So named because it is located one thousand, three hundred, and thirteen levels from the core of Coruscant, Level 1313 is distanced from the politics of the upper levels. Overlooking the chasm burrowing further into Coruscant’s core, one can watch freighters transporting their illicit cargo between levels. One misstep would send the careless careening into the bottomless pit, or aid the local gangs in staging “accidents.”

Weathered duracrete forms the retainer along the chasm wall, built in concentric rings that descend down an untold height. Strengthened with solid durasteel braces, maintenance has not been needed this far into Coruscant for a long time. Nevertheless, droids pre-programmed to fill in the cracks and crevices that might form in the walls float on repulsorlifts without drawing attention from the criminal gangs. The gangs themselves are focused on their next smuggling operation or struggle for control over Coruscant’s scum-filled underbelly.

Centam knew he would get into trouble. He should have been back in the Caelus System doing his job as the newly minted Taldryan Gatekeeper. Looking after the Taldryan Tower, and those within it, was his responsibility, and one he accepted and treated with the utmost respect and earnestness. Yet, what kind of Jedi would he be if he didn't try to help those in need?

He loved Coruscant. The massive ecumenopolis was a haven of technology and wonder to him. Even the old stomping grounds of the Jedi left more questions and curiosities that Centam wanted to explore.

Alas, that was just the surface. The lower levels of Coruscant were a different story. Tales of illegal spice trades, robberies, kidnappings, murder, and gang violence resonated in his ears from whoever was willing to share their stories. Level 1313 was one such place where these stories took place. Centam had been there for a few days, and he seldom remembered what natural sunlight looked like. He had descended so far into Coruscant's murky depths that only the lighting clinging to the walls illuminated the streets. Graffiti and symbols hugged said walls, a sign of a gang claiming their territory.

Not anymore. He'd been sure to clear them out. The Twi'Lek family dwelling had been returned to them after Centam ran the gang off. It was nothing a trained Force user like him couldn't handle.

"Thank you…" an old Twi'lek said, clasping Centam's fingers in his hands.

The young Jedi smiled back at the old man, and the family waiting behind him. Things were going to get a lot better for them. It might only be one small, good deed on a massive planet, but it made all the difference that Centam could use his powers for good.

"You are more than welcome," Centam said, bowing his head. The old man released his gentle hold of Centam's hands, allowing him to be on his way. "Come on, R2. Let's go."

His companion, a little R2 series astromech, chirped and followed after him. At first, Centam smiled from ear to ear. One day, he would be an example for other aspiring Jedi to follow, just like he looked up to the legends of Obi-Wan-Kenobi, Yoda, and Mace Windu. However, he didn't get very far before that all came crashing down on him. It was a feeling in the Force, one he recognised clearly, and it didn't seem to be too happy with him.

A drop of sweat fell down Centam's face. "Kriff…"

"Oh kriff, indeed."

A man in crimson-red Mandalorian appeared from around a street corner. The T-shaped visor glared back at Centam, and the golden lightning bolt on his chest left no doubt as to who it was.

"Supreme Chancellor, what are you doing here?" Centam asked, his nerves rising.

"Just Appius is fine, Centam. No need for titles when it's just the two of us," Appius said. He then folded his arms across his chest. "You were supposed to report back to the Taldryan Tower five days ago."

"I'm aware, sir. I just got distracted…"

"Distracted!? You've been gone for five days!" Appius held out all the fingers on one of his hands towards Centam. "This was supposed to be a simple diplomatic mission to acquire supplies across our trade routes. Nothing more."

"I know that, but…"

"What was so important that you couldn’t come back right away?" Appius asked.

"These people needed my help."

Appius lowered his head, and let out a heavy sigh. "Centam, you can't go gallivanting around the lower levels of Coruscant like some sort of knight in shining armor trying to help every single person that needs it."

"I have to at least try!" the young Jedi protested. "It's the right thing to do!"

"Maybe so, but you have responsibilities elsewhere," Appius pointed to the lightsaber pistol attached to Centam's waist. "That weapon indicates as such."

"I can't just abandon these people. I'm making a difference! Can't you see that!?"

