Vow of Silver Dawn Chapter 21

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PDF link: https://mega.nz/file/2YtXXIgC#M4JgaJ9TtMSqAj3gXINvqyMt13Yn_z_l0cG2XxUTCv0
As always, I recommend that over reading that one.
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Chapter 21: A Jedi Knight's Heating Rod
By 国王陛下, Translated by 74translations
Notes at the end

	Shawn was in no particular rush to reply, instead carefully scanning the bill one item at a time.

	This seemed to startle Li Yu, "I trust you'll go over it carefully? I'm also hoping that when you loudly declare this to be highway robbery, I'll get to throw my proof in your face."

"In truth, you've made a number of fraudulent reports. Should he find them, the one who will be taking it in the face will be you," Bai interjected.

	"You didn't have to say it aloud! He's an outsider, how the hell would he have known!?" Li Yu shouted back, incensed.

	"Had the outsider found out, your face would have hurt considerably more," Bai replied.

	"Who the hell gave your bickering subroutines an upgrade!?"

	"It was you, naturally."

	Shawn paid their bickering no mind, as he was preoccupied with carefully examining the bill.

	Indeed, he was an outsider, but that wasn't to say he knew nothing of the Qian System, and Shawn was particularly sensitive about prices. It was easy to judge most of the items listed, and through what was listed, ascertain more details.

	Three cans of Bacta, 5180 Qiankun Credits per unit, no doubt the true local value.

	A pair of magnetic bands, 108 Qiankun Credits per unit, that too fell within reasonable limits.

	Ten advanced light-detection chips, 2000 Qiankun Credits per unit

	Upon reading this, Shawn turned his head to the crate full of electronics he had hid in, where he saw that his bleeding had contaminated its contents, and those on the top layer had been crushed.

	Shawn took one out, examined its construction, extrapolated its performance, and calculated a market price.

	2000 per unit, as it turns out, was a reasonable amount.

	This kid's not  going to see through everything is he?" Li Yu let out rather flatly.

"If you want to adjust the bill, there is still time," Bai suggested.

"Absolutely not! I don't believe for a moment that he'll manage to catch it all!"

Again, Shawn paid them no notice, and continued.

Life-saving drugs, damage to one of the containers full of loot, all-in-all totalling just around 20,000 Qiankun Credits. It seemed that the lion's share of the cost would be on the second page.

Fuel, engine maintenance fees, disposable mechanical arms, emergency shield batteries...

The items themselves weren't priced particularly high, but the fact that they had been listed implied that Li Yu had also regarded their later-stage looting operation as being included in his operational costs.

In Shawn's opinion, Li Yu seemed a sensible person, so their inclusion had to serve some purpose.

	He thought it over a bit, and eventually came to an answer.

	"Were you waiting there to rescue me, specifically?"

	Li Yu paused for a moment, before suddenly smiling, "It's always like this with clever folk. On the upside, it saves me the trouble, but on the downside, I don't get to get through all my lines. I thought for sure I'd have more time to explain it all to you. Well, you're absolutely correct. I've had my eye on you for a while. Starting from when you took down those three fools, those Huang Shou idiots didn't even notice that you had cracked their comms."

	Shawn paused for a moment, as he hadn't anticipated that he'd be exposed so quickly, but as he thought about it, he realized that the unorganized rabble's comms net had in all likelihood long since been compromised.

	Li Yu had just told the pirates off by saying that they should all mind their own business. Li Yu the honest and trustworthy, indeed.

	Li Yu laughed heartily, "I'm the sort of person who finds the greatest joy in helping others. That other rabble is just about capable of coming up with that blood oath of theirs. They couldn't even manage a close communication network, and I’m hardly wanting for tech here, so I helped them out and sold them one."
	Shawn looked at the bill for millions of credits that was displayed in front of him. "The sort of person who finds greatest joy in helping others" indeed.

	"And you," Li Yu continued, "seem to enjoy helping others as well. So when I saw you expose yourself without hesitation to help those ladies out, I figured I'd lend you a hand. And you most certainly did not disappoint, seeing as you also provided me with the opportunity to make millions."

	With that said, Li Yu seemed once again eager for Shawn to try and find fault with the bill.

	Shawn looked him straight in the eyes, and said, "It's clear to me that these values are fair."

	"Wait wait wait, that's it!? You're sure? Nothing seems misreported to  you?"

"It doesn't."

"Dammit, you're real boring, you know that?" Li Yu said, his great disappointment evident, as though even the great sums of money weren't worth it, "Well, that's fine too then. So, how are you intending to pay for it all then?"

"I'll pay you later," Shawn replied.

To which Li Yu had nothing to say.

