The Conduit's Journey

Chapter One: Being Vocal

'Zephyr found himself sitting once again on the bed within his quarters with his legs crossed. He was currently attempting to meditate as he had been instructed to do so daily by the grandmaster'

'It had been becoming clearer to the council as the days passed that Zephyr had quite the temper when he was pressured. The grandmaster had decided Zephyr had to practice meditation quite regularly to try and remedy this'

'Zephyr was currently in quite a calm state, if the green glow coming from within his arms was anything to go by. As he was in a meditative state some of the smaller objects within his room had started to float, even the curtains were flowing weakly'

'Just as a red tinge had started to appear within the green glow underneath Zephyr's arms he was knocked out of his meditative state by a knock at the door'

'Having his focus broken Zephyr stood up and walked towards the door, pressing the button on the wall next to the door to open it '

'On the other side Ahsoka had been patiently waiting, earning a look of confusion from Zephyr'

Zephyr: *Can I help you?* 'Zephyr signed in confusion, tilting his head slightly as he did so'

Ahsoka: "I've been sent by grandmaster Yoda. He wants me to try and help you rehabilitate your speech" 'Ahsoka explains politely, trying her best to come off as friendly'

'As both parties involved stood in an awkward silence Zephyr tried to get a gauge on Ahsoka'

'He was still suspicious of the young Togruta. But she hadn't done anything to be labeled as such. She has even gone out of her way to help him figure out what was wrong with his eyesight'

Ahsoka: "Would you like to go talk this over some lunch? The dining hall is open" 'Ahsoka suggested in an unsure tone of voice, trying to break the tension in the air'

Zephyr: *I dont see why not* 'Zephyr signed with hesitance. Deciding to give Ahsoka the benefit of the doubt'

'Ahsoka had begun leading Zephyr down the halls of the Jedi temple. She was trying to be as discreet about it as possible but she was trying to focus on Zephyr'

'She was trying to sense his intentions or even just trying to sense something from him, but it was as if the force was clouded around him'

'Suffice to say. She was having quite the difficult time reading him or his mood'

'Eventually Ahsoka and Zephyr had found themselves seated at one of the many tables within the dining hall'

'The two had already gotten themselves a tray of food each. As the two sat down Zephyr glared at the tray, or rather the large amount of different vegetables on the tray'

Ahsoka: "Not a fan of greens?" 'Ahsoka asked with a chuckle, earning a shake of Zephyr's head'

Zephyr: *I find them un-appetizing* 'Zephyr signed in annoyance, using the plastic fork he had been provided to stab one of the strange plants'

Ahsoka: "So. Just how much do you think your voice has recovered?" 'Ahsoka asked curiously, earning an unsure expression from Zephyr'

Zephyr: *My throat doesn't hurt too much when I try to speak now. But I have yet to learn to how to use my voice modulator* 'Zephyr signed in a clearly annoyed manner as he explained'

Ahsoka: "Right. The separatists replaced your vocal chords...." 'Ahsoka said in realization. Having become very aware of how difficult this task may be'

'Ahsoka sat in thought for a moment, her fork sticking halfway out of her mouth as she had just taken a bite of her food'

Ahsoka: "Well....let's start with getting you to the point where you CAN use your voice modulator" 'Ahsoka stated, drawing away Zephyr's attention from his food'

Ahsoka: "Okay! So what have you been able to do so far?" 'Ahsoka asked curiously. Earning a confused expression from Zephyr'

Ahsoka: "Like what sort of vocalizations have you been able to do? Even if you weren't trying?" 'The young padawan asked,  causing Zephyr to cross his arms in thought, having leaned back in his chair'

'Zephyr then placed a hand on his throat, gripping the sides lightly as he coughed. After a brief coughing fit a distorted static like sound begins coming from his voice modulator'

'The static briefly fluctuated before the sound was replaced as if it were changing frequencies'

'Ahsoka almost instantly recognized the sound, having heard commando droids do the same thing before they replicated a voice'

Ahsoka: "Wait! Try and say something!" 'Ahsoka stated in a light surprised voice, earning a doubtful look from Zephyr

'Zephyr rolled his eyes momentarily before actively speaking'

Zephyr: "Something!" 'Zephyr stated with a sarcastic expression. Leaving both of them to stop in both silence and surprise'

'They weren't surprised because he spoke. But because he spoke in the exact excited tone and voice that Ahsoka had moments before'

'It was as if he had taken a clip of Ahsoka's voice and repeated it to her. Leaving the young Togruta in shock'

Ahsoka: "Did you just clip my voice?" 'Ahsoka asked in surprise, earning a shrug from Zephyr'

Zephyr: *Apparently* 'Zephyr signed in surprise, rubbing his neck in discomfort afterwards'

'Ahsoka thought for a moment, trying to come up with a more permanent solution than Zephyr taking and using clips from other people's voices'

Ahsoka: "Well that's a start. Over time you might even be able to find your own voice again" 'Ahsoka said in a reassuring tone, earning a half hearted smile from Zephyr'

'Ahsoka and Zephyr sat in a somewhat comfortable silence for a few minutes before Ahsoka started floating her now empty cup. Mostly out of boredom'

*To Be Continued*