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

Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To theshadowchaser, vargos, Kalvernus, DylanTheDemon and HighFlyingWings for help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter (All of whom are on Discord and members of the Omniverse now )
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.

FYI: the arc title translates as "From child to a son of Mandalore"

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…
The incoming green blade was easy for me to guide away with my own shorter green blade, and I heard my sparring partner grunt in frustration.

“This is pointless!” Serra snapped from behind cheeks that were red with exhaustion as she again tried to land a strike on me, only for me to easily deflect another of her probing thrusts.

This time though, I stepped into the space that deflecting her blade created, entered her personal space, and placed the hilt on my lightsaber against her throat.

“Makashi is a form that requires discipline, patience and control,” I said in a gentle voice as her face turned a darker shade of red, “if you wish to adopt some of the movements of Makashi into your style, you must learn the basic velocities.”

“But why though?” She replied in a very quiet voice as her breath warmed my cheek, “Makashi is a form designed for a single lightsaber. Why not just use Shien?”

I sighed and stepped backwards. “Makashi is the duelling form. It is designed to defeat opponents with precision and efficiency. While that does not make it a great choice for dual-wielding, like any form, its velocities can be adapted with other forms to give a user a unique style.”

“In addition, by using dual blades, even with a shorter shoto in your off-hand,” at this I indicated her new shorter blade which I was using for this training session to prove that the length of a blade was not critical for Makashi, “you sacrifice power to overwhelm an opponent.”

“Thus, I need to be more precise and efficient with my strikes,” she finished with a sigh. “I get it, I do. But Master Dooku is not happy about you teaching me to use Makashi with dual blades.”

I allowed myself a wry smile at remembering Dooku’s comments on the subject. About how he felt that the usage of dual lightsabers was a flaw and the sign of a weak Jedi. He also stated that Makashi should not be learnt with anything but a single blade; preferably with the correct hilt to fully exploit the advantages of the form.

I’d countered with two names; Revan and Exar Kun. The second of those I’d learnt about during my free time when studying the history of the Order. Learning that the ancient Sith had been defeated on Yavin IV was a strange surprise, and I wondered if the temples seen in the movie were leftovers from Kun’s time, and what had drawn the Sith Lord there.

Now, while Kun had preferred to use a double-bladed lightsaber, and was more known for using Niman, the archives did note he was highly skilled with Makashi and adapted it into his style. As was my grand-niece – and saying that when I was only twelve was strange– Satele Shan.

I also knew that in the canon timeline, he had trained Asajj Ventress to dual-wield with Makashi, but that wasn’t something I could use as an example. But now that I understood the form so well, I could see patterns that Asajj had used and that Serra could adapt for her style.

I had ‘discussed’ this issue with my master for several hours before I was able to get him to accept that I was going to teach her, but he had drawn a concession from me that I was to train her in the usage with a single blade until he felt she was competent enough with the form to attempt to adapt it into her style.

I was honestly surprised that he had agreed at all, and I suspected he would be strict in what he defined as competent, but he had agreed, albeit grudgingly.

The day after I had begun training Serra, he had come and expressed his respect for me being able and willing to not only defend my decision but also explain my reasoning in a clear and logical manner.

Though he did state that he would be monitoring her progress and that he reserved the right to alter his acceptance of the training if she did not show the correct amount of understanding and fluency with Makashi.

“Master Dooku has very, very high standards for anyone using a lightsaber. Doubly so if you wish to learn Makashi,” I explained with a small smile at how Dooku came off to everyone who didn’t get to know him and earn his respect. “But he is not unyielding. He knows that what works for one person, does not always work for another.”

“He doesn’t show it,” Serra commented with a harrumph, “since we’ve left the Temple, he’s always glaring at me.”

“Because you are willing to learn Makashi. He expects the best from every one of his students.”

“But I’m your student,” she countered as her lips twitched upwards at the corners and I sensed her pride and desire through the Force.

Ever since the duel with Yoda I had noticed that it was easy to sense what she was feeling through the Force via our bond. Apart from needing to teach her to control those feelings so they didn’t flood out so freely, I was a little concerned at the way she reacted when we spoke.

For now, I was not overly concerned – she was a few months from turning thirteen – but if it wasn’t carefully handled over the next few years, then there was a chance her desires could evolve into an unhealthy obsession.

Sadly, even with the experience of my past life, how to handle such a thing with a girl was outside my bailiwick though I had hinted at my concerns to Master Fay. She had smiled at me with taking up the concerns, but I hoped she would say something to Serra during our time on Mandalore.

“Yes, but I am his,” I replied with an expression that I hoped gave no hint of the momentary concern I felt at her feelings. “Thus, he sees you as part of his legacy and will hold you to the same high standard he does me.”

Serra sighed and shook her head. “And I thought Master Drallig was strict,” she muttered, which made me laugh.

“Master Drallig may be the Battlemaster of the Order, but he is a people person. Master Dooku,” I shrugged, “he has a low opinion of most people; including many in the Order.”

“Eh, for some people I don’t blame him,” Serra remarked, and a single eyebrow rose on my brow. “Just before we left, I heard Jon talking with a few others about you.” I noticed that her hands were now clenched shut and that the knuckles on her right hand were turning white around her hilt, which was thankfully depowered. “He was telling them how you were a disruptive influence on the Jedi; how you sought out glory and the attention of the masters and would bring about the end of the Order.”

I placed my hands on hers, which elicited a small gasp from her even as I spoke and ignored the flash of yearning that I sensed from her.

“Jon… has not forgiven me for what happened to him. Which is understandable given the fact that he hasn't been allowed to cope, but misguided.”

“But he’s trying to make people hate you!” Serra almost yelled into my face. “He's spreading lies that you want to destroy the Jedi!”

“Serra, the Jedi have to change. You know this as well as I do,” I responded calmly, ignoring how her hands were beginning to move to envelop mine, “but I don’t want to destroy the Order. Nor do I seek out glory.”

“I know, I know,” she replied as her fingers began to rub against mine. Which had me let go of her hands. “But he shouldn’t be allowed to badmouth you to others.”

“Who’s going to stop him? I’m not exactly in the High Council’s good graces,” I retorted with a smirk before stepping back. “And the two of us alone can’t bring about change.”

My retreat was stopped as Serra grabbed my hand and held it firmly.

“It’s not just us! There’s the clan. And Rachi and other Padawans. And I know your masters would stand with us!”

As I turned back to face her, I noted her eyebrows had risen near the bridge of her nose, thus creasing her brow.

I sighed and pinched my nose before I responded.

“They might, but that’s what? Two dozen at most. The Order is over ten thousand strong.”

“But…” her reply was cut off as I placed a finger on her lips. I ignored the way her cheeks darkened at my actions even as my own body reacted to her warm breath on my finger and I sensed the emotional turmoil she was in via the Force.

“I understand why you’re worried, Serra. And thank you,” I said as I smiled, “but for now, all we can do is improve ourselves. The future hasn’t been written yet, but we need to be ready for what is to come.”

She nodded slowly once, and I pulled my finger away, doing my best to ignore the strong sense of desire mixed with confusion that flooded over our shared bond. And how my body reacted to being this close to her.

The next few years were going to be hell. Puberty was not something I wanted to have to experience, but I little choice in the matter.

I supposed I could do my best impression of a Vulcan from Star Trek, but even then, there were significant downsides, based on what I knew of the Vulcan mating ritual, Pon Farr.

“I will be,” She said with a gentle smile as her brow smoothed out and she tilted her head slightly to the left. “I’ll be with you until the end.”

“I know,” I replied. I wanted to add more but anything else I wished to add was cut off as Serra chose that moment to close the gap between us and press her lips against mine.

I froze as her feelings crashed across the Force bond like a tsunami and her arms wrapped around me.

I knew it was wrong. I was mentally in my thirties while she was a few months shy of turning thirteen. Yet my body, which was a few months younger than hers, was reacting to her clumsy and forceful kiss instinctively.

“Ahem!”

We both leapt backwards at the voice, and I ignored how our heads had bounced off each other, and the sound of her lightsaber clattering on the floor, at the voice.

As I turned, I saw Fay standing in the doorway to the small cargo bay that we’d been using as a training room.

Her face was its usual serene self, but I could sense her amusement over our bond. There was also something else there – possibly envy or irritation? – but it was hidden deep down and far harder to identify.

“It appears I have interrupted something,” she said slowly, her voice gentle but a touch higher than normal as her lips curved upwards a fraction.

“Ah, Master Fay. Um, we, uh…” Serra stammered as she tried to come up with a reply.

I stayed silent as I was well aware of what had happened – even if I wished my body was not a teenager’s – and suspected there wasn’t much I could say that would save me from both a lecture about controlling emotions nor the subtle teasing that was certain to occur because of this.

Fay held up a hand to silence Serra, saving the girl from blathering out what I suspected would be a paper-thin excuse for her actions.

“I am well aware of what you were doing, and what you were discussing beforehand,” she stated as the corners of her lips turned upwards, “so, there is no need to attempt a misdirection about what I have seen. However, it is also something that cannot be ignored. Follow me.”

She turned and walked out of the bay, and after a moment, during which I glanced at Serra and noted the worry on her face, we both followed; though I noted that Serra made sure not to walk beside me.

Ever since we had left the Temple, unless I told her not to, she had walked a step behind me and to my right. It was cute if a little off-putting to have her so willingly step into the role of follower. She was not a weak-willed nor timid person, but she deferred to me regularly.

Neither of my masters had commented on it, bar a rueful smile or raised eyebrow, but I knew both were aware of it. And the clear statement Serra was making about her loyalties.

The corridors of the transport were quite narrow, though not enough to explain away Serra’s behaviour as just because of that, and the vessel would take us to Taris, from where we would have to arrange further transport to take us to Mandalore.

I was curious about Taris, and how the planet had changed since the events of KOTOR 1 and 2, but I doubted I’d have much time to explore the planet before we continued onward to our final destination.

It did not take long for us to reach the two rooms that we had booked. I shared one with Dooku while Serra bunked with Fay in the compartment next door, though we did not spend much time there as the rooms were rather spartan; hence why we’d converted a smaller empty cargo bay into an ad-hoc training room.

Fay led us into the room she shared with Serra, and I was surprised to see Dooku sitting at the small table perusing a datapad.

He raised a single eyebrow as he saw us follow Fay into the room and fixed his fellow Jedi Master with a simple gaze that seemed to ask a question without ever changing his facial expression.

“It appears that the issue we planned to discuss with the Padawan needs to happen earlier than we planned,” both Masters looked at us, and while I was fine under their combined gaze, Serra was not and, from the corner of my eye, I could see her begin to fidget.

[Relax Serra. I don’t think we’re in trouble] I said through our Force Bond. I had an inkling of what Fay and Dooku wished to discuss, but I prayed to the Force that I was wrong.

Dooku’s brow rose as I spoke to Serra telepathically and he turned to Fay, who replied to this unasked question with a nod.

"Ah," was all Dooku said in reply as I had a very bad feeling about what the issue was and felt a sudden urge to be someplace else. "Sit, please."

Dooku’s tone and words sent off alarm bells in my head, and I sensed Serra’s confusion at the politeness, which made me want to be anywhere but here. However, as we were trapped on a transport in hyperspace, there was little I could do but follow his instructions.

Since the room only contained two chairs, Serra and I sat on one of the beds as Fay took the chair next to Dooku at the table.

A feeling of dread began to spread over me as the two elder Jedi stared at us, and it only grew worse as the silence stretched towards that moment when things became uncomfortable; which was only making Serra fidget once more.

Just as I was about to send a wave of reassurance to Serra via the Force, Fay spoke.

“Cameron, while you are far more mature than any Padawan either of us have met before, you, like Padawan Keto, are still young, and your body is still growing and changing,” she began as my fears were confirmed and I wished the vessel was not in hyperspace as I hadn’t risked teleportation in hyperspace yet; and probably wouldn’t ever attempt it on the off-chance it would prove fatal.

“With these changes, you will begin to feel certain, urges and your emotions will become more… vibrant,” Fay continued as I easily picked up Serra’s confusion and terror. The concern, annoyance, and amusement from my masters was far more muted, but thanks to our bonds I could still just make them out; though since both were keeping them under control it was impossible to say who exactly was feeling what.

“At times, it will be hard to control these feelings and urges,” Fay continued, “and you may feel they are something dark or to be denied. They are not.”

I felt my eyes widen at Fay’s last words.

I knew that Fay and Dooku didn’t hold to the narrow-minded view the Jedi had about emotions but to have them reveal that to Serra so openly was unexpected. Though since I had spoken with them about her, and how I felt she had a role to play in the Coalition, this likely was meant as a quasi-test for her.

“Master Fay, are not emotions the path to the dark side?” Serra asked, and I mentally said a prayer of thanks for her taking the chance to change the topic. Anything that delayed or countered the discussion that I felt was coming was welcome.

“Yes, and no. However, that is a discussion for another day,” Fay replied to tell me my prayers had gone unanswered.

“Indeed,” Dooku concurred as he took over from Fay, “Cameron, while the physical changes for a male are less obvious and severe than a female’s, you will still experience an… increase, in your emotions and desires. And new ones will develop and at times, seem to overwhelm you.”

I gave a single nod as I mentally considered various escape plans before this conversation got extremely uncomfortable. Sadly, none of my plans so far would allow me to escape this conversation for any great length of time and would only result in things being far less civil then next time around along with questions about why I ran.

“Padawan, may I refer to you by your given name?” Fay asked and after a moment in which I had to assume Serra gave her consent, she continued.

“I am aware you have talked with some of our fellow Jedi about the changes your body is beginning to undergo,” Fay paused, waiting for an answer, but I did not turn to look at Serra, for both our sakes. “Good. Now nothing about these changes is wrong, or in some way make you less than others. They are just a part of life.”

“Um, this morning, I, um, my bed,” Serra stumbled over her words in a voice barely above a whisper. I easily sensed her fear and self-loathing through the Force even as I felt her scrunch up the bedsheets and wondered if this was her bed.

Not really caring about that but wanting to help, I sent feelings of reassurance and comfort to her through our bond. As I did, Fay’s head tilted, and she smiled at Serra.

“What happened is perfectly natural my dear. We can talk privately about that later.”

“Thank you, Master,” Serra replied in a voice that was barely above a whisper as her sense of embarrassment flooded the room.

“There is no need to thank me child. What you experienced was perfectly natural and Cam,” I looked up at Fay, “what Serra is talking about is a cycle that most females experience. It is not a subject to insult them about, joke about, or suggest that it in any way makes a female unclean. Am I clear?” Her tone had the faintest hint of sharpness and if I was a true pre-teen, I might have been worried I was in trouble.