"I have no money on me, no Qiankun credits, no credit chits of any kind," Shawn explained, "in fact you should've already known that I had no money."

	"I had no idea," Li Yu began, with exaggerated sorrow, "that there still existed anyone who could so earnestly suggest simply paying off a debt later."

	To which Shawn replied, "I may have no money at the moment, but I still intend to pay you back. I have no doubt in my ability to do so."

Li Yu spent a while at a loss for words before saying, "Bai, I think we might've lucked out with this one."

	To which Bai replied, "You do not listen to my advice. There are plenty of 'lucky' opportunities."

	Li Yu just shook his head, "Yeah I suppose you could work off your debt. It just so happens I've got an availability. You seem skilled, and I could make use of your recklessness. You'd be useful in my little knight company."
	Though, before he could finish, Shawn interrupted, "I have something to ask of you."

That wasn't something Li Yu was going to just let by, "Have you perhaps misunderstood our relationship here? I saved your life, for one, and now you want to make a request?"

	"It certainly doesn't seem like you have any way to compel him into paying his debt first," Bai addeda.

	"So you mean I've spent a million credits for nothing?" Li Yu sighed.

Shawn had little knowledge of the turns of phrases of the Qian System, so he filtered the sentiment back to something he could better understand. In summary, help your subordinates so they can better help you.

	Li Yu paused for a moment, before turning to Bai and saying, "Make a note of this, from here on out, to be enshrined in our code of the Silver Knights, such that if anyone speaks a word of it, they'll be demoted to food taster."

	"Detox treatments cost a great deal."

	"Deduct it from their salaries, and if that's not enough, they can sell their organs." Li Yu said, nastily.

	Shawn continued to ignore them, and went on ahead with his request: "I want to watch the Clear River Newsb."

	Hearing this unfamiliar name, Li Yu turned to his assistant who quickly gave him the details: "A small scale news station operating on the holonet, it's not particularly popular, and has a small staff. It is notable only for its female anchor, who possess a large chest."

Li Yu asked, eyes twinkling, "Do you have a picture?"

	Bai wordlessly activated her wrist-mounted holographic projector, from which sprung a lizard with a huge head. As the projection was sized up a great deal, the holographic lizard's face seemed as though it were pressed up against Li Yu's.

	Li Yu swore and dived backwards, the swiftness of his movement catching Shawn's eye.

	"Did you do that on purpose!?" the knight commander flusteredly asked.

	"I was merely attempting to account for your preferences," Bai explained, "You wished to see the anchor with a large chest, so I calibrated the projection's dimensions to suit you. As you can see, this Davahkian female's chest is indeed quite large.
	"Yes, her four pairs are very large! I know you did that on purpose! From here on out I'm getting your batteries on the cheap!"

	"Then the services I can offer you would too diminish from a silver quality to bronze."

	"Who threatens their superior like that!?"

	"I merely believe that well treated subordinates in turn better serve their superiors."

	"Had I known I'd have never installed that learning module. The business has suffered an immense loss. Do you, the one responsible, have anything to say for yourself?" Li Yu mournfully lamented, his gaze spinning to meet Shawn's.

	"I would like to watch the Clear River News." Shawn reiterated.

	"Apologies, commander," Bai said, "Your admirable performance just now went completely unacknowledged."

	"I hate people who don't laugh at comedy. What a way to live your life...." Li Yu said, breathlessly.

	"According to the latest report published by the Qiankun Corporation's Social Science's Division, the sort of character women of around twenty years of age most appreciate would be a handsome sort with hidden depths. A figure like yourself, lackadaisical and dissolute, ranks somewhere around seventeen places lower." Bai said.

	"I'm in eighteenth place!? These so-called researchers can just about write whatever nonsense they want these days!" Li Yu said in a huff, "Next I suppose you'll say I ought to be jealous of this deeply-indebted imp!"

	Shawn didn't have much particular interest in watching this little song and dance continue, so he interrupted, "If the network connection's bad here, then I can pass on the news. I won't insist upon it."

	This seemed to provoke Li Yu, whose eyebrows shot upwards, "Ha! There's not a signal in the galaxy that my ship can't tap into! Well, there's also not a service that my ship offers for free, though."

	From Li Yu's side, Bai explained, "The Qiankun Corporation's XiaheNet, which encompasses the whole system, and the galactic Holonet, have only a few connections. While it is not impossible to receive external signals, the costs can be quite high, and the process greatly inconvenient"

	"I don't mind," Shawn replied, "I intend to fully repay you with my work."

	"Ha ha! Well said. Unpaid overtime it is. Just give me a moment and I'll get you tuned in."

	At that, Li Yu motioned to his assistant, who went to the console at the cargo hold's wall. A moment later, the screen flashed to life, revealing the fearsome visage of a lizard.

