Author's Notes: The following chapter takes place in between the Coruscant and Ord Mantell campaigns during the Jedi Knight's story.

Corellan Halcyon had rarely concerned himself much with his aesthetic appearance.

He'd been raised a Jedi, so he supposed that was to be expected. He understood full well that the clothes he wore, robes or otherwise, were merely a tool, and not a reflection of his own progress as a Jedi. But that did explain why he felt rather self-conscious as he regarded himself in the full-length mirror in his quarters on his ship.

The body armor and robes he had just picked up while docked at Carrick Station were exactly his size; he knew that. Darthyn, the wizened tradesman who shown the set to Corellan, had told him that the armor and robes were known as the Resolute Guardian; a white ceramic breastplate stood out on his chest while smaller plates adorned his shoulders, arms and legs. The robes – clearly marking him as a Jedi – were secured by the utility belt at his waist. The belt and his heavy bracers included every device he was likely to need in the field. He knew the plates wouldn't stop a direct hit from a high-voltage blaster, much less a lightsaber, but their defense would be adequate against most glancing blows. His boots would absorb the impact of a fall and provide sufficient protection on hostile ground. His lightsabers were clipped to his belt.

The Defender was docked at Carrick Station, effectively the heart of the Republic's fleet. Corellan, who had achieved the rank of Jedi Knight just over a week ago, had been ordered by Satele Shan, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, and General Var Suthra of the Galactic Republic military, to prevent Darth Angral, Lord of the Sith, from seizing control of the Republic's superweapon projects. He was accompanied on his mission by Padawan Kira Carsen, who Master Satele had named his apprentice on Coruscant, and by T7-O1, his devoted astromech droid he'd first teamed with on Tython.

They had stopped at Carrick to refuel, and Corellan had taken the opportunity to obtain the Jedi body armor he now wore from the dispensary at the station. The robes he had been wearing had been adequate enough back on Tython, but after his experiences fighting Vokk on the Emperor's Glory and later Tarnis on Coruscant, Corellan felt he required more substantial protection if he was going to be regularly testing himself against the Sith.

Teeseven was down in the engine room, tuning up the ship, while Kira was still on Carrick. The padawan had asked to replace her own robes at one of the shops, and he'd seen no reason not to grant her permission. Master Satele had charged him with training and protecting Kira, but that didn't mean he'd attempt to restrict her on such a minor thing as apparel.

He was still a little nervous about the challenge of training a Padawan, even one as talented and driven as Kira Carsen. After all, he'd been a Padawan himself just days ago. But he couldn't deny that he and Kira worked well together, and there was every reason to think they could accomplish great things as part of an actual team. As soon as she got back, they would jump to Ord Mantell try to upend Darth Angral's plans to destroy the Galactic Republic.

He had briefly tested the body suit back on the station and had been convinced that the armor wouldn't slow him down significantly. The feeling of the material against his skin – and the added weight – still felt unfamiliar, but he trusted that he would adapt in time. Indeed, he seemed to be growing more accustomed to it by the second. Where a moment before he felt some minor discomfort seeing himself in the mirror, he had to admit that he felt more confident than ever in his place as a Jedi Knight. The moment of reflection had served him well. Corellan found himself smiling at his own reflection, now filled him with a renewed sense of confidence in himself and his mission; that he was ready to take on all the Sith had to throw at him.

The moment ended when he heard the airlock door slide shut and light footfalls coming up the steps from the airlock egress. The Jedi Knight turned away from the mirror and ducked out of his quarters as Kira reached the top of the stairwell.

"Well? How do I look?" the Padawan grinned as she caught sight of him, dropping the two parcel bags she'd been carrying and planting her hands on her hips.

Corellan's jaw dropped.

Kira's outfit included a utility belt and bracers, but that effectively covered any similarities to the armor Corellan was wearing. The green top featured a V-neck, baring Kira's throat and no small amount of skin. Her midriff, almost from just beneath her bosom to her belt, was bare. The top did not reach her arms, and she wore gloves, bracers, and binding straps ideal for concealing an extra weapon. Her trousers appeared serviceable but seemed to provide no discernable protection.