Since I wasn’t, I understood, but the part of me that wished to die from the discomfort of going through this talk again grew in size.

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. Master Dooku will speak with you later about the more sensitive issues that affect Human males," Fay added and the desire to die grew further as the idea of detailed talk about sex from Dooku sent a shiver down my spine. "Now, however, we wish to speak with both of you about your emotions. How they are becoming more powerful, how they can at times, seem to overwhelm you. And lead to the blossoming of feelings for others."

I felt the heat in my cheeks build as another burst of embarrassment flooded over my bond with Serra. These emotional spill-overs weren’t affecting me, but I knew I’d have to talk to Serra about working on her emotional control.

We had talked a little about the bond, and she had been excited to learn that with time, she should be able to speak with me telepathically, though that had been tempered by a sense of fear.

Since I wasn’t going to try and read her thoughts – both because Mind Probe was still at Novice 1 and it would be an invasion of privacy – I had been forced to guess as to why she felt as she had.

A quick Observe had told me it was that she feared I’d reject her for another girl, which had me internally sighing and once more hating that I had to go through puberty again.

A hatred that was growing as this talk continued, though I made sure to keep it under control less my masters sense it and become curious about why I was feeling hate at this particular moment in time.

“Serra, I need you to know that I am not disappointed or angered by what I saw. It has been obvious to both Master Dooku and myself, as well as others, that you have been developing feelings, urges related to Cameron.” Fay continued and I risked a quick glance at Serra to see her face had turned the same shade of red as a Sith lightsaber and she seemed to be trying to melt into the bed.

“And Cameron, while you, as we have commented on many times, are far more mature than anyone else your age, you are also developing similar urges, are you not?”

As I nodded in agreement, I started to give serious consideration to my earlier idea of teleporting while in hyperspace. Risk or no, it had to be safer than where this conversation was heading.

“Again, there is nothing wrong with those urges and feelings. The danger for most beings comes from acting on those urges without knowing what you are doing. For those like ourselves who are attuned to the Force, there is also the risk that our emotions can overpower us and alter our relationship with the Force.”

“Emotion, yet Peace,” Serra whispered, though I overheard her and, given the brief shared look between my masters, they did as well.

“I see you have adopted the older wording of the Jedi Code,” Dooku said slowly in a voice that lacked any hint of emotion, “unexpected, but encouraging.”

I had been concerned that his lack of emotion would’ve made Serra think she was in trouble, but the way he ended that sentence removed that worry.

“The standard version of the Code is designed for the masses. However, it does not work for those who either have control of their emotions or experience them more strongly than others.” He continued and I resisted the urge to comment about him apparently not having any emotions to control.

“Um, Cam taught it to me when we first spoke,” Serra said quietly and glanced at me before continuing, “Master Drallig is aware that I use it and has stated that it may be a better choice due to my... 'rebellious nature'.” She smiled at the end and I had to agree that it did suit her better.

She was not like most of the other Padawans and was more willing to question everything around her from a young age. Which was probably why I had enjoyed spending time with her when we were younger.

“Yes, Cin is far more adaptable to the fact that one size does not fit all than most in the Order,” Dooku commented before Fay spoke once more.

“Regardless of where you learnt that variant of the Code, both Master Dooku and I feel that it is a more appropriate version than the standard version. To deny that one has emotions makes learning to live with and handling them far more difficult and can cause the more impetuous, out-going, or asocial Jedi problems as they enter their teenage years.”

“Now these changes, both physical and physiological are going to make the next few years a very confusing and trying time for both of you, but remember that we, and other older members of the Order, are here if you need to discuss these changes. And we will speak with both of you privately in a little while.”

I released a breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding at hearing I wouldn’t have to go through that in a group session again. Also, I was a little hopeful that this talk would now be move to philosophical discussions about emotions and the Jedi Code.

“However, we think it is time that both of you are given instructions on what to do if you wish to, indulge these new urges,” Fay continued and I wondered if now would be a good time to out Palpatine as a Sith Lord. “Though to be clear, we do not expect, nor desire that you do so before you have reached the age of responsibility.”

I’d give every single credit I would ever earn from my writing – which currently amounted to a touch shy of thirty-five million all told thanks to receiving my full cut from The Two Towers – if pirates would attack the transport in the next few seconds.

“You are both aware of the process that can result in the birth of Human younglings, correct?” Dooku asked and I nodded mechanically as I engaged Player’s Mind. Dealing with this talk again was going to torturous enough without my emotions getting in the way and PM would also protect me if Serra’s emotions overloaded the Bond we shared.

“Good, then we can proceed to methods of how to avoid that outcome.”

As Fay handed us both a datapad I regretted ever taking Eidetic Memory as this talk was something that I could never, ever forget. No matter how much I dearly wished I could.

Serra gasped. “Wait, they do that? AH! It… ah… Oh!”

A mixture of confusion, fear and excitement flooded my senses and I was glad I’d activated Player’s Mind I was unsure if my new body and mind would be able to handle that much emotional feedback on its own.

Deciding that discretion was the best course of action regarding Serra’s current emotional turmoil, I kept my eyes down and locked on the datapad I’d been handed.

Though given that my pad started with the changes that a Human female underwent, how this affected their emotional state, and how they could react to these changes, I had a fair idea of what she was reading and seeing on her pad. And I did not want to confirm it, especially as her confusion and shock slowly dissipated and were replaced by the faintest hints of arousal and curiosity.

“Before you ask any questions, read the file fully,” Fay said, and a glance upwards revealed that her eyebrows had lifted and curled. And given to the faintest of smiles on Dooku’s face, it was clear to me that my masters were, once more, taking enjoyment in my embarrassment.

Though this time there was no outward comment on it, which was very understandable.

I sighed and began to scroll through my pad. While I suspected I knew most of what it would contain, I couldn’t not read it without giving away more about how different I was from others my age.

As the screen changed to display the internal workings of male and female reproductive organs, I internally cursed at this. The one small saving grace was that the files also included information on other near-human species as well as the slight variations encountered, so it turned out there was some new information.

Though I had to repress a chuckle as I realised that during the upcoming Q and A, I could get a small measure of revenge on the Jedi Masters. Though I’d have to make sure that my ‘innocent questions’ didn’t scare or worry Serra.

…

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…

“Morning Serra,” I said as I sat opposite her in the recreation area/mess hall of the freighter that was taking us on the final leg of our journey to Mandalore. A journey that should be ending today if the ship’s Captain, a Mandalorian from Darboon named Oje Kyllet, was telling the truth.

Serra glanced up at me, before returning her attention to her food as she pulled her shoulders inward; almost as if she wished to shrink in on herself. Her face began to redden as the same emotions that had dominated her since we’d received ‘The Talk’ – confusion, curiosity and anxiety – radiated out from her through the Force.

In the two days since ‘The Talk’ and all that it entailed, Serra had been unable to keep eye contact with me for more than a few seconds without reacting like this. Yesterday the initial fear had weakened and become merely anxiety, and today it felt as though it was almost gone.

Hopefully, that meant she would be willing to talk freely with me in a few days.

After reading through the datapad, we had gone over what it spoke about as a group and that while the Jedi frowned on commitments, the concept of what Fay called nights of enjoyment was a grey area within the Code.

Any amusement I felt at hearing that the Jedi were allowed to pursue one-night stands was lost though once the conversation turned to ways to make a joining pleasurable for yourself and your partner.

While I knew most of what was discussed, hearing Dooku speak about pleasuring a woman was not something I had ever wanted to experience, nor would I ever forget, thanks to Eidetic Memory ensuring that it would never be forgotten.

There had been a few moments where crass jokes from my old life had popped back into my head, however, I did not vocalise them. I had no desire to lower everyone’s opinion of me, nor run the risk of scarring Serra emotionally, or losing her as a potential recruit for the Coalition.

Thus, I sat and listened as Fay talked calmly in her serene voice about how to ensure that our partner, regardless of gender or species, was aroused and small signs to look for to indicate this with Dooku offering a few small comments here and there.

She only spoke about Human males and females, but as she spoke about how to detect such signs from females, I couldn’t stop myself wondering if she knew that from self-gratification or from having taken female lovers in the past. And if she had, if they had been any non-Human partners.

Though I did not let my mind dwell on such things as both my masters would likely have sensed my thoughts; though I could not deny that the idea of Fay with another woman was an enticing one when the thought drifted through my mind.

After that, and once Fay reassured us that we did not need to experience any of these things if we did not wish to, we were split along gender lines for more in-depth discussions.

I had to fight off a full-body shiver at remembering getting that part of the talk from Dooku. And again, I cursed that I could never, ever forget it.

Dooku had explained that there were various contraceptives for both males and females to prevent unwanted pregnancies. He had then given me one from his personal supply – and I again wished I could erase the imagery that him having those implied from my mind - for me to take.

According to Observe, the pill would ensure I was infertile for a month however, upon ingestion, Player’s Body nullified the chemicals in it. That meant, if I wished to avoid any unexpected surprises, I was going to have try the other methods – which Dooku said were freely available at the Temple and most Republic worlds – on the hope that one of them would work.

While I had no interest in children currently – and likely wouldn’t until after Sidious was dead – I was not prepared to have surgery to ensure that was the case. And there was always the chance that Player’s Body would nullify that as well.

If none of the contraceptive methods worked, I was going to have to find a way to bring this problem up without revealing as to why they didn’t work. And if I didn’t want to be accused of being reckless and irresponsible if an unexpected pregnancy occurred, I would have to be very careful about what I did, and with whom, once I was older. A lot older.

“Morning,” Serra mumbled out and I sent a gentle prod of happiness through the Force. She didn’t respond in any way, but the fact there was also no change in the emotions coming from her was a further sign that things were headed in the right direction.

We ate in silence as I knew it was better to let her give her time to process everything that had been discussed two days earlier. However, I found myself missing being around her. While she was still young and immature and she was not able to engage with me like an adult – as Fay and Dooku did – I missed having my friend around and hoped the awkwardness would dissipate enough that we could begin to talk again.

I was concerned that she was perhaps, too supportive/defensive of me, a glance with Observe after ‘The Talk’ suggested she was realising this herself.

Once I had finished my breakfast, I stood and gave her a slight nod as I turned to place the tray in the cleaning unit.

“C-can we spar later?”

I turned back and saw that she’d raised her head just enough that she could make eye contact, but not enough that her face could be easily seen. Her eyes were hopeful, and I sensed the same feeling through the Force.

Giving her what I hoped was a soft smile, I replied. “Sure.”

The way her cheeks pinched suggested she was smiling back, but I couldn’t tell for certain from the current angle. However, her eyes weren’t their usual vibrant and happy self and they soon broke contact with mine as her cheeks began to darken and she returned her attention to her food; which I noted had barely been touched in the time I’d been in the room.

“Just let me know when you want to spar,” I added before I turned and head to the cleaning unit. I ignored the feelings that were emanating from her via the Force.

“T-thanks,” I heard her mumble out as I walked away.

A small smile crept onto my face as I exited the room. Hopefully, this meant that the awkwardness was fading enough for us to return to a semblance of our usual behaviour.

…...

Later that day, about an hour after lunch, I found myself standing with Fay, Dooku and Serra in the central seating area of the freighter as it lowered itself towards one of the many docking platforms that dotted the dome of the city of Sundari.

I glanced over at Serra as I considered the spar that we’d had just before lunch.

Calling it uncomfortable would be like calling Coruscant a large city.

For the first ten or so minutes, Serra had been hesitant to even raise her blade to attack as every time she looked me her face turned redder than a tomato, and feelings of loathing and desire rolled off her in waves.

After those ten minutes, I had turned to leave, realising that she was still not ready to move past what she’d learnt, only for her to stop my turn to leave with a Force Pull that caught me off-guard, and resulted in me stumbling backwards.

I’d suspected that because I did not see Serra as an opponent, that Precog did not warn me what was to happen. Either that or the Force itself wanted things between us resolved and had blocked me from sensing the pull.

Regardless, I’d ended up crashing to the mat, arse first, at her feet.

She gasped and leapt away, only to kneel next to me and blather out that she was sorry a few times before I stopped her.

What had followed was the most awkward and embarrassing conversation I had had in either of my lives, but by the end of it, she had apologised for kissing me, that every time she saw me she imagined what she’d read about on the pads and talked about with Fay occurring between us and how scared she was by it all. Though it had taken a lot more words and nearly twenty minutes to reach that point.

Through most of those minutes, I hadn’t spoken – mainly because even with my extra experience of life, I was uncertain of what was the correct thing to say – and had only offered words of encouragement and support to help her with her worries and reiterating that I would always be her friend.

After all that, and following lunch that was awkward because of the way Fay and Dooku were regarding us now sitting together, but not as close as before, I’d spent the landing approach through the atmosphere of Mandalore in the cockpit of the freighter with Captain Kyllet and his First Mate – and only crewmember - Lom Wissel.

The pair had given me a running commentary, with historical comments, of what I was seeing as we descended.

Strangely the whole planet was not covered in sand, just most of it, and we’d flown over Keldabe, the former capital of the planet soon after breaking through the cloud cover.

The reason we weren’t landing there was that the city had been all but levelled during the Dral'Han. While Mandalmotors and a few other corporations still had their headquarters there, and parts of the city still stood or had been rebuilt, the current ruling faction of Mandalore and the surrounding sector ruled from the domed city of Sundari.

Kyllet’s opinion on the New Mandalorians, while clear to sense through the Force, was harder to detect in his words. Though that made sense as a trader in the sector, it wouldn’t be good for business to alienate the ruling group.

The Captain had explained that most of the planet had been tuned to a desert by the Republic and Jedi strike force in the Dral’Han, though areas were slowly being reclaimed from the desert.

These facts about Mandalore, like Rachi’s comments about Ryloth, were making me wonder about the subtle differences between what I knew and what was.

So far, those differences had been minor, but I had a hunch that something major was going to be different from what I knew/expected. And while I was curious about what else was different, and the fact that key events might not play out the way I expected – not least because of my actions since arriving here – there was a niggling concern at the back of my mind. A concern that there was a risk that my faulty information could end up making things worse for both myself and my allies.

I had spent a fair amount of time speaking with Captain Kyllet and Wissel about the state of Mandalorian space as what was available in the Jedi Archives was… lacking and outdated.

According to the information in the Archives, the New Mandalorians – and I had issues with calling them that after learning about the Resol'nare and studying it – were the only faction within the sector.

From what Kyllet and Wissel told me, that was a falsehood. The New Mandalorians only controlled around thirty per cent of the sector, and most of that territory was centred around Mandalore itself and the main hyperspace route that connected the sector to the Hydian Way.

