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A New Player in the Force (SW/Lite Gamer)
- Thread starter USSExplorer
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Intro
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2019
- Messages
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Right, after FF.net's latest server screw up regarding seeing alerts/reviews etc, I've decided to take some advice and post my story on to this site.
This story started almost 2 years ago, and honestly, the early chapters aren't that great, but I'm not going to rewrite them in case I alter something that affects future chapters.
"Huh?" I mumbled as I woke, feeling a cold, what I assumed was a table, against my back. "Where the hell…" I voice trailed off as my eyes took in the room I was in.
Everything was white; walls, ceiling, floor. Even the clothes I was now wearing were white. The whole place reminded me of a hospital; if everything had been a brilliant, clear white.
"OK, this makes no sense. The last thing I remember was…" again my voice trailed off as I remembered the attack.
Me and my team had been following intel that suggested a market was a front for terrorist operations and, in a break from our SOP, had patrolled the market like a standard unit of squaddies.
That had been a mistake as the market had been an ambush.
I remembered rushing in to cover, even as two of my squadmates and friends fell under a hail of rounds, and returning fire only to see two of the attackers take aim at a school-aged group that was in the market.
In a moment of what could only have been insanity, I disregarded my standing orders - and what I'd been taught - and rushed to save the group.
I think I had gotten them out safely even as I felt three sharp stabs in my side.
I checked my side but wound no wounds, not even a bruise, and I gulped.
"I, I died? This is Heaven?"
"What the…?" I mumbled as I saw the strange floating text that appeared in front of my eyes; no more than six inches away from me. I absently waved my hand through the text, but nothing happened. "So this is not heaven?"
Correct.
I frowned at the new message, the old one shrinking and moving down to the lower right corner of my vision. I turned my head and found that the new text stayed in the centre of my vision while the old one kept to the corner.
"Weird," I muttered to myself. "So if this isn't heaven, am I dead?"
"Fuck," I growled and sat up. I noticed that the table I had been lying on was white just like the rest of the room; its edges rounded to avoid cuts. "So where am I? What the hell is this place?"
"WHAT!?" I shouted as I fell backwards off the table. "None of those are real!"
I blinked and stared at the newest text in disbelief. "O-ok. Are those my only options?" I slowly asked. I was still not sure if this was real, but I felt a need to at least play along until I learnt more about what was really happening.
"Um, no. Not really." I said with a gentle shake of my head. "This is, just nuts. I mean. I get to live again in a game or story world. That's like some kind of bad fanfiction."
Correct.
However, for you it is true.
Are you ready to make a choice?
"Um, not yet," I replied before shaking my head again. "Jeez! I'm having a conversation with floating text in a quasi-afterlife." I chuckled and shook my head once more. "How long do I have to decide?"
"Right, thanks," I mumbled and the text all vanished bar the list that moved to the side of my vision. "This is… wrong." I paused and tilted my head with a frown. "Wait, why am I not angry, sad or anything about dying?"
"Wha…Wait! You mean I really am in some type of video game?!"
"Well ok… This is nuts." I shook my head and as I examined the list. "Might as well work through the list." I paused and looked upwards. "Um, could I have a notepad and pen?"
There was a small popping sound and I looked behind myself to see that what I'd asked for had appeared on the table. "Thanks," I said to the empty room as I picked up the pen and opened the notebook. "Right, time to go through the pros and cons of each choice."
………
I wasn't sure of how long I took going through the choices and whittling them down to a final two.
"Um, I think I'm ready to choose but I was wondering if it was possible to somehow merge abilities and powers from two different universes?"
"Um, well I think I'd like to live in the Star Wars universe, but I also like the idea of begin able to do magic, like in Harry Potter or the Elder Scrolls. I was thinking that while the Force is cool, certain magical powers would be possible with the Force, just that I don't recall ever seeing such things in the movies."
"Yeah. I guess." I shrugged. And the room was engulfed in bright light, forcing me to shield my eyes.
As the light faded, I slowly removed my arm and peeked. "Whoa," I muttered as I fully opened my eyes. The room had changed, and I was now standing in a room bathed in a soft light blue light and that there was now a mirror and display screen on the wall in front of me. My eyes were drawn to the text on the display.
"Um, no," I said, figuring there was no reason to do.
"What is CCP?" I asked aloud; figuring that who/whatever was in-charge would explain. I was surprised when part of the display shifted to show text.
"Um, ok," I mumbled as I returned to the choices for hair and eyes. "Think I'll keep my old hair and how about green eyes."
"No. How about a brown/green mix?"
Eyes: Amber Green
Accept?
"Yes. I guess... HOLY SHIT!" I shouted as glanced in the mirror and saw my eyes shift colour and hair grow on my head; matching my choices. I ran my hand through my hair and nervously chuckled.
"Now that's just scary," I muttered as a small picture of me appeared at the top of the display.
"Um, yeah. I guess." I answered slowly. "I mean I don't want to be born again and have to experience that but starting as a teen or adult means I miss growing up. And I'm kinda curious about how that goes in Star Wars."
"Bloody hell," I muttered as I saw the left side of the display shimmer to display the six stats and a box underneath with each with '0' inside; though there was a +10 under Intelligence and +5 under Wisdom and Charisma. Each box had '+' and '-' beside it that I assumed were for adding and subtracting points.
"Um, can I have an explanation of each stats? I mean, I think I understand but I want to be sure."
The right side of the display shimmered, and I smiled as I read through the new text.
"Damm. There's no real useless stat. Need to think about this carefully." I examined the stats for a while before slowly adding points until there were none left.
No remaining Stat points.
Are these your final choices?
"Yeah," I said slowly, and I watched as the stats appeared beside the picture and the bonuses it mentioned were added on.
"Damm. If I'm understanding this correctly, Yoda, Vader and Luke would be prodigies while most are just Adepts. Hmm, I'm definitely taking one of those two, but I'd better read the rest of the list to see what else could be useful."
I spent the time going through the list until I settled on four perks.
"That will do," I murmured to myself as I accepted the fourth perk.
"Whoa…" while the Perk list had 20, the skills list was massive. My old list had about a hundred ranging from school subjects that were at various levels, to artistic one like the guitar and singing that I hadn't used in years, to sex skills. "Not sure how much use those will be to start, but definitely keeping them for later on," I commented with a smirk. Though the smirk fell after adding Kissing when the skill displayed the words 'Locked' over it.
"Huh, well I guess that makes sense. What eight-year-old knows how to kiss properly?"
I added all of my old skills that I thought had any cross-over and noticed that a few were lowered due to being younger – or altered in the case of English becoming Basic – before browsing the list.
There were actually two lists; one for skills that seemed to matter and one for what were called knowledge-based skills. These seemed to just be listings of what I knew about various governments, companies, criminal organizations, topographies of planets and History that didn't seem to affect skill checks; and many were prone to falling as information became outdated.
I decided to ignore the knowledge-based skills; figuring they could be easily be learnt once I was in-universe and looked through the main list.
"Hmm, I can't wait to get a lightsaber, but since I'm only eight, there's no point in adding any point to the forms, though a few in the skill to use one makes sense. Having all my knowledge of combat and weapons transfer over was nice, though I imagine I've lost a few levels here and there due to different tech.
"Maybe add points to repair or crafting so I can look after any pistols or rifles I get a hold of. Concentration grants bonuses to skill XP gain, so if I max it out that's a fifty per cent boost to learn other skills!" I smirked as I added the points then increased Meditation to 50 since it boosted the regeneration rate of a few things; namely Force Points.
"Right, I think I'll hold on the other skill points and see what need a boost later."
Do you accept your skills?
"Yes."
"Um, no."
"OK. So why bother making that a step?" I asked the display, but it simply ignored me and moved on.
"Uh, I only know the movies and Knights of the Old Republic games," I muttered as I rubbed the back of my head. "So why not the Rise of the Empire. I know that and the Rebellion era best."
I looked at the list and chuckled. "Well to beat a Darth, you might need a Darth so why not Shan; assuming that Revan and Bastila had children." I typed in my choice.
Cameron Shan.
Are you sure?
"Yup."
"Sure, why not," I answered with a shrug. Truthfully, I was getting a little bored with creating my new persona and was hoping that I'd get to leave this place soon.
The display shifted to show the details that had previously been on the left side of the screen. I noted with amusement that besides my current height it listed a range that I took to mean my potential final height. I chuckled at seeing my current, well old, height of 1.84m was in the middle of that range. I laughed some more at seeing the same ranges were available besides my leg length, hand and foot sizes and most amusingly, Or disturbingly depending on how you saw it, penile length and girth.
I decided to spend one of my bonus stat points to raise Strength to 7, thus bringing it in line with Vitality and Agility, before I pressed the green button.
The brightness in the room increased rapidly and I had to shield my eyes again.
…
Just to be clear, as I wasn't when I started, this story begins in ~3950BBY with Cameron and his 'grandfather' Vaner Shan.
By the end of the Prologue, he will arrive in the Rise of the Empire Era.
This is the unique start due to taking Shan as a family name.
This story started almost 2 years ago, and honestly, the early chapters aren't that great, but I'm not going to rewrite them in case I alter something that affects future chapters.
"Huh?" I mumbled as I woke, feeling a cold, what I assumed was a table, against my back. "Where the hell…" I voice trailed off as my eyes took in the room I was in.
Everything was white; walls, ceiling, floor. Even the clothes I was now wearing were white. The whole place reminded me of a hospital; if everything had been a brilliant, clear white.
"OK, this makes no sense. The last thing I remember was…" again my voice trailed off as I remembered the attack.
Me and my team had been following intel that suggested a market was a front for terrorist operations and, in a break from our SOP, had patrolled the market like a standard unit of squaddies.
That had been a mistake as the market had been an ambush.
I remembered rushing in to cover, even as two of my squadmates and friends fell under a hail of rounds, and returning fire only to see two of the attackers take aim at a school-aged group that was in the market.
In a moment of what could only have been insanity, I disregarded my standing orders - and what I'd been taught - and rushed to save the group.
I think I had gotten them out safely even as I felt three sharp stabs in my side.
I checked my side but wound no wounds, not even a bruise, and I gulped.
"I, I died? This is Heaven?"
Incorrect.
"What the…?" I mumbled as I saw the strange floating text that appeared in front of my eyes; no more than six inches away from me. I absently waved my hand through the text, but nothing happened. "So this is not heaven?"
Correct.
"Weird," I muttered to myself. "So if this isn't heaven, am I dead?"
Yes.
"Fuck," I growled and sat up. I noticed that the table I had been lying on was white just like the rest of the room; its edges rounded to avoid cuts. "So where am I? What the hell is this place?"
Congratulations!
As a winner in the multiversal afterlife lottery, you have been chosen to live a new life in a universe of your choosing with unique gifts.
…
Based on your previous life we have selected the following 10 universes for you to consider for your new life.
A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE
DC COMICS
DRAGON AGE
ELDER SCROLLS
HALO
HARRY POTTER
MASS EFFECT
MARVEL EXTENDED UNIVERSE
STAR TREK
STAR WARS
If none appeal you can suggest another and if it exists we will allow you to select it.
As a winner in the multiversal afterlife lottery, you have been chosen to live a new life in a universe of your choosing with unique gifts.
…
Based on your previous life we have selected the following 10 universes for you to consider for your new life.
A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE
DC COMICS
DRAGON AGE
ELDER SCROLLS
HALO
HARRY POTTER
MASS EFFECT
MARVEL EXTENDED UNIVERSE
STAR TREK
STAR WARS
If none appeal you can suggest another and if it exists we will allow you to select it.
"WHAT!?" I shouted as I fell backwards off the table. "None of those are real!"
Correction.
None of them are real to you but all do exist in the multiverse.
Your reality, like others, has the ability to glance into other realities.
These glances have allowed writers to create stories that mirror events that happened in those worlds.
None of them are real to you but all do exist in the multiverse.
Your reality, like others, has the ability to glance into other realities.
These glances have allowed writers to create stories that mirror events that happened in those worlds.
I blinked and stared at the newest text in disbelief. "O-ok. Are those my only options?" I slowly asked. I was still not sure if this was real, but I felt a need to at least play along until I learnt more about what was really happening.
No.
As stated, those are just the 10 most likely choices you would make based on your previous life and our own calculations.
Do you have another you wish to add to the list?
As stated, those are just the 10 most likely choices you would make based on your previous life and our own calculations.
Do you have another you wish to add to the list?
"Um, no. Not really." I said with a gentle shake of my head. "This is, just nuts. I mean. I get to live again in a game or story world. That's like some kind of bad fanfiction."
Correct.
However, for you it is true.
Are you ready to make a choice?
"Um, not yet," I replied before shaking my head again. "Jeez! I'm having a conversation with floating text in a quasi-afterlife." I chuckled and shook my head once more. "How long do I have to decide?"
Time here is inconsequential.
Where we are, simply is. Time does not pass here.
Once you have made your choice state 'I Choose …' inserting your decision.
Where we are, simply is. Time does not pass here.
Once you have made your choice state 'I Choose …' inserting your decision.
"Right, thanks," I mumbled and the text all vanished bar the list that moved to the side of my vision. "This is… wrong." I paused and tilted my head with a frown. "Wait, why am I not angry, sad or anything about dying?"
While here emotion is nullified.
This is due to your first unique gift; Player's Mind.
…
Player's Mind [ON/OFF] MAX
Allows the Player to calmly and logically think things through.
Allows a peaceful state of mind.
Grants immunity to psychological effects.
Protects against compulsions and external controls.
Does not prevent the Player from showing emotional responses, only dissipates them instantly afterwards.
[NOTE: Will automatically turn on when the Player is in battle or HP falls below 25%]
Costs 1PPP/minute
This is due to your first unique gift; Player's Mind.
…
Player's Mind [ON/OFF] MAX
Allows the Player to calmly and logically think things through.
Allows a peaceful state of mind.
Grants immunity to psychological effects.
Protects against compulsions and external controls.
Does not prevent the Player from showing emotional responses, only dissipates them instantly afterwards.
[NOTE: Will automatically turn on when the Player is in battle or HP falls below 25%]
Costs 1PPP/minute
"Wha…Wait! You mean I really am in some type of video game?!"
Incorrect.
While you were and will be alive – provided you select a new universe to live in – you are not in a game.
However, the powers we are granting you are easier for a corporeal mind to process if they are treated as powers in what you would call an RPG.
"Well ok then." I stopped and ran my head through my hair only to gasp. "What? Where's my hair?"
Your hair is determined by your life.
As your old one has ended you currently have no bodily hair.
Once you select a new universe you will be taken to 'character creation'.
While you were and will be alive – provided you select a new universe to live in – you are not in a game.
However, the powers we are granting you are easier for a corporeal mind to process if they are treated as powers in what you would call an RPG.
"Well ok then." I stopped and ran my head through my hair only to gasp. "What? Where's my hair?"
Your hair is determined by your life.
As your old one has ended you currently have no bodily hair.
Once you select a new universe you will be taken to 'character creation'.
"Well ok… This is nuts." I shook my head and as I examined the list. "Might as well work through the list." I paused and looked upwards. "Um, could I have a notepad and pen?"
There was a small popping sound and I looked behind myself to see that what I'd asked for had appeared on the table. "Thanks," I said to the empty room as I picked up the pen and opened the notebook. "Right, time to go through the pros and cons of each choice."
………
I wasn't sure of how long I took going through the choices and whittling them down to a final two.
"Um, I think I'm ready to choose but I was wondering if it was possible to somehow merge abilities and powers from two different universes?"
It is… conceivable that we could allow it.
Only 0.001% of winners ask to do so, though most wish to merge powers that do not allow for easy crossover.
Please state your choice and crossover wishes with reason.
Only 0.001% of winners ask to do so, though most wish to merge powers that do not allow for easy crossover.
Please state your choice and crossover wishes with reason.
"Um, well I think I'd like to live in the Star Wars universe, but I also like the idea of begin able to do magic, like in Harry Potter or the Elder Scrolls. I was thinking that while the Force is cool, certain magical powers would be possible with the Force, just that I don't recall ever seeing such things in the movies."
Postulating
…
…
…
…
…
Analysis of powers in Star Wars and Harry Potter universes complete.
Both universes have powers that exhibit similarities to each other.
As such, your request is denied.
However, the ease with which you could learn Force abilities that mirror magic powers has been lowered.
It is up to the Player to discover these overlapping powers.
Also, the Force is capable of many wonders that most would not consider.
And as such, you may be able to create or rediscover abilities not known to current Force users.
Is this acceptable?
…
…
…
…
…
Analysis of powers in Star Wars and Harry Potter universes complete.
Both universes have powers that exhibit similarities to each other.
As such, your request is denied.
However, the ease with which you could learn Force abilities that mirror magic powers has been lowered.
It is up to the Player to discover these overlapping powers.
Also, the Force is capable of many wonders that most would not consider.
And as such, you may be able to create or rediscover abilities not known to current Force users.
Is this acceptable?
"Yeah. I guess." I shrugged. And the room was engulfed in bright light, forcing me to shield my eyes.
As the light faded, I slowly removed my arm and peeked. "Whoa," I muttered as I fully opened my eyes. The room had changed, and I was now standing in a room bathed in a soft light blue light and that there was now a mirror and display screen on the wall in front of me. My eyes were drawn to the text on the display.
Welcome to Character Creation. [Star Wars Universe]
Here you will take the steps to create your new persona.
Step 1:
Select your given name.
Currently, this is "Cameron".
Do you wish to change?
Here you will take the steps to create your new persona.
Step 1:
Select your given name.
Currently, this is "Cameron".
Do you wish to change?
"Um, no," I said, figuring there was no reason to do.
Step 2:
Select a species then determine hair and eye colour.
Examine the list of races and make your selection.
Select a species then determine hair and eye colour.
Examine the list of races and make your selection.
