandwars]

Family

Word Count: 815

Tags: None

Summary: Baves finds himself on the people who helped shaped who he is today. From a padawan to a knight, from the Clone Wars to the Rebellion.

AN: Written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Those who raised you

Baves looked at himself in the mirror and sighed a little bit. He could see the exhaustion on his face. He’s not sure he would have wanted anyone else to have had impacts on his life.

Master Arif Bageeh probably had the biggest influence. The man was a mirakula jedi master who not only made certain everyone’s opinions were heard but also made sure that no matter what everyone knew that he would try to support them. Arif was the person who had dropped everything to try to find him when he managed to get lost. He was the man who showed him that even though jedi were being called to fight, that there was sometimes another option. He was the man who could find him sitting on top of a walker and just hold him after a rough battle. He was the closest thing Baves ever had to a father. And that’s why the clothes he wears have some of the same colors that Arif Bageeh wore.

Shade was a clone trooper. He was specifically a scout but that didn’t matter. Shade was the clone who had walked up to him pretty much after every training session with some kind of snack in hand. Shade was the person who taught him how to move quietly without being seen no matter the environment. Shade was the person who didn’t judge him for being afraid; even after Master Bageeh told him that it was okay to get scared. Shade was the one who showed him that moving forward doesn’t have to mean moving on alone.  Baves got a matching tattoo to Shade’s. Shade had the word vod tattooed on his right shoulder. Baves got the matching one when he was twenty, he got the word vod tattooed on his right shoulder, so that he could never forget who he had been. 

Shiro Isiabill was a fellow padawan who had survived Order 66. Shiro helped teach him more lightsaber forms. Shiro also showed him that sometimes being a Jedi was something could be shown by just helping everyone in whatever way you can. Shiro wasn’t much older than Baves and yet he made it clear that sometimes the old ways were wrong, and that they still had value. 

Aura’krazi was probably the most headstrong jedi he’s ever met. She saw patience as something that could be an afterthought in a fight, and yet she made it the most important part of her day after Order 66. She knew war was hard, and she knew that they deserved to be kids too, so she let both him and Nu just do that. They were kids on Alderaan. They were safe, and she made sure that they were safe. From Aura he learned that sometimes in a fight he can’t be patient first, but that he should always give a child a chance to be a child. And that giving a child a safe haven is more important than any fight he could take on.

Matahd Sa was many things. To call him a mentor would be wrong. To call him a friend would also be wrong. Matahd Sa was a hero to many people. To the Empire, he was possibly their most dangerous enemy to hold two lightsabers. To Baves? He was a role model. Matahd stood up and kept fighting, maybe not for the right reasons initially, but for reasons none the less. Matahd got him into the rebellion, more importantly, though, Matahd got him to find a purpose that could help more people. Sure Baves could have been content to just live a quiet life. He could have been an archivist and content, but now he travels the galaxy. People know his name and know they can ask him for help. Matahd showed him that while people can recognize your name, they should also be able to recognize your actions. From Mat, he learned how to be his genuine self, and that is a lesson Baves can never forget.

For better or worse they taught him, shaped him, and in some cases raised him. They made him who he is today. Tired, broken, but strong enough to stand and smile. They made him kind even when being kind hurt. They made him a jedi. 

“If you’re done staring at yourself in the mirror, we have work to do. According to Fulcrum, there are still several empire strongholds that need to be taken out.” A familiar voice spoke.

“How would you know I’m staring in the mirror?” He carefully rebraided a section of his hair hidden by his hood. “You’re not even looking at me.”

“I know what you do when you’re lost in your head, little one.” The man responded gently. “Come on Baves, what were you thinking about?”

“Family, old man. I was thinking about family.” He smiled at the grey-haired man, “After you.”

[startrekandwars]

To the Present

Word Count: 896

Tags: None?

Summary: After the events in Lost in the Mist, Baves lacks some of the confidence he had before. In an attempt to get that back into his padawan, Arif Bageeh makes the call to let Baves go on scouting assignment with Shade and Tracker to keep an eye on him. Shade and Tracker have to try to distract Baves just enough, which leads to a question about Baves’s life before he became a padawan.