They were the only faction recognized by the Senate – and the Jedi apparently – and as such, had control of all the funding and support that the Republic offered. That went a long way to explaining why what I knew was both right and wrong simultaneously.

As the pair explained this to me, and I compared it to what I’d read in the Archives, I wondered if the Republic hadn’t created – or at least encouraged – the founding of the New Mandalorian faction to prevent the people here from rising as a threat once more. Realistically, the glassing of several worlds should have increased Mandalorian resentment towards the Republic, instead, it had somehow resulted in the rapid growth in power and influence of the New Mandalorian faction.

Regarding the rest of the sector, a few smaller worlds on the edges of Mandalorian Space openly supported Death Watch, though these worlds were all along the trailing edge of the sector, financially or industrially poor and since the death of Tor Vizsla five years ago, had spent as much time quarrelling with each other as they had causing problems for others.

The major corporations that were based in the sector, such as Mandalmotors and its subsidiary Mandal Hypernautics, had direct control of around ten per cent of the sector but hadn’t become involved in the internal conflicts. Or at least, they hadn’t publicly declared themselves for any faction or Warlord. Though a few had condemned the actions of the Death Watch under Tor Vizsla.

To me, this meant they were likely behaving as groups such as the Trade Federation and Techno Union did during the Clone Wars and being neutral in public, but supporting certain factions in private; maybe even different ones based on how the internal setup of the companies worked.

The rest of the sector was controlled by a variety of warlords and powerful clans, with Adonai Kryze and his house being the biggest and strongest of these warlords. A house, in Mandalorian terms, was a group of clans that rallied around another, more powerful clan, with most of the Warlords leading houses as well as their clan.

Adonai Kryze – who was referred to as a Duke due to the power his House commanded – had allied his house with the New Mandalorians a few years ago following the death of his youngest son and wife in an attack attributed to a rival Warlord, Anzur Varaud.

Both Kyllet and Wissel spoke well of the Duke, and while neither agreed with him allying with the New Mandalorians, they did understand his reasoning in doing so. I also learnt that to many, the New Mandalorians were not well-liked with names for them ranging from the polite – lapdogs of the Republic – to the Faithless or dar’manda; which translated as Not Mandalorian.

From all that I’d read about the Mandalorians of old, and everything that Canderous had told Revan and Meetra Surik, dar’manda felt like a fitting name. Though I suspected its usage did not bother most of the New Mandalorian faction.

Their ideals, while noble, were flawed.

War shouldn’t be the answer to every problem, but to willingly give up any belief in defending yourself… Well, stupid was about the nicest word I had to describe them.

The galaxy was teetering on the brink of open war – and you didn’t need future knowledge or Force-based visions to see that – yet they made no effort to develop defences to protect themselves. It was almost as if they wanted and expected the Republic, and by extension the Jedi, to do the job for them.

Any further thoughts I had rattling around my head were pushed to the back of my mind as Kyllet walked into the area.

“Right, that’s us down. Follow me and let me handle the customs officers. Jedi are not well-liked around these parts.”

The four of us stood, as Dooku muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t quite catch, and followed him the short distance to the passenger ramp.

Even with his mental shields locked down hard, I still knew how this had to be affecting him. He was the Butcher of Galidraan, and there were likely more than a few locals who wouldn't mind a chance at killing him over the death of a friend or loved one.

As we reached the ramp, and I noted it was slowly descending, Fay turned to Serra and me.

“Serra, Cam, if anything happens, I need you to follow my lead,” Fay said with the slightest hints of hardness to her voice.

“Yes, Master,” Serra replied while I simply nodded.

As she turned back to face the opening ramp, I caught sight of her running a finger down her tattoo.
As the ramp clanked to the ground and scraped against the metal surface, I saw two guards, donning the same armour that Satine’s guards wore during the Clone Wars, approach. That was a surprise as it marked them as royal guards, and not standard custom officials who wore the grey uniform.

Though this could just be another case of what I knew not matching up exactly with what I saw and learnt.

Both guards stopped as they caught sight of the four of us, and they tightened their grip on their staffs and shifted into a defensive posture.

“It’s ok Grenk!” Kyllet called as he pushed passed us and moved to greet the two guards, “they’re here at the invite of Clan Vizsla, and aren’t looking for trouble.”

The two guards shared a look before one with a single light-green bar over his right chest spoke. “Who issued the invite and to whom?”

“Nia Vizsla extended the invite to the Padawan here,” Fay answered and both guards turned their gaze to me.

Neither spoke but a quick double use of Observe told me they were both sceptical about who I was. Grenk, who was the one with the light-green stripe on his armour, doubted the stories he’d heard about me, though his compatriot, Bracul Stegh, was more open-minded. Neither was noted as being a real threat and both were loyal to the New Mandalorian faction with a loyalty rating in the sixties.

“Please wait here,” Grenk stated before stepping backwards and then turning and lifting his forearm to his face. Given that his mouth was now next to his forearm, I suspected his gauntlet held a communication link, which was confirmed as a light blinked on the gauntlet moments after he finished speaking.

“I-Is,” Bracul began and I turned my attention to him to discover his eyes were locked onto me, “is it true you killed Girk Saxon in a duel?”

“No. I defeated him in a duel,” I replied calmly. “He then dishonoured himself by trying to shoot me in the back. A fatal mistake.”

Serra coughed once at my word choice as Bracul’s eyes widened. It was hard to know how else his expression had changed as his eyes were the only part of his head that was visible under the ornate – and frankly stupid looking – helmet he and Grenk wore.

“Always knew he was an utreekov,” Bracul said with a nod, which made me smirk.

“Huh?” Serra muttered.

“An idiot,” I explained in a voice that was loud enough that Bracul would overhear, “someone with no ijaat, no honour.”

“You know Mando’a?” Bracul asked as Grenk lowered his arm and began to walk towards Bracul.
“I learnt some,” I replied with a shrug, “it seemed prudent to do before I visited.”

Bracul gave me a nod, in what I hoped was respect at learning some of the local language before Grenk reached us.

“The Duke is aware of your invite and has requested that we escort you to the Royal Palace. Oje, you’re to come as well.” He added as he looked at the freighter Captain.

Kyllet, who had turned his head towards me at learning about how Girk died, now had to shift it back to the guardsman to reply. “Fine, but if this delays me, my future prices will increase.”

Grenk chuckled. “I warned the Palace of that. They said that if you were truly bringing the one who killed Girk Saxon, then they’d double your fee for this trip.”

Kyllet’s eyes widened almost comically as if he was seeing credit symbols, and he clapped his hands. “Well, in that case. What are we waiting for?”

Everyone except Dooku laughed at his behaviour before we followed the guards into the dock complex.

The passage through the docking area was nothing to write home about, but as we exited it, and entered the domed city of Sundari properly I allowed my eyes to wander.

While I was never a fan of the New Mandalorians before coming to this verse, I could admire the way they had adapted to use space in the city. But seeing it in person was something else entirely.

Buildings grew from the ground and hung from the dome in a way that reminded me of stalactites and stalagmites in a cave. Though the buildings here were made from metal and permacrete instead of rock and stone, and I swore I saw ripples in certain buildings and statues. Like the clothing I remembered seeing, and what was worn by anyone I saw, the buildings all had that diamond-like shape imprinted on them.

Clearly, it held a lot of significance to all Mandalorians, regardless of their political leanings. Though what it meant or remembered was not something that I currently knew.

“Most impressive,” Dooku commented as we boarded an aircar.

“Thank you, Master Jedi,” Grenk replied as the door closed and we took our seats. “We have turned the drive our people are famous for away from warfare and towards science and engineering.”

“Why do the buildings seem to shimmer?” Serra asked. I turned to her and saw her eyes were wide as she took in the sights as the aircar lifted off. I had to assume that with her never having left Coruscant seeing architecture so radically different was a real eye-opener for her.

“Certain buildings and features were built using Beskar,” Grenk answered, a wide smile appearing on his face. “We have learnt to use the unique properties of the metal for a purpose other than bloodshed.”

I tuned out the rest of the conversation as I considered what this meant.

Beskar – Mandalorian Iron – was one of the few alloys and metals that could stand up to a lightsaber. A fact, once I had realised it, I had tested by using the blade I been gifted for defeating Girk against my lightsaber.

According to the archives in the Temple, Beskar only existed on Mandalore and its moon, Concordia, but all the mines were said to have either run dry or been closed by the New Mandalorian faction.

That had disappointed me greatly as I saw a fair few uses for the metal when combined with Inanimate Conversion, but to discover that what did remain of the metal had been used for decoration…

Well, I understood the symbolism of why it had been done, but to say I did not like it would be an understatement.

Our airship moved quickly towards the centre of the city, and I saw both the park which was bombed and the prison that had featured in TCW episodes covering Mandalore as we flew and I noted that while there were many parks and open spaces. What little greenery that could be seen was all cut and shaped in a way that reminded me of palace gardens from my old life.

Soon enough the aircar began to slow and I spotted another familiar sight, the plaza outside the throne room. That meant we had arrived at the residence of the planet’s ruler and the seat of government for the New Mandalorians.

As the aircar banked around the building, that looked more like a palace than a government building, it was easy to spot a group of about two dozen people waiting near one of the landing pads, and our ride moved towards where the group was standing and began to descend.

Most of the group awaiting our arrival were guards dressed the same armour Grenk and Bracul wore. That had me wondering again why two members of the royal guard had greeted us when we landed instead of customs or the local police.

I could only assume that Kyllet had informed the docking authority that he had Jedi on-board and the royal guard had been dispatched to discover why we were here.

One of the few not in uniform stepped forward, and from his appearance – blonde hair and violet eyes – I suspected it was minister Almec, but there were enough differences that I couldn’t say for sure.

“Greetings, Master Jedi, I am Deputy Prime Minister Almec. On behalf of Duke Adonai and the people of Mandalore, I bid you welcome to our city and planet.” He said, confirming my suspicion. Though I took note of the fact he was only the deputy Prime Minster currently.

“Greetings Minister. I am Master Fay. With me are Master Dooku and Padawans Shan and Keto,” Fay replied, and I watched as Almec’s brow rose at learning that Dooku was with us, though he then seemed to focus on both myself and Serra.

I could understand why Dooku and I would draw his attention, but not Serra.

Unless it was because of her family name as I remembered her saying her grandfather was the current ruler of the Empress Teta system. After she had mentioned learning about where she came from, I had studied up on her homeworld and discovered that the system was located in the Deep Core. It was considered the most powerful planet there and one that, at one time in the past, had rivalled Coruscant in power, influence and fashion.

“Hmm. If you would all follow me. Duke Adonai is currently in a meeting, but he will be free to meet you in an hour or so,” Almec stated as his violet eyes scanned us one more time.

“Of course. We understand the Duke has more important things than to meet a group of visiting Jedi,” Fay responded with a small smile.

Almec gave her a smile that seemed forced, before turning and walking towards the doors into the palace.

As we moved to follow, the guards all turned as one and marched along on our flanks. Grenk and Bracul fell into step at the rear along with Kyllet. I took the opportunity to case Observe on Almec, while also noting that Serra turned to me as I did.

Spoiler: Almec

Almec Itera
Race: Human
Level: 27
Health: 100%
Age: 39
Force Potential: Negligible
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: New Mandalorians (87%) Duke Adonai (52%)
Emotional State: Agitated/Interested/Concerned
Almec is uncomfortable with having a supposed child of Revan here
Though he is curious as to why you have arrived with three other Jedi
That interest is tempered with worry over how some might respond to having the Butcher of Galidraan present
…

​

Serra’s reaction to my usage of Observe all but confirmed my suspicions that she could sense when I used it. I’d caught her expression and behaviour shift a few times when I’d used the power near here, but her turning to look directly at me as I used it here confirmed my theory. Though how she was able to do so, was still an unknown.

Perhaps it was a side effect of our Force Bond? Yet, if that was the case then Fay and Dooku must also sense me doing it, yet they had never raised the issue with me. And that train of thought raised a few more questions than it answered. Questions that I’d have to discover the answers for at a later date.

From Almec’s Observe, I could tell he was quite loyal to the New Mandalorians, and while he was also loyal to the Duke, it wasn’t as secure. Also, like most non-Force sensitives, he was not rated as much of a threat. Though those with sufficient combat training could be a challenge.

In short order, we were guided into a small conference room. The only thing of note in the room was a table designed for ten, and a large bowl of fruit in its centre.

“Please wait here. I will inform the Duke and Prime Minster of your arrival and return once they are available to meet you,” Almec explained as we stepped into the room. “Guardsmen Coss and Stegh will remain here to assist you if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” Dooku replied and Almec turned and left the room with Grenk and Bracul taking up positions either side of the door.

As he did, I used Force Sight to check the room for any hidden listening or monitoring devices. I found three and informed Fay and Dooku of them via telepathy. I also saw that while only two guards remained outside our door – to go with the two inside – there was a squad of ten waiting less than a hundred metres away.

Whether that was for our protection, or theirs, I didn’t know. Though if it was for theirs, I doubted it would be enough to even slow us down. And it was unlikely that any of them were as skilled in combat as Girk, Nia or Thur. Every spar or duel with them had been with me holding back my Force abilities and I only lost twice. If I truly cut loose, well it wouldn’t be pretty.

Now, I suspected that the Mandalorians had more than a few methods to counter your average Jedi, but our group wasn’t average. Even Serra, who was the weakest and least experienced in combat, I’d still expect to be more than a match for a New Mandalorian guard.

“Why was Minister Almec so interested in you two?” Kyllet asked as he sat down on one of the chairs, leaned back, put his feet on the table and lazily tossed an apple that he’d grabbed from the bowl in the air.

“For myself, it was likely due to my role at the Battle of Galidraan,” Dooku replied, which had Kyllet stop in mid-motion as he lifted the apple to his mouth. “I led the Jedi strike team that slaughtered the True Mandalorians that day.”

“Wait! That was you?!” He blurted out.

Dooku sighed as his shoulders slumped. “Sadly, yes.”

Once more Dooku seemed to sink into himself, and I had to assume his mind was wandering back to that day, seven years ago. He had done this almost daily since we had left the Temple and while I had tried to explain – from my admittedly limited understanding of Mandalorian culture – that they would not be angered or upset about his role in the battle, or if they did, be glad their fellow Mandalorians died in battle, it had done little to ease the guilt he felt.

However, there was another reason for Almec’s interest in Dooku and Serra. I doubted it was a major reason, but it might be enough to shift Dooku’s thoughts back to the present.

“Master, perhaps there is another reason for Minister Almec’s interest,” I began slowly as I quickly played over the idea in my head and ran it past what had been revealed to me by others. “Perhaps it is due to both your and Serra’s family names. And the connections they suggest to two powerful systems.”