"Holy shit," I mumbled as I scrolled the list, only recognizing a handful of race names. Thankfully, each had a picture or a base male and female form, a short description of the species and their inherent advantages/weaknesses – if any. Almost every advantage or weakness had a number with CCP next to it.
For ease and safety, I picked Human as my race. While a few of the options were tempting, I wasn't prepared to alter my race without knowing more about the species.
"What is CCP?" I asked aloud; figuring that who/whatever was in-charge would explain. I was surprised when part of the display shifted to show text.
Character Creation Points
During the creation of your new identity, you have the chance to add special perks and abilities that are considered anything from uncommon to rare within your new universe.
You may also add flaws that grant you extra CCP's, though there is no need to take any if you do not wish.
As a new identity, you have 10CCP's to start with.
NOTE
Certain perks and abilities can be gained later through the spending of perk points (PP)
During the creation of your new identity, you have the chance to add special perks and abilities that are considered anything from uncommon to rare within your new universe.
You may also add flaws that grant you extra CCP's, though there is no need to take any if you do not wish.
As a new identity, you have 10CCP's to start with.
NOTE
Certain perks and abilities can be gained later through the spending of perk points (PP)
"Um, ok," I mumbled as I returned to the choices for hair and eyes. "Think I'll keep my old hair and how about green eyes."
Hair: Wavy Light Ash Brown
Eyes: Emerald Green
Accept?
Eyes: Emerald Green
Accept?
"No. How about a brown/green mix?"
Eyes: Amber Green
Accept?
"Yes. I guess... HOLY SHIT!" I shouted as glanced in the mirror and saw my eyes shift colour and hair grow on my head; matching my choices. I ran my hand through my hair and nervously chuckled.
"Now that's just scary," I muttered as a small picture of me appeared at the top of the display.
Step 3:
Determine your initial age.
To allow for more control a new identity can start at 0, 8, 16 or 20 for a Human [Starting ages vary with species]
Chosen starting age is 8.
Accept?
Determine your initial age.
To allow for more control a new identity can start at 0, 8, 16 or 20 for a Human [Starting ages vary with species]
Chosen starting age is 8.
Accept?
"Um, yeah. I guess." I answered slowly. "I mean I don't want to be born again and have to experience that but starting as a teen or adult means I miss growing up. And I'm kinda curious about how that goes in Star Wars."
Step 4:
Determining base stats, of which there are 6.
Strength
Vitality
Agility
Intelligence
Wisdom
Charisma
Each new identity stats with 5 stat points (SP) and is granted a further 4+INT/15 SP per level up.
From level 8 [1 level is earned per year as a child] you start with 37 SP.
For comparison:
An average adult Human is level 20-25
An average Human has stat values of around 18 for STR VIT and AGI.
NOTE:
A Human has a maximum value of 55 for STR VIT and AGI.
[Max Values vary species to species]
…
NOTE:
Each new identity stats with 5 stat points (SP) to apply as you wish and is granted a further 4+INT/15 SP per level up.
For reaching level 8 [1 level is earned per year as a child] you gain an additional 37 SP.
Assign initial stats then press confirm.
WARNING:
Leftover SP will be lost.
Determining base stats, of which there are 6.
Strength
Vitality
Agility
Intelligence
Wisdom
Charisma
Each new identity stats with 5 stat points (SP) and is granted a further 4+INT/15 SP per level up.
From level 8 [1 level is earned per year as a child] you start with 37 SP.
For comparison:
An average adult Human is level 20-25
An average Human has stat values of around 18 for STR VIT and AGI.
NOTE:
A Human has a maximum value of 55 for STR VIT and AGI.
[Max Values vary species to species]
…
NOTE:
Each new identity stats with 5 stat points (SP) to apply as you wish and is granted a further 4+INT/15 SP per level up.
For reaching level 8 [1 level is earned per year as a child] you gain an additional 37 SP.
Assign initial stats then press confirm.
WARNING:
Leftover SP will be lost.
"Bloody hell," I muttered as I saw the left side of the display shimmer to display the six stats and a box underneath with each with '0' inside; though there was a +10 under Intelligence and +5 under Wisdom and Charisma. Each box had '+' and '-' beside it that I assumed were for adding and subtracting points.
"Um, can I have an explanation of each stats? I mean, I think I understand but I want to be sure."
The right side of the display shimmered, and I smiled as I read through the new text.
Stats and You
Everyone is determined by their stats but as one of the chosen few, you have the chance to see these values and influence them.
However, what does each mean and what does it influence?
STRENGTH
Strength measures your character's muscle and physical power.
This ability is especially important for soldiers and those with similar careers because it helps them prevail in physical combat.
Additionally, each point of Strength grants 2 inventory slots [this will be explained later]
VITALITY
Vitality represents your character's health and stamina.
Vitality adds to a person's hit points, so it's important for everyone but most important for those who are active combat participants.
AGILITY
Agility measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance.
This ability is the most important ability for Scoundrels and similar characters, but it's also high on the list for characters who want to be good shots with ranged weapons (Such as Blaster Pistols) or who want to handle the controls of a starship or speeder fairly well.
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons,
Intelligence is important for thinkers and leaders, and any character who wants to have a wide assortment of Skills.
WISDOM
Wisdom describes a character's willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition.
Compared to Intelligence, Wisdom is more related to being in tune with and aware of one's surroundings, while Intelligence represents one's ability to analyse information.
An "absent-minded professor" has a low Wisdom score and a high Intelligence score.
A simpleton with low Intelligence might nonetheless have great insight (High Wisdom).
Wisdom is important for characters wishing to be in-tune with their environment or characters who like to gamble.
If you want your character to have keen senses, put a high score in Wisdom.
CHARISMA
Charisma measures a character's force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness.
It represents your strength of personality and force of presence, not merely how others perceive you in a social setting.
Charisma is most important for politicians and Jedi.
Everyone is determined by their stats but as one of the chosen few, you have the chance to see these values and influence them.
However, what does each mean and what does it influence?
STRENGTH
Strength measures your character's muscle and physical power.
This ability is especially important for soldiers and those with similar careers because it helps them prevail in physical combat.
Additionally, each point of Strength grants 2 inventory slots [this will be explained later]
VITALITY
Vitality represents your character's health and stamina.
Vitality adds to a person's hit points, so it's important for everyone but most important for those who are active combat participants.
AGILITY
Agility measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance.
This ability is the most important ability for Scoundrels and similar characters, but it's also high on the list for characters who want to be good shots with ranged weapons (Such as Blaster Pistols) or who want to handle the controls of a starship or speeder fairly well.
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons,
Intelligence is important for thinkers and leaders, and any character who wants to have a wide assortment of Skills.
WISDOM
Wisdom describes a character's willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition.
Compared to Intelligence, Wisdom is more related to being in tune with and aware of one's surroundings, while Intelligence represents one's ability to analyse information.
An "absent-minded professor" has a low Wisdom score and a high Intelligence score.
A simpleton with low Intelligence might nonetheless have great insight (High Wisdom).
Wisdom is important for characters wishing to be in-tune with their environment or characters who like to gamble.
If you want your character to have keen senses, put a high score in Wisdom.
CHARISMA
Charisma measures a character's force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness.
It represents your strength of personality and force of presence, not merely how others perceive you in a social setting.
Charisma is most important for politicians and Jedi.
"Damm. There's no real useless stat. Need to think about this carefully." I examined the stats for a while before slowly adding points until there were none left.
No remaining Stat points.
Are these your final choices?
"Yeah," I said slowly, and I watched as the stats appeared beside the picture and the bonuses it mentioned were added on.
STEP 5:
Perks
Each new identity has 10 CCPs to spend on perks.
An additional perk point [PP] is gained every 4 levels.
While PPs can be saved, CCPs must be used up when a new identity is created.
You currently have 10CCPs and 2PPs.
Since this is a new identity creation, you can spend your PP on Creation-only perks.
Please browse the list below and make your choices.
Tap a Perk name to see a description and cost.
Click the name again to close the information or click the green box to add to your identity.
I whistled as the left side of the screen filled with over 20 perks, though my eyes were drawn to three that I tapped to open fully
Force Sensitive
You are Force-sensitive, allowing you to call on The Force and learn to draw on its powers.
Grants 100 Force Points (FP) per level.
[Can only be selected on identity creation]
CCP 2
Force Adept
You are Force-sensitive, allowing you to call on The Force and learn to draw on its powers.
Grants a greater connection to the force and all but guarantees that you will be selected as a Jedi Youngling; if you so wish.
Grants 250 Force Points (FP) per level.
[Can be selected on Identity creation or upgraded to if identity took Force Sensitive on Identity creation.]
CCP 4 [2PP if upgrading]
Force Prodigy
You are Force-sensitive, allowing you to call on The Force and learn to draw on its powers.
Your connection to the Force is immense and marks you out as potentially one of the most powerful Force users of your time.
Grants 500 Force Points (FP) per level.
[Can only be selected on identity creation]
CCP 7
Perks
Each new identity has 10 CCPs to spend on perks.
An additional perk point [PP] is gained every 4 levels.
While PPs can be saved, CCPs must be used up when a new identity is created.
You currently have 10CCPs and 2PPs.
Since this is a new identity creation, you can spend your PP on Creation-only perks.
Please browse the list below and make your choices.
Tap a Perk name to see a description and cost.
Click the name again to close the information or click the green box to add to your identity.
I whistled as the left side of the screen filled with over 20 perks, though my eyes were drawn to three that I tapped to open fully
Force Sensitive
You are Force-sensitive, allowing you to call on The Force and learn to draw on its powers.
Grants 100 Force Points (FP) per level.
[Can only be selected on identity creation]
CCP 2
Force Adept
You are Force-sensitive, allowing you to call on The Force and learn to draw on its powers.
Grants a greater connection to the force and all but guarantees that you will be selected as a Jedi Youngling; if you so wish.
Grants 250 Force Points (FP) per level.
[Can be selected on Identity creation or upgraded to if identity took Force Sensitive on Identity creation.]
CCP 4 [2PP if upgrading]
Force Prodigy
You are Force-sensitive, allowing you to call on The Force and learn to draw on its powers.
Your connection to the Force is immense and marks you out as potentially one of the most powerful Force users of your time.
Grants 500 Force Points (FP) per level.
[Can only be selected on identity creation]
CCP 7
"Damm. If I'm understanding this correctly, Yoda, Vader and Luke would be prodigies while most are just Adepts. Hmm, I'm definitely taking one of those two, but I'd better read the rest of the list to see what else could be useful."
I spent the time going through the list until I settled on four perks.
"That will do," I murmured to myself as I accepted the fourth perk.
NOTICE
You have selected the following Perks:
Force Prodigy [7CCP]
Ambidextrous [1CCP]
Empathy [2CCP]
Photographic Memory [2PP]
Are these your final choices?
"Yes." I felt a burst of energy as the perks were added below the stats in my mini-picture.
STEP 6:
SKILLS
Each identity learns skills as they progress with skills affected by stats.
Each stat point grants a 5% boost to learning speed of a related skill.
Every level-up an identity is granted INT*2 skill points to spend how they see fit.
You are free to transfer any of your old skills over, though they may suffer penalties because of different universe or age.
Each new identity is granted 100 plus level*INT*2 skill points [SKP] during creation.
Skill points can be saved for later use.
Please examine your old skills and possible new ones before deciding on a final list.
Skills are added to your identity the same way perks were.
Currently, you have 340 skill points to spend.
You have selected the following Perks:
Force Prodigy [7CCP]
Ambidextrous [1CCP]
Empathy [2CCP]
Photographic Memory [2PP]
Are these your final choices?
"Yes." I felt a burst of energy as the perks were added below the stats in my mini-picture.
STEP 6:
SKILLS
Each identity learns skills as they progress with skills affected by stats.
Each stat point grants a 5% boost to learning speed of a related skill.
Every level-up an identity is granted INT*2 skill points to spend how they see fit.
You are free to transfer any of your old skills over, though they may suffer penalties because of different universe or age.
Each new identity is granted 100 plus level*INT*2 skill points [SKP] during creation.
Skill points can be saved for later use.
Please examine your old skills and possible new ones before deciding on a final list.
Skills are added to your identity the same way perks were.
Currently, you have 340 skill points to spend.
"Whoa…" while the Perk list had 20, the skills list was massive. My old list had about a hundred ranging from school subjects that were at various levels, to artistic one like the guitar and singing that I hadn't used in years, to sex skills. "Not sure how much use those will be to start, but definitely keeping them for later on," I commented with a smirk. Though the smirk fell after adding Kissing when the skill displayed the words 'Locked' over it.
"Huh, well I guess that makes sense. What eight-year-old knows how to kiss properly?"
I added all of my old skills that I thought had any cross-over and noticed that a few were lowered due to being younger – or altered in the case of English becoming Basic – before browsing the list.
There were actually two lists; one for skills that seemed to matter and one for what were called knowledge-based skills. These seemed to just be listings of what I knew about various governments, companies, criminal organizations, topographies of planets and History that didn't seem to affect skill checks; and many were prone to falling as information became outdated.
I decided to ignore the knowledge-based skills; figuring they could be easily be learnt once I was in-universe and looked through the main list.
"Hmm, I can't wait to get a lightsaber, but since I'm only eight, there's no point in adding any point to the forms, though a few in the skill to use one makes sense. Having all my knowledge of combat and weapons transfer over was nice, though I imagine I've lost a few levels here and there due to different tech.
"Maybe add points to repair or crafting so I can look after any pistols or rifles I get a hold of. Concentration grants bonuses to skill XP gain, so if I max it out that's a fifty per cent boost to learn other skills!" I smirked as I added the points then increased Meditation to 50 since it boosted the regeneration rate of a few things; namely Force Points.
"Right, I think I'll hold on the other skill points and see what need a boost later."
Do you accept your skills?
"Yes."
Skills locked.
Notice:
You have 70 SKP left for later use.
To add, simply call up skills in the user interface and tap the '+' symbol.
Changes will become permeant once you leave the skills list.
Notice:
You have over 3000 skill levels, this grants 2 bonus stat points.
Do you wish to spend now?
Notice:
You have 70 SKP left for later use.
To add, simply call up skills in the user interface and tap the '+' symbol.
Changes will become permeant once you leave the skills list.
Notice:
You have over 3000 skill levels, this grants 2 bonus stat points.
Do you wish to spend now?
"Um, no."
Step 7:
The Force
As you are Force-sensitive, you can learn to use the Force.
Each level you are granted a certain number of Force Points.
The more FP you have, the more you can use the Force.
However, the cost of using a power decreases as you become better at using it.
What powers you will have will be determined by your origin story.
After completing the prologue, you may have the chance to learn from a Force Master or experiment with your powers yourself.
The Force
As you are Force-sensitive, you can learn to use the Force.
Each level you are granted a certain number of Force Points.
The more FP you have, the more you can use the Force.
However, the cost of using a power decreases as you become better at using it.
What powers you will have will be determined by your origin story.
After completing the prologue, you may have the chance to learn from a Force Master or experiment with your powers yourself.
"OK. So why bother making that a step?" I asked the display, but it simply ignored me and moved on.
Step 8:
Origin
Where do you come from?
Where in the timeline do you wish to live?
These need to be determined before we place you in control of your new identity.
Current timelines in play are:
KOTOR Era
Old Republic Era
Rise of the Empire Era
Rebellion Era
Legacy Era
If none appeal, then you can select a specific time to enter the universe.
Origin
Where do you come from?
Where in the timeline do you wish to live?
These need to be determined before we place you in control of your new identity.
Current timelines in play are:
KOTOR Era
Old Republic Era
Rise of the Empire Era
Rebellion Era
Legacy Era
If none appeal, then you can select a specific time to enter the universe.
"Uh, I only know the movies and Knights of the Old Republic games," I muttered as I rubbed the back of my head. "So why not the Rise of the Empire. I know that and the Rebellion era best."
Rise of the Empire Era selected.
…
Step 9:
Bloodlines/Family
Certain names and families have relevance throughout the galaxy.
Will you be a scion of one such dynasty or just a random someone?
Famous choices for family names are;
Shan
Sunrider
Skywalker
Keto
House Ordo
Organa Family
Antilles Family
Qel-Droma
Please enter your family name below.
Notice:
Almost any name may have links to someone in the past, however, in most cases, this will not be critical to your new identity.
…
Step 9:
Bloodlines/Family
Certain names and families have relevance throughout the galaxy.
Will you be a scion of one such dynasty or just a random someone?
Famous choices for family names are;
Shan
Sunrider
Skywalker
Keto
House Ordo
Organa Family
Antilles Family
Qel-Droma
Please enter your family name below.
Notice:
Almost any name may have links to someone in the past, however, in most cases, this will not be critical to your new identity.
I looked at the list and chuckled. "Well to beat a Darth, you might need a Darth so why not Shan; assuming that Revan and Bastila had children." I typed in my choice.
Cameron Shan.
Are you sure?
"Yup."
Name set.
Notice:
This bloodline has a specific prologue to play.
You do not have to select that, but it is the suggested option.
Will you accept prologue: The Lost Scion?
Notice:
This bloodline has a specific prologue to play.
You do not have to select that, but it is the suggested option.
Will you accept prologue: The Lost Scion?
"Sure, why not," I answered with a shrug. Truthfully, I was getting a little bored with creating my new persona and was hoping that I'd get to leave this place soon.
Character Creation finished.
Please examine the final listings to be sure.
If you accept, press the green box and the bottom of the screen, if not press the red box to restart Character Creation.
...
Please examine the final listings to be sure.
If you accept, press the green box and the bottom of the screen, if not press the red box to restart Character Creation.
...
The display shifted to show the details that had previously been on the left side of the screen. I noted with amusement that besides my current height it listed a range that I took to mean my potential final height. I chuckled at seeing my current, well old, height of 1.84m was in the middle of that range. I laughed some more at seeing the same ranges were available besides my leg length, hand and foot sizes and most amusingly, Or disturbingly depending on how you saw it, penile length and girth.