AN: I kinda got off prompt, but the starting point was a prompt from @celebrate-the-clone-wars From Youngling to Padawan

Arif had assigned Baves to scout ahead with Shade and Tracker to see if they could spot any weaknesses in the Separatist outpost's security. After his misadventures in the swamp, he was really hesitant to go alone on the scouting mission. Shade volunteered without a moment hesitation, Tracker agreed after receiving a look from Shade. Shade was maybe as invested as Arif Bageeh to get Baves to be confident again. 

“So... Commander Urety, how’d the General pick you as a padawan?” Shade asked softly, placing his hand on the padawan’s shoulder to remind him that he wasn’t alone. It was something both Arif and Shade had started to do without necessarily saying something. Baves seemed to respond positively to the silent reminders. At this rate, the entire battalion was going to start doing that. 

“Well... Master Bageeh had been at the temple for some reason and had been observing a bunch of training exercises. I was practicing wall runs, and I’m pretty sure I fell. Master Bageeh had walked in and offered me a hand up and then asked me my name... So I told him my name. He then smiled and said that I had a pretty good technique and that I just needed to run a little bit faster and it would have worked.”  Baves was actively walking forward, trying to keep track of where they were going so they could get back to camp. 

“You’re telling me that the general decided he wanted to take you on as a padawan because you had managed to almost master something?” Shade raised an eyebrow. “That’s kinda impressive. I understand that wall running isn’t the easiest thing a Jedi can do.”

The padawan smiled a little bit. “Yeah, I guess. It was kinda surreal, cause up till that point I thought that I was just going to spend all my time in the archives, and then suddenly I was a Padawan Learner. I had made my lightsaber a week before too. So it was something that was kinda really close and still really far away.”

Shade and Tracker shared a look briefly before looking back at Baves, “What do you think about being a padawan now?”

“I... I like being a padawan but I don’t like all of the fightings... I don’t want to be responsible for someone dying. I just want to be a peacekeeper. That’s what a Jedi is supposed to be. I should be learning how to negotiate instead of learning the best way to take down a clanker. And I Master Bageeh is great. He still uses every opportunity he gets to show me there’s another path...” He trailed off once he could see the droids. “I... I’m going to try to get closer.”

“Commander you don’t have to-” Shade tried to actually keep the kid close. He knows how Baves broke down after getting lost in the swamp and he knows for a fact the General is worried about Baves. No one hides it. Honesty has always been Bageeh’s policy from what the risks of a plan were to how he felt about some of the senate policies. Arif had never made it a habit to lie nor did he make it a habit to hide how he felt about anyone’s safety. No one questioned why the general was so concerned for his padawan when they all knew Baves. Three hours before he went missing he was making jokes and talking about when he became a knight he was going to make sure he could name every plant in the galaxy and now? Now he was constantly making sure he was near someone, trying to stay within arms reach of his master. Now he was making sure he could at least see another clone if he wasn’t actively doing something. 

“No, I can do this.” With that, he pulled out his blindfold and hastily tied it before sliding down the hill. Sure the plan was to see what weaknesses there were, but the force often revealed what eyes couldn’t see, and if Baves couldn’t see anyone, he couldn’t worry about being alone. That’s how his brain got to that brilliant decision at any rate. 

Shade took off his helmet as he watched Baves slide down the hill. “Kriff.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Shade. He got out of the swamp after all. Besides, he’s a jedi and the general seems confident in Baves’s training.” Tracker was still watching the young Jedi but that was mostly to make sure that no one was about to try to take him out.

“Tracker... he might be a jedi but he’s just so...”

“Scared?”

“I was going to go with small. But scared works too.” Shade answered. “He’s a kid- he’s a kid that has already seen way too much.”

Tracker looked back at where Baves was, who was now making his way back towards them, “We’ll keep him safe. That’s what we always have done. He’s practically a mini vod. I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

Shade and Tracker both grabbed Baves’s forearms and pulled him up. “So do we have something to report to the general?”

“Yeah, the west gate is wide open most of the time and there’s no security that can see it.” Baves grinned a little bit and then started to walk back towards the camp. “Come on!”

