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A New Player in the Force (SW/Lite Gamer)

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by USSExplorer, Apr 24, 2020.

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  1. Threadmarks: The Living Planet 3
    USSExplorer

    USSExplorer Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

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    A/N:
    As always, thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logic errors.


    This chapter was released at least 2 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
    Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
    Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.



    Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo


    The Living Planet 3
    … …
    “After they destroyed all our flyers and transports, the aliens withdrew to the base they’d made on the southern outskirts of our settlement.”

    “They do still come through the streets,” Sheekla cut in as Gann gave me a run-down on the situation in Middle Distance. I’d been in his residence for the last hour, first detailing what we’d been up to and now listening to them giving me some updates on the situation within their city.

    “Yes, but so long as our people make sure to stay out of their way, the aliens don’t interact with us. At least not until a few days ago.” He paused and shared a look with Sheekla. Both looked and felt apprehensive, and I suspected the Vong had done something to the Sekotans in retaliation for the ambush we had launched. “They started rounding up seemingly random citizens, taking them to one of the gathering sites. There, one in strange clothing barked something in their tongue, and then shattered the arms and legs of those they’d gathered.” As he detailed the Vong’s retaliation he glared at me, but given I knew he’d do nothing to back it up, it did not affect me. Still, since he and Sheekla were my only real contacts in the city, I felt it better to respond.

    “It wasn’t our intent to bring harm to your people, however, we needed to take a group of the aliens down in a situation we controlled.” I avoided calling them Vong to the pair. While it was unlikely that they’d use the name outside of this building, there was always the chance the name would propagate among the Sekotans and then get back to the Vong. If the invaders had any intelligence, they’d realise my unit was the likely source of the name and come down hard on the Sekotans believing they were collaborating with us. “Yes, we can and have slipped into Middle Distance without arousing their suspicions, but before taking the patrol down and carrying out an autopsy, we knew exactly nothing about the aliens. Now at least we have some ideas about them, though not their motives.”

    “And yet your actions have brought pain and suffering to our people!” Gann snapped back, his anger bleeding into the Force. Sheekla placed a hand on his shoulder, which seemed to help mitigate some of his fury. “Forgive my outburst. It’s just that since the aliens arrived, things have been tense in the settlement. We’ve got no communications with the other settlements and now our people are being targeted for things they had no hand in.”

    “No, I understand your feelings, and again, it wasn’t our intention to have them retaliate against you and your people. However, simply allowing the aliens to control the planet and disrupt your people’s normal routines is against everything I believe in.” As I replied my hand drifted down and stroked Fenrir’s spinal spikes. I easily felt the gap where the missing spike was, but Fenrir was fine with the wound and shifted around so that my hand could reach his ears. Amusingly, like other canine-like species, he enjoyed being scratched behind his ears and leaned into my touch. The only downside was that he was massive and if I was unbalanced, could be knocked over by his bulk. Bo found that incredibly amusing, which drew my thoughts to her.

    She was easy to find on my Force-boosted minimap and was in the same spot she’d been before I’d entered Gann’s residence. She was acting as my lookout while I spoke with Gann and Sheekla, though given it was still a few hours before sunrise, the chances of anyone being on the streets were slim. Still, I knew not to take chances. Even in the villages in Iraq and Afghanistan that were the most opposed to the occupations, there were always people willing to sell out their neighbours for a quick buck. While it seemed unlikely that was the case here, learning that the Vong were now targeting the Sekotans for our attacks made the decision to insert into Middle Distance covertly even more logical.

    Yet, from what Gann and Sheekla had told me about the Vong around the settlement, and the rough size of their garrison to the south, I was beginning to downsize my initial estimates for their forces. Taking and holding a country back on Earth generally only worked when the numbers were less than fifty civilians to one soldier, yet it seemed the Vong force in Middle Distance was only a few hundred. While still a dangerous number, it wasn’t enough to hold the city. Which made the choice to stick to patrols around the outskirts more logical. Yet, as far as I knew, there were only a handful of settlements on Zonama Sekot that were town-sized or greater. Of all of them, Middle Distance was one of, if not the, largest on the planet, from the impressions the locals gave. If they could only hold the settlement with a few hundred, then either their forces were far smaller and stretched further than I’d expected, or they had a different objective than just occupying the planet for the rest of their military.

    I’d need reconnaissance on the Vong base to not only gain more details of the planetary situation – Sheekla had revealed that the base received larger transports about once every eight days – but on the exact disposition of the local enemy forces. The other thing I needed to check was if any of the transports or flyers could be, if not salvaged, scrapped for parts that could be made into a makeshift vessel. Not one to escape to orbit, but one that would allow us to at least reach out to Far Distance, the Magister’s tower, and other settlements on the planet.

    “We came to this world to live in peace, free of the chaos in the rest of the galaxy. To study the wonders of Sekot and the teaching of Potentium. Yet now, not long after the Jedi arrive, that chaos arrives. The aliens are here because of you, and if not for Sekot’s blessing, I would demand you leave our world and people to deal with the aliens ourselves!”

    I pinched the bridge of my nose with my free hand. Mainly to hide the roll of my eyes. Gann, it was clear, was a pacifist in the mould of the New Mandalorians. At least Sheekla wasn’t as negative toward me, though that might just be because of the faint sliver of hope I sensed from her when she spoke of her husband in Far Distance.

    “While the timing isn’t ideal, I highly doubt the aliens were guided here by the Force, not least because they appear to be absent in it,” I responded firmly. With a gesture, I lifted the cup of water I’d been offered upon arriving. “I can’t do this to them, nor any other ability that directly interacts upon them nor can I sense them. That is… unusual, and something that I wish my master was able to explain.” I paused, letting my thoughts drift to Fay and wondering if there’d been any change in her condition while I was here.

    “That said, the aliens' first action upon entering your planet’s atmosphere was to attack the Magister’s tower,” I’d mentioned this before but since I lacked proof, they didn’t entirely believe me, “they then targeted my ship, and that of the Antarian Rangers, and the transport taking us to those vessels. Those are not the actions of customers, but conquerors.” Gann seemed entirely unresponsive to my words, though thankfully Sheekla wasn’t. “Your world… it’s special. Both my master and I felt this the moment we approached, and that sense has only grown stronger in the time we’ve been here. If I had to bet credits on the matter, I suspect that is why the aliens are here. Not because two random Jedi decided to turn up on your world.”

    “Why do you think they are here?”

    I shook my head at Sheekla’s question. “Sadly, since this is a species neither I nor those with me know anything about, all we can do is speculate.”

    Which was something Bo, I, and the Rangers had done in the months of trekking to and from the landing area. Several of those ideas had fallen by the wayside after the ambush and autopsy, with more dropping off as I’d spoken with Gann and Sheekla. However, I still lacked anywhere near enough intel to have even the faintest inkling of the Vong’s plans.

    “As I have said, and as you are both well aware, Zonama Sekot is an important world. Both in the Force, and I suspect in general. There is likely a correlation between those two that drew the alien’s attention. It’s just that, for now, we don’t know enough to even make an educated guess.”

    “How can you be so sure of yourself? You are but a child. A Jedi one, yes, but you are but a learner. Not even one allowed to wander the galaxy without supervision.”

    An urge to laugh at Gann’s words rose inside me, but I resisted it. Up until this moment, neither he nor Sheekla had shown any issue with me being the point man for the small resistance group. Since he was bringing my age up now, I could only assume he was trying to find a new avenue of attack after the last one had failed.

    “I may be just a Padawan, but I’ve already gotten into a few battles. Some have gone well, others not so much.” I closed my eyes for a moment and stilled the need to recall my time with Vosa. “Bo, while being older and having seen more combat than me, is more inclined toward fighting and not concerning herself about the larger details. While you’d expect the Rangers to assume command, their leader has defaulted to me simply because that is how their organisation is set up. That said, Zarkos has been the one I’ve been leaning on the most for help in leading our little group and is responsible for planning out the ambush.”

    “I thought the Jedi sought out peaceful solutions.”

    I gave Sheekla a rueful smile. “We do. However, there are often times when issues cannot be settled with a few honey-coated words and the Force. Like when first contact involves shooting at us, then when we ran into them on the ground they attacked without any warning. Not even an offer to surrender.” I leaned forward, my hand slipping from Fenrir’s ear. “To me, actions such as those make things very clear. The aliens don’t care about the Jedi, the Republic, or the people on this world. The only possible way to negotiate with them is from a position of strength. Taking out a single patrol of low-level grunts isn’t going to do that. No, we must keep hitting, keep hurting them until their leaders notice. At that point either they come down on us with overwhelming force, and we’ll likely die fighting, or they’ll respect our strength and be willing to talk.”

    A growl slipped from Fenrir’s maw as I realised the anger that was now ever present within me was slipping out. Not wanting to scare my contacts, I leaned back and returned my hand to Fenrir’s ear. As for what I’d said, I seriously doubted the Vong would ever want to negotiate, but by putting the possibility on the table, it should placate the Sekotans, at least for the time being. “The problem though is doing enough damage that they notice us without you and your people suffering for our actions. We’ll do our best to ensure their focus is on us, not you, but I can’t promise they won’t lash out at your people. Yet if we do nothing, we let these aliens secure their foothold on your world, then when the rest of their forces come – and trust me when I say this is nothing more than a strong reconnaissance force – there will be nothing to save you from enslavement or death.” My eyes locked on Gann, making it clear to him, I hoped, that what I’d said was the only plausible outcome.

    “And if we don’t support you?” Gann asked after nearly a minute of silence.

    I shrugged. “That is your choice, and your people’s choice.” I suspected that even if they chose not to even support us, others would. Perhaps they’d even be willing to fight with us, but I’d have to wait and see on that. “We’ll do what we must to continue the resistance without you, though I do hope that never becomes the case. We won’t target your people, unless they actively work with the invaders, but I won’t sit back and watch your world fall to invaders simply because your beliefs won’t allow you to defend your homes.”

    The Sekotans looked at each other as I scratched Fenrir, earning a happy whine from him. For a moment I thought Gann was going to outright reject supporting the actions I had planned, only for an odd breeze to blow through the room. A window was open, as that was how I’d slipped into the residence, but there were no other openings I could see. Then, before the Sekotans could respond, my vambrace beeped.

    “Six neverde inbound in three.” Bo’s voice drifted through the commlink.

    “Understood.” I closed the commlink and stood, my eyes staying on the Sekotans. “It appears you’ve got some early morning company. For the time being, it’s better if no one knows you’re speaking with me. If I can, I’ll return tomorrow, that way you have time to think over what we’ve discussed and make initial decisions.” As I spoke, I moved toward the window, Fenrir at my heels. “I’d much prefer if we could all remain on the same page about what’s going to happen. That said, if you can’t or won’t help, I understand.”

    “What if we can’t meet you tomorrow night?”

    I paused at the window even as I opened it wide enough for Fenrir to leap through. A glance around the room gave me a few ideas. “That plant,” I pointed at something that reminded me of a spider plant with bright blue flowers, “if you’re free to talk, place it in a window near your front door. That’ll tell me you want to talk. And leave this window open to let me know you’re inside.” It wasn’t perfect, but for now, it would work.

    The pair didn’t need to know that Bo’s sniper’s nest gave her a clear view of the front of Gann’s house from a few hundred metres away and that she should’ve set up a remote camera to monitor the comings and goings from the male’s house. Later, if things went well and both came on board, I’d consider granting them a commlink and establishing some simple code phrases to use.

    I didn’t give either time to respond as I followed Fenrir out of the house. According to the minimap, the six beings approaching might not be heading for Gann’s house, though all were Sekotans. Still, it was better to play it safe. There were also several hundred more Sekotans within range of the Force-boosted minimap, but no others within a hundred metres were moving in ways that suggested they were inbound for Gann’s house.

    Using the map to guide me – I already had the back alleys and blind spots mapped out from observing the place for the last two nights – I activated Force Cloak and Silence. That would help mask both Fenrir and me as we slipped out of the settlement, though we’d have to be quick as the first rays of light from the morning sun were creeping over the domed tops of nearby homes.

    … …




    … …

    “Here,” I looked up from cleaning Vong blood from my beskad to see Bo approaching. Her helmet was off, being carried under one arm, but she still wore the rest of her armour. Her non-helmet-carrying-hand tossed something at me and I caught it. “The recording you wanted.”

    “Thanks.” I slipped the data storage device into a slot on my belt and would add it to the Inventory later. It would contain a recording of our latest ambush on Vong forces – the third overall – where I’d made sure to not engage the Vong with any Force power that might be termed Dark. I knew that without proof of combat, the High Council wouldn’t believe me about the threat the Vong posed, so I needed at least one recording from Bo’s armour. However, using Force Lightning in that battle would be all but admitting that I was actively drawing upon the Dark Side of the Force.

    Now, the Council might still not be willing to admit the Vong were a threat, but I needed something to show them once we’d either killed all the Vong on the planet – something looking less and less likely with each passing day – or driven the Vong from the planet. Regardless of which way I took to complete Invaders from the void, I knew that afterwards, I’d have to speak with the Council about the threat the Vong posed, thus the need for documentation.

    “I still can’t believe that you expect those jagyc’kovide to not believe you, but I get why you wanted it… and why you limited yourself in the battle.” Even though her words were supportive, I could sense frustration at how the last ambush had gone. Suffice to say but the more common Jedi Force abilities, at least the ones used against other sentients, were of limited to no use against the Vong. The only one that did have much effect was Telekinesis, but even there it required using it indirectly which for most Jedi wouldn’t be the reflexive way to use the power. “Though if you ever use that weak osik blue energy I’ll kill you myself!”

    I chuckled. “I know it wasn’t as effective, but what I used before was a Dark Side ability.” Calling Electrokinesis ineffective compared to Force Lightning was much like comparing a domestic cat to a sabre-toothed tiger and saying they were both felines.

    “I don’t shabyr care what your Council thinks. The red and black energy hurts those shabuire while the blue stuff doesn’t.” Bo shook her head. “Though the idea your Council will dismiss these Vong… I don’t understand it. My father and Duke Torrhen won't dismiss the threat.”

    “I’m not saying that all the Jedi Order would dismiss the Vong, I’m just not sure they’ll do much as a whole to prepare for the threat.” I countered, feeling the need to defend the Order in general even if I had little hope that the High Council would give two shits about my report on the Vong. “Though I’m surprised you care about the politics of the Jedi.”

    “I don’t. I care about you.” She knelt near me, placing her helmet carefully on the ground. “Just because I’d rather be out fighting than dealing with the boring stuff that you, your council, and my father deal with, doesn’t mean I don’t understand its importance.” I placed my beskad to one side, the ichor finally removed from the blade.

    “And here I thought you were nothing more than a pretty face and a deadly warrior,” I commented, knowing the remarks would draw a response.

    “Well, now you know me better.” A feral grin spread across her face. “And I think it’s time I learnt more about you.”

    I was barely able to steady myself before her lips slammed into mine. As we fought for dominance with our tongues and bodies, concerns about the Vong, the High Council, and the rest of the galaxy were pushed from my thoughts. All that mattered as my hands raced to remove her armour was Bo and the fire burning inside both of us.

    … …




    … …

    “I know why you want to try this,” Bo began as we moved down one of the main thoroughfares in Middle Distance, “but I still think it’s a bad idea.”

    While it was nighttime like the previous times we’d come into the settlement, it was dusk and to hide our appearance, even though there were some Humans among the ranks of the Sekotans, we were wearing large robes provided for us by Sheekla. While they helped us mingle in the reasonably quiet street, Bo was unhappy as she’d been forced to move without her helmet on as the shape of it stood out too much under the robe.

    I looked up, spotting the large domed building Gann had pointed out on a map as our destination. “I know, but we need the help.” The ambushes had slowly grown more and more difficult. They were increasing in size, altering their routes, and coming more regularly and air cover was prominent. A point made that was reinforced as a Vong fighter buzzed low over the city. “Someone needs to stay at our base camp, meaning we’re limited to no more than four attackers. Even if it's just to have bodies to divert the Vong’s counterfire, we need more blasters in the fight.” I knew that was a slightly cruel thing to say, but I remembered the early days of the insurgency in Iraq. While there’d been many skilled fighters on their side, just as many had lacked anything more than the most basic of training with their firearms. Still, quantity had its uses and I needed that here.

    Bo scoffed, possibly thinking that the Sekotans would be more of a hindrance than a help. While I didn’t disagree, if we ever wanted to move against the local Vong base, which had seen an increase in transports coming and going in the last week, we’d need the manpower. Now, if all five of us in the current resistance attempted to attack the base, we might well manage to remove it. However, there was no plan I could come up with based on our limited intel, that wouldn’t end in at least two of us dying in the process. While the Rangers were less important to me than Bo or Fenrir, they weren’t expendable.

    Thus, after some soul-searching, I’d decided to approach Gann and Sheekla about gaining permission to speak with Middle Distance’s elders. Gann hadn’t been keen on the idea, but Sheekla had managed to somehow convince him, though he was still reluctant about the thing. To be clear, Sheekla was against Sekotans engaging in violence as, like Gann, she felt that ran contrary to the will of Sekot, but she had been willing to let us speak with the elders. Because of the overall reluctance of both, I was watching every person moving around us as if they were suicide bombers. Yes, it made me twitchy, but I’d take that over walking into a trap any day.

    The Vong had stepped up their reprisal attacks on the Sekotans because of our ambushes with Sheekla saying they now sent random patrols through the city. If any Sekotan accidentally got in their way, the Vong had one of their amphistaffs bite that being, who then died a slow and painful death. While that was bad, the news that the Vong were abducting locals and removing them to their base never to return was worse. As were the screams of pain and torment that echoed over the city near that base.

    All of that was indirectly my fault, but it was something I was going to use in this meeting to try and get the elders to at least allow me to speak with any Sekotan interested in joining us.

    “I’ll find an overwatch position,” Bo whispered. I nodded and moved off only for her hand to grip my arm. “Remember the protocol and don’t shabyr die.”

    I smiled back, sensing her feelings for me under her concern that something was going to go wrong. “Don’t worry, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.” As I spoke, I patted her hand and pulled her robe back down to hide the crushgaunts she was wearing.

    For a moment, I thought Bo was going to say something else, and I felt a spike in her desire and fear, yet she didn’t. Instead, after returning my squeeze with one of her own – which hurt slightly due to the crushgaunts – she gave a nod before sliding from my grasp and then moved away.

    After watching her walk away for a moment, I turned back to face the large building I was heading to. While it wasn’t the largest building that I’d seen on the planet, it was one of the bigger ones in Middle Distance. I suspected it served a similar function to a city hall, but there was nothing externally that marked it out as such beyond its size. Thanks to the Force, my minimap showed around fifty beings inside. The one that felt familiar would be Sheekla, as Gann had met us not long after we’d arrived in the city but had departed to handle business elsewhere about five minutes ago. That had put us on edge, but given no null-spaces were appearing anywhere within range of my minimap, I felt safe in thinking that those inside weren’t going to attack me the moment I entered. Though that didn’t mean as I moved toward the door that my hand wasn’t hovering over my lightsaber hilt.

    I knocked on the door in a pattern Gann had taught me before I’d arrived here, and a few moments later the door opened slightly.

    “Finally,” Sheekla muttered before reaching out and dragging me inside. The door closed before I’d even turned to face her. “What took you so long?”

    The irritation in her voice was matched by that radiating from her within the Force. I smirked at that as, while there was little amusing about the overall situation, in that moment I found it oddly reassuring. “Trust but verify.” She frowned at my reply and as I pulled back the Sekotan robe to expose my face, I explained. “While I felt both you and Gann were genuine in supporting this meeting, I couldn’t say the same about anyone else. Thus, I took some time to scout the area before I entered.” Unless she had a communication device on her that I couldn’t see, she shouldn’t know about Bo, so not bringing her up gave me a card up my sleeve if things went sideways.

    “Fine, but you’d better hurry. The elders are growing impatient as they aren’t usually made to wait on others, particularly outsiders.” She stepped past me and headed deeper into the building. “The invaders are also targeting any gathering they come across. Locations such as this are prime targets for their patrols to pass by and if they encounter a grouping they don’t like, they disperse it. Violently.”

    “Ah.” That wasn’t something she or Gann had mentioned before, if they had I’d have come earlier to scout the area and arrive on time for this meeting. As it was, I was around fifteen minutes late. Still, if the Vong were now actively targeting any gathering, that was another avenue I could use to get the elders to at least not interfere with other Sekotans joining the resistance. Of course, those that did would be getting Observed. That should help mitigate the chance that any were joining simply to try and turn on us so as to curry favour with the Vong later on.

    As Sheekla opened a large set of doors, the eyes of the gathered Sekotans came to rest upon me. Within the Force, I sensed a range of emotions. Distrust, anger, and concern were some of the stronger ones, but I was heartened to sense that curiosity was what I was sensing the strongest.

    “Bond-partner, Sheekla and Gann say you wish to speak with us?”

    The one who spoke was female with lines on her face, yet like all Ferroan females, she retained the dark colouring of her hair, unlike the males who turned grey with age. The first use of Observe for the meeting revealed she was the chosen spokesperson for this group. To buy time as I Observed those closest to her, I smiled and bowed. “Yes, honoured Elder. I hope that by the time we finish tonight, an understanding between us can be achieved.”

    … …




    … …

    The sound of blaster fire rippled around the section of the forest we were in. Yet, instead of a resounding clang as those bolts hit the metal sheet set up as the target, the sounds of branches being blown off, tree trunks singed, dirt being kicked up and rocks being blown apart echoed around me. I barely stopped myself from sneering at just how bad the first fourteen Sekotans that’d joined the resistance were. I mean, I didn’t have high hopes, but three strikes against the target out of nearly a hundred bolts was bad. Atrociously so.

    “This… even Satine is a better shot than this lot.” I chuckled at Bo’s comment even as I looked over at her. While I was disappointed in what we were seeing, she looked insulted.

    “That’s not gonna help them.” Though at this point I was already adjusting my plans for future ambushes to use the Sekotans as diversions. I mean, I hadn’t planned on them ever being placed in close combat with a Vong, but I’d hoped they’d be useable as ranged fire support. Though it looked like that wouldn’t be the case for several months at least.

    Bo shrugged as the Sekotans slowly stood up, the latest round of practice over. Thank the Force. “It’s not li…. STOP!” Bo stormed forward, rage flowing from her like a burst dam. I followed behind even as she started screaming. “What the shab are you doing?!” She yanked a rifle from the arms of one recruit, a young Sekotan who while taller than Bo by about a head and a half, cowered in terror at the furious redhead.

    I rubbed the bridge of my nose to clear my headache after getting a look at the recruit’s rifle. The damn fool had ignored every lesson on rifle safety that Bo and I had given. Instead of turning off the power clip limiter and engaging the safety, he’d done neither and had instead been pointing the rifle at another recruit. The slightest squeeze on the trigger would have resulted in us losing one recruit before the end of the first week of training and me being forced to kick another. Or, in the worst case, the rifle would have continued to draw power and exploded if set down too roughly, which would’ve done even more damage to the Sekotan force.

    “No!” Bo hollered, her eyes trying to burn the recruit to ash. “Get back here!” The Sekotan slowly inched forward as Bo turned her glare to the rest of the recruits. “All of you listen! These rifles are not toys, they will kill you just as easily as the enemy if you don’t treat them right! If you cannot give them the respect they deserve, I’ll kick your arse so hard they’ll hear it from orbit and then drop you back with the others! Haran, I’d feel safer with you fighting for the Vong than guarding my back!”

    Bo was a beacon of fury in the Force, reminding me of a star waiting to go supernova. Every recruit took at least a step back while the one she’d yanked the rifle from had fallen onto his arse. While Bo was coming down like a falling starship on them, they needed to toughen the fuck up if they were to be of any use. Still, there was no need for us both to play bad cop.

    “What she means is that, while we know you’re all new to this you need to think. By the Force, a blaster is not a toy nor a tool. If you survive this boot camp,” and the odds of any of them doing so were slim even with the low bar I’d set for taking a recruit, “then you’ll spend the rest of this fight with your weapon by your side. I don’t care if you’re eating, sleeping, or relieving yourself, your rifle will be within easy reach. These weapons, which are all we’ve got, are the only things you have to help defend your world from the invaders.” I made sure to not refer to them as Vong and hoped they didn’t catch Bo’s slip and start asking questions. Until they were full recruits, I didn’t want the race name being used around them. “Put your weapons down carefully, after making sure the safety’s engaged, then head over to Lieutenant Zarkos.” I pointed into the trees in a south-westerly direction. About a klick away, Zarkos had set up the next lesson for the recruits, this one being on the Vong’s anatomy and possible weak points.

    If Fay was here, she’d have accused me of being too harsh on the Sekotans – to say nothing of Bo’s behaviour – but by the Force, were they fucking useless. I mean, even when I first joined the army at seventeen, in a country where most guns were illegal, I knew the simple basics about a rifle. Hell, at this point I’d willingly take a group of New Mandalorians instead of the Sekotans. At least they knew how to shoot, even if they only ever used stunners.

    I watched the Sekotans slowly amble away, since they were still new, I wouldn’t point out the fact they weren’t moving quietly or being mindful of their surroundings. I’d just have to make sure when we returned to the base camp – which was five klicks to the east, I made sure they did and then used the Force to hide our path as best I could. The one who’d fucked up pulled himself to his feet and then ran after the others, which made me chuckle. Hopefully getting ripped a new arsehole by Bo would make him straighten out. Though if not, I’d happily kick his arse to the curb, if Bo didn’t do it herself.

    As I picked up the first of the discarded rifles I took a few deep, calming breaths. While not as blaster-obsessed as Bo, seeing how haphazardly the Sekotans had placed the blasters infuriated me. Most had been dumped on their sides while one had been placed down muzzle-first into the ground. Since most of them had come from my Inventory – we’d only had a handful of spare blasters from the wrecks of the Ne’tra Sartr and Longstrider – I was angered at the disrespect for my possessions. So far, it seemed the others had bought my excuse of Gann and Sheekla finding the blasters in Middle Distance, but I felt Bo had her doubts.

    “Might just be easier to use them as decoys. Or give them a grenade and order them to run and throw it at the Vong.” I laughed and turned to see Bo examining one rifle carefully as she wiped some dirt from the casing. While the idea broke dozens of rules from my former life and made a complete mockery of the Geneva Convention, this wasn’t Earth. The rules of warfare in this galaxy were far more… relaxed regarding attacking civilian locations or acting like what people on earth would consider terrorists. Which was a good thing since this little resistance would certainly be seen that way by my former COs.