I decided to spend one of my bonus stat points to raise Strength to 7, thus bringing it in line with Vitality and Agility, before I pressed the green button.
The brightness in the room increased rapidly and I had to shield my eyes again.
…
Just to be clear, as I wasn't when I started, this story begins in ~3950BBY with Cameron and his 'grandfather' Vaner Shan.
By the end of the Prologue, he will arrive in the Rise of the Empire Era.
This is the unique start due to taking Shan as a family name.
Last edited:
Prologue 1
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2019
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Whoops, forgot to say that for anyone interested in the full story before it appears here, my penname and story name are the same on FF.net.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a bed in a small room, the sounds of birds coming in through the window even as more of the strange blue text floating in my vision.
Basic stats would only show during combat, as would the mini-map, though I found out it only showed areas I had already been to. Combat alerts would appear in my lower left with red and green for me losing/healing HP.
I had just closed the Options menu and was about to call up my details when a voice called out.
"Cameron? Are you up yet?" A male voice asked from somewhere out the door to the room.
"Um, yes," I called back hesitantly, wondering who was in the house/flat with me.
"Good. Breakfast will be on the table in five. Get down here."
I stood slowly, taking in the fact my body was now smaller and glanced at the mirror that hung over a table in the room. I saw that I was indeed younger; the wear and tear of 8 years in the military gone – along with the stubble I had been so fond of. My hair was cut short, though not like a crew-cut, and my eyes were the shade of amber-green I'd picked before.
"Guess this is for real," I muttered to myself as I searched around quickly for some clothes to slip into; going to breakfast in pyjamas was not something I felt comfortable doing anymore. Finding what looked like a chest of drawers beside the table, I pulled on what I thought was the handle, only for the drawer to slide open with a quiet hiss.
"Right, touch-sensitive drawers. Should've seen that coming," I mumbled as I pulled out clothes and quickly slipped them on before exiting the room. Seeing three more doors and a set of stairs heading down, I shrugged and jogged down the stairs, assuming the kitchen/dining room was on the lower floor.
A waft of food caught my nose and helped me find the kitchen where an older man, probably in his sixties If I had to guess, was just sitting down at a table that had two plates of food on it.
"There you are. I swear since you started your school holiday, you've been getting up later and later." He said with a smile that reached his brown eyes.
"Well isn't that the point of the holidays?" I replied as I slowly sat, examining the food in front of me. "To laze about."
The man chuckled. "True enough. You've always been perceptive. Now hurry up. I need to make a few calls to some friends and you have homework to finish before we visit Coruscant next week."
"Yes, Sir," I replied as I cautiously took a bite of what looked like eggs. 'I really wish the movies and cartoons had shown people eating more often.' I mentally commented, though thankfully, the eggs really were eggs.
"Is everything ok Cameron?" The man asked, and I looked up at him. His face was marred by a frown, but his eyes seemed to be looking for something in mine.
"Just a little off I guess," I replied slowly, and his frown grew as his mouth twisted.
"Yeah, I get that way this time of year too." He paused and looked out of a window. "Do, do you still get the dreams about that night?" He asked as he seemed to be thinking about something that happened before.
I recognized the look; one of sorrow and longing and realised that my new parents were missing. Had they died when I was younger?
"Um, no recently," I replied honestly, and he turned back to look at me with a weak smile.
"Good. That's good. Now eat up."
I put my head down and ate the rest of the food slowly, hoping that whatever the old man was hinting at would hint my unfamiliarity with much of the food in front of me.
As I finished the meal, which I was happy to find that it was generally quite nice – though eating blue meat might take some getting used to – I started to stand, only to wonder if I had to place the dish and glass in some kind of cleaner.
"Here, let me…" The man said as he started to stand only for his arm to rub against his glass.
We both watched as it began to tumble off the table and, working on instinct from my previous life, I reached out for the glass, though I knew it was too far away for me to have any chance to getting it before it broke on the floor.
"Holy…" my voice trailed off as the glass stopped falling and floated about halfway to the floor, my hand still stretched out towards it.
"By the Force!" The man exclaimed as he looked from the glass to me with wide eyes. "How? I was told she tested you and you failed!"
"What?" I asked as I moved my hand upwards and watched in shock as the glass followed my actions. 'Right. Force Prodigy. Forgot about that for a second. This is cool.' I felt a grin form on my face as I placed the glass on the table and saw that there was a new notice box in the lower right of my vision; clearly for whatever Force power I had just used.
'Wait, he said I'd been tested,' "What test?" I asked, and the man looked up from the glass, his eyes having returned to normal, but his gaze intensified.
"A Force Test." He replied, and I let my eyes open wider in apparent shock.
"You mean like to be a Jedi?" I asked. Sure, I already knew I could use the Force, but 'Cameron Shan' didn't.
The old man sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, like a Jedi." He looked out of the window again before he continued. "Your mother, bless her heart, was a Jedi as were my own parents. But you were tested as a babe, but nothing showed up." He shook his head for a second before focusing on me. "Maybe it was just a fluke."
I frowned, knowing it wasn't a fluke and extended my hand again, this time lifting his plate. "I don't think so." I countered with a small smirk as his mouth fell open. I lowered the plate slowly and pulled back my hand as the man continued to stare at me.
Can I do this test again?" I asked, wondering how likely it was that was.
The man rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I promised your mother to keep you safe, and being a Jedi is not the safest of careers."
"Isn't it better that I learn to control this," I said, hoping to break through his reluctance.
A small box appeared in the lower left of my vision and I couldn't help but smirk as I read the small text.
"Cameron, did you hear me?"
I looked up and saw the man was watching me through narrowed eyes. "Um, sorry. I was just thinking about how cool it would be to be a Jedi."
"Look, just put the dishes in the cleaning unit then go upstairs and start your homework." He said as he stood slowly. "I'll make a few calls and see about getting you retested."
"Ok," I said, trying and failing to keep a smile from my face as I stood, though it fell a little as I wondered where the cleaning unit was and what it looked like.
"Over there," the man pointed towards the sink. "Get your head out of the clouds or I won't make that call!"
I hustled over quickly to where he'd pointed and saw a small, slightly raised rectangle like the one on the drawer, I pressed it and was rewarded with a door opening and what looked almost identical to a dishwasher was found.
After slipping the dishes and cutlery in, I headed upstairs and fist-pumped once safely in my room with the door closed.
"Yes!" I said, making sure to not shout as I wanted. "Right, time to look at my standing. Interface Help."
"Right, moving on. List Knowledge Skills."
I whistled at the list that appeared, noting that much of it was based on what I knew from the movies and cartoons even as I noticed that all knowledge skills would suffer degradation as time passed; which while making sense was probably going to be annoying when it came time to re-learn about various military and political leaders and how governments and companies worked.
"List Perks."
I noticed that the combat log showed me taking 8HP of damage from striking the desk but ignored it and moved back to the lists.
"List Titles."
That made sense as not many people would be willing to obey an eight-year-old in battle, nor would the muscle memory of combat transfer. The knowledge would, but I'd have to work on teaching this new body how to react.
"List Quests."
Sure, this wasn't a game, but I had to wonder if this was altogether fair.
I continued to glare at the message as it faded away, and with a shake of my head looked around the room.
"I was told to do my homework, but I'd rather practice using the Force. Hmm, List Force Powers."
I read through the description again and smirked. "So 500FP to activate then 5FP a second to hold it, and my FP regenerates at 1% a minute which is… 40! Sweet! So I lose 260FP a minute if I keep it on constantly and I currently have… Lists stats." The list changed. FP is currently at 3750, so that's 3250 divided by 260… about 13 minutes. Right then."
I looked around the room until my eyes landed on the pillow. "That'll do," I muttered and pointed my hand at it, smiling when it floated up into the air. "Yes!"
While the pillow was floating, I figured I should get going on my 'homework'; silently praying that I didn't have to spend skill points to finish it.
I scanned the room for books but frowned at not finding anything save what looked like a cross between an iPad and a game console.
"Right, everything here is computerised," I remarked as I picked it up. "Though I wished I knew how to use this."
I turned the pad over in my free hand slowly, checking it carefully before looking at the front.
There was a large button at the base, under the screen and working on a hunch, I pressed that and smiled as the screen came to life.
Thankfully, the thing was set up very much like an iPad, so it was easy to find the homework assignments and I mentally sighed in relief in seeing that the history and electronic ones were completed; leaving me math and science.
"Here's hoping I remember this stuff," I muttered as I opened the maths homework with a touch.
...
When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a bed in a small room, the sounds of birds coming in through the window even as more of the strange blue text floating in my vision.
Welcome to your new identity.
To help you with your new powers, we have prepared a short tutorial.
Do you wish to complete the tutorial?
Yes/No
[You must verbalise or press the Yes option to accept]
...
I grunted as I reached out and touched 'Yes' and the text changed.To help you with your new powers, we have prepared a short tutorial.
Do you wish to complete the tutorial?
Yes/No
[You must verbalise or press the Yes option to accept]
...
Welcome to the Tutorial.
Here we will explain the following items that were not covered in identity creation.
1: Hit Points, Experience, Stamina and Hunger
2: Stats and their Limits
3: Inventory usage
4: The Force and Force Points
5: Player Powers and Player Points
6: Interface Controls
7: Quests
8: Future Knowledge
Select the option you wish to view first by saying 'Tutorial' followed by the number'
...
"Let's be logical and start with tutorial one," I said while rolling my eyes.Here we will explain the following items that were not covered in identity creation.
1: Hit Points, Experience, Stamina and Hunger
2: Stats and their Limits
3: Inventory usage
4: The Force and Force Points
5: Player Powers and Player Points
6: Interface Controls
7: Quests
8: Future Knowledge
Select the option you wish to view first by saying 'Tutorial' followed by the number'
...
1: Hit Points, Experience, Stamina and Hunger
End of Part 1
Do you wish to proceed to Part 2?
Yes/No?
...
"Yes."When you concentrate and say the word 'STATS' a general listing of your identity will appear.
Beyond the base stats that were explained during identity creation, there are a few others that appear.
These are;
Hit Points [HP]:
This is a base 50 for Humans plus your Vitality*10
Experience [XP]:
To advance to the next level, you need a certain amount of XP.
For levels 1-20, this is 1000XP more than the previous level.
For levels 21-40 this is 2000XP more.
For Levels 41-60 this is 3000XP more.
Stamina [STAM]:
Every physical action that you take requires stamina.
Walking takes 1STAM/minute, jogging 3/minute, running 5/minute and sprinting 10/minute
Other actions take up stamina as well; swimming, jumping, weight lifting and so drain STAM as you go.
Your Stamina is your current level*[Strength+Agility+Vitality]/2
There are ways to improve your Stamina regeneration and lower activity drain, but they are for you to discover.
It regenerates at 1%/minute
Hunger [HUN]:
This tracks your need to eat.
It drains naturally at 5/hr.
It will, however, drain faster when you are physically exerting yourself.
There are, however, ways to slow your hunger loss down, but they are for you to discover.
This is limited to 100.
NOTE:
For each point that Hunger drops below 20, you experience a temporary 1% drop in your Stats and all linked values until you restore your Hunger to 20 or above.
~~~
Beyond the base stats that were explained during identity creation, there are a few others that appear.
These are;
Hit Points [HP]:
This is a base 50 for Humans plus your Vitality*10
Experience [XP]:
To advance to the next level, you need a certain amount of XP.
For levels 1-20, this is 1000XP more than the previous level.
For levels 21-40 this is 2000XP more.
For Levels 41-60 this is 3000XP more.
Stamina [STAM]:
Every physical action that you take requires stamina.
Walking takes 1STAM/minute, jogging 3/minute, running 5/minute and sprinting 10/minute
Other actions take up stamina as well; swimming, jumping, weight lifting and so drain STAM as you go.
Your Stamina is your current level*[Strength+Agility+Vitality]/2
There are ways to improve your Stamina regeneration and lower activity drain, but they are for you to discover.
It regenerates at 1%/minute
Hunger [HUN]:
This tracks your need to eat.
It drains naturally at 5/hr.
It will, however, drain faster when you are physically exerting yourself.
There are, however, ways to slow your hunger loss down, but they are for you to discover.
This is limited to 100.
NOTE:
For each point that Hunger drops below 20, you experience a temporary 1% drop in your Stats and all linked values until you restore your Hunger to 20 or above.
~~~
Do you wish to proceed to Part 2?
Yes/No?
...
2: Stats and their Limits
End of Part 2
Do you wish to proceed to Part 3?
Yes/No?
...
"Fine," I muttered while wondering the quickest way to improve my physical stats. Though when the text didn't change I sighed loudly. "Oh, for the love of… Yes!"Every species has biological hard limits for Strength, Agility and Vitality.
However, there are ways to overcome such limits.
Additionally, none of those three stats can be more than 10 over your current level.
The same methods to pass hard limits also can allow you to pass these soft limits.
Additionally, for each 1 point in a stat you are over your current level, you gain a 5% boost in skill XP generation for relevant skills, up to 50%.
The opposite is also true.
Currently, your penalties/boosts are;
STR -5%
AGI -5%
VIT -5%
INT +35%
WIS +15%
CHA +10%
~~~
However, there are ways to overcome such limits.
Additionally, none of those three stats can be more than 10 over your current level.
The same methods to pass hard limits also can allow you to pass these soft limits.
Additionally, for each 1 point in a stat you are over your current level, you gain a 5% boost in skill XP generation for relevant skills, up to 50%.
The opposite is also true.
Currently, your penalties/boosts are;
STR -5%
AGI -5%
VIT -5%
INT +35%
WIS +15%
CHA +10%
~~~
Do you wish to proceed to Part 3?
Yes/No?
...
3: Inventory usage.
End of Part 3
Do you wish to proceed to Part 4?
Yes/No?
...
"Yes." I sighed in mild annoyance.For every point of Strength grants 2 slots in your inventory.
This is a pocket dimension that only you can use, and in which time does not pass; thus, nothing will degrade while stored there.
It also allows you to store money without concern for weight or volume of Cred-chits
Each slot can hold an object of volume no more than 0.125m^3. [50x50x50cm]
Currently, you have 14 slots.
~~~
This is a pocket dimension that only you can use, and in which time does not pass; thus, nothing will degrade while stored there.
It also allows you to store money without concern for weight or volume of Cred-chits
Each slot can hold an object of volume no more than 0.125m^3. [50x50x50cm]
Currently, you have 14 slots.
~~~
Do you wish to proceed to Part 4?
Yes/No?
...
4: The Force and Force Points
End of Part 4
Do you wish to proceed to Part 5?
Yes/No?
...
"Bloody hell! Yes!"As you have taken the Force Prodigy Perk during identity creation, you are now one of the few in the galaxy who can not only sense but actively use the Force.
Each level, you receive 500 Force Points.
While you can consciously use the Force to improve your actions, many of the more advanced uses and concepts require instruction from a trained Force user.
All Force powers follow the Novice to Prodigy ranging system and while expensive to first use, the cost of use decreases with training.
Your Force Points regenerate at 1%/minute.
NOTE:
Not all possible Force powers are taught by the Jedi or the Sith; indeed, you may even be able to create your own in time.
~~~
Each level, you receive 500 Force Points.
While you can consciously use the Force to improve your actions, many of the more advanced uses and concepts require instruction from a trained Force user.
All Force powers follow the Novice to Prodigy ranging system and while expensive to first use, the cost of use decreases with training.
Your Force Points regenerate at 1%/minute.
NOTE:
Not all possible Force powers are taught by the Jedi or the Sith; indeed, you may even be able to create your own in time.
~~~
Do you wish to proceed to Part 5?
Yes/No?
...
5: Player Powers and Player Points
End of Part 5
Do you wish to proceed to Part 6?
Yes/No?
...
"Yes," I mumbled out in annoyance at having to keep vocalising my commands. I hoped the next section told me how to change that.Due to your winning of the Multiversal Afterlife Lottery, you have been given the special title: Chosen.
This title grants access to special powers that, to the corporeal mind, resemble being in a Game.
Initial Player Powers provided are:
Player's Mind MAX
Allows the Player to calmly and logically think things through.
Grants a peaceful state of mind.
Grants immunity to physiological effects.
Protects against compulsions and external controls.
Does not prevent the Player from showing emotional responses, only dissipates them almost instantly afterwards.
[NOTE: Will automatically turn on when the Player is in battle or HP falls below 25%]
Player's Body MAX
The body experiences the stresses of the physical world as if it was a video game.
[This means that you suffer no obvious damage when hit/shot/stabbed etc, but instead lose HP]
[You can, however, still lose limbs if the attack severs them from your body.]
Sleeping fully [8 hours under normal circumstance] restores HP and heals all temporary statuses effects.
NOTE:
If your HP reaches 0, for whatever reason, YOU WILL DIE.
Inventory
See Tutorial Stage 3.
Player's Points
Every level, you gain 2 more PP, which are used for Player Powers you have purchased.
They regenerate at 10%/5minutes.
You gain 1 Player Perk Point every 5 levels, which can be used to activate special abilities.
To view the list of Player Powers that you can activate, you say 'Player Power Options'
~~~
This title grants access to special powers that, to the corporeal mind, resemble being in a Game.
Initial Player Powers provided are:
Player's Mind MAX
Allows the Player to calmly and logically think things through.
Grants a peaceful state of mind.
Grants immunity to physiological effects.
Protects against compulsions and external controls.
Does not prevent the Player from showing emotional responses, only dissipates them almost instantly afterwards.
[NOTE: Will automatically turn on when the Player is in battle or HP falls below 25%]
Player's Body MAX
The body experiences the stresses of the physical world as if it was a video game.
[This means that you suffer no obvious damage when hit/shot/stabbed etc, but instead lose HP]
[You can, however, still lose limbs if the attack severs them from your body.]
