A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

War! The galaxy struggles in the throes of battle between the
Republic and the Separatist Droid Army, led by GENERAL GRIEVOUS.
Even though Jedi Master OBI-WAN KENOBI and his apprentice,
Jedi Knight ANAKIN SKYWALKER, have rescued CHANCELLOR
PALPATINE from the grasp of COUNT DOOKU and Grievous,
more danger lies ahead.

TYSY DVUKH, a Jedi Padawan in training on Coruscant, suspects
there's more to this war and to her own destiny than meets the
eye. Her troubled mind disrupts her focus, and this worries her
Master. He wants to find out more about this threat. What lies
behind the calculations of General Grievous, and who is the
Sith Lord to whom he has pledged his service--Darth Sidious?

**********************************************

"One, two, three--six, four, two--nine, one, six--Sith spit!"

Tysy Dvukh, a Human Jedi Padawan in practice robes,
switched off her lightsaber while her chest heaved. Sweat
beaded on her face, and it was starting to drip. Her hair was
damp. Combat drills had always been hard for her, but this time
Tysy was faltering. Failing, as her Master would have said had
he been a Sith. Lucky he was not, or she would have been dead.

"I'm sorry, Master," she panted, out of breath. "I should have
concentrated harder." Tysy couldn't say any more than that,
bent over double with the effort of trying to beat her Master
and teacher at sparring. So far, all her efforts had been for
naught. Even without the bad dreams, and the fear in her mind.

"Padawan!" her Master told her. "Concentrate? You were
concentrating so hard that I thought your head was going to
explode! 'Six, four, two--nine, four, six'--that's the
proper combination of moves to block my attacks. You didn't
do that badly, Tysyacha. Give yourself more credit, and then
sparring will come easier to you." He gave her a kind smile.

Tysy sat down on the floor, defeated. "I don't know, Master.
Lately it seems my mind has been unfocused. Troubled. I don't
know if I'll ever make Jedi Knight this way, but I don't know what
to do. Jedi say fear is a path to the Dark Side, but how could
I become Dark if that's the very thing that I want to avoid?"

She looked up at the older man with sad and eager eyes.

Tysy with a brand new fic idea and a first good chapter. More i want for good it is.

I haven't read many of your Fics, Ty, but I will now. You are obessed with Tysy Dvukh (Then again, I am with the name Jaden). Anyway good opening and I'm looking foward to more.

Thank you! Actually, I'm co-writing this with Yaggles (like Stephen
King and Peter Straub), and he's going to do the next part. Yarr! :)

Thank you! Actually, I'm co-writing this with Yaggles (like Stephen
King and Peter Straub), and he's going to do the next part. Yarr! :)

So that was why you were asking that question awhile ago. I did something like this with jedi_exile, but it didn't work out. I hope it works better for you both. I've found the Title a bit odd though. Is Ya---Yevo Russian or something (In one post you said Dvukh was Russian)?

You got it. :)

I like the description of your character--I felt out of breath right along with her. :)

yeah, i liked the description put into the fic. good work. :)
BTW: Anakin is a Jedi Knight when he rescues palpy ;)

Hey sorry I don't have time atm. I should have out a bit over the next few days! ;) Pleas ebe paitient!

That's all right, Yaggles. I'll write the next few parts, including a
Senator Palpatine speech that he gives to the people of Coruscant. :)

Tysy's Master took his Padawan's hand and sat down across
from her, his legs peacefully poised in a posture of meditation.
"Tell me, young one," he asked. "What's the matter? I sense
fear in you, and that's dangerous. It can paralyze you when
you need strength and courage the most. Fear that you do not
face is a barrier between you and what you can achieve through
the Force. If you tell me what's wrong, then perhaps I can help."

"I've been having bad dreams," confessed Tysy. "More often
than I used to, ever since this war with General Grievous has
been in full force. My nightmares are always about death. That
and betrayal. I see Jedi dying everywhere, all at once, by the
hands of the same people and droids they thought to be their allies."
She shook her head. "I'm so confused. What could this mean?"

"Hmm." Tysy's Master closed his eyes quickly, and then opened
them again. "Are you afraid you will be betrayed and die this way?"

Tysy swallowed hard. "Worse." She would have given her life,
even severed her connection to the Force, not to tell her Master
this. "Sometimes in my dreams, I do, but most of the time, I'm the
one doing the betraying. Doing the killing, that is, or watching
my fellow Jedi die. Fellow former Jedi. I'm sorry, Master."

"You are rightly wary of the Dark Side," he replied, taking both of Tysy's
hands in a reassuring gesture. "Such a nightmare, and your apprehension
about it, shows me that you want to avoid the trap that the power of
the Dark Side presents. Let the dream be an admonishment to you, and
when you awaken, thank the Force that as long as you're alive and a Jedi,
it will warn you about slipping away. Becoming seduced by the Dark Side."

Tysy stood up. "Thank you, Master. I shall leave you to your meditations."

Tysy's Master raised his hand in salute as his eager Padawan left.

Will Tysy join the Dark Side? Good Chapter, though a bit short.

Yeah, good one. Altough they don't have titles. :xp:

Before Tysy returned to her chambers, she took a quick detour through
one of the hallways in the Jedi Temple. There was a hamper leaning
against one wall in which to deposit sweaty practice robes for the
housekeeping droids to launder. Not removing hers, but still being
watchful, Tysy took out the four that lay in there, cold and damp
around the armpit regions. Even the most peaceful of Jedi perspired!

She carried the uniforms back to her own chamber, where there stood
a sink and a refresher in one compartment. Filling the former with hot
water and cleansing fluid, she swirled the mix into a lather and dropped
the robes into it. To Tysy, it always seemed that the housekeeping droids
ripped the fabric of all the practice robes when they were doing laundry.
Granted, they were only training tunics, but no Jedi deserved to look
ragged, even when they were sparring. Tysy softly hummed a war ballad
while she worked. She did not hear her one of her fellow students come in.

"Ah, Syscha!" smirked the tall Padawan. "Washing practice robes again?"

Tysy blushed and whirled around. She didn't want Rodzina Dvyer', her
friend and mentor, to see her doing so. It was demeaning for a Jedi,
or at least that's what Rodzina thought. Such work was for droids,
and even though Tysy's combat skills were not the best, she was
no droid. No housekeeping droid, at least. Tysy rinsed her hands.

Rodzina's eyes twinkled with witty merriment. "Guess what? I
beat Master Odin at Form IV sparring again. How about you?"

The other Padawan shook her head. "No. I never do, Rodzina,
no matter what lightsaber form I try. It seems that even the
Shii-Cho, the simplest of the forms, is a tad beyond my reach."