[startrekandwars]

Comprehensive List of Force Users

Jedi Masters

Hu Aszong

Titles: High General, General, Jedi Master

Bio: A Kel Dor Jedi who has trained several Jedi before his padawan, Aurak’razi. Hu is a thoughtful man, whose lessons are not always what his headstrong padawan wants to hear. His age brought him a lot of patience to put up with a great deal and he often finds that being patient eventually means they will learn. He is not often one for a practical joke, though when the mood strikes him, he can become a menace to whoever chooses to enter the same room as him. Hu specializes in healing through the force which makes him perfect for dealing with headstrong padawans who get hurt a great deal. One of hu’s other padawans was none other than Almenia Costa.

Pavi Bevu Dooku

Titles: High General, General, Jedi Master, Countess of Sereno

Bio: A half Zabrak half Human Jedi Master who, by accident, is a second-generation Jedi Master. Her mother was half Iridonian and half Dathomirian, leading to Pavi getting the traditional Nightbrother Tattoos that were her blood right as an infant. She was apprenticed to Yan Dooku, partially out of Dooku’s guilt for what happened to her mother and partially because he wanted to train her so she could be the best Jedi she could possibly be. She lost both of her arms to an explosion as a padawan and had to relearn how to do most things relating to fighting and day to day actions. She trained Jedi Knights Alana Oreson and Ramirhe Jacora. She primarily teaches lightsaber combat forms to younglings and padawans in the Jedi temple. Pavi is a very centered Jedi who is more likely to have fun than people give her credit for. She spends a great deal of time keeping tabs on Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and the antics he has gotten himself into

Jaan Kuran

Titles: High General, General, Jedi Master

Bio: A Human Jedi Master who ended up taking on Matahd Sa as her third padawan. She is not the first Jedi to pick a fight and tends to be more relaxed when it comes to padawans. She is a fairly calm and relaxed Jedi who is willing to take the time to bring out the best in anyone, no matter how long it takes and no matter how odd it looks.

Arif Bageeh

Titles: High General, General, Jedi Master

Bio: A Mirakula Jedi Master who trained two padawans before Baves Urety. Arif spent much of his time before the clone wars traveling the galaxy to learn more about the force, which included spending several years on Dathomir between his first two padawans, as a result, sometimes when he uses the force it resembles Daothmirian magiks. Arif is very open about his feelings when it comes to his padawans. He is a bit less open about his relationship with fellow Jedi Master, Jaro Tapal, but that is a consequence of his time as a jedi. Even though Arif is blind, as all Mirakula are, he can still see through the force and specializes in force visions. He is a talented fighter who uses a dual bladed green lightsaber, though due to his relationship with Jaro Tapal, they often switch lightsabers to the point that some of his padawans don’t know which lightsaber is actually his. Arif had an almost eternally optimistic outlook that only shattered when he was around Jaro Tapal, or if his padawan was not present. Over the years he has collected a surprising amount of random skills, including fixing droids, ships, first aid, and how to mix drinks.

Almenia Costa

Titles: High General, General, Jedi Master, Hero of Corellia

Bio: She was a Togruta Jedi master who only trained Matahd Sa as her padawan. She spent much of her time arguing over little things with her padawan though cared deeply about him. She specialized in using shatterpoints in the force during lightsaber combat, and she had hoped that her particular specialization would help her teach Matahd how to let go of other’s emotions. Almenia was very proud of her padawan and was always willing to brag to any Jedi who would listen. She ended up dying over Corellia and left behind a holocron, lightsaber hilt, and robe for her padawan.

Jedi Knights

Alana Oreson

Titles: Jedi Knight

Bio: A half Mirilian half Human Jedi Knight who mostly helps with the younglings. She is a highly skilled healer who does not often go out into fights, finding she can help more in the temple, healing the many Jedi who get hurt during the course of the war. Much like her master, she is very calm and patient, though if the need arises she is a skilled duelist who is not to be trifled with. Alana often lets herself get roped into pranks lead by padawans and younglings against other Jedi Knights. She has considered taking on a padawan several times but never committed.