	No matter how you looked at it, the image of a Davahkian was quite startling... but it was undeniable that with a solemn yet affable tone, and ever flawless delivery, never was there one as suited to the profession.

	Although the Clear River News were a fairly small-scale affair on the HoloNet, when it came to the onscreen personality, or those working behind the scenes, there was a quality of professionalism that left no room for doubt.

	The focus of their broadcasts tended to be things on the periphery, but to Shawn getting news on the fringes of the galaxy served a very practical purpose.

	At the moment, the Davahkian Presenter was sternly giving a special report.

	"The President of Bergamore, Jamie Blassen, as of a few days ago, has been formally removed from the senate. His successor is to be named within the month.... According to our sources on the scene, Blassen had enjoyed a prestigious standing in the Coruscant senate for the past decades, a position he used to conceal a number of crimes, including corruption and a number of murders."

	Shawn listened with rapt attention, while also listening to Li Yu at his side, who was sarcastically informing him that "Your HoloNet fee is now over nine thousand Qiankun credits, please make a note of the time."

	Shawn promptly turned it off, sighing.

	It seemed that he had already missed it.

	The good news at least was though that he saw no special news broadcast saying that a Jedi had been arrested in the Qian System.

	If that were to come to pass, it'd truly be the worst case scenario.

	The bad news was of course that there was no way for him to know if his Master was all right.

	Where was she now? Did she save those people? Was she safe? How will she continue to deal with the Qiankun Corporation?

	Shawn had followed his Master for many years, to many systems across the Galaxy, being tested by crisis time and time again.

	Yet this was the first time he had undertaken an operation utterly alone, cut off, and it made him feel lost.

	But Shawn quickly refocused himself, willing himself to pull it together.

	His Master had risked her life to afford him this opportunity, it was no time to be feeling sorry for himself.

	And he would not be an apprentice forever. Sooner or later he'd have left his Master's protection, undertaking all sorts of risky missions as a Jedi Knight.

	After calming himself, Shawn began to work out what he now had to do.

	Li Yu took the opportunity to remind Shawn, "What you ought to be working out right now is how you're going to work off those net fees you owe me."

	Rhetorically, Shawn asked, "What net fees?"

	"Wha- Oh screw you! Didn't I just give you the numbers? Do you know how many signal repeaters are in the asteroid belt? Do you have any idea how much it costs to connect to the HoloNet? Nine thousand Qiankun credits, and not a single one fewer!"

	"But didn't you say you were rounding up with my debt? Compared to those millions, nine thousand just sort of disappears into it, doesn't it?" Shawn replied.

	"You don't have the right to do that! I have the final say on these matters!"

	"All you are doing right now is working yourself up over some relatively small network fees," Bai interjected.

	"Who's side are you on!?"

	To which Bai replied "The side of the one who's willing to upgrade my propulsion systems."

	"I don't seem to recall designing you to be so mercenary"

	"The consequence of last minute imitation."

	Li Yu took a deep breath, taking great pains to calm himself from the verge of exploding, deciding to not argue with his assistant for the time being.
	After all, this was an assistant he had constructed himself, so perhaps the learner had surpassed the masterd..."

So really, it was more interesting to train newbies.

	Turning to Shawn, Li Yu finally replied, "Fine, your net fees are waived. But I want to be clear: pay me back those millions ASAP."

	Though at this, as though worrying that his counterpart may not have understood fully, Li Yu added, "I don't care who you are, or what you plan to do, but you make a little noise at a manor, and you think you've got a little skill, so you think you'll be able to survive here in the Qian System?"

	Shawn was going to retort, but realized quickly that he was right.

	When he was on that asteroid, he did indeed create an opportunity for himself to escape, but ultimately he found himself unable to remain inactive in the face of injustice, and so ruined that opportunity for himself.

	Shawn didn't feel that acting in that manner was a habit that he needed to break though, after all as a Jedi Apprentice, it was something of a creed he would never dare violate.

	Under these particular circumstances, it was true that  he might be in an unfamiliar star system, but he was hardly as vulnerable as an ordinary person.

	When an ordinary person was met with the opportunity to act bravely, it may be that all they would be able to do would be to sound an alarm, he had the ability to actually step forwards.

	"You've got power, no doubt about it, but if you intend to go digging, then you need to know what the limit of one person digging is, you know?" Li Yu said.

	Shawn of course, knew that already. If only he could find someone like Master Mastema, then he'd be set.

	"The solution of course is to put yourself under pressure, and use that pressure to grow." Li Yu continued.