Dooku lifted his head as I spoke before rubbing his chin as he considered my words.

“Hmm. Yes. I had not considered that. Padawan Keto, you are aware of where you came from?” Serra nodded but said nothing. Dooku fixed her with a gaze, likely wondering how she learnt the truth before he continued.

“With Padawan Keto’s links to the ruling family of Empress Teta, and my father being the most powerful of the Counts of Serenno, it would certainly be logical if the minister was curious about our connections to our families.”

“I can even see a way to use this if that is the case. If you will excuse me.” He finished before he moved towards the far side of the room.

“Um, will Master Dooku be alright?” Serra asked quietly once the man in question sat at the far side of the table, just far enough away that anything under a raised voice for his attention would not carry over the distance between us.

“Yes. He is just… disillusioned with events that happened while you were still a Youngling,” Fay answered as she looked at her fellow Jedi Master and sighed. “While that incident was due to the failure of the Jedi High Council for sending in a strike team under faulty information, Master Dooku still holds himself responsible for what followed.”

I said nothing since I already knew what Fay was speaking about, both from the comments made by my two masters and from records of the battle in the Jedi Archives. Still, it was good to hear Serra being told of this as it would help her see the failings of the High Council from Masters of the Order; especially since it was coming from one who was older than all bar Yoda.

As Serra processed what Fay had said, I considered this and wondered if I could use my time on Mandalore to help Dooku, and the Changing Fate quest linked to him.

Spoiler: Quest Altered

Quest Altered!
Changing Fate [Dooku]
Can you change the fate of the Jedi known as Count Dooku?
Rating: A
Objectives:

• Prevent the fall of Count Dooku and the rise of Darth Tyranus.
• Bonus: Help Dooku come to terms with the Battle of Galidraan
• Bonus: ?

Rewards:

• 5000XP
• 1000XP​

Massively increased Reputation with Dooku
Pass a test of Friendship with Dooku
…​

I blinked at a quest changing. That had never happened before, yet as I examined the new bonus condition that had appeared and been revealed, I realised that it did make sense for my idea to be added to the quest.

Still, I wondered if this was possible with other quests once they had started. Though the more I considered it, the more I felt it was unlikely to apply to any but the longer-term quests such as the Changing Fate series.

As Serra and Fay sat down and began to talk in quieter tones – though I overheard Serra mention Galidraan – I realised that the only way to be sure was to try to add objectives to the quests. And this was as good a time as any to see.

…...

After what felt like several hours, but according to my chronometer had only been a touch over thirty minutes, I stood and stretched.

I had discovered that adding extra objectives only appeared possible on quests that came from the TPTB and/or offered a way to alter canon.

For Dooku’s Changing Fate quest, an objective to have Dooku come to terms regarding his failings with his last Padawan – Komari Vosa – and determine her fate had been added. That, however, would likely be time-consuming as while just getting him to accept her failure as a Jedi wasn’t his fault, discovering actual proof of what had happened to her was likely going to prove tricky.

She had disappeared around three years ago when the Jedi had sent a strike team to deal with the Bando Gora. Vosa, while no longer a member of the Order, had been allowed to join and like most of the team, was believed dead.

The Jedi, in their infinite wisdom, had chosen not to send another group to confirm the fates of the fallen Jedi – likely claiming that their apparent deaths were the ‘Will of the Force’, or some other such bullshit. Which meant that finding any hint of her or fate was going to be difficult.

While the full records on the mission were locked to Padawans, I suspected Dooku and Fay could access them, which would at least give me a place to start from. Though convincing them to unlock those files for me was going to take a little convincing.

From there, I suspected I’d have to locate a Bando Gora operative or two and ‘persuade’ them to reveal what they knew. That likely meant using the mental Force Powers I had, which was a concern.

To use the Force to forcibly read another’s mind – even that of a pirate and terrorist – was a dangerous path to head down. I felt I was mature enough to not abuse those powers, but the temptation was something that I’d have to be wary about in future situations.

I had thought that adding an objective to get Shmi away from Tatooine before her canonical death would be a good bonus for Changing Fate [Anakin], however, the Interface didn’t allow it. Nor one for collecting Anakin before the Invasion of Naboo.

Likely that meant they were two of the three bonus conditions for the quest already, as if they weren’t, and I couldn’t add them in, it would be a strange quirk for the Interface to develop.

I couldn’t come up with any new objectives to add to the Changing Fate quests for Qui-Gon, Giiett and Sifo-Dyas. Though that was mainly because outside of how Qui-Gon died, I knew little to nothing about them.

Again, that made me regret taking the quests so quickly when they were offered. But since I couldn’t do anything about them now – save trying to complete them – there was no point in regretting my mistakes; only learning from them and not making them again.

While I had been thinking about possible bonus objectives, Serra and Fay had moved on from talking about Galidraan – in hushed tones – to various Force techniques.

Most I knew of, but a few that they discussed were not, and one was a variant of a power I already had and had been in the KOTOR games. When I’d considered powers from that source, I’d ignored Force Valour as it felt very gamey, and not something that would really be possible with the Force.

However, as Serra and Fay discussed Battle Meditation and how it worked, and Serra had wondered if it was possible to use the ability to improve the physical abilities of allies. There Fay had explained it wasn’t, but that such a power did exist that allowed a Jedi Master to enhance the abilities of themselves and their allies.

Force Valour, as defined by my Interface, was a weakened form of Enhance Stats that could be applied to both myself and others and, like Battle Meditation, came in two forms: Passive and Active. It was also very draining, with each variant being fifty per cent more costly than the equivalent form of Battle Meditation.

The idea that I could use both powers in passive forms in a battle was, in all honesty, a little frightening. But I did not doubt that it would also help save the lives of those fighting with me, which was one of the most important things to keep in mind about any combat situation.

I had also discovered three more new Force Powers; Purge Toxin, Control Pain and Tapas.

Purge Toxin would be very helpful any time I was poisoned and given that alcohol was classified as a poison, I could see an easy – and possible fun – way to level it up since it only improved based on the toxicity of my blood.

Control Pain granted the ability to negate the pain felt when shot or stunned. While I wondered how useful this would be with me already having Player’s Body, it should be easy enough to test by placing my hand in a flame and trying to ignore the pain.

Tapas was the ability to control my regulate my internal temperature, thus allowing me to survive longer in extreme conditions. From Fay’s words – which I remembered clearly due to Eidetic Memory even when I wasn’t paying attention to them – the power could be used to keep one warm even in the vacuum of space. Which made it a power that Plo Koon had likely used in TCW episode “Rising Malevolence”.

I glanced to the far end of the room and saw that Dooku was still sitting there. Based on the fact his eyes were closed and his breathing calm, I assumed he was meditating.

I couldn’t sense any anxiousness or concern form him, but Dooku had always kept his emotions under tight control and didn’t allow many to sense them. Yet, I knew he was likely replaying the events of Galidraan over and over in his mind even now.

“As you are aware, Cameron. Master Dooku is a very private individual. The fact he is even willing to come here is a testament to the trust he has in you and the faith we have in the direction the Force is guiding us,” I turned and Fay’s voice to see she was now looking at me. As was Serra.

Obviously, turning my attention to Dooku had been seen by her.

“I know that, Master. I just have a feeling that this trip will benefit him almost as much it will Serra and me,” I replied with a small smile. Well, it would if I was able to get Dooku to confront his demons linked to these people and that battle.

“Hmm,” Fay murmured as she glanced to Serra, whose cheeks tinted pink at the comment. “If I did not know and trust you, I would be concerned about what exactly you meant by that. However, I do. I also believe the Force has guided all of us here for a reason. One that, if I am right, will have greater ramifications than any of us expect.”

I smiled at her and gave her a quick nod. “Yes, Master.”

Serra, who had been watching the back and forth between Fay and I opened her mouth to speak, but whatever she wished to say was cut-off as the doors to the conference room swished open and Minister Almec walked in.

Almec greeted each of us with a quick nod before turning to Captain Kyllet, who had taken a chair – and some of the fruit – and moved to a corner where he’d been sitting quietly eating as he tapped away at his gauntlet; which had a built-in Holonet interface.

“Captain Kyllet, you have the gratitude of the Duke for transporting these Jedi here. As recompense, your fee for this voyage will be doubled, and the Duke has arranged for your docking fees for the next year to be waved.”

The apple in Kyllet’s hand slipped – though he caught it before it fell far – before a broad grin spread across his face. “Ah, well… That’s wonderful news.”

He stood and bowed to us. “Master Jedi, if you ever need transport to or from Mandalore, please remember to look me up.” I bit off a chuckle as I imagined him seeing credit signs as he looked at us. “Good day.”

The Captain glanced at Almec before he walked out of the room, the sound of him whistling carrying back in through the still open doors.

Almec’s features stayed neutral as the off-key music drifted around us. “The Duke and some of the Council can see you now. If you would kindly follow me,” he said with lips that stretched out into a smile, though it never reached his eyes.
…

---

A/N:
1: Just a friendly reminder that hormones are damm strong, especially for maturing bodies. And that Cam got overloaded by the feedback of Serra's feelings through their Force bond.

2: This is cross-posted on Questionable Questing in the SFW section. I might also crosspost on Spacebattles and Sufficient Velocity, but that will be next year I suspect.

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Recs for this month:
The Game Must Go On by Crossedge (an HP/DxD x-over on FFN)
A Dragon's Game by Gloweye (This is over on SpaceBattles and is a Gamer/Skyrim story)
A New Player in Resol'nare by cesarjunior233 (This is based on the system I use here in A New Player, which should be clear based on the title and is over on FFN)

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As always, if you wish to discuss the story, you can find me in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse at discord . gg /wd3tUYWVCd

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Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter.
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.

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Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo

---

The walk was short, with the four guardsmen – Grenk and Bracul from inside our waiting room and two others from outside – acting as an escort and soon we found ourselves stepping through large doors into the large, high-ceilinged room that I remembered from The Clone Wars.

The walls were generally empty and clean, though a few paintings hung on the walls while banners were displayed prominently near the throne. These depicted a large, stylized cat that I knew from my research was the symbol of House Kryze.

I turned my head and looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows that dominated one side of the room, noting the same diamond shape was in the centre of every windowpane and watched as speeders and flyers zoomed past outside.

Along the sides of the room, guards were posted at regular intervals with a further four standing at the edges of the steps leading up to the throne. Unlike the guards along the sides, these four wore traditional Mandalorian armour and each bore the crest of House Kryze on their right breastplate.

In front of the throne and its steps stood three people, with my eyes being drawn to the man standing on the right of the three. He looked familiar, yet not quite matching what I knew from the cartoon. To confirm my theory, I use Observe on him and the other two.

Spoiler: Ministers

Pre Vizsla
Race: Human
Level: 27
Health: 100%
Age: 43
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Intermediate
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Death Watch (89%) Duke Adonai (38%) New Mandalorians (12%)
Emotional State: Grateful/Concerned/Curious
Pre is grateful for your killing of Girk Saxon as it allowed him to assume leadership of a Death Watch Faction
He is worried that you have arrived with the Butcher of Galidraan
Though he does wonder why his sister extended the invite for you to come
…

Hox Worra
Level: 26
Health: 100%
Age: 56
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: New Mandalorians (92%) Duke Adonai (43%)
Emotional State: Pleased/Amused/Curious
Hox is pleased that you have killed Girk Saxon as his actions were causing problems for the New Mandalorians
He is also amused at how this has seemed to confuse Pre Vizsla
Though he is curious about why Nia Vizsla extended an invite for you to come to Mandalore
…

Laxi Traye
Level: 24
Health: 100%
Age: 51
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: New Mandalorians (89%) Duke Adonai (41%)
Emotional State: Intrigued/Concerned/Curious
Laxi is wondering if there is some way to use the arrival of four Jedi to shore up support for the New Mandalorians
Though she is concerned that the arrival of so many Jedi may make some of the Warlords attempt an attack
She is also curious as to why a former member of Death Watch extended an invitation to a Jedi Padawan
…

​

I had been right about the almost-familiar face, as it was Pre Vizsla, the future leader of Death Watch. Apart from the squarer jaw and larger brow to how he was shown in the cartoon, what had confused me was the full head of blond hair. While it was true that in The Clone Wars he had first been seen with golden hair that was combed down and back, he had lost it in later episodes, so the flowing locks were a surprise. Yet, given it was about fourteen years earlier in the timeline, it did make sense that he’d have more hair now than he would in the future.

The little details that were different between how I remembered him, and how he was, were a reminder that the show had used a generalised approach to depicting people. And that I should expect others from the show to look slightly different when I met them. With my thoughts there drifting to Satine and Bo.

Pre having no loyalty to the New Mandalorian cause was hardly a surprise but discovering that he had some respect for Duke Adonai was. Though that respect may have gone both ways, which would help explain why he was appointed Governor of Concordia by Satine.

The other two were loyal to the New Mandalorians which made sense, and not even a low-level threat, though both were still wary of Adonai. Well, that’s how I interpreted their low-ish loyalty ratings to the man, which suggested that this alliance between them was still tenuous.

That all three were curious about why I had been invited to Mandalore was amusing, but not entirely unexpected. It seemed that Nia hadn’t been quiet about her invitation, or maybe Pre had revealed how Girk died and used that to protect his sister from charges when she had returned. Death Watch was classified as a terrorist organization by the New Mandalorians and Republic, so her stating that she was no longer a member of the group would have likely caused Pre problems.

“Ah, Master Jedi, welcome, welcome,” I was drawn out of my thoughts on what Observe had revealed as the man on the throne stood.

He was tall and well-built, with green eyes and hair that, where it was not starting to grey, was copper in colour and spread down his jaw to form a thick, bushy beard. Like the guards, he wore armour – which while mainly green had grey on the shoulders and lower legs – and over that, a simple blueish/grey tunic. It was in the same colours as those worn by the New Mandalorians but to me, when combined with the armour underneath and the way it moved, it reminded me more of a bathrobe than a toga; which was likely what it was meant to be.

“May I introduce my Prime Minister, Hox Worra. My Foreign Minister Laxi Traye and the Mayor of Sundari, Pre Vizsla.” As the introductions were being carried out, I noticed Dooku tense when Pre was mentioned, likely due to the clan name. “On behalf of all of Mandalore, I bid you welcome to our world.”

As he stepped down, it was clear to me that he was a soldier, a warrior. His steps were assured and measured, and his posture was one that was both friendly but tense as if expecting hostility to break out in an instant. Possibly that was due to four Jedi standing in his throne room, or perhaps his alliance with the New Mandalorians was not as secure as it appeared.