Ramirhe Jacora

Titles: General, Jedi Knight, Count of Clan Jacora

Bio: A Human who comes from Concordia. His family is a long line of proud mandalorians, and while he has read a great deal about them, he has only been to his home Star System twice. Ramirhe is a headstrong and selfless Jedi who would much rather put himself in danger than anyone else. He lost his left leg as a young knight protecting Senator Alyeil Laygos. Ramirhe, like his master, is a skilled duelist though he finds most of his comfort in a starfighter where it is less likely he will have an issue with his prosthetic leg. He has a mixed relationship with his origins, and he tries not to talk about it. Though his men all know that he is fluent in Mando’a and he does wear some pieces of traditional mandalorian armor as a part of his Jedi robes. Ramirhe ended up marrying Alyeil about three years before the Clone Wars began, and his marriage is pretty well hidden for the most part (though if you ask his Commander it’s as plain as day). He did train one other padawan before taking on Aubewem. His previous padawan barely becoming a Knight 2 years into the Clone Wars.

Ses Hasai

Titles: General, Jedi Knight

Bio: A Mon Calimari Jedi Knight who specializes in underwater combat. Ses is a fairly cheerful Jedi who is often found meditating or swimming if he can find a body of water that will allow him to swim in. 

Jedi Padawans

Matahd Sa

Titles: General, Commander, Jedi Padawan, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, Hero of Corellia, High General of the Rebellion, Vassal of House Organa

Bio: A Togruta Jedi Padawan who was first apprenticed to Almenia Costa, and then to Jaan Kuran. Matahd is too aware of other’s emotions to the point of it being overwhelming. As a youngling, he would sometimes lose focus on himself and see either what was happing to someone he was closed to or what might happen to someone he was close to. He often argued with his master, Almenia Costa about little things that in truth didn’t matter, though he did respect her. At the beginning of the clone wars he watched as his master and most of his men died in a fight over Corellia. He ended up barely winning the fight, though it almost cost him his life. As a result, any of his surviving men stayed in his command and were called the Corellia 200. He tends to be more reserved and he’s less likely to do something without thinking it through. He also refuses to send people into dangerous situations knowing it might get them killed. At some point, he realizes he has a crush on Clone Commander Eagle, though during the war he never admits this. With Jaan Kuran as his master, he was allowed to hop around different battle assignments to go where he was either most needed or to assist some of the Jedi he knows personally, his preference being Obi-Wan Kenobi or Anakin Skywalker. None of the Corellia 200 call him Commander Sa, they all call him General Sa even though he’s tried to get them to stop since he never makes it an order they don’t have to listen to him.

Shiro Isiabill

Titles: Commander, Jedi Padawan, Jedi Knight, Ambassador of Alderaan

Bio: A Human Jedi Padawan apprenticed to Plo Koon. Shiro was apprenticed to Plo Koon after personally traveling to Dorin to meet with his new master. Plo Koon agreed to take him on as his padawan. He seems to have an uncanny ability to find anything beautiful about a planet he goes to so long as he has had some time to sit down and meditate for a few minutes. Shiro isn’t necessarily likely to argue with his master, but he is very likely to question his master’s choices, mostly because he wants to understand why he is doing something. Shiro is a better pilot than he is a duelist, and as a result, he spends a lot of his time learning how to duel better. At some point, he realizes he has feelings for fellow padawan, Aurak’razi, and the two begin a hesitant relationship. This relationship is one that his master likely suspected even if the two never directly addressed the matter.

Aurak’razi

Titles: Commander, Jedi Padawan, Jedi Knight

Bio: A Twi’lek Jedi Padawan apprenticed to Hu Aszong. She is headstrong and is not afraid to voice her opinion when she believes older Jedi are wrong, though mostly this shows up with her arguing over choices her fellow padawan, Matahd Sa, made personally. Aura has a gift for befriending animals and people alike, even if she rarely uses it to her advantage. At some point, she realized that she had feelings for fellow padawan, Shiro Isiabill, and the two began a hesitant relationship.

Sari Nebi Dendup

Titles: Apprentice, Jedi Padawan, Commander, Princess of Onderon, Queen of Onderon

Bio: A Human Jedi Padawan, former Sith Apprentice, apprenticed to Obi-Wan Kenobi. A princess and heir to the throne of Onderon in the Japrael system, she was given to the temple by her parents as a toddler. Two years into her time at the temple, she was kidnapped by the Dark Jedi, Xanatos. As his apprentice, she learned the ways of the dark side and received some sith tattoos on her forehead and cheek. After Anakin Skywalker became a Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan had an encounter with the young Sari and managed to convince her to give up the fight. Obi-Wan talked her down from being a sith and she agreed to become his padawan. Shortly after, Obi-Wan and Sari had another encounter with Xanatos, leading to Obi-Wan getting knocked out. Sari killed her former master, leading to Obi-Wan being disappointed, though not surprised. Sari is primarily closed off and hesitant to trust people, though she does start to make an effort to be more open to the 212th, leading to a friendship with Waxer and Boil.