Sleeping fully [8 hours under normal circumstance] restores HP and heals all temporary statuses effects.
NOTE:
If your HP reaches 0, for whatever reason, YOU WILL DIE.
Inventory
See Tutorial Stage 3.
Player's Points
Every level, you gain 2 more PP, which are used for Player Powers you have purchased.
They regenerate at 10%/5minutes.
You gain 1 Player Perk Point every 5 levels, which can be used to activate special abilities.
To view the list of Player Powers that you can activate, you say 'Player Power Options'
~~~
Do you wish to proceed to Part 6?
Yes/No?
...
6: Interface Controls
End of Part 6
Do you wish to proceed to Part 7?
Yes/No?
...
"Yes." I was really hoping this would be over soon I could check my details. Hopefully, I would be able to do so once the tutorial was finished.While having this text appear in the middle of your vision is the default setting, we understand that this could be life-threatening.
[Something we learnt from the first-ever winner of the Multiversal Afterlife Lottery]
As such, saying 'Interface Options' will take you to a screen where you can choose from various options.
From here you can re-order your interface in a way you are more familiar with.
To access your stats and skills, please examine the Interface Help in the options menu.
~~~
[Something we learnt from the first-ever winner of the Multiversal Afterlife Lottery]
As such, saying 'Interface Options' will take you to a screen where you can choose from various options.
From here you can re-order your interface in a way you are more familiar with.
To access your stats and skills, please examine the Interface Help in the options menu.
~~~
Do you wish to proceed to Part 7?
Yes/No?
...
7: Quests
Quest Alert!
Prologue
This is the introduction to get you to your chosen Era
[Note, currently you aren't there.]
Rating: B
Objective: Survive and Escape
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
3500XP
Penalties:
Capture by the Sith
Possible Death
Accept?
Yes
...
"Why the fuck is 'No' missing through?" I grumbled as I finished reading my first quest alert.Most activities will be given as quests.
While many will be pre-generated by the interface, if you set your mind to something, it will be turned into a quest.
Quests have difficulty ratings which affect rewards and penalties.
The more difficult the quest, the greater the reward and penalties.
Any combat quest has a possible failure of death if things go totally wrong.
~~~
While many will be pre-generated by the interface, if you set your mind to something, it will be turned into a quest.
Quests have difficulty ratings which affect rewards and penalties.
The more difficult the quest, the greater the reward and penalties.
Any combat quest has a possible failure of death if things go totally wrong.
~~~
Prologue
This is the introduction to get you to your chosen Era
[Note, currently you aren't there.]
Rating: B
Objective: Survive and Escape
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
3500XP
Penalties:
Capture by the Sith
Possible Death
Accept?
Yes
...
Certain quests cannot be ignored.
These are plot quests or quests where you have to follow the orders of another.
~~~
End of Part 7
Do you wish to proceed to Part 8?
Yes/No?
...
"Yes," I grumbled at realising that if I screwed up the prologue, I could die or be captured by the Sith; and death seemed the more appealing option.These are plot quests or quests where you have to follow the orders of another.
~~~
End of Part 7
Do you wish to proceed to Part 8?
Yes/No?
...
8: Future Knowledge
Well Done!
You actually read the tutorial!
Here's 500XP
Good luck!
...
"Mother… Fine." I said with a growl, accepting the quest. "Right, Interface Options."Since you are The Player, you have some knowledge of future events.
However, you cannot come out and simply say what will happen as your very presence changes things.
Every time you try to talk about what you know, you will be unable to do so directly.
However, you may be able to discover a way to hint at what may happen, but that's up to you to discover.
~~~
However, you cannot come out and simply say what will happen as your very presence changes things.
Every time you try to talk about what you know, you will be unable to do so directly.
However, you may be able to discover a way to hint at what may happen, but that's up to you to discover.
~~~
You actually read the tutorial!
Here's 500XP
Good luck!
...
Welcome to the Player Interface
From here you can control where and for how long various notices appear.
Notice Options are:
General notices
Quest Alerts/ Updates/ Completions or Failures
Basic Stats
Mini-map
Combat Alerts
Interface Help
Please select when, where and for how long each notice appears.
...
I spent the next while lying on the bed while I fiddled with the various options. Now all quest-related notices would appear in the lower right of my vision; though only alerts and completions/failures would stay there until read. The annoying random notices like skill level-ups would also appear there, but then vanish after ten seconds.From here you can control where and for how long various notices appear.
Notice Options are:
General notices
Quest Alerts/ Updates/ Completions or Failures
Basic Stats
Mini-map
Combat Alerts
Interface Help
Please select when, where and for how long each notice appears.
...
Basic stats would only show during combat, as would the mini-map, though I found out it only showed areas I had already been to. Combat alerts would appear in my lower left with red and green for me losing/healing HP.
I had just closed the Options menu and was about to call up my details when a voice called out.
"Cameron? Are you up yet?" A male voice asked from somewhere out the door to the room.
"Um, yes," I called back hesitantly, wondering who was in the house/flat with me.
"Good. Breakfast will be on the table in five. Get down here."
I stood slowly, taking in the fact my body was now smaller and glanced at the mirror that hung over a table in the room. I saw that I was indeed younger; the wear and tear of 8 years in the military gone – along with the stubble I had been so fond of. My hair was cut short, though not like a crew-cut, and my eyes were the shade of amber-green I'd picked before.
"Guess this is for real," I muttered to myself as I searched around quickly for some clothes to slip into; going to breakfast in pyjamas was not something I felt comfortable doing anymore. Finding what looked like a chest of drawers beside the table, I pulled on what I thought was the handle, only for the drawer to slide open with a quiet hiss.
"Right, touch-sensitive drawers. Should've seen that coming," I mumbled as I pulled out clothes and quickly slipped them on before exiting the room. Seeing three more doors and a set of stairs heading down, I shrugged and jogged down the stairs, assuming the kitchen/dining room was on the lower floor.
A waft of food caught my nose and helped me find the kitchen where an older man, probably in his sixties If I had to guess, was just sitting down at a table that had two plates of food on it.
"There you are. I swear since you started your school holiday, you've been getting up later and later." He said with a smile that reached his brown eyes.
"Well isn't that the point of the holidays?" I replied as I slowly sat, examining the food in front of me. "To laze about."
The man chuckled. "True enough. You've always been perceptive. Now hurry up. I need to make a few calls to some friends and you have homework to finish before we visit Coruscant next week."
"Yes, Sir," I replied as I cautiously took a bite of what looked like eggs. 'I really wish the movies and cartoons had shown people eating more often.' I mentally commented, though thankfully, the eggs really were eggs.
"Is everything ok Cameron?" The man asked, and I looked up at him. His face was marred by a frown, but his eyes seemed to be looking for something in mine.
"Just a little off I guess," I replied slowly, and his frown grew as his mouth twisted.
"Yeah, I get that way this time of year too." He paused and looked out of a window. "Do, do you still get the dreams about that night?" He asked as he seemed to be thinking about something that happened before.
I recognized the look; one of sorrow and longing and realised that my new parents were missing. Had they died when I was younger?
"Um, no recently," I replied honestly, and he turned back to look at me with a weak smile.
"Good. That's good. Now eat up."
I put my head down and ate the rest of the food slowly, hoping that whatever the old man was hinting at would hint my unfamiliarity with much of the food in front of me.
As I finished the meal, which I was happy to find that it was generally quite nice – though eating blue meat might take some getting used to – I started to stand, only to wonder if I had to place the dish and glass in some kind of cleaner.
"Here, let me…" The man said as he started to stand only for his arm to rub against his glass.
We both watched as it began to tumble off the table and, working on instinct from my previous life, I reached out for the glass, though I knew it was too far away for me to have any chance to getting it before it broke on the floor.
"Holy…" my voice trailed off as the glass stopped falling and floated about halfway to the floor, my hand still stretched out towards it.
"By the Force!" The man exclaimed as he looked from the glass to me with wide eyes. "How? I was told she tested you and you failed!"
"What?" I asked as I moved my hand upwards and watched in shock as the glass followed my actions. 'Right. Force Prodigy. Forgot about that for a second. This is cool.' I felt a grin form on my face as I placed the glass on the table and saw that there was a new notice box in the lower right of my vision; clearly for whatever Force power I had just used.
'Wait, he said I'd been tested,' "What test?" I asked, and the man looked up from the glass, his eyes having returned to normal, but his gaze intensified.
"A Force Test." He replied, and I let my eyes open wider in apparent shock.
"You mean like to be a Jedi?" I asked. Sure, I already knew I could use the Force, but 'Cameron Shan' didn't.
The old man sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, like a Jedi." He looked out of the window again before he continued. "Your mother, bless her heart, was a Jedi as were my own parents. But you were tested as a babe, but nothing showed up." He shook his head for a second before focusing on me. "Maybe it was just a fluke."
I frowned, knowing it wasn't a fluke and extended my hand again, this time lifting his plate. "I don't think so." I countered with a small smirk as his mouth fell open. I lowered the plate slowly and pulled back my hand as the man continued to stare at me.
Can I do this test again?" I asked, wondering how likely it was that was.
The man rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I promised your mother to keep you safe, and being a Jedi is not the safest of careers."
"Isn't it better that I learn to control this," I said, hoping to break through his reluctance.
A small box appeared in the lower left of my vision and I couldn't help but smirk as I read the small text.
Skill Usage: Persuasion
Chance = 30.5%
~~~
Success!
...
I wondered if every skill use would be like that, and if there was to turn off that as it really made this whole thing feel like a game. I blinked at the new text that appeared in the middle of my vision.Chance = 30.5%
~~~
Success!
...
Yes, you can turn those off.
And again, THIS IS NOT A GAME!
It's just the only way your feeble mind can handle these powers.
I grunted at the message from what I assumed was the people – beings? – that gave me this new life and did my best to not be offended at being called feeble-minded.And again, THIS IS NOT A GAME!
It's just the only way your feeble mind can handle these powers.
Good boy!
Now go, enjoy your new life.
And don't die too soon, I've got a millennium as a rabbit bet on your mating with ******
'Seriously? They're betting on who I sleep with?!' I shook my head as the message from whoever faded away.Now go, enjoy your new life.
And don't die too soon, I've got a millennium as a rabbit bet on your mating with ******
"Cameron, did you hear me?"
I looked up and saw the man was watching me through narrowed eyes. "Um, sorry. I was just thinking about how cool it would be to be a Jedi."
Skill Usage: Deception
Chance = 11%
~~~
Failure!
...
He frowned, clearly having not bought my lie but thankfully he didn't push the matter. Chance = 11%
~~~
Failure!
...
"Look, just put the dishes in the cleaning unit then go upstairs and start your homework." He said as he stood slowly. "I'll make a few calls and see about getting you retested."
"Ok," I said, trying and failing to keep a smile from my face as I stood, though it fell a little as I wondered where the cleaning unit was and what it looked like.
"Over there," the man pointed towards the sink. "Get your head out of the clouds or I won't make that call!"
I hustled over quickly to where he'd pointed and saw a small, slightly raised rectangle like the one on the drawer, I pressed it and was rewarded with a door opening and what looked almost identical to a dishwasher was found.
After slipping the dishes and cutlery in, I headed upstairs and fist-pumped once safely in my room with the door closed.
"Yes!" I said, making sure to not shout as I wanted. "Right, time to look at my standing. Interface Help."
Welcome to Player Interface Help
Here you can learn how to use the interface to understand what skills, abilities and tricks you have.
Select help menu you wish to peruse by saying Help followed by the appropriate number;
1: Lists
2: List Explanations
3: You and Those Around you
4: Inventory and you
5: Interface Controls
...
"Um, help one."Here you can learn how to use the interface to understand what skills, abilities and tricks you have.
Select help menu you wish to peruse by saying Help followed by the appropriate number;
1: Lists
2: List Explanations
3: You and Those Around you
4: Inventory and you
5: Interface Controls
...
1: Lists
The various lists you have and how to view them.
To access any menu, simply say list followed by the appropriate word.
Current lists available;
Stats, Skills, Knowledge Skills, Perks, Force Powers, Player Powers, Titles, Quests
...
"Seems easy enough. Help two." I said, figuring it was better to at least skim the manual before taking the new toy for a spin, having mentally taken a read of the lists available for once I was finished with the help menus.The various lists you have and how to view them.
To access any menu, simply say list followed by the appropriate word.
Current lists available;
Stats, Skills, Knowledge Skills, Perks, Force Powers, Player Powers, Titles, Quests
...
2: List Explanations
'Well, Damm! That's a lot to take in. Still, get through the help then check it out.' "Help three." This explains the basics of each list.
Stats:
These are the core values that define you.
They are split between Strength, Agility and Vitality [Physical stats] and Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma [Mental stats].
There is a final stat is called Luck.
This is set to 0 for all Humans, though it can be raised through the spending of stat points or certain perks.
Also listed with your stats are your Hit Points [HP], Force Points [FP], Player Points [PP], Stat Points [SP], Stamina [STAM], Hunger [HUN], Experience for the current level [XP], Title and Credits.
Hit Points
These are an indicator of how much damage you can take.
When it reaches 0, YOU DIE!
You get a base 50HP as Human plus a further 10 per point of VIT.
Force Points
These are the points that allow you to use the Force.
You gain 500FP per level.
These regenerate at 1% per minute.
Player Points
These are the points that allow you to use your unique abilities.
You gain 2 PP per level.
Additionally, you gain 1 Player Perk Point [PPP] every 5 levels.
These regenerate at 10% every 5 minutes.
Stat Points
This is a list of how many spare stat points you have to spend on your stats.
You gain 4+INT/15 SP per level.
Stamina
This is your ability to move, run, jump, swim and do other physical activities.
Your stamina is defined as level*(STR+VIT+AGI)/2.
It regenerates at 1% per minute when resting.
This can be boosted with perks or powers.
Hunger
This is a measure of how hungry you are.
It drains naturally at 5/hr.
However, doing any physical activity increases the rate of hunger decay.
For each point that Hunger drops below 20, you experience a 1% drop in your Stats and all linked values.
If it reaches 0, you will lose consciousness and, if you are not revived within 4 hours, you will die.
Experience
This is a key to how close you are to levelling-up.
Levels 1-20 requires 1000XP more than the previous level.
Levels 21-40 requires 2000XP more than the previous level.
Levels 41-60 requires 3000XP more than the previous level.
All levels over 60 require 5000XP more than the previous level.
Titles
This is whatever title(s) you are currently applying.
You can apply 1 title as a base plus 1 extra for every 10 levels you gain.
Credits
This is your money.
While it is all digital, you can store it in your inventory in a special slot.
When you wish to withdraw some, you will be given credit chips that are as close in value to what you wish for, without being less.
...
Stats:
These are the core values that define you.
They are split between Strength, Agility and Vitality [Physical stats] and Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma [Mental stats].
There is a final stat is called Luck.
This is set to 0 for all Humans, though it can be raised through the spending of stat points or certain perks.
Also listed with your stats are your Hit Points [HP], Force Points [FP], Player Points [PP], Stat Points [SP], Stamina [STAM], Hunger [HUN], Experience for the current level [XP], Title and Credits.
Hit Points
These are an indicator of how much damage you can take.
When it reaches 0, YOU DIE!
You get a base 50HP as Human plus a further 10 per point of VIT.
Force Points
These are the points that allow you to use the Force.
You gain 500FP per level.
These regenerate at 1% per minute.
Player Points
These are the points that allow you to use your unique abilities.
You gain 2 PP per level.
Additionally, you gain 1 Player Perk Point [PPP] every 5 levels.
These regenerate at 10% every 5 minutes.
Stat Points
This is a list of how many spare stat points you have to spend on your stats.
You gain 4+INT/15 SP per level.
Stamina
This is your ability to move, run, jump, swim and do other physical activities.
Your stamina is defined as level*(STR+VIT+AGI)/2.
It regenerates at 1% per minute when resting.
This can be boosted with perks or powers.
Hunger
This is a measure of how hungry you are.
It drains naturally at 5/hr.
However, doing any physical activity increases the rate of hunger decay.
For each point that Hunger drops below 20, you experience a 1% drop in your Stats and all linked values.
If it reaches 0, you will lose consciousness and, if you are not revived within 4 hours, you will die.
Experience
This is a key to how close you are to levelling-up.
Levels 1-20 requires 1000XP more than the previous level.
Levels 21-40 requires 2000XP more than the previous level.
Levels 41-60 requires 3000XP more than the previous level.
All levels over 60 require 5000XP more than the previous level.
Titles
This is whatever title(s) you are currently applying.
You can apply 1 title as a base plus 1 extra for every 10 levels you gain.
Credits
This is your money.
While it is all digital, you can store it in your inventory in a special slot.
When you wish to withdraw some, you will be given credit chips that are as close in value to what you wish for, without being less.
...
3: You and Those Around you
"Well ok. That's something to worry about later on. Help 4."How you behave has relevance to the people, organizations and planets around you.
Everything you do affects how others see you.
While in most cases this is on a one-to-one level, some actions have planetary, or even galactic implications.
Certain titles and perks can also affect how others see you.
~~~
Reputation
This is your standing with everyone, from those around you, to governments and corporations.
Most people start at 0, though this not always the case.
From there, your reputation with someone can go up or down, through the following levels;
Despised -500 – -1000
Hated -1 – -500
Disliked 0 – 500
Neutral 501 – 2000
Liked 2001 – 5000
Trusted 5001 – 10000
Honoured 10001 – 20000
Worshipped 20001+
~~~
Friendship
Once your reputation is at Liked there is the chance that that person can become a friend.
This will affect not only how they see you, but how their other friends and enemies do as well.
Once someone is classed as a friend, then any change to Reputation affects your friendship, though by only half the Reputation change.