"Nonsense. It's not a matter of your skills, or even clumsiness,
but the simple fact your Master chooses to ignore your aptitude
with the Force. He sees your weaknesses, but does not give you
full advice on how to compensate for them. How about you challenge
him to a Force duel? I'm sure you can at least corner him, if not
defeat him." The look on Rodzina's tanned face was one of practical
matter-of-factness.

"I'll try, but Force duels are dangerous. The Force touches everything,
all of life, and I don't want to hurt my Master unintentionally."

Rodzina grinned. "Good girl. I would have worried about you if you had
agreed without thinking of that. Syscha, you're going to be great someday."

"Great? Only if I make Jedi Knight." She decided to tell Rodzina what
had been bothering her the most, besides bad dreams. "At this rate,
if I don't pass the Trials, I don't know if I ever will. What should I do?"
Tysy had returned to doing laundry, and the work helped her relax.
Helped her focus on what she could do instead of what she couldn't,
for a change. She was unprepared for what Rodzina said, and surprised.

"You were built for power. True power. Created that way. Stop
thinking about the Jedi Trials, and right now, focus on the Force.
It will not fail you, even when all the lightsaber forms that we Knights
use might. Close your eyes, and breathe in the peace. The serenity.
The power that lies in service, in yielding to the Force, to your
destiny. Think about how many lives you'll save just by listening
to your inner heart. By ignoring your failures, and knowing your
strengths. Now, do you feel better? If not--I am a Sith Lord!"

Tysy opened her eyes, suddenly and abruptly emptied of all anxiety.
It shocked her, how relieved Tysy felt. She turned to her friend.

"Thank you--Rodzina Dvyer'," she whispered. "Can I repay you? How?'

"No need. Or, if you really wish to make it up to me, put on your best
robe and come with me and all of the Jedi Masters to the Senate
chambers. Palpatine is going to make a speech about his capture
and captivity by General Grievous. And Count Dooku," she added,
"who's dead." Was that a tone of satisfaction in Rodzina's voice?

If so, well, who could blame her? Count Dooku had been a Sith.

"I will, for sure," said Tysy, "as soon as I finish washing these clothes."
She saw Rodzina wince and smile at the same time. "I know you don't
like me doing it, but those blasted housekeeping droids keep on ripping
the fabric!" Rodzina laughed, and then turned to leave the chamber.

"Power," she said. "Rembember that, my Syscha. It will guide you well."

Another good Chapter and it is at the reasonable length.

Yeah, i liked the conversation but the chapter was pratically it. :D

Note: I've made a few changes to the story and the characters' ranks:

Tysy Dvukh is not a Youngling/Initiate, but rather a Padawan, 18 years old.

Rodzina Dvyer', her friend and mentor, is also a Padawan, 20 years old.

Only one of these two shall achieve the rank of Jedi Knight.

Tonight was the night that Senator Palpatine was going to speak of his
captivity under General Grievous and Count Dooku. Tysy was excited, but
a little nervous as well. She would see her hero there in the Galactic Senate
chambers, and even though he would probably not see her in return, the
young Padawan still wanted to make a good impression. That meant dress
robes, styled hair, her best smile. Most of the Jedi Masters frowned upon
personal vanity, but this was no mere Jedi that had earned her admiration.

This was Anakin Skywalker, said to be the Chosen One by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

As Tysy stepped into the referesher to bathe, she considered her chances.
True, Anakin had noticed her, but only as one notices a fellow student in
the long and crowded hallways of the Jedi Temple. A slight grin, a nod,
a glance of acknowledgment. That was the most attention that young
Skywalker had paid to her, and even these small gestures were few
and far between. No matter. Even if he never saw her and noticed her
for who she truly was, Tysy knew Anakin had the same brotherly love
he had for all of his peers, the Knights and Padawans. That was enough.

Well, not nearly enough, but enough for Tysy to console herself a bit.

The droid-controlled refresher soaped her vigorously with cleansing fluid
and soothing but intense jets of hot water. Tysy giggled. How on earth
did these personal hygiene compartments seem to know just when someone
had been sparring for an hour straight with one of the more powerful Masters?

When she emerged, she dressed in a soft silver robe that was said to be
made of woven platinum. Tysy doubted it, for such things were far more
expensive than she could ever have afforded. Still, it was shiny enough
to be made out of the metal that it was rumored to be. She hoped she
wouldn't draw undue attention to herself. This was Palpatine's night.

Of course, any attention from Master Kenobi's apprentice would not be undue...

Rodzina Dvyer' stopped by Tysy's modestly-furnished chambers thirty
minutes before Chancellor Palpatine would present his speech to the Senate.
Her long dark hair, like a waterfall of black silk, was plaited into the elegant
traditional braid that most Padawans wore until they became proper Knights.
She wore a violet robe, long and elegant, making Tysy's seem rather gaudy.
However, the older girl did not reprimand the younger for her choice of dress.
On the contrary, her eyes twinkled with happy surprise. What a sight Tysy was!

"I've never seen you look that way, Tysyacha. You're advancing in the world!"

Tysy shrugged and grinned. "Some merchant told me this robe was made of
woven platinum. Probably ripped me off, but at least it shines like it's that way!"

Rodzina smiled. "Come. We should head for the Galactic Senate chambers
before Chancellor Palpatine's speech starts. Latecomers are frowned upon."

Tysy nodded, and the two girls set off in a small speeder away from the Temple.

After a few minutes of traveling and watching the city lights of Coruscant
whizz by as one glowing blur, Rodzina turned to her friend and protegee.

"That robe," she said. "Is it meant to impress one Anakin Skywalker, perhaps?"

Tysy grinned. "Yes!" Then she felt sad and guilty. Ashamed, and out of her
league. Rodzina could hide these things so well--her emotions and desires.
Why couldn't she? "I know he's well beyond my reach, Rodzina. But I can't help
it. He's my hero, and I wish he'd be the one for me. The one to love me."

Rodzina's dark eyes grew serious. "Such passion, if you act upon it, and if
young Skywalker agreed to it, could see you both expelled from the Order."

"I know." Tysy sighed, her chest heavy. Why had she worn that robe? It was
no secret, at least to Rodzina, that Tysy admired a Jedi Knight far above her
own circle. What was a secret, however, was the true intensity of Tysy's feelings.
It wasn't simply that she found it hard to hide them. It was that they seemed
to bleed through her, through her skin and her clothes and causing red stains,
until everyone around Tysy could see them. This made her feel unworthy
and embarrassed. How would she ever be a Knight if she couldn't restrain herself?