“Duke Adonai, thank you for taking the time out of your no doubt busy schedule to greet us,” Dooku said with a slight bow, which was mirrored by Fay. Serra and I followed suit.

“I am Jedi Master Dooku,” I noted the way everyone in the room tensed as Dooku revealed his name, though I paid close attention to Pre. “With me is Master Fay and Padawans Serra Keto and Cameron Shan.”

Adonai’s eyes settled on me as my name was confirmed. “Ah, so you are the one who killed Girk Saxon in a duel.”
I shook my head. “No sir, I defeated him in a duel. He then dishonoured himself by trying to shoot me after he conceded. His death was a result of that dishonour.”

One of Adonai’s eyebrows rose at my words. “Yes, it certainly was.” He turned and looked at Pre. “It appears your sister was being truthful regarding Girk’s death.”

“As I told you, Adonai,” Pre responded as his lips twitched upwards. “My sister may not understand the importance of allying with the New Mandalorians, but she is no liar.”

Adonai chuckled once. It was a deep sound and seemed to rumble around the room even as he stepped forward. “No, she is not. Since it is confirmed, her pardon is no longer conditional. Yet, to know that Girk was taken down by a mere adiik, even a Jedi,” he shook his head and chuckled once more, “well if you had not just confirmed it Jedi, I would not believe it.”

His gaze shifted to me and I straightened my stance, adopting a rest position from my previous life in the army. Something inside told me that earning his respect would be useful for the future and his lips twitched upwards at my new stance.

“Girk was not my first kill. My house was attacked when I was eight and I had to defend it against pirates and Sith,” I stated clearly. From what I had learnt of Mandalorian culture, such a thing was worthy of notice and likely be used to improve my reputation with any who were not members of the New Mandalorian faction.

The twitch of Adonai’s lips turned into a wide smile. “Hmm. Unexpected,” His gaze shifted to my masters, where I caught sight of Dooku nodding before it returned to me. “Most unexpected. And here I thought the Jedi had grown weak while becoming the lapdogs of the Senate.”

Both Hox and Laxi reacted to that comment by frowning, though Hox’s was closer to a sneer as his brow knotted, while Pre’s eyes seemed to focus on me. Possibly, he was trying to determine if I was a threat to him and the Death Watch. I was, but no need for him to know that just yet.

“The High Council believes that the Jedi should serve the Republic,” Fay responded in a tone that seemed neutral to those who didn’t know her. Yet to those who did, they knew it meant she was less than pleased.

“Stupid,” Serra muttered under her breath and Adonai’s gaze shifted to her and a single eyebrow rose as he gave her a once over.

She stood her ground, though unlike me she didn’t adopt a more military stance. Adonai chuckled, seemingly satisfied with what he saw, before turning his attention back to me.

“I have heard other rumours about you adiik,” he began as I heard the doors behind us swish open, “that you are a direct descendent of the Jedi known to us as Revan the Butcher.”

“I am,” I replied simply, ignoring the strangled gasp of an unfamiliar female that came from behind me. “Due to a hyperdrive malfunction after the attack when I was eight, I was sent forward in time nearly four thousand years.” I allowed a smile to spread across my face. “And yes, while I know how insane that sounds, it’s the truth.”

“The Jedi have examined the evidence and verified this is a fact,” Dooku added clearly, though the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth let me know he was less than happy about having that information out in the open.

Adonai leaned closer to me. “You are aware that your ancestor was responsible for shattering the Clans?”

I held my ground and gave a single nod as I replied. “Yes, though from the stories I was told, he was later responsible for convincing Mandalore the Preserver, formerly known as Canderous Ordo, to reunify them.”

It seemed that an opportunity I had hoped to encounter while I was here was occurring on my first day on the planet. Curiosity about Revan, Canderous, and the Mandalorians of their time was likely to lead to some questions and inquired about how things had once been.

Adonai’s comment may well give me a chance to offer some ‘home truths’ far earlier than I’d expected, but I was not about to look a gift bantha in the mouth.

Adonai held my gaze for a short while, before leaning back and chuckling. “Aye, he did. Te Taylir Mand'alor did his best, but our people were not ready to reunify after the two crushing defeats of previous Mand’alors.” He rubbed his chin, running his fingers through his thick beard. “I wonder what Te Taylir, or any of the older Mand’alors, would say about the state of our people now.”

It took all of my years of training to not react outwardly at him giving me that opening, even as I laughed internally.
“Honestly, I think he’d be insulted.” Again, there was a startled gasp from behind me, though this one sounded older.

Adonai’s gaze returned to me as the same single eyebrow from before rose once more. His eyes locked onto mine as if challenging me to continue.

“From what I was told by my grandfather Vaner, and great-grandmother Bastila, Canderous felt that a true Mando'ade was one who commanded both fear and respect. Yes, Mandalorians were warriors, but they were not raiders.” I paused for a moment, playing around with the wording of a speech I’d been preparing for just over a month in my mind.

“The core guiding philosophy of Mandalorian culture is the belief that combat and war are essential for growth, on a personal, cultural, and even spiritual level. Those who survive challenging encounters are rightly lauded for their strength and prowess, the more challenging the victory, the greater the prestige. Therefore, they viewed defeating weak foes as a waste of their time.”

“They did not go around burning villages and demanding tribute as I have heard Death Watch is known to do. Not only did these actions prevent any individuals or the Clan as a whole from growing stronger, as there was no challenge to overcome, but it also displayed the lack of personal strength and honour of the individual or Clan in question. It signalled that the only foes they felt they could beat were simple farmers.”

“Nor did they hide their heads in the sand and pretend that by giving up their weapons and their culture, that they’d suddenly be respected by the greater galaxy, or be safe from threats; both internal and external.”

Hox and Laxi, who had been looking thoughtful up until that last point, now looked both shocked and angered by my words, and Pre was glaring at me so intently that I suspected he was trying to make me spontaneously combust. I disregarded them in favour of focusing on the one Mandalorian in the room I was actually trying to win over. Adonai’s face was calm – and possibly curious – as he considered my words.

“How dare you!” A female voice called from behind me and I turned to see that three more people had entered the room.

Two were female and, allowing for the same slight variances in appearance that Pre had shown, I was all but sure as to who they were. The oldest, and only male, however, was a complete unknown. He shared the blonde hair of the eldest girl and the green eyes of the youngest, hinting that he was their brother.

Adonai sighed loudly. “Satine. These are my guests.” I couldn’t see his face, though I somehow knew he was shaking his head at his eldest daughter, even as her two siblings did their best to not smirk at the scene. “Control yourself.”

With the name of the eldest girl confirmed, I was now all but certain that the other girl was her sister, Bo-Katan. What was obvious was that Bo took after her father more than Satine.

Curious as to where they stood, and about their likely brother, I used Observe on the three.

Spoiler: Clan Kryze

Bo-Katan Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 18
Health: 100%
Age: 14
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (61%) Duke Adonai (48%) Death Watch (11%)
Emotional State: Interested/Amused/Curious
Bo is interested in what she has just heard you say as she is disillusioned with the current state of Mandalore and its sector
She also finds it funny how quickly you have gotten under her sister’s skin
And she thinks Serra looks cute and believes she knows Dooku’s name from somewhere
…

Dorgo Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 21
Health: 100%
Age: 22
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (78%) New Mandalorians (26%) Death Watch (5%)
Emotional State: Curious/Amused
Dorgo is fascinated to meet someone from the past as he enjoys learning about the Mandalorians of old
He is also amused that you have managed to annoy his eldest sister as her attitude often riles him
…

Satine Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 18
Health: 100%
Age: 17
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (61%) New Mandalorians (58%) Duke Adonai (53%)
Emotional State: Annoyed/Angered/Curious
Satine is irritated that you are instantly dismissive of the work done by the New Mandalorians
She is angry that you seem to be suggesting a return to the old ways, which she feels are responsible for the death of her mother and youngest brother
Though she is curious about the Jedi and wishes to learn more about their message of peace
…

​

Bo finding Serra cute was unexpected – though as a random clip from the cartoon flashed through my mind, it did hint at a fan-theory I’d heard about regarding Bo. If I was mentally the same age as I was physically, I would likely have been jealous of that. As I wasn’t, I was not jealous and hoped that having someone other than me show an interest in her might help Serra with whatever seemed to be bothering her.

The brother, and clan heir, was a complete unknown. Obviously, he had died before the outbreak of the Clone Wars along with Adonai, but I was pleased to see he had little interest in either the New Mandalorian or Death Watch approaches. That suggested that he was likely the voice keeping the two sisters in a position to talk with each other.

From what Observe was implying, Satine had not yet crossed the point where she placed the New Mandalorians above her clan and family, but it was rapidly approaching. If she did, then it would be a problem as the Mandalorians were one of the only groups that I felt might be able to help me prepare for the galactic war that was to come and the one that would erupt against Sidious and his forces. While there might only be one war, I suspected that it would be two. While the gap between them may only be days, I had started to alter my planning to first prepare for the Clone Wars – or whatever they ended up being called this time around – then the war to remove Sidious and his taint from the galaxy.

While I liked her pairing with Obi-Wan, her behaviour… well, saying I was irked was a bit like a star was hot.

Since she’d lost her mother and younger brother, I could understand why the ideals pushed by the New Mandalorians appealed to her. And then, losing her father and older brother at a later date would have only cemented those beliefs in her, so her extreme pacifism was understandable, even if it drove her and Bo into opposing camps.

However, perhaps I had a chance to stop the deaths of her father and older brother, or at least not allow her to fall hook, line, and sinker for the New Mandalorian Kool-Aid. Hopefully, that would also mean that I could prevent the split that occurred between the two sisters as well.

Spoiler: Quest Alert

Quest Alert!
Sisterly Feud No More [¤]
Can you prevent the incident that resulted in the canonical falling out between Satine and Bo-Katan?
Rating: A
Objectives:

• Find a way to get the siblings to reconcile their growing differences before it is too late
• Ensure that Duke Adonai Kryze does not die when he canonically did
• Ensure that Dorgo Kryze does not die when he canonically did

Bonus: ?
Rewards:

• 2500XP
• 1500XP
• 1250XP

Failure:

• The death of both Kryze sisters before the outbreak of galactic war

Large reputation loss with all Mandalorians

• The death of Adonai Kryze
• The death of Dorgo Kryze

Accept?
Yes/No
…

I rejected the quest after barely a moment of considering it. It was too open-ended and vague for me to be comfortable with accepting. Now, if there was a chance that I could prevent their break and the deaths of Adonai and Dorgo, I would take them. Throw in that the quest seemed to hint that it was more than just those two deaths that resulted in the split, and it was an easy quest to reject.

“I don’t care!” Satine shouted back, ignoring her father’s warning about us being his guests, “what gives this child the right to come here and insult everything that we’ve done to stabilize Mandalore over the last seven hundred years?”

I ignored the annoyance and anger that I sensed from Dooku and Serra at her words, though I felt my brow crease.
“I didn’t insult anyone. I simply stated my opinion – after the Duke asked what I took as an open question – of what Canderous Ordo, a former Mandalore, would think about the current state of the Mandalorians,” I replied slowly.

A more suitable comment came to mind, and I smirked as I vocalised it. “If I wanted to insult people, I’d call the Death Watch a bunch of thugs using the resol'nare as an excuse for their actions while corrupting its meaning and I’d refer to the New Mandalorians as anything but Mando’ade. They abandoned the beliefs that make one Mandalorian and were more interested in doing nothing while everything burned around them if it protected their vaunted ideal of total pacifism.”

I could feel my anger grow as I spoke, but I felt that I’d managed to just about keep it under control. Though even without that, Satine clearly did not like what I’d said as her lips narrowed as I spoke.

“Hrumph!” Satine stamped her foot on the ground and sneered, her pale blue eyes narrowing as she glared at me. The expression she now wore was neither intimidating nor a good one for her. But I bit back a comment about that as I knew my opinion on her was clouded by how I’d first been introduced to her in my old life.

While her glare did nothing to me, having her focused on me allowed me to see her eyes were a little paler than how I remembered, while her face was rounder. She wasn’t in the same league as Queen Amidala for looks, but I could see what physically attracted Obi-Wan to her.

“You know the resol'nare?” I turned from the elder sister, to focus on Bo, who asked me the question.

While again, she looked similar to how she’d appeared in the cartoon, here there were more differences. Likely to her being younger and less jaded.

Her face was softer, likely due to her still being young and her approach having not hardened her persona yet. Her nose a touch less dominant as a feature and her eyes were greener than I remembered seeing in The Clone Wars. Her hair, which was a touch blonder than I remembered and wavier, was not held back by a large band but pulled back into a simple ponytail.

“Ba'jur bal beskar'gam, Ara'nov, aliit, Mando'a bal Mand'alor. An vencuyan mhi,” I replied, stating the rhyme that Nia had taught me before she left the ShaDo system with her fellow ex-Death Watch members.

Bo’s eyes widened, which made the green even more captivating, as I spoke the rhyme. I noted that Dorgo and Satine both reacted to my recitation, though Satine’s surprise was mixed with an annoyance if the way her lips turned downwards was any indication.

I turned my attention back to Satine as another comment came to mind. “And if I really wanted to insult those groups, I’d call the Death Watch a sick perversion of an honourable tradition being played at by little boys who want to feel important as they're likely compensating for something, while the New Mandalorians chose the opposite route and betrayed everything that their ancestors and culture stood for. Actually, It's an interesting contrast. Neither side has any balls, but the New Mandalorians chose to flaunt their status and put it on display for the whole galaxy to see.”

Satine’s face started to turn a shade of red that didn’t look healthy even as her brow crashed into her eyes and her mouth opened and closed in a fair imitation of a fish. Perhaps I’d gone a touch too far with the insults, but I felt she’d asked for it with her behaviour.

While Satine reacted as she did, Bo was trying desperately to avoid laughing and her shoulders shook, and she bit her lip.

One other notable thing that happened as I insulted both Death Watch and the New Mandalorians was Danger Sense flaring twice. One of those, provided no one had moved behind me, was from Pre Vizsla, which wasn’t unexpected or unintended. To hell was I passing up the chance to insult Death Watch while I went after the New Mandalorians.

The other warning came from one of the guards near a side door to the room. Since that warning had come at the same time as Pre’s, it had me suspecting that the mayor of Sundari had placed operatives within the palace guard.
The odds on a random guard reacting so aggressively to my insult was low, not least as no one else reacted and the two ministers were confirmed supporters/members of the New Mandalorians.