    “While amusing, that’d be a waste of our limited explosives.” As I spoke, I picked up the last rifle and placed it gently with the others on a down tree. Save the one that’d been dropped muzzle-first, none appeared in need of detailed cleaning. “Knowing them, they’d find a way to blow themselves and others up before we could attack, leaving the rest of us kriffed.” A gesture with my hand brought the metal target over to us.

    Bo laughed as the metal sheet reached us and then turned around so we could use it to carry the blasters. She muttered something under her breath as she saw the dirt-clogged muzzle and I felt a slight wave of disbelief radiate from her. “Shabyr di’kute.” As she placed the last of the blasters she’d gathered on the sheet, she looked up at me. “At this point, I’d trade them all for Tedra and Anakin. They might be young, and far from trained Jedi, but they know how to shabyr use a blaster!”

    “While I don’t disagree with the sentiment, if we could choose reinforcements, I’d rather have a few Jedi Knights or a squad of Mando’ade with us.” My reply came as I placed the last of my blasters on the sheet, and then glanced off to see the last of the Sekotans had disappeared into the trees. “Though if we had other Jedi here, I suspect most would’ve died given how much they rely on the Force for attack and defence.”

    Bo shook her head and gave me a ‘gentle’ shoulder tap. “Normally, I’d say that was the protocol droid calling the astromech a machine, but you’re far from a normal Jedi. Thank Manda.” We started walking toward the base camp, the sheet floating behind us as I held it up with the Force. “That said, it sure was lucky the Sekotans had so many weapons just lying around their city. Before today we’d have only been able to arm four of those… recruits, yet I’d honestly feel happier about that than what we just saw.”

    I could feel Bo’s gaze focus on me as she mentioned where the blasters had come from. She might’ve had her helmet on, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t tell when she was glaring at someone or something. “Yeah, it was a lucky find.”

    A snarl slipped through her helmet’s speakers before she stepped forward and moved to block my path. “You’re seriously going to keep this osik up?” I frowned at her tone as she jabbed me in the chest with a finger. Her other hand pointed at the sheet behind me. “When we left the Ne’tra Sartr there were only three blasters with us, two from the Rangers and one from our ship. Then, a day or so after speaking with the first group of possible recruits, you claim the Sekotans had a dozen blasters floating around their city? Bantha-osik!” she continued to jab me as she spoke, each stab being more forceful. “You’re lying to us, to me. Just like you did with the Taozin!” I frowned at that being brought up, then realised what she was on about just before she explained. “You used a half-dozen grenades when you only had one on you. Then against the Vong, after they shot us down, you pulled out your shoto, which wasn’t on your belt when we crashed!” She leaned forward until her helmet was pushing against my forehead. “Where the shab are you getting all this osik?”

    Various possible answers flew through my head, ranging from saying she simply missed that I had my secondary blade, or that the explosions weren’t from thermal detonators all the way up to a full reveal of how I’d had those weapons. My thoughts turned back to the various warnings I’d gotten from the Interface, and I felt my brow rise as I realised it hadn’t once said I couldn’t reveal the existence of it to others; only that future knowledge was forbidden. With that, I saw a way that I could explain things to Bo. Though I doubted it would work with a Force user.

    With a sigh, I took a step back and lifted a hand to gently ease her jabbing finger away from me. It should look like I was relenting under her fury. “Fine. I’ll explain it to you, but not here.” I looked around at the forest. “Once we’re back at the cave, and these rifles are cleaned, I’ll send Simvyl out on patrol and then explain everything.” Or enough of things that she’d be willing to accept where the equipment was coming from.

    “Fine,” Bo said after a few moments. “But if you don’t, by Manda, I’ll beat you so badly no one will recognize you.” With her threat made, she turned and stalked away. Biting off a chuckle at the empty threat – more because if it came down to it, I knew she couldn’t defeat me without laying an ambush beforehand – I followed along behind. Though I kept my pace as slow as I could to give myself time to work out how I’d explain things.



    I watched Bo’s eyes as I slowly pulled out various bags from my Inventory. The confusion spreading in them drew a chuckle as I placed the bag of grenades on the ground between us.

    “What?”

    “Sorry, you’re cute when you’re confused.” That turned the confusion into a scowl, which made me laugh again. “And when angered.” Her hand moved toward her helmet, possibly thinking about putting it on and hiding her reactions from me, only to stop as I opened and placed the bacta patches in front of her. While there was a limit to each slot of twenty-five items, I’d discovered a few years ago that I could get around that by placing things into a bag that’d fit in an Inventory slot and filling it to the brim. Something proved by the nearly fifty patches in the latest bag.

    “So, that’s all that I think you need to see today,” I said as Bo stared at the medicine. “There’s more I’ve got stored, but none of it is important to what we’re doing now.” Which was true as three bags of gems wouldn’t be much use, though I needed to find a way to sell them for credits as they were doing nothing but taking up space. “Also, before I explain all this,” my hand swept over the various bags, “I need you to promise that you’ll never mention this to anyone. Not Naz, your father, Serra, or any Jedi.”

    “Why?”

    I smirked as I pulled the Mantle of the Force from my Inventory and held it in my hand. Currently, I had it at ninety per cent alignment with me, but the closer I got to removing the last of its alignment to Revan, the harder it was to do. Which was saying something since I’d had the crystal for several years, though it was only during my time in the Temple that I’d spent nights meditating on the crystal and nothing else. Oddly, since passing fifty per cent, the only way to improve the alignment was to not try and use any Force power other than Force Attune while meditating. “Because as far as I know, no Jedi, or any Force user, has ever used the Force like this.” With a thought and twist of my hand and the Mantle slid back into the Inventory. “If people discovered I could… store things in what I’ve termed a pocket dimension, I’d be locked up, studied and possibly dissected to learn how.” She nodded slowly as the implications of what I’d hinted at dawned on her. “Now, I don’t entirely know how this works, or why, but it started when I was eight, but what I can store, and how, has slowly grown greater as time has passed. Which is why I’ve got so much stored that might be of use to us now.”

    “This… That’s… osik! With this you could…” she paused as she hesitantly reached out for the bag of bacta patches only to stop and turn her attention to me. “When you said you’d explain things, I wasn’t expecting… well, this.”

    “I can guess.”

    She laughed and ran a hand through her hair, a sign of her trying to get her thoughts in order. “I mean, I had a few ideas, but a… hidden Force pocket dimension wasn’t something I considered. Well, not seriously.” She laughed once more and leaned forward. “What else have you got in there?”

    Smirking, I figured one of the bags of gems would work best. Based on the way her eyes almost leapt from her skull as I held the bag open for her to see, I’d been right. She reached for the bag, her hand shaking slightly. I heard her breath hitch as her hand slipped into the bag and rummaged through the various gems. Most of these, and the other two gem bags, had come from when I’d been pretending to be Palpatine’s nephew, having conveniently gone missing before the slaver ship I had discovered Bultar Swan and Jon Savos on had been impounded by Republic security.

    Bo pulled one large emerald from the bag, turning it over in her hand as I saw the colour matched her eyes. “Keep it,” I said as I closed the bag before she could reject the gift. I then slid the bag back into my Inventory. “I’ve got another bag like that, plus some stuff from my mother including her holocron, and a few other things. But nothing that will help with the Vong.”

    “Why didn’t you use any of this while that… woman had you prisoner?” she asked even as her hand pulled the emerald toward her waist.

    “Force ability, remember,” I replied as she slid the jewel into a secure pocket. “I wanted to, but that kriffing mask prevented me from using the Force.” Which was true, from a certain point of view. Though I was glad that the mask blocking my Inventory hadn’t forced all my stuff to magically appear at my feet, or worse, be lost into a void from which it’d never return.

    “Right.” Bo opened one of the other bags and her eyes bugged out again. “Y-you… you’ve had all this food and we’ve been forced to eat rations and forage for months?”

    I slid back as her eyes burnt holes through my skull. Bo had never been happy about eating the Republic-standard rations we’d recovered from the Ne’tra Sartr, so her getting angry about the food bag wasn’t unexpected. Though the strength of that anger was. “It wasn’t like I could drop them on a hover cart, or say they came from the Sekotans.” Bo continued to glare even as she pulled a Mandalorian orange from the bag. I stayed quiet as she ripped back the skin and then sunk her teeth into the fruit. A quiet moan slipped from her lips as she savoured the taste.

    “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had one of these?” She asked after swallowing that first bite.

    “Um, a few months?” I asked, which brought back her glare.

    “Try over a year!” She snapped back. “With the war, shipments out of the sector are limited, making the price insane. And here you’ve been, wandering around all that time with this and Manda knows what else is stored away and still fresh thanks to your damn Force!” She snarled at me before taking another bite of the orange. “You owe me for this.”

    “I know.” I laughed nervously, hoping that payment wouldn’t be too painful. “Soo, about these supplies.” As I spoke, I opened a smaller bag that I’d placed next to the grenades to reveal my cache of thermal detonators. “Oof!” The sound slipped from my lips as she punched me hard in the chest, getting juice from the orange over my robes.

    “You… argh!” She snapped before taking another bite of her orange. I was thankful she’d done that instead of commenting on the fact I had a half-dozen thermal detonators and I’d only revealed them months into a guerrilla war campaign against a powerful enemy. “Months, it’s going to take you months.” She muttered and I nodded in agreement as I realised that I should’ve started with the weapons and then revealed the food. “Once we’re off this shabyr planet you’re going to make it up to me for hiding all this.” She stood after taking another bite of her orange. “I’m going. I need to redirect my anger.” As she spoke, she picked up her helmet with her free hand and then marched toward the cave entrance, only to stop after a few steps. “You’re sure there’s nothing else you’re got squirrelled away that might be of use?”

    “No. At least not to anyone but me.” She frowned and I explained. “I’ve got a few holocrons, including two Sith ones, that might have instructions on powers I could use against the Vong. But other than that, and parts of my lightsabers, there’s nothing else of use.”

    “Fine.” Without another word, she resumed walking, leaving me to place the various bags back into my Inventory. As I started to do that, my mind turned to the holocrons. The Sith holocron that I’d gotten back when my grandfather had been killed was next to useless, only really being for indoctrination of Sith Acolytes and teaching the most basic of powers and how fuelling their use with anger made them stronger. The three Jedi ones from under the temple had been essentially diaries used by knights who’d died down there.

    That left my mother’s and King Adas’ holocrons for sources of new powers, though I doubted there would be anything useful in my mother’s, in terms of battle applicability here. Yet even knowing it might be useful, I was hesitant to even touch King Adas’ holocron, as it radiated danger. I just had to hope my decision to not activate it didn’t come back to hurt me.

    … …




    … …

    “Status,” I whispered into my commlink as I sat high in a tree waiting for the incoming Vong patrol covered in a simple ghillie net that, while not perfect, would make it hard to spot me from the ground. We knew they were coming as two Sekotans were acting as advanced scouts. They’d called in the approach with the assigned phrase, followed up soon after by the signal that they were withdrawing to the rendezvous points about two klicks south. Yet even though the calls had come in clearly and they’d moved off as expected – I could fully track them as they were outside the range of the minimap – something felt off. I wasn’t getting any hint of a warning from the Force, but I had a niggling feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

    “Anvil, set.” That came from Zarkos who, along with a group of ten Sekotans, was serving as ranged support for the ambush in the kill box we were waiting around. Oh, it wasn’t an obvious kill box, being not much more than a slight depression in the land with decent sight-lines from a nearby hill where Zarkos and the Sekotans were, but based on the patrol patterns of the Vong over the last few weeks, this was the best location – both by terrain and distance from other potential Vong forces – for this ambush to take place.

    Eight null-zones had entered the range of my minimap about thirty seconds ago, and while that was the largest patrol yet, with the slow improvement in the Sekotans’ aim – it wasn’t like they could get much worse from their starting abilities – this patrol would be manageable, if the largest one we’d yet taken on in the months since we’d started the resistance. There’d been some teething issues, and of the initial twelve Sekotans that had survived boot camp, we’d lost four. However, those deaths had ignited something in the younger Sekotans, and our forces had grown to about thirty volunteers. Though admittedly, most weren’t ready for field work and were currently back at either our base camp or the training location – which we’d set up a few klicks away from the cave – with Fenrir.

    To say the tuk’ata wasn’t happy about missing a fight would be an understatement, but he’d been wounded by a Vong in the last ambush. While the wound wasn’t infected, thank the Force, I still wanted him to rest and heal, and had gotten him to stay by Fay’s side after some cajoling. While the Sekotans at the base camp couldn’t follow his orders, I knew he’d keep them in line with his presence alone. And probably take out his frustration at missing a fight by growling at anyone who so much as looked at him funny.

    Bo had wanted to increase the number of Sekotans we recruited, but I’d been hesitant. With most of our support coming from the younger generations, we’d had about twenty Sekotans who’d wanted to join that I’d rejected. While Bo had no issues with using teenagers as soldiers, she was after all a Mandalorian, while I did. Or at least taking them away from their families when they’d never held a blaster before. Another ten had been rejected for simply being, like the two from the first group of Sekotans, a danger to those around them when given a blaster.

    Since we had a limited supply of weapons, and Bo was still referring to me holding out on my inventory at times, most of the guards at the base camp or training centre were armed with vibroblades that I’d had stored in my Inventory. Hopefully, in the months ahead, that issue would be overcome as some Sekotans had begun developing blasters made locally. So far, the process hadn’t moved beyond a single practical failure, which thankfully hadn’t been fatal, but it did give me hope that with time we’d have the firepower to engage more than just a patrol every few weeks. Well, so long as the Sekotan elders didn’t shut down the weapon research program being led by the younger members of their society.

    “Hammer, set.”

    I shook my head as Bo’s confirmation came in, but not because of her. The elder Sekotans, while having permitted me to speak with pockets of the populace, were still preaching that peaceful coexistence with the Vong was the correct path.

    It had made both Bo and myself think longingly of the preaching of the New Mandalorians in comparison.

    While that would have been annoying as fuck on its own, they’d continued to believe this even after the Vong had grabbed one of the elders and along with three other Sekotans – with the youngest being a pre-teen – locked them in the most deranged torture device I’d ever had the misfortune to have seen. It’d taken all my self-control, which was heavily frayed currently, and a firm hand from Zarkos, to not rush to the torture sight and obliterate the Vong present. According to Sheekla, the screams of those Sekotans had echoed around Middle Distance for several days. Though the one upside was that afterwards, as the elders still preached peace as Sekot’s way, they’d lost influence among the general populace. Not by much, but I’d take any shift that would bring more Sekotans into a position of being willing to help us.

    Still, that was a matter for another day, as the null-zones slowly approached, I turned my thoughts to the present. Zarkos’ unit would open fire first, pinning the Vong down for a moment. It wouldn’t be long as the Vong were well-trained and highly skilled and had reacted to blaster fire in previous ambushes with scary speed, but Anvil was simply a distraction. Once the Vong turned their way, I’d drop down into, hopefully, the middle of the Vong patrol and remove one or two quickly before Bo and Simvyl attacked. There was the chance one of us would be accidentally shot by the Sekotans, but so far Zarkos had been keeping them on a tight leash about when and where to fire.

    Still, I wasn’t happy about using essentially untrained civilians in a guerrilla war, even if I understood that that was often the case in such wars. At least until the civilians that survived the opening months learnt how to fight by simply surviving battles. And after nearly two months, we were beginning to see that happen, though I was still wary about being in the firing zone of the Sekotans.

    The lead Vong came into view, and I frowned. This Vong was armoured like the squad leader we’d encountered after being shot down, and while having one or two of those in a patrol was a more common occurrence, they’d never been taking point. My frown deepened, and that sensation that something was off grew, as the next two Vong came into view, and I saw they were also armoured. By the time the fifth Vong had appeared, I’d realised that this patrol was more heavily armoured than any we’d seen before. Something the fifth Vong made clear.

    Unlike the other Vong, this one was covered in a hard shell-like armour that, from what my Force-boosted sight could tell, covered almost every weakness an armour might have. The hands weren’t encased, but part of the vambrace stretched out in a way that’d cover the top of the hand from a strike. While that might normally limit movement, since I knew they could shift the shape of their amphistaffs with seemingly nothing more than a thought, I doubted it was an impediment. Something made even more likely by the odd claws that seemed to have replaced the fingers on one hand. This Vong also had a helm made of the same shell armour, though its face was uncovered which made it the most obvious weak point. Still, the Vong would know this and fight to avoid a facial strike. Of course, there was always the small chance the Vong had shielding technology similar to what Bo and I had with our Vambraces to protect their faces, but I felt that unlikely as it didn’t fit with their behaviour or technology.

    As the sixth Vong came into view, and I offered a silent thanks to the Force that this one wasn’t armoured like the fifth, I started rapidly altering my attack plans. I’d have to take out two if not three of the standard armoured Vong before engaging this new one for Bo and Simvyl to have a fair chance. While Bo would be safe in her armour and could do damage with her beskad and crushgaunts, Simvyl was another matter. Yes, he had armour, but it was durasteel and as had been proven in an early battle to be less than ideal. There, Zarkos’ armour had been hit by a glob from an amphistaff and while the armour had held, it had grown brittle quickly.

    The other issue that stood out was that the Vong were far more attentive than usual. Now, that wasn’t to say the other Vong patrols weren’t cautious, but this group was visibly on edge. They were scanning the forest for any hint of movement and when the clawed Vong barked out orders in their language – which always sounded guttural and wrong somehow – the whole patrol slowed. As they gripped their amphistaffs tighter, my concern grew that they knew they were walking into a possible ambush. I used Observe on the clawed Vong and had that confirmed, and as I opened the commlink to call off the ambush, the Force flared.

    A scream ripped through the forest, sending birds into the sky, as pain and terror flooded the Force.

    “Ambush!” Zarkos’ voice came through the comms as I saw one of the Sekotans vanish from the minimap and blaster fire erupt from where Anvil team were, though none of it was aimed at the Vong patrol below me.

    As a second Sekotan blinked out at the extreme edge of my minimap, I knew I had to act, and dropped down. The world seemed to slow down as the Force powers I used for combat were pushed to their limits, making me a far more dangerous fighter than I’d been merely a second earlier.

    The Vong below me was tense, but he hadn’t expected an attack to come from above. The faint howl of the lightsaber – something I always enjoyed hearing as it reminded me that I’d taken down a greater krayt dragon – was the only warning the Vong heard. His head had barely started to move up as my blade slammed into and then sliced clean through his skull. My beskad came down as well, and with the now partially headless Vong’s amphistaff still in its whip configuration, the beskar blade slid between a small gap in its scaled armour and removed the head from the body.

    The eyes of the other Vong turned to me, yet before any could attack, one fell, smoke rising from his face where a trio of blaster bolts had struck. Three Vong that I could see moved toward where that fire had come from as Bo and Simvyl emerged from their cover even as the other Vong, including the clawed one, rushed at me.

    An amphistaff came thrusting in and while I could block it, I’d be leaving myself in close quarters with three Vong, all of whom had the advantage. I vaulted back, the Force boosting the height and distance I covered and once in mid-flip, thrust my hand toward the Vong that launched the first attack. Twisted red energy raced from my fingertips and struck the Vong in the chest, knocking him back into a nearby tree.

    As I landed a scream echoed in the Force, causing me to stumble. I still had my blade in a defensive position though as the clawed Vong reached me. I had covered more ground than the first Vong in less time and its amphistaff flicked toward me rapidly even as it shifted from a whip to a spear. I pivoted, deflecting the staff away with my lightsaber, then as the staff shifted back to a whip, I pulled my blade back and brought my beskad up, slashing the snake head over the snout.

    While that drove back the amphistaff, the move to attack had shifted my stance. The third Vong attacking me took advantage and stabbed forward with its staff. A roll of my wrist allowed me to slap away the attack with my lightsaber clipping one of the amphistaff’s eyes, but as I did something slammed into my other shoulder.

    I tumbled away, though I quickly regained control, only to find the clawed Vong closing rapidly; its staff coming forward in a dangerous-looking twisting thrust. Not wanting to try to block it head-on, I instead used the Force to flick the dirt at my feet upward, into its face. The dirt got into the Vong’s eyes, and its attack went haywire as it lost sight of me. Taking advantage of that, even as I slipped to one side to avoid the staff as it shifted into a whip and snapped at me, my lightsaber flicked forward, catching the Vong near an organ Zarkos had determined was important. Yet my blade failed to do any damage as the shell armour resisted the plasma of my blade and the tip slid over the armour; a slight darkening of the shell, the only hint I’d even struck it.

    Before I could alter my attacks and strike the clawed Vong again, the other two were upon me. The one who I’d blasted with Force Lightning stabbed at me with its staff, forcing me to lean back to avoid the snake head. As I directed it away with my beskad, the blade caught the thing’s eye and sent black ichor flying. Yet even as that staff reared back in pain, I’d moved back and regained my footing, just in time to block an attack from the other Vong with my lightsaber.

    That staff shifted even as I pushed the weapon away. Realising that I couldn’t pull my blade back before the staff had shifted and wrapped around my lightsaber, I did something potentially foolish. Tràkata was a lightsaber trick that Dooku had shown me several years ago yet warned me against using unless I had no choice as if done wrong it left one exposed and without a weapon. The power to my blade vanished in an instant, sending the snake-head flying through nothing and toward me. It snapped at my arm as my blade reignited, catching the Vong holding it on the hand, removing several fingers. As the Vong yanked back its staff, I felt the teeth rip into my skin and saw a health notice appear in the Interface.

    I couldn’t give the notice anything more than a passing thought as I rolled back my other shoulder, letting a thrust from the burnt Vong pass by. Taking advantage of the Vong’s extended state, a flick of my wrist had my beskad slide across its scarred chest. The cut wasn’t deep enough to be fatal, mainly as the Vong had just managed to shift its stance by removing one hand from its amphistaff. My blade dug deep, exposing the Vong’s ribcage, but slid out of the body before it reached the throat.

    As I stepped forward, wanting to finish off the now injured Vong, movement to my side drew my attention. I turned just in time to see the snake-head of the clawed Vong’s amphistaff – which up close looked larger and more dangerous than those of other Vong – rushing toward me. With my body awkwardly twisted to meet the on-coming Vong, I knew trying to even deflect the attack would be foolish, meaning I had to do something dangerous.

    I stepped back, sliding inside the reach of the sliced Vong and its staff, and drove my shoulder into its chest. The impact rattled my teeth, but it further unbalanced the injured Vong and allowed me to drop under the forearm of the Vong and then bring my arm back up and slam my elbow into the arm holding the amphistaff. The snake-head snapped at me as I moved, but it couldn’t reach me as its Vong stumbled away from me, right into the open maw of the clawed Vong’s amphistaff.

    As the injured Vong snarled in annoyance – and I hoped pain – my lightsaber came up and clipped its spine, severing the brain’s connection to the body from below its mid-back. The Vong slumped forward onto the clawed Vong’s amphistaff and took that out of play for a moment.

    However, any chance I had to finish off the injured Vong or attack the clawed Vong was removed as the scarred Vong rushed at me. Its amphistaff was close, too close for me to block or deflect before it reached my face. Forced to react, the world shifted to silver.

    As the light faded, I found myself about ten metres from the trio of Vong, though the injured Vong was now a heap on the ground. An amphistaff was suddenly thrusting toward my face, and I slid a foot back to set my stance, yet my foot caught an upturned root. That unexpected event caused me to stumble to one side, ironically making the scared-Vong’s amphistaff miss me. I took advantage of that by bringing my beskad up in a powerful sweep, severing the head of the weapon as I let myself fall back, rotate and land on my feet.

    An instant later the Vong was engulfed in flames. Even as its flesh darkened the Vong seemed unaffected still, it made it pause for just long enough that I could steady myself. As I did, the flames stopped, and I felt a grunt of pain echo within the Force.

    Behind the now unarmed Vong, I saw another member of the species slam into Bo, sending her flying into a tree. Logically I knew she was still safe in her armour, but emotionally, I felt my fury rise. The world around me darkened before spears of burgundy energy surged forth, seeking out the Vong who’d dare lay a hand on that which belonged to me, the rage-fuelled lightning never reached its target though as the unarmed Vong had the misfortune of stepping into its path.

    The Vong was sent hurtling away, dark-red energy coursing over its body, and slamming it into a tree. The wood went up instantly, engulfing it and the Vong in flames enriched with dark, malevolent energy. Before I could take any further enjoyment from the now burning Vong, Danger Sense warned me of something behind me which was a relief as the Force failed to offer any warning about the Vong.

    I turned to see the shell-armoured Vong rushing toward me with the other one from the initial three a few steps behind. The shell-armoured Vong’s amphistaff’s snake-head rushed toward me. My lightsaber flicked up, catching the snake on its snout, and diverting the attack, yet that didn’t do anything about the Vong’s momentum.

    “Oof!” The air fled from my lungs as the Vong’s shoulder slammed into my gut. The force of the impact easily lifted me from my feet. It stopped, letting me fly back and as a gap reappeared between us, the clawed hand slashed in front of me. My robes were rippled with ease, and I was lucky that the attack only grazed my skin, likely leaving deep cuts across my stomach and chest.

    I landed and stumbled back, struggling to get my footing as the Vong brought its clawed hand back around, this time planning to skewer me. My beskad barely came up in time, though I found some pleasure in slicing off two of the claws before striking the vambrace and diverting the attack away from me. That enjoyment was short-lived, however, as the other remaining Vong from the initial trio arrived to help the clawed one.

    I was forced to leap back from the clawed Vong to have the space to defend against the other Vong, which I did by using my lightsaber to divert an attack of its amphistaff. Yet the Vong was prepared for that and twisted its arms to bring the tail of the staff around. I shifted my weight and slid one foot back, letting the attack sail through the air though the Vong started to counter by rotating its shoulders.

    To prevent it from striking me with the flat of its staff, I brought my beskad up and pushed the amphistaff upward. The pressure against my blade suddenly lessened, meaning it was shifting from staff to whip form, but the movement I’d made had left the Vong’s side exposed. My lightsaber found its mark, burning a hole into the Vong’s side just under its armpit. A flick of my wrist had the energy blade rush from the Vong’s chest, rupturing several internal organs and sending smoke caused by the instant cauterization of the cut into the air.

    My beskad caught a chink in the amphistaff’s armour even as I turned, and the beskar blade bit down on the living weapon as its wielder slumped to the floor. Yet as the Mandalorian weapon sliced into the amphistaff, I had to flick it away. The clawed Vong had swung at me with its odd hand, and while the attack didn’t impale me as it planned, two of the remaining three claws caught my side and drew blood onto my robes.