"We're here." Rodzina put a reassuring hand on Tysy's arm. "Don't worry.
All eyes will be on Palpatine, and none on you. Your secret's safe with me."

Tysy gave her friend a trusting nod. Where would she be without mentors like her?

Another good Chapter.

Yeah, meesa like it. Good to know she likes Anakin. Tysy-Padme catfight pehraps? :xp:

((Sorry, Jason, but no. :) Tysy does not know that Anakin and Padme are
secretly married, or that Padme is pregnant. Our young Padawan is completely
out of the loop, as is the rest of the Jedi Order. So, no Tysy-Padme catfight. :D))

*********************************

The Galactic Senate Chambers hummed with anticipation. Everyone present,
from the highest senators such as Padme Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo,
to the lowest ushers and custodians, were excited to hear the Chancellor.
Palpatine was not usually a man of few words anyway, but then again, who
else would be a prisoner of Grievous and Count Dooku and live to tell the tale?

Next to Palpatine stood Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in his finest dress robe
and his handsome young apprentice, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Tysy
felt her heart flutter. She had rarely seen Anakin look so magnificent,
so in his element, and so confident. She smiled at him from her humble
bottom-row seat next to Rodzina Dvyer' and their Masters, Ladno and Odin.

"Looking prepared tonight?" Rodzina asked with a sly wink. She didn't mean
Palpatine. Tysy answered with a chagrined smile. Keep quiet! she thought.

What she didn't tell Rodzina was that even from this distance, she sensed
an undercurrent of anxiety from Anakin through the Force. Anxiety, and
intense fear that made him feel ashamed. What was he keeping hidden?
Tysy wished she could reach out and embrace him, ask him what was wrong.

No time for that, because at that moment, Palpatine cleared his throat and began:

"Gurgle uk-uk hurkle gick oot erp blug."

What? Tysy checked her aural amplifier, the headset discreetly placed over
her ears so that she could hear Palpatine adequately in the Senate Chambers.
Then she laughed to herself. The headset's Translator function had been
previously set to a dialect that the Quarrens spoke. Of course! A minor
Quarren diplomat had given a speech yesterday, one that she had not gone to.

Tysy switched the Translator on the headset over to "Basic" and slipped the
headphones over her ears. Good thing she hadn't missed much--just small talk.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," said Palpatine, "of all races and species.
I am Palpatine, Chancellor of the Galactic Senate. As you may already know,
I have recently been a prisoner of this escalating war. Count Dooku and
General Grievous held me as a hostage. Had it not been for the heroic rescue
efforts of Master Kenobi and his apprentice, Knight Anakin Skywalker, I
would have been a casualty. One among hundreds of thousands. Droids
do not care how many sentients they kill in the course of their conquests,
and neither do Sith Lords. They will kill until they reach their goal--victory."

Someone applauded. Tysy cringed. Witless concessionaire, she thought.

"I was assured of victory, however, when Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker
rescued me. There was a duel between the latter and Count Dooku, who had
turned to the Dark Side. At the end of it, young Skywalker was forced to
end Dooku's life in self-defense. He had no other choice. If he could have,
Count Dooku would have sliced young Skywalker in two with his gleaming
red lightsaber. He was dangerous--far too dangerous to be left alive."

Suddenly, Tysy saw Anakin turn. "If you please, Chancellor," he said modestly. Palpatine, however, gave him a look that said Please.
Silence for now.

"It is a tenet of the Jedi Code that Jedi do not kill unarmed prisoners who have
surrendered," continued Palpatine. "However, Count Dooku was armed, and he
certainly had not surrendered. The other unfortunate casualty of the duel was
Skywalker's arm, which has now been replaced by a prosthetic." Sympathetic
claps. This made Tysy admire Anakin even more now, brave facing such a loss.

As for the young Knight himself, he seemed calmer. The troubled look on his
face just one split second ago seemed to have disappeared for now.

"What was it like to be a prisoner?" said Palpatine. "As all prisoners of war do,
I feared for my life every day. Not only for my own life, but that of the galaxy
and the Jedi Order. If Grievous and Dooku would win, then all of life would be
condemned to death. In a cramped white cell, deprived of nourishment save
the most spoiled scraps and water, I meditated upon the meaning of their cause.

"What would it serve them, the droids to separate from the Republic, and
Count Dooku to conquer? Independence, I thought, was what the droids
would gain, but then I realized my naivete. Independence was not what
they sought. Grievous and his mechanical minions meant to destroy the
Republic, not to free themselves from it. As for Dooku--before his death,
his goal was for the Sith to rule. Not the Jedi and the Jedi Order. He
wished to put his own vision in place for the galaxy, dominated by the
compulsions and the energies of the Dark Side. I realized this, and I wept."

Murmurs. Palpatine, weeping? Tysy was touched to see such a man, so
strong in the Force, being able to admit his feelings. Even his "un-Jedi" ones.

"That is why we must win this war. We must conquer. Not out of fear, or revenge,
or a misguided lust for power. We must win for the galaxy's sake, and our own."

A standing ovation, and thunderous applause. Tysy stood as well, humbly
saluting the Chancellor. His speech had been short as speeches go, but brilliant.

It was only when she, Rodzina Dvyer', and their Masters were headed back
toward the Temple in a more leisurely speeder that Tysy realized something
had disappointed her about the evening.

Neither Master Kenobi nor Anakin had been given a chance to speak.

This is your best Chapter yet. You've captured Palpatine's personality perfectly. When is Yaggles going to write some?

When he haves the time, i think. Good one Tysy.

Tysy had learned no life-changing new knowledge, experienced no
epiphanies, no revelations, since the evening of Palpatine's speech.
She should have, for perhaps they might have prepared her for
what would happen next: her own evaluation by Master Ladno.
Here, he would tell her if she had indeed passed the Jedi Trials
and would become a Knight. Tysy prayed to the Force it would be so.

In a perhaps unwise move, the young Padawan was evaluated together
with Master Odin and his own Padawan, her best friend Rodzina Dvyer'.

The two Masters stood calmly at the front of the Padawan Training Room
in the Jedi Temple, while Tysy and Rodzina knelt eagerly before them.

Tall Master Odin spoke first, a proud smile gracing his face. "Padawan
Dvyer', I am pleased to inform you that you have passed the Trial of Skill.
Your masterful use of Form IV, or Ataru, in your duel against Padawan
Jocin Truud, who had newly turned to the Dark Side, proves that you
are indeed a worthy opponent in battle. You are also wise enough to
have tried to turn Jocin back toward the ways of Light and Truth.
It is unfortunate that he chose to keep fighting you--hence his death."