	"That is Xinghe Wudao Real Estate's official PR line regarding their surging prices in the Qian System and the subsequent extortionate loans young people are forced to take to pay for them. It's been regarded by many as being something of a hollow platitude." Bai explained.

	"I'm the creditor here! What's wrong with a platitude, huh!? This kid's looking to be one of those foolishly noble honour-before-reason types, liable to jump ship at any time. So I've gotta try and guilt him into paying it back, what are we gonna do if the debt goes bad!?" Li Yu Retorted.

	"If the debt really goes bad, then I'll claim the expenses as the reckless test-firing of turbolasers on Dui 1842, and secretly buying shields on Xun for experiments, a number of miscellaneous expenditures like that." Bai said.

"Do you really need  to say it in front of the outsider!?"

	"Pfft."

	For the first time, Shawn could no longer hold back a snicker at their antics.

	All of a sudden, that tension that had been so tightly bundled up inside him vanished without a trace.

	Hearing Shawn laugh seemed to immediately calm Li Yu, who said "There, at last, the way it should be. I mean who doesn't laugh at comedy, you know what I mean? In our Silver Knights' knightly code, our number one rule is to smile."

	"Received." Bai interjected, "Revision four-hundred twenty-seven of the Silver Knights code, adjusting the first entry from 'solidarity' to 'smile', the relevant change will be forwarded to all members shortly."

	"Stop!"

	——

	After he had at long last dealt with his assistant sabotaging his efforts, Li Yu was finally able to return to his face that frivolous smile.

	"Anyhow, I welcome you aboard your long voyage to full debt repayment."

	"It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but I don't really have that much in the way of money making opportunities, so this journey might be quite a long one," Shawn replied.

	At that, Li Yu burst into a hearty laughter, and said "Those who like to help others often don't, so I welcome you to the Silver Knights, where we make it our business to help others. Starting today you're a probationary knight, so I hope you will continue to enjoy helping out others, and remember to do your bit."

	When he finished, Li Yu suddenly shouted in the direction of the cargo bay doors: "All right, everyone who bet that he wouldn't stay owes me money! Don't try to run!"

	This was followed by laughter, and footsteps from beyond the door.

	Shawn was left feeling rather flabbergasted.

	Were there that many people just outside the cargo bay? He hadn't been able to sense any of them!

	The walls of the cargo bay were thick, but it seemed the crew were also exceptional at staying quiet.

Or perhaps it'd be more accurate to say that this ship itself was far from ordinary. Shawn remembered when he was fleeing in the forest, and seeing the pristine silver star ship just picturesquely hovering there.

	Not a single blemish on its hull, neither blaster mark nor dent, just seemed so incongruous adjacent to the raging battle.

	Truthfully, this was something Shawn had wanted to discuss with Li Yu. Another reason to be a probationary Silver Knight.

	While they no doubt had a hand in what happened at the asteroid estate, they didn't seem the murderous sort. They certainly weren't like the pirates, seeming like they possessed scruples and lacked a certain malicious intent.

	That malicious intent-lacking Li Yu suddenly asked, "Come to think of it, what's that rod you've got a deathgrip on?"

	Which made Shawn suddenly aware that he was tightly grasping his lightsaber.

	Putting on a smile, Shawn faced Li Yu and replied, "It's a heating rod. It's out of batteries."







Translation Notes

a The original Chinese reads "The Creditor is an Uncle," part of a longer phrase that describes how a Debtor can be like a grandchild, as the "Uncle" here is forced to simply humor the Debtor, who cannot necessarily be compelled to pay back their debt. Maybe it's a thing in China, maybe I've misinterpreted things, but I certainly don't know any English turn of phrase that'd fit.

b While normally I don't translate proper names, "Qinghe Xinwen" is apparently a non-Qiankun holonet channel, and as such I thought it would be weird for it to retain the Chinese name. Thus, a translation.

c Rendered as 达瓦阿卡人, "dawa'akeren," where "ren" means "person," I don't believe there are any existing Star Wars species that fit this particular transliteration. "wa" is used for both foreign "wa" and "va" sounds, so I've opted for the "v" interpretation because it’s cooler, and a part of me sees "dawa'akeren" and thinks, "dovahkiin." Perhaps it's because the species being described is ostensibly reptilian.

d originally 青出于蓝 (qing chu yu lan), an abbreviated form of a line from one of Xunzi, a Warring States-era Confucian philosopher. In full, it reads "青，取之于蓝，而青于蓝；冰，水为之，而寒于水。" "Blue is derived from Indigo, yet is superior (ie more blue), Ice is from water, and yet is colder." So yeah, used to mean the student is better than the teacher. I went with a slightly more Star Wars phrasing than perhaps I would’ve in a different context.

Shawn be like “Where is Mastema, is she safe? Is she alright?”

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