"Kinda ambitious, don't cha think?" she turned around in place before looking back at him.

"Uhm." was all Corellan could manage. He was dumbstruck.

Kira smirked slightly at his reaction, taking a step forward and arching an eyebrow at him.

"You did say I could pick out my own robes."

"Well, yes." Corellan said. "But I'd imagined you'd pick out something more… like robes."

Kira put her hands back on her hips, this time giving him a questioning look.

"What? You must have seen Jedi on Tython wearing something like this."

Corellan collected himself, taking in a long breath. This was not a conversation he'd been expecting to have.

"I have." He admitted. Corellan had indeed seen variations of this garment on a couple of Jedi back on the homeworld, though if he recalled, both had been worn in the field and not while walking the halls of the temple.

"But I'm... uhm. I'm not sure Master Kiwiiks would approve of her padawan wearing it." He finally said. Bela Kiwiiks, like Satele Shan and Corellan's own former master, Orgus Din, was a member of the Jedi Council, and therefore one of the wisest and most respected members of the order. She had also been, up until just recently, Kira's master. Corellan was very mindful that his status of Kira's master was likely to be a temporary one.

"Master Kiwiiks isn't here." She looked up at him with a challenging look. "You are."

Corellan paused at that, reflecting that Kira had a point. Using Master Kiwiiks as a justification for a decision did seem unreasonable. His deliberations, he remembered from his training, should be based around evidence and reason.

"Wouldn't something like this offer better protection?" Corellan opened his arms wide to indicate the Jedi body armor he was wearing.

Kira looked down at the armor and frowned, not in anger but in annoyance.

"Full body armor would slow me down." She answered him with a huff. Clearly, she felt this reality was unfair. "Look – you're big and strong and… tough. I've seen you shrug off hits that would take a lot of people out. Me? I've got to rely on my agility and speed. Even the most lightweight bodysuits would do me more harm than good. I need to be able to move and dodge. Be honest, do you really think Master Satele's outfit would protect better against a lightsaber than what I'm wearing?" she gestured downward.

Corellan chewed that over, trying to maintain eye contact and not following Kira's downward motion. He knew that Satele Shan – a double-lightsaber duelist like Kira – hadn't worn battle armor herself during the war, and it was true that she dispensed with robes herself, wearing a vest with trousers. Kira seemed quite correct.

Then again, the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order's outfit did not expose her midriff either.

"… Probably not." He admitted. "But won't this distract people?"

Kira folded her arms in front of her and looked at him crossly.

"Who, the Sith?" she snorted. "We should be so lucky. If a Sith gets distracted by what I'm wearing, we'd make short work of them." she raised a withering eyebrow at him. "Unless you're saying me wearing this would be a distraction for you?"

Corellan suddenly felt alarm in his mind, as his wrists started sweating. Was it the suggestion that he found Kira's garment distracting? Or the suggestion that such a distraction would be cause for objecting to what she was wearing? Best not think about that.

"Absolutely not!" He stammered, feeling his face flush in embarrassment.

Kira seemed to be eyeing him, her body language relaxing as she took on an amused look in her eyes.

"Well then?"

Corellan's training had taken over. Orgus Din had been as pragmatic a Jedi as had ever sat on the Council, and his mind was now going down a mental checklist.

"What about… hostile planets? Ones with colder climates? Won't this be… uncomfortable for you?"

"No problem." She grinned, picking up one her deposited parcels and opening it up to show him. "Thermal wear. Full body. I'm not getting frostbite no matter where we have to go."

Corellan regarded the equipment and was impressed. His own masters had encouraged their students to think ahead, and he should probably be doing the same.

"Okay." He nodded appreciatively. "I mean, you've obviously thought this through. I can't deny that. But just tell me, why this set specifically?"

"Because this feels comfortable for me." Kira said earnestly. "And… honestly? Because I can. Don't get me wrong. Master Kiwiiks has been great to me. She got me out of a bad situation on Nar Shaddaa and took me into the Order. But I always hated those robes she had me wear. For one thing, they made coming out of Force leaps super awkward. For another, they are not at all flattering. This just… feels like me."