Levels of friendship are as follows;
Acquaintance 0 – 1000
Friend 1001 – 5000
Confidant 5000 – 10000
[Locked until Reputation is Trusted or higher and passing a test of friendship]
Follower 10000+
[Locked until Reputation is Confidant or higher and passing 3 tests of friendship]
~~~
[This section is locked due to your age]
...
Everything you do affects how others see you.
While in most cases this is on a one-to-one level, some actions have planetary, or even galactic implications.
Certain titles and perks can also affect how others see you.
~~~
Reputation
This is your standing with everyone, from those around you, to governments and corporations.
Most people start at 0, though this not always the case.
From there, your reputation with someone can go up or down, through the following levels;
Despised -500 – -1000
Hated -1 – -500
Disliked 0 – 500
Neutral 501 – 2000
Liked 2001 – 5000
Trusted 5001 – 10000
Honoured 10001 – 20000
Worshipped 20001+
~~~
Friendship
Once your reputation is at Liked there is the chance that that person can become a friend.
This will affect not only how they see you, but how their other friends and enemies do as well.
Once someone is classed as a friend, then any change to Reputation affects your friendship, though by only half the Reputation change.
Levels of friendship are as follows;
Acquaintance 0 – 1000
Friend 1001 – 5000
Confidant 5000 – 10000
[Locked until Reputation is Trusted or higher and passing a test of friendship]
Follower 10000+
[Locked until Reputation is Confidant or higher and passing 3 tests of friendship]
~~~
[This section is locked due to your age]
...
4: Inventory and you
"Huh. I'll check that out later I guess, but this is really feeling like a game, even though they say it isn't."Your special storage space and other attached facts.
Your inventory is a special pocket dimension where you can store almost anything safely for an indefinite amount of time [Space permitting]
This screen also lists vital stats and clothing/armour components.
Certain clothing can grant damage reduction or outright protection from the various forms of damage you could encounter in this galaxy.
Your total inventory space is defined as twice your strength.
...
Your inventory is a special pocket dimension where you can store almost anything safely for an indefinite amount of time [Space permitting]
This screen also lists vital stats and clothing/armour components.
Certain clothing can grant damage reduction or outright protection from the various forms of damage you could encounter in this galaxy.
Your total inventory space is defined as twice your strength.
...
We will remind you of this the first time you get shot or stabbed.
"Har-har," I muttered at the cheek being shown by whoever was watching/helping me. "I could look at the interface controls, but I suspect that's just a full repeat of what was said before, so let's have a look at myself. List Stats."
Cameron Shan
"Geez, those Force points are high. Though seeing how far it's fallen after using a power twice, I'm guessing that Force powers are hard to use, though I'll find out for sure once I read through them. First, however, List Skills."Species: Human
Title: The Player
Level 8
HP: 120/120
FP: 3350/4000
PP: 16/16
XP [500/8000]
STAM [80/80]
Hunger [100/100]
STR: 7 +
VIT: 7 +
AGI: 7 +
INT: 15 +
WIS: 11 +
CHA: 10 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 1
PP: 0
Credits: 0
...
Title: The Player
Level 8
HP: 120/120
FP: 3350/4000
PP: 16/16
XP [500/8000]
STAM [80/80]
Hunger [100/100]
STR: 7 +
VIT: 7 +
AGI: 7 +
INT: 15 +
WIS: 11 +
CHA: 10 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 1
PP: 0
Credits: 0
...
SKILLS
"Bloody hell, that's a long list," I muttered, making a mental note to look at the skills via stats in future. Though I did chuckle at the idea that I could speak a language that no-one here had ever heard before. I figured when I kept my limited German might come in handy for codes, and now just the idea of someone like Yoda or Vader trying to speak it had me laughing.This is a listing of all skills you have, not all the skills you COULD have.
Each skill has a corresponding stat that affects how quickly you can improve that skill.
For future reference, you can call up skills for each stat by saying 'List [STAT] skills'.
Note:
Certain skills, such as school and combat skills, have six ranks; Novice, Adept, Professional, Master, Savant, Prodigy.
Each rank has 100 levels.
These skills have set EXP levels of 100 for Novice, 200 Adept, 300 for Professional, 500 for Master and 700 for Savant and 1000 for Prodigy.
These skills will have the name of the current level beside the numerical level value.
Other skills can go up to 100[though not all] but have increases of 25EXP per level.
You will Get a bonus general stat point for 1500 levels.
Each level-up, you gain INT*2 skill points to spend as you see fit.
Currently, you have 70 SP left to spend.
~~~
Any skill that has a [F] next to it can be boosted by the Force, though only once you have the appropriate training.
STRENGTH SKILLS
Lightsaber[1-handed]
10+ Novice
Hand to Hand [F]
25+ Professional
Melee Weapons [2-handed]
1+ Adept
AGILITY SKILLS
Melee Weapons[1-handed] [F]
3+ Professional
Melee Weapons [Thrown]
15+ Adept
Marksmanship [F]
97+ Adept
Ranged Weapons [1-handed] [F]
5+ Professional
Ranged Weapons [2-handed] [F]
40+ Professional
Ranged Weapons [Heavy] [F]
2+ Adept
Piloting [Atmospheric] [F]
5+ Novice
Piloting [Space] [F]
5+ Novice
Riding [4-legged] [F]
73+ Novice
Stealth [F]
65+ Adept
Sleight of Hand [F]
45+ Novice
Lockpicking [F]
15+ Novice
Cleaning
20+ Novice
Cooking
10+ Novice
Musical Instrument [Guitar]
15+ Novice
VITALITY SKILLS
Athletics [F]
10+ Novice
Swimming [F]
10+ Novice
INTELLIGENCE SKILLS
Astrogation
10+ Novice
Computing [Slicing]
20+ Novice
Computing [Programming]
10+ Novice
Economics
11+ Adept
Mechanics [Engines]
10+ Novice
Mechanics [Speeders]
10+ Novice
Mechanics [Fighters]
10+ Novice
Mechanics [Starships]
10+ Novice
Medicine [First Aid]
35+ Adept
Anatomy [Human]
15+ Adept
Forensics
67+ Novice
LANGUAGES
There are an inordinate number of languages you can learn.
Reading/writing speed is (Adept50-current)/2 slower OR (current level-Professional1)/4 faster
Language [Basic]
85+ Adept
Language [German]
12+ Adept
INTELLIGENCE/WISDOM SKILLS
These rare skills can use both INT or WIS stats at different times.
For battle-planning INT is used but for adapting on the go, WIS is used.
Warfare [Ground]
44+ Professional
Warfare [Space]
10+ Novice
WISDOM SKILLS
Concentration [F]
100
Composure [F]
34+
Danger Sense [F]
21+
CHARISMA SKILLS
NOTE: All Charisma skills are boosted by luck, when you have any, both positively and negatively.
Deception [F]
15+ Novice
Lie Detection [F]
10+ Novice
Meditation [F]
50+
Perception [F]
50+ Novice
Survival [F]
74+ Adept
Persuasion [F]
1+ Adept
Intimidation/Taunting [F]
10+ Novice
Singing [F]
6+ Novice
Negotiating [F]
4+ Novice
...
Each skill has a corresponding stat that affects how quickly you can improve that skill.
For future reference, you can call up skills for each stat by saying 'List [STAT] skills'.
Note:
Certain skills, such as school and combat skills, have six ranks; Novice, Adept, Professional, Master, Savant, Prodigy.
Each rank has 100 levels.
These skills have set EXP levels of 100 for Novice, 200 Adept, 300 for Professional, 500 for Master and 700 for Savant and 1000 for Prodigy.
These skills will have the name of the current level beside the numerical level value.
Other skills can go up to 100[though not all] but have increases of 25EXP per level.
You will Get a bonus general stat point for 1500 levels.
Each level-up, you gain INT*2 skill points to spend as you see fit.
Currently, you have 70 SP left to spend.
~~~
Any skill that has a [F] next to it can be boosted by the Force, though only once you have the appropriate training.
STRENGTH SKILLS
Lightsaber[1-handed]
10+ Novice
Hand to Hand [F]
25+ Professional
Melee Weapons [2-handed]
1+ Adept
AGILITY SKILLS
Melee Weapons[1-handed] [F]
3+ Professional
Melee Weapons [Thrown]
15+ Adept
Marksmanship [F]
97+ Adept
Ranged Weapons [1-handed] [F]
5+ Professional
Ranged Weapons [2-handed] [F]
40+ Professional
Ranged Weapons [Heavy] [F]
2+ Adept
Piloting [Atmospheric] [F]
5+ Novice
Piloting [Space] [F]
5+ Novice
Riding [4-legged] [F]
73+ Novice
Stealth [F]
65+ Adept
Sleight of Hand [F]
45+ Novice
Lockpicking [F]
15+ Novice
Cleaning
20+ Novice
Cooking
10+ Novice
Musical Instrument [Guitar]
15+ Novice
VITALITY SKILLS
Athletics [F]
10+ Novice
Swimming [F]
10+ Novice
INTELLIGENCE SKILLS
Astrogation
10+ Novice
Computing [Slicing]
20+ Novice
Computing [Programming]
10+ Novice
Economics
11+ Adept
Mechanics [Engines]
10+ Novice
Mechanics [Speeders]
10+ Novice
Mechanics [Fighters]
10+ Novice
Mechanics [Starships]
10+ Novice
Medicine [First Aid]
35+ Adept
Anatomy [Human]
15+ Adept
Forensics
67+ Novice
LANGUAGES
There are an inordinate number of languages you can learn.
Reading/writing speed is (Adept50-current)/2 slower OR (current level-Professional1)/4 faster
Language [Basic]
85+ Adept
Language [German]
12+ Adept
INTELLIGENCE/WISDOM SKILLS
These rare skills can use both INT or WIS stats at different times.
For battle-planning INT is used but for adapting on the go, WIS is used.
Warfare [Ground]
44+ Professional
Warfare [Space]
10+ Novice
WISDOM SKILLS
Concentration [F]
100
Composure [F]
34+
Danger Sense [F]
21+
CHARISMA SKILLS
NOTE: All Charisma skills are boosted by luck, when you have any, both positively and negatively.
Deception [F]
15+ Novice
Lie Detection [F]
10+ Novice
Meditation [F]
50+
Perception [F]
50+ Novice
Survival [F]
74+ Adept
Persuasion [F]
1+ Adept
Intimidation/Taunting [F]
10+ Novice
Singing [F]
6+ Novice
Negotiating [F]
4+ Novice
...
"Right, moving on. List Knowledge Skills."
I whistled at the list that appeared, noting that much of it was based on what I knew from the movies and cartoons even as I noticed that all knowledge skills would suffer degradation as time passed; which while making sense was probably going to be annoying when it came time to re-learn about various military and political leaders and how governments and companies worked.
"List Perks."
PERKS
"Yup, photographic memory will be useful to counter knowledge loss, though I wish I knew what the hidden player power that synced with Empathy was; or how exactly it helped my odds," I said with a slight frown. "List Force Powers."These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].
Perks have requirements in PP, stat and level values that must be met before they become available for selection.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Force Prodigy
You are Force-sensitive, allowing you to call on The Force and learn to draw on its powers.
Your connection to the Force is immense and marks you out as potentially one of the most powerful Force users of your time.
Grants 500 Force Points (FP) per level.
[Can only be selected on identity creation]
Boosts luck by 10
Photographic Memory
Lowers Knowledge skills degradation by 75%
Grants a 9/10 chance to remember something you read in the last 5 years
[7/10 in 10yrs, 5/10 in 20yrs]
Empathy
You can detect the emotions of people around you who don't manage to shield them.
Can increase your odds with certain skills.
Especially useful when combined with the ******* Player Power.
Ambidextrous
Can use both hands for tools and weapons.
Halves accuracy penalties for using your off-hand in combat.
...
Perks have requirements in PP, stat and level values that must be met before they become available for selection.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Force Prodigy
You are Force-sensitive, allowing you to call on The Force and learn to draw on its powers.
Your connection to the Force is immense and marks you out as potentially one of the most powerful Force users of your time.
Grants 500 Force Points (FP) per level.
[Can only be selected on identity creation]
Boosts luck by 10
Photographic Memory
Lowers Knowledge skills degradation by 75%
Grants a 9/10 chance to remember something you read in the last 5 years
[7/10 in 10yrs, 5/10 in 20yrs]
Empathy
You can detect the emotions of people around you who don't manage to shield them.
Can increase your odds with certain skills.
Especially useful when combined with the ******* Player Power.
Ambidextrous
Can use both hands for tools and weapons.
Halves accuracy penalties for using your off-hand in combat.
...
FORCE POWERS
"Well that's the power I expected but that cost is high. Hmm, didn't it say earlier that it gets easier to use Force Powers with training? Maybe that means the cost decreases as I get better at using it." I thought with a smirk. "Once I finish checking out everything I'll have to keep using it and see. List Player Powers." I was curious as to what exactly I would learn here as this seemed the more reality-breaking part of my new life.These are the powers you have learned or discovered that use the Force to work.
Many of the more advanced powers require training from a master Force user to learn.
You may discover many on your own by simple trial and error, however, this is frowned upon by of the groups around the galaxy that can use the Force since control is needed to truly use the Force.
As to what the Force is, well it simply is.
It's neither good nor evil [which in most cases are open to interpretation] but emotions of all kinds do influence what you can do with the Force.
Importantly, the better you get a using a power, the easier it is to use.
Currently, you have the following Force Powers:
Push/Pull
1 Novice
The ability to push, pull and levitate objects or block objects in motion so long as their mass is within your power range.
At higher levels, this can grant the ability to lift multiple objects at once and even self-levitation.
Can currently lift 1 object up to 10kg in mass.
Costs 500FP +5FP/second
...
Many of the more advanced powers require training from a master Force user to learn.
You may discover many on your own by simple trial and error, however, this is frowned upon by of the groups around the galaxy that can use the Force since control is needed to truly use the Force.
As to what the Force is, well it simply is.
It's neither good nor evil [which in most cases are open to interpretation] but emotions of all kinds do influence what you can do with the Force.
Importantly, the better you get a using a power, the easier it is to use.
Currently, you have the following Force Powers:
Push/Pull
1 Novice
The ability to push, pull and levitate objects or block objects in motion so long as their mass is within your power range.
At higher levels, this can grant the ability to lift multiple objects at once and even self-levitation.
Can currently lift 1 object up to 10kg in mass.
Costs 500FP +5FP/second
...
PLAYER POWERS
"Yes," I replied excitedly.These are powers and skills that are unique to The Player.
However, some of them are very close to what many consider to be 'Dark-Side Force powers' so be careful when using them around 'Light-side Force users'
You gain 1 Player Power Point every 5 levels to spend on new powers.
Currently, you have the following Player Powers:
Player's Mind [ON/OFF] MAX
Allows the Player to calmly and logically think things through.
Allows a peaceful state of mind.
Grants immunity to physiological effects.
Protects against compulsions and external controls.
Does not prevent the Player from showing emotional responses, only dissipates them instantly afterwards.
[NOTE: Will automatically turn on when the Player is in battle or HP falls below 25%]
Player's Body MAX
The body experiences the stresses of the physical world as if it was a video game.
[This means that you suffer no obvious damage when hit/shot/stabbed etc, but instead lose HPs]
[You can, however, still lose limbs if the attack severs them from your body.]
Sleeping fully [8 hours under normal circumstance] restores HP and heals all temporary statuses effects.
NOTE:
If your HP reaches 0, for whatever reason, YOU WILL DIE.
Inventory
For every point of Strength grants 2 slots in your inventory.
This is a pocket dimension that only you can use, and in which time does not pass; thus, nothing will degrade while stored there.
It also allows you to store money without concern for weight or limits of Cred-chits
Each slot can hold an object of volume no more than 0.125m^3. [50x50x50cm]
Currently, you have 14 slots.
NOTE:
Currently, you have 1 PPP.
Do you wish to view available Player Powers?
Yes/No
...
However, some of them are very close to what many consider to be 'Dark-Side Force powers' so be careful when using them around 'Light-side Force users'
You gain 1 Player Power Point every 5 levels to spend on new powers.
Currently, you have the following Player Powers:
Player's Mind [ON/OFF] MAX
Allows the Player to calmly and logically think things through.
Allows a peaceful state of mind.
Grants immunity to physiological effects.
Protects against compulsions and external controls.
Does not prevent the Player from showing emotional responses, only dissipates them instantly afterwards.
[NOTE: Will automatically turn on when the Player is in battle or HP falls below 25%]
Player's Body MAX
The body experiences the stresses of the physical world as if it was a video game.
[This means that you suffer no obvious damage when hit/shot/stabbed etc, but instead lose HPs]
[You can, however, still lose limbs if the attack severs them from your body.]
Sleeping fully [8 hours under normal circumstance] restores HP and heals all temporary statuses effects.
NOTE:
If your HP reaches 0, for whatever reason, YOU WILL DIE.
Inventory
For every point of Strength grants 2 slots in your inventory.
This is a pocket dimension that only you can use, and in which time does not pass; thus, nothing will degrade while stored there.
It also allows you to store money without concern for weight or limits of Cred-chits
Each slot can hold an object of volume no more than 0.125m^3. [50x50x50cm]
Currently, you have 14 slots.
NOTE:
Currently, you have 1 PPP.
Do you wish to view available Player Powers?
Yes/No
...
Warning:
No new Player Powers are available at this time.
Please check back at a higher level.
...
No new Player Powers are available at this time.
Please check back at a higher level.
...
"Assholes!" I shouted at the text, feeling like I'd just been pranked by whoever was behind giving me these abilities. I was angry as the text disappeared and I pounded the desk.
I frowned as I looked at my hand and saw no bruising and realised this was Player's Body in action. Clearly, I didn't get hurt or feel pain the same as most people would, though I quickly realised that this meant I would have to be careful about getting wounded in case someone began to realise I was different to everyone else.Hey! That's pretty smart!
For working out a flaw in the system, have +1 WIS.
Also, look at your notice boxes!