    Rage boiled up and I brought my lightsaber up rapidly, only for it to be blocked by the shaft of the Vong’s amphistaff. The weapon shifted, trying to wrap around my lightsaber. I shifted my stance to avoid that only for the Vong’s arm to slam into my gut. As I stumbled back, turning as I did, the Vong used the moment to grapple me. The amphistaff came around, snapping toward my face. My blades were both stuck facing downward as my arms were trapped by the Vong in a bear hug. I could hear its disturbing voice chatter in my ear, seemingly revelling in having caught me.

    The remaining blocks on my anger uncorked. “Fuck you!” the air around me turned a sickly dark red and in an instant, I was freed. My robes were singed, as was my hair, but I was free of the Vong’s grip.

    As I turned, I saw he’d been sent hurtling into a boulder, cracks rippling outward from where the Vong had struck it. Seeing that the Vong was still alive made it hard to retain control, but after shaking my head a few times I regained enough to not rush him.

    “Just fucking die already,” I spat out as the Vong pulled itself upright, ignoring the metallic taste in my mouth. I took a step to set my stance, only to wobble and bring a hand to my side. The cuts there, while not deep, had bled heavily, though that only further fuelled my rage.

    The Vong shouted something at me in its fucked-up tongue, but I didn’t care to understand what’d said. Only that the fucker was still standing even as its amphistaff slithered over the boulder toward the non-clawed hand. I channelled my rage into my beskar-wielding hand, readying myself to unleash another blast of Force Lightning only for the commlink to crackle into life.

    “G-get ou-t of he-re!” Zarkos’ voice was weak, broken and behind it, the sounds of screaming, blaster fire and inalienable snarling could be heard. “Fi-ight ag-gain.”

    Before I could respond an explosion rocked the forest, sending dust and debris hurtling around me. Even before it settled, I’d realised the blast had come from the direction of Anvil unit. A glance at my minimap to see that almost all of them were gone, including Zarkos, was accompanied by what sounded like a barking laugh from the Vong.

    The laugh enraged me, but the sight of a dozen null-zones racing from the former location of Anvil unit toward where I was focused my mind. “Fall back!” I shouted into the commlink. I didn’t want to run, didn’t want to give the motherfucker in front of me the satisfaction of winning, but I knew we’d already lost. If we didn’t bug out now, we’d either join Zarkos or be captured and tortured by the Vong. Memories of my time with Vosa slipped into my thoughts as I promised that I wasn’t going to be captured again and that Zarkos wouldn’t have died in vain.

    “But…”

    “NO! Get going!” I continued to glare at the clawed Vong as we faced off against each other even as the dust settled. He seemed willing to wait, likely for his reinforcements to arrive, before attacking again, which gave me the time I needed to prep a hastily developed escape plan. “I’ll cover you!”

    “Cam.” Bo sounded winded, if not wounded, and I could hear the confusion and concern in her voice. And the rage that burned within her through the Force, yet I knew her concern was aimed squarely at me.

    “I’m not falling here, just going to buy you some time. Get Simvyl and bug out.” I closed the link and depowered my lightsaber. The clawed Vong snorted at that and then banged its fist against its chest, yet I paid his reaction little attention as I hooked my lightsaber and sheathed my beskad. No, all I wanted was to draw on all the rage within me, on the hurt and pain I’d felt over two lifetimes. With that, I dove into the Force, turning it to my will, and embracing the Dark Side. I knew this was dangerous, but it was the only way I could see for us all to escape.

    The corners of my vision twitched red. The Vong roared, then charged even as the first of its allies slipped into view. The blood on the armour of the first four Vong, all armoured like the clawed Vong, though only two had similar hands, further fuelled my fury.

    “Burn motherfuckers!”

    Fire and twisted, dark red energy erupted from my hands, slamming into the Vong and the ground around them. The rage-empowered destruction spread rapidly, filling the forest around me with an ungodly heat. Snarling screams echoed behind the sound of wood exploding under the heat and power being unleashed.

    I smirked as I lowered my hands and stepped back, taking in the carnage I’d unleashed, though I didn’t allow myself to savour it, instead letting the world be enveloped in silver as I used the Force to teleport away.

    … …




    … …

    I winced as I leaned over and ran the rag along the blade of my beskad. While the cuts I’d taken from the clawed Vong hadn’t been infected nor deep, they were a nuisance. Even though they were only, for the most part, minor, it was harder to heal them with the Force, likely a result of them being made by a species and technology that not only seemed unaffected by it but also appeared to actively repel or hamper the semi-mystical energy field that bound everything together. Or almost everything it seemed. Which would explain why wounds caused by such weapons would be less easily healed by Force-based techniques. All the Force could do was accelerate my healing and numb the pain, which meant wearing bacta patches to help as well. Even though they were working, it was taking longer than I’d like to heal and my injuries flared with pain sporadically.

    Still, I was doing better than Simvyl was. While the Cathar had only taken some superficial wounds, which I’d been able to help accelerate the healing of, and he’d managed to kill what I was referring to as a squad-leader Vong, he was struggling with the loss of Zarkos. After reviewing the recording from Bo’s armour, we realised the Togrutan had used his thermal detonator to take out several Vong instead of being captured. It was, all things considered, a good way to go, but Simvyl was struggling to cope.

    In the space of half a year, he’d lost both Rangers that’d come with them, including the one who’d been training him. While the pair hadn’t commented on it often, it was clear they had a bond similar to what I shared with Fay and Dooku. Not as deep or profound obviously, but just as important to them. Thus Simvyl, in the days since the disastrous ambush, had been unstable and prone to emotional outbursts.

    The Sekotans were doing worse. With the best-trained members of them now dead – I hoped none had been captured – those that remained were wavering. About half had asked to return to Middle Distance to spend time with their friends and family and while I hoped they’d all come back; I expected some not to. Bo had left this morning with that group and would be back by nightfall unless she had to move slower due to increased Vong patrols.

    A gentle growl from Fenrir drew my focus. Since I’d returned Fenrir had been my constant shadow, and if I didn’t know any better he was doing so not just to keep an eye on me, but to remind me that he felt things would’ve gone differently if he’d been there. Though his constant presence had made last night a little awkward when Bo came to sleep with me. We hadn’t done anything beyond sleeping, which was different from every other time we were together, it had turned into a battle for dominance, which she seemed to enjoy losing even if she never made it too easy on me. Still, I’d been grateful for the company, and I suspected she felt the same way. When I’d woken, she’d already left to escort the Sekotans home.

    “No matter how much you think otherwise, you being there wouldn’t have changed anything,” I muttered to Fenrir, which drew a snort and a shake of the head from the large beast. While he couldn’t speak, he was scarily intelligent and when combined with what I could sense from him within the Force, I rarely had any difficulty understanding him. “Doesn’t matter how much you think otherwise, it’s the truth.”

    Fenrir stood, did a full body shake, the type that reminded me of a dog before he walked around in a circle. Eventually, he dropped back down, his head resting on his front paws. Seeing that he didn’t want to argue anymore and was going to return to just sitting by my side – to hide that he was trying to guard me – I resumed cleaning my beskad. While it wasn’t a rifle from my former life, cleaning it brought me the same sense of calm and centeredness that rifle-cleaning often brought. While Alchaka worked better for centring myself within the Force, cleaning a weapon was an older and more stabilising, habit for me in times of crisis.

    Time seemed to melt away as the rag moved methodically over the blade, soaking up the black blood of the Vong though I was always careful to avoid the razor-sharp edge. Neither the rag nor my finger would survive sliding over that, something I’d discovered by accident not long after getting the weapon.

    Eventually, I sensed someone approaching. A look at my minimap and reaching out through the Force let me know it was Simvyl. While my bond with him wasn’t on par with someone like Serra, never mind Bo or my masters, it was growing stronger and that allowed me to sense more of what he was feeling. He was still angry, but there was determination overriding it.

    “Morning,” I said as he came closer. A quick use of Observe let me know he was hungry – hardly a surprise as the only ration pack opened before I got to the hovercart storing them was from Bo – and was conflicted about things. Not wanting to pry, even if I knew he needed to talk, I kept silent and returned to cleaning the blade.

    Simvyl moved closer, gave Fenrir a wary look, which was ignored by the lazing tuk’ata, before sitting down nearby. Still, I kept cleaning my blade. If he wanted to talk, he would, and if he just wanted silent company, that’s what I’d give him. Anything else would likely result in him pulling back.

    “How’d you manage it?” He asked after nearly ten minutes of silence.

    I stopped cleaning the blade, though I was glad to see the last of the blood was off it and looked over at him. I had an idea of what he was asking about, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

    “When… When Master Fay was almost killed, you lost control, you-” he paused and looked away. When he looked back, I saw the lack of sleep in his eyes and the haunted expression he wore more clearly along with the matted fur around the eyes. “You went dark, stopped being a Jedi. I remember the eyes.” He shivered involuntarily. “I’ve seen them when we’ve fought the Vong since.”

    He found some inner strength and looked me in the eyes. “I swore to you that if you turned, I’d kill you. Yet Zar… Kekda said it was fine.” A sleeve came up to wipe his eyes. “He said Master Fay was the closest thing you had to a mother. Seeing her badly hurt and lashing out as you did was a perfectly normal reaction, even if it wasn’t how a Jedi should behave. Yet I- I’ve seen that rage, that anger in your eyes in every battle since then. You lose control, yet don’t. And around the camp, you seem fine.”

    I chuckled and shook my head. “If someone says they’re fine, then they’re likely using the word wrong.” The fur around Simvyl’s eyes tightened. “If someone who’s gone through what we’ve gone through says they’re fine, then they’d better mean Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional because otherwise, they’re kriffing lying.”

    I suspected he might bring up my behaviour since Fay went down, as it was close to what he was dealing with regarding Zarkos. Though dropping the acronym meaning of F.I.N.E. wasn’t something I expected to ever do in this life. I was also surprised to hear Zarkos was so relaxed, at least outwardly, about me channelling my anger in battle. He had to have known that wasn’t the Jedi way, but he had allowed it. Possibly that was due to him being Togrutan as, while humanoid, they weren’t human and thus had differing moral standards. That said, it did explain why Zarkos had offered to listen if I wanted to talk about what had happened to Fay. I’d never taken him up on it, mainly as we’d never been that close and I had Bo to rely on instead, but it was generous of him to have made that offer.

    Still, I knew I needed the anger burning inside me to fight against the Vong. They were a league or two above anything I’d dealt with before, and while channelling the Dark Side so willingly was dangerous, the one time I’d relied on more common Jedi Force techniques the battle had been a hundred times harder than those beforehand. To say nothing of those since. I knew the Dark Side was dangerous, and I knew I was playing with fire, but in the simple maths of this war, I knew I had no chance but to keep doing so and do my best to not let the Dark Side consume me.

    “As for each day, it’s a challenge. Every night before I close my eyes, and every morning when I open them, I see Fay on the ground, bleeding with a Vong standing over her.” I closed my eyes and pushed away the memories as I didn’t need to draw on them now, nor let anyone know how much those were mixing with the still occurring ones regarding Vosa and making my nights hard to manage if I didn’t use Player’s Mind or have Bo beside me. “The rage inside, when I see any Vong, screams at me to hurt it, kill it, to burn this entire planet to ash to ensure I kill every last one of them.” I blinked as a soothing aura flowed through me. Looking down, I saw that my fingers had subconsciously moved for the necklace Fay and Dooku had given me for my thirteenth birthday. The aura contained within the gem helped push down the fury that burned within me. At least enough that I could continue without any risk of losing control.

    “I know it’s wrong to have these thoughts, that it’s the Dark Side trying to twist my mind, but I know I need the power the rage grants. I’m sure once Master Fay recovers she’ll take me and spend weeks, if not months, talking with me about my actions on this world, but to tell you the truth, I don’t regret anything I’ve done to the Vong.” My gaze drifted from Simvyl toward the cave entrance. A gentle flame in the Force, one growing stronger, let me know Bo was on her way back. She was still outside the range of my minimap, but she would soon be back at the camp, back at my side.

    I continued as I turned back to Simvyl. “I’m sure that once we’re off this world, once it’s safe from the Vong, I’ll have to figure out a recompense for using my anger. To learn to let go.” Or at least some method to hide its use from other Force users as the High Council would have kittens if they sensed my current Force aura. “But for now, I need the edge the rage provides.” Realising I’d waffled slightly, I shifted focus. “Now, what I’m doing, in using my rage to give me an edge, might not work for you. Or it might. I honestly can’t say. All I ask is that, over the coming weeks and months, you remember Zarkos’ teachings, take them to heart and not let the anger consume you. Now, that’s not to say that, once we’re free of this world and these damn aliens, you should hold onto the anger, but trying to ignore it or cut it off, especially while the wound is still fresh, would be like cutting off an arm or a leg. You can’t deny it, but you can’t let it define you. You have to, somehow, learn to focus it, when needed, to give you an edge against those responsible for Zarko’s death.”

    With my piece said, I leaned back, my hand still clutching the gem in my necklace. Simvyl looked away from me, picking a random spot on the ground to focus on. While I’d rambled a bit, I felt the message I’d been wanting to get over had reached him, now he just had to take it in, understand, and then apply it.

    “You’re not what I expected from a Jedi,” he finally muttered. I laughed at that.

    “Yeah, I get that a lot.” I considered just letting the comment slide, only to remember that months ago, when we were trekking to Middle Distance, he’d revealed a little about his past. “Then again, how I ended up in the Order is pretty far from the norm.” I sensed his curiosity, along with the faint hope of a distraction as I continued. “I only joined the Jedi when I was eight and I reached the temple by flying the ship my grandfather’s killers had used when they’d come to our house.” His eyes widened and I laughed. “Aye, that’s most people’s reaction. But honestly, that’s the least crazy part. You see I was born in the Old Republic and, technically, I’m nearly four thousand years old. Plus, long before I was born, my great-grandfather turned to the Dark Side and almost destroyed the Republic, only being saved from that fate by the woman who’d eventually become his wife.”

    “That’s, uh, something?” I laughed hard at his reaction. The combination of his face looking like he didn’t understand what he’d heard mixed with the tonal shift as he spoke was amusing as hell. Beside me, I felt and heard Fenrir's chortle, though the sound from him, as always, sounded more like a threat of violence than him finding something amusing.

    “Aye.” I shifted my beskad to place it across my lap. “I can tell you more of my story. Though I’ll warn you that it doesn’t exactly get normal.” As I spoke, I pulled a small stone from my belt. While the beskar blade kept its edge easily, I still felt a need to sharpen it when I could. The action, much like cleaning it, brought me a sense of peace that didn’t rely on the Force.

    Simvyl laughed, though there was some nervousness in the chuckle. “At this point, I’d take that over…” his words died off as his mind was brought back to what was dominating his thoughts. The small spark of fire in his eyes that’d come out as we’d talked about something other than the war faded, but I wasn’t willing to let it go completely. As Fenrir rubbed against my leg, annoyed I’d stopped scratching him so I could sharpen my blade, I decided to keep going with my story. Perhaps tales of my time in the Temple would distract him from his troubles long enough he’d gain some peace. And maybe it would allow my mind to focus on something more than the debacle of an ambush from a few days ago.

    … …




    … …

    I sat in the cave, though in a different section from where Fay was resting and stared at the holocrons resting on my bed. Most of them had offered nothing of interest, or even hinted at having useful data, which was why my attention was on the pair in front of me. One had belonged to my mother, and while I enjoyed listening to the few stories she’d placed on it, many of the files were restricted by her gatekeeper – the term used for the representation of a person within a holocron – until I was at least a knight. Even if I could convince it I was a Knight, I doubted the restricted files would be of any help with the Vong, which is why most of my focus was on the other holocron. That of King Adas.

    Normally I wouldn’t risk bringing out the Sith king’s holocron as it had a presence that affected others, but given I was alone in the cave – if one discounted the comatose Fay – this was as good a moment as any to examine it.

    Currently, Bo and Simvyl were away carrying out recon on the Vong base to the south. While I doubted that we’d be attacking it at any point in the future, not least due to our recent losses, it gave Simvyl something to do beyond mope around the base camp with a chip the size of Alderaan on his shoulder. Oddly, Bo had spoken to him about focusing that anger, mentioning how Mandalorians are taught to harness it and not let it harness them. While I was amused that her words sounded similar to my thinking on using the Dark Side, the bigger shock had been how Simvyl actively listened without commenting on the issues between their people. Hell, Bo had even opened up slightly about her feelings when her sister-in-law and nephew had been killed by Death Watch in the Battle of Sundari and how that rage, that drive for revenge had needed focusing to be of any use.

    I’d spoken with her before they’d left about opening up to Simvyl, as it was a rare thing for her to do even with me; save during some post-sex moments. She’d waved it off by saying the Cathar needed reassurance and guidance, otherwise he’d be a liability to us. While that was accurate, it didn’t feel like the whole truth. Still, instead of using Observe to confirm that, I’d taken her at her word and dropped the matter.

    Fenrir had wanted to go with them, but I’d not let him. I knew he was feeling cooped up, but the tuk’ata had even less control than the Cathar and would likely attack any Vong that came too close, placing them all in danger. To let him feel better, I’d told him to go explore the surrounding forest. He'd bounded off almost immediately and from the feeling of satisfaction I’d felt about ten minutes ago, he’d likely found and killed himself a meal.

    That had started after our first battle with the Vong, and I had to suspect it was because we were now regularly seeing combat; drawing out his inherent nature as an alpha predator. So far, I hadn’t sensed anything within the Force to hint that the planet was unnerved by this, but it was something I’d have to keep an eye on as a feral tuk’ata would be a problem for any bar me to control.

    Still, with me having had peace and quiet in the cave – the Sekotans around the base camp knew not to disturb me – I’d still not opened Adas’ holocron in the hour I’d been staring at it. I’d tried to look him up in the Jedi Archives during my recovery in the temple, but there’d been nothing to find. Not even a brief mention of him. That meant that either he was such a dangerous Sith that knowledge of him had been restricted to all but the highest members of the Order, or he was someone they knew nothing about. Of the two, I felt the latter was more likely as if information about Adas was restricted, someone should’ve asked me about my research, which hadn’t happened.

    Like the Sith training holocron, Adas’s was shaped like a triangular pyramid which made it far different from the cuboid shape of most Jedi ones. In fact, the only Jedi holocron that wasn’t a cuboid was the Great Holocron which was much larger than any other holocron I’d seen and a pentagonal dodecahedron. This holocron also stood out as the edging was made of something that looked and felt like obsidian with engravings in it. Those had to be Sith runes, but I had no idea what any of them meant and no way was I going to search for information on those in the Jedi Temple. And then there was the presence the holocron radiated.

    Unlike any other holocron, this one radiated power in a way even the Great Holocron failed to do. Due to its age, I knew that Adas must’ve been one of the Sith species and possibly, one of the very first holocrons ever created. Certainly older than the Great Holocron, which was over ten thousand years newer. And then there was the feeling it generated every time I pulled it from my Inventory. An overwhelming urge to activate it flooded my mind whenever it was in the open, calling to me in a way I simply didn’t understand. Whispering promises of the power contained within that I could bend to my will. Which was why until now, I’d rarely ever removed it from my Inventory, never mind considered opening it. Still, it was the only option I had to learn any power that’d help with the Vong, or even, I hoped, with removing some of the restrictions on Dark Side Masking.

    That was a power I’d discovered a few days ago when considering how to remove or hide my usage of the Dark Side from others. While it would do exactly what the name implied, it had a nasty restriction. Until I was shown by a skilled Dark Side user how to properly use the power, I was looking at a massive penalty to XP growth. I’d had the power running non-stop since I’d discovered it, and in the days since, only gone two levels. At that rate, I’d have to be away from other Force users for years before I’d feel comfortable about them not sensing my Dark Side taint.

    With that in mind and having felt I’d prepared myself against the influence of the holocron for long enough, I closed my eyes. My mind reached out into the Force, easily finding the dark abyss close to me and pushed against it. Activating this holocron was unlike any I had before. Even the Sith training holocron only needed a gentle rub with the Force, Adas’ holocron seemed to actively fight me. It swatted away my push aggressively, which irritated me. I pushed back harder, but again it rejected my presence. Realising this was a test, I pushed at it once more, letting some of my bottled fury empower the attempt. That seemed to do the trick as I felt a reaction from the Holocron. Not letting me in per se, but more accepting I was at least worthy of speaking with its gatekeeper.

    Ja'ak!” my eyes shot open at the alien word, and I saw the gatekeeper, though I couldn’t be sure it was Adas. It was impossible to determine height from such a small hologram, but the figure looked imposing. He was clad head to toe in armour that, if seen in the flesh, I instinctively knew would seem to draw in the light. There was some different colouration on the crest of the helm which matched the cloak that bellowed in a fictional wind behind it, and in one hand was an axe that looked to be about sixty per cent of the figure’s height. “Naugast. Aras tu jidai ax jen'jidai?

    I blinked in confusion at the strange, yet oddly powerful, words the gatekeeper was using. Worried the thing couldn’t speak Basic, I activated Comprehend Speech, only for its next words to be in Basic. “You are powerful in the Force, yet you are not a Sith, that much I can tell. Nor are you a Rakatan.” My brow rose at hearing that race mentioned. “Hmm, you know about the Rakatans? Unexpected and interesting. So tell me, are you one of the weak-willed Jedi that Nadd spoke of, or someone drawn to my knowledge by a desire to learn how to properly use your gifts?

    While the words had an odd accent to them, possibly from learning Basic the last time it’d been active – whenever that was – they were spoken with a regal grace and power one would expect of a king or emperor. Yet, before I could ponder that, or consider my reply, a warning notice appeared in the Interface.

    WARNING!
    Mind manipulation field detected!
    ...
    I snarled at realising the holocron was trying to manipulate me and slammed on Player’s Mind. With my emotions suppressed and the influence, weak as it was since the field had only just appeared, blocked, I felt the unnatural calm engulf my mind.

    What blasphemy is this?!” The gatekeeper raged, not giving me time to wonder why the holocron felt a need to attempt to manipulate me. “You dare dull your senses in my presence!

    I knew that if my emotions weren’t under lock and key, I’d have responded aggressively. Yes, the holocron could, like Jedi Masters, sense when I used my special ability, but the fact it reacted like that revealed something about it. “I do so dare when I sense someone, or something, trying to alter my perceptions and manipulate me into actions I might not otherwise choose.” Logically arguing with a twenty-seven thousand-year-old holocron was likely not the smartest choice, but I knew subservience also wasn’t the way to go. Perhaps responding calmly was also a mistake, but it was the better choice. “My mind is mine alone, and not for others to influence. Particularly those whose time has long since passed.”

    I felt the air around me grow cooler as cold, hardened fury emanated from the holocron. “Were I still living, I would rip your bones from your body one by one, taking time to ensure you felt every second of the action, and then grind them to dust in front of your eyes. I would then savour your blood before feasting on your still-warm corpse, before turning your skull into a goblet to remember your foolish behaviour.

    That was a very dark response, and if I hadn’t been using Player’s Mind, might’ve drawn an instant, and illogical reaction from me. I could tell this first meeting with Adas’ gatekeeper was going south, but I understood that being the one to shut off the holocron would be seen as a sign of weakness by the gatekeeper. “If you were living, I have no doubt you’d attempt to do as you threaten, though I doubt we’d ever speak given your race has long since left the galaxy. Since you aren’t alive, I will instead make clear that I am not, like those you may have taught before, a puppet to control and live vicariously through.”

    The gatekeeper glared at me. After years of facing Bo, I knew when a helm-wearing figure was doing that. If it could, I was sure it would use the Force to burn me to ash where I stood. “Until you are ready to listen with an open mind and show the respect a child should give to their elders, our conversation.

    The holocron blinked out as the cold feeling in the cave slid away. “Wonderful,” I muttered as I released Player’s Mind. That had gone bad, though, in retrospect, it could’ve been worse. The fact the gatekeeper expected another talk meant it was at least intrigued by my strength in the Force. Still, I needed time to decide how to handle that next meeting. If I wished to learn from King Adas, I needed a method beyond Player’s Mind to help me stay in control.

    … …




    … …

    A few days later, I removed Adas’ holocron from my Inventory once more. Bo and Simvyl were due back in by the end of the week, and if I wanted to learn anything from the holocron, I needed to start now.

    I activated a timer on my vambrace, setting a clear limit to how long I was willing to allow the holocron to manipulate me. Then, after taking a few deep breaths to prepare myself, I closed my eyes, brought forth the rage boiling deep within me and pushed against the holocron inside the Force. While there was a challenge, it wasn’t as blunt as before, meaning either the gatekeeper recognised my Force Aura, or because I was drawing on my anger straight away, it was less inclined to reject my demand that it open.

    So, you have come grovelling back in understanding that your knowledge pales in comparison to mine.” If it was possible for a hologram to look smug under armour, Adas’ gatekeeper pulled it off perfectly.

    “I admit that there are things I wish to learn about the Force that I can’t learn from a Jedi. Nor risk by trial and error.” I ignored the warning from the Interface as I spoke. “That said, I’m not going to become your minion, nor follow the teachings of the Sith Order.”

    Something that sounded like a growl came from Adas. “What is the status of those imposters?

    I took a moment to consider his reaction. I’d hoped drawing a line between him and the Sith Order would let him know I suspected he was a true Sith, but the reaction was unexpected. “They last fought openly a thousand years ago and lost. Since then, while most Jedi and the Republic at large believe them to be dead and gone, I doubt that to be the case.”

    How so?

    “For thousands of years, the Sith Order fought against the Jedi and Republic and always, in the end, lost. Now, I believe they’ve gone underground and are working from the shadows to destabilize the Republic. Or perhaps even take it over from within.” As I spoke, I could feel the rage from the holocron grow as a strange, almost debilitating wave of power surged outward.

    Those cowards!” Adas snarled, the holocron seeming to visibly vibrate in fury. “To hide in the shadows, to feign non-existence. This is not the way of a True Sith!” I stayed silent, holding my ground under the onslaught of corrupted power that emanated from the holocron as it raged at what had become of those who took the name Sith. “If I was alive I would…

    “Forgive me, but you’re not.” Its helm glared at me, and I felt as if the weight of a thousand suns was pushing down upon my shoulders. “I, however, am. And I’ve made it my goal to defeat these Sith, whatever it takes.” There were lines I wasn’t willing to cross, and I hoped I never had to approach them, but failing to stop Sidious and Plagueis – assuming my being here altered his fate – would mean the death of myself and everyone I knew and cared for.