Rodzina bowed her head solemnly, but she was still glad she had passed.

Then Master Ladno, shorter and more muscular, turned to Tysy.
"I am sorry," he began, "but you did not pass the Trial of Skill,
Padawan. In your duel with a manifestation of my own self had
I turned to the Dark Side, you revealed that your combat skills
are phenomenally poor. I know you tried your best, and like Padawan
Dvyer', you also tried to convince me to repent and turn back to the
Light. However, I also chose to keep fighting. Unlike Padawan Dvyer',
who won her duel, you did not. Padawan Dvukh, you have failed."

Tysy also bowed her head, humbly and sadly. What had she done wrong?

"You also did not prevail in the Trial of the Flesh," Master Ladno continued.
"I know your attachments to people, to things, to places, and to ideals
you cherish. You won't let them go. Witness your attraction to young
Skywalker." Tysy blushed, humiliated. Had she really been that obvious
in her seemingly-secret yearning for Anakin? "I am more disappointed
in you than I had been after your failure in the Trial of Skill. Have you
no self-restraint, Padawan Dvukh? No self-control? Again, you've failed."

Master Odin, looking uncomfortable, turned to Rodzina. "You have
mastered your emotions in this particular Trial," he told her, trying to
balance the pride he felt in his own Padawan with the sorrow he felt for
the other. "You love the same things as all sentients do, but you are
skilled enough in serenity, self-mastery, and the detachment of the
Jedi not to let these things control you. I commend you, Padawan Dvyer'."

Rodzina smiled and nodded, but her smile was pained. She felt over-praised.

"The Trial of Courage, you passed, though only barely," Odin said to Rodzina.
"The enemy you fought, an apprentice Sith, was superior to you, and only
with my assistance were you able to defeat her. However, you fought
with courage and steadfastness in the battle, and that is why I declare
you have triumphed in this test of bravery and valor. Congratulations."

Master Ladno shook his head. "You know how you fared, Padawan Dvukh,
in your own duel against a greater enemy, a droid loyal to General Grievous.
I also had to help you in this battle. You fought your hardest, but fear was
what clouded your mind, and not courage, Padawan. I do not need to say
if you passed the Trial of Courage or not. You and I both know the result."

Tysy wished that she could fall through a crack in the Training Room tiles.
How could she have missed so many opportunities, done so badly, failed
so miserably? With a compassionate gaze, Master Ladno turned to her
one last time. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but truth was truth.

"The only test that you passed, and with flying colors, my Padawan, is the
Trial of the Spirit. You told me the truth about your nightmares, and you
were humble and patient enough to realize that the Dark Side does tempt
you in your heart of hearts. You did not hide from this; you faced it. I cannot
make you a Knight, however. Padawan, you passed one test...out of four."

One test out of four! Chetvyort'! One quarter! The young girl felt
tears start to spring to her eyes, but she squinted them both shut tightly.

Master Odin, wanting to weep with Tysy but hiding his feelings, as was
appropriate for a Jedi, spoke to Rodzina Dvyer'. "Your future will be
different," he told his own Padawan. "With you shall come the power
and the responsibility of being a Jedi Knight. Your cause shall be ours,
and our strength shall be yours. Rise, Padawan Dvyer', and be proud."

Rodzina stood and bowed to her Master. Tysy did so as well, but
Master Ladno had sad news for her. No Padawan wanted to hear it.

"I can train you no longer," said Ladno. "Someone else will have to
take you on for further, and intense, remedial training. Farewell."

Ladno strode from the Training Room with a heavy conscience.

Master Odin trailed behind, ashamed of his rather brash and blunt colleague.

He called for Rodzina. "Padawan Dvyer'!," he said, his voice kind, not stern.

Rodzina, who was embracing the weeping Tysy, looked at her with the
most haunted dark brown eyes the galaxy had ever known. "I must go."

With a broken heart and spirit, the lesser Padawan knew she must as well.

Such a sad chapter. Poor Tysy. :(

So am I to be the new master that makes her a knight?
I want to be less strict and more cool and stuff but not too lenient. So yeah sounds like fun. :)

How does this sound?

You can be my new master, but you're also...Anakin Skywalker, who takes
me on as a "remedial student" because Master Kenobi thinks you can help me.
If you are Anakin, though, you haven't turned to the Dark Side yet.

Personally, I think it would be cool if you were Anakin/Vader and I was your
slave. :) We'd both continue writing Palpatine, if he ever says stuff (he will!)

What do you think? :)

so wait... you want me to be anikan and for him to be your master? *shrug* that could work. :D

Exciting, it sounds. *coughkisscough*

Another good Chapter.

So Rodzina was going to be Knighted, and Tysy, a mere Padawan, would
be cast down, sent to what Master Ladno had deemed "remedial training."

Sure enough, Tysy was very proud of her best friend and companion, but...

Remedial training was for eight-year-olds. Younglings. "Jedi Hopefuls",
as they were called. Tysy had never been so ashamed in all of her years at
the Jedi Temple. How could Master Ladno have thought so poorly of her?
Then she realized that the fault, of course, lay not in him but in herself.

If only she'd had more time to practice before her duel with Grievous' droid.

If only she'd not been so attached to Rodzina, to her Master, and to--Anakin.

If only she'd sensed that the Dark Side presence she fought was only an illusion...

If only, if only. Such musings did not bring her any comfort now. What
good were they, when all Tysy had to look forward to was a future full of
curious Younglings wondering why such a tall Jedi was in their class?

No. She would not go back. She would sever all ties to the Jedi, if not
the Force. What was it that happened to those who failed their training,
four thousand years ago? Ah. They were sent to the fields of the now-
extinct planet Telos to serve the galaxy, not as Jedi, but as farmers and
laborers. This made Tysy smile. Maybe I'm good for laundry after all.

She slipped her hand around the small dagger she always kept at her belt
for protection. It wasn't very sharp, but it was sharp enough to do the trick
she had in mind. One quick slash, and her Padawan's braid would be gone!

Tysy snuck through the currently-deserted hallways of the Jedi Temple
to one of the many Meditation Gardens. It was empty, like the yawning
corridors she had just passed through. Perfect! No one would see her.

She sat down on the ledge of a simple but graceful stone fountain, letting
the peace of its flowing waters trickle over her. She clutched her golden-
brown braid in her left hand, and unsheathed the dagger in her right. Now--

A sound suddenly startled her. Rustling, and footsteps. Her heart pounding,
Tysy gawked as she saw Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker himself approaching her!

