Private A Day in the Life

[Amani Serys]

Centin Tillo

Amani hurried herself through the doorway as soon as Centin let her. She sat down in a rigid posture and placed the datacron on his desk for him to look at.

“Sorry about the clutter. I wasn’t expecting any guests,”

"S'fine." Amani mumbled back. Her eyes darted back and forth between Centin and the datacron, as he opened it and began to tinker. "I-I dunno. It seemed fine the last time I used it." The girl's response was somewhat defensive, uncomfortable with the perceived accusation against her. She tensed up even further when he pried regarding the contents, but his joke actually managed to elicit the opposite response, "Tch, what? N-no, how would I even have that? She's not even my actual master." Amani responded with a confused chuckle.

"Besides, I don't think Master Niwa even does anything other than teach classes and tend to her plants. She probably just... goes back to her quarters and stares at them growing." Amani laughed more lightly at her own attempt at a joke, and relaxed her posture to something more comfortable. Now that Centin was actually willing to help, she could place her trust in his ability to get the job done.

 

[Centin Tillo]

Amani Serys

Centin snorted softly through his nose at the plant spectator comment. He turned and faced her, now wearing a serious expression.

“Jokes Amani? Really, at a time like this?”

He watched her expression grow increasingly concerned at the comment. Meanwhile, his own grave expression cracked as a wry smile crept across his face.

“I’m only joking Amani, no need to look so worried.”

The padawan resumed his work, tinkering and toying with the datacron’s inner mechanisms. He unraveled the delicate wiring carefully and examined the connections.

“So… how’ve you been? It’s been a little while since we last talked.” He spoke with a hint of caution, trying not to aggravate the pair’s old wounds. “You know, Juno made me do some gardening work around the temple as punishment.” Centin visibly shuddered at the memory.

“Trimming shrubs, for hours every day. ‘It’ll help you find your center’ she said. More like she just wanted to make me suffer.” The venting session was accompanied by the occasional crackle of electricity as he soldered a new pigtail into place. “Jokes on her though, I can’t garden for shavit. Half of the bushes started wilting before she finally let me off the hook.” He chuckled at the image of Juno, her face burning red as she stared at the dying plants.

The padawan stopped to examine his handiwork and picked up the autopsied datacron. He noticed a few areas that required a bit more attention before the device would return to working form.

“Just about done by the way. Looks like it was just some loose connections from the usual wear and tear. You probably haven’t ever had this thing serviced have you?”

 

[Amani Serys]

Centin Tillo

Amani was wholly unprepared for Centin’s deadpanning. Immediately she froze up, swallowing nervously before he cracked, revealing his joking intent. The girl sighed, responding with an awkward laugh. Don’t even dare make jokes like that right now. She kept that thought to herself, but that’s definitely what she wanted to say in the moment.

Centin continued his work, seemingly content to keep the jokes a little more straightforward now, which was fine with her. Amani didn’t think he would even want to speak to her, let alone crack wise and fix her datacron on top of it. A nice subversion of expectations, to say the least. “I’ve been... good. Just, keeping quiet, focusing on my classes. You?” She shrugged.

Centin's next topic made her raise a brow, “She made you do gardening?” Amani laughed loudly, a bit at both Centin’s and Juno’s expenses as he wove his story. “That sounds exactly like her. ‘My name’s Juno, I’m moody all the time and I get off to other people’s sadness.’” She mocked the Knight’s voice, laughing again at her own joke.

Eventually the joking subsided, and Centin seemed nearly done with his craft. With a heavy sigh of relief, Amani ran her hand through her hair and smiled, “Oh, thank goodness.” She was deathly afraid that it might not be salvageable, but Centin worked his magic yet again. Apparently it was relatively easy to fix. Didn’t matter to her, it might as well have been magic. Amani rubbed the back of her neck, “Uh, no. Can’t say I have. Is there something I can do in the future to maybe keep this from happening?”

 

[Centin Tillo]

Amani Serys

Centin laughed at Amani’s impression. It seemed the initial awkwardness of the reunion had more or less completely melted away at Juno’s expense.

“Yep, that’s her alright. All edge all the time.”

He continued to reinforce the old connections, simple work that would probably have to be redone in a few years or so. The padawan then delicately replaced the datacron’s covering, putting the finishing touches on. A small wave of sadness washed over him.

What if this is it? What if we don’t talk again?

Amani’s well-timed question offered him the perfect solution.

“Well, you just need to have it looked at semi-regularly. Shouldn’t need much more than what I did to it here today.” He paused for a moment, still not facing her. “And you know, if you wanted, you could always just bring it back h-”

Click.

His voice was cut off by the sudden sound of Amani’s voice coming from the device.

 

[Amani Serys]

A few moments of static, and a pregnant pause filled the room.

The recording clicked on and began playing, the muffled sounds of the device being moved around could be heard, followed by the voice of an eight year old: Amani Serys.