Baves Urety

Titles: Commander, Jedi Padawan, Jedi Knight, General

Bio: A half Mirilian half Mirakula Jedi Padawan apprenticed to Arif Bageeh. Baves is a fairly optimistic padawan, even if he sometimes stumbles because of his fear. He often feels safest near his master or within arms reach of any clones. He often acts like a little shadow. Given the right encouragement, Baves could be an excellent healer, though he rarely applies this as a skill. In high-pressure situations when he isn’t near someone he finds familiar, he will often panic or drift into an emotional state where he isn’t in full control, and instead of using the force he gets used by it. Most of the time, he spends his free time with Shade, pulling pranks on Commander A’doxx or learning what he can from the clones.

Aubewem

Titles: Commander, Jedi Padawan, Inquisitor

Bio: A Rattataki Jedi Padawan apprenticed to Ramirhe Jacora. She is a talented force user who has made it clear that she wants to learn from her new master. Sometimes she is very impatient and doesn’t often consider the multitude of reasons she might not be allowed to do something, instead she is likely to challenge her master, something he allows because it provides him with an opportunity to turn it into a learning situation. Eventually, Aubewem gets captured by the empire and spends over a decade as an Inquisitor until an encounter with Matahd Sa where he manages to talk her down and get her back to Ramirhe Jacora, where she relearns how to use the light side of the force.

Uneyu Sum

Titles: Commander, Jedi Padawan

Bio: A Nautolan Jedi Padawan apprenticed to Ses Hasai. She is very sweet and would rather spend her time listening to stories that people could tell than learning how to fight. She spends a great deal of time learning how to assess battles in 3-D environments, which includes underwater combat training- her least favorite task.

Other Force Users

Rosahi Tos

Bio: A Cathar who eventually meets Cal Kestis and gets trained by him. Rosahi was adopted by Greez, where they learned not only how to smuggle, but gamble as well. Rosahi’s unique ability to see shatterpoints in any situation makes them a formidable combatant, and often times it won’t even look like they did anything severe to a person.

Shosh’mebe

Titles: Commander

Bio: A Twi’lek who gets adopted by Eagle and Matahd Sa. She gets trained by Mat in both lightsaber combat and how to use the force. She is a skilled lightsaber combatant, who like her adopted father, opts to use two lightsabers in a fight.

Saseli Laygos Jacora

Titles: Countess of Clan Jacora

Bio: A Human Force user and the daughter of Ramirhe Jacora and Senator Alyeil Laygos born a few months after Order 66. Saseli was trained by her father in combat and in use of the force, though she later chooses to walk away from that and becomes the Countess of Clan Jacora House Kryze.

Tavidal Laygos Jacora

Titles: Ambassador of Lothal, Senator of Lothal, Commander

Bio: A Human Force user and the son of Ramirhe Jacora and Senator Alyeil Laygos born two years before the fall of the Republic. Tavidal was also trained in combat by his father, and uses a great deal of force persuasion in politics as he follows in his mother’s footsteps and becomes a senator under the name Tavidal Laygos. He does get involved with the rebellion and briefly is known as Commander Mirhe Jacora.

Jinn Nebi Dendup

Titles: Prince of Onderon, General

Bio: A Human Force User and the son of Queen Sari Nebi Dendup and Boil, born sometime after the fall of the Empire. Jinn ends up getting trained in the force by Aubewem, to his mother’s eternal amusement and dismay. Much like his mother, he is very sure of himself and will often do what he thinks is right, even if he’s not.

[startrekandwars]

Appearances are Deceiving

Word Count: 1919

Summary: Baves Urety finally reveals who he is to Din while also trying to avoid being killed by Bossk, a bounty hunter who is after the former Jedi. 