I glared at the floating text from 'The Powers that Be' that were watching me but did as it suggested.For working out a flaw in the system, have +1 WIS.
Also, look at your notice boxes!
Skill Created!
Damage Resistance [Physical] [F]
1 Novice
Each level grants 0.1% reduction in physical damage taken.
Currently 0.1% reduction.
...
I chuckled at the insanity of the fact I gained a new skill for punching a desk, though I quickly wondered if I could gain damage reduction skills against other forms of damage; like say a blaster or lightsaber.Damage Resistance [Physical] [F]
1 Novice
Each level grants 0.1% reduction in physical damage taken.
Currently 0.1% reduction.
...
I noticed that the combat log showed me taking 8HP of damage from striking the desk but ignored it and moved back to the lists.
"List Titles."
Titles
I frowned at that. I'd been squad leader with 2-2 for the last three years. I really should have a better level for my only title. The frown broke as I realised that it, and probably many of my skills, had been toned down as I was now eight instead of twenty-eight. These are special add-ons to your identity that can help you in certain situations.
You gain titles as you complete quests, grow up, and generally be a badass.
[Though if you wanted to live a quiet life and gain no titles, that is your choice]
Currently, you have the following titles:
The Player
Leader
...
You gain titles as you complete quests, grow up, and generally be a badass.
[Though if you wanted to live a quiet life and gain no titles, that is your choice]
Currently, you have the following titles:
The Player
Grants access to special powers that, to the corporeal mind, resemble being in a game.
2/10
Can command up to 4 others in a group.
Each member gets a 5% bonus to their skills.
1XP gained for each successful command given to the group.
2XP for each successful action that obeys an order/ hits a target.
5XP for each 'kill' by the group/ project completed.
Can command up to 4 others in a group.
Each member gets a 5% bonus to their skills.
1XP gained for each successful command given to the group.
2XP for each successful action that obeys an order/ hits a target.
5XP for each 'kill' by the group/ project completed.
That made sense as not many people would be willing to obey an eight-year-old in battle, nor would the muscle memory of combat transfer. The knowledge would, but I'd have to work on teaching this new body how to react.
Hey! You're Getting it!
You're really starting to figure out this power.
Have +1 INT
~~~
And this will be the last free stat point you get!
I glared at the floating text. Sure, the extra point in intelligence was nice, but the cheek I was getting was irritating. I took a few deep breaths and decided there was nothing I could do about it now – or probably ever – so I moved on.You're really starting to figure out this power.
Have +1 INT
~~~
And this will be the last free stat point you get!
"List Quests."
QUESTS
These are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.
Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.
Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.
You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.
All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or over generally carrying the risk of bodily harm, if not death.
Current quests are:
Prologue
I grunted as I read the quest again, wondering just what kind of prologue quest ran the risk of death.These are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.
Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.
Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.
You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.
All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or over generally carrying the risk of bodily harm, if not death.
Current quests are:
Prologue
This is the introduction to get you to your chosen Era
[Note, currently you aren't there.]
Rating: B
Objective: Survive and Escape
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
3500XP
Penalties:
Capture by the Sith
Possible Death
...
[Note, currently you aren't there.]
Rating: B
Objective: Survive and Escape
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
3500XP
Penalties:
Capture by the Sith
Possible Death
...
Sure, this wasn't a game, but I had to wonder if this was altogether fair.
Whoever said a corporeal life was fair?
Grow a spine and get on with things!
I glared at the latest message from the PtB as I wondered if they had it in for me.Grow a spine and get on with things!
I continued to glare at the message as it faded away, and with a shake of my head looked around the room.
"I was told to do my homework, but I'd rather practice using the Force. Hmm, List Force Powers."
I read through the description again and smirked. "So 500FP to activate then 5FP a second to hold it, and my FP regenerates at 1% a minute which is… 40! Sweet! So I lose 260FP a minute if I keep it on constantly and I currently have… Lists stats." The list changed. FP is currently at 3750, so that's 3250 divided by 260… about 13 minutes. Right then."
I looked around the room until my eyes landed on the pillow. "That'll do," I muttered and pointed my hand at it, smiling when it floated up into the air. "Yes!"
While the pillow was floating, I figured I should get going on my 'homework'; silently praying that I didn't have to spend skill points to finish it.
I scanned the room for books but frowned at not finding anything save what looked like a cross between an iPad and a game console.
"Right, everything here is computerised," I remarked as I picked it up. "Though I wished I knew how to use this."
I turned the pad over in my free hand slowly, checking it carefully before looking at the front.
There was a large button at the base, under the screen and working on a hunch, I pressed that and smiled as the screen came to life.
Thankfully, the thing was set up very much like an iPad, so it was easy to find the homework assignments and I mentally sighed in relief in seeing that the history and electronic ones were completed; leaving me math and science.
"Here's hoping I remember this stuff," I muttered as I opened the maths homework with a touch.
...
Last edited:
Prologue 2
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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I'll be honest and say nothing much happens here, but I wanted to show how Cameron goes about the first few days in his new identity.
I pulled my head up as I finished the first assignment, surprised that it seemed far harder than I remembered from Primary school in my old life – though that may have been because I was using a new language that, even though my brain seemed to know how to use, I did not – and noticed the pillow was no longer floating around beside me but was resting on the floor.
"I wonder… List Force Powers. Damm! No change." I'd been hoping that the power had levelled up, but no luck. "Hmm, List Stats." I glanced down the list and saw my FP was back up to 1280, meaning I'd been at the homework for about 45 minutes if my mental math was right.
"That's about three minutes if I try Push/Pull again. Will that be enough to get me over the XP limit?" I asked the empty room.
With a shrug, I decided to do so and lifted the pillow with the Force again.
I began to get bored as I watched the pillow floating there so I sent it flying around the room, try out pushing and pulling it until a notice box appeared in the lower right corner of my vision.
Dropping the pillow, I pulled up the box.
.........
"Cameron are you in there?"
My head popped up from the pad I was using at the sound of the man's voice outside his door. "Yeah, why?"
The man opened the door but stayed in just outside. "Are you busy?" He asked slowly, and I got the feeling he was trying to avoid something.
"Not really. I've finished most of the remaining assignments." I replied, which was true. I'd spent the last four hours in the room working through all but one of the assignments while also burning through another full load of Force Points.
It hadn't taken me over the limit, but I felt I was close and would only need to try once more for a few minutes to gain another level in Push/Pull.
"Ah. Good. I need you to come downstairs. There's someone on the Hypercomm." He said and turned slowly.
I frowned as I stood. 'Who would he… Right the Jedi!' I tried to control my emotions as I walked.
As I reached the lower landing I remembered about Player's Mind and considered using it but held off given I'd only have 16 minutes of usage.
I followed the man into what seemed to be something equivalent to a living room which was dominated by a large central table; on which a hologram of an old woman – possibly even older than the man – was watching me from the moment I entered the room.
I knew that they used holograms to communicate over long distances but seeing it for real was something else. Once I got over the shock at seeing a real hologrammatic image of someone, I frowned a little as there was something about her that was familiar, but I couldn't place it.
"My how you've grown," she said with a slight smile in a voice I also felt I should know. "I'm not sure if you remember the last time we saw each other, but you were a young child, just learning to talk." She paused and smiled, though her eyes drifted from me to the man.
"Um, not to sound rude, but who are you?" I asked to break the strange silence that had fallen over the room as the two older people locked eyes and seemed to remember something.
The woman smiled. "Yes, I imagine you have forgotten me. My name is Bastila Shan, your great-grandmother."
I felt my jaw drop a little at that revelation. I mean, I know I picked 'Shan' as a family name, but I just assumed I'd be some long lost relative or descendent of hers; not a direct and living one!
"I see you've heard of me." She said with a slight twitching of her lips and I nodded slowly.
"Bastila Shan, Jedi Master and wife of Revan; the Prodigal Knight," I replied, stating his nickname from the games.
Her smile faltered at Revan's name and I remembered that he had disappeared by the time of the second game; though I never bothered to read any comics or try the MMO that followed later. Not a fan of online gaming.
"Yes, your great-grandfather." I had suspected that at her saying she was my great-gran, but having it confirmed was still a bit of a shock.
She seemed to pull herself up – though that was hard to be sure of given the hologram was just from her waist upwards. "Now, your grandfather tells me that the Jedi may have made a mistake with your testing."
I glanced over at the man I now knew was my 'new' grandfather. "Yeah."
I looked back and saw her brow had raised, as though challenging me. Then it occurred to me. She wanted a demonstration.
I turned and looked around the room until I saw a lamp. With a twist of my wrist, I lifted it, made it fly around the room a few times before putting it back where it had come from.
I turned back to Bastila, trying to not smile. "Player's Mind on," I whispered, figuring that using it to numb my emotions would be a good thing for a Jedi to see. I saw a notice box in the lower right corner and assumed it was another level-up for Push/Pull.
"Hmm. That was certainly a clear connection with the Force, but I distinctly remember your mother telling me that you were not Force Sensitive." She gently rubbed her chin.
"I will have to contact the Council and see if I can check their records of testing." She paused and glanced at my grandfather. "Vaner, I'll call you either tonight or tomorrow once I have more information."
She turned back to look at me. "Cameron, I want you to continue practising your telekinesis. Also, I want you to try to meditate in silence in your room. Try to feel the Force around you; feel it flow through you and everything in the room."
"Yes, ma'am," I replied, wondering what meditating like that would do.
She smiled and turned back to my grandfather, her son. "Goodbye Vaner. May the Force be with you."
"And you mother." He replied as the hologram cut off. He had a small smile on his face as he turned to look at me. "Well, you heard her. Go and practice."
I nodded and turned to leave, only to stop and look back at him. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Well if I hadn't caught the plate this morning then I might not have to leave as my mum did," I said slowly, as I had worked out that while my grandfather couldn't use the Force, my mother must've been able to. The way both he and Bastila spoke of her getting me tested hinted that she was, if not a full Jedi, then at least Force-Sensitive.
The way both he and Bastila spoke of her getting me tested hinted that she was, if not a full Jedi, then at least Force-Sensitive.
My grandfather smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "This is not your fault. Having the ability to access the Force is a gift, but it comes with heavy burdens. If you are accepted, then you will not be allowed to contact me until after you become a Knight; and the only reason that may be possible is because of who my parents were, and the fact I was once Chancellor."
I was glad that Player's Mind was on at that revelation. That my great-grandparents were Raven and Bastila was a shock, and learning that my grandfather was a former Chancellor of the Republic was definitely another.
"Ah, well, um," I hemmed, not sure what to say, but he seemed to know as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Whether you become a Jedi or not, I am proud of you and know that you will do great things. It's in your blood." This smile reached his eyes and I could only nod in reply. "Now go. You have your training for the day, and I want all your assignments finished before dinner."
A gave him a small smile and then left, heading upstairs once more to my room even as I tried to work out how I could be here and now. The games were set thousands of years before the movies, yet I had selected the Rise of the Empire Era to play.
"Right, the quest." I murmured as I closed the door. It did say I wasn't in the right era, but how am I going to get thousands of years into the future?" I tried to come up with ways it could happen, but none were appealing so I decided to ignore that for now.
"Hmm, Bastila said to practice on the Push/Pull and to try and centre myself. What does that… List Skills." I ran down the list until I found what I was looking for. "Dammit! Meditation grants a 50% bonus to regeneration, meaning if I meditate a regenerate my FP at 60 per minute. Hmm, is there a Force Power that does the same?"
I closed the list, sat down on the floor with my legs crossed – not something my new body found comfortable, but it was how I imagined people meditated – and closed my eyes.
It was weird trying to reach out and feel something else there; something that until I woke up here I thought was just a hand-wavey way to explain away powers in a movie.
Still, I figured I might as well take a crack at seeing what this whole thing was about as I began to clear my head and slow my breathing.
.........
When I opened my eyes later, I glanced around and saw that the light from outside was dimming, and a glance at the datapad showed four hours had passed and I frowned as I wondered why I didn't feel hungry.
"List… Hold on," I saw a handful of notice boxes.
Huh, if I use Trance with Meditation, I get 57.5% boost to regen. Nice. Hmm, I wonder if I can get them all up to level 15 before I have to leave?"
"Trance will be easy as I'll need to regenerate Force Power to use the others. Breath Control will take time but should be doable, same with Push/Pull. Boy, does that need a better name; like Telekinesis…"
"So, how to use heal. I'm assuming it will only work when I'm injured, which sounds less than fun but for now, it will have to do." I decided and turned to the metal table, giving it a shrug in apology.
"Cameron! Dinner's ready!"
"Looks like you survive for now," I said to the table with a chuckle before I left my room.
The night before I'd tried levelling up Breath control, but I could only hold it for about 4 and a half minutes due to the high per second cost, though I had levelled up Trance 4 more times and Meditation once.
Getting Trance and TK up to meet the quest level was going to be easy but Heal and Breath Control were going to be a bitch. Still, I had time before breakfast so did another round of Breath Control, and almost as soon as I activated it I got the first pop up.
Once my time was up, I pulled up the Force powers list and saw I could only hold my breath for a minute.
"Well that's just shite," I mumbled as I waved away the list and headed off to have a shower before breakfast.
…......
"Morning," I said as I walked into the kitchen to see my granddad putting out the plates.
"Well you're up early today," he commented with a weak smile. I figured he was still less than thrilled about me possibly becoming a Jedi but was trying to stay strong for my benefit.
'The fun of being 28 in an 8-year-old's body. I understand when someone is trying to hide things easier.' I mused as I sat at the table. "Yeah. I'll admit I'm excited about using the Force, but I know there's no point getting too worked up until… great-granny calls back." I stumbled a bit at the end due to not knowing what exactly to call Bastila as I'd never had to deal with great-grandparents before.
Vaner chuckled at my chose of words, probably enjoying the term as well as my uncertainty. "Great-granny? I have to remember that one!" He chuckled. Yup, he enjoyed the term. "But you're right. It could be you simply weren't rated high enough to be taken as a youngling. Still, great-granny did ask you to meditate on the Force, and since you've almost finished your schoolwork for the holidays, I see no problem with you doing so. Though do remember to get out and stretch your legs from time to time."
I smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir."
We ate in comfortable silence and I returned to my room, FP fully restored and smiled as I pointed my hand at my pillow.
…......
I jumped out of bed, and stumbled a few steps, feeling sweat dripping down my face.
"What… what was that?" I asked the empty room, though no obvious answer came as I breathed heavily to calm myself.
Noticing a few blue boxes, I opened them. There were ones for Trance, which I'd expected as I seemed to get a few every time I restored my Force Points, but the last one is what caught my eye;
I ignored the ones I already had and read the full description of Vison.
"Well, I guess I'll figure out what it means lat… Hold on. Force Visions, as in glimpses of the future? Meaning what I know will happen can be passed off as visions if I am vague enough to start with I can hint at what will happen and if what I initially predict comes to pass, the Jedi might be more willing to believe me about Palpatine, Dooku and Anakin." I grinned and chuckled as I realised I might have a way to alter things for the Jedi, though it was all depended on my escaping the prologue.
My grin fell as I remembered that and I sighed. "Wonder how long I have left?"
"Cameron! Lunchtime!" Came the voice of my grandfather and, after taking a moment to calm my thoughts regarding surviving whatever was to come, I moved off.
…......
"Cameron are you still up?" I broke from my trance meditation at the sound of my grandfather's voice and with a wave of my hand, opened the door.
"Yes," I replied as he looked into my room. I was simply sitting cross-legged on the bed, having been working on restoring my Force Points.
"Hmm, well it's time for bed. If your light is not out and you're not under the sheets in 5, I'm banning you from any Force training tomorrow.
"Yes, sir," I replied, keeping my face as calm as I could until the door closed. "List Force Powers."
I scowled as I looked at the list. A full day of training up Heal, and I'd only gained 2 levels. The quest was looking virtually impossible to pull off.
Sure, Trance was now 53 Novice, but at the current rate, it would take me 2 weeks here to get Heal up to 20 Novice; and that was ignoring Breath Control and TK.
I grumbled as I stood and moved to the bathroom to clean my teeth.
'There has to be a way that I can get more time. I mean, I lose 8 hours slee…' "List Player Powers."
I browsed the list. "Gamer's Body; The body experiences the stresses of the physical world as if it was a video game." I tapped my chin as I thought things through. Now, this wasn't a game, the PtB had made that clear enough that I was willing to believe them, but this power treated my body as if it was in a game. And in most RPG's, you only had to sleep to heal, which I could do using Force Heal instead. Sure, my hunger would drop but that happened even if I slept, so it was worth a shot.
I walked back to my room and settled into the bed, waiting for the hall light to go out even as the idea that I could train during my sleep-filled my thoughts.
I couldn't train Force Heal, as I need to hurt myself first to use that power and hitting anything would generate noise.
Breath Control, however, was a skill used by simply doing nothing but slowing down my heartbeat, meaning I could do it while in bed and faking sleep. Sure, I could stop myself breathing for a few minutes instead of simply slowing my heart, but that would mean stopping and starting; which struck me as inefficient.
"List Stats," I said quietly in the dark and waited quietly until my Force Points were fully restored.
"Right, time to breathe," I smirked at the bad pun as the hall light went out.
Again, sorry for the slowness.
I pulled my head up as I finished the first assignment, surprised that it seemed far harder than I remembered from Primary school in my old life – though that may have been because I was using a new language that, even though my brain seemed to know how to use, I did not – and noticed the pillow was no longer floating around beside me but was resting on the floor.
"I wonder… List Force Powers. Damm! No change." I'd been hoping that the power had levelled up, but no luck. "Hmm, List Stats." I glanced down the list and saw my FP was back up to 1280, meaning I'd been at the homework for about 45 minutes if my mental math was right.
"That's about three minutes if I try Push/Pull again. Will that be enough to get me over the XP limit?" I asked the empty room.
With a shrug, I decided to do so and lifted the pillow with the Force again.
I began to get bored as I watched the pillow floating there so I sent it flying around the room, try out pushing and pulling it until a notice box appeared in the lower right corner of my vision.
Dropping the pillow, I pulled up the box.
Force Power Levelled-up!
Push/Pull
Level 2
...
"List Force stats." I smiled as I saw the changed level though I had been hoping for a drop in FP cost. "Still, that's about 15 minutes for a level up, which works out as… 4500 not including the 500 to activate the power! Damm! That's a full load and a bit of FP. That's going to slow down my levelling. Still, while I'm waiting I can do this homework; maybe it'll level up some of my skills and if even if not, it's a way to pass the time."Push/Pull
Level 2
...
.........
"Cameron are you in there?"
My head popped up from the pad I was using at the sound of the man's voice outside his door. "Yeah, why?"
The man opened the door but stayed in just outside. "Are you busy?" He asked slowly, and I got the feeling he was trying to avoid something.
"Not really. I've finished most of the remaining assignments." I replied, which was true. I'd spent the last four hours in the room working through all but one of the assignments while also burning through another full load of Force Points.
It hadn't taken me over the limit, but I felt I was close and would only need to try once more for a few minutes to gain another level in Push/Pull.
"Ah. Good. I need you to come downstairs. There's someone on the Hypercomm." He said and turned slowly.
I frowned as I stood. 'Who would he… Right the Jedi!' I tried to control my emotions as I walked.
As I reached the lower landing I remembered about Player's Mind and considered using it but held off given I'd only have 16 minutes of usage.
I followed the man into what seemed to be something equivalent to a living room which was dominated by a large central table; on which a hologram of an old woman – possibly even older than the man – was watching me from the moment I entered the room.
I knew that they used holograms to communicate over long distances but seeing it for real was something else. Once I got over the shock at seeing a real hologrammatic image of someone, I frowned a little as there was something about her that was familiar, but I couldn't place it.
"My how you've grown," she said with a slight smile in a voice I also felt I should know. "I'm not sure if you remember the last time we saw each other, but you were a young child, just learning to talk." She paused and smiled, though her eyes drifted from me to the man.
"Um, not to sound rude, but who are you?" I asked to break the strange silence that had fallen over the room as the two older people locked eyes and seemed to remember something.
The woman smiled. "Yes, I imagine you have forgotten me. My name is Bastila Shan, your great-grandmother."
I felt my jaw drop a little at that revelation. I mean, I know I picked 'Shan' as a family name, but I just assumed I'd be some long lost relative or descendent of hers; not a direct and living one!
"I see you've heard of me." She said with a slight twitching of her lips and I nodded slowly.
"Bastila Shan, Jedi Master and wife of Revan; the Prodigal Knight," I replied, stating his nickname from the games.
Her smile faltered at Revan's name and I remembered that he had disappeared by the time of the second game; though I never bothered to read any comics or try the MMO that followed later. Not a fan of online gaming.
"Yes, your great-grandfather." I had suspected that at her saying she was my great-gran, but having it confirmed was still a bit of a shock.
She seemed to pull herself up – though that was hard to be sure of given the hologram was just from her waist upwards. "Now, your grandfather tells me that the Jedi may have made a mistake with your testing."
I glanced over at the man I now knew was my 'new' grandfather. "Yeah."
I looked back and saw her brow had raised, as though challenging me. Then it occurred to me. She wanted a demonstration.
I turned and looked around the room until I saw a lamp. With a twist of my wrist, I lifted it, made it fly around the room a few times before putting it back where it had come from.
I turned back to Bastila, trying to not smile. "Player's Mind on," I whispered, figuring that using it to numb my emotions would be a good thing for a Jedi to see. I saw a notice box in the lower right corner and assumed it was another level-up for Push/Pull.
"Hmm. That was certainly a clear connection with the Force, but I distinctly remember your mother telling me that you were not Force Sensitive." She gently rubbed her chin.
"I will have to contact the Council and see if I can check their records of testing." She paused and glanced at my grandfather. "Vaner, I'll call you either tonight or tomorrow once I have more information."
She turned back to look at me. "Cameron, I want you to continue practising your telekinesis. Also, I want you to try to meditate in silence in your room. Try to feel the Force around you; feel it flow through you and everything in the room."
"Yes, ma'am," I replied, wondering what meditating like that would do.
She smiled and turned back to my grandfather, her son. "Goodbye Vaner. May the Force be with you."
"And you mother." He replied as the hologram cut off. He had a small smile on his face as he turned to look at me. "Well, you heard her. Go and practice."
I nodded and turned to leave, only to stop and look back at him. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Well if I hadn't caught the plate this morning then I might not have to leave as my mum did," I said slowly, as I had worked out that while my grandfather couldn't use the Force, my mother must've been able to. The way both he and Bastila spoke of her getting me tested hinted that she was, if not a full Jedi, then at least Force-Sensitive.
The way both he and Bastila spoke of her getting me tested hinted that she was, if not a full Jedi, then at least Force-Sensitive.
My grandfather smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "This is not your fault. Having the ability to access the Force is a gift, but it comes with heavy burdens. If you are accepted, then you will not be allowed to contact me until after you become a Knight; and the only reason that may be possible is because of who my parents were, and the fact I was once Chancellor."
I was glad that Player's Mind was on at that revelation. That my great-grandparents were Raven and Bastila was a shock, and learning that my grandfather was a former Chancellor of the Republic was definitely another.
"Ah, well, um," I hemmed, not sure what to say, but he seemed to know as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Whether you become a Jedi or not, I am proud of you and know that you will do great things. It's in your blood." This smile reached his eyes and I could only nod in reply. "Now go. You have your training for the day, and I want all your assignments finished before dinner."
A gave him a small smile and then left, heading upstairs once more to my room even as I tried to work out how I could be here and now. The games were set thousands of years before the movies, yet I had selected the Rise of the Empire Era to play.
"Right, the quest." I murmured as I closed the door. It did say I wasn't in the right era, but how am I going to get thousands of years into the future?" I tried to come up with ways it could happen, but none were appealing so I decided to ignore that for now.
"Hmm, Bastila said to practice on the Push/Pull and to try and centre myself. What does that… List Skills." I ran down the list until I found what I was looking for. "Dammit! Meditation grants a 50% bonus to regeneration, meaning if I meditate a regenerate my FP at 60 per minute. Hmm, is there a Force Power that does the same?"
I closed the list, sat down on the floor with my legs crossed – not something my new body found comfortable, but it was how I imagined people meditated – and closed my eyes.
It was weird trying to reach out and feel something else there; something that until I woke up here I thought was just a hand-wavey way to explain away powers in a movie.
Still, I figured I might as well take a crack at seeing what this whole thing was about as I began to clear my head and slow my breathing.
.........
When I opened my eyes later, I glanced around and saw that the light from outside was dimming, and a glance at the datapad showed four hours had passed and I frowned as I wondered why I didn't feel hungry.
"List… Hold on," I saw a handful of notice boxes.
Force Power Discovered!
Trance
While in this state, your meditation bonuses improve, helping you recover much faster than normal.
You also stop your need to eat or sleep for days at a time.
...
Force Power Discovered!
Heal
The ability to use the Force to heal yourself.
...
Force Power Discovered!
Breath Control
The ability to slow your breathing to avoid toxins in the air.
At higher levels grant the ability to go without breathing for several minutes.
...
Force Power Levelled-Up! X14
Trance
Level 15
...
Skill Levelled-Up!
Meditation
Level 51
...
Trance
While in this state, your meditation bonuses improve, helping you recover much faster than normal.
You also stop your need to eat or sleep for days at a time.
...
Force Power Discovered!
Heal
The ability to use the Force to heal yourself.
...
Force Power Discovered!
Breath Control
The ability to slow your breathing to avoid toxins in the air.
At higher levels grant the ability to go without breathing for several minutes.
...
Force Power Levelled-Up! X14
Trance
Level 15
...
Skill Levelled-Up!
Meditation
Level 51
...
"Damm! That's a lot of level-ups! List Force Powers."
FORCE POWERS
"I feel like I'm being insulted by only being able to hold my breath for a minute, but I imagine that will go up over time. Hmm, both Push/Pull and Trance have strange costs and I know that Push/Pull started at 500, so the more levels I get in a power, the easier it is to activate. I will have to see if that holds true for continual costs later.These are the powers you have learned or discovered that use the Force to work.
Many of the more advanced powers require training from a master Force user to learn.
You may discover many on your own by simple trial and error, however, this is frowned upon by the groups around the galaxy that can use the Force since control is needed to truly use the Force.
As to what the Force is, well it simply is.
It's neither good nor evil [which in most cases are open to interpretation] but emotions of all kinds do influence what you can do with the Force.
Importantly, the better you get a using a power, the easier it is to use.
Currently, you have the following Force Powers:
Push/Pull
3 Novice
The ability to push, pull and levitate objects or block objects in motion so long as their mass is within your power range.
At higher levels, this can uplock the ability to self-levitate.
Can currently lift objects up to 30kg in mass.
Costs 499FP +5FP/second
Trance
15 Novice
While in this state, your meditation bonuses improve, helping you recover much faster than normal.
You can also stop your need to eat or sleep for days at a time.
Currently grants an additional 7.5% bonus to meditation and self-healing.
Costs 98FP
Heal
1 Novice
The ability to use the Force to heal yourself.
At higher levels, you can heal others.
Heals at a rate of 1HP/second
Costs 100FP +15/second
Breath Control
1 Novice
The ability to slow your breathing to avoid toxins in the air.
At higher levels grant the ability to block all gases from entering or leaving your body through breathing or skin contact.
Currently, you can hold your breath for 1 min.
Costs 100FP +15/second
...
Many of the more advanced powers require training from a master Force user to learn.
You may discover many on your own by simple trial and error, however, this is frowned upon by the groups around the galaxy that can use the Force since control is needed to truly use the Force.
As to what the Force is, well it simply is.
It's neither good nor evil [which in most cases are open to interpretation] but emotions of all kinds do influence what you can do with the Force.
Importantly, the better you get a using a power, the easier it is to use.
Currently, you have the following Force Powers:
Push/Pull
3 Novice
The ability to push, pull and levitate objects or block objects in motion so long as their mass is within your power range.
At higher levels, this can uplock the ability to self-levitate.
Can currently lift objects up to 30kg in mass.
Costs 499FP +5FP/second
Trance
15 Novice
While in this state, your meditation bonuses improve, helping you recover much faster than normal.
You can also stop your need to eat or sleep for days at a time.
Currently grants an additional 7.5% bonus to meditation and self-healing.
Costs 98FP
Heal
1 Novice
The ability to use the Force to heal yourself.
At higher levels, you can heal others.
Heals at a rate of 1HP/second
Costs 100FP +15/second
Breath Control
1 Novice
The ability to slow your breathing to avoid toxins in the air.
At higher levels grant the ability to block all gases from entering or leaving your body through breathing or skin contact.
Currently, you can hold your breath for 1 min.
Costs 100FP +15/second
...
Huh, if I use Trance with Meditation, I get 57.5% boost to regen. Nice. Hmm, I wonder if I can get them all up to level 15 before I have to leave?"
Quest Alert!
One with the Force [User Defined]
Improve your powers before the end of the prologue.
Rating: E
Objective:
Get your 4 current Force Powers up to level 15 Novice before the quest 'Prologue' ends.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
300XP
Penalties:
-100XP
Accept?
Yes/No
...
"Yes," I said since that was my plan even before the quest was offered. "So that's how that works, though I assume the low XP is for the low rating. Still, waste not, want not.One with the Force [User Defined]
Improve your powers before the end of the prologue.
Rating: E
Objective:
Get your 4 current Force Powers up to level 15 Novice before the quest 'Prologue' ends.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
300XP
Penalties:
-100XP
Accept?
Yes/No
...
"Trance will be easy as I'll need to regenerate Force Power to use the others. Breath Control will take time but should be doable, same with Push/Pull. Boy, does that need a better name; like Telekinesis…"
Force Power Renamed!
Push/Pull - Telekinesis (TK)
...
I stared at the notice for a moment before blowing out a breath. "Arseholes," I muttered in reference to the PtB – the alien whatever's that had granted me this new life – as I shook my head.Push/Pull - Telekinesis (TK)
...
"So, how to use heal. I'm assuming it will only work when I'm injured, which sounds less than fun but for now, it will have to do." I decided and turned to the metal table, giving it a shrug in apology.
"Cameron! Dinner's ready!"
"Looks like you survive for now," I said to the table with a chuckle before I left my room.
You have slept in your bed for over 8 hours.
"8 hours are all I need? Ugg. Wish I knew that before I went to bed and slept for… 10 hours." I mumbled as I pushed back the covers and rolled out of bed. "So that's another few hours that I can add into my training slash grinding," I noted as I stood up and stretched.HP, FP, PP and STAM 100% restored.
All negative statuses and ailments have been removed.
~~~
Note:
You only need to sleep for 8 hours to fully restore HP, FP, PP and Stam.
While a minimum of 4 hours is required to get any restoration [50%]
I grunted as I saw the text floating before my eyes as I woke the next morning, blinking as I processed what I saw before it vanished.
...
All negative statuses and ailments have been removed.
~~~
Note:
You only need to sleep for 8 hours to fully restore HP, FP, PP and Stam.
While a minimum of 4 hours is required to get any restoration [50%]
I grunted as I saw the text floating before my eyes as I woke the next morning, blinking as I processed what I saw before it vanished.
...
The night before I'd tried levelling up Breath control, but I could only hold it for about 4 and a half minutes due to the high per second cost, though I had levelled up Trance 4 more times and Meditation once.
Getting Trance and TK up to meet the quest level was going to be easy but Heal and Breath Control were going to be a bitch. Still, I had time before breakfast so did another round of Breath Control, and almost as soon as I activated it I got the first pop up.
Once my time was up, I pulled up the Force powers list and saw I could only hold my breath for a minute.
"Well that's just shite," I mumbled as I waved away the list and headed off to have a shower before breakfast.
…......
"Morning," I said as I walked into the kitchen to see my granddad putting out the plates.
"Well you're up early today," he commented with a weak smile. I figured he was still less than thrilled about me possibly becoming a Jedi but was trying to stay strong for my benefit.
'The fun of being 28 in an 8-year-old's body. I understand when someone is trying to hide things easier.' I mused as I sat at the table. "Yeah. I'll admit I'm excited about using the Force, but I know there's no point getting too worked up until… great-granny calls back." I stumbled a bit at the end due to not knowing what exactly to call Bastila as I'd never had to deal with great-grandparents before.
Vaner chuckled at my chose of words, probably enjoying the term as well as my uncertainty. "Great-granny? I have to remember that one!" He chuckled. Yup, he enjoyed the term. "But you're right. It could be you simply weren't rated high enough to be taken as a youngling. Still, great-granny did ask you to meditate on the Force, and since you've almost finished your schoolwork for the holidays, I see no problem with you doing so. Though do remember to get out and stretch your legs from time to time."
I smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir."
We ate in comfortable silence and I returned to my room, FP fully restored and smiled as I pointed my hand at my pillow.
…......
Green in brown
Clouds of dust
Looming shadow
Red clashing with green
Fire and smoke
Blue liquid pooling
Running
Walls closing in
Seeing a window
Can't breathe
Red cutting metal
Fade to white
Clouds of dust
Looming shadow
Red clashing with green
Fire and smoke
Blue liquid pooling
Running
Walls closing in
Seeing a window
Can't breathe
Red cutting metal
Fade to white
"What… what was that?" I asked the empty room, though no obvious answer came as I breathed heavily to calm myself.
Noticing a few blue boxes, I opened them. There were ones for Trance, which I'd expected as I seemed to get a few every time I restored my Force Points, but the last one is what caught my eye;
Force Power Discovered!
Vision
Grants the ability to glimpse what is going to happen in the future.
...
"Huh, well ok. List Force Powers."Vision
Grants the ability to glimpse what is going to happen in the future.
...
I ignored the ones I already had and read the full description of Vison.
Vision
1 Novice
Grants the ability to glimpse what is going to happen in the future.
Normally, these would be glimpses of possible futures, but due to your status as The Player, your visions are the future; unless you change them.
You have a small chance to experience visions, though the longer you meditate for, the greater the chance becomes.
No Cost
...
"That was a Force Vision? OK, but I have no idea what it meant." I sat back down on the bed and tried to remember what I'd seen, though after ten minutes I'd still gotten nowhere.1 Novice
Grants the ability to glimpse what is going to happen in the future.
Normally, these would be glimpses of possible futures, but due to your status as The Player, your visions are the future; unless you change them.
You have a small chance to experience visions, though the longer you meditate for, the greater the chance becomes.
No Cost
...
"Well, I guess I'll figure out what it means lat… Hold on. Force Visions, as in glimpses of the future? Meaning what I know will happen can be passed off as visions if I am vague enough to start with I can hint at what will happen and if what I initially predict comes to pass, the Jedi might be more willing to believe me about Palpatine, Dooku and Anakin." I grinned and chuckled as I realised I might have a way to alter things for the Jedi, though it was all depended on my escaping the prologue.
My grin fell as I remembered that and I sighed. "Wonder how long I have left?"
"Cameron! Lunchtime!" Came the voice of my grandfather and, after taking a moment to calm my thoughts regarding surviving whatever was to come, I moved off.
…......
"Cameron are you still up?" I broke from my trance meditation at the sound of my grandfather's voice and with a wave of my hand, opened the door.
"Yes," I replied as he looked into my room. I was simply sitting cross-legged on the bed, having been working on restoring my Force Points.
"Hmm, well it's time for bed. If your light is not out and you're not under the sheets in 5, I'm banning you from any Force training tomorrow.
"Yes, sir," I replied, keeping my face as calm as I could until the door closed. "List Force Powers."
I scowled as I looked at the list. A full day of training up Heal, and I'd only gained 2 levels. The quest was looking virtually impossible to pull off.
Sure, Trance was now 53 Novice, but at the current rate, it would take me 2 weeks here to get Heal up to 20 Novice; and that was ignoring Breath Control and TK.
I grumbled as I stood and moved to the bathroom to clean my teeth.
'There has to be a way that I can get more time. I mean, I lose 8 hours slee…' "List Player Powers."
I browsed the list. "Gamer's Body; The body experiences the stresses of the physical world as if it was a video game." I tapped my chin as I thought things through. Now, this wasn't a game, the PtB had made that clear enough that I was willing to believe them, but this power treated my body as if it was in a game. And in most RPG's, you only had to sleep to heal, which I could do using Force Heal instead. Sure, my hunger would drop but that happened even if I slept, so it was worth a shot.
I walked back to my room and settled into the bed, waiting for the hall light to go out even as the idea that I could train during my sleep-filled my thoughts.
I couldn't train Force Heal, as I need to hurt myself first to use that power and hitting anything would generate noise.
Breath Control, however, was a skill used by simply doing nothing but slowing down my heartbeat, meaning I could do it while in bed and faking sleep. Sure, I could stop myself breathing for a few minutes instead of simply slowing my heart, but that would mean stopping and starting; which struck me as inefficient.
"List Stats," I said quietly in the dark and waited quietly until my Force Points were fully restored.
"Right, time to breathe," I smirked at the bad pun as the hall light went out.
Again, sorry for the slowness.
Last edited:
Prologue 3
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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"How much longer is this Prologue going to take?" I asked with a sigh as I walked back into my room on my sixth morning here.
I knew that this wasn't a game, or at least I was trying to not treat it as one, but I was starting to go bored just sitting in my room day and night grinding. Yes, the whole not needing to sleep thing was starting to get to me. I mean, I get that with my new power I didn't need to, but to hell with grinding, I wanted to sleep and was going to, quest be dammed.
Sure, I'd gotten Heal and Trance to at least 15 Novice – Trance was at 20 Master which granted 110% bonus to regeneration, on top of meditation's bonus – and Breath Control was almost there as well, but I was getting seriously bored.
I'd have the same Force Vision 4 more times, which had been enough to level up Vision once. Sadly, the glimpse of the future was no clearer or obvious in meaning, though I had reached the conclusion it had something to do with how the Prologue quest was going to end.
With a sigh, I figured it was time to start levelling up TK now that Heal was high enough to meet the quest requirements and I began to fly a pillow around the room.
I'd only been at that for maybe 10 minutes when there was a knock at the door.
"Cameron, can you come downstairs. There's someone here to meet you."
I frowned for a moment before I realised who it probably was. While my grandfather hadn't mentioned if Bastila had called him back, I assumed she had and that the newcomer was a Jedi to check my Force connection; hopefully without that silly blood-test thingy from The Phantom Menace.
I walked out of the room slowly, trying to contain my excitement, though I paused as I reached the bottom of the stairs as I got a new notification box.
Opening it, I discovered I had a new Force Power; Detection, which detected living beings within a 10meter range.
I opened the mini-map and saw three blue dots in the living room to my left, one of which had my grandfather's name attached to it in very small text.
'That might get awkward if I'm at the Jedi Temple or in a major battle. I'll have to look later to see if I can turn off the names from the options.' I considered as I entered the living room and saw my grandfather talking with two brown-robed individuals. The taller of the two was a green-skinned Twi'lek; and knowing that generated another blue box, though I ignored it for now.
"There you are," Vaner said with a slight smile. "Cameron, this is Jedi Master Tardon Komad, and his padawan, Haqu. They were sent by your Great-Grandmother to see if you are suitable for training with the Jedi."
"Hello," I said taking in the sight of my first real aliens and trying very hard to not freak out about it. Tardon was as tall as my grandfather and his head-tails – I didn't know what they were called – were wrapped around his neck. The padawan was of the same species as Darth Maul, yet his skin was a light brown. He looked to be about 15-18 in age.
"Yes, I can see the resemblance to Ressa," Tardon commented as he looked at me. "I was her master when she was a padawan." He stepped forward and knelt in front of me. "Now, let us see."
He closed his eyes and I felt a brief tingle in my mind and at the end of my fingers.
"Well, he's definitely strong in the Force, that much is certain. But the records show he wasn't. A conundrum." He said as he stood and rubbed his chin.
"Why would that be master?" Haqu asked, his eyes glancing to his master as he spoke.
I had pondered that myself over the last few days and had a suspicion. "Maybe my mother wanted me to grow up away from Coruscant and the Jedi. Given to my family name, I think I'd gather a lot of attention."
"Yes, that is possible. Ressa was not one who enjoyed the way people looked at her once her family name was revealed." Tardon replied. "Perhaps it also has something to do with your father. Do you know whom that was?"
Vaner shook his head. "Ressa never told me and Emess never mentioned anything about it to me when she came home with Cameron." He paused and looked over at picture that was of him and a woman when he was younger, one I knew was my grandmother who'd died a few years ago.
I frowned. More than likely my dad was just someone my mother had gotten close to during a mission and gotten pregnant, but not knowing was a little disconcerting.
"Still, we need to carry out a few more test to be sure if he is suitable to join the Younglings at one of the training centres," Tardon stated slowly. "With your permission Chancellor, I'd like to try and teach him a few basic Force abilities."
"Just Vaner is fine Master Jedi," Vaner replied with a small frown that made me wonder if he regretted something about being the Chancellor. "And go ahead. Cameron has done nothing but meditate on Bastila's words these last few days."
I managed to avoid smirking at my grandfather thinking I'd just been meditating in my room instead of grinding my skills.
"Indeed. Well, that is a good start." Tardon paused and looked around the room. "Hmm, perhaps we should move outside. Younglings have a tendency to lack control when learning new skills."
I followed the two Jedi outside, wondering just what they would try to teach me, and how long this would take.
.........
"Well done Cameron," Tardon said with a large smile that exposed his sharp, razor teeth. "It is quite astonishing how easily you are able to pick up new skills." He continued, and I couldn't help but smile at the praise.
In the last several hours, between all the talking about what the Jedi stand for, I had gained seven new Force powers and while some seemed less than useful, I had created another quest while doing so and was halfway to finishing it. I had to gain 10 new Force powers before reaching a Jedi training centre for 300XP while failing would only cost me 100XP.
The only downside of this learning was that my FP became depleted and that meant another bout of meditation; something I was becoming truly sick of doing.
"Thank you, sir," I replied, not willing or truthful comfortable with calling someone master. Blame it on the connotations of the word and too much Doctor Who growing up.
"Master," I turned with Tardon as his padawan approached from where their small ship was parked. "The ship's scanners have detected another ship on an approach vector."
"Hmm, was your grandfather expecting visitors?"
"No, that I know of." Though given I'd spent the last few days locked in my room by choice I wouldn't know.
"Hmm. Perhaps it would be best if we returned to the house and awaited these…"
I stopped paying attention to the Twi'lek Jedi when a white notice appeared in the centre of my vision.
"We need to go!" I blurted out, already backing off towards the house even as I glanced up at the sky. There was nothing to see but the message changed.
"I dou…" whatever he was going to say was cut-off by a string of red light beams that struck the Jedi's ship, destroying it and throwing me and Tardon backwards towards the house.
I grunted as I rolled onto my side and stared at where the ship had been. Now it was nothing but a burning and smocking pile of remains. I shook my head to clear it and saw that the interface had changed; my mini-map and key stats were now on, as was Player's mind. All of that told me I was now in combat and I looked up as a shadow fell over the ship remains to see another ship, one that looked slightly larger than the former Jedi ship, descending rapidly.
"Get inside," Tardon said, and I turned to look at him. His face was marred by what I assumed was blood, though it was blue in colour. Otherwise, he looked fine and I turned back to the remains of his ship as I realised that Haqu had been between us and the ship when it exploded.
"Haqu?" I asked slowly as I stood, noting the new ship was going to land behind the remains of the Jedi's one.
"Dead," Tardon stated softly before he held out a hand and summoned the padawan's lightsaber. "Here, I sense the presence of the dark side on that ship. I hope you will not need it, but it is better to be prepared."
I took the lightsaber slowly, turning it over in my hands.
"Move," Tardon ordered.
"What's happening?"
"We're under attack," I replied as I slid the lightsaber into my pocket in case he tried to take it from me. I really wished I could drop it in my inventory, but having it disappear in plain-sight would raise a lot of questions I'd rather avoid if possible. "Haqu is dead and their ship is destroyed. Another is landing behind it and Tardon says there are Sith on board."
Vaner's face went white for a moment before he thrust one of the blasters to me. "Take it." He commanded, and I did so.
I turned it over in my hands slowly. While the thing was very different from a pistol from my former life, the principles were still the same and I felt more comfortable with a gun than a lightsaber; though if I survived this I hoped to change that.
Vaner moved me behind the table he had overturned, one I saw was made of metal, and moved to the window to glance outside.
"Sithspit!" He spat out. "There's two of them and a handful of thugs."
I closed my eyes and reach out of with Force Detection, but the attackers were not close enough for me to sense yet as all I felt was my grandfather and Tardon.
"Kriff! The thugs are moving this way." Vaner stated not long after my attempt to detect the Sith and I realised that I'd given away my position by doing so. "Keep your head down." He added as he took aim with his pistol and fired off a few shots.
The return fire was not as quick in coming as I would've expected if I was in my old life, but what came forced Vaner to duck down low.
Glasses exploded, pots and pans clanged, and cupboard doors creaked under the fire that was coming in and I knew that we couldn't stay in the kitchen.
"We need to move," I called out. "If they've got half a brain between them some will keep firing while the others flank us."
"What?" Vaner shouted back over the incoming shots that I noted where lessening but still sustained. I looked at my grandfather and his shock at my statement was clear to see.
"I've read a few books on battles. They'll try to pin us down here while circling around to attack from behind." I lied/explained. "If we stay here we'll die."
Vaner tried to glance out of the window, but the incoming fire stopped him, and he sighed. "Fine, but where should we go?"
I thought for a moment as I considered the layout of the house. "They'll try to come in through a window if one is open, or the front door if not. Regardless they'd need to pass through the hall to get here so we should move up the stairs. It gives us an advantage and we can slip out of one of the upstairs windows to try and help Tardon."
Vaner nodded along slowly. "Very well, however, you are not to engage the Sith. You're no match for them."
I nodded in agreement, remembering that failure here would mean capture by them or death; neither of which was an appealing option.
Vaner sent a few random shots out of the window, not that I expected him to him anything, to hopefully convince the attackers we were staying still, then we moved quickly but quietly up the stairs, checking the rooms we passed to ensure there was no-one there yet.
Once we reached the top of the stairs, Vaner ushered me into my room.
"Stay in here. Don't come out unless I tell you."
"But…"
"No buts." His tone was firm. "Stay here." He paused and sighed. "I can't lose you too."
I opened my mouth to retort, only to stop and nod in acceptance. This man had lost his wife, one of his children had died and the other was somewhere in the galaxy as a Jedi.
I knew that I would be leaving here soon, but if I could do so without hurting him, I would try. Though I was also already planning how to get out of the window.
He gave me a small smile and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Whatever happens, I love you."
He turned to leave, but I stopped him by grabbing his arm. Player's Mind was clearly controlling my emotions, but I still didn't want him to die. "May the Force be with you."
I felt a shiver go up my spine at finally saying those words and his smile grew as he replied.
"And with you."
He turned without a further word and left, closing the room as he did.
I dropped the lightsaber into my inventory – figuring I was less likely to lose it there than in my pocket – and looked around the room. With a quick wave of my hand, I moved the desk behind the door, then dragged the bed – as its weight was too heavy to fully lift – behind that before I walked over to the window.
I was relieved that it was big enough for me to leave through and that it faced away from where the ships and the Sith were.
I opened it slowly, keeping down in case the other attackers could see then risked a glance outside.
There was no sign of anyone but also, there was no ledge and if I leapt it would be straight drop to the ground.
Blaster fire from outside the room told Vaner had engaged the attackers and I knew I needed to go.
Moving slowly, until I was sitting, legs out on the ledge, I turned at the sound of someone banging at the door.
"Get out here you little brat!" Someone shouted, and I frowned as I realised that Vaner was either dead or dying outside. "Open this door or the old man is dead!"
"RUN CAM…" Vaner was cut off by the sound of a blaster and I growled. Part of me wanted to stay and kill these bastards, but I knew that it was a risk I should avoid. The further I got from them and the Sith the more likely I was to survive and complete the prologue quest.
As an idea formed, I looked upwards and smirked at seeing the edge of the roof was close enough that if I stood I should be able to grab it and pull myself up and I managed to reach the roof just as there was an explosion from my room and I shimmed backwards until everything but my head was away from the edge. Carefully I took the blaster and aimed just past the window then waited quietly.
"Where's the brat gone?"
"Rand check the cupboard and under the bed. Sansk, the window."
I smirked at the voices and waited patiently until a green head popped out of the window; its eyes scanning the ground below.
"Nothi…" was as far as he got as I pressed the trigger and blasted a hole through his head, making his body slump over the ledge before sliding back into the room. Even as the body slumped to the floor, I moved backwards until I was
"Kriff! Sansk's gone!"
"I can see that you idiot! Move slowly, either there's someone else out there or the kid's more dangerous than we were told."
"First Gran, now Sansk. This mission is going to druk."
"Keep it up and you'll be next."
I had to shake my head that the back and forth between the two people in my room. Clearly, they were not soldiers and I was learning a few new, what I assumed were, swear words.
"I've got nothing," Rand said quietly, though given I was so close I heard him clearly.
"Same here. He must be directly below us or have gone."
"The Sith'll kill us if we lose him."
"If we're lucky they'll kill us." The leader, and the one who's name I didn't know said, telling me they worked for the Sith. Probably pirates or thugs hired for this mission as expendable cannon fodder. "I've heard tales about what they do to those that fail them." There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Still, two fewer bodies means more loot for us."
Rand chuckled. "Guess it does. So what do we do now?"
"We follow the boy. You jump first, and I'll cover you."
"Wha… Fine." Rand grumbled and I shimmied back a little bit in case he decided to look up before he jumped.
While the two had been talking I'd glanced around, hoping that there was a way for me to go, but discovered that the house was isolated in a valley.
There was another house further away, maybe 5 klicks or so, but the ground between here and there offered no cover and I couldn't see any garage for a speeder.
There was a grunt from Rand as he struggled to get through the window and I pondered that my only option might be to steal their ship, though given to my lack of understanding in how to pilot a starship, let alone plot a journey to another planet, I was not keen on the idea.
Sure, I could spend some of my backup skill points in the hope I'd miraculously learn how to fly, but it was not the most comforting Plan A.
"I'm down. Come on."
That left Plan B, which was to simply stun or kill every one of the attackers; and while there was a chance I could do that with the remaining thugs, the two Sith would probably take me down with ease.
The sound of a second thump told me the leader of these two had landed and I crawled forwards slowly. They were now too far from me to make out what they were saying but I saw one of them pull out a small device from his belt and talk into it.
Working on the assumption that he was calling the ones who were either still attacking the kitchen or now probably trying to help the Sith, I waited until he finished as I slowly aimed by pistol.
As he slipped the communicator back into his belt a fired; catching him on the top of his head and sending bits of brain flying, including onto the other.
I quickly shifted my aim and fired at the remaining thug, and though it took three shots to get him – and the rush of heat as he managed to get a snapshot off in my direction – he joined his friends.
I smiled a little at managing to take down the trio my I was forced from my relief as 2 more thugs came around the corner, firing on my location.
I moved back quickly, but in my haste, I slipped and began to roll down the roof, bouncing off a lower roof then crashing hard to the ground.
"Fuck," I groaned as I moved to kneel and saw that I'd lost just over a third of my hit-points.
Looking around, I saw that I'd landed near the kitchen and spotted three bodies lying on the ground.
I groaned when I realised one was Tardon and moved over quickly to where he lay hoping that he wasn't dead, though the pool of blueish liquid I saw didn't fill me with confidence.
As I placed a hand on his body, a new popup appeared.
I reeled back in shock at finding the Twi'lek Jedi now in nothing but his undergarments – and was instantly glad that the male had worn trousers and a shirt under his robes – even as I processed that I could loot bodies instantly for equipment. It felt wrong to take this stuff, but I figured I could give the lightsaber and holocron to the Jedi later on, though I did plan to keep the credits and commlink.
Glancing around to make sure that I was still alone, I scurried over to the other two bodies and repeated the process, gaining a Sith lightsaber, a blaster rifle and spare power cell, vibroblade, two stim-packs that would restore health, and a further 823 Credits.
As I finished looting the Sith's body, I glanced back at the house and saw movement, forcing me to lay down flat against the ground and begin to shimmy slowly backwards, taking me away from the house.
I'd managed to move a few meters away when the door to the kitchen opened and a Human man walked out slowly, his gun tracking with his head.
"Bugger," I mumbled at seeing the man was on edge, though given a boy of 8 had killed three of his cohorts, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.
I watched as he focused on Tardon and began to walk forward slowly as I cursed myself for looting the body with my powers, and thus, removing the Jedi's robes.
I glanced behind me and saw I was almost next to the smouldering remains of the Jedi ship, and figured if I could get behind it I had a fair chance to go with Plan A and attempt to steal the attacker's ship and escape.
He called back into the house as he moved, and I raised my blaster, slowly taking aim in the hopes I could take him out before the other thugs of the remaining Sith appeared, even as I continued to slowly move backwards while staying as low to the ground as I could.
I felt the air heat up, meaning I was close to the Jedi ship when a second person came out of the house. This one, while a head shorter than the first was walking casually with her lightsaber lit and a cursed silently as the Sith glanced at each of the bodies before looking my direction.
"Bollocks," I mumbled as I saw his eyes lock on mine and I