"Very well. If that's how you feel," Appius then held out his hand. "Hand it over."

Centam went wide-eyed as the feeling of his heart dropping into his gut uneased him.

"What?" he asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"You heard me," Appius said. "Hand it over. the Bryar Lightsword. If you wish to remain here, then I will have no choice but to strip you of both rank and position."

"No…" Centam's hand instinctively grazed the artifact strapped to his waist. "My loyalty is to Taldryan, to the Republic!"

"You can't do both!" Appius raised his voice, startling the young man. "You can either stay and help the people here and sacrifice everything you've achieved in Taldryan, or you can come back and resume your duties. What's it going to be, Centam?"

"I…I…"

This was the impossible choice. He was loyal to Taldryan, almost to a fault. The Clan had provided training, education, a place to eat and sleep, a place to grow his power and become the Jedi he was destined to be. Yet, what was the point of all of that if he couldn't use his powers for good? It wasn't fair! In this situation, Centam's mind went into overdrive. He tensed his body, grit his teeth, and did the only thing he could do when his morals and ideals were challenged like that.

He lashed out.

He thrust forward both arms, and Appius barely had time to recoil before he was blasted by a powerful wave of energy. The Taldryan Supreme Chancellor soared through the air, then collided spine-first with a stone wall. He let out an involuntary gasp at the sudden pain that shot up his back. The wall itself was home to a makeshift shop of sorts, and his crash rocked the shelving and sent merchandise crashing around him. An angry Toydarian began fluttering around him, screaming a bunch of expletives in a language not usually heard on Coruscant.

"Sithspit…" Centam cursed to himself. What was he thinking!? He had just attacked the Supreme freaking Chancellor of the Taldryan Republic! "What have I done?"

R2-OB1 beeped beside him.

"This is not the time!" Centam bellowed back at the droid.

Appius slowly approached, each step echoing upon the Coruscant duracrete. Sparks of electricity began to show themselves, darting between his fingertips. "You, young man, have just made a terrible mistake!"

The hairs on Centam's arms stood on end, and a cold chill descended down his spine. Appius was angry. "Sir! Appius! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Centam was cut off when he felt a tug at the back of his mind, a klaxon alarming him in advance of imminent danger. Said danger presented itself in the form of lightning darting in his direction. He acted on instinct, and narrowly dodged the lethal currents of power as they surged dangerously close to his head.

R2-OB1 beeped and chirped loudly beside him, rocking back and forth in place, trying to warn him.

Centam then felt another tug from the Force, though this one was foreign, and not of his will. It came from Appius, who had his left hand held out towards him. The young Jedi suddenly careened towards him like he had been pulled on a tether by a rancor. He couldn't do anything to react as Appius pulled his right hand arm back, balled his right hand into a fist, and slammed it into Centam's cheek. Pain instantly rushed to where the punch connected, and the impact halted his momentum and dropped him down at Appius' feet.

Centam winced at the pain, and instinctively raised an arm to his cheek. He went wide-eyed when he heard a distinct sparking above him. His heart nearly jumped out of his throat when he saw Appius standing above him about to blast him with lightning. Centam thought quickly, summoning the Force through his body. He pushed himself off of the ground just in time, using his Force-enhanced mobility to avoid the tendrils of lightning that struck the floor where he had been milliseconds prior. He spun in the air, and landed on his feet.

HOWL!

Centam recognised that sound all too well, and it was not a sound he wanted to hear. An emerald blade swung at him, clipping the edge of his cloak. Appius swung again, haphazardly, and unpredictable in his movements. Centam barely stepped out of the way each time, until he backed up against a weathered, duracrete structure that only stood thanks to the durasteel braces that held it in place.

Appius then cut into it. The Force alarmed Centam of its inevitable collapse, and an idea crossed his mind. He leapt out of the way of the structure, and focused his power in the Force on a weak spot in the foundation. He yanked on it like a tether, causing the wall to tumble down like a literal tonne of bricks on Appius. Dust and debris kicked up in the air, causing Centam to cough. R2-OB1 was right there, beeping at his side.