While there was the chance that the guard in question was just a member of Death Watch from another faction, it was unlikely he would’ve managed to gain such a position without Pre’s knowledge, hence why I suspected a plant. However, since they, like Pre, were currently behind me, I couldn’t use Observe without turning. Which was made even more difficult as Satine had stormed forward, closing the gap between us, and jabbed a finger towards my face as she glared daggers down at me.

“You! You! You!?!” She repeated as the finger waved around erratically and one eye twitched madly. I kept my attention on her as I knew that if I glanced at Bo, the younger sister would’ve lost her battle to avoid laughing.

“Yes, me,” I replied to Satine with my best puppy-dog innocent smile.

“Pfft.” Bo barely managed to keep in her laugh, but enough escaped her lips that it was easy to hear and Satine pivoted so fast I was impressed she managed to keep her balance.

“BO!” Satine hollered as she spun before stalking towards her younger sister, who was swaying even as she tried to contain her laughter.

I couldn’t see Satine’s face anymore, but the way her finger was almost touching Bo’s forehead, and the shaking of her shoulders told me she’d transferred her anger from me to her sister.

“Satine! That is enough!” growled Adonai from behind.

I turned slowly, figuring it was time to face the music for my comments and saw his gaze – focused through narrowed eyes – was locked on his daughter. Though the anger in the gaze was tempered by the upwards curl of his lips.

“They are my guests and the Padawan was initially responding to my question.”

“B-but father, he insulted everything we’re doing here!” Satine protested.

Adonai sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, he was simply taking advantage of your failure to control yourself.” He let his gaze turn to me, his eyes returning to their normal size as he did. “Though I admit I am surprised to see a Jedi bait another so openly, especially one so young.”

I responded only with a shrug before he shifted his attention back to his daughter.

“Regardless, they are guests in our system and shouting at them on the very day they arrive is unacceptable.”

“Yes, father,” Satine said in a far quieter voice than she’d used so far. “I apologise for my reaction.”

I turned and gave her a small smile. Even if she didn’t deserve it, there was no need for me to gloat at how easily I’d managed to rile her. “It’s fine. I also bear some of the blame, as I did goad you with my later comments.”

While I did agree with everything I’d said, stating them in such a manner was done entirely to get a reaction from her. Petty and unbecoming of a Jedi? Yes. Fun and totally worth it? Also, yes.

And not apologising would have cost me the small victory I’d achieved and would’ve cost me whatever standing the interaction had gained with the Duke.

Adonai nodded and with a simple gesture of his head, his children walked around us and moved to his side.

“Well, with the entertainment over,” Satine’s cheeks tinted pink, “Allow me to introduce my children. You’ve already met Satine. She’s very passionate about the work being done in Sundari by the administration,” Satine curtsied even as the tint in her cheeks grew stronger.

What caught my attention was him referring to ‘the administration’ and not ‘his administration’. Perhaps I was reading something into that, but it was an interesting turn of phrase.

“Master Jedi,” Satine said with a curtsey.

As Fay and Dooku replied with a nod, I used Observe on Adonai. And ignored the way Serra’s eyes darted my way as I did.

Spoiler: The Duke

Adonai Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 34
Health: 98% (inflamed knee)
Age: 50
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Intermediate
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (100%) New Mandalorians (31%)
Emotional State: Curious/Amused/Disappointed
Adonai is intrigued about you, even more so now that he knows you are the Padawan of Master Dooku
He is entertained at how easily you put down two groups he does not like
But is unimpressed with how quickly his daughter lost her temper and moved to defend the New Mandalorians
…

​

Nothing there was unexpected, save the fact he had an inflamed knee, though learning he was not fully on board with the ideals of the New Mandalorians was encouraging. Just like his son, this meant he was likely one of the things keeping Bo and Satine together. And if his death could be avoided, then perhaps I could use it to prevent that falling out and maybe even gain his support for the future.​

Though that would depend on me being around whenever what caused his death before happened here. Which might not even happen with my very presence here.

“My eldest, Dorgo. I assume Sellena is with the child?” Adonai continued as he turned to ask the question to his son.
“Yes, father. Korkie is sleeping peacefully,” Dorgo responded though his tone sounded weary and I noted that Adonai’s eye twitched at the child’s name. Perhaps the wife and/or the child’s name was a matter of contention between them? Still, it did explain how exactly Korkie was related to Satine and Bo.

“And my youngest, Bo-Katan,” Adonai continued as my eyes returned to the red-haired girl.

Her eyes were locked on Dooku and I swore I could see the metaphorical light bulb flash in her eyes as she realised who Dooku was.

“You’re the Butcher of Galidraan!” Bo blurted out.

I watched the almost slow-motion response that took place as her father and sister grasped what Bo had just said.

“Bo!” “BO!”

Both Adonai and Satine called out the younger girl’s name. Adonai sounded weary as he did while Satine’s eyes enlarged as her head snapped around to her sister. And if not for how I knew Dooku felt about that battle, I might have chuckled at the behaviour of the three Mandalorians.

“I am. That battle… it was a disaster that should not have happened,” Dooku offered slowly, as I saw a moment to, if not complete, then at least help with one of the new bonus conditions for Dooku’s quest.

“Master, as I have said before, the deaths were not your fault. They were the fault of the High Council and the Republic for not confirming the intel before ordering you to apprehend the True Mandalorians,” I said calmly, keeping my expression neutral. “And I suspect that most who died were satisfied with how they became one with the Force.”

Adonai grunted as I finished. “I’m not sure a Mandalorian would wish to join with the source of your powers, but what the adiik says is generally true. Master Dooku, while I cannot speak for all who died that day, I knew Jaster Mereel when we were both younger.”

“I do not deny that his death weakened our people, nor that the deaths of his followers that day on Galidraan did the same. However, I also know that he, and those who followed him, would hold no regrets about dying in battle with the Jedi. They died as honourable a death as any warrior could wish, in battle fighting for a cause they felt was worthy.”

“The failing that day was, as I have learnt from various sources, the result of the cowardly actions of Death Watch and the deceit of the governor of Galidraan. Neither the Jedi nor yourself Master Dooku carry any blame for what led to that fateful battle.”

As Adonai spoke to my master, I noted that the Mandalorian ministers behind him all grimaced, though I suspected that Pre’s was not due to the loss of life, or the Death Watch’s actions. More likely, it was due to Adonai’s comment on the behaviour of the Death Watch and their leader, Tor Vizsla.

The relationship between him and Pre was something I had not been able to determine before arriving here and was a minor goal I’d set myself for no reason beyond filling in the gaps in my knowledge.

Satine reacted to her fathers’ words by shifting her weight from side to side, while Dorgo and Bo both listened to their father. Though Bo appeared far more interested in what he was saying than her brother.

There was a moment of silence before Dooku bowed to Adonai. “I thank you for your honestly Duke. However, it does not absolve me of my failings before, during and after the battle. I should have done more to confirm the intelligence given to me by the High Council before confronting the Mandalorians. I should have approached the situation with more tact and been less confrontational. Instead, I acted no better than a newly Knighted Jedi and lost control of the situation before I had even realised it.”

Adonai nodded as my master spoke. “Yes,” he paused and sighed. “Sadly, there are always things we could have done differently in hindsight.” His eyes drifted to his children, though only Dorgo met the eyes suggesting they were thinking about a shared memory, one I suspected was linked to the death of the Duke’s wife and youngest child.

“Duke Adonai,” I, along with everyone else, turned our attention to Hox Worra, “I hate to interrupt, but we have a meeting with the governors of Concord Dawn, Kalevala and Jakelia in ten minutes.” The man said and I had a feeling he was less concerned about the Duke being late for the meeting than with him discussing points of views that did not agree with those of the New Mandalorians.

Adonai turned his head away from his Prime Minster and rolled his eyes.

The action was clearly caught by Serra and Bo as both stifled a laugh at the behaviour, and the pair shared a look.

I noticed that Bo smirked at my fellow Padawan and licked her lips. While I couldn’t see Serra’s exact response, I felt her confusion, curiosity and embarrassment through the Force.

“If I must,” Adonai said with an overly dramatic slump of his shoulders. “However, I insist that you join my family and me for dinner tonight.” He added as he spoke to my masters.

“We would be delighted,” Fay replied with a smile.

I caught sight of Pre’s eyes wandering over Fay’s form and I slapped back a desire to launch the man across the room – and out the window – for looking at her that way.

“Excellent,” Adonai said as he gave us a large smile and clapped his hands together. “I look forward to speaking with all of you this evening.” His eyes found mine as he continued. “And perhaps we might even get to see this lightsaber that Pre’s sister can’t stop speaking about.” He finished as he gave me a wink.

I inclined my head to confirm he could, and he chuckled.

His smile grew and he glanced over towards one of the side doors. “Minister Itera will take you to the quarters we have prepared for you.” He then turned to his children. “I am sorry, but work never ends.”

Dorgo and Satine smiled at their father but Bo kicked aimlessly at the ground.

I watched as the Duke’s brow creased as he focused on his youngest for a moment before he schooled his features and turned his attention back to us.

“Until dinner then. Feel free to wander the palace, though I must ask that you do not enter anywhere the guards say you cannot go.”

We all offered him a bow. With a last look at the four of us, he walked past us towards the main doors of the room. His ministers quickly followed, but I caught sight of Pre giving my masters one last glance – his eyes narrowing just a fraction as he did – before he followed.

“If you will follow me,” Almec said drawing my attention to him, and away from Adonai, Pre and the ministers.

As Dooku, Fay, and Serra began to follow him to one of the smaller side doors, I noted that the three Kryze children were ambling around. Satine and Dorgo had turned to each other to speak quietly, however, Bo glared daggers at her father’s back as she clenched her fists so tightly that I could see the knuckles turning white.

Clearly, there was anger there, which I suspected had a lot to do with the father siding with the New Mandalorians while Bo, even now, was more traditionally minded. Perhaps Adonai hadn’t explained his reasons clearly, or Bo was just in a rebellious teenage phase and didn’t want to listen to her father’s reasons. Regardless, it was an issue that I would have to deal with.

As I followed my masters and Serra towards one of the side doors, I considered what to do about Pre and Bo. That resulted in two new quest alerts.

Spoiler: Quest Alert

Quest Alert!
Pre-Emptive Strike [¤]
Find a way to handle Pre Vizsla before the outbreak of galactic war
Rating: B
Objectives:

• Kill him before he can re-unify Death Watch
• Kill him after he has re-unified Death Watch
• Persuade him to find another path that is better in keeping with Mandalorian tradition
• Convince him to join a faction of your creation before the outbreak of galactic war

Rewards:

• 1000XP + Combat XP
• 1000XP + Combat XP + Darksaber
  Variable reputation increases and decreases with members of Death Watch
• 4000XP
• 6000XP

Failure:
-1000XP
Pre Vizsla becomes a nemesis
Death Watch will be permanently aligned against you and your allies
The highly probable death of someone close to you
Accept?
Yes/No
…

Quest Alert!
Flight of the Owl [¤]
Prevent Bo-Katan Kryze from joining Death Watch
Rating: B
Objectives:

• Ensure she is not a member of Death Watch by the time galactic war breaks out
• Kill her to ensure this
• Convince her to remain loyal to her family and/or the New Mandalorians until the outbreak of galactic war
• Persuade her to join a faction of your own creation before the outbreak of galactic war

Rewards:

• 1000XP
• 1000XP + Combat XP
• 1500XP
• 5000XP

Failure:
-850XP
Bo-Katan Kryze becomes a nemesis
Likely death of someone close to you
Accept?
Yes/No
…

As we exited the throne room and moved down the corridors, I considered the two quests.

For Pre’s quest, the first option of just killing him before he could re-form Death Watch was the least appealing. While it was the easiest – I was reasonably sure I could kill him tonight before he even realised what I was doing – the addition of the Darksaber meant letting him re-unify Death Watch was the more appealing choice. As was the fact that killing Pre once he’d done so carried the possibility of me gaining me the loyalty of at least part of the group as had happened with Maul in the cartoon.

Also, it would likely make it easier for me to remove Death Watch from the board; or at least those not willing to follow me. With the Darksaber in my possession, anyone who wished to assume leadership of the group would be hamstrung by lacking the symbol of leadership the group used.

Convincing him to take a more traditional path or join any faction I created were much more unlikely options, but since my current thinking was to kill him after he reformed Death Watch, there was no risk in testing the waters to see if I could pull those off, or even wanted to.

Though it did have me very slightly regretting insulting Death Watch a short while ago. Though the way Satine reacted was worth any loss reputation with the man.

For Bo, I had long planned to try to convince her to join my side. Ignoring the fact that she was a redhead and a warrior – though both elevated her in my eyes even if the former was a superficial reason – getting a member of the ruling house of Mandalorian space as an ally would be beneficial. Both militarily and politically.

And three of the objectives for her quest were not mutually exclusive. It would take a lot of effort, and be hard to pull off, but doing so would net me a large portion of XP, a loyal ally – and likely friend – and the support of her clan.

Mentally, I accepted both quests and as we reached our room, I began to consider how I was going to pull off each quest.

……

“I see your eyes are drawn to our shared history.”

I turned my gaze from the mural I was admiring; one depicting a familiar-looking Jedi in combat with a Mandalorian to see Dorgo standing just behind me and to my left.

We were both now standing a large dining room I’d been escorted to with my masters and Serra about ten minutes ago and while the room was decorated with paintings, tapestries and artwork, my eyes were drawn almost instinctively to the mural.

“Yes. I am… surprised to see a painting depicting a Jedi hanging here,” I replied.

His lips turned into a small smile. “Ah. Well, while my father’s ministers may not approve of it, that painting was a favourite of my mother,” his gaze shifted to the mural and I allowed mine to do the same. “She held that particular Jedi in very high regard. Unsurprising since she was from Clan Ordo.”

I managed to keep my face neutral, or at least I hope I did, at hearing that Bo and Satine’s mum had been an Ordo, even as my mind again drifted to what had been hinted by Nia about Clan Ordo and their regard for Revan.

To get my mind back on the present, I concentrated on the mural.

The painting was stylised with sharp, lines and edges, but there was no mistaking who the Jedi was as the mask he was wearing was black with a red T-shape highlighting the visor. And as I gazed at it once more, I wondered when I would next meet Revan; and what I had to do to prove myself to him.

While it could be as simple as preparing for the war to come, I felt that would be unlikely. More probable was to find a path that preached balance in the Force instead of the narrow-minded dogmas preached by the Jedi and Sith. Yet, doing that was going to be a long and difficult road. Especially with the war that was to come.

“To think that I would one day stand here with a Revan’ade,” Dorgo’s words trailed off and I heard him chuckle. “The universe has a strange sense of humour.”