Tags: None

AN: Written for @celebrate-the-clone-wars prompt Always A Bigger Fish

Din Djaren has been traveling with Baves for some time now. His new partner wasn't the most talkative person, but he was far from quiet. The thing that Din noticed was that Baves was mostly observant. Maybe too observant. The child seemed to like Baves, and it was hard to fault the poor kid. Baves has this... aura that puts you at ease and makes you want to like him. He's so optimistic even if he doesn't voice it. It's written all over his face. 

The few times Baves has talked about his past, he just mentions his father taught him just about everything he knows. If it wasn't his father, it was one of his brothers. He also mentions that before the fall of the Empire, he worked as a bodyguard, and then decided to become a Bodyguard for hire. People used to pay this man to protect them. They used to pay him a lot.

Now is a good time for Din to observe Baves. He was an inch, maybe two taller. He could only be a couple years older than him too, though it's hard to tell because Baves keeps his face clean shaven. Baves says that he doesn't remember how old he is, and judging by how familiar the miralian is with a blaster, the mandalorian believes him. Baves isn't the strongest person. He looks like he should struggle to hold the child, all long limbs, and not a lot of muscle. He's also flexible. Din has watched Baves twist in ways he didn't realize a humanoid could twist their body. Baves looks like he couldn't hurt a fly, and he often tends to talk his way out of problems. It often works too. His royal blue eyes help soften his face, and the fact that there's a permanent smile on his face helps a lot. Even with out that, there are the beginnings of smile lines around the corner of his eyes. Din has never seen Baves's hair, and he had a feeling he never would. He could guess that his hair is jet black, if he were to judge it based off of the man's eyebrows. 

Din just can't place his finger on it, but he can tell Baves is holding back. He's too aware of things to not be holding back. It's like he knows what people expect him to be able to do, and he tries to embody those ideas. 

Even now, as they were walking through the market and Baves looks like he doesn't have a care in the world, Din has also learned that he is drinking in as much information as he can. "Oooooooh, Din look at this scarf!" Baves picked up a dark green head scarf with teal embroidery in miralian styles. "It's stunning!"

"You have seven scarves on the ship, Baves." Din countered, watching the man. None the less, the look in his eyes was hard to say no to. "When would you even wear it?"

"I don't know, around. I wear all seven of those scarves by the way." Baves countered, looking back at the scarf. "It's very pretty... But I suppose I don't need another one until something unthinkable happens to a scarf, like a grease stain." He put the scarf back, bowed politely, and kept walking. "I'm going to see if I can find any jogan fruit."

Din simply nodded and watched Baves walk away. Oh yes, that man could wrap just about anyone around his finger. Not because he was trying to be malicious, but because he was just so... kind. He was the sort of person you would want to protect. 

"Is that young man with you? Because if so, good for you. I don't know what a Mandalorian such as yourself would see in a man as kind as him, but if you want to win his heart, you should probably buy that scarf." The shop keeper said, sounding amused. She was a Miralian, but unlike Baves, she didn't cover her hair all the time, it was jet black and feel to her shoulders.

"I'm not-" How does he explain that he's not romantically with that man? "He's an associate of mine. We're not involved." 

"A pity, you don't find men like him everywhere in the galaxy. He's really one of a kind." She answered, looking back at Din before going to help a different customer. 

Din simply nodded. "That he is." The bounty hunter started to walk in the direction Baves had walked off in until he heard blaster fire and screams from that direction. Then he started to sprint. 

In the middle of the commotion was Baves, standing light on his feet, but looking relaxed. "Well that was rude!"

"Baves Urety- I am here to collect the bounty on your head. You can come quietly or loudly, but you will be coming with me." Bossk, a Trandoshan. And a member of the guild. Apparently there was a puck on Baves, and if Bossk was here to collect, then it was some bounty.

Baves sighed. He looked... bored. This happens to him a lot. "You know, a wise man once told me that there are always bigger fish out there. So you think you're the bigger fish in the ocean?" His question was really more of a statement. "Listen, Bossk. I just want to buy some jogan fruit and then I'll get out of your way- I'm not really looking for a fig-" When Bossk shot at Baves again, he side stepped, like he knew it was coming without even taking a breath from his sentence, "-ht today. We could leave in peace."

"No way, that bounty on your head can buy me a small planet!" Bossk countered. "Now come quietly. I would hate to make a mess of you."