Centam placed a hand on top of the droid. He reached out with his senses, and sure enough, he felt Appius. "I'm fine, R2. You need to get out of here. It's too dangerous for you now."

As if to make a point, that was when Appius emerged from the cloud of dust, lightsaber still in hand, unharmed and unscathed after using the Force around himself for protection. Centam then steeled his eyes, and reached for the artifact strapped to his waist. He activated the lightsword, and a bright, purple blade emerged from it. A combination of light and dark, a weapon designed to protect with the capability to kill. Centam positioned his body to the side, blade held close to his body, spare arm held out.

"Using Niman against me, huh?" Appius said. He reached for a second hilt, this one identical to the one already in his hand. Just like the first, an emerald blade ruptured out of the hilt, roaring like an angered kraft dragon. Appius connected the ends of his weapon together, forming a saberstaff. "I've trained in it for as long as you've been alive. Let's see if you can impress me, Jetti."

Centam knew it would be a close battle. He had never gone up against a saberstaff before and didn't really want to have his first experience with one be in a high-stakes duel, especially against his Supreme Chancellor.

“I will do what I must, Appius,” Centam replied, his mind racing with strategies to end this as quickly as he could while causing as little damage as possible to the surroundings. “But I will not harm you again. I made that mistake before, and I will not repeat it.”

The crimson-clad Mandalorian appeared to consider this for a moment, then swung the green-bladed saberstaff at him without warning. Centam barely got his lightsaber up in time to deflect the blow and staggered backwards under the massive force of it.

The next few attacks came so quickly that only Centam’s connection to the Force allowed him to discern them as separate. Yet each time, he was ready, bringing the purple lightsaber into position to intercept them.

As Appius struck at him, Centam saw an opening.

Swinging his weapon at the saberstaff’s hilt, he forced Appius back for just enough time to catch a breath, then the Mandalorian regained his advantage, swinging the dual blades all around in order to avoid another loss of balance.

Centam backed away from the swirling wall of death Appius had become, blocking only the strikes that came his way. But despite this careful defense, one green blade still slipped past his guard and grazed his left shoulder.

Pain flared as the hot plasma burned his skin, and he dropped to one knee, barely managing to keep his focus on the fight. Ignoring the agony only through sheer force of will built by months of training, he began to use his lightsaber one-handed, calling on the Force, letting it flow through him to amplify his strength and keep his arm steady. His left arm dangling at his side, Centam knew he had to act quickly if he wanted to stay alive for much longer.

He shoved the ground, jumping with all his might and that of the Force, and flipped over the Mandalorian’s head, trying to land behind him.

But Appius was ready for this, and with a surge of power, Centam was thrown back further than he had intended, slamming against the ground on his wounded shoulder, which released an additional burst of pain as the cauterized veins broke open. Getting slowly to his feet and calling on everything he had, he released a surge of Force energy that drove the Supreme Chancellor back long enough for Centam to nurse his injury and prevent further loss of blood.

Centam could feel the Mandalorian’s eyes glaring at him through the visor of his helmet as Appius stalked forward, holding the saberstaff in his left hand at an angle that hid the back blade behind his body, his right outstretched and ready to deliver another blast of the powerful Force lightning.

His wounded arm throbbing at his side, Centam brought the purple-bladed lightsaber back to ready position, with the blade angled away from Appius, and waited for the Mandalorian’s next move.

Appius wasn't going to admit it out loud, but he had to admire Centam getting back to his feet. Most would have surrendered. The loss in the usage of a limb would be more than enough to deter many would-be-attackers from trying their luck against him. Yet, here stood Centam, blade in hand, with steely-eyes despite the pain he was feeling. He really was the embodiment of the Jedi spirit, never giving up in the face of adversity like a loyal Arx Wolf ready to defend all that it had been taught. He stood resilient and defiant, a refusal to give up his ideals. In him, Appius saw what he wanted Taldryan to become. Maybe one day, Centam would be the Supreme Chancellor of the Taldryan Republic? A Jedi taking over the Republic, how ironic was that?

Unfortunately, this was no training match, and Centam needed to be taught a lesson in respect. The universe wasn't black and white, and it wasn't as simple as Light or Dark. It was many shades of grey, and no matter how many times you tried, you can't always get everything you want.