"Ah--Knight Skywalker!" This greeting lay between a gasp and a squeal. "I
was just doing some meditations on self-defense with this humble knife, I hope
never to have to use it, but I wanted to give my bangs a trim!" Tysy joked.

The young Jedi Knight gave her a gentle look. He knew she wasn't joking.

It's true. It's true. It's true. It's true. Tysy willed Anakin to believe
this great fib through the Force. If she failed to do so, she was undone.

((Your turn, Yaggles! What does Anakin do? I can't wait to find out! :D))

Good one again Tysy, very realistic and suspensefull.

Hey sorry for the wait... ummm... yeah I'll have to use your character a little bit in order to make the chapter long enough. :)
---
Anakin knew that she wasn't just doing some meditations, but he decided he would leave it alone, for now. Shrugging, Anakin smiled and said, "Well, Tysy, I have been given an order by the Council to continue you training. You will be my, for a lack of a better term, remedial student. Does that sound good to you?"

Nodding quickly, Tysy exclaimed, "Oh of course. I would be honored to serve under you!"

Smiling and chuckling, "You won't be serving, but rather, learning. But as Master Kenobi always liked to tell me, the sooner we train, the easier the real action will be. So, shall we get on with it?"

***

They began with lightsaber practice, using a small round training droid, which fired small laser bolts at the trainee. Putting a blindfold on Tysy, Anakin activated the droid. "Ok, Tysy, reach out with the force. You cannot always rely on your eyes, hence the blindfold."

She ignited her bright blue lightsaber, the prominant color of most padawans and apprentices. Grimacing as one bolt after another sailed past her lightsaber, she turned off her saber and sat back, removing the blindfold. "Oh, I'm no good. I'll never get this down!" She sighed.

---
Ok, sorry but that's all I have the time for at the moment. I'll continue later and you can add in in between if you want! Sorry for the short chapter!

Well, as you said, short and a little disapointing.

Anakin Skywalker sat down beside the discouraged girl on the ledge of
the stone fountain. "It's all right. No one can deflect every single blaster
bolt that comes their way the first time, even without the blindfold and
in full mastery of the Force. Jedi aren't perfect, although I doubt Master
Ladno would tell you that." He felt pained at the sight of Tysy's sad look.

"You're afraid," Anakin continued, "and that's good. It means you're still
human, and in touch with your humanness in the heat of battle. Here is
where I disagree with Master Kenobi and with the rest of the Jedi Order.
The Masters tell us that "fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate
leads to suffering," and that is why they all consider fear a path to the
Dark Side. However, I've never believed it. I've come to use my fear."

"Why?" Tysy asked. "How on earth does fear make you strong?"

"You musn't just know that you're afraid, but accept it, and
be glad of it. Embrace this part of yourself warmly, because without it, you
wouldn't be all of who you are. You also wouldn't be very good in a fight."

"How's that?" Tysy was confused. She thought courage made one strong.

"Try again." Anakin offered her the blindfold. "This time, you'll do better.
I know you will, because this time, you've learned that you have one
person you can trust. One person who won't judge you because of the
tension and anxiety you feel. On the contrary--he will teach you how to
use it as your ally instead of fight it as your enemy. Let fear strengthen you."

"I'd like to." She trusted Anakin, but his words still made no sense. "How?"

Anakin blindfolded the hesitant Padawan, the braid still attached to her
worried head. "I'm going to start the combat droid again. Don't think about
how you'll do. The thing that you fear the most is failure, not death.
Failure--and being alone." Anakin held his breath. He'd said too much.

"How did you know that?" Tysy trembled, ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry."

"You have no need to apologize, Padawan. As far as how I know--in
many ways, you're like me." Young Skywalker nodded once and turned
to the idling practice droid. "You're young, you're eager, you long with
all your being to help save the galaxy. I do as well. There is nothing
of which I'm prouder than defeating Count Dooku, showing him that the
Light Side was stronger. Just relax, and let the Force guide your swings."

Letting herself go, welcoming her fear, Tysy swung her lighsaber five times.

Vwoom. Deflection! Vwoom. Deflection! Deflection!

Tysy yanked off the blindfold and deactivated her lightsaber, her soul
giddy with happiness. Anakin smiled at her, proud of her sincere efforts.

"Three out of five blaster bolts," he said. "Not bad. Want to know a secret?"

Tysy sat down on the edge of the fountain again. Anakin leaned in close.

"Fear is a gift that enhances our survival, not a weakness that must be
fought out. If none of us had fear, if we ran headlong into everything,
then none of us could have survived in this galaxy for very long. It's fear
that causes us to run away from a charging krayt dragon when we need to.
Without fear, we'd ignore warning signs that we're slipping to the Dark Side.
Even love has its fear--fear of loss. The Masters say that's a bad thing, but
what kind of a person are you if you're never afraid for the one you love?"

Tysy understood perfectly. "What if they were ever in danger?" she asked.

"Precisely my point. It's fear of losing those closest to me, the pain of having
lost my mother to Tusken raiders, that partly motivates me to do what I do.
Not out of revenge--anymore, but out of a desire to protect those I love now."

Tysy whispered, unable to bear her own heart anymore. "Do you love me?"

Anakin smiled gently. "There. You just welcomed your fear, and you used it.
I love you as I love a brother in arms, which is something not even most
Jedi share. They choose not to become attached. I see something in you,
however, that reminds me of someone. Someone I love, and whom I'm afraid for."

Tysy's heart rose and sank at the same time. Rose because of Anakin's most
obvious concern and respect for her, but sank because at that moment...

...she knew he loved someone else. A woman Tysy would most likely never equal.

And cut! Good one Tysy, oh, if there was a catfight...Anyways, looking forward for the next.

Yaggles, you should have the Chapter as long as Tysy. Good anyway.

Over a long stretch of weeks--which seemed to Tysy like only one day--
Anakin Skywalker trained her for the second time in the ways of the Jedi.

He showed Tysy how easy it was to become caught up in lightsaber
Forms and combat moves, forgetting that in the end, the Force was
your steadiest ally.

He showed her how meditation would truly guide her, how lifting
objects through the Force was not one-tenth as important as
letting the Force lift you.

He showed her that no matter how skilled you were, as either a Padawan,
Knight, or a Master, that the Dark Side could always claim you in its grasp.

And, at last, he showed Tysy that she was prepared for her final test.

Not any of the Jedi Trials--oh, no, she had gone through absolutely none
of those again since Anakin had been teaching her. The Jedi Trials, to
both Knight and Padawan, were dusty relics and tests that had worked
for countless other students, but not for those such as they. Not for
Tysy, because she had been so weak, and not for Anakin, either,
because he had been so incredibly strong. They were hungry for more.