As if to make a point, Kira locked her fingers together then stretched with her arms in the air. Corellan's eyes widened as they were inevitably drawn downward. The young Jedi Knight suddenly had a feeling of butterflies going through his stomach, feeling himself blink and swallow as he turned away.

His own reaction confused him; was he coming down with something?

Kira glanced at him sideways with a glint in her eye, again observing his reaction as her lips turned upwards into a smirk. He didn't quite understand what had amused her. Maybe his confusion was that evident?

"So we're good?" she asked.

"Yeah… we're good." Corellan relented, exhaling. It occurred to him that as her Jedi master, he should be impressed that she'd been able to explain her reasoning in such a rational manner. "Maybe I should have picked up a set like that." He gave a shrug with as much faux nonchalance as he could muster.

Kira snickered.

"I think this outfit would look totally different on you." She sighed, her eyes giving him a once-over. "Not that it isn't a tempting thought. Sometimes, the galaxy just isn't fair."

Corellan had no idea how to answer this observation, so he clammed up. Kira rolled her eyes at his lack of reaction, and he decided that maybe it was better that he didn't know.

Satisfied, Kira walked up to him, reaching out and padding his arm.

"Hey – don't worry. I'm not gonna pull any fast ones on you when we're, you know, out there. For as long as this… arrangement lasts, I'll follow your lead in the field. You know what you're doing, whether you give yourself credit for that or not. You proved that to me on Coruscant." She shuffled her feet a bit, looking down. "It's just… this one thing was kind of important to me, you know?"

Corellan nodded appreciatively at her words. He'd been praised already by Master Satele and several other distinguished luminaries already, but somehow, hearing Kira say it after they'd fought side by side meant more.

"I believe that, Kira. And thanks."

"Anytime. And by the way." Kira smiled and reached out her hand again, this time gently rapping her knuckles on the breastplates of his body armor. They made a slight plunking sound at the light impact.

"Looks good on you." She looked up and him and grinned, her deep blue eyes almost sparkling in amusement.

Corellan felt the butterflies in his stomach start to swarm again. And why did his ears feel like they were burning?

"Uhm. Thanks." Was all he managed to say, suddenly lost in her eyes.

Kira caught his look, her grin widening. then turned away and retrieved her parcels.

"I'll put these away, and then we'll head to Ord Mantell?" she asked.

Corellan felt his mouth go dry, but then nodded vigorously.

"Right."

"Great." Kira smiled. "See you in two."

As she headed off for her quarters, Corellan turned slowly and started walking towards the cockpit.

He reminded himself that the body armor he was wearing was merely a tool, and not a reflection of his own progress as a Jedi.

Still, he felt like he had taken a tiny step forward towards whatever destiny the Force had in store for him.

He hoped that he would meet that destiny well with more confidence than this conversation with Kira had.

Author's Notes: Much has been said of how appropriate certain armor sets are for certain companions in the game. Specifically female companions. This is valid. I see a lot of people running around with Vette or Elara Dorne in slave girl outfits, and it makes my eyes roll. Having said that, I think Kira is absolutely the type of woman who would be comfortable in a crop top, for practical reasons. In case it wasn't clear, the armor set that Kira is wearing is known as the Ambitious Warrior set, which DOES look totally different on male characters than female characters.

I wanted to show something from earlier in Corellan and Kira's 'association'. I know there is an issue of women – particularly young women in school – facing unfair restrictions on their wardrobes due solely to how males around them might react. Corellan – very early in his story – isn't quite immune to that with respect to Kira, but even now he would never penalize her for making her own choices. He gets that this 'problem' is about himself and not Kira or her attire. That, as I see it, is the important part. That we recognize our faults as our own and not those of others.

Kira obviously has a certain influence on Corellan at this point, and she's probably picking up on that. She's a good person, however, so she won't be taking advantage of that fact.

Also, I wanted to show Kira trying to be flirty and it just totally goes over Corellan's head.

Oh and by the way – Yes, butterflies do exist in the Star Wars universe. Thank you, Wookiepedia.