“The Jedi and the Thief”

“Othering” Taborr

Kai Brightstar is practicing his lightsaber skills against a training droid dressed as Taborr Val Dorn. Brightstar wins the duel, and his friends Lys Solay and Nubs praise him. However, Jedi Master Zia Zaldor Zanna is unhappy that Brightstar put a costume on the droid. Brightstar explains that it helps him stay focused. Solay and Nubs also have a turn at dueling with the droid.

When Zanna asks Brightstar if he wants to fight Val Dorn, Brightstar justifies his actions by saying that Val Dorn is a thief and pirate who hurts his friends. He believes that by fighting Val Dorn, he can make him stop causing harm. Zanna then invites Brightstar on a mission, just the two of them.

Mission with Master Zia

While traveling through hyperspace on their shuttle, Brightstar asks Zanna where they are going. Zanna explained that one of the Tenoo Jedi Temple’s cooling units broke, and she needed to fix it. She has a friend on a nearby desert planet with the necessary equipment. Upon landing at a settlement, Zanna tells Brightstar that she trained on the planet when she was his age. Brightstar expresses surprise, and Zanna explains that she wants to dress the training droid as Val Dorn to teach Brightstar about the complexities of being a Jedi.

As they discuss this, a Houk man named Faraz interrupts them and greets Zanna warmly. Zanna explains that she is seeking a spare Cryo-spanner, and Faraz suggests they could work out a deal. Brightstar asks Faraz what Zanna was like when she was his age. Faraz recalls that Zanna was a feisty youngling, always looking for opportunities to fight pirates, scrappers, or thieves. Zanna blushes and says that she has learned a lot since then.

Suddenly, they hear their shuttle engines firing up, and Brightstar realizes someone has stolen their shuttle. Zanna and Brightstar borrow Faraz’s speeder bike and chase after the shuttle through a canyon. Zanna races the bike up a stony ramp to jump on the shuttle. Though they cannot land the bike on top of the shuttle, Zanna and Brightstar use their Force powers to jump onboard. The bike spirals back to the ground and crashes. Zanna grumbles about destroying Faraz’s bike a second time.

An unexpected reunion

The two of them enter the cockpit, where they find the thief, who turns out to be Ace Kallisto, an old friend of Zanna’s. Kallisto laughs and comments that Zanna is getting slow in her old age. After seeing a Jedi shuttle, Kallisto realized it had to be Zanna’s and decided to steal it because of its value. Brightstar asks Zanna if she knows Kallisto, and she confirms that Kallisto is a well-known thief in the sector.

Brightstar flashes his lightsaber at Kallisto, but she laughs it off and asks who he is. Brightstar introduced himself and said he and Master Zia would retrieve the shuttle. While flashing his lightsaber, Brightstar loses his grip and damages the console, causing the ship to descend. Kallisto cannot regain control of the flight controls, and the three crash into a cave.

After they land, Brightstar asks what happened. Kallisto responds that his lightsaber damaged the controls and caused the shuttle to crash. Brightstar is shocked by the consequences of his reckless actions. Master Zanna has twisted her right ankle and cannot walk. Kallisto helps her up, and Zanna says they need to call for help, but Brightstar finds that the comm system was damaged during the crash. Kallisto’s comlink also needs to be fixed. Zanna realizes they crashed into a cave, preventing their signal from leaving.

Trusting Kallisto

Brightstar, Kallisto, and Zanna are trapped in a cave, and a fearsome stalaat blocks their path. Kallisto suggests they must work together to get out, but Brightstar hesitates to trust her because she is a thief. Zanna reminds him there is more to being a Jedi than fighting and tells him to trust her judgment.

Zanna explains that when she first met Kallisto, she didn’t like her because she was a thief, but she later realized that Kallisto could still choose to do good. Zanna tells Brightstar to go with Ace and trust her judgment while she stays behind with Kallisto.

As Brightstar and Ace leave, Kallisto looks at Zanna with concern.