"A duel." Anakin picked up a single-bladed red lightsaber that some
of the Jedi Masters had claimed from the corpse of a Dark Jedi.
"I propose a one-on-one confrontation, where you pretend that
I have indeed fallen to the Dark Side. Imagine that I'm Jocin Truud,
who succumbed because his lust for power overcame his desire to
help the galaxy. If you win, Padawan, I will make you a Knight."

Tysy bowed her head and nodded, hating to say this. "Yet you're not
a Master. You are my Master, indeed, young Skywalker, but
as far as I know, you are not as high as Master Kenobi or Master Yoda."

Anakin nodded. "I know." His voice was hard, determined. "Since that
speech of Chancellor Palpatine's, and for two weeks since I started
training you, I have been appointed to the Jedi Council. However,
Master Obi-Wan has said that I would not yet hold his rank."

Tysy was confused. "Why, Skywalker? I thought only Masters were allowed
on the Jedi Council. Mace Windu, and Kenobi, and the rest. Why not you?"

"They have their own agenda, their own plan," said Anakin carefully, "and
even though it's for the good of the galaxy, it does not involve me becoming
a Master. Obi-Wan says I must be patient. I'm trying, but it's hard."

"If we duel," Tysy said, "and you win, will that bring you closer?"

"It will make me stronger," he said, "and it will help me prove to Obi-Wan
that I am indeed ready to take on such a responsibility in the Jedi Order.
Of course, if you win," he smiled, his eyes twinkling merrily, "that means
that you'll finally become a Knight, and you and I will be the same rank."

"I'd love that," smiled Tysy, her voice playfully haughty. Then she turned
serious. "Let's duel, then--I with Form II, which you taught me when
you showed me how Count Dooku fought, and you with Form V--your
specialty." She paused for a moment. "I want you to try your best on me."

"Are you sure?" asked Anakin. "Count Dooku got extremely tired fighting me."

"I'm sure." His Padawan's voice was calm, resolved. "At, dva, tri!"

As soon as Tysy counted off, Anakin threw himself into the duel, his body
tensed with energy and the strength the Force gave him. So was Tysy's,
however, and the duel went on much longer than either Jedi expected.

Anakin, whose use of Form V was beginning to earn him great renown,
used his Force-enhanced might to "bully" Tysy, albeit slowly, backing
her into the corner of the Meditation Garden where they trained. She,
however, was no pushover, using the elegant and precise moves of
Makashi, or Form II Contention, to parry her teacher's attacks.

Anakin felt something well up from deep within his soul. In a quick
and decisive move, he caught his Padawan off guard, disarming and
flattening Tysy right on her back to the grass of the Garden. He placed
the red lightsaber he was using to one side of her neck, her own blue
one to the other. Supine, she breathed heavily, feeling the heat of both.

"This is how it ended, Tysyacha," Anakin rasped sadly. He felt the
same rush of power course through him that he had when he'd
cornered a Sith Lord the same way not so long ago. "The duel.
With Count Dooku, I mean. This is how I killed him--how he died."
Even through the searing light of both sabers, Tysy could see
the unhidden flow of tears staining her hero's sunburnt cheeks.

"It's not the Jedi way, but it's what I had to do. Chancellor
Palpatine said he was too dangerous to be left alive. That's
what he said in his speech. Count Dooku was an unarmed
prisoner. He had not surrendered, but I had won the duel.
He told me to kill him--Palpatine. I'm sorry, but it's true."

Tysy could feel tears staining her own face. "I yield."

Anakin turned the lightsabers off--both of them--and helped his
Padawan stand. They collapsed in each other's arms, sweating
and heaving with sorrow and spent energy. They knew each
other's secrets now--Anakin that Tysy more than admired him,
and Tysy that Anakin Skywalker had broken the code of the Jedi.

As it is with two souls and two people who share a bond beyond
that of conjugal love, both of them knew that they'd never tell.

Another good Chapter Tysy.

You really surprise me Tysy, it's a quality fic!

Hey, Tysy... you seem to be doing great without me, as I can rarely put in maybe a few sentences. Would it be alright if you just took over? Sorry that my contribution was tiny and not really all that great. :/ I guess I'm just getting too busy with this and my other fanfic and personal life and such. Sorry!

This is fascinating. The grammar and spelling looks good. The only issue I has was the masters assigning her to do remedial training with Anakin when they knew she had a crush on him. How both Anakin and Tysy deal with their feelings is very interesting, and I'm wondering if she'll stay on the light side when Anakin falls.

((Note: This will be the last chapter I write in this story before I
head off to San Antonio for my first out-of-state business trip! I will be
back on August 11, so look for another Chapter on the 12th. In the
meantime, I'll be thinking about what to write then, because I don't! :D))

*****************************

It had taken a little bit longer than usual for Rodzina Dvyer's formal Knighting
Ceremony to take place, what with the war going on and the machinations
of General Grievous. However, the Jedi Order was not an entity to slight
any of its new members, whether Padawan, Knight or Master. It would
give Rodzina her due, and Tysy, her boon companion, would gladly watch.

In these darker days of the Republic, the Grand Master of the Order was
Yoda, the feared opponent of Grievous and every Sith Lord in the galaxy.
Despite his reputation for keenness in battle and a deeper mastery of the
Force than anyone in the Jedi Order had ever known, Grand Master Yoda
was humble and wise. He knew that even he could be tempted, and that
he must always be on his guard against the Dark Side.

Yoda also knew that he was not above his Padawans or his Knights, and
that was why he strove to show each and every one the respect they
deserved. It was no different with Rodzina Dvyer', who would be honored
tonight. Grand Master Yoda did not know her even half as well as he
knew Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, and yet he had heard of
the girl. She was the one who had defeated Grievous' droid, after all.

In the darkened Halls of Knighthood, in the midst of twelve senior Jedi
with their lightsabers all aglow, Rodzina knelt, proud and yet modest.
She waited for Grand Master Yoda to speak and pronounce her rank.

"Step forward, Padawan," commanded Yoda gently. The girl obeyed.
"Rodzina Dvyer', by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force,
dub thee I do, Jedi Knight of the Republic." He sliced off her black braid.

"Take up your lightsaber, Rodzina Dvyer', Jedi Knight," said
Council Member Mace Windu, "and may the Force be with you."
Rodzina took her blue-bladed saber and bowed to everyone present.

Rodzina smiled and nodded once to Yoda. She had waited long for
this moment and trained hard, and she was glad to be rewarded.