I barely managed to keep my face calm at being referred to as a ‘Child of Revan’. While it was true it sounded far too much like a title, and I was getting sick of those being hoisted upon my shoulders.

“Many Jedi would say that is the Force at work,” I said before shrugging, “however I’m not overly fond of that empty platitude.”

If Dorgo wanted to reply, I didn’t know, as someone clapped loudly and we both turned.

I already suspected it was Adonai as my Detection-linked minimap showing a group of five had entered the dining room while I was examining the painting and since I was talking to Dorgo it hinted heavily at who the others were. And I was proven correct when I saw him standing near the doors with his hands clasped together.

Fay and Dooku were standing near him while Satine was standing next to an unknown woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties while Serra was next to Bo. The older girl was standing inside Serra’s personal space and – ignoring that I’d had a peek inside Bo’s mind because of Observe – it was easy to see and sense Serra’s confusion at the behaviour of the redhead.

“Good, good. Now, we’re just waiting for a few…” the doors behind him hissed as they opened and I saw Pre Vizsla step into the room, followed by three others.

One was Nia and I instantly tensed thinking that the young male with them was Gar, but the boy made no move towards me; instead stopping at Pre’s right-hand side. That allowed me to shift my attention to the fourth person, who looked very similar to Nia, though her eyes were a mix of Pre’s blue and Nia’s grey.

Curious about the pair, I used Observe.

Spoiler: Clan Vizsla

Tor Vizsla
Level: 20
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 18
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Vizsla (89%) Death Watch (47%) New Mandalorians (15%)
Emotional State: Curious
Tor is interested in learning more about you due to how his aunt described you and when you come from.
He is also intrigued to meet the person responsible for the death of his uncle, the apprentice of the Butcher of Galidraan and the supposed child of Revan.
…
Naz Vizsla
Level: 17
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 15
Force Potential: Intermediate
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Vizsla (82%) Death Watch (22%) New Mandalorians (10%)
Emotional State: Curious/Intrigued/Confused
Thanks to her aunt, Naz is fascinated by you, and who you are descended from.
She also thinks you’re cute, for an adiik.
Though she wonders why her father wants her to get close to you and Serra.
…

​

I managed to avoid frowning in confusion. Nia was their aunt, which seemed to suggest that the pair were Pre’s children. But nothing in my knowledge hinted at him having children. Given that I was seeing them now, I could only speculate that they, like Adonai and Dorgo, had died in the years leading up to the Clone Wars.

Yet, the idea that he didn’t have children was less surprising than him having any when I considered how important family and the clan were to Mandalorians.

“Ah, Pre. Excellent timing. And Lady Nia, a pleasure to see you once more,” Adonai said after he had turned to see the group that had entered behind him. “Will your son be joining us?”

“I felt it best if he stayed away from the Palace for now,” Nia replied slowly as her eyes sought me out, “he is still under the misbegotten belief that the Jedi are here for him.”

Now I did frown in confusion. I had expected him to try to attack me, or challenge me to a duel, but to hear he was concerned about me trying to kill him… Unexpected, but not unwelcome.

“Ah, yes,” Adonai’s jovial tone lessened, and he shook his head. “Understandable.”

There was a brief pause before Pre spoke up.

“Master Jedi, may I present my children; Tor and Naz. I do hope I was not being presumptuous in asking if we could join you,” he said as he turned to face Fay and Dooku, “but after the stories my sister has told of your Padawan and his blade, they were both eager to meet him.”

“Of course not,” Fay replied as I noticed that Dooku seemed less tense now than when we’d been in the room with Pre earlier. “Cameron has a tendency to draw attention.”

“So it’s true that he is from the past?” Tor asked.

“Yes. While there is some… disbelief within the Order, the High Council and Chancellor Kalpana both accepted it as truth.” Dooku answered in a voice that somehow sounded even more lacking in emotion than normal.

“Indeed,” Pre turned to face me, as did everyone else, “and are the rumours about your energy sword also true?”

I bit off a retort that passed through my mind. There was no need for me to directly antagonize him as subtle comments about Death Watch were far more fun to use.

Instead, I unclipped my lightsaber, ignited the blade and watched everyone’s reactions.

Adonai’s eyes widened a touch, and he took a small step forward even as Tor and Dorgo reacted in almost identical fashion with their brows rising into their hairlines.

Satine’s eyes narrowed and she fixed me with a glare that was about as intimidating as a kitten with a ball of wool while Nia allowed a smile to creep onto her lips.

Naz and Bo had the most expressive reactions. Naz gasped and her eyes shot from my blade to Nia before resting on me. It was as if she was searching my face for something. Bo’s eyes widened more than her father’s and I swear she licked her lips as she shifted her attention back to Serra.

However, my main focus was on Pre and seeing how he reacted.

I had to give him credit, as he schooled his features extremely well, and if no one was watching it would have appeared that he didn’t react at all to my blade. However, I caught the slight upward movement of his brow and widening of his eyes. I also saw his knuckles whiten as he clenched them tightly.

“That… Your blade is remarkably similar to the Darksaber young one,” Pre said slowly, seemingly choosing his words with care, “I had not expected to ever see something so close in colouring to the blade used by my uncle.” He paused and turned to his sister. “It seems you were right again.”

Nia’s smile grew and she lifted her chin a touch as she replied. “As always.”

Pre chuckled at that and shook his head, and I could admit it was strange seeing him be a father and not the fanatical leader of Death Watch.

“May I?” Adonai asked with a hand moving towards my blade.

I glanced at my masters, where Fay gave a fractional nod while Dooku simply raised an eyebrow, before powering down the blade and handing it to the Duke.

He turned it over in his hand slowly, seeming to examine every detail of it before he pressed the activation button and the blade flared into life.

“Impressive,” he said as he gave the weapon a few experimental swishes. “I thought lightsaber hilts all had the same cylindrical shape, but this one does not.”

“The Padawan, like myself, is a student of Makashi; the duelling form,” Dooku offered and Adonai turned to him. Dooku unclipped his own hilt and displayed it to Adonai. “The curved hilt is beneficial when using a lightsaber as a Makashi practitioner.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” Adonai stated as he powered down the blade and handed it back to me. “Perhaps you and the Padawan would be willing to give us a demonstration of the form?”

Dooku was silent for a moment before nodding his consent.

We moved over to the far side of the room, as that was devoid of any important looking artwork or sculptures. While we walked in silence, Dooku spoke to me via our bond.

[Keep the velocities simple and slow, Padawan.]

[You do not wish them to know how comfortable I am with the blade?]

I sensed his pride through our bond. Likely it was because of my understanding of his reasoning [No. It is better if they underestimate you while you are here. Make them believe a strength is a weakness so if they do try to attack you already have the advantage.]

[Yes, Master.]

While that conversation took place, we had chosen our staring locations and saluted each other.

We moved through a series of elementary and intermediate velocities – all at a slower pace than we would normally and without allowing much movement from our starting locations – until we stopped. It felt as though we had only been sparring for a few minutes, yet as we saluted each other to end the spar, I noted a clock on the wall showed that we had actually been sparing for just over twenty minutes.

Adonai clapped gently as he stepped forwards. “Most impressive. Though I do feel you were holding back.” He commented with a small smirk.

Dooku lowered his head. “Indeed. With the room being unsuited for duelling, it was inadvisable to engage in a full-strength spar.”

Adonai chuckled as Nia, Pre and the other adults came closer to us. “For that I thank you. Some of the artwork in this room dates to before the last great conflict between our peoples.”

Dooku’s brow rose fractionally. “Then I am relieved we did hold back. Damaging such priceless possessions would have been unacceptable.”

“Is it true that a lightsaber is powered by a crystal?” I turned at the unexpected question and noted that Naz had moved in close to me while Adonai and Dooku were speaking.

“Um, yeah. Though most Jedi have blue or green crystals,” I replied slowly as I noted that Bo had engaged Serra in a quiet conversation while Tor had stepped over to Satine.

“So why do you have such an unusual colour?” She asked as her eyes wandered down to my lightsaber, which was now reclipped to my belt.

“I really don’t know,” I responded with a shrug, “though it does draw more attention than I’d like,” I added as I wondered just what the girl was up to. I also noted that whatever Tor was saying to Satine was making the girl blush.

Naz’s eyes came back to mine, though not without taking a leisurely cruise over my form. “Why wouldn’t you want the attention? You’re far more impressive than I expected for a Jedi.”

“Attention brings undue scrutiny and expectations. And not necessarily the ones I want to have.” I explained as I didn’t react to her attempts to unnerve me. “I prefer to not conform to the beliefs of others, and let them instead make false assumptions about me.”

As we spoke, I examined her more carefully.

I wouldn’t deny she was cute and seemed to be in good shape. And I had little doubt that in a few years would likely turn heads with ease – but right now she was just a child and I, mentally, was not. Thus, her simple attempts to either unsettle me with the attention or lay the groundwork for something more were doomed to fail.

Her eyes widened at my words before a smile slowly appeared on her face. “My aunt was right about you. You’re not the typical Jedi.”

“Have you met a Jedi before today?” I asked as I remembered that Knight Lhan was assigned as the Watchman for the sector and wondered if or when I’d meet him again.

Naz shrugged even as the smile turned downward. “One. A Cathar male. My father says he arrived in the sector not long after the death of the Duke’s wife. I’ve seen him in passing a few times, but my father doesn’t think much of him.” She paused, licked her lips and tilted her head fractionally to the right. “You, however… are not what I’d expect from a Jedi.”

“Ah, thanks,” I muttered as I looked away, hoping for a distraction.

Which thankfully came as a chime sounded.

“Ah, it appears dinner is ready,” Adonai stated as he broke off from speaking with Dooku and Pre and moved towards the large circular table that sat in the centre of the room.

Adonai took the seat that was meant for him – the large back of the chair dominated all the others – while Dooku and Fay sat, at Adonai’s gesturing, to his right.

Dorgo and the unknown woman that I assumed was his wife sat to Adonai’s left with Pre and Nia sitting down next to the woman along with Pre’s children. I had hoped to sit down near Fay – mainly to avoid Naz and her attempts at seduction/information extraction – but Satine took that spot with her sister dragging Serra into the next few seats.

Without making eye contact with anyone, I slipped into the final seat, which placed me between Serra and Naz.

As the doors opened, and palace staff brought in the first course, which appeared to be some kind of salad, I silently prayed to the Force that Naz would cease with her attempts to unsettle or fluster me.

Not because her attempts were working – far from it – but because it was awkward having a fifteen-year-old try to flirt with me.

And with Serra sitting nearby, the chance of her overhearing and reacting was high. A diplomatic incident on our first night on-planet was not how I wanted to begin my stay on the world.

Thankfully, Naz did not speak to me as the starter salad was distributed around the table, instead, she spoke quietly with Nia.

I felt Serra tense up for a moment and turned to see why.

“Master Fay, I notice that you do not carry a lightsaber,” Satine asked loud enough that it drew my attention, though not before I spotted that Bo’s hand moving away from Serra’s. Perhaps an accidental touch was why Serra had tensed?

“I do not,” Fay replied. “While I am trained in their usage, it has been… some time, since I have held one.”

Satine glanced my way and her the corners of her lips began to turn upwards as our eyes met. “So that means you believe that nonviolence is the only way to survive.”

Behind Satine, I spotted Dorgo roll his eyes while Adonai pinched his nose at her words.

“While peace and stability are something that any society should strive for, they require help to survive,” Fay began slowly as if she was measuring her words. “War and conflict should never be the desired state of any planet or people. Yet, to abandon any willingness to defends oneself from aggressors is… foolhardy at best, naïve at worst.”

The smile that had been slowly forming on Satine’s face, faded and she turned back to face my master. “B-but, allowing warriors a chance to fight will only lead to conflict.”

Fay lowered her head for a moment in apparent agreement. “While that is possible, to cling to an ideal and not show a willingness to adapt, nor listen to the views of others, will only lead to disaster. If you do not respect the views of others, or listen to them, then everyone develops an ‘us versus them’ mentality.”

Fay sighed and shook her head even as I spotted her hand twitch upwards. “One side wishes to return to a way of life that they do not fully understand, the other wishes nothing to do with that past. Both are flawed and doomed to fail.”

While I could no longer see her face, Satine’s shoulders had slumped down as Fay explained her reasoning and I did my best to not smirk at how calmly and elegantly Fay had exposed flaws in both the New Mandalorian and Death Watch ideals, and in their inability to cooperate.

“Wise words, Master Fay,” Adonai said before Satine could respond. “And something I hope everyone here takes to heart.”

His gaze fell on his daughters and I wondered how often the pair fought over their differing opinions.

“You have had dealings with our people before?” Pre asked and I noted that he was now leaning forward, his food momentarily forgotten.

Fay nodded and before replying her fingers went to her tattoos. “Yes. When I was younger, barely a Jedi Knight, The Force had guided me to a mining colony beyond Republic space. There, I met a Mandalorian who had left the sector.”

Fay gaze shifted from Pre to a point above his head and a small smile creeping onto her lips – seemingly lost in the memories. Doing the quick calculations in my head, it was likely that this story took place around the time of the Dral'Han.

“She… well, she did not agree with the direction her people were heading, nor the Republic’s actions towards them, so she had become a bounty hunter.” Fay laughed a single time, and while the joy in her laughter was easy to hear, I could sense the pain she was feeling at the same time through the Force.

“The Mandalorian was working for a group that controlled the colony, while the Force was guiding me to help the miners. After a few tense discussions, we ended up duelling,” her smile grew as she spoke. “For five days we fought, on and off, across the planet until we found ourselves far from the colony and without food or fresh water.”

“Somehow, we managed to not kill each other and instead ended up working together to survive and return to the colony.” Fay’s head lowered and her smile fell. On instinct, I send a wave of reassurance and comfort through the Force. Her head turned so our eyes met and she glanced my way before she sat up fully and continued.

“The company that had hired her had invaded the colony and attacked us when we returned. We were forced to work together to free the colony and defend ourselves. Afterwards, the Mandalorian expressed her respect for me; even if she could not believe that she would one day find a Jedi to be a worthy ally.”

“We met several times over the years that followed, and learned much about each other, and our cultures.” Fay’s smiled returned and her fingers gently touched the tattoo on her cheek.

The table was silent as everyone waited for Fay to continue, but she did not. Somehow, I knew there was more to the story, and that this Mandalorian was linked to her tattoos. However, thanks to being wiser and more mature than most my age, I knew that the rest of the story was personal, and not something to be discussed at a dinner table.

“What was her name?” Bo blurted out, and I resisted the urge to facepalm at her lack of tact.

“BO!” Dorgo and Satine called out as Adonai glared daggers at his daughter, who had the sense to understand her mistake and tried to sink into her seat.