Manda only knew how many times Appius had tried.

"If you aren't willing to hurt me, then you've already lost," Appius said, like he was declaring a harsh truth.

Lightning ruptured from Appius' fingertips, soaring in Centam's direction. The Jedi held his nerve, using the purple blade to absorb the tendrils of electricity like shock-proof leather. He tensed, and immediately, he was driven back onto one knee. The lightning mercifully stopped seconds later, and the astromech R2 unit strolled up to its master, beeping in worrying tones.

"I'm fine, R2, but you need to get out of here now!" Centam urged.

The Jedi's distraction was what Appius was searching for. He pulled his arm back, and launched his makeshift saberstaff at Centam's head. The young man went wide-eyed, but ducked his head underneath the emerald blades as they passed over him. The blades dropped to the floor and separated moments later.

Appius seized his chance whilst Centam was distracted. He poured the Force through his body, opening himself to it like an open tap running water. He moved faster than a man in heavy armor had any right to move, and in the time it took for Centam to blink, Appius was on him. The Supreme Chancellor grabbed hold of the Jedi's injured arm, bending it back in a way that was entirely unnatural for humans. Centam cringed as he bit his tongue to not gasp in pain. The pressure was placed on the joint in Centam's shoulder, and every time he moved, every time he squirmed, Appius was there like an arbiter of torture.

"This seems to be the end. It's a shame, I expected much more from you, Centam. You had a bright future, but if this is all I'm gonna get from you, then there's no sense in dragging it out!"

Luckily for Centam, he had a guardian angel, or rather, a loyal droid companion. Appius was so distracted that he failed to notice the droid sneak up behind him. It unleashed its shock prods into the back of the Appius' exposed thighs, jolting the Mandalorian. How ironic it was that he was the one getting shocked.

"The frakk!?" he wailed, involuntarily releasing his hold on Centam. "You little sithspit!"

Sparks danced between Appius' fingertips, but before he could unleash his form of electricity revenge on the droid, Centam used his one good arm and pulled at one of Appius' legs. He fell face first to the floor, and lightning hissed in a random direction away from the little droid.

Centam stumbled back to his feet and rounded on the astromech. "R2, for the last time, get out of here!"

Appius was back on his feet in seconds, and he stretched out his hand towards his joint weapons that lay on the ground several feet away. The hilts landed comfortably in his hands, and the Mandalorian Force User didn't hesitate to activate the twin blades. A violent growl ruptured out of the hilts, like a pair of predators hungry for their prey. He quickly turned to the R2, and if Appius wasn't sure droids could feel fear, then he just witnessed it in the way the astromech recoiled away from him. With a slight gesture of his fingers, Appius blasted the droid with a wave of telekinetic energy, sending the R2 unit careening into a nearby wall with a deafening screech.

"R2!" Centam shouted at the top of his lungs.

Then, Appius felt it. Even through the slowly mounting fatigue, the feeling of the Force crawling through his mind sent shivers down his spine. The feeling of imminent danger as clear as waves on a beach. Appius spun to face the peril head-on, as any Mandalorian worth his salt would, when he heard the unmistakable sound of blaster fire in front of him.

Centam was desperate, that much was obvious in the way he had resorted to the Bryar Lightsword's blaster mode. The young Jedi bit his lip, a scowl plastered on his face as he concentrated on using the weapon in his good hand. He didn't like resorting to it, as was evident by his lack of skill with it.

Yet, what other choice did he have? Appius had to admire his determination, even as the blaster bolts pinged off of his armor like tiny pebbles being thrown at him.

They did nothing, and Appius stalked forward undeterred, forcing Centam to take dogged steps backwards away from him. Eventually, the young Jedi reached the end. There was no more path, and instead, he was met with the massive void that descended into darkness as black as a Sith's heart. Maintenance droids buzzed in the air, completely ignoring Centam's distress as he took one step too far back over the ledge. He flailed his good arm, and was about to fall, when Appius reached out with the Force and held him in mid-air. Centam slowly tilted his head to look at his savior, evident and justified confusion on his face. Appius carefully pulled him back onto solid ground, allowing the Jedi to regain his footing.