However, one more person was to be honored tonight, for someone had
finally triumphed. Someone who had been forsaken by her old Master,
recommended for remedial training fit for Younglings. Someone who,
viewed as weak and fearful by superiors, had now come into her own!

In the circle of twelve senior Jedi, two heralded Masters switched places
with two others. The replacements were none but Master Ladno, the man
who had failed Tysy once before, and Anakin Skywalker! Tysy held her
breath. Was this it? The dream she'd been denied, that she thought
she would never achieve? By what miracle could this be happening?

Grand Master Yoda folded his hands. He felt he should repeat his
greeting to the audience, and to the prospective Knight, once more.

"We are all Jedi," he said. "The Force speaks through us. Through our
actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today, we are
here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed." He closed his eyes.

Suddenly, Master Ladno interrupted. "By your leave, Grand Master," he said.

Yoda nodded, and Ladno turned to Tysy. Her heart clenched with fear.
Was her old Master about to banish her from the Hall of Knighthood, to
say that the honor she was about to receive was truly unwarranted?

On the contrary. Ladno turned to her, a placid gaze of wisdom on his face.

"Padawan Dvukh," he said. "It was I, along with Master Kenobi, who allowed
Knight Skywalker to train you in a remedial way. Both of us knew that you
more than admired this young apprentice of Obi-Wan, and we wanted to
make you work together so you would learn how to handle your feelings.

"You both did! Neither of you turned to the Dark Side, or gave in to base
passion. You've shown the honesty and respect that lies between two
true brothers in arms. You have finally passed the Trial of Flesh, Padawan!

"As for the Trials of Skill and Courage, you fought bravely and without anger
in your duel with young Skywalker. Even though you were afraid, you yearned
to test yourself against him. Not out of revenge, but out of admiration. I am
proud of you, Padawan Dvukh, and it is for this reason that Master Kenobi and
I agreed that you should be a Knight. Grand Master Yoda? Please continue."

"Step forward, Padawan," he commanded. Tysy, happy and excited
beyond belief, humbly obeyed. Was this really taking place, or a dream?
"Tysyacha Dvukh," he said, "by the right of the Council, by the will of
the Force, dub thee I do, Jedi Knight of the Republic." With one quick
stroke, Yoda slashed off Tysy's braid with his green lightsaber blade.

"Take up your lightsaber, Tysyacha Dvukh, Jedi Knight," said Master
Obi-Wan Kenobi. "And may the Force be with you." Unlike Rodzina,
Tysy's blade was green, that of a Consular. She smiled. It suited her.

At last! She was no longer a Padawan, of third rank, but a Knight of second!

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi smiled. He was very glad for this trembling young
girl, grown to Knighthood and greater strength and maturity through his
apprentice. As for Anakin--his chest swelled with kindred-spirit love and
pride. He wished his Padme could have seen this, what he'd done to help
the galaxy! One more Jedi Knight was one more to the rest of the people
in it, but to Anakin, Tysy was a treasure. A precious protegee. His.

As for Rodzina--she was furious. Furious that someone else, a weakling,
had dared to share her rank. Her honor. Her night. Even though it was Tysy
who had become a Knight, Rodzina didn't care, at least for the moment.

I liked you better when you were scrubbing my laundry, she thought.

((OK, I fibbed. THIS is my last chapter before I go on the business trip.
I had to end something, the relationship between Rodzina and Tysy.
After all, a Dvukh can only call one person "#1"...Do svidanya!))

***********************************

"Tysyacha Dvukh." A pause. "I challenge you to a duel."

Tysy whirled around in her chambers on the very afternoon after
she and her best friend had both been dubbed Knights. Rodzina's
voice sounded different now. Cold, challenging. Murderous, perhaps.

"A sparring duel?" Tysy smiled nervously and tried to change the
tone of the conversation. "Certainly. I need to hone my skills."

"Indeed you do," said Rodzina, her voice saturated with anger and
wounded pride. "I don't even know why Master Ladno had the gall
to say you were worthy to be a Knight, let alone make
you one. You're not fit for honor--only submission. Your training with
young Skywalker has strengthened you," she said. "Too much. I had
no idea you were going to be Knighted on the same evening as me,
and you stole the recognition only I deserved!"

"Ah, Rodzina!" Tysy's heart and stomach had fallen right into her feet.
She was fraught with pain. "I didn't mean to do that. Honestly, I didn't!"

"I know," said Knight Rodzina Dvyer', "although that doesn't excuse you.
I wish to see how good you are, and if you deserve your rank. If I find
that you do not, then I shall end your life. Don't be angry. I don't wish
to kill you, but if you prove that your power has exceeded mine, I shall
have to." Her lips curled into a sneer. "I defeated Grievous' droid,
not you! You couldn't even beat Skywalker in that 'training duel' that
you had!"

"Come with me to the Training Room," hissed Tysy, "and we'll settle this!"

However, as soon as they were both ready for their possible death-match.
Tysy wished she hadn't said it. This was her best friend, her mentor of
five-plus years who now wanted to duel her. Kill her, if she had to. A
heart-wrenching sorrow coursed through Tysy's whole body. She knelt.

"Please," she begged. "Let's not fight. Ty--moya' podruga, Rodzina!"

"I am your best friend?" the other Knight jeered. "Not anymore. Not since
your strength grew, since you forgot your true place within the Jedi Order.
Stand up, young Knight, and duel me, or I'll have to cut you down here!"

In a split second, Tysy threw herself into the heat of battle. Using Form
II and a bit of Form V that she had learned from Anakin, she parried and
blocked her former mentor's attacks as hard and as fast as she could.
Rodzina seemed surprised by how well Tysy fought, but she knew that
in the end, she would be better. She had always been better, even
when she was a Youngling. Who was this dvukh to challenge her?

All through the fight, though, something caught Rodzina off guard. For
every attack Tysy launched against her that landed, there was also a
sincere plea from her former best friend's heart that made her think.

"Let's both let go of our terrible anger, Rodzina. Please. I need you!"

"No one would want to see us like this. We're both Knights now.
The same! Can't you see?"

"I would gladly yield and be your slave, if you'd turn to the Light!"

The battle sharply paused. "Really?" asked Rodzina Dvyer', intrigued.

"Yes," cried Tysy, trying not to weep. "I would serve you, and call you
'Master.' Do your laundry, if you wished me to. I'd never spurn you, and
betrayal would be out of the question. In return, would you swear to
turn back to the Light Side and never break the Jedi Code again?
Go back to the ways of peace and self-mastery you had before?"

Rodzina smiled. "I would, but no. Your offer of servitude is sincere, but
it must come with no conditions on my part. Otherwise, we keep fighting."