“Forgive my youngest,” Adonai began as he looked at Fay, “while intelligent and resourceful, she…” anything else he wished to add was cut off by Fay raising her hand.

“It is quite alright Duke Adonai,” she said before turning to face Bo. “Her name, young one, is long forgotten to time.”

Fay shifted her attention to Satine before she continued. “It was because of that woman that I no longer carry a lightsaber. Not because of any misguided ideal that peace and freedom are not worth defending, but as a reminder that one is not right merely by the strength of their convictions or the belief that the other side is flawed.”

“I… I think I understand,” Satine replied slowly. “Or at least, I believe I understand what you are implying.”

Fay smiled as she held Satine’s gaze. “Perhaps, in time, you will understand why I said what I did as well.”

“What are they talking about?” Naz whispered and a sideward glance showed she had leaned closer to me, so much that if I turned, our faces would end up mere inches from each other.

“It is impolite to whisper at a dinner table niece,” Nia said before I could answer, and I saw her give me a wink as she continued. “Perhaps you should find a more suitable time to discuss private matters.”

“Yes, Aunt Nia.” Naz pulled back and returned to her meal as a comfortable silence fell over the table.

As the salad was taken away, and the doors opened once more, Adonai smiled and clapped his hands together as a pungent smell invaded my nostrils.

“Excellent,” Adonai said as he stood, and four servers placed two large roasts of what looked like deer on the table while others placed a bowl in front of each of us. Through the glass lid, I saw what looked like a casserole and I was sure that this was the source of the smell.

“Jedi, you are in for a treat. Roast shatual and tiingilar.”

Dooku, who until this point had been silent, spoke up. “We thank you for the hospitality, Duke Adonai. I have heard many encouraging comments about shatual, but never had the chance to sample it until now.”

“Then you are in for a treat Master Dooku,” Pre replied with a smile that while I suspected was fake, was convincing. “And I would suggest trying it with a touch of amber-root.”

Dooku nodded his thanks at the suggestion, though if he said anything else, I didn’t hear as my senses were overloaded as Naz lifted the lid on her casserole. The pungent smell became overpowering and I heard Serra cough into her hand.

“Let me help,” Naz said as she reached over and lifted the lid of my dish, “this is a traditional dish of our people.” She explained as it felt as if my nostrils were on fire.

“It,” I paused and took a breath through my mouth, “it has a strong scent.”

Naz smirked at my reaction “That’s a good sign.”

“Not for my nose it isn’t,” I countered with a smile, and she laughed.

“You’ll get used to it,” she replied with a smile of her own and handed me a plate of what looked like unwrap tortillas. “Here, dip the haarshun in it.”

I took a slice, noting that it was so thin I could almost see through it and cautiously dipped it in the dish.

It was a good thing I was used to strong spices from my last life, otherwise, I might have struggled to get the damp bread into my mouth as the smell threatened to overpower my other senses, but I was glad I did.

“What do you think?” I heard Bo ask, and I turned to face her noting her hand was touching Serra’s as she handed my fellow Padawan a slice of haarshun.

“It’s nice, and it certainly tastes better than it smells,” I replied once I’d swallowed.

Bo and Naz laughed, as Serra copied my actions. However, she was not as ready for the smell and almost gagged as it neared her mouth.

Bo, Naz and the others who saw all chuckled at Serra’s reaction, and I leaned closer.

“Breathe through your mouth,” I said in a voice barely above a whisper. “It’s actually quite nice.”

Serra’s eyes glanced my way before she tried again, this time managing to get the soggy bread into her mouth.

“You know, I expected you Jedi to struggle with tiingilar,” I turned to look at Tor Vizsla as he spoke, “or outright reject it. How is the taste?”

“It’s not too bad,” Serra mumbled out after swallowing, “but the smell…”

Tor laughed. “Yes, it can be overpowering. But you will grow used to it.”

“I hope so,” Serra mumbled as she took another slice of haarshun from the plate between her and Bo.

I smiled as I took another bite of my food. When Pre had first entered the room with Nia and his children, I’d been expecting a fight. Instead, I found myself enjoying a meal with them.

I ate in silence, preferring to enjoy the new food instead of engaging in idle chit-chat, though I heard snippets of quieter conversations drifting around as I ate.

The Shatual tasted much like pork, but with tougher texture and was covered in a tangy sauce. Just as I was finishing off the last of my tiingilar – though I did note that Serra had only managed to handle about a quarter of her bowl – Adonai spoke, breaking me from my enjoyment of the food.

“I must admit, when I received your request to have the Padawan study on Mandalore, I was surprised. Even with the invitation extended by Lady Nia, Jedi are… well, they’re not the most welcome of groups among our people.” He began as he spoke to my masters. “Nor did I expect you all to arrive with a second Padawan in tow.”

“Cameron had shown an… interest in your world, its people and their history long before the lady of House Saxon invited him to visit. This was due in no small part to his family name and heritage.” Fay explained with one of her regular soft smiles.

“Yes, Revan,” As Adonai spoke, every eye at the table turned my way. The Duke shook his head and chuckled once before taking a sip from his chalice.

“If someone had told me a year ago that I would find myself meeting a direct descendent of the Naast be Me'suums…” He shook his head and chuckled again. “Well, I’d have said they were suffering from hyperspace madness.”

“Nast be Me’sums?” Serra asked, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Naast be Me'suums,” Bo corrected as one side of her mouth turned upwards. “It means Destroyer of Worlds.”

“I assume that’s for what happened at Malachor V?” I asked, earning a nod from Bo.

“Yes. That day, to stop the Clans, Revan shattered a planet,” Bo said with a tone that had me thinking she either approved of his actions or was impressed a Jedi would do such a thing. Or possibly both. The way her cheeks reddened as she spoke was a little concerning.

It reminded me of a fair few recruits who had been excited to be a soldier and wanted to experience combat. Often, such people were… re-educated after a few weeks of deployment, but there were a few that did enjoy the battle a touch too much.

I wouldn’t deny that there were moments in combat where I felt more alive than at any other point in my life, but I had survived long enough – well until I’d died – that I had grown to see the fatal flaw that behaviour could lead to if not controlled.

“Malachor V? Wasn’t that where Revan turned to the Dark Side?” Serra asked and strangely, it felt as though the temperature in the room dropped suddenly. Both physically and metaphorically.

“It was where he killed Te Ani'la Mand'alor – Mandalore the Ultimate in Basic – slaughtered the Great Fleet and shattered the Clans,” Tor explained with a partial scowl even as the physical temperature returned to normal. “It was the last time our people were ever able to challenge the Republic. Oh, there were later wars and crusades, but Malachor and Ani'la Akaan, the Last Great Battle, was the turning point.” By the time he had finished, Tor’s hands were clenched shut and it took a gentle hand to the shoulder from Pre before the tension in his body began to ease.

“You must forgive my son,” Pre began as he spoke to myself and the other Jedi. “He is both a student of history and a believer in the old ways. Something that often places us at odds.”

“It is quite alright, Governor. The call of the past can weigh heavily on anyone.” Fay replied and while I couldn’t see her face – and suspected that even if I could there’s be no outward reaction to her own words – through the Force I sensed the barest hint of regret.

“Though to return to the Duke’s original query, Serra here is Padawan to Master Drallig, the Jedi Battlemaster. While I do not doubt she is grateful and honoured to be his Padawan learner, she felt a… calling to leave the Temple and was able to convince Master Drallig to allow her to accompany our Padawan.”

“The boy is apprenticed to both of you?” The woman who I had to assume was Sellena – Dorgo’s wife asked. I hadn’t used Observe on her when I’d first seen her, as I was more interested in Pre’s children, and didn’t want to use it now in case Serra reacted to it in such a way that others saw.

Though that reminded me to speak with Fay and Dooku about if they could sense it – though how to bring that up was something I still wasn’t sure about – and why they hadn’t commented on it.

“Cameron is… an anomaly within the Force,” Dooku said slowly, his words clear and, from what I knew of him, carefully considered. “The Order felt it was wisest to allow him training from two masters.”

“I thought a Jedi could only have a single learner at a time?” Pre asked, surprising me with his knowledge of how the Order worked.

“Yes, however, there is nothing within the rules of the Order saying a Padawan cannot learn from multiple Jedi.” A sense of pride from Dooku drifting across our Bond as he spoke. “Cameron not only discovered this loophole but was able to convince the Jedi Council of the benefits of allowing him training from both myself and Master Fay.”

“Impressive for one so young,” Nia commented as she smiled at me.

“Yes, it was,” Fay added in a tone that I knew indicated her enjoyment about something. “The four years since he became a Padawan have been… enlightening. For all of us.”

I did my best to ignore the way every Mandalorian at the table turned their gaze to me even as I sighed at Fay’s antics. Only Adonai and Nia showed no outward sign of their reaction to Fay’s words. The rest reacted with widened eyes and partially opened mouths.

“Master, please,” I half-begged, which drew a light chuckle from her.

“Very well, Padawan. I am sure there is no need for me to regal them of your actions or title with the Lokella.”
I resisted the urge to let my head fall to the table at her words.

“Ah yes, Mtael,” Nia snarked as my hands just barely stopped my head from striking the table as my shoulders slumped. “I have already told those here about that, and how he earned it.”

Adonai grunted. “Yes. Several times. And while it is easy to see you do not wish the glory from your actions Padawan, I know how fierce a warrior Girk Saxon was. Not many could say they had defeated him in single combat.”

“Thank you, Duke,” I replied as I lifted my head from my hands. “However, I would have preferred that he hadn’t died.”

Adonai scoffed. “He acted a coward. He got what he deserved.”

“Father! That is Lady Nia’s husband you speak of,” Satine pleaded.

Nia waved her hand lazily. “Hah! Girk was many things but cool-headed was not one of them. I do not share his shame, nor blame any for speaking ill of his final actions.”

“Be that as it may, the leader of Clan Saxon died by the Padawan’s actions,” Pre began, cutting off anything Satine wanted to say in reply. Which was likely a good thing as I suspected the girl would try to counter with some inane pacifist idea about how no one deserves to die for a making mistake. Or some other useless prattle.

“Girk’s death, and the reveal that he was a leader of a splinter Death Watch cell, has caused issues on Concordia,” Pre continued as his eyes focused on me. “Because of this, I must request that the Padawans forego all trappings and regalia linking them to the Jedi while they study within the Sector.”

I frowned as I realised that he wasn’t meaning just the robes or Padawan braid – both of which I enjoyed not wearing/having – but my lightsaber as well. That did make some sense, but since it came from Pre, I had to consider whether it was also a way to make it easier to take me out if he felt he needed to.

However, I had enough components in my Inventory to build three lightsabers. One from the remains of the lightsabers that were destroyed on Ilum, and two that I’d discovered during the Cleanse the Temple quest but hadn’t turned over to the Jedi but had instead taken apart for practice just before we had left for Mandalore.

I also had three Holocrons from back then as well, but they were either used as diaries or as training tools for young learners. I’d examined the one that was for training but found no mention of any new Force powers, or at least nothing had come up during my time browsing through it. Perhaps more advanced abilities were locked away to prevent a Padawan from learning something that was deemed too advanced by their Master, but nothing from Observe hinted at secondary passwords.

Still, I was holding on to them as I had an idea – one that I had not yet turned into a quest – about building my own holocron, thus having several on-hand to study would be useful when the time came to generate the quest.

“While I can understand your worries and logic, I must admit that I am hesitant to accept that request,” Dooku replied slowly, his face calm and his words measured. “The Duke recently admitted that Jedi are not overly welcome here, and now you wish to disarm two of our Padawans?”

Pre cleared his throat before he replied. “Sadly, yes. Though I can assure you that their instructors will understand that if any harm comes to one of the Padawans, they will be held responsible. Also, it has been arranged that the Padawans will be in the same training centre as both my daughter and the Duke’s youngest.”

“I…”

“OK,” I blurted out, making the rare step of cutting off one of my masters. “I accept those terms.”

“Cameron?” Fay asked.

[A lightsaber is just a tool, Master. I will still have the Force to assist me.]

[I do not agree with this,] Dooku commented, making the bond a three-way conversation. [You will be targeted because of your actions and your link to me.]

[I know and expect that Master. But, even without a lightsaber, I am not unarmed or alone. I expected this and already have a plan.]

There was silence for a moment as the two likely conversed privately before Dooku responded.

[Very well, however, you will explain your plan to us once we return to our quarters.]

[Yes, Master.] I turned my attention to Serra.

[Trust me.]

She nodded and turned to Adonai. “I accept the terms.”

Adonai’s brow rose and he looked from Serra to me slowly. “Hmm, interesting.” There was a pause as he glanced at Pre – who gave the barest of nods – before he spoke again. “Very well. We thank you for agreeing to this, young ones.”

He turned his attention to my masters. “While the Padawans are here, they will be under the protection of my House. Any move against them will be an attack against my House.”

“Thank you,” Fay said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

A chime sounded and the doors opened as the servants entered once more with more food.

“Yes!” Bo whispered excitedly at seeing the servants and I suspected that whatever food they were bringing now – likely dessert – was a favourite of the red-haired girl.

Adonai had either heard or seen Bo’s reaction, as he chuckled. “Forgive Bo. She has a liking for uj'alayi.”

“I do not blame her,” Fay commented as the servants removed the main course and placed a plate with a slice of cake in front of each of us.

The large slice of cake on my plate was amber-brown with what I assumed were pieces of fruit inside and was covered in a thick dark brown syrup.

All in all, it was reminiscent of cakes from my former life.

“Please, enjoy,” Adonai said, and Bo wasted no time in attacking her cake with a fork.

I chuckled even as I copied the girl’s actions.

Even as I took a bite, and savoured the sticky sweet taste, I let my mind wander as I considered how I would convince Fay and Dooku to allow Serra and me to stay here without our lightsabers.

While I didn’t expect the two Jedi Masters to resist too strongly, I would still prepare as if they would.
…

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Two recs this month;
Assimilation Effect by Draedon's Forge
Arrow: The Vigilantes by Arsenal597
Both are over on FFN.

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A/N:
After some consideration, I have decided to make a server on Discord for this story specifically, and for Star Wars in general.
The link is discord.gg/UM89QfyQk3
To view the server, you'll need to read the rules and pick a colour.
I will also use this server to track Cam's stats, skills, powers etc and record information about most of the people Cam has had dealings within the story.
I will still post updates at the end of each chapter here though. QQ is much easier for detailing such things than FFN.

I can also still be found in Shiro's Omniverse at discord.gg/wd3tUYWVCd
This server is for gamer stories, general conversations, playing games and hanging out with friends.