Edinburgh Castle: No One Stopped Us

Armor Field Note: Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

A fortress built on volcanic stone should feel more familiar than it does.

The security screening rivaled Imperial checkpoints. Metal detectors, bag searches, questions about my "costume" that I answered with the patience of someone who has explained beskar to customs officials across three sectors. The guards handled my gear with the careful bewilderment of people who have never seen real armor, turning my helmet over like an archaeological artifact. One whispered to his colleague about "impressive craftsmanship."

Inside, the medieval corridors proved surprisingly navigable despite their human proportions. Stone walls thick enough to withstand siege weapons, narrow passages designed for defense - the builders understood warfare, even without jetpacks. Tourists photographed everything except me, maintaining that peculiar Earth custom of pretending unusual sights are perfectly normal. A small child asked her mother why the "knight lady" wasn't in the museum display.

The Crown Jewels drew long queues of civilians eager to glimpse symbols of power behind reinforced glass. I've worn more valuable metals into cantina brawls. The real treasure was the armory - ancient Scottish weapons that would have been respectable backup options, though their owners clearly never fought anything that could fly.

HK7335 attracted more attention than my armor, with visitors assuming he was some sort of interactive exhibit until he corrected their assumption in his characteristic diplomatic manner. Several asked if he was "part of the castle tour experience."

The view from the battlements revealed Edinburgh sprawling below like a conquered city, all grey stone and defensive positioning. The fortress designers would have approved of my vantage point assessment, even if they might question why I needed to remove my weapons to appreciate their own.

Apparently volcano-top castles require different rules than volcano-top landings.