<Uhhh… Hello? I don’t really know how this works. One of my new teachers told me to try it. She said that it might help me...cope? If I used this to talk to you.>

A nervous sigh followed, with a pause.

<So, the Jedi came and got me after… after we got sick. But, one of the Jedi helped me! He fixed me! And then he told me I was strong enough to be a Jedi! So-so-so now here I am! But… it still feels... a little weird.>

The emotion in her voice was regularly switching back and forth, a confused mix of sadness and excitement.

<I’m really looking forward to starting my training! It was my dream to be a Jedi, remember? Now I can! I just…... I just wish... you were here...>

In the silence, a few sniffles picked up, barely audible through the recording, eventually turning into muffled whimpers.

<I miss you...mama...papa…>

There was another long pause. before she finally spoke again, her tone shaky, but somewhat composed.

<...But... I hope you’d be proud of me… Goodbye, I love you.>

The recording clicked off, and the room filled with silence. Amani sat completely rigid for the entire time. The color almost drained from her face, her eyes wet with held back tears as they listened to the first of many chapters of her most private thoughts. When she finally snapped out of her mortified stupor, she quickly snatched the datacron, locking it back up, tucking it away, and standing up straight. “...Um, well, I should probably get back. Thank you, Centin, really.” The color flushed back into her face rapidly, and before she could risk giving anything a second thought, Amani took her leave.

Centin Tillo

 

[Centin Tillo]

2 Years Ago
Amani Serys

He rose from his seat as they neared their destination with a bored sigh. They hadn’t been told much about where they were headed, just that they would be involved with helping city security. Centin didn’t expect that they’d find much excitement on the job, save for a stray pickpocket or two. But, he reasoned, it sure beat having to mop the temple floors again.

The shuttle jolted slightly as it made contact with the landing pad and caused a rougher landing than Centin had expected. The jarring motion caused him to lose his balance and land roughly on the shuttle’s floor, accompanied by a resounding crunch of metal.

Oh no.

He stood up slowly and looked at his waist. The boy noticed a medium-sized dent in the casing of his protosaber’s rusted power supply and it seemed his fear was confirmed. He flicked the activation switch on the saber’s hilt, which flickered briefly before displaying his usual saber blade. An involuntary sigh of relief escaped his lips as he took in the sight. His attention quickly turned to the cockpit, the culprits of this near-catastrophe.

“Where does the Order find these kriffing pilots?” he asked rhetorically. He was on the verge of heading into the cockpit to give the pilots a piece of his mind before he noticed the look Amani was giving him. He shook his head and composed himself. “Sorry, you’re right. Let’s just get on with the mission.”

The bay doors opened and revealed Cyrillia’s industrial capital, prompting the pair to depart from the shuttle. Standing across the landing pad was a congregation of Jedi that appeared to be in the midst of a briefing.

Looks like we’re late.

They hurried over and joined the back of the huddle without drawing attention to their tardiness. Centin gave the speaker, some Jedi he’d never met, only half of his attention as he admired the city’s structures. Something about a city run mostly by droids couldn’t help but peak his interest slightly.

“Now remember, your job is just to keep an eye on things. If you notice any of the missing security droids or witness one disappear, be sure to bring it to my attention and do not follow. I don’t want any of you padawans vanishing too.”

The mention of disappearing droids caught his ear. It was probably nothing more than just scrappers trying to make a quick credit, but he couldn’t help but be intrigued by the mystery of it.

The briefing ended and the attendees disbanded, save for Centin and Amani. He turned to her with a curious smile and raised eyebrows.

“So, what do you say we ditch gate duty and go look for those missing droids?”

 

[Amani Serys]

“They’re just doing their jobs, Centin. You wouldn’t do any better.” Amani quietly admonished as they stepped off the ship. In actuality, if Centin hadn’t been focused on checking his saber, he would have seen the monetary look of abject terror that had been on Amani’s face during their shaky landing. Flying wasn’t really the Mirialan’s strong suit, and if there had been any prior warning, she likely would have freaked out more. But she was far better at composing herself, and let the moment pass so she could rein in Centin’s more vocal opposition.

Joining a few of the others that had arrived on Cyrillia, she bowed to the present master and listened in on the briefing. It seemed an easy enough task, but that didn’t mean it was time to start slacking.

Of course, with Centin nearby that was inevitable, and she was hardly surprised by his immediate attempt to derail the mission at hand. “They’re counting on us to help out here, Centin. This city relies heavily on their droid industry. And now with all the security droids disappearing they need extra hands to keep the peace in the meantime!” She whined, rolling her eyes.