Working together

Surveying the situation inside the cave, Kallisto instructs Brightstar to distract the stalwarts while she sneaks out and calls for help. However, Brightstar is suspicious of her intentions and does not trust her. Kallisto then proposes to distract the beasts herself to gain Brightstar’s trust. While they attempt to execute their plan, they find themselves trapped by two stalwarts. Abandoning their original plan, the two decide to flee the cave together. To their surprise, Brightstar realizes that the stalwarts are drawn to his lightsaber. Following Kallisto’s advice, he uses it to distract the animals.

Kallisto unexpectedly runs back to the starship, leaving Brightstar behind. The two stalwarts close in on Brightstar, ready to attack him with their teeth and fangs. Fortunately, Kallisto and Zanna use the shuttle’s cannons to scare off the stalwarts and save Brightstar. After running outside the cave, Brightstar sends a distress message on his comlink but initially hears static. Eventually, he receives a reply from the rescue team, who informs him that they have a lock on his comm and are sending a rescue.

Several droids arrive on a repair shuttle to fix the damaged Jedi shuttle. Kallisto tells Zanna that Brightstar shares her good qualities and is confident he will turn out well. Zanna agrees and asks if Kallisto will also become good. Kallisto replies that it’s unlikely, but she enjoys meeting with them and hopes to see them again. Zanna thanked one of the droids, telling it that she felt better.

Kai’s lesson

Brightstar embraces Zanna and admits that he has been pondering whether Kallisto is good or bad. When Zanna inquires about his opinion, he says that stealing is immoral, but he acknowledges that Ace had saved her when he could have easily left her behind. Zanna nods, and Brightstar realizes she is not as terrible as he initially thought. He believes that people can choose to change and do good. He then asks Zanna if she thinks Kallisto can change her ways, to which she agrees. Brightstar adds that if Kallisto can change, then Val Dorn can also.

Returning to the Tenoo Jedi Temple, they see Solay and Nubs training with the training droid, dressed like Val Dorn. Zanna limps, and Brightstar explains that she had jumped from a speeder onto a shuttle in midair. When Solay expresses surprise, Zanna remembers that she needs to buy Faraz a new speeder bike.

Brightstar laughs but recalls his newfound appraisal of Val Dorn. He tells Solay and Nubs that they don’t need to pretend to fight Val Dorn anymore and removes the Taborr costume from the training droid. He believes that being a Jedi is about fighting and choosing to do good, even for pirates like Val Dorn. Brightstar thanks Zanna for helping him understand this lesson before engaging in a lightsaber training session with his friends.

“The Missing Kibbin”

Finding Figgles

The story begins with Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay, and Nubs waiting to be served at Hap’s Sap Tap in Kublop Springs. The trio decides to try out one of Hap’s snacks. Hap offers them various choices, including the Tenooan channelfish dumplings and the spicy vegetable and riverweed dumplings. Solay and Nubs are impressed with their snacks. However, before Brightstar can try his snack, he hears a commotion outside the cafe.

A female blue-skinned Twi’lek bumps into a Dowutin man, causing him to drop objects from a box. Brightstar tells his friends that someone is causing a mess in the Kublop Springs marketplace and convinces them to investigate. The three Jedi Initiates find the Dowutin rummaging through the trash cans, searching for something. After introducing themselves, Brightstar asks the Dowutin, Ansen Strung, why he was rummaging through the trash. Strung explains that he is a bounty hunter tasked with finding a pet kibbin named Figgles.

Solay informs the group that a kibbin is a small, furry animal. Strung initially thinks that searching for a kibbin is beneath his work as a bounty hunter but accepts the job since he is getting little work. Strung’s customer has offered him a big reward if he finds the kibbin before evening, but he fears running out of time. Brightstar offers to help since Jedi are supposed to help people. Strung is initially reluctant to accept outsiders’ help and says he has enough equipment, including jet boots, detonators, and binocs.

Working together

Solay presses a button on his gauntlet, which releases an energy net that traps Nubs. Strung quickly frees Nubs, and then Brightstar and Solay offer to help Strung find the missing kibbin before evening. Strung initially refuses to accept help but eventually agrees, stating he will not share the reward. Nubs and the others accept his terms.