"You saved me?" Centam asked in a wary tone.

Appius retracted the blades of his weapons. He placed them back on the straps attached to his hips. "I did."

Centam eased slightly when he saw Appius retract his weapons, but he kept his grip on the Bryar Lightsword. One could never be too careful. "Why?"

Appius sighed. "Look, I understand. I used to be a Jedi like you. I used to want to help everyone I could, but you have to understand that you accepted responsibility. You can't divide your time like this, because if you do, no-one is helped. We are still recovering from the Children of Mortis’ attack, and the civilians need all hands on deck to help lift them up."

Centam turned his head away, his eyes pointing towards the floor. "I just wanted to help, to do the right thing by the Jedi and Taldryan."

"And you can," Appius placed a hand on Centam's good shoulder. "But not like this. You need to take one step at a time. Help Taldryan, help Port Kasiya as our Gatekeeper, and eventually, the goodwill spread across the galaxy."

Centam raised his head to him. "Does this mean I get to keep the weapon?"

Appius had to suppress the chuckle that threatened to escape his mouth. "For now, though, if you ever try a stunt like this again, I won't be quite as nice."

"This is you being nice?" Centam asked.

Appius repressed the smirk on his face, thankful that his helmet kept it from plain sight. "Go get your droid, and we will get that arm of yours healed. It's time we left."

Centam nodded sheepishly and moved towards the piles of rubble, the evidence of their struggle. His head turned back to Appius, mumbling a barely audible thank you before he continued his search. Appius watched the young man, a glimmer of hope warmed him from within.

Indeed, Taldryan's future was destined to be bright, he just had to make sure it was nurtured correctly.

He didn’t have to wait long. With a surge of power, Appius shot lightning directly at him, and had it connected, Centam might have been weakened and unable to continue the fight. However, having been warned by the Force in time, Centam caught the crackling tendrils of energy on the lightsaber blade. They slammed into it with enough force to drive Centam back a few steps, his feet skidding on the weathered duracrete floor. Recovering quickly, his mind laser-focused on the battle, he struggled forward, amplifying his strength through the Force.

The stream of electricity ebbed away as Centam neared the Mandalorian, halting completely as he stopped a single pace from Appius. Deactivating the saberstaff’s twin blades, the Supreme Chancellor struck Centam’s solar plexus with a clenched right fist, driving the wind out of him with an explosion of air as Centam fell to his knees; then stepped back, out of range of any retaliation. But none came.

Centam cursed as he struggled for breath. He had completely forgotten about Appius’ mastery of Mandalorian Core, and now he had paid the price.

Splitting the saberstaff’s twin lightsabers apart, Appius placed them back on his belt, freeing both his hands so he could use his devastating martial arts more effectively. But before he could strike a second time, Centam deactivated the lightsword, clipped it to his belt, and held up his hand.

“Stop,” he said, his head bowed as he gasped for air. “You win. There is nothing I can do now, and I accept whatever consequence you decide is best.”

When Centam looked up, he saw the Mandalorian’s hand outstretched. Centam reached for the treasured lightsword, intending to deliver it to the Supreme Chancellor. But Appius pulled his hand back.

“No,” he said, holding his hand out again. “You have earned it. It takes courage to stand up for what you know is right. When you said that you would not make the mistake of harming me again, I began to realize how hard it must have been to have your beliefs challenged like that, and I am sorry.”

Centam looked at the Mandalorian’s visor for a few seconds, then took the offered hand as Appius hauled him back to his feet.

“No, I’m sorry,” he replied, shaking his head. “I should not have lashed out like that. It was not the act of a Jedi, and I deserve to be punished.”

“Nonsense,” Appius said. “You may have been acting foolishly, but your original intentions were to help, not hurt. You have made great progress on your path to becoming a great Jedi, and there is no shame in that.”

“Still,” Centam insisted. “I attacked you. Surely that cannot go unpunished-”

“Your anguish about having struck me is punishment enough,” the Mandalorian said, interrupting Centam’s despair.

“Now get back to work.”