Amani checked the map for their predetermined post, and would drag Centin along if she had to towards the destination. Most of the city seemed to be functioning decently enough, though without the typical automation that helped run the place, it was notably quieter. Nobody seemed to know why the droids were all up and vanishing, but for the citizens who have relied on those functions being filled by machines, they’ve struggled to keep everything in working order. They passed a few other pairs of Jedi, similarly working to help as local watchmen in case of any illegal activities. Those of higher rank were given more direct roles in peacekeeping, but Amani found fulfillment in small-time work. Everyone needed to play their part to keep things running smoothly.

“Shouldn’t be much further. Just another left up here-” Amani glanced away from her datapad for just a moment as a glint caught her eye, doing a double take to confirm what she just saw. Without looking away, she shoved the datapad into Centin’s chest and hushed him for extra precaution, pointing to the mousedroid scurrying across the empty street. The padawan chewed her lip as she contemplated their next course of action. “We should tell one of the masters.” There was the slightest hint of reservation in her voice, something no doubt Centin of all people could pick up on. Though not really one to break protocol, even she knew that doing so would pose a high risk of losing the droid again.

Centin Tillo​

 

[Centin Tillo]

Amani Serys

“We should tell one of the masters.”

The mouse droid moved quickly further down the street, readying to round a corner and vanish from their sight.

“Amani, you and I both know there’s no time,” he whispered, gesturing towards the droid. “If we don’t follow it now, that thing’s going to vanish just like the others.”

He began slowly creeping after the droid and motioned to the roof.

“You follow from up above and I’ll follow from down here. Don’t lose sight of it.”

Centin didn’t wait for confirmation as he quietly pursued the droid, pausing every so often to maintain a healthy distance. The automaton carved a labyrinthian path through the bare city avenues and almost seemed to move without purpose.

Almost.

The padawan was on the verge of calling it quits when the droid revealed its careful intent. As it turned a final corner it halted and rotated slowly, scanning for anyone that may have managed to follow it here. Centin just barely scrambled out of its eyeline and took cover in a nearby alleyway. He waited for the telltale sounds of squeaking axles to disappear entirely before revealing himself from his hiding position.

The droid ventured into the interior of what looked to be some sort of factory, though it was hard to discern exactly what laid inside from the street. He stood there inspecting the exterior until he was shortly joined by Amani.

“Well, looks like we found wherever these things might be going.” A pause and a raised eyebrow signaled his vexed contemplation of what exactly was happening here. “And they really don't want to be found.”

If the droids were being this careful it meant they definitely weren’t dealing with scrappers.

“Alright, I’m going in and getting to the bottom of this. You can either join me or go back and alert the others.” Centin began to creep forward towards the entryway slowly, a troublesome grin growing across his face. “Though it’d be quite a shame if I go in there all alone and something terrible happens.”

Hook, line and sinker.

 

[Amani Serys]

Centin Tillo​

“How did I know you were going to say that?” she said flatly, taking a step back. “He told us that if we saw a droid, we were supposed to go tell him. He even said do not follow. Very explicitly!”

The droid scurried down the next road, and Centin began his pursuit, motioning her to the roof. “What?!” She looked up in disbelief. At least here on the outskirts, the buildings weren’t very tall. Amani shook her head for even entertaining the thought. She stood silent in indecision for a moment. Then the thought became rather nagging.

Amani scoffed, and scrambled up the walls to follow suit from above. Being further behind meant she had to rely on tracking Centin more than the droid, though she caught sight of the abandoned factory sooner, and was able to deduce that point as the destination. She was able to cut the distance, and hopped down next to Centin around the same time he had stopped, hoping not to startle him as he hid from their pursuee’s line of sight.

The droid slipped inside the factory, and soon after there was no other sign of activity. “Weird. You think they’re all in there?”

Then yet again, Centin gave the predictable answer. Amani scowled at him from the side, grumbling in response. Centin knew damn well she wouldn’t just leave him behind. It was all part of his plan. “There is no emotion. There is peace.” She recited the mantra, doing her best to let the irritation that was his presence slide. She followed him inside, dragging her feet.

The heavy double doors that led to the factory were jammed ajar, letting in a thin streak of light from outside that gave them a vague impression of the interior. Old machinery and abandoned parts cast suspicious shadows that kept Amani on edge. The only thing guiding them forward right now was the faintest sound of the mouse droid’s squeaky wheels that continued to trail off further inside.

“Surely if they were all hiding in here, we would have seen more of them by now, right?” She mused, stepping into another large room. “It came in here, we know that much. Let’s just turn back and le-” The last word morphed into a shriek of surprise as lights blasted on, illuminating the room with intense brightness. A cacophony of machines whistled and groaned back to life, and in the moment of distraction Amani was unceremoniously dumped off of the conveyor belt she was unwittingly standing on.

Amani slammed down on her back and onto another assembly line. The breath shot out of her lungs on impact, and she had only a moment's notice to roll out of the way as a giant metal presser slammed down where she had been laying. “CENTIN! YOU-” She began to scold him like an angry mother before being interrupted. She was forced to dodge the machine again, this time rolling past it to the other side.