Brightstar suggests speaking to the friendly people of Kublop Springs, as kibbins are easily scared and good at hiding in small spaces. However, Strung’s aggressive questioning of two Mon Calamari children scares them off. Solay intervenes and shows the children a hologram image of the kibbin, asking if they have seen it. The first Mon Calamari child recalls that his sister saw something snatch the Channelfish they had recently caught from the boat. Brightstar sees This as a clue, but Strung demands that the children hand over their metal bucket. Solay suggests he could ask his question more politely, and Strung finally remembers to say please. The children hand him the bucket, and Nubs spots some kibbin tracks on the nearby wooden dock. Strung uses his Macrobinoculars to determine where the kibbin went.

The Jedi younglings and Strung track the kibbin to Nash Durango’s home. Durango denies seeing the kibbin and is surprised that a bounty hunter is looking for a cute animal. Strung boasts of his bounty-hunting skills before Brightstar asks permission to look around. Strung reluctantly agrees, and they begin searching the house, including a cupboard. When Nubs struggles to climb the cupboard, Strung allows him to climb on his back. They search the upper shelves but find no sign of the kibbin. Brightstar finds a half-eaten channel fish sandwich on a plate with kibbling teeth marks on it. Strung cheers that they have found another clue, and Nubs falls from the cupboard, but the Dowutin bounty hunter catches it.

The first attempt

Brightstar spots a trail of breadcrumbs and leads the pursuit. He hands the sandwich back to Durango, who munches on them. The breadcrumbs lead to the Chadra-Fan Marlaa Jinara’s junkyard. Jinara says that he has not sent a kibbin. When Brightstar provides a description, Jinara realizes he saw the kibbin rummaging through a pile of channelfish cans. Strung wants to capture the animal, but Solay warns him not to scare it. Realizing that piles of junk surround Figgles, Brightstar proposes they work together to surround it before the kibbin runs away. Strung decides he doesn’t need the younglings’ help and attempts to capture Figgles alone.

Despite Solay’s warning, Strung charges and attempts to trap Figgles with his energy net. However, the kibbin can escape and jumps on top of his head. Figgles then runs circles around the younglings before fleeing the junkyard. The younglings need to find out where Figgles went. Strung expresses frustration about his bounty-hunting skills and inability to find a pet. Strung thinks he is getting too old and wants to give up bounty hunting. Solay and Brightstar encourage him not to give up. Brightstar reminds him that they found the kibbing by working together as a team and says they can do it again. Nubs strokes him on the head.

Strung accepts that Figgles escaped because he was trying to catch the creature alone. Strung recognizes the merits of teamwork and asks the younglings if they genuinely want to help him. While holding a can of channelfish, Solay decides that they could make the kibbin come to them. Based on Figgles’ earlier movements, Solay realizes that the kibbin likes to eat channelfish and suggests they can use Hap’s channelfish dumplings to lure it out of hiding and capture it.

Teamwork

The Jedi younglings work together to lure Figgles out of hiding using a bowl of channelfish dumplings. They use their Force powers to encircle the animal with cargo boxes. Strung traps Figgles inside an energy net after Brightstar’s signal. Solay soothes the animal by offering it a channelfish dumpling and tells Figgles they want to return it home. Strung allows the kibbin to climb on him and jokes that the animal was his hardest job.

Later, the younglings and Strung socialize with Figgles at Hap’s Sap Tap. Raena Zess joins them and thanks Mr. Ansen for finding her pet. She cuddles and strokes Figgles and praises Strung as the best bounty hunter in the Outer Rim Territories, which Brightstar agrees with. Strung admits he has never been hired to find a lost pet before and credits the Jedi younglings for helping him. Brightstar tells Zess that they are happy she got her pet back. Zess pays Strung and takes Figgles home.

After his successful hunt, Strung decides to spend more time in Kublop Springs, saying that he has learned the importance of teamwork and finds the locals friendly. Hap serves Strung and the younglings a fresh plate of channelfish dumplings. Strung decides to treat the children to more dumplings and sap beverages as a reward for their teamwork but tells them to avoid getting used to it.