"Halt, now!" Master Ladno suddenly burst into the training room.
"I've sensed everything through the Force, Jedi Knights Dvyer' and
Dvukh! You should both be exiled for your conduct one day after
the ceremony!"

"Shut up, fool." Rodzina advanced toward Tysy. With one quick
move, she caught the other girl in a hugely strong Force Push and
knocked her down. "Now," she said. "The power is mine, and the loss
of life yours. I've won!" Rodzina pressed her blue lightsaber up against
Tysy's quivering carotid artery.

At that moment, though, Master Ladno impaled Rodzina on his own green one.

The Jedi Knight crumpled to the floor dead, the same look of anger that
she'd had before still plastered on her face. Anger, a shattered ego, and
hatred. Most unexpectedly, and sadly, Rodzina had touched the Dark Side.

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had also come to see what was wrong,
helped the shaking Tysy to stand and led her back to her own chambers.
He stayed with her and helped her regain peace, comforting her after
the betrayal by her best friend. He was glad Anakin had not been there.

After all, who knows what would have happened with him had Tysy--died?

Two good Chapters. I liked the Knight ceremony. Also, I've always wondered why you write everything that way.

That was great... too bad Rodzina died, though. :/

So emotinal. Rodzyna's out and it's Tysy's time to shine!

very very impressive Tysy...one of the best fics I've read since I joined this little community here.

Master Obi-wan Kenobi decided that it would be best if both he and Anakin
had a second debriefing with Tysy. After her near-murder by her own mentor
and best friend, there were truths that all three of them were dying to learn.

"Why?" asked the least of them, the betrayed girl, her head bowed with grief.
"Not 'why did she betray me'? I know why Rodzina did what she did. I had
stolen her honor, in her eyes, and the only way she thought she could
regain it was to fight me. Duel me, yes, but why did she want to kill me?"

"She didn't." Anakin shook his head one-and-a-half times, a brief negation.
"She did believe, however, that by taking your life, she'd gain more power.
There's something that happens to a man--to a Jedi--when they make their first
kill. Once they've done that, they've conquered that fear within themselves."

"Fear of killing?" asked Tysy. "Or fear of the guilt and shame that comes after it?"

"Both," Anakin said. Sensing a silent admonishment from his Master, Anakin
swallowed hard. "You and I both know now what happened in my duel with
Count Dooku. I killed him unarmed, slicing his neck in half with two lightsabers
on each side of his reeling head. That's not what Chancellor Palpatine said
in his speech. I wanted to tell the truth, but he silenced me, and then, out
of my own cowardice and seeking to avoid punishment, I stayed silent."

"I truly can't imagine what you must have felt," Tysy said. "Your suffering..."

"Suffering is indeed what I felt," said the penitent Skywalker, "and regret.
Regret that I hadn't tried to convince Count Dooku to turn back to the Light
Side of the Force. I could have, and I wished to in the very core of my being
for more than a split second. Here is what happened, however--my mistake.

"With Palpatine pressuring me on the one hand, and my own conscience
screaming out for true justice on the other, I chose to yield to the man.
The man who'd hold me truly accountable for what I did, whether I killed
Count Dooku or not. The man who--would never forgive me otherwise."

"For making the wrong decision, in his opinion?" asked Tysy.

"Of course. I've seen it in the Chancellor: his unwavering stance, his deep
intolerance for failure. This does not mean, young Knight," countered Anakin,
"that Chancellor Palpatine is a bad man. That he's evil. He has the best
interests of the galaxy first and foremost as his goal, and that is the one
truth that I believe I know. About the Chancellor, I mean," he said quickly.

Obi-wan nodded and looked at Tysy. "I'd like to turn back to Rodzina.
She never realized, as you do, that for a Jedi humility and power go
hand in hand. They always should. Otherwise, one runs the risk of
falling into the same trap your best friend did. Your mentor. She
never said it, and neither did you, but an unspoken condition of
your friendship was that you and she would never be equals."

To counter Tysy's utterly crushed expression, Obi-wan continued:

"Rodzina tutored you--she loved you--because you were weaker.
More vulnerable, in her opinion. More in need of a teacher, and
that was the role that your best friend wanted so badly to play.
Unaware, of course, that you could also teach her. Do you see?"

"I see it--somewhat," choked Tysy, "but Rodzina also told me that I was
built for power. Created that way. What of that, Master Kenobi? Was she
lying to me? I didn't sense it, either through the Force or in my heart."

"She told you the truth, I think," answered Obi-wan, "but only with the
condition that your power would--and never should--equal or surpass hers.
You may have been built for power in her opinion, but so long as she was
always your mentor and tutor. Your friend, but as we all see now, true
friendship was not what existed between you two. I'm sorry, young one."

For some reason, Tysy didn't mind being called that instead of "Knight"
by Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Thank you, Master. Thank you both!" She smiled,
her tears now ones of relief instead of sadness and hurt. Anger, too.

Now she understood why Rodzina had truly betrayed her. It wasn't just
a case of so-called "stolen honor", but a lack of honor on her mentor's
part. A lack of true Jedihood, which Tysy had never suspected in so...

...strong a best friend.

Midpoint Questions for my Readers

I have now reached the midpoint of Ya--Yevo', and I have
some questions I'd like you to help me answer. I truly appreciate
all of your input, for without it, I wouldn't have written half this
much!!! Please be honest with your answers. Best policy, always! :)

1. Have I stayed true to Anakin's, Obi-wan's, and Palpatine's characters
as shown in the Star Wars canon movies and books?

2. Is Tysy Dvukh too much of a "wuss" or an "emo kid" to be a good Jedi?
I know she cries a lot and is insecure and vulnerable, but I want to show
that she's not "uberstrong" like Luke and Han and Leia et al. In Tysy, I
want to show that even the most emotional of us can help the galaxy
and the Light Side. Would you rather have Rodzina as main char. instead?

3. What's your analysis of Tysy so far, besides the fact she's emotional?

4. Will Tysy stay Light after Anakin falls, or serve him when he's Darth Vader?
Honest prediction. What's the first fate for Tysy that comes to your head or gut?

5. What should I have next as a "plot turning point?" Pick 1 out of these 3:
--Tysy's first kill as a Jedi
--A conversation between Tysy and Palpatine, when she begins to see his side
--The part where Anakin falls/pledges himself to Palpatine. Tysy Force-feels it.

6. What's the best thing about this story? What draws you to it in the first place?

7. Lastly--is this fanfic as good as anything LucasLicensing has made into a
G-canon story or book? If not, what can I do to make it so it IS just as good?

Spasibo, (Thank you!),
Tysyacha