The Separatist camp rose at the edge of the valley like a scar cut into Maridun's untouched green. Droids marched in clean lines, blasters humming, scanners sweeping the terrain with indifferent precision. The Lurmen village lay just beyond—quiet, defenseless, and deliberately unarmed.
Kaelen watched from the tall grass beside Anakin and Ahsoka, his jaw tight.
"They're turning the village into a firing range," Anakin muttered. "Testing weapons. Intimidation."
Ahsoka clenched her fists. "They're doing it on purpose. Trying to force the Lurmen to fight back."
Aayla Secura knelt a few steps ahead, calm but coiled, eyes never leaving the droids. "And the Lurmen will refuse. Even if it costs them their lives."
Kaelen felt it then—the pull in his chest, sharp and unresolved. Bastila's lessons echoed faintly, not as words but as pressure.
Clarity. Responsibility.
HK-47 adjusted his aim, voice low and eager.
"Observation: The enemy has kindly arranged themselves into optimal firing formations. A thoughtful gesture."
Kaelen exhaled. "HK… if we engage, we protect the village. Not punish the enemy."
HK's photoreceptors brightened.
"Clarification: I am exceptionally good at both."
Anakin snorted. "I like him."
Ahsoka shot him a look. "You would."
The First Strike
The Separatist commander gave an order. A line of battle droids raised their blasters—aimed not at the Jedi, but at empty ground near the village, vaporizing earth in violent bursts.
Tee Watt Kaa stood at the village's edge, hands folded, unmoving.
"No," Kaelen whispered. "They're trying to break them."
Anakin ignited his saber. "That's enough."
Aayla nodded once. "We move."
They surged forward together.
Blaster fire erupted instantly. Kaelen felt the familiar rush as his saber snapped to life, purple light cutting through the green of Maridun. He deflected a volley back into a droid squad, dropping them in a cascade of sparks.
HK-47 opened fire with gleeful efficiency.
"Combat Commentary: This is going considerably better than diplomacy."
"HK—focus!" Kaelen called, slicing through a super battle droid's arm.
"Affirmation: Focusing… on maximum lethality."
Anakin vaulted over a barricade, carving through droids with aggressive precision. Ahsoka moved like a blur beside him, agile and relentless. Aayla advanced more deliberately, her presence calming even as her blade struck with flawless timing.
Kaelen felt the Force surge around them—chaotic, sharp, hungry.
Without meaning to, he reached.
Not to control.Not to command.
To steady.
A subtle wave flowed outward—soft, supportive. He felt Anakin's aggression temper just enough to sharpen instead of overwhelm. Ahsoka's movements synchronized more tightly with her Master's. Aayla's calm deepened, anchoring the group like a pillar.
No one noticed.
But everything moved more smoothly.
Kaelen staggered slightly as the effort caught up to him.
Ahsoka glanced back. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Kaelen said, breathless. "Just… thinking."
HK shot a droid through the chest.
"Helpful Suggestion: Less thinking. More shooting."
The Cost of Intervention
The droids fell back, regrouping near the edge of the camp. Smoke curled into the sky. The immediate threat eased—but Kaelen's unease only grew.
The Lurmen watched from a distance. Silent. Still refusing to fight.
Tee Watt Kaa approached, his expression troubled. "You defend us with violence," he said quietly. "Yet you bring more of it with you."
Anakin bristled. "We stopped them from firing on your village."
"And they will return," Tee Watt Kaa replied. "Stronger. Louder. Angrier."
Kaelen stepped forward before Anakin could answer.
"Then we'll stop them again," Kaelen said. "Not because we want to fight—but because letting others suffer isn't peace. It's surrender."
The Lurmen leader studied him for a long moment. "You believe violence can protect peace."
Kaelen swallowed. "I believe refusing to act can destroy it."
Silence stretched between them.
HK leaned toward Kaelen and whispered far too loudly:
"Supportive Aside: I find Master's argument both logical and emotionally satisfying."
Kaelen pinched the bridge of his nose. "HK…"
"Immediate Retraction: Silent moral support engaged."
Aayla placed a gentle hand on Kaelen's shoulder. "You're struggling."
Kaelen nodded. "They're right to value peace. But if we don't fight… the droids will."
Aayla's voice was soft. "This is the burden of being Jedi. To choose action when others cannot."
Nightfall and Resolve
That night, the Separatists returned—exactly as predicted.
The droids advanced toward the village under cover of darkness, blasters charging. Kaelen felt it before anyone spoke—a cold ripple in the Force.
"Positions," Anakin ordered.
They moved quickly. Kaelen took the high ground with HK, overlooking the approach.
The first shots rang out.
Kaelen leapt down into the fray, saber flashing. He blocked, redirected, advanced. HK provided suppressing fire with unnerving cheer.
"Battle Update: Enemy morale declining. My enjoyment increasing."
Kaelen deflected a blast that would have struck a Lurmen hut, turning it aside at the last second.
This is why, he thought. This is why we fight.
As the final droid fell, the battlefield went quiet. Smoke drifted upward. The village still stood.
Tee Watt Kaa emerged slowly, eyes heavy but grateful.
"You have protected us," he said. "Even when we would not protect ourselves."
Kaelen bowed his head. "Peace is worth defending. Even when it costs us."
The Lurmen leader nodded, as if accepting a truth he had long resisted.
Aftermath
Later, as the group regrouped, Anakin clapped Kaelen on the shoulder. "You did good out there."
Ahsoka smiled. "You kept everyone together. It felt… easier, somehow."
Kaelen looked away. "I didn't mean to."
HK chimed in.
"Proud Statement: Master's presence measurably improved combat efficiency. I approve."
Kaelen sighed. "That doesn't help."
But inside, he knew.
Battle Meditation wasn't just power.
It was responsibility—exactly as Bastila had warned.
And this was only the beginning.