The Miralian just shrugged. That was it. Bossk has two inches on Baves and several pounds of muscle on him. Anyone else should be very afraid of staring down Bossk, but the fact that there has been noise so far means that Baves Urety had managed to avoid Bossk for this long. "Fine, we'll do it your way. I can't give you a real fight to remember, but I can at least give you a run for your credits." That was when Baves chose to make his first move. He moved fast, faster than anyone can just run. He avoided Bossk's follow up shots with ease, a practiced ease, before jumping high over the Trandoshan, flipping and landing quietly on top of the roof of a shop. "But first you'll have to catch me!" 

Din could have sworn Baves glanced in his direction. He was acting as a distraction, buying Din time to get back to the ship and make sure that the child was still safe. He was doing this intentionally. Din didn't even have time to consider shouting Baves's name. The miralian was already running in the exact opposite direction. So Din was running towards the ship.

~*~*~

Bossk isn't an easy bounty hunter to avoid, Baves just had to hope Din understood what he was doing, that he was buying them time. Besides, he was a bit of a romantic who had trusted Din with his lightsaber, even if Din didn't know he had it. So the name of the game was evade Bossk long enough to get him out of civilization. Or at least innocent bystanders. "Wow- they call you a bounty hunter? I wonder what the Score Keeper thinks of you? I've fought clankers that have better aim than you do!" That being said, Bossk was getting familiar with how Baves was evading him. 

Once Baves could see the end of the market, he grinned and used the force to leap even further than he normally tries, turning around in the air and firing two rounds at Bossk. They were both close but neither of them hit the bounty hunter. "Kriff I miss my lightsaber."

"Running isn't like you- Urety, but it makes for a good hunt!" Bossk kept shooting at him, and Baves was all out of cover. He's good, he can evade people shooting at him for a while, but without his lightsaber, he was going to get shot eventually. 

"Well, I've really needed the exercise and it's been a while since people have tried to kill me, so I'm just drawing this out for as long as I can!" He countered, trying to find anything he could use to his advantage. 

Bossk shot at him again, and this time, Baves decided to get up close and personal. If he was too close for Bossk to use his gun effectively, then the former jedi could last a little bit longer. Again, Baves sprinted, using the force to move even faster and decided to disarm the Trandoshan with the force, flinging the weapon out of his hands, "Now this is what I expect when I made you my prey!"

"You talk too much," Baves countered, blocking the flurry of punches and opting to try to knock Bossk onto the ground. Sure he could use the force but he tries not to. 

Bossk had a wicked smile on his face, and the Force warned Baves of what was about to happen before he could process it. He ducked low, barely avoiding a flurry of blasts from an assassin droid. "Kriff!" He was standing too close.

Overhead, he could hear a ship. Din's ship. Din didn't say anything on the ramp, he just tossed Baves his lightsaber. Din trusts him enough not to just disappear with this apparently. 

Baves caught it and ignited it, the green blade humming into life, just in time to deflect the shots back at the assassin droid, taking it out. "That's better."

Bossk hissed right before Baves hit him over the head with his lightsaber hilt, "Oh shut up please! I've had enough of you for one life time." 

Instead of waiting for Din to land, he just leapt up onto the ramp, turning his lightsaber back off and handing the hilt back over, "Here."

"No- I'm a Mandalorian, weapons are a part of my religion, and I know just what you're doing when you're handing that over to me." Din countered, closing the ramp once Baves was back inside. "You're a jedi."

"Well that's one thing to take away from today- you got the jogan fruit?" Baves had been focused on trying to do what he felt was right until he saw the real prize of today. "How?"

"The shopkeeper was grateful since you managed to not destroy any of his property. I also got you that scarf." Baves didn't need to force to know that Din was watching him as he set the lightsaber down on the seat, picking up a jogan fruit. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The miralian turned and shrugged, "Mandalorians hate the jedi, for good reason, but you need someone to teach the child how to use the force. And I am a Jedi." 

Din looked at Baves, his expression unreadable with his helmet on. Perhaps that's for the best. "So you trusted me with your life... You were right about one thing though, Bossk wasn't the bigger fish."

"True, but there will always be another. Thank you for coming back for me." Baves's signature smile was back on his face, but it was sincere. 

"Least I can do. Besides, you're handy in a fight." With that, Din climbed the ladder back into the cockpit.