    While I don’t believe you are willing to go as far as you must, I can sense the strength of your conviction. And the raw, untrained power you wield.” His helm looked over me slowly as if grading me for the slaughter. “If you had been born Sith, I would’ve considered you as a potential apprentice. Perhaps, given time, even a worthy heir. Sadly, you are not, being nothing more than a weak, powerless Human.

    I knew he was goading me, that he wanted me to prove my power. While part of me wanted to not give him the satisfaction of getting a response, I knew that failing to prove myself here and now, after the disaster of our first conversation, ran a real risk of destroying any chance I had of learning from a true Sith. Of potentially learning techniques lost to the aeons that even the Sith of this era knew nothing of.

    “I have power,” I replied slowly, letting my anger rush forward and summon Force Lightning, “and I can wield it. However, I know that there is much I don’t understand, and I won’t allow the twisted whispers of the Force to control me. I will control it.” As I spoke, I kept unravelling my anger. Toward the Vong, the High Council, Vosa, Palpatine, everyone. Until the corners of my sight drew dark as the light within the cave was swallowed by my lightning. I could feel my control slipping, could hear the faint, inaudible whispers of the Force mixing with the darkest recesses of my mind. They wanted me to use them, use my power, and bend all to my will.

    Yet I was the one in control, not it.

    Slowly, fighting against myself, I reined in my fury, my darker, more unhinged self, and light slowly returned to the cave.

    Hmm, yes. You have… potential. You have impressed me, young Human, and earned the opportunity to study at my feet. But you are still far from proving yourself worthy to be my apprentice.

    I had no intention of letting that happen, of letting him mould me into what he wanted. Yet at least now he was willing to, I hoped, teach me, at the very least, how to hide the savagery within.

    … …




    … …

    I looked over the holographic map projected by Bo’s helm on the ground before me. It showed the Vong base, and frankly what I saw was concerning. We’d scouted it out early in our campaign, mainly to get an idea of the Vong forces and how regularly patrols left. At that time, it was beyond us taking, but seeing what it’d become since made it clear that even if we’d escaped their counter-ambush unscathed, we were losing this war.

    Initially, there looked to be support for maybe sixty Vong with only a simple outer wall and four cannon emplacements on the corners of the base. Now, months later, the place looks to be around three times the size, with buildings for, potentially, four times the number of Vong. The walls had risen to nearly ten metres, appearing to have grown in a manner similar to the Sekotan buildings. Though where the Sekotan buildings felt inviting and natural, the Vong’s felt wrong. As if something terrible had twisted nature into its darkest possible form.

    The four cannon emplacements had expanded to twenty, with each cannon having grown to a larger size than the initial four. The base only had two entrances, with each guarded by four cannons and, from what the hologram suggested, a minimum of four Vong.

    “This is… well, to call it not good is an understatement,” I muttered as I moved my attention to the base’s interior. The central building looked more like a starship. Or at least one that’d been taken and thrown in a blender then covered in growth after being left abandoned on a world for centuries. Around it were other buildings, but their functions were impossible to tell simply from looking at them. “How well-manned are the cannons?”

    “Single Vong units, though there are regular patrols outside the walls that work to keep the local vegetation back,” Bo replied even as the hologram shifted as she controlled it with her vambrace. “The closest we saw the forest get was around fifteen metres and the area was littered with the dead remains of dozens of animals and at least four Sekotans.”

    “This is good, great even, but we can’t act on it,” I spoke slowly, my focus shifting to Simvyl. Ever since they’d returned, I hadn’t even had to try to sense the rage burning within him. Before he’d left, it’d been wild, almost uncontrolled, but now, it was focused, burning white-hot. I knew even without Observe – which I’d used for confirmation – that he wanted to attack this base; the sooner the better.

    Bo’s eyes shifted to Simvyl for a split second, but that was enough to confirm she was concerned about his anger as well. “I, we were thinking a raid would be a smarter choice. Just something to show them we’re still here, still fighting.”

    “And how would that work? Even with Fenrir, we’d be four against, what a hundred? Two?” While there were no Vong marked on the map, based on its size alone, it could hold, if they billeted anything like I’d done in Iraq and Afghanistan, up to four hundred in those various buildings. Though that would mean supplies being brought in on regular transports, which was something we’d been seeing for months.

    “Couldn’t you do as you did in Tantajoc?”

    I shook my head at that. “There’s a multitude of reasons why that wouldn’t work here. First and foremost is that the Vong are leagues above a group of backwater pirates and slavers. They’ll be far more attentive and prepared for an attack. Second, that base had reasonably common laser cannons, meaning a few strikes at key locations guaranteed their destruction. The Vong weapons… even with recordings of them firing on local fauna, we lack an understanding of how they work. Or even if they’d explode if I attacked them.” Bo seemed to be accepting of this, but my rejection was doing nothing for Simvyl’s growing anger. “Now, if we had a few more months to observe them, we might be able to attempt a hit-and-run attack. However, even if, by some miracle, we managed to breach their walls and disable enough defences, where exactly would we attack?” As I spoke, my hand drifted over the base’s interior. “While the central building would logically be their command centre, can you confirm that it is? And where do the Vong bunk?” Normally, I’d have asked about their weaponry, but since their main weapon was organic and seemingly connected to them, and we’d not seen any use of grenades or heavy explosives, I felt they didn’t have any, at least not at this base.

    “That seemingly overgrown ship has the largest footfall. We’ve tagged on average fifty different Vong going in and out from it.” Bo pointed at two buildings near the central location. “These two see more footfall and given their location and the fact the Vong going into it are generally the lowest tier of warriors we’ve faced; I feel these are their barracks. And possibly a canteen.” She paused and smirked. “Given we had a few weeks to monitor them, my armour was able to start tracking the slight variances in their armour and markings to help pin down that there’s somewhere in the region of a hundred and thirty Vong in the base. Most are the rank and file, with fifteen per cent being the – as you designated them – squad leaders. The new ones we encountered in the last ambush,” I glanced at Simvyl to see him baring his teeth – “only number around a dozen, including the one whose claws you cut. On top of that, there are two others with another set of armour, those must be the base commanders.”

    I nodded along as she spoke. While it was a relief that there weren’t too many of the shell-armoured Vong in the base, one was one too many with the overall number of Vong. And then there’s their commanders. Those, if I was judging the Vong correctly, were probably just as skilled as the shell-armoured Vong, if not more so. All in all, the base was too well-defended and manned for even a lightning raid to work. Not without at least two of the three of us here dying in the attack.

    “We need to hit them! They need to pay! For what they did to Zarkos! And the Sekotans!” Simvyl all but hissed out, his ears leaning back as he bared his teeth. From the look Bo gave me, it was clear she wanted me to handle this.

    “We do, and we will. But I’m not going to throw away lives in an attack that, given our current strength, would all but destroy our forces.” I kept my tone soft but firm, not wanting to shout back at him but, I hoped, making it clear I was putting my foot down. “Throwing away our lives, and the people we’re trying to help, for simple vengeance, isn’t something Zarkos would’ve wanted.”

    “They have to pay!” He moved toward me, stepping into the hologram. From elsewhere in the cave, I heard Fenrir growl even as Bo slid one hand to a blaster.

    Seeing no way out of this but to confront him, I stepped forward, though I made no move to grip a weapon. Mainly because if he did anything stupid, I’d have him down on the ground faster than he could blink with the Force enhancing my actions. “They do, and as I said, they will, but until you can learn to control yourself, to focus that rage on those that deserve it, you’re banned from both any potential base assault and ambushes.” His eyes narrowed, making the slits in them even more prominent somehow and reminding me once more that I wasn’t dealing with a human. “If you’ve got a problem with my orders, we can go outside right now, and I’ll beat the shit out of you until you understand who’s in charge.” As I spoke, I activated Force Aura. That was one of the two things I’d learnt from Adas – the other being how to hide my Dark Side taint which removed the restrictions on Dark Side Masking – after I’d done enough to earn the change to become his apprentice. Force Aura allowed me to let my power in the Force wash over an area. With time, it would reach a point where, according to Adas, all but the most powerful Force users would feel uneasy near me – if I so wished – but for now, it was still Novice level.

    Simvyl stepped closer, his fingers flexing to expose his claws, and I pushed more of my barely restrained fury into Force Aura. That seemed to do the trick as, rather unexpectedly to anyone else, the Cather stopped. He blinked and widened his eyes, though they stayed focused on me. For a few moments I felt he might still attack, but instead, he started moving back. He never turned, not until he was far enough from me that we couldn’t attack each other, and even then, kept his eyes upon me until he’d slipped out of the cave.

    Once that happened, I pulled my rage back inside and deactivated Force Aura. While I was impressed that it’d worked so well, I hoped this moment didn’t cost me too much of his loyalty.

    “What was that?” I turned at Bo’s words. Her eyes were wide, a fire burning in them and as her chest rose and fell impressively, her cheeks turned rosy. Even without the Force, or having learnt her intimate secrets, I’d be able to tell she was turned on by my little display of dominance. Just as she’d been, in hindsight, after each of the battles I’d fought in where she’d been present. How I’d missed them until Observe had revealed her feelings for me was embarrassing, but now they were as clear as the lone cloud on a clear day.

    Bo being turned on by battle and prowess, both in combat and in situations like what’d just happened, fit her perfectly. So far it hadn’t developed at a moment where she couldn’t control it, or at least suppress it long enough to get me alone to scratch her itch. Yet, I worried one day it would.

    I pulled Adas’ holocron from my Inventory, enjoying that I didn’t have to hide the action by reaching into my robes or belt pouches first. “Something I learnt from this, a Sith holocron.” There was a part of me that felt I might be revealing too much to Bo, but I felt safe in her loyalty. The last time I’d used Observe on her – just before she’d left on the recon mission – she considered me an Honoured/Confidant/Lover. The first two of those were the second highest levels I could get to with my reputation and friendship and based on the names of the highest levels – Worshipped and Follower – I wasn’t sure I wanted her to reach those levels. Not if the names hinted at blind obedience. “I only managed to get the gatekeeper, basically the intelligence that runs a holocron, to reveal that and a basic method for how to hide the fact I use the Dark Side.”

    For a brief moment, Bo looked confused. “The Jedi.” The words weren’t a question, meaning she understood my concern.

    “Aye. When we get off this rock and return to civilization, they’ll sense what I’ve done here. How I’ve done it. And either they’ll lock me up or, given my family history, have me executed.” To be fair, I wasn’t sure if they’d do the latter, but it’s what I’d do in their place. Better to remove the threat now than lock it away and let it fester into something far, far worse.

    “If they do that, I’ll kill them.” Bo stepped toward me, the fire in her eyes drawing me in like a moth to a flame. “You’re Mando’ade. We’d go to war with the Jetii if they did that.” The conviction in her voice was complete, which was downright scary. And sexy as hell.

    “I know you would,” I replied, taking a step toward her as we both walked through the hologram of the Vong base. “But I don’t want you dying for me.” I stopped as we came close enough that I struggled to not grab hold of her and claim her once more. “Besides, if what I’ve learnt from King Adas can help, they’ll never know what walks amongst them.”

    Her lips twitched before she licked them enticingly. “What else has it taught you?” one hand came up, gripping the front of my robes.

    I stepped closer, letting my breath caress her face. “Let me show you.”

    … …




    … …

    I gently dabbed the cloth over Fay’s face as she kept herself in a healing trance that mimicked a coma. Even without using Observe, I could feel her slowly growing stronger in the Force, though that special power was giving me a rough timeline based on how slowly her health was creeping upward. There’d only been a few percentage points of increase in the near month since the counter-ambush, but any change was a massive encouragement for me. Particularly since the previous half year or so since she’d been attacked, there’d been no change in her status.

    Provided her rate of recovery held, it would be at least another month, possibly two, before she woke, which was more of a good thing than bad. It was good in the sense that it’d give me at least a month of running Dark Side Masking to further improve the power. It had been active constantly since I discovered it, and with the restriction removed, it was going up at about three levels per day. If given another thirty-five or so days, I’d comfortably have it to the Master strata - if not just into Savant - which, I hoped, would be enough to hide most of my Dark Side usage from even her.

    After making sure her face was clean, and then doing the same for her arms and legs up to her knees – I refused to go further as it felt like an invasion of privacy – I stood and walked toward the cave entrance. As I grew closer, the sound of movement from outside filtered in. Currently, we were working on training another group of Sekotans. While it wasn’t something I felt happy about, due to the lives we’d lost, since the Vong’s counter-ambush had gotten back to Middle Distance, we’d seen a large uptick in recruits. With only Bo, Simvyl, and myself to train them, we couldn’t take them all on, but Bo had found a use for those not taken yet.

    While we didn’t want them causing trouble with the Vong inside the settlement, that didn’t mean they couldn’t watch and track the Vong that moved in or near their homes. Those with any mechanical expertise were shifted to help with developing Sekotan blasters with, according to the last meeting I’d had with Gann and Sheekla, a working prototype likely ready for us to take the next time I met them. I knew there’d be issues with this new weapon, but it was a massive step on the path to arming the Sekotans properly. Not least as we’d lost almost all our blaster rifles in the counter-ambush.

    As I stepped into the sunlight, I saw Bo was overseeing the current training. Which was something she did every day she wasn’t on recon. Several Sekotans had complained that Bo was pushing them too hard, and while I was sympathetic to their concerns, I didn’t move to reassure them. That fell to Simvyl, who even with a desire for revenge burning within him, had calmed down enough to understand that we needed the Sekotans to have at least basic competence before we could strike back.

    Bo turned and I saw a scowl on her face as she looked over her recruits. Behind her, I could sense Fenrir who was moving slowly around the edge of the base camp, acting as a sentry. Or at least an inner sentry. Outside the range of my minimap, there were various dots of lifeforms from Sekotans. They were serving as sentries, at both fixed locations and roving patrols and while they knew of each other’s location, they weren’t to interact to make it harder for Vong scouts to use one setup to find the other. It wasn’t foolproof, but it was sufficient since we were over a dozen klicks from Middle Distance. Simvyl was also outside the range of my minimap, having left that morning with a few of our remaining trained Sekotans to meet up with the scouts inside the settlement and monitor the actions of the Vong patrols outside Middle Distance. This was the first scouting mission he’d gone on since the little incident, and while I wasn’t sure he was in control, I told him that if he engaged the Vong while out, then if he somehow survived, I’d hunt him down and end him myself. It was a decidedly un-Jedi-like thing to say, but he’d accepted the condition quickly, making me think he was squared away enough to be of use again.

    Suddenly, a being rushed onto my minimap. Since they were showing up it meant they weren’t a Vong, yet they were approaching quickly. Plus, they shouldn’t be alone as every sentry or patrol worked in pairs or groups of four. As I moved in the direction the runner was coming from, I reached out through the Force, concentrating on them. I felt an urgency, along with determination but thankfully no worry so nothing had gone wrong. Or at least not that this runner knew.

    On the way to meet the runner, which I could sense was female and around my age, I pulled a canteen to me with the Force. As they broke through the last set of bushes before reaching the base camp, my brow rose as the girl, who was a head taller than me, slid to a stop at seeing me. “Dudala?” As I said her name, the girl bent over and started breathing heavily.

    Dudala was the daughter of one of the main growers in Middle Distance and had been clamouring to join the resistance since we’d lost our first Sekotan, who’d been her cousin. However, her father had denied her request and since she wasn’t considered an adult in Sekotan society yet, she’d had to obey. Still, she often worked as a runner for Gann, Sheekla, and others inside the settlement and had joined the scouting units I’d developed to monitor the Vong movements inside Middle Distance.

    “Bond…partner.” Dudala’s reply came out between breaths even as I passed the canteen to her. I waited patiently as she gulped down some water and calmed her heartbeat. I knew she had something to tell me as there’d been a spike of relief when she’d seen me, but since there was still no fear emanating from her, I felt there wasn’t a rush to find out why she was here.

    “I bring news.” As she said that, she pulled a datapad from her belt and passed it to me.

    My brow rose as I read the message. According to Gann, he was still in contact with the Jentari, the ones building my new ship. While they’d been working around the clock to make fighters to engage the Vong with – which was a surprise as Gann hadn’t mentioned that to me at all – their most recent message stated that my vessel was ready.

    Gann had included a note of where the Jentari were based on the planet, and while it was a three-month trek, getting access to a new ship could change the course of this war. So far, we’d been limited to engaging the Vong around Middle Distance, meaning they could, conceivably, concentrate their combat units here while moving to secure other locations on the planet they deemed worthy.

    Since Gann wished to speak with me before we departed and, if I was reading between the lines, he might have a way to accelerate our travel time.

    “Something’s got you in a good mood.” I turned at hearing Bo’s voice and passed the datapad to her. As she looked it over, I looked back at Dudala.

    “Thank you for this.” The girl smiled and lowered her head even as her cheeks turned a darker shade of green. “Head over to the cave and rest. We’ll escort you to Middle Distance at first light tomorrow.”

    “Yes, bond-partner.” The girl moved away from us even as Bo looked up from the pad.

    “This is…” she paused and looked around for a moment before continuing. “Are we going to run?”

    I could sense her concern at her words, meaning she wanted to stay and fight, as I knew Simvyl and Fenrir did. “No. While I’d love to get some support for this war, there’s no way the Vong don’t still have vessels in orbit, and until I get an understanding of this new ship’s abilities, I’d rather not get it into a dogfight.” I looked over at the recruits, who’d moved to intercept Dudala before she could reach the cave. “Besides, we started this resistance, and by the Force, I intend to see it through.”

    Parjai ra kyr'am.”

    “Victory or death.” I returned the affirmation in Basic. “And I plan to make sure it’s theirs.”

    … …




    … …

    A/N:
    As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
    For this series: Heart of the Force
    For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse

    If you wish to support my writing, gain access to 1st drafts of chapters (where every level bar the lowest has access to at least the first draft of the next chapter and all got the redraft ~2 weeks early), consider supporting me on Patreon:
    USSExplorer




    Regardless if you join the discord or support my writing, I hope you enjoy the story and suggestions, valid criticisms, and ideas are always welcome.
    And of course;

    May the Force be with you. Always.

     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2023
  2. VATSTeen

    VATSTeen Experienced.

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    Seems like a long shot to even escape. And the Republic has no standing army so if reinforcements come it will be Jedi getting slaughtered wholesale.
     
  3. Rakaan

    Rakaan Not too sore, are you?

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    Does the red text seem blurry to anyone else? I found those scenes to be so obnoxious to read as a result I ended up just highlighting the sections.
     
    LLL and Amrynel like this.
  4. USSExplorer

    USSExplorer Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

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    The New Republic and NJO got slaughtered in the first few months of the Vong war. The Republic and Jedi as they are now... "Ouch Time"

    I'll place up a base image next chapter, but the ship is built with organic tech so, while the lines of those two fighters are nice, they don't quite work...

    I've used colours before with Holocrons so the text stands out. I didn't want to use a bright red here and went for the darker shade. Sorry if it was hard to read for you.
     
  5. Vealie

    Vealie Versed in the lewd.

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    I'm not sure that stats add anything to this system/story tbh.

    A skills only system would still let you do all the force stuff as discrete powers and passives but I've never really felt like having maxed out physical stats has made cam notably athletic outside of the normal force sensitive stuff and writing ever growing mental stats is always a tricky thing.

    +IQ is obviously the godstat in most cases but it's impossible to write beyond a certain point so best to take it off the table to begin with.

    I'm not bashing here fyi, it's a good story and I enjoy it but I often find myself thinking less is more when it comes to gamer-ish and System fics.

    Case in point being Naruto fics, afaik in Naruto the superhuman physical feats are attributable to chakra techniques which become second nature to Ninjas through constant practice.
    Almost definitionally a (set of) passive skill(s) in a Gamer system. so what does it mean that the Gamer has a gorrillion str/Dex/con/agi/whatever and skills for chakra enhancement and they're still on the typical curve for progression somehow?

    Anyway, I can't see Cam's time with the Jedi Order as anything but finished after starting & fighting a dark side fuelled insurgency largely against the wishes of what passes for the local government.

    Not with his recent history. The first time someone he has an attachment to is hurt he dives headfirst into the dark side wholesale despite being able to opt out of most emotions whenever he wants to.

    He's a poster child for the order being right about attachments for force sensitives, the danger of falling etc etc only out of context cheats keep him on the edge rather going full Vader on Bo and Fay.
     
  6. LuciferBael

    LuciferBael Mand'alor Te Talyc

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    Ya the stats are more a periphery thing tbh, Cam is at the max he can reach and you may see that more if he has to fight without the force(which may happen, not saying) or just chooses to in say an honor duel

    As for staying with the Jedi, you'll see, he may be with them longer than you think ;)

    Not sure if he's a poster child of the order being right, remember the order thinks nothing the Dark does can be anything but a negative and what he does if he actually falls hasnt been explored :p
     
  7. Celtic Spartan

    Celtic Spartan Know what you're doing yet?

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    I completely agree with this right here and I think it's best when the gamer elements are secondary to the story or they get treated as plot elements like in What's HP? Does it taste good? where the main character actually wants to get rid of his gamer abilities because it's railroading his adventure
     
  8. Vealie

    Vealie Versed in the lewd.

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    Even with the system & out of context knowledge assisting him he's gaining a useful level of personal power for these small scale engagements in guerilla warfare in exchange for a good chunk of his judgement and restraint.

    The level of sadism and lack of control shown is antithetical to actually waging a successful war against a peer opponent, ruthless pragmatism is one thing but the dark side really doesn't seem to be that.

    Truthfully I'm struggling to suspend my disbelief with the notifion that the school of space wizardry which focuses on selfbuffing and environmental TK is less effective vs magic resistant opposition than the one which likes to make direct magical attacks on the opponent.

    Fay wasn't ruthless enough but she had the right idea with smacking them around with tree trunks as did Cam before he lost it and went all zzzzzaaaappp on them.
     
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  9. LuciferBael

    LuciferBael Mand'alor Te Talyc

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    The dark side powers are canonically what works best on Vong and overcomes the resistance they have to direct force attacks, which makes perfect sense because the Dark Side is the side of the force more geared toward offensive applications, dark side also generally is better at self buffing whereas lightside is better at ally buffing, of course that's not to say you can't be an expert at those if you use the other side

    His judgement and restraint is fine ATM when it comes to planning the attacks and war, he just has to take into account that during combat hes likely to be a bit more blood drunk

    The dark side has a lot of ruthless pragmatics but Cam isn't a trained dark sider so he doesn't really have the experience to directly control his urges, and the sadism hasnt really effected the war overall as shown in the chapter
     
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  10. Hammerfury

    Hammerfury Know what you're doing yet?

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    They don't really need a poster child. They've had multiple examples of them being right over the centuries. They are content because their system works for most people.

    Exceptional people with tremendous self discipline (even compared to other Jedi) might be able to minimize risk of falling, but the risk is still there.
     
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  11. Hdjksnsndaj

    Hdjksnsndaj I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    TBH I could see Palpy throwing together a makeshift army from various defense forces to throw into the meat grinder. It would definitely help him convince the Senate to fund more militarization.

    The environmental TK not being as effective as you would expect does kind of make sense. Jedi generally rarely the force that way, especially in combat. We usually see force pushes or, in Cam’s case, slamming people into walls. The Vong and their gear are also far more durable than any human, and so are likely to survive a hit and close to melee range before you can smack them again.

    Also, Force Lightning being extremely effective against them is completely canon. Seemingly just to fuck with the Jedi. The Vong got really lucky that there wasn’t a Sith Empire kicking around to ruin their day when they actually showed up.
     
  12. S!ËGFR!ÊD

    S!ËGFR!ÊD Versed in the lewd.

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    Depends on how it works. Is it like a stadium flood light? Or does it hijack a person’s neural system to prevent the brain from getting signals from the eyes? If it’s the latter, then no.
     
  13. Anjels

    Anjels Know what you're doing yet?

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    can i use this comment in my profile quote (forgot the correct name ) ?
     
  14. Commedia

    Commedia Know what you're doing yet?

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    Sure.
     
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  15. Anjels

    Anjels Know what you're doing yet?

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  16. Threadmarks: The Living Planet 4
    USSExplorer

    USSExplorer Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

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    A/N:
    As always, thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logic errors.


    This chapter was released at least 2 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
    Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
    Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.



    Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo


    The Living Planet 4
    ...
    “I expected something… different,” I muttered as I stepped off the rickety transport that had carried us from Middle Distance to where we were currently. Around us was a forest, and while the trees were massive – the largest being the size of a Redwood from Earth – and have strange green and purple trunks, there was nothing that stood out in the area. Well, aside from the transport that had brought us here. I was still shocked that the cobbled-together flyer had managed to lift off from Middle Distance, never mind bring us here, wherever this was.

    I turned back to the transport to see Simvyl step off, his face slightly tense, which was understandable as the transport had been prone to random, sometimes violent shaking. While that would’ve been bad if we’d been above the tree canopy, we’d stayed low to avoid detection from any Vong fighter craft, ducking and dodging in between the trees. On three occasions, I’d been forced to stabilise the vessel with the Force, with one such incident being to avoid us slamming into a tree when we’d been travelling at over a hundred klicks an hour.

    “The Jentari are currently inactive, from what I understand.” The reply came from Gann who had stepped off the transport between Simvyl and me. He pointed at the trees even as Bo and Fenrir emerged from the transport. “Clients are normally brought here while the shaping takes place. According to those who work with the Jentari, this helps with the bonding process. However, with the invasion, the shapers were forced to move forward without your presence. Which was why according to the missive I received; your vessel took considerably longer to shape.”

    I frowned as my eyes returned to the trees. When we’d been shot down by the Vong, the connection I’d had with the seed-partners had gone, though around a week later, I’d felt something familiar yet different at the very edges of my senses. Over the last half-year, I’d put that feeling to one side, focusing on the war, yet as we’d flown here, the sensation had moved from a vague thing into one that was based around this area. It was still weak, yet there was little doubt the source was coming from the direction Gann insisted we’d have to walk before we’d landed.

    “By the… the trees! They’re not trees!”

    I glanced at Simvyl after his exclamation to see him staring and pointing at the large trees in front of us. Focusing on them, and using the Force to boost my sight, I blinked at what I saw. At certain parts of the trunks of the strangely coloured trees, I could see metal glinting in the sunlight.

    “No, they are the Jentari. They shape the growth of new client vessels, under the watchful eyes of the builders.” Gann explained even as I felt Fay’s presence move. That meant Bo was guiding the hovercart, carrying my comatose but recovering Master, from the transport. The trip, which if we’d hiked would’ve taken four to five months, had taken less than one, mainly because we had to go slower than normal and arrange our travel to ensure we were less likely to be spotted by the Vong. If her rate of improvement continued, I expected her to awaken within the next week or so.

    The rest of our supplies, minus the thermal detonators, had been left at the base camp with the Sekotan recruits. Bo had been very reluctant to leave the weaponry and food with them, but I’d gotten promises from the senior Sekotans in the resistance that they’d not attack until we returned. It wasn’t much, but it – along with finding a pleasant way to distract Bo – had been enough to settle the Mandalorian’s discomfort.

    “Master Fay would’ve loved to have seen that,” I said, my eyes still on my master.

    “Yes, the builders were hoping to see that as well.” Gann offered before he moved past me, moving toward the giant trees, the Jentari, that were still a few klicks away. We’d landed here as the ground between this point and the Jentari as there was insufficient cover to hide the transport and Gann wasn’t willing to risk the Vong discovering the planet’s ship-creating facilities. While I agreed with that, I wished we were already there and I could see my new ship.

    The Force was shifting around us as if it was growing excited about something and I had to assume that was to do with the vessel that’d been grown for Fay and me.

    … …




    … …

    “I do hope the ship is to your liking.” The lead engineer, a male named Vidge, stated as he guided us onto a platform. The red-skinned Langhesi had met us at the entrance to a valley where the ships were grown and shaped – his words while detailing the normal process. While neither Fay nor I had been present, the designs I’d gone over with Shappa had seemingly been enough to help guide the process, along with the wishes of the seed-partners and, Vidge claimed, Sekot’s wishes. The way the Sekotans revered the planet reminded me of religion, yet I couldn’t deny that there was something profound about this world. Which made it a shame the Vong had arrived before Fay and I could investigate that matter further.

    The platform we stepped onto was, like most of the valley aside from the branch canopy that hid us from aerial view, an open one, allowing the smells of the organic factory – which reminded me of freshly cut grass and roses – to swirl around us. There were no walls for the platform, only a guide rail, and I moved forward; the strange feeling that’d continually grown stronger as we’d landed earlier almost demanded that I hurry up. And yet, it felt weak, faint, as if in some way damaged.

    “And here it is.” I barely heard Vidge’s words as I reached the edge of the platform and gasped.

    Below, held in place by vines wider than I was tall, rested my new starship. A cornucopia of light emanated from below, bathing the dark green hull in an array of colours that made the ship appear alive. Almost making it look as if it was rocking in the vines, desperate after months of resting to finally slide free and fly.

    My eyes wandered over the hull, judging its length to be a little shorter than the Ne’tra Sartr, though, unlike my former ship, the internal structure covered most of the width. Provided the internal structure filled most of the shape, then it should be more spacious even if it lacked some length. The body was angular, but with a natural feel, reminding me of an enlarged jet fighter. While not exactly how I’d helped Shappa with the design, it was still easy to see it was based on those plans.

    While there were darker indications over the top surface of the hull that seemed decorative but felt to me to be if it could be wrangled, excellent locations for weapon hardpoints even if Gann assured me no Sekotan vessel was ever armed, the overall shape screamed speed. The lights dancing over the hull only enhanced that feeling, as did the two protrusions at the rear that extended a few metres beyond the body.

    Yet, for as beautiful as it was, my focus shifted to the Force, and what ripples the vessel left within. It was weak still, almost reluctant to create a flutter of presence, but the ship was radiant within the Force. As if it was alive in a way similar to Fenrir. There were hints of Fay in this new presence, hints of myself and the planet, showing the ship to be a merging, somehow, of the three of us. And yet, it was timid, restrained. Almost as if it was dying.

    “What’s wrong?” I asked, not taking my eyes from the wondrous vessel.

    “It is failing.” My head snapped to Vidge, and he took a step back. “A newly shaped vessel needs to be with its client. The seed-partners merge to create the living heart of the starship and for that, and the growth, the client should be present. You and your master weren’t. In truth, if you were any other client, the ship would’ve died long ago. We would have all mourned for it.” He gestured to the far end of the valley where I’d seen buildings meaning those that worked with him to create this wonder. “That it hasn’t must be due to your connection with the Force, the number of seed-partners involved, and the will of Sekot. Yet, even so, it grows weak.” He moved toward one side of the platform and ran his fingers over a console.

    My head snapped back to my vessel as a faint, odd rumbling filled the area. Slowly the vines seemed to tighten, and the ship slowly rose toward us. I watched in awe as it came closer, showing the hull seemed to be one smooth surface, bar the viewports of the cockpit and two along the starboard side. In the darkened areas at the nose, small flints of metal protruded, likely marking the sensors and similar features. The vines shifted, turning the vessel around to show the rear, where three sunlight engines were mounted – two smaller ones mounted under the protrusions with a larger one resting under and between them – and then confirming the two viewports on the port side. As it finished rising, I saw a ramp lowering near the main engine.

    Once the ship was at our level and facing away, Vidge moved next to me and pulled back the railing. “Come.” He walked onto the vines, finding his feet with years of experience. I took a few cautious steps after him, my focus struggling to not stay on the vessel and the faint, hesitant ripple it was generating within the Force.

    As I moved under the main engine, feeling an urge in the Force, I lifted my hand and brushed my fingers over the hull. That weak pitiful presence in the Force reacted and I felt something reach out for my mind. it was all at once new and old, familiar, and undeniably alien, and I yanked my hand back with a gasp.

    “Cam?”

    I turned to Bo. “I’m fine. I think.” I licked my lips, trying to put into words what I’d just felt. “The ship’s alive, in a way. I think.” Even without our Force bond, I could tell Bo wasn’t comfortable with my words, though given how uncertain I sounded and felt, that was understandable. It had only lasted for a moment, yet in that time I’d felt as if there was something within the ship that was a part of me, and yet wasn’t. That wanted my help with something.

    Not waiting for her response, I moved hastily after Vidge, my feet finding solid ground on the mass of vines with ease. As I reached the ramp, which seemed to be a part of the hull that had simply been cut away, and then walked in, I inhaled sharply. The walls were the same shade of green, though they looked faded almost black in places, as the outer hull, with lights pulsating underneath in an almost hypnotic fashion.

    “It knows you’re here.” I reluctantly looked away from the wall toward Vidge. “The lights have grown stronger over the last few weeks. Today they are almost as bright as they were when it was shaped, and we added in the components needed to bring it to Republic standards.”

    “She’s weak. Hurting.” I muttered as I lifted my hand toward the wall, tracing the movement of the lights within it. When my hand touched the wall, the unusual feeling I’d felt outside returned, though it was more encompassing than before, if still very weak. “Because we weren’t here?”

    Vidge smiled after I spoke to him. “Yes. The bond between the client and their ship is weak, but it is there. We feared you would not understand, to know otherwise will make many happy.” He lowered his head. “Sekot has blessed you.” I tried to keep my face neutral, not wanting to insult his beliefs as he raised his head. Even as he offered it, I felt the ship’s presence grow slightly stronger. As if it was a snail emerging from its shell just enough to taste the morning’s light.

    “How do I help her?”

    Vidge smiled widely and moved into the ship, waving his arm. “This way.” I followed quickly, though not so fast that my fingers slid from the wall. The connection I felt to the ship was tenuous and I didn’t want to break it just yet.

    We left the entranceway and emerged into a corridor. The walls were mainly covered in the same dull green of the hull, though there were a few metallic panels that I recognised as power monitors and the like. A few steps in the corridor and I followed Vidge into a new room. This was circular, with couches placed around a central table in a configuration that oddly reminded me of the central area of the Ebon Hawk. Though, given the shine from the table and the feel of a couch as my other hand touched it, with far superior materials.

    “The seed-partners you and your master bonded with formed the core of the ship’s heart,” Vidge began, shifting my attention from the luxurious-looking fittings that had been added to the vessel, including a kitchen area that gleamed in the odd light of the ship. “Yet without you, it has begun to weaken, to rot.” He touched a spot on one wall and I winced at seeing parts fall away like leaves falling from a tree in autumn; though without any of the colour.

    “She’s alive but dying,” I muttered as I pushed my hand against an array of lights. “She needs help.” Even as I spoke, I reached out through the Force. It was easier to sense the ship now, and while I’d thought it was just weak and scared earlier, I could now sense the pain, the decay. Without us here to help, she’d retreated in on herself; cannibalised her body to keep herself alive while reaching out for us. For me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered to the wall. “I’d have been here sooner if I’d known.”

    A hand came to rest on my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I saw it was Bo. While she said nothing, I could sense her concern, though I doubted it was directed at the ship.

    “With you here, now we can help her.” I looked over at Vidge to see he was near another passageway which wasn’t there when we’d entered the area. Almost as if the door has merged into the wall while I’d not been looking. “Come.”

    I offered Bo a smile as she removed her hand and then followed the Sekotan. The passageway he’d gone down was short, ending at the cockpit. There were two chairs at the fore with two more further back at stations that, from what I saw of their consoles, handled secondary systems. Vidge indicated one chair, which I knew was meant for the pilot, and I slid into it.

    “Wow!” I gasped as the chair seemed to shift as I sat, becoming so comfortable that I felt like I was sinking into and merging with it. The seating on the Ne’tra Sartr had been hard, befitting a ship built for combat, but this seat was incredibly comfortable. As one would expect from a ship built for the most exclusive of clientele. And through it, I could sense the ships’ presence slowly growing more pronounced, more confident with each passing second.

    Vidge smiled down at me and indicated the consoles in front of me with a tilt of his head. The layout was like the Ne’tra Sartr though only some were marked. Still, I was able to find the switch for the main power core and smiled as the console confirmed the power levels were increasing. That smile widened as I felt the power seeping into the hull, making the ship’s lighting more prominent.

    My fingers moved over the controls, lightly touching each to get a feel for them. With each touch I could feel the ship reacting, wanting to further the faint but growing connection between us. As my hand drifted over the thrusters, I swore I felt the ship vibrate, as if wanting to break free of the vines and race into the clouds. As much as that idea filled me with joy, the threat posed by the Vong, and the faint hints of decay within the ship made me pull back.

    I chuckled at the way the ship distantly seemed to whine at not getting to be free. “Soon, darling,” I whispered to the console, my fingers running over a display.

    “You will spend time here,” Vidge began, reminding me that he was here, as was Fenrir who’d come in and settled against one of the empty secondary chairs, making himself at home. “While your companions can come and go, you will stay onboard for at least several days. The link between you and her is weak and pulling away now, just as it seems to be growing stronger, would likely kill her.”

    “Never. I’ll never let that happen.” I shot back with conviction.

    Vidge laughed. “Good. You understand. Most clients know their ship is special, but few seem to truly understand the gift Sekot has given them.” He looked down at Fenrir. “Your beast seems to feel this also.”

    Fenrir lazily lifted his head and growled, which made me chuckle. “He doesn’t like being called a beast, but yeah. Tuk’ata, that’s his species, are animals with a strong Force connection. Since this ship also has one, though it's faint, and that it’d linked to the seed-partners I bonded with, I guess he’d sense it as well.”

    Vidge nodded. “Yes.” He looked down the passageway, toward the common area. “I will speak with your companions. They will have the choice of staying onboard with you, though that isn’t required.”

    “Can you also have someone move my Master into a room?” I asked, figuring the weak but surrounding presence of the ship might accelerate her recovery.

    “Of course.” With a bow, Vidge left, leaving me alone to soak in the connection I felt from my ship. It was still very faint, but even in the brief time I’d been aboard, I’d felt it grow stronger. With time, which I hoped we’d have, it would return to the level it was meant to be, if not more. While uncertain, I did hope my connection to the Force would further enhance the bond I shared with this magnificent almost-living vessel.

    … …




    … …

    “I understand why you fought and killed the Vong that assaulted us,” Fay said slowly, her hand drifting unconsciously to where her wound had been, “but what, if I might ask, drove you to not only keep fighting them but develop an insurgency campaign in which you trained locals to fight?”

    I resisted the urge to sneer at that being the first thing Fay asked about. She’d woken up the day before and while she’d wanted answers then and there about what had happened since she’d been wounded, I’d been able to distract her with the ship we were on when she woke and delay this talk a day to give her time to recover a little.

    As expected, even after a day to meditate and sleep, after nearly three-quarters of a year in a Force-empowered coma, she was weak on her feet. Her cheeks had thinned slightly, hinting at some malnourishment and her skin had lost some of its ethereal glow, but it seemed her mind was as sharp as ever. How else could you explain the fact that after I’d been reasonably detailed about what had happened while she’d been in her coma – even showing her the Council-prepared recording of us engaging a Vong patrol – that she’d zeroed in on the issue that defined the entirety of her time asleep.

    When I’d first mentioned engaging the Vong, I’d sensed her concern, likely due to me engaging in desperate combat when I’d only just been cleared for missions by the Jedi Council after my time with the Bando Gora. Yet for all that concern, the moment I’d mentioned recruiting and training Sekotans, I’d sensed revulsion from her. As if helping the locals defend their home from invaders, just because they were peace lovers before the invasion, was somehow an insult to her. I’d pushed away my anger at sensing that, not wanting to both reveal how close to losing control I often was and because I wanted to wait until I’d finished and heard her opinions on the matter before responding to the repulsion. Yet, even after detailing what had happened while she coalesced, even the Vong taking Sekotans and torturing them for what felt like fun – since none of them could have any useful intelligence – her focus was on my training of the Sekotans.

    I looked away, taking a moment to centre myself. I knew this was going to come up, knew she was going to push against it, but that it was the first thing she went for was a little unexpected. I felt for sure it’d be the hints of darkness she could sense within me. Even with Dark Side Masking in the Master range as I’d expected, I felt she should still be able to sense the subtle changes in my Force signature. The moment to centre myself also let me push away the anger I still felt from the debacle of our last ambush where Zarkos and over a dozen Sekotans had lost their lives. The day would come, soon I hoped, when we’d strike back against the Vong and make them pay for their actions. However, that wasn’t something I wanted to dwell on while defending my actions in the war.

    “When we first encountered them, they attacked us, Master. They left you close to death. There was no effort to speak with us, to find common ground. Only a fact, made clear in the months since, that they weren’t interested in any outcome but the one they desired. With that in mind, and the fact the Sekotans are the ones suffering the most under the Vong’s boot as it presses down on their throats, why shouldn’t I ask them to fight and defend their home?”

    Answering a question with one of my own wasn’t polite, but I’d long since decided that I wasn’t going to be passive in this discussion. If I was, then Fay would likely undo everything I’d done over the last three-quarters of a year in the name of peace. While her goal was noble, she didn’t know the Vong and was failing to understand that with beings that used force to get their way, a gentle word – even when backed by the Force – was insufficient to change their path.

    Plus, being passive during her interrogation, which is what it was no matter how Fay dressed it up, of my actions, would, I felt hurt my standing in her eyes, at least more so than trying to defend my choices and actions assertively.

    “While often a situation does dissolve into conflict, the path of peace must always be attempted first. It can be a challenge to seek the narrower path peace offers, but it is always preferable to one that involves taking a life before its time.”

    “They almost killed you when we first met them, Master! Haran, they then tried to kill the rest of us! Two of the Rangers have died fighting against them, one in those initial assaults! I told you what… the Vong have done to Sekotans; taking and torturing them simply to scare the populace into submission! How, by the Force, should we’ve sought peace with such a species?!” I wasn’t sure how I stayed seated, but I did even as my anger at her wanting to push a peaceful solution to the matter flared.

    “Be mindful of your emotions, Cameron. A Jedi should be careful about drawing on them.” I leaned back in my chair, slamming a cap on the building rage within and then pinching the bridge of my nose at Fay’s gentle rebuke. Even if she had a point about my anger getting the better of me at this moment in time, the pointless, almost mindless, drivel she was sprouting was fucking stupid. Not least because it was my emotions, my anger, that’d helped the Resistance gain some early successes. Force, the only reason we survived the initial Vong assault was by losing control of that rage. Yet, after all that I’d done, to keep her and others safe, she felt the need to preach about my having emotions!

    Feeling a hand rest on my forearm, I opened my eyes – which had closed when I’d pinched my nose – and saw Fay had leant over the table. “Cameron, I’m not saying what you did was wrong. You were faced with a challenging situation that would push even a seasoned Jedi Master. Yet I feel you chose the lightsaber too quickly; a failing of many Jedi over the millennia. However, alone – barring Miss Kryze and Fenrir – you’ve not only managed to survive but help the locals defend their home and secured passage for us off-world. And critically, while your emotions are far more evident within the Force, for all the carnage and destruction you’ve seen, you appear unfazed by it. Something when I first woke and learnt you’d been fighting for months concerned me greatly. To see you not sink into the depths you so easily could’ve after your recent trials,” she smiled warmly and I felt some of the strain on my heart lift, “warms my soul and gives me hope for the future.”

    Her words helped me cool down, though only until I caught onto something she’d said in the middle of that. “Master, surely you don’t plan for us to take this ship and leave the Sekotans behind? The Vong on this world aren’t enough to secure it and I fear a larger force is on its way. If we don’t help the Sekotans now, we risk them all dying when the main Vong forces arrive and fully secure the planet.”

    “I’m not suggesting that Cameron. Merely stating that, when the time comes, we have a method to depart given the fate of the Sartr.” I sighed in relief, as that would’ve meant failing the Invaders From the Void quest, and accelerating the Vong’s invasion – which I was beginning to think meant the Republic – by up to fifty years. Since they were never hinted at in the movies or show, that must’ve happened sometime after Return of the Jedi, which had me cursing myself for not browsing Wookieepedia for information on what came after. “That said, the approach you’ve taken while I was recuperating won’t be continuing.” I opened my mouth to argue only for her to keep going. “A Jedi doesn’t use the Force to attack, only to defend. Yes, I understand you feel you’ve done this to defend the Sekotans, but your actions say otherwise. A Jedi doesn’t lay ambushes for enemy forces, doesn’t carry out autopsies on a being’s body after they killed it, nor consider capturing someone for… questioning.” Fay frowned as I felt my anger begin to simmer once more. “These are not the actions of a Jedi, and while the taint of the Dark Side hasn’t encased you, it’s clear you’ve been placed at risk of its influence with the choices made in your conflict.”

    I took several hard, deep breaths to calm myself. If I responded to this issue with anger it would, in her mind, only prove her point. Once I felt I had it under control, I responded. “I didn’t mean to lash out like I did, Master. But I saw you fall; felt you scream out in the Force. I feared…” I paused, wiped my eyes, and took another deep breath. I’d had to draw on that memory, and those of my time under Vosa’s tender mercies, to help fuel my rage and empower Force Lightning – which was far more dangerous the more I drew on my rage – yet I knew I was walking a fine line regarding doing so. Yet I’d had little choice but to do so to ensure most of us survived.

    Fay sighed and looked away for a moment, clearly thinking about something. “I understand, Cameron, and I’m sorry you’ve had to face this situation essentially by yourself. I felt moments where you drew on that anger you’re struggling with currently while I was… indisposed and used that to help save those around you. Given the situation, I can understand why you did so, but I cannot in good conscience allow this to continue.” While this confirmed Fay had sensed moments when I’d drawn on the Dark Side, it also proved that the training – brief as it was – that I’d gained from King Adas had helped to hide just how heavily I’d bent the Force to my will at times. Without that training and the removal of the cap on Dark Side Masking, I had no doubt Fay would’ve demanded we leave the planet immediately to protect me from the Dark Side ravaging my soul. Or something to that effect.

    Amusingly to me, Adas, while not being happy about me having to hide my power from the Jedi, understood why I had to hide it. The Jedi of this time were too numerous that while he felt I could already eliminate many of them, I wasn’t ready to openly challenge them. To him, it would be a waste of a potential successor, even if he did wish to see how the Jedi of this era would’ve fared against him and his axe.

    “Yes, master. But the Vong are dangerous. Putting aside how I can only sense them by sensing the blind spots they generate in the Force, they’re a warrior people. They attack first, with brutal force and efficiency and I’ve… no we’ve, lacked the numbers to engage them from an equal footing.” Which, I hoped, she’d see was why I’d gone for the ambush route for engaging the Vong. Not that the Sekotans had been the greatest of help as in four ambushes they’d joined, they’d only directly killed six Vong. The rest, with me being responsible for the majority, had fallen to some combination of Bo, Fenrir, Zarkos, Simvyl, and myself. That had helped me get close to levelling up, but I was still a few thousand XP away. “I… there were moments in combat where I feared losing Fenrir or Bo. When I thought they might die. I couldn’t lose them, not when I was so close to losing you.”

    “Death is a natural part of life, Cameron.” As she spoke, I could feel her concern mixed with some despair, which I assumed was for leaving me alone to face the Vong. “Every being dies and, as much as Miss Kryze might dislike the notion, becomes part of the Force. On the day that happens to me, Master Dooku, or any friend you currently have or will gain, you shouldn’t mourn them. Instead, we should celebrate their life and remember that no matter where you go from there, they are one with the Force, and thus, still with you.”

    “I… yes, Master.” What she said made sense, even if I wasn’t comfortable about placing such blind faith in the Force.

    “Good. Now, while it may hurt to relive them, I want you to detail your actions for every encounter you had with the Vong. Every detail, no matter how minor, might grant us some insight into their goals on the world beyond, as you believe, simply holding it for the rest of their species to arrive. I also want you, while detailing the last several months, to think about how those events affected you: how they altered your emotions and made you take actions you might not have otherwise done.”

    I looked away and took a moment to collect my thoughts. I’d already gone over the events since Fay went down, but I’d avoided focusing on any details. Mainly to hide my drawing on the Dark Side. At least now I knew Fay had sensed me drawing on it on occasion, so I could mix truth with lie as I detailed my actions, plus, once this was over, I could let her view the Council-prepared recording Bo had made. I’d avoided using Force Lightning there for exactly this purpose.

    “I was angry, Master. Angry at what they’d done to you, at what they’d done to m-our ship,” I hoped she didn’t focus on my slip about ownership of the Ne’tra Sartr, “and what they began subjecting the Sekotans to. That anger hasn’t faded, but I’ve done my best to not focus on it as I’d tried to help the Sekotans however I could.”

    She stayed silent for a moment, and I swore I saw the gears in her mind turning, trying to place what I’d said with what she’d felt within her coma. “I understand that, Cameron. But I wish to hear full details about every battle you fought. Starting with our initial encounter with the Vong. Specifically, how you reacted to my injury.”

    I took a breath to prepare myself. I’d held little hope this discussion would be short for months now, and it looked like I was correct. Hopefully, once it was over – though I suspected it would take several sessions over the next few days at least to cover most of it – she’d be willing to return to focusing on the Sekotans and Vong.

    Even as I began a fuller recounting, a part of my mind was already working on what to say to make sure she allowed us to stay and fight.

    … …




    … …

    “Sorry, what?!” Bo snarled out as we stood in the central area of the new living ship while discussing our next move against the Vong. It’d been about a week since Fay had awoken and she’d convened this meeting to discuss our next move. Though given Bo’s aggressive response, and the way Simvyl looked to be almost shaking with rage, her suggestion went down about as well as I’d expected.

    “We are to seek out the Vong leadership and attempt to find a peaceful resolution to this conflict.” As Fay replied earnestly to Bo, I ran my palm down my face. I didn’t need to see Bo’s face to know her cheeks were turning the same colour as her hair. “I understand that many have lost their lives in this conflict and that finding common ground with these Vong seems ludicrous. However, to seek a way back from the brink, to try and ensure no more Sekotans die protecting their world is a goal worthy of any Jedi.”

    “Of all the…” Bo grunted before slamming her hand down hard on the table. the map being projected by the table flickered for a second but otherwise remained, leaving Bo’s hand crushing Middle Distance. “Te’habi jetii'kad gar’shebs!” My brow rose at that curse even as Bo jabbed a finger at Fay. “The only way to save the Sekotans is to kill the Vong! They only care about power and taking what they want, and yet you want to shabyr talk to them?!?”

    I might agree with Bo’s opinion, but voicing it with that curse was, perhaps pushing it a touch. Or it would be if she’d said it to me. Fay would, I was sure, brush it off, even if it was odd to see Bo step outside the light command structure that had existed ever since she’d joined us when we’d left Mandalore.

    Still, even with Fay having nominal command over all of us, I wasn’t happy at her just grabbing the reins after I’d led what I felt was a generally successful insurrection. However, I was willing to allow it; mainly so I could let Fay see how opposed to a peaceful solution the rest of our team was. Though I hadn’t expected Bo to curse my master out. Nor for Fay to suggest we head to the largest Vong base on the planet – which was near Far Distance – in the hopes their leaders were there and not in orbit, and then calmly ask them to come out and talk. That was, quite possibly, the dumbest decision I’d ever heard of, and I’d dealt with intelligence officers during missions in my former life who’d only gotten their posting due to nepotism.

    “Firstly, I lack the required lightsaber to have one trapped in my posterior,” Fay’s initial response made me cough back a laugh even as Bo rolled her eyes. “Secondly, that is what I wish to do. While your actions over the preceding months have generally been successful, they’ve done, I suspect, little more than irritate the Vong. Continuing that approach, or even trying to use this unarmed vessel, to attack the Vong would only result in more death; likely including ours. Therefore, I’m suggesting an alternative approach to the invasion that, if it works, would save more lives on both sides than any other option presently on the table.”

    My palm moved upward and began to rub my forehead. I agreed wholeheartedly with Bo’s position, but before the meeting, Fay had asked me to allow the others to voice their opinions first. Possibly she felt Bo and Simvyl would agree with whatever I decided, but I knew that wasn’t the case as free discussions were how most of our strategy sessions had gone.

    That said, it was clear that everyone, even Gann and Vidge, was against the idea. Hell, just before the meeting, Vidge had come to Fay and me and mentioned that apart from working on our vessel, and another private project, every engineer here had convinced the Jentari to shape fighter craft. Now, Vidge had implied that none of the vessels had laser cannons, as the Sekotan refused to keep any on-planet, but the simple fact they’d used this time to develop and build fighters was unexpected. And impressive. Plus, I suspected that they’d found a way to have weapons developed in those fighters that didn’t meet Republic expectations.

    That, of course, had gotten me thinking about how to arm my new starship. While I’d done little, bar sitting in the cockpit getting acquainted with the controls and helping the bond I shared with it grow stronger, I’d found myself wondering how easy it would be to add weaponry to her. I knew Fay wouldn’t approve but given the regularity with which I seemed to find myself in tense situations, flying around in an unarmed starship felt like a great way to die. Which was something Bo had commented on during our introduction to the ship. Vidge had explained that the ship was designed to use its speed and manoeuvrability to escape hostile encounters.

    A growl from Bo brought my thoughts back to the meeting. “That is…” She shook her head and then forcibly pushed back from the table. that sent her hair flying, making her look as if she was on fire for a moment before she glared at me. “She’s your master! You deal with her!”

    I reached for her, wanting to stop her, but my fingers barely touched her before she stormed past me and exited the room. Part of me wanted to head after her, to help calm her. Or failing that, redirect her passion, but I knew I shouldn’t. Not with Fay watching me carefully. Plus, it would also undermine the strength of Bo’s statement, which was the last thing I wanted to do since I agreed with it.

    “She’s right!” My head snapped back to the table at hearing Simvyl speak up before I could offer anything. It was odd to hear him agree with Bo when you considered the issues between their peoples, but over the last few months of fighting together, that hatred – mainly from Simvyl’s side – had died away. Replacing it had been a sense of kinship between them, between all of us really, which had only grown stronger after Zarkos’ death. “Those monsters killed my friends! My teachers! They’ve tortured innocents in the streets for kriffing fun! You can’t talk with beasts like that, only put them down. Hard!”

    “I understand you’re angry ab…”

    Simvyl snarled, baring his teeth as he cut Fay off mid-word. “With respect, Master Jedi, I’m not just angry. I’m furious! Blood demands blood!” In an unintentional mirroring of Bo, he slammed his fist against the table. “They deserve nothing but death!”

    The Sekotans present took a few steps back, clearly wary of finding themselves between the brewing conflict. It probably didn’t help that Fenrir was prowling around behind me, his ears back slightly while his remaining spinal spikes seemed to quiver whenever I caught sight of them. I knew he wouldn’t attack, but he was agitated by the rage flowing around the room. As was the ship; the lights around us pulsed brighter in an almost chaotic pattern.

    “Master,” I cut in before Fay could respond, or Simvyl could continue, “While I agree with the others that this plan is… foolhardy at best, I understand why you wish to attempt it.” Fay gave me a small nod of thanks for the support, though I doubted it would stay as I continued. “However, it won’t work because the Vong are unlike anything you’ve ever encountered. I’m not going to rehash what I brought up when we talked over the last few days, but if you heard anything I or the others have said, you’d see this plan won’t work.” I paused and took a long breath, settling the rising anger that was always brought on by thinking about the Vong. “Still, it is your choice to attempt this, and mine to accompany you. Though let me be clear when this fails, and it will, and after we’ve fought our way back to safety, I will remind you of the folly of the plan.”

    “Do you doubt my abilities, Padawan?” Fay asked with a smile and tone that irked me. It was almost as if she had supreme confidence in her ability to mediate a situation. Or she felt her opinions on the Vong were greater than the three of us who, unlike her, had interacted with the Vong.

    “No, Master. I simply feel that such time and effort are wasted on a race with a mindset like the Vong. To them, from what we’ve observed while you have recuperated, the normal galactic civilities aren’t a concern. The only language they speak is one of battle and power, so the only way to speak with them, in my opinion, is while holding a weapon to their throat.”

    Fay’s smile, as I’d expected, fell as I explained myself. When I finished, her eyes were locked on me and she seemed almost disappointed by what I’d said. “I see your time with Master Dooku hasn’t been forgotten.” She may have meant it as a subtle slight, but it amused me and I smirked at the comparison. Particularly as, if he were here instead of Fay, there’d be little to no discussion about seeking peace with the Vong. Hell, at this moment, I’d prefer Windu was here as I felt he’d realise the threat the Vong posed. Not just to the Sekotans, but potentially to the entire galaxy. “Though I will endeavour to prove your pessimism unfounded.”

    I bit the inside of my mouth to cut off the retort brewing in my throat. There was little point, not after a week of similar discussions, in dragging this conversation out. No, it was better that I allow Fay time in her fallacies while I started planning out how I was going to rescue our arses from the fire after the Vong laughed in our faces and tried to kill us.

    Then, once we were back here, I’d try to not enjoy rubbing Fay’s nose in it too much over how wrong she’d been.

    … …




    … …

    “This is a jare’la plan,” Bo muttered through my earpiece. She’d made that observation almost every hour on the hour since I’d agreed to support Fay with this and even though her feelings on the matter were clear, she kept saying it. “If you make it out of this, I’m going to kill you for agreeing to it.”

    “You’re welcome to try, but it’ll end the same way it always does,” I shot back with a chuckle. Bo was far more aggressive than anyone I'd been with in my former life, and most sessions between us were a fight of dominance. I always won as I didn’t think she was trying particularly hard to stop me once she knew she’d gotten my full attention, but last night’s session had been far more vigorous than normal, a sign of just how furious she was with this plan. Though as I walked a step behind Fay toward the Vong base, my issues with the plan were returning.

    Assaulting the compound near Middle Distance would’ve resulted in high casualties but attacking here would’ve been suicide. Based on the size alone, I’d have had to drop a fucking mountain on it just to be sure to take out the compound. And that was only if the defences I could see on the walls, and whatever was hidden inside, didn’t blast the mountain out of the air.

    The base itself looked to be nearly a kilometre wide with walls at least thirty metres reaching into the sky. Dotted around the walls, no more than a hundred metres apart, were cannons that wouldn’t look out of place on a cruiser; which they sure as shit didn’t on the cruiser that rose from the base as we approached. The area around the base for about a kilometre had been scorched, which ensured that the moment we emerged from the forest, several Vong cannons on the high walls of the base turned our way. Honestly, it was a fucking miracle they hadn’t fired the moment we’d appeared, though I sort of wished they had, because then I’d be able to get the fuck away from the place and consider how in the blue hell I was going to win this war.

    “I believe they know we’re here.”

    I coughed back laughter at Fay stating the obvious as the wall cannons tracked our approach. Any sudden movement would likely result in them opening fire and while I’d be able to teleport away, I feared Fay would fuck up and use a Force barrier or telekinesis to defend herself. To try to since those powers didn’t work directly against Vong or their technology. And if by some miracle, we survived the cannons, the fact the entire base was one giant null-zone meant I had fuck-all idea how many Vong were inside.

    All in all, the feeling that this was a shitshow waiting to happen was only growing stronger; not helped in the least by the way the Force on this planet was almost shivering as we approached the base. I tensed, my hands drifting ever closer to my weapons – Fay hadn’t wanted me to carry the beskad but I’d made it clear I’d only stop carrying it once the Vong were gone – as the wall facing us seemed to vibrate before a large section, perhaps twenty metres by ten, peeled back – like the peel being removed from an orange – revealing the inside of the base.

    Through the gap, after boosting my sight with the Force, I saw over a hundred Vong arrayed inside. Some were going about their business, while the majority were glaring at us. I also saw a dozen fighter analogues and what looked like some kind of giant beetle that, unless I missed my guess, was some sort of ground transport. My temper flared as I saw the Vong with missing claws standing near the front and given the way it barked something, it saw me.

    From that mass, three Vong stepped forward, exiting the base. The centre figure was clearly in charge as the other two walked a step behind its shoulders, and all three wore a different armour from any Vong inside the base. It was like the red-shell armour the clawed-Vong wore, but black. From various locations, large, vicious-looking spikes sprang out and I quickly saw how many could be used in close-quarters-combat to inflict an insane amount of fatal damage to an enemy. There were also spikes rising from behind their skulls, which wouldn’t prevent the head from moving but provide extra protection against head strikes, which would explain why none wore anything akin to a helmet. As they came closer, it became obvious that the armour was solid, with no obvious weak spots beyond the hands – though each had an arm that looked to not have been a natural occurrence, much like the clawed-Vong – under the arms and a frontal assault. The fact they, like the clawed-Vong, seemed to have chosen to replace limbs, and I saw others with odd legs inside the base, had several worrying implications about their culture. Though I wasn’t going to jump to conclusions until I had one of these altered bodies on an autopsy table.

    “Master,” I whispered as one of the Vong behind their leader snarled and the amphistaff in his hand hissed.

    “Stay calm, Cameron. We are here to speak with them in search of peace. Any sign of aggression might result in that failing before we can begin.”

    I rolled my eyes at her words. “I won’t strike first, master. But when these talks fail, and after we’ve somehow managed to escape, I’ll remind you of my words when you put this plan forward.” The odds of this succeeding were closer to zero than one per cent, and that was before we’d even arrived here. Now, my only concern was finding a way out of here that didn’t result in our deaths. Hopefully, that wouldn’t need me to draw on the Dark Side, but if push came to shove, I’d take that over losing Fay.

    “Normally I’d find your lack of faith in my abilities concerning. However, given your previous encounters with these Vong, it is understandable. That said, try not to speak unless you have something to add that isn’t a threat.” I glared at her back, my barely controlled rage flaring at the dismissal. “I don’t wish for you to upset these negotiations.”

    “However short they will be.” I shot back with a bit more venom than I’d have liked as Fay glanced at me. No retort came though came as the trio of Vong came closer.

    Before they reached us, I used the Force to boost my eyesight and examined every Vong that I could see inside the base and determined what might be the best place to toss the trio of thermal detonators I had stowed away in my belt to ensure maximum carnage. It wouldn’t likely do much to their overall strength level, but it, I hoped, would give Fay and me the time needed to slip back into the woods. At least provided the cruiser floating ominously overhead didn’t go scorched earth when we entered the forest.

    “Why are you here?”

    The words that came from the lead Vong’s mouth came as such a surprise, that I almost stumbled at hearing him speak Basic. There was an unbelievably bad accent, likely as he’d not used it much before arriving on this planet, but it was clear enough that there was no confusion about what he was saying. Once I got over that shock, I noted that all three Vong had shifted their gaze to me, or more specifically the weapons at my waist, with the one who’d snarled from a distance doing so once again. It seemed the clawed-Vong had reported my existence and weaponry to its leaders, and now they were placing a face to that report. Though if they wanted a closer look, I’d happily give it to them by burying the blades in their skulls.

    “We seek a peaceful way to resolve this conflict that has arisen between you and the inhabitants of this world. One that would, ideally, be suitable to both parties.” If the Vong hadn’t been watching us, I’d have facepalmed at Fay’s way of phrasing it, and then done so again at the way the three Vong seemed to be taken aback by her words.

    “You speak for the invaders and wish to surrender?”

    “I seek a path out of this conflict for all parties, meaning your people and the inhabitants of Zonama Sekot…”

    “They are unbelievers upon our holy world!” The Vong cutting Fay off was one thing, but the reverence they held for Sekot was concerning and brought back memories of my previous life when dealing with the most ardent religious fanatics. “This world belongs to us!”

    “When they settled here, the planet was uninhabited.” The Vong bristled at Fay’s words with the more agitated one needing to be restrained by an arm across the chest of the other standing behind the leader. “They’ve lived here in peace with the galaxy and the planet for over eight standard cycles. Unless you can provide evidence going back further, then by the laws of the Galactic Republic, that grants them control of the world.”

    The lead Vong stepped closer, towering over both of us. “This world is a seed of our lost home. This we know in our bones and by our holiest words. Those on this world currently are honourless pests that the gods demand we remove.”

    The two Vong behind it tightened their grips on their amphistaffs. Danger Sense flared up, warning me of threats from everywhere in front of me. My finger drifted closer to the control to engage my lightsaber even as my feet slipped around slowly, settling me into a combat stance.

    “As a Jedi, I wish to find a way to resolve this dispute peacefully, in the manner all civilised beings should,” The Vong leader’s eyes seemed to widen, as if not believing the words coming from Fay. Oddly, I agreed with it though that didn’t mean I was going to let this thing kill her even as my mind rapidly played over its words looking for another avenue of approach. “Violence and death serve no purpose.”

    “Death in the service of our gods, our crusade, is a fate any of us would accept with honour. Many under my command already have.” Its eyes locked onto mine. “They fell in battle for this cause, a worthy death even if the warrior who killed them worships false gods.”

    There was the subtlest shift in the Force coming from Fay. Hopefully, that meant she saw that these talks were failing – not that they ever had a chance to succeed – yet I was seeing a conceivable way to escape this situation unharmed. Possibly.

    “You claim that the Sekotans have no honour by invading this world that you claim,” I shot out as I moved beside Fay. “That those who’ve died by my blade did so with honour, yet what proof do we have that any of you have honour?”

    The three Vong bristled at my words and again the snarling one tried to move toward me only to be stopped by the other. It spat strange, twisted sounds at me that were likely nothing more than insults in its tongue, yet Comprehend Speech failed to translate any of it. Likely because they lacked any connection to the Force.

    “You question our honour?”

    I smirked up at the lead Vong. “I question its existence.”

    All around me, I felt the Force react even as the Vong leader snarled down at me. The amphistaff snapped its teeth in barely contained fury, I felt the Force moving. Though I didn’t need that to know I was playing an extremely dangerous game. However, given our location, it was the only option I could see that wouldn’t result in Fay dying. Not so long as the Vong were focused on me and not her.

    “We know of you, Jedi.” The lead Vong confirmed what I’d suspected. “You’ve fought well against my warriors, killed many of them. To prove our honour, I will grant you death by my hands. The gods will surely favour me with glory for your head.”

    “And yet, with your lack of honour, you’d be nothing more than a notch on my belt,” I replied with fake disdain. The Vong stepped closer, its amphistaff centimetres from biting me as I ignored the fucking smell of the Vong. “Unless you are willing to prove it.”

    “Explain.”

    My nose wrinkled at its breath, which gave me another moment to plot out this insane idea I was developing. Yet it seemed I’d gotten the Vong’s undivided attention and led this thing to where this plan wanted it to head. Or so I hoped. “We settle this with a duel. Single combat.”

    “Cameron!”

    “I accept.” The Vong’s agreement cut off Fay from whatever speech she was about to give me about reckless behaviour. And since the Vong agreed, her trying to force me to back down would mean our deaths. Or I hoped she understood that as I’d rather not have this Hail Mary fail because she couldn’t see what I was trying to do. “What are the terms?”

    I kept my focus on the Vong. “If I win, then you and your forces leave this world. If you somehow win, then we will arrange for the Sekotans that don’t wish to remain under your control to do the same.” Fay was glaring at me, or as much as she’d ever glare, but I didn’t care. Her plan had failed so badly that if I’d not risked this, we’d both likely be dead, which wasn’t something I’d like to experience again for a long arse time. And then there was the quest that implied that if I failed here the Vong would invade the galaxy soon, which would cause untold chaos and destruction. This was, at this moment the only path I could find that would end this war without trapping me here for a decade plus leading an insurrection against the Vong. And insurrection that would likely fail once the bulk of their forces arrived.

    Behind the lead Vong, the calmer one spoke up. the lead Vong stepped back and turned to speak – though it sounded more like snarling – with its subordinate. As before, I couldn’t understand any of it even with Comprehend Speech active.

    “This is a reckless move, Cameron,” Fay stated while doing a fair impression of Dooku with her tone, “with time, I feel a diplomatic solution could’ve been discovered.”

    I knew I shouldn’t have, but I openly scoffed into Fay’s face. “If you truly believe that master, then I’ve got a lovely seaside property on Tatooine I’d like to sell you.” Fay frowned, not enjoying my humour, but frankly, I didn’t care. “I know this is reckless, but it’s the only play I can see. The only way I can guarantee gets all of us off this world alive.”

    Fay’s expression softened in an instant, and one of her hands came to rest on my shoulder. “Cameron,” she began, her tone far gentler. Yet before she could say anything more, the lead Vong turned back to us.

    “Your terms are accepted.” Behind him, the other Vong didn’t look pleased. Though it was hard to tell with how fucked up their faces were. The hot-headed one looked furious while the calmer one – and that term was relative since I think he simply wanted to rip my limbs from their sockets – seemed almost resigned about what was to happen. “Will this one honour the terms when you fall?”

    I snarled up at the Vong, letting it know I didn’t think it was going to win even as Fay sighed. “Yes, I will accept my Padawan’s decision and abide by the Force’s will on this matter. No matter how foolish I feel it to be.” She looked at the other Vong. “Will your followers do the same when Cameron defeats you?” Well, at least Fay wasn’t trying to undermine me in front of the Vong.

    “We will,” replied the calmer Vong. “Yum-Yammka will be honoured with blood this day.”

    I rolled my eyes at hearing that a race that held no connection to the Force and was skilled at warfare would worship gods with blood. Based on the strange limbs I’d consider it a safe bet that they practised ritual sacrifices and mutilations as well. “Are we going to fight or are you going to bore me to death with details about your gods?” I asked, wanting to rattle the Vong. Yes, it being angry when we duelled would make it more aggressive, but it was also something I might be able to exploit. The Vong was likely a better fighter than any Vong I’d encountered before, but as it was single combat, I wouldn’t have to worry about another Vong stepping in to save it before I could land a blow as had often happened during ambushes.

    Oddly the Vong laughed as if it was amused by my challenging its religion. “I will teach you about our gods when I offer your life to them. However, before then, they require prayer. Return here in ten hours and I will introduce you to the true gods.”

    “Five,” I shot back, not wanting to give it the time he needed as it might place the Vong off-balance. “And I’d rather not fight you in range of the guns of your base and ships. Who’s to say that one of them would place victory by any means above honouring your gods?”

    “We all serve the gods as their warriors in this life,” that came from the hot-headed Vong as it took a step forward. “To suggest otherwise is to court death!” it spat out as the calmer one yanked on its shoulder.

    “Then go ahead and kill me now,” I snarled back, feeling slightly safe in the fact it wouldn’t as that would break the honour of its superior. “That is, of course, if your talk of honour was nothing but empty words!” From the way all three Vong were trying to burn me to ash with just their glares, it was clear I was planning a dangerous game. But I was feeling secure in having manipulated the Vong into fighting me for the planet by understanding a tiny fraction of their culture. I needed the Vong off-balance since, with Fay likely to be nearby when the duel took place, I’d not be able to draw on Force Lightning to claim victory.

    “Five hours. And we will fight where the pitiful leader of this world died.” The Lead Vong stated, drawing my attention to the two behind it. “Only our seconds will stand witness.”

    “Agreed.” It gave me a nod and then took several steps backwards, not wanting to turn its back on me before it reached its subordinates. As they headed back, but before Fay could speak, I used Observe on the Vong leader to see what I’d be facing.

    Feir Kr’Lenah
    Race: Yuuzhan Vong
    Level: 33
    Health: 100% (Replaced right forearm. Replaced left leg)
    Age: 40
    Force Potential: None
    Threat Potential: Very High
    Reputation: Hatred
    Affiliation: Yuuzhan Vong (100%), Supreme Overlord Zho Krazhmir (100%)
    Emotional State: Curious/Insulted
    Feir is wondering if you are as competent a fighter as his warriors have reported and looks forward to granting you a quick death.
    However, he is furious about your disrespect toward his gods.
    ...

    I was pleased to see it was enraged about my behaviour towards its gods. While it would likely have calmed down by the time we fought, it proved that going after its honour and gods was a valid method to anger it. Still, the fact it was level 33 – which placed it on par with low-end Jedi Masters – was a concern. Doubly so since it didn’t have access to the Force. There was also the issue that it had replaced two limbs, as I’d seen the arm, but the leg was something I’d have to keep an eye on during the duel.

    “Cameron,” I raised a hand toward Fay, cutting her off. There was a spike of displeasure in the Force which was mirrored by confusion on her face.

    “We have much to talk about, master, I know. But perhaps we do so away from the Vong compound when we’re not under the cannons of the Vong base?”

    For a moment, I didn’t think Fay would let the matter wait, but it ended with a sigh and a nod. “Very well. Though I’m more concerned with how you felt threatening the Vong leader and insulting their beliefs was the correct way to achieve what you desired.”

    I took a step back, not wanting to turn around when in range of the Vong base, even as Fay showed less concern and faced toward the forest behind us. “Like Mandalorians, they are warriors, Master. As I’ve said several times already. Soft words and kind gestures are unlikely to work, even from a position of strength.”

    Fay paused for a minute as if she was going to say something, only to shake her head. As she walked calmly to the treeline, unconcerned with the Vong cannon tracking our movement, I frowned. Her attempts at peace had failed, I’d proven the Vong were warriors, yet she was now willing to blindly trust that they’d keep their word and show them her back. It felt like a mistake to me, even a character flaw that hadn’t been shaken by spending over half a year in a coma.

    I kept my eyes on the base until I was inside the trees, feeling that turning and showing my back might be taken the wrong way. Once past the tree line, I slipped from view, and then once sure there were no null-zones within range of my Detection-boosted minimap, turned and moved quickly to reach Fay and the transport to take us back to our ship.

    … …




    … …

    I watched calmly as the Vong cruiser, likely the same one I’d seen over their base several hours ago, came closer. Standing here and waiting did carry the risk the Vong would just attack us here and now, but if honour truly didn’t matter to them, then they’d have taken the opportunity to take us out when we’d approached their base.

    Around us was, for the most part, rubble. The Magister’s compound had been reduced to a massive pile of rubble; at least in the places where the ground hadn’t been scarred by whatever the Vong had done here.

    “Are you prepared for this?” Fay asked as she stood at my side. While, as I’d expected, she’d been harsh toward me choosing to settle this conflict in single combat – and thus risk my life so brazenly – she’d also accepted that her attempted peace talks had failed. She recognised that if I hadn’t intervened, then we’d have likely been forced to fight our way away from the Vong base. Still, that didn’t make her happy with my choice to engage in combat to settle the matter. Something that likely influenced her making me meditate in solitude for three hours after we arrived back aboard our new starship. Currently, I’d still to give her a name, but a few options were bouncing around my head.

    As we’d meditated, I’d initially tried to commune with the Force to see if this was the correct path to take. As expected, it’d been less than forthcoming in that regard, so I’d spent most of the time planning out how to fight the Vong leader. Force Lightning was out unless I wanted Fay to drag me over the coals when we returned to the temple. It’d still be there as an emergency asspull, but I’d rather not rely on it to defeat the Vong. Thus, I replayed every engagement I’d had with the Vong, trying to see what’d worked and what hadn’t. Since I knew nothing about this Vong’s combat capabilities, I was working from the worrying position that he was as far beyond the claw-handed Vong as that one was above their regular squad leaders.

    When we’d finished our meditation, Bo had been waiting for me outside the room, and much to Fay’s amusement – and possibly some concern – had dragged me right back in before locking the door. Bo was angry that not only was I the one to fight the Vong leader but that she’d not be my second. Going unsaid there was that she didn’t believe Fay would be of any help if things went sideways, however, I had faith in Fay to stick to the agreed terms. When I’d pushed Bo about her feelings on the matter, she’d grown angry, thinking I was mocking her and that I didn’t consider that she’d be left looking after Fenrir if I fell. To settle her nerves, and distract me for what was to come, I’d all but leapt at her and the next hour had been lost in a symphony of passion, mixed with some violence since Bo wasn’t the most gentle of lovers.

    After emerging from my quarters again, and ignoring the looks the others gave us, I’d spoken briefly with Simvyl and Fenrir. The Cathar, like Bo, had wanted to be the one to fight the Vong, but he understood that I had a better chance of making the son of a Hutt – his words – pay. I’d asked him to keep an eye on Bo and Fenrir, and I’d also said something similar to Bo and Fenrir. The tuk’ata had walked at my side as I’d headed to the transport and then whined when I’d told him to stay. Bo gave me a look, making it clear she was relieved that I had returned but made no move to hold me. While I’d have enjoyed the comfort, such public displays of affection weren’t common in Mandalorian culture, which was an odd counter to how important family was to them.

    Our journey, up until this point, had been taken in silence. “I guess we’ll see,” I replied jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. The ripples of concern that emanated from Fay at my blasé response meant I’d failed. “I’ve fought and killed dozens of Vong since they arrived here, master, and while I expect their leader to be the toughest opponent yet, I know I can take him.”

    Fay frowned, which was always an odd expression to see on her ageless face. “Again, I see Master Dooku’s influence in you, though be mindful of your confidence, lest it leads you to arrogance,” I smirked at both parts of that as I couldn’t deny that I had adopted many of Dooku’s mannerisms and understood well the concept of pride beyond the deserved. “And while I’d prefer you offer clemency to the Vong once you defeat him,” it was nice to hear her voice confidence in my abilities, “I doubt such a moment will present itself, or that the Vong would accept.”

    Overhead, the cruiser stopped, and from the port side, a smaller ship emerged. The way the hull seemed to ripple back to expose the landing bay felt alien and yet oddly familiar. Something that was true for all Vong technology I’d seen as there were similarities to Sekotan technology, but whereas the Sekotans found joy in life and the world they lived on, it felt as if the Vong only cared about their needs and twisted their creations to suit those needs. As I pondered that more while the smaller ship, a troop transport by the looks of things, descended, I realised that while they were mainly different, there were odd angles and lines on the Vong cruiser that mirrored my new starship. Perhaps that was why the Vong felt so strongly that this world belonged to them.

    The transport touched down near the remains of the main building of the Magister’s compound and I watched as two Vong exited. A quick usage of Observe confirmed the lead figure was Feir Kr’Lenah and it looked like the one behind it was, thankfully, the calmer of its subordinates.

    “Are you prepared?” Feir called out once it was about thirty metres from me, it's second having hung back near their transport. Along with other Vong that I could just see staying inside the vehicle.

    I took a step forward only for Fay to stop me by placing a hand on the crook of my arm. “The Force is with you. Always.” I smiled at hearing her use that line and place one of my hands on hers before bowing slightly.

    I slid from Fay’s grip and walked toward the Feir until I was about twenty metres from it. “I’m ready, though I wish to know the name of the being who will die by my blade today. So that his name might be known by others.”

    “I am Feir Kr’Lenah; Subaltern of the Praetorite Vong. This day, I claim this seed of Yuuzhan'tar for my people.” As the Vong spoke, I felt the Force around me shift. Yet it didn’t feel as if it was a general ripple in the Force, but one centred upon the world. As if it somehow understood what was at stake. As for the Vong, its rank meant nothing, though being a member of the Praetorite Vong was interesting as that was similar in name to the Praetorian Guard of ancient Rome. Those had served as the bodyguards, spymasters, and agents of the emperors of Rome, so might these Vong be serving a similar role for their Supreme Overlord? Yuuzhan'tar was a word that came up often and based on its similarity to the species name, it was likely their homeworld, but how the fuck could a planet be the seed of another? That just sounded like some bullshit reasoning to explain their invasion.

    “Well met, Feir Kr’Leanh,” I began as I slipped into a Makashi stance. I wasn’t removing my lightsaber as that might be seen as the start of combat, but I moved my hand in the gesture for an opening salute. “I am Cameron Shan, Chief of Clan Shan, Mtael of the Lokella and Padawan of the Jedi Order,” it seemed to snarl at hearing that, making me wonder if it realised my rank was very low, “and I fight today to protect this world for those who’ve lived here long before you arrived. And will do so long after your death.”

    “Today is a good day for you to die.” Feir snarked, his amphistaff twisting around and snapping at me from across the dust-filled ground that separated us.

    “And for me, it’s just another day killing your species.” I retorted as I flicked on my lightsaber, enjoying as always the faint roar it generated due to the small krayt dragon pearl. While I’d love to add the Mantle of the Force, it wasn’t quite at the point where the crystal was fully aligned to me, nor was my skill with lightsabers at a point where I could add a fourth crystal to the matrix. My beskad stayed against my hip for now, as I didn’t want to use it too early and have him realise the danger it posed to him and his living weapon.

    Feir’s head tilted to one side as if confused or insulted by my comment. A moment later, with no roar of anger nor hint it was coming bar the slight shifting of its feet, the Vong charged. I settled my feet, and waited, wanting to see what this Vong was capable of doing in the opening moments of our duel. My eyes carefully tracked the amphistaff as it hardened.

    My rear foot shifted, altering the angle of my body as my lightsaber tapped the staff away. It shifted into its whip form, but I’d already rotated and slid back, so the snapping jaw found nothing but air. Even then, Feir was turning, using the ability of its weapon to swiftly change the attack vector. The snake-head leapt low, aiming for my lead leg. I pulled it back even as my lightsaber twitched down. The snake-head recoiled in pain as my blade slashed one eye, though the movement prevented the plasma from doing any further damage.

    A roll of Feir’s shoulders had it shifting direction, the amphistaff coming upward and hardening in a single motion. I slid back, my lightsaber filling the space between me and the Vong. This entire segment of the duel was a feeling-out section. Feir was only attacking as quickly as the Vong squad leaders, while I was keeping my distance, trying to spot holes in his form while making sure neither Vong nor its weapon landed anything more than a glancing blow. I had plans for later in the duel, but I’d only use them if needed.

    Feir came at me directly, possibly because I was defending on a linear axis and wanted to test that. A sidestep one way was a feint as he swung his staff from the other side, keeping it in its rigid form, aiming low toward my legs. My lightsaber slid out, pushing the snake-head into the dirt. Feir pulled it back while bringing the tail overhead. I slid back and turned, placing my lightsaber over my head to block the strike.

    As I came out of the spin, my lightsaber came around quickly, having picked up speed from my move, and aimed for the Vong’s thigh. Feir blocked with the heft of his spear and then pushed the snake-head, which was down low, toward me. With no choice, my beskad came out and the flat of the blade slapped the snake-head under its jaw as I couldn’t turn my wrist in time to slice the damned living weapon.

    With both my weapons now out, the Vong saw an opportunity. One hand slid from its staff and thrust toward me. Seeing the claws extend from the hand, I leapt back and they caught nothing but air. That made me glad I’d left my robes back on the transport. If I’d worn them here, the claws could’ve caught them enough that the Vong knocked me off-balance.

    Yet even as I withdrew, my wrist twisted, guiding my lightsaber over its elbow. It struck the black armour yet left only a faint discolouration as it withdrew. That confirmed its armour was on-par, at least, with the red-shell armour of the claw-handed Vong. Still, I’d landed the first hit, and it hissed in annoyance as I re-established a gap between us and saw the mark on his armour.

    “My warriors spoke truly.” Feir’s words caught me off-guard as I’d not expected him to speak once the duel had started. “You have some skill. Still, it won’t be enough to defeat me.” Feir finished as he shook his arm almost nonchalantly.

    “Yet I landed the first blow. One that only saved you as you hide behind your armour.” It was a weak insult, but I knew I could get under his skin by targeting his beliefs. “I doubt your gods will look favourably upon that.”

    Something that was likely a laugh, but sounded more like diamonds scraping over metal, slipped from Feir’s lips. “Being wounded in battle is a mark of respect for our gods, and our cause. Though what they desire most is our victory.”

    I smirked, shifting my stance to account for me now holding my beskad. While I hadn’t yet maxed out either Jar’Kai or dual-wielding, I’d grown far better at both over the last few months. “Sadly, you won’t taste victory here, but perhaps your death will suffice for your gods to forgive you in the afterlife.”

    Whether the insult bothered him or not, the Vong rushed forward, resuming the duel. It took Feir less time to reach me, indicating he’d been holding back, and three rapid thrusts came at me. None landed as I blocked two and avoided the last by sliding to one side, mainly as the first two had more power behind them, causing me issues with my balance.

    Feir pulled back slightly and began to circle, the hardened staff probing for an opening as I turned to match his movements. My lightsaber stayed low, keeping it ready to parry or attack if the situation arose while my beskad stayed closer to my chest as a higher defensive option.

    The Vong probed my defence several times, each being parried or pulled back before I had to, until, after what felt like minutes but was likely barely one since the Force was increasing my speed and reaction times, he twirled the staff. For a moment I considered attacking, only to realise the movement of the Vong’s weapon was a ruse, designed to lure me in.

    Seeing that his plan hadn’t worked, Feir brought the staff down, snake-head coming in from high. My lightsaber slid upward to guide the attack away from my legs as the alien weapon was too far away for my beskad to reach without upsetting my stance. Yet, as my lightsaber touched the staff, it lost rigidity.

    The weapon started coiling around my lightsaber even as the blade slid down the staff’s body. The fangs of the snake-head were dangerously close to my hands and I pulled back. Yet, even as the plasma blade slid out of the rapidly closing coils, the Vong removed one hand from his staff. A twist with the other hand had the whip-staff snap around.

    The weapon spun and hardened as it moved around my blade, and before I could even shift my wrist to counter, the Vong weapon hardened; the fangs of the snake-head closed rapidly on my chest. My beskad came down frantically, hoping to stop the attack before it landed, even as I attempted to shuffle back. The beskad caught a chink in the staff and drove it down, yet I hissed as the fangs gorged my side, some of my blood staining the ground below.

    I used the Force to leap back, establishing a good ten metres between us, yet as I landed, I saw Feir hadn’t pushed his attack. Instead, his weapon had coiled around his arm and he’d run a finger over the snake’s fangs. “First blood,” Feir stated before licking my blood from his finger. “I shall enjoy savouring more after you fall this day.”

    I snarled as I quickly opened the notice detailing the wound. I offered a silent prayer to the Force that the wound wasn’t poisoned, nor painful. However, not wanting to heal it and risk losing FP when I didn’t know how much I’d need later in the duel, I let it bleed. Control Pain was already active, having auto-engaged the moment I was wounded, and since it was a minor thing, the wound was easy to ignore for now.

    Feir charged, his staff shifting into its whip form. The snake-head hissed loudly, barring its fangs, though black ichor seeped from the missing eye. The Vong threw what was all but a punch, though the amphistaff leapt with it, snapping frantically. My beskad moved, seeking a chink in the armour, only for the weapon to harden. Feir lunged forward as it did, getting the snake-head past my beskad, though I was able to get enough contact that the weapon tip sailed past my shoulder.

    The Vong shifted his stance, moving the staff toward my skull. I ducked and at the same time, my beskad slid down the weapon and then clipped the guard over the top of the lead hand. That was enough to halt the attack, and also left Feir exposed. My lightsaber came up, though rocks I’d scooped from the ground with the Force struck the Vong in its face.

    Feir spluttered as dust gathered around his face, his grip on his weapon slackening for a moment, which was all I needed. My lightsaber followed the rocks, yet instead of going for his hands, which were exposed, the tip was thrust forward. It slid up his chest armour, which caused him to react, trying to pull back. But it was too late. I smiled in satisfaction as the tip sunk into the flesh under his arm, making it fall limp in an instant.

    The Vong roared in defiance and twisted. My lightsaber moved around inside before being forced out as it clipped the edge of the armour and was guided away. Then, in a display of impressive speed and resilience, the Vong slammed his shoulder into my chest even as my beskad moved along the amphistaff, looking to cleave the weapon in two.

    The staff’s snake-head lunged forward, its fangs missing my heart but digging into my clothing. I pulled back, bringing my lightsaber up closer to my body. The snake-head was forced to let go, though not before it and my lightsaber left me with an exposed chest, the wound from earlier still seeping blood onto my skin.

    I moved back, establishing some room even as the amphistaff coiled around the Vong’s now useless arm. I shifted my stance in reply, adopting a modified Makashi stance with my beskad down and to the side, ready to strike if any opportunity arose.

    For the briefest of moments, Fay's hope that I’d offer mercy to the Vong floated into my mind. Yet seeing the thing snarl at me as its weapon, blood seeping from its ruined eye, hissed pathetically, I squashed the idea. The Vong deserved no mercy. Only death.

    It seemed the Vong agreed as, even with one arm hanging limply, he still attacked. A roar of defiance came from his lungs as he raced toward me, and I felt a smile creep onto my lips. This was a good fight and if he wanted a clean death, I’d give him one.

    His good arm surged forward, claws extending. My lightsaber came up, slicing through them, though the hand kept coming and I was forced to backpedal to avoid taking the stumps of the claws in my face. Though as I moved back, I saw strands of hair fall away, the claw stumps still sharp enough to slice them from my head. The snake-head lunged, but my beskad clipped it before it could do any damage.

    The working fist went low, the sliced claws tracking for my thigh, though my beskad was able to quickly get down with a rotation of my wrist, removing several of the Vong’s fingers and all but ending the threat the fist posed. However, as if sensing that, the amphistaff leapt from the useless arm, sailing through the air toward me.

    My lightsaber moved across my face, catching the amphistaff in its remaining eye though not before the thing slammed into the side of my face, forcing me to close my left eye as the fangs reared back on approach.

    With my left eye closed from the wound, and the hissing of the snake-head overwhelming my ear, I knew I needed to generate room quickly, and watched the world turn silver as I teleported away. As the light faded, I found myself a good forty metres from Feir, though given the unstable ground, before I could set my feet, I slipped, dropping to a knee.

    The hand holding my beskad came up and my fingers touched around my eye. I winced at the small jolt of pain that came from the wound before I opened the newest notice from the Interface. I breathed deeply in relief when it said that while I had a deep cut over my cheek, eye socket and forehead I hadn’t lost the eye. Even as Force Heal sealed the wound, and I used an undamaged and undirtied section of my robe to clean the wound, I felt the rage inside me surging; demanding to be let out and make this thing pay for daring to injure me as it had. To burn the Vong to a crisp and leave its ashes to scatter in the winds.

    That urge was strong, but I was stronger still. Allowing my anger and fury to control me wasn’t the path I wished to take, wasn’t how I wanted to defeat the Vong. Nor did I want Fay to sense me doing so in that way. The darkness inside was a part of me, but it didn’t control me. I controlled it. I wasn’t going to allow it to twist me, the ramifications of doing that were far too great. Thus, with some effort as images of Zarkos and Sekotans that’d died because of the Vong flashed through my thoughts, I pushed the anger aside and brought the storm raging within under control once more.

    With the cut healed, though the Interface said I still had to heal the scar as the Vong weaponry interfered with Force-assisted healing, I opened the eye, only to grunt. While the wound was no longer bleeding, and surface blood had mainly been wiped away by my robes, there was still some in my eye and even with Control Pain active, it still itched. I blinked rapidly, ignoring the itch, to clear my eye, even as I saw the Vong moving toward me.

    The entire incident, of teleporting away and then discovering and healing the wound and clearing my had only taken a few seconds with the Force accelerating my body. Even after years of using the Force, this always impressed me, as it was still something that amazed me, especially when I saw that Feir had only covered perhaps half the distance between us while I’d dealt with my wound. Hell, the entire duel, even including the short verbal exchange, had barely been going on for under three minutes, even if it felt closer to ten in my mind.

    I pushed aside that wonder as the Vong continued to rush me. His face was twisted in rage, having realised, with one arm useless, the claws on the other removed – along with a few fingers – and his amphistaff blinded, that he was going to die. Yet still, he fought on. I could respect that, even as I took pleasure in seeing the damage that I’d done to him was far greater than anything I’d taken.

    As my feet slid on the dust-covered ground, I took a deep breath, centring myself. My weapons were held low, ready to move to defend and counter anything the Vong could do while I plotted out possible ways he might try and attack with virtually no offensive weaponry beyond his body and armour left. The Vong had made me taste my own blood, as some had run down my cheek to my lips, and my body sang to return the favour before I ended this fight.

    Feir’s working arm pulled back, going for an overpowered but telegraphed attack. My lightsaber flicked up to meet the oncoming hand, sliding between two remaining fingers, then slicing the hand in half until stopping as the armour around the forearm slammed into the blade.

    The Vong pushed against my blade, forcing it back, but I used this. With the plasma blade lodged against his armour, I pushed the blade across my body, forcing him to one side, while I pulled my front foot back and pivoted. The Vong rushed past my back even as my lightsaber slid free of the armour, unable to attack since his body had been guided away from me.

    My pivot ended with the blade of my beskad swirling around, slamming into the back of the Vong’s neck. While the armour stopped me from beheading the creature with the blow, it forced the Vong to fall face-first into the dirt. The amphistaff hissed pathetically, snapping at nothing as it tried in vain to defend its master, right up until my beskad slammed down, finding a chink in the armour while it was in the whip form, and severed the head from the body.

    As the weapon fell limp on my metal blade, my lightsaber slid between the armoured spikes that rose to protect the Vong’s skull, finding no resistance as the plasma burnt a hole through the brain. To be sure, I twisted my wrist, drawing the tip of my lightsaber to each side, and watched in grim satisfaction as the upper section of his skull slipped to the ground, smoke rising from where the flesh had been instantly cauterized.

    Sure, the Vong was now dead; I turned, wanting to see how Feir’s second would react. The terms had been agreed and they’d come here for this fight, but I still couldn’t be sure the second would accept the terms. It took one step toward me, and even as I used Observe, I reached out with the Force, taking control of several large boulders nearby that, if it came to it, I’d launch at the Vong cruiser. It’d likely not take it down, but the chaos would allow me to move before it fired on my location.

    Of course, as I read the information from Observe, I felt myself relax a fraction.

    Sekr Grlaniq
    Race: Yuuzhan Vong
    Level: 26
    Health: 100% (Replaced left hand, replaced lower right leg, replaced left foot)
    Age: 40
    Force Potential: None
    Threat Potential: Very High
    Reputation: Hatred
    Affiliation: Yuuzhan Vong (100%), Supreme Overlord Zho Krazhmir (100%)
    Emotional State: Impressed/Concerned
    Sekr is impressed at your combat prowess and accepts Feir Kr’Lenah died a good death in service of the gods.
    That said, Sekr is worried about how Prefect Da’Gara will react to them losing the seed of Yuuzhan’tar to a Jedi.
    ...

    As Sekr came closer, it's amphistaff hissing as it looked down at its brethren, I slid into a relaxed defensive posture. Though I didn’t release the grip I was keeping on a dozen boulders with the Force. Observe said he accepted Feir’s death, not that he’d acknowledge the terms of the duel.

    “The duel has ended,” the Vong all but spat after taking a long look at the partially decapitated body of its former leader. “By the terms agreed upon, we will withdraw from this planet. That will take a planetary cycle to complete.”

    Hesitantly, I nodded in acceptance. It lifted a wrist to its mouth and spat out something in the cursed Vong tongue. Behind it, four new Vong emerged from the transport, making me tense.

    “They will claim the body.” My eyes stayed on the rapidly approaching Vong even as Sekr spoke. “Today you fought well, proved your honour, and the gods accept your victory. However, your name will now join those of others who’ve defiled our holy mission. When our people are ready, they will hunt you and those around you down, making you suffer eternal agony for this defeat.”

    “They are welcome to try,” I shot back as the four Vong reached us. Three gave me evil eyes but did nothing. Much to my annoyance. I still wanted to fight, still wanted to kill more Vong, yet I pushed that desire aside. Doing so would risk the victory I’d achieved here today.

    Though since the Invaders From the Void quest wasn’t showing as complete, the desire to keep fighting was kept close. Until all these fuckers had left the world, I’d not relax, nor savour my victory. No matter how much I enjoyed it.

    … …




    … …

    Only once the transport had reached the treeline, and slunk away from sight, did I relax in my seat. The rush of the fight slowly fell away, giving way to relief that it was over, though there was little exhaustion as while the fight had been intense, my sparring sessions with Dooku were often more taxing. Now, that wasn’t to undersell Feir’s ability, just that without the Force, and with me knowing how to fight Vong – or at least those on or below his standing – it meant the fight had been far easier than I’d expected. Though that hadn’t stopped Fay from fussing over my cuts once we’d reached the transport. She’d used the Force to heal the wounds on my stomach and leg, but the scars remained, as they always did as I had to actively choose to remove them. Or at least move to keep them within a certain amount of time as was the case after spending a week or so in the bacta tank after my rescue from the Bando Gora.

    “While I was confident in your ability to defeat the Vong’s leader,” Fay said as she placed a small bacta patch over my eye, hoping to help the scar heal faster, “I still wish you had been able to secure the Vong’s departure without further death. Though the cost of a single life to save thousands is a trade I would reluctantly accept.”

    “Yes, Master, and thank you,” I replied, trying not to look too smug - which was hard since I’d been right all along – even as a smile crept onto my face.

    Fay laughed softly and shook her head. She then placed a hand on my shoulder, the one away from my now-covered eye. “You have the right to be proud of what you’ve accomplished today. You may be brave, and occasionally foolish in how you approach situations, but you always find a way through. I, along with Master Dooku I’m sure, am eternally grateful to the Force for guiding me to you. The Force has a plan for you, as I’m sure you’re well aware,” I chuckled nervously as it wasn’t just the Force that had plans for me, “and while that path will undoubtedly be a difficult one, it has been my honour to guide you on your first steps, help you stand back up each time you fell, and I look forward to watching what you and the Force shall accomplish together in the future.”

    My smile grew. It was a relief to hear she wasn’t letting any feelings about how I’d behaved in the duel, or how I’d forced the Vong into it, to damage our bond. After squeezing my shoulder, she moved back and settled into her chair. A comfortable silence fell over the cabin.



    A few hours later the transport began descending as we approached the Jentari foundries and my new starship. About halfway through the flight, Fay started speaking again. She’d mentioned moments in my duel, focusing on the feelings she’d sensed from me when my emotions had been at their peaks. When she’d first started I’d been concerned she was going to lecture me on the negative emotions she’d sensed, but instead, she praised me for not giving into those desires. For letting them drift into the Force and letting it guide my actions instead.

    Now she was slowly removing the bacta patch from my eye, a frown coming to her face. “It appears the scar hasn’t healed.” She paused and stared into my eyes. “Might this be because you wish to keep it as you did those suffered during your verd’goten?”

    I nodded. “Aye. Even though I won the fight, I want a reminder that even when it felt like I’d already won, the fight hadn’t finished, and I almost lost the eye because of that mistake.”

    Fay shook her head, though there was no sadness behind the gesture. “While I feel there are other ways to learn that lesson, I am glad you have.” She dropped the used bacta patch with the ones from my stomach and leg – those scars I had healed – in a bin. “Though I do wonder if the scar isn’t also to show off for Ms Kryze?” she smirked as she asked that, and I chuckled back as I shrugged.

    “Well, that would be a nice bonus.” Again, Fay shook her head, though this time it was accompanied by her gentle laughter.

    “True enough.” The transport shuddered as it landed, reminding me once again that it was a small miracle that it still flew. “Though I do hope you don’t allow this bonus to consume too much of your time. I, for one, look forward to returning to the temple with this marvellous new vessel to show the Council. And perhaps, speak with others of the trials you’ve endured upon this world.” My brow creased at her odd phrasing, but before I could think on it more, the door hissed open and Fay waved her hand toward it. “I believe there are some friends who would prefer to see you emerge first.”

    With a smirk, I stood and moved to the door, putting her words aside as I stepped into the sunlight. Though I only got a few steps before a large black mass slammed into me, and it was only by a small miracle that I didn’t slam my head into the transport as Fenrir started licking my face.

    “Fenrir! Get off!” I shouted as I tried to push the massive beast – he’d grown more in our time on the planet and now was about the size of a pony – however, Fenrir wasn’t about to let me go. Even as his tongue covered my face in saliva, I heard laughter from all around.

    Eventually, even as I failed to move the giant beast, I felt someone pull him back. “Alright, you’ve had your turn,” I heard Bo say as the light returned to my vision. “Let the rest of us see him,” Fenrir whined loudly but obeyed her – which, even after months on this planet always amused me as Bo was the only other person Fenrir even considered listening to – and slunk away. As I pushed myself to my elbows, I saw him walk over to Fay, who laughed as he gently pushed up against her.

    “That thing’s dead, then?” I looked up at Simvyl. His face was hard to read, though the Force let me know he was conflicted. Hope, anger, and relief radiated from him in equal measure.

    “Aye, and the rest are leaving in the next day or so. Or so they claim.” That seemed to settle the Cathar, though the fur on his head matted as he frowned.

    “Good.” His shoulders suddenly slumped. “While I still want them all dead for what they did, at least if the planet’s saved then Kekda and Irone’s deaths mean something.” He took a step back, but I leapt up and gripped his shoulder, stopping him even as I saw Bo trying to not jump me.

    “They, and those who also died, will be remembered by the Sekotans. And us. Their name won’t fade into the blackness of the cosmos.” He got a strange look on his face, which wasn’t a surprise as my words were a little unexpected even to me before he nodded. He then gripped my forearm, and I returned the gesture. After a moment, he nodded again and then broke the grip, before walking away.

    “I see you made it back in mostly one piece,” Bo remarked, drawing my attention to her just as I saw Fenrir bound over to Simvyl with the Cathar now comfortable around the massive war hound.

    “Aye, more or less,” I replied before coughing as some of Fenrir’s drool slipped into my mouth. As I heaved to get it out and wiped my face with the ruined remains of my robes, Bo laughed.

    “And the other guy?” She asked once she’d gotten her laughter under control.

    It took me about a minute to reply as I desperately wiped my face clean. Or at least clean enough that no more slobber was going to seep into my mouth or eyes. “Dead, though he did leave me a parting gift,” I remarked, rapping my head near the scar.

    Bo leaned closer, examining the mark. She nodded, seemingly pleased about it. “Oof!” I fell back, landing on my arse after she slammed her fist, encased in her crushgaunt, into my gut.

    “Next time you’re taking me, you ois’kovid!” she snarked before taking a step forward. As she dropped to a knee in front of me, I rubbed my stomach, glad the Force had healed that wound long before I’d returned. For a moment, I was worried she’d strike me again, and as her hand came toward my head, I rather embarrassingly tensed. She smirked at that, and then after gripping my hair, slammed her lips against mine. Before I could respond to the passion-filled kiss, she pulled back, the smirk still on her face. “And that’s for winning.” She leaned close. “Or at least a taste of what’s to come.” She whispered into my ear, sending excited tingles throughout my body.

    She pulled back, and her face wrinkled. “But first, go and wash. You stink of Vong and the mutt!”

    Somewhere behind her, Fenrir whined, which made me laugh. I watched Bo as she walked off, my eyes not even trying to not watch her arse as it swayed with each step. I knew Fay could see me, but I frankly didn’t care. Issues regarding my closeness to Bo could wait for after we left the planet, for now, I had a hot, quick shower to take before I claimed my prize.

    … …




    … ..
    Quest Completed!
    Invaders From the Void [֍]
    Objectives:
    :a: Ensure the survival of all members of your group, including the Antarian Rangers, for the length of the quest. [5/7]
    :b: Protect the planet from the Yuuzhan Vong by either driving the invaders from the planet, [YES]
    Or eliminating the entire occupation force. [NO]
    ? :c: Defeat the Commanders of the invasion force. [1/3]
    ? :d: Discover your Sekotan starship and pilot it at least once. [NO]
    Rewards/Penalties:
    :a: 5000XP [+500XP]
    :b: 8000XP [+800XP]
    :c: 2000XP [+200XP]
    ...

    LEVEL UP!
    Level: 27 -> 28
    FP: +650
    PerkP: +1
    PP: +2
    STAM: + 44
    SP: +4
    SKP: +40
    ...
    I smirked as I read the notices from the Interface the night after returning to my ship. Gann had just arrived to tell me the Vong had left the planet, and that the Sekotan engineers were having a party to celebrate. I’d said I’d be down later, having wanted to head somewhere to confirm this with these notices.

    The bigger increases than at level 27 in terms of SP – Stat Points – and SKP – Skill Points – were due to be spending my reserve of SP on increasing my Intelligence to 40. I’d done so at the start of this mission, fearing that I might fail and wanting to spend them how I could. My physical stats were out as those had reached the combined limit of 65, and while boosting Charisma and Wisdom to 30 was also done, the bulk went into Intelligence for when, I’d hoped, I completed the quest and levelled up.

    Now, it was hard to judge how the increases in my Charisma and Wisdom had affected me, but I felt I was seeing possible avenues to use faster with the marked improvement in my Intelligence. Though it was a hard thing to quantify. Plus, with me now being level 28, I could select a new perk, thus I quickly called up the relevant menus to see the choices.

    PERKS
    These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].
    Perks have requirements in PP, stat. and level values that must be met before they become available for selection.
    Currently, you have the following perks:
    Ambidextrous
    Boosted Growth [1/3]
    Eidetic Memory
    Empathy
    Enhanced Regeneration [1/3]
    Heart of the Force [1/2]
    ...

    Available Perks:
    Bookworm
    Boosted Growth Mark 2
    Brainiac Mark 1
    Cat’s Grace Mark 1
    Cult of Personality Mark 1
    Dominant Mark 1
    Giant’s Strength Mark 1
    Iron Skin Mark 1
    Luck of the Force Mark 1
    Medic Mark 1
    One with Beasts
    One With Nature
    Physical Regeneration Mark 1
    Stat Limit Boost Mark 1
    Style Mark 1
    Wisdom of the Ancients Mark 1
    ...
    I smiled at the list even if it was all but the same as the last time. That meant most perks were ignored or pushed aside for lack of usefulness. Of those I considered, Boosted Growth Mark 2, One with Beasts, Physical Regeneration Mark 1 and Stat Limit Boost Mark 1 made the most sense.

    Boosted Growth would make it easier to reach level-ups, which was a growing concern as my rate of level growth had slowed considerably over the last few years. One with Beasts would, I felt, offer some help with Fenrir, though to be honest, things with him felt well established and our bond was already strong and clear. Physical Regeneration would be useful for those moments when the Force wasn’t able to be accessed or struggled to work in healing me. While Stat Limit Boost would lift my physical stats by an overall total of 10.

    It was a tough choice, and one I was still considering when my door chimed. A gesture had the door slide open, and Bo sauntered in, a wide smile on her face.

    “What’s this I hear about you not celebrating with us?” She asked, her face slightly rosy and as she came closer, I caught hints of fruity alcohol on her breath. “Think you’re too good for us?”

    “No. I was just meditating on the matter, wanting to be sure that the Vong were gone and would stay gone.”

    At my reply, she shook her head and then slid her legs over mine. “If they’re gone, then good. If not, then we just get to kill more of them. Either way, I want to have some fun.”

    As her lips crashed against mine, and I fell back onto my bed, I pushed thoughts of which perk to take from my mind. That could wait, were as the hot and willing redhead who was crushing her breasts against my chest wouldn’t.

    … …




    … …

    The sound of something pounding nearby forced my eyes to reluctantly open. The beds the Sekotans had installed on my ship were incredibly soft and lying on them for more than a few minutes resulted in me falling asleep. At least when alone. I looked around, blinking to clear the cobwebs from my mind even as I felt something large, soft, and warm pushing up against my side, having trapped my left arm under it.

    A smile came to my face I looked down at Bo as she snuggled into my chest. “Bo,” I said as I gently prodded her with my free arm. She groaned in annoyance and pushed herself further into my side. The smile on my face grew at her antics, and if only because there wasn’t one in easy range – and she’d kill me six ways to Coruscant – I didn’t take a picture of her with a holopad. These were the only moments where Bo let down her tough, outward persona, reminding me that inside the beating heart of this warrior lived a beautiful woman that was quickly worming her way into my heart. Honestly, these little moments where she was entirely at peace around me and lowered her guard meant more than the vigorous fucking we engaged in, not that I didn’t enjoy those, mind you.

    I needed to see what Simvyl – and I knew it was him because of the Force – wanted so desperately, but there was no way I was letting him see her like this. She was mine and mine alone to enjoy. With that in mind, I flicked her on the forehead. “Eyes open warrior!” I snarled while pushing my words with Force Persuasion. She was trained to resist Jedi mind tricks, but in this condition, her defences were down and she was more malleable. Though any thought of using that to my advantage slipped from my mind as I felt the Force swirling around as if something had gone horribly wrong. I grimaced as bursts of pain ripped through the Force with the strength of tidal waves even as Bo’s eyes fluttered open.

    “Wh-what?” She mumbled out, her eyes struggling to find mine in the dimly lit room as I struggled to not laugh at how Force-damn adorable she looked.

    “Simvyl’s banging at the door.”

    Shab’pir,” she groaned out before her head returned to my chest.

    “I would tell him that, but something’s up.” the banging on the door was coming at more than three beats a second, which helped emphasize my words. “I sense a disturbance in the Force,” I added, my lips curling further upward at using that wording. Though they soon fell as I wondered if the Vong had returned.

    As Bo bounced upright at my words, her breasts jiggling in a way that, if the situation didn’t feel so dire, I’d have attacked them. My mind felt the ship, searching for answers from it. While the bond between us was stronger than it had been, this lovely lady was still distant and reserved, and while the rot had begun to heal, there was still a way to go.

    My eyes followed Bo as she slid from the bed and walked naked toward where her armour was gathered. While she’d disposed of it rather haphazardly last night, I’d moved it to a corner with the Force once she’d become more docile. I’d found that having it semi-ordered for her in the morning made her less grumpy, and often meant we managed to squeeze in another quick round before starting the day. “Come on,” she said as she reached the pile and picked up the combat underweave. “Once we’ve killed more of these shabyr, you can do more than just touch, but until then, eyes front warrior.”

    Using the Force, I slapped her arse, making her rear up. She glared at me as I shot back. “I’ll touch them whenever I damn well please, woman!” That made her chuckle as she slipped her legs into the underweave. Almost every one of our moments together was semi-confrontational, and while she was the one who initiated most of our couplings, she always submitted relatively easily.

    I followed her from the bed, my clothing coming to me as I lifted them with the Force. Once I’d slipped on enough to be decent, and Bo had the underweave on, I opened the door with the Force. Simvyl stumbled in, having been caught out by the door opening silently. Behind him, I saw Fenrir pacing, clearly agitated by Simvyl’s behaviour.

    “The Vong are attacking!” He spat out once he’d regained his footing, his eyes narrowing into slits as anger rolled off him with an intensity that made him burn like a star in the Force. “I knew we couldn’t trust them!”

    Even as I pulled my cloak to me – my robes having been placed aside for repairs after the duel with the Vong commander – my mind reached out for Fay’s. [Master?]

    [I’m in the cockpit, Cameron. The situation is graver than Simvyl realises.] With those ominous words, Fay closed the link. I stepped forward, moving around Simvyl even as I clipped my dragon skin cloak into place. While I’d lost a few during the insurgency, I still had three more stored onboard. They’d been kept safe in my Inventory until Fay had awoken, at which point I’d placed them in a drawer in my room.

    As I walked toward the cockpit, my fingers brushed against the organic sections of the walls. I could feel the combined mind of the ship, formed from the seed-partners of myself and Fay, reacting to my touch. The ship might not understand what something was happening, but she knew she’d soon fly. I could feel her excitement at finally doing what she was born to do: dance among the stars. Vidge, who last I knew had left the ship to join the party with his fellow shapers, had said that touching the ship would accelerate her healing, and restore the weakened bond between her, myself, and Fay. From what I’d felt since we’d arrived, she’d been on point as whereas before the ship had been timid, now she was coming alive at the thought of flying for the first time.

    “Master,” I said as I emerged into the cockpit. Fay, as usual, was in the co-pilot’s seat. While she could sit in the main chair, she’d made clear I’d be piloting the ship, and with the majority of the seed-partners coming from me, she understood I’d have a stronger connection to the ship. Though, like me, she marvelled at feeling the ship all around us, even returning to the giddy schoolgirl moment I’d seen when we’d first bonded with our seed-partners.

    “The Vong fleet have re-entered orbit several hours ago, however, this time they are choosing a more blunt-force approach to subjugating the planet,” the ship shook, and I heard various vines groan, as if to punctuate her words, and wondered just what the fuck the Vong were up to. “In keeping with the terms of your duel, the Vong aren’t landing, and instead are bombarding the planet from orbit; targeting the various population centres of the planet.”

    I slid into the pilot’s chair, it adapting to my body so seamlessly that it felt like a part of me. My fingers quickly found the controls I needed to learn the ship’s status. As they did, it felt as if the console was reaching out for my hand, wanting to merge with me, and I felt the mind of the ship if it could be called that, grow even more impatient and excited. As the displays told me the ship’s status, I felt its mind do so as well, though in more instinctive language.

    One hand drifted to a lever and gently eased it forward to push power from the core into the sub-light engines and anti-gravity generators. The lever moved forward so easily that it almost felt as if it was anticipating my touch. As a faint hum passed through the ship for the first time as the engines powered up under my control, the ship’s mind seemed to ready itself for flight. Almost granting me knowledge of how to move the controls to get her airborne faster.

    Around the cockpit, the lights seemed to brighten and pulse energetically, and as the ship slowly rose from the massive vines cradling it, I shuddered as the ship’s excitement grew stronger. A glance over at Fay showed her smiling enthusiastically, meaning she was experiencing the same sensations. My fingers danced over the controls, seemingly knowing where they needed to go before I thought about it, and the ship rose and turned with a grace I felt no sentient could match.

    The ship rippled with pleasure in the Force, and I could feel her reacting to the lift, adjusting the power to the thrusters lifting us upward before I could. Faint images came to my mind about ways to improve her reaction time as the canopy above us, the one that had hidden her for months from the Vong, slid back; allowing her to bask in starlight for the first time.

    Readings came in from the sensors, noting atmospheric conditions, yet as my fingers brushed against other controls, for the briefest of moments, a shiver went up my spine as I felt the air caressing the hull. In my mind’s eye, I saw fleeting images of the trees outside, of the Jentari as they seemed to move to watch their latest, and in my mind greatest, creation rise into the sky.

    Further than I seemed to glimpse within my mind, the Vong were moving. The shipboard sensors were tracking two dozen in orbit, volleys of fire emerging from them and raining down on Zonama Sekot. It wasn’t turbolaser fire, but from the gouges being inflicted on the surface, it was just as effective. Provided we found some way to drive off the Vong fleet – and I was still racking my brains for anything that might work, bar a suicide run against their largest vessel – I’d be pouring over the sensor logs to determine just what those starships were firing.

    My thoughts were drawn to the readout from the sensors as we lifted high enough that data from beyond the valley housing the shaping pits and the Jentari could be collected. “They’re not aiming directly at Far Distance,” I detailed for Fay, letting her know what I was seeing and faintly sensing. “Though it appears I was incorrect about their target. While some parts of the city appear to have been struck, most of the impacts are beyond the city limits. I’d surmise the same is true for Middle Distance and will be for the shapers here once the Vong realise we’ve taken flight.”

    “While I’d normally suggest moving to help those in danger, in this case, I’d advise against it.” I looked at her from the corner of my eye as the ship felt as if she was begging me to take her higher; to let her dance among the stars. “It is only a matter of time until we are detected and approaching a built-up area would increase the rate of fire upon it.”

    “We have to fight!” The words came from Bo as she strode into the cockpit. I’d been expecting her to arrive as I could sense her both through the Force and by a general feeling from the ship that indicated where the other beings within her were. I heard Simvyl grunt in agreement which meant that, with Fenrir lying at the rear of my seat, everyone was inside the cockpit, making it a very crowded place.

    “As much as I agree, I’m not sure how,” I replied as the ship rose higher and higher. A ripple in the Force came from all around me as if the ship felt I doubted her. “She’s a remarkable creation, but unless you plan to step outside and bolt yourself to her hull, we’re unarmed.” I didn’t need to see or sense Bo to know her opinions on that matter echoed my own. The first moment I could, I was going over the hull and the power core and seeing where I could attach weaponry.

    “Take us into orbit. While there is little we can do directly to stop the Vong, perhaps we might reach an accord with the new Vong commander.”

    I rolled my eyes at Fay’s words, though as my fingers drifted over the relevant controls – the ships seemingly anticipating my commands before I inputted them – I sensed Fay was as doubtful that talking would solve things as I was. There was no feeling of acceleration as the ship surged upward, the clouds sliding past as we raced through them. As we neared the ozone layer, I could almost feel the shifting pressure, and the joy the ship felt as she felt the light of a star unobscured by the planet’s atmosphere.

    I felt the vessel shift as Fay spoke. “Several Vong ships have broken from the nearest flotilla and are heading our way.” Even as I heard the words, it felt as if the ship was offering me advice on how to move her; which angles would work best to avoid the incoming ships and any fire they might send our way. Yet, as I felt that information, something far more powerful, yet still barely out of infancy, pulled my mind deeper into the mental link I shared with the ship.



    ‘What?’ The word felt as if it slipped from my mouth, yet I knew I was deep inside my mind. Or I thought I did, as the more I looked around and failed to see anything marking this mindscape, the less certain I was about things. ‘Where am I?’

    ‘We must talk.’ I spun, acting as though standard gravity was still affecting me even though there was not present, and found myself staring at the Magister. However, I knew that couldn’t be the case as the odds that he survived the devastation of his compound were, well closer to zero than one per cent. Plus, the more I focused on the man in front of me, the clearer it became that whatever I was talking to was simply borrowing his visage to communicate with me.

    ‘About what? And who the hell are you?’ While I didn’t feel threatened in this mindscape, I disliked not knowing whom I was speaking with.

    ‘About choices, I think.’ The Magister paused and looked off into the distance. ‘This method of… interacting is strange, new.’ I blinked as the Magister’s hand seemed to shift in and out of phase. ‘Yet it is the only way I have found to talk with you. I simply wish we had more time to speak.’ I frowned, my mind slowly putting together just who I was speaking to even if I found it impossible to process even if the presence the ‘Magister’ was radiating reminded me of only one thing: the planet. ‘As for who I am, to some, I am called Sekot.’

    I blinked at having my suspicions confirmed even as I took a step back in disbelief. ‘How?’ The question escaped my lips as the final pieces of the puzzle reading the planet fell into place. The constant, seemingly overwhelming, yet never dominating, ancient yet new-born sensation given off by the Magister in this mindscape made complete sense now. ‘You’re what we’ve been sensing ever since we arrived in orbit? The presence that permeates every native thing on the planet?’

    Sekot smiled. ‘Yes. For a long time, I’ve wished to speak with you and the other. Her mind was easier to sense yet hers was closed not long after a link was formed; before I could attempt to reach her. She was focused on healing. I offered what help I could, though I failed to understand what was happening to her, or how to help.’ Sekot looked down, as if ashamed of this failure, reminding me of a child speaking to an adult.

    ‘How old are you?’ I knew the answer was going to be slightly confusing as Sekot felt both ancient and young, yet I wanted to hear it from the source to confirm.

    ‘I awoke, as you would understand it, only a few cycles ago. Until today, the only ones to have ever heard my thoughts have been the Magisters, and even then, I could only speak in images.’ Sekot’s head tilted to one side before it took a step toward me. Part of me was concerned about being near a sentient planet and wanted nothing to do with what was happening. Yet, I could feel the Force so much clearer in this mindscape than I’d ever experienced; could feel it shifting around us, wanting this moment to happen, and I knew I had to stay for now. ‘To speak with words, to meet one who also communes with the Force,” Sekot smiled, though it looked off, likely because it was seemingly wearing an image of the Magister to communicate. “Yet, time has moved against us. The Force cannot hold our connection for long.’

    ‘Why?’ Even if I failed to fully understand what was happening here, I knew it was monumentally important.

    ‘While I only awoke a few cycles ago, I have images in here,’ it tapped its head, ‘of a time before the pinwheel in the sky brought heat to my skin. There is more inside that I need to understand, but we lack the time for me to learn what it is.’ Sekot’s face fell, and it shook its head. ‘The Magister taught me what he could about the Force. He felt I was what those who came before him had sought. What they all believed. ‘

    I frowned, taking what felt like a few moments to piece together Sekot’s words into something useable. ‘‘Potentium,'' I muttered. “The Magister, and his ancestors, they thought you were the Potentium.”

    Sekot nodded, a sad look coming to its face. ‘Yes. The Magister thought I could be everywhere, see everything. Yet, as I understand more of what I am, of what the Force is, I see he was wrong. I cannot see beyond the edges of myself without significant effort. He believed there was no evil in the universe, only good. Yet I have felt evil, sensed it upon my surface. I sensed your anger, your rage when the other Jedi fell. You drew on something dark. I was worried the Magister was wrong about you Jedi. Yet as you worked to help those I protect, I saw you weren’t, you aren’t, evil. You are not what he said a Jedi should be, nor are you the Potentium.’ A hand came toward my face, and as it did, I saw through it in places; reminding me of something ghostly. ‘I wish you and the other Jedi might stay. That we might commune more and guide me to know the Force. Sadly, that cannot happen.’

    ‘We’re going to fight the Vong.’ While this wasn’t why I’d wanted to come to this galaxy, I knew instinctively that Sekot was special in a way that I couldn’t quite understand. ‘We’ll keep you safe. Keep the Sekotans safe.’

    ‘The Vong… They are from far outside, from where no one has come before.’ Sekot got a faraway look in its eyes, seemingly forgetting that I was close by, and seemed to get lost in a memory. ‘They come from a place I feel I should know, yet don’t.’ Sekot blinked, though it was slower than it should’ve been. ‘The ones who came before the Magister, they knew I… could create. They helped me learn how to shape children, to shape other things. The first spoke of how others would come, seeking what I could accomplish. What he, in his mistake, believed I was. While he was mistaken about that, he was right about others coming, and the potential of my children.’ The air around us shifted, lights circling in rapid patterns that, after a week aboard, I knew represented my starship. ‘My youngest child is the most different yet, yet they are weak. Those from far outside stopped them from bonding with you, yet now that you’ve helped them grow stronger, I can use them to speak with you. Thank you for what you’ve shown me over the last partial cycle.’

    ‘I’m sorry, but don’t I understand.’ It annoyed me greatly to admit that, but it was the truth. Sekot’s speech varied from succinct to obtuse in an instant, as if it was still learning Basic as it spoke.

    Sekot’s shoulders slumped, mirroring how a Human or near-Human would indicate sadness. ‘You must leave.’

    ‘The Vong…’

    ‘I will be safe from those from far outside, those under my protection have readied for this day since I first heard the thoughts of the Magister. My children with me will be safe, I will protect them. Those far away, I cannot say. You must leave while you can. The Force needs this. This, above all things, I know.’

    ‘The Vong,’ I repeated, not liking the idea of running away even as I felt the gentle pressure of the Force trying to guide me toward doing so.

    ‘Will trouble you no more. It is me they seek. When I am gone, so shall they be.’ Sekot started taking very slow steps back, though not turning as if trying to burn my face into its memory. ‘The one who came before, he made plans. Taught me to shape new things. Though untested, I know they are what I must use. If you do not leave now, do not use my child to escape, then you and those with you will be trapped with me. I do not wish that for you.’




    I lurched forward as my mind was forced back into the real world.

    “Cameron?” I waved one hand toward Fay, letting her know I was ok to keep piloting even as I quickly reviewed what had just happened.

    “I, I’m alright. I think.” With time to spare before the Vong fighters reached us, I glanced at Fay. The concern on her face mirrored what I could sense from her within the Force. Yet before I could explain further, I felt something lean against my mind. Recognizing it as the ship, though far stronger than before, I allowed a connection to form and then gasped at the flood of information that came through it. “Oh, wow!”

    Until just now, while growing stronger, the connection I felt to the ship had been remote. As If talking over a radio from half a world away. Yet now, while there was still a disconnect, it was like talking to someone in the same city on a mobile phone. A gentle nudge from the ship, directing me to sensor data refocused my thoughts. “We’ve got to get out of here.” I could feel confusion from the rest of the cockpit, along with anger and dismay from Bo and Simvyl. “The… planet, it spoke to me,” I explained to Fay, knowing there was no way the others would understand. “It’s alive, in a sense and used the ship to speak with me. It’s going to do something, and if we don’t leave now, we’ll be stuck on it, or worse.”

    While Sekot hadn’t been clear about the plans, the way it spoke, as ludicrous as it sounded, suggested it was going to leave. While every rational part of my mind struggled to even comprehend such a thing, the part of me that’d grown to understand the Force over the last seven years somehow knew this was possible.

    “We have to fight!” “Cam!”

    The dual shouts of dismay and anger from Bo and Simvyl echoed around in the cockpit as I kept my focus on Fay. I hoped she’d believe me, that she’d trust me, but even if she didn’t, I could already feel power flowing into the hyperdrive as one hand brought up the navigation console to begin plotting a jump.

    “You believe this was the planet?” I nodded. “And that it wants us to go?” I nodded again. For a moment, I felt I’d lost Fay’s support before she smiled. “What did it say?”

    A smile crept onto my face even as I felt Bo move closer to me. “Enough, but not. It wants, no needs us to leave.”

    A faint growl came from Fenrir as Bo stepped closer even as Fay stared at me as if trying to see into my soul. “Then I place my trust in you and the Force.”

    Any response of dismay from the others in the cockpit was cut off as the ship screamed out a warning in my head. My fingers danced over the controls, feeling the ship respond to my commands as if I was the vessel. Fire came in from the Vong fighters as my starship danced between the streaks of light, letting them illuminate the hull as they sailed harmlessly past.

    I inhaled sharply as I felt the faintest of tendrils reach up from the organic parts of the console and brush against my hand even as we dove between the four Vong fighters. Three broke to avoid colliding, but the last didn’t and I winced as part of the fighter scratched the hull. As we emerged on the other side of the fighters, I felt the pain from the ship even as the hull reacted to the wound.

    “Three larger vessels are angling toward us while the fighters are circling for another pass.” I didn’t need Fay’s report as I could already see the ships moving, their flight paths being plotted out in my mind’s eye. While I was a competent pilot, I’d never truly enjoyed it. Now though, as the ship gently angled its path to slip between the three new ships and pushed more power into the impressive sub-light engines, I began to see why Anakin loved it so.

    To be this free, this connected to the ship as it moved… Words failed to describe how incredible it was. Though I doubted that even with the connection I had with my new ship I’d ever be as instinctive a pilot as Anakin. He was born for flying, whereas I’d developed a taste of it, relatively speaking, later in life.

    Bolts of superheated plasma came toward us from the larger ships even as the four fighters completed their arcs and slid back onto our tail. Seeing a way to shrink the chasing pack, I rolled the ship, letting one bolt sail over the hull close enough that the warmth of the bolt was felt by the ship. That bolt sailed past, forcing two fighters to dodge, though only one succeeded as the second was clipped by the bolt and spun away chaotically.

    I sunk into the Force, letting it guide my actions as the ship felt as if it was reacting to my thoughts, and before the Vong gunships could react, we’d slipped through their ranks. Not wanting to continue onto the main fleet – which was comprised of a half dozen cruisers and nearly two dozen smaller ships – I banked us away.

    A gentle shudder went through the hull as the hyperdrive engaged for the first time, and a moment later, the stars seemed to merge as we left the system. Faintly I felt relief coming from behind us even as the Force seemed to ripple in anticipation of whatever Sekot had planned.

    … …




    … …
    A/N:
    Next month I'm going on a short holiday with the family. As such, posting might be later in the month than normal, but it will still come.
    ...
    As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
    For this series: Heart of the Force
    For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse


    If you wish to support my writing, gain access to 1st drafts of chapters (where every level bar the lowest has access to at least the first draft of the next chapter and all got the redraft ~2 weeks early), consider supporting me on Patreon:
    USSExplorer





    Regardless if you join the discord or support my writing, I hope you enjoy the story and suggestions, valid criticisms, and ideas are always welcome.
    And of course;


    May the Force be with you. Always.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2023
    IEU097, UserIDHere, Noctus and 120 others like this.
  17. Vers20

    Vers20 Not bad. But not the worst either.

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    Nice timing.
    I'm literally watching Episode 1 rn lol.
     
    Cyrvus and JoMan1089 like this.
  18. poiu18894012

    poiu18894012 Beep boop, perverted robot.

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    That did not feel like 24k words.

    Anyways, amazing work as always!
    It's nice to see that the bioship lives in this universe :)
    Pity we don't get to see their reactions seeing a planet teleport/hyperspace via the force.
     
  19. Moran

    Moran Not too sore, are you?

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    The chapter is so good I got little to say. XD
    Although, you forgot to add Enhanced Regeneration in his PERK list. I can confirm it on his recent stat sheet (End of the Altered Destinies arc) and I’ll look forward to the next one.


    Personally, I hope the next Perk Cam pick is Bookworm. The long-term benefits of such a Perk, 50% skill growth just by simply READING about a particular skill and more skill levels means more Skill Points (2000 skill lvl for 1 SP), cannot be overlooked.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2023
  20. Wrandral

    Wrandral I don't have to take this! I'm going for a walk.

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    Don't think killing all of the Vong force present on Sekot was ever a doable thing for Cam so i'd say he got the best result since he made the Vong leave the surface and promise to not set foot on it which allow Sekot to warp away.

    Always funny to see people frustrated with the ABSOLUTE PACIFISM of Fay. Cam is feeling like Rin/Saber trying to keep Shirou from doing something stupid and failing at that xD
     
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  21. Vers20

    Vers20 Not bad. But not the worst either.

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    I forgot what the perk "heart of the force" is.
    Does anyone remember?
     
  22. USSExplorer

    USSExplorer Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

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    Whoops. Fixed now, thanks for spotting that.

    The dual Perk/Player Power (which is where HotF [2/2] is) that increased Cam's midi-chlorian count to levels into the Extreme range.

    She does, and her name is The Jade Raven. Or Raven for short.
     
  23. Moran

    Moran Not too sore, are you?

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    For further details, near end of chapter Cathedral of the Past 2.
    Before, his m-count is over 18,000, higher than Yoda's. After taking the dual Perk/Player Power, now over 25,000, lower than Anakin's.
    At least it’s not in Mando’a. I was half expecting a name representing Cam’s recent ‘adventure’. Like Endeavour, Enterprise or Onus.
    How HK will react to the new vessel, I wonder. Or how the vessel react to HK?
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2023
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  24. Morkail

    Morkail Shado-Master

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    Thanks for the chapter. Nice lengthy chapter too that said it’s easy to see how much of a problem the Jedi are going to be, In the long run he can only push so far even with hiding his dark side use before they move to contain him. Also I’ve personally always prescribe to the theory that the force was pushing for a massive military build up in the galaxy in order to counter the Vong and in general the Jedi order does not have the backing of the force it’s not actively pushing for the death of the Jedi but it’s certainly not in there corner anymore. They have Simply become to tied to the republic as enforcers rather then agents of the force.

    I feel it’s odd fea would act like this the vong have zero presence in the force they are quite literally outsiders her looking in to the force should have given her a big fat blank.

    wonder where this story is heading in the long certainly an enjoyable read.
     
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  25. Ayashi

    Ayashi Connoisseur.

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    Am i the only one getting more than tired about the Fay's hypocrisy?
    I don't want to start quoting it (because i'd basically have to quote her every time she opens her mouth) but honestly, if this is "peak Jedi-ess", it's wonder there isn't more Fallen Jedi running around...
     
  26. ClassHole

    ClassHole I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Could you provide us some visual references for the new ship? I'm having trouble picturing it.
     
  27. Extras: The Jade Raven
    USSExplorer

    USSExplorer Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

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    These are the images used to visualise Cam's new Sekotan ship, though they're only guide images.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    And yes, the base design is borrowed from another sci-fi series with "Star" in it's name :cool:
     
  28. ClassHole

    ClassHole I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Nice! I always thought that SG really nailed the organic ship look pretty well when designing the Wraith.

    a much smaller Wraith cruiser isn't a bad looking whip at all. I just hope he can bolt some gats onto it lol
     
  29. LetMeRead

    LetMeRead Know what you're doing yet?

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    I think HK & Raven will get along very well. Why would HK accept anything less than a ship that could possibly aim on its own
     
  30. shinighoul6

    shinighoul6 Versed in the lewd.

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    Is Sekot gonna pull a Gallifrey Stands?
    Cause it feels like Sekot's gonna pull a Gallifrey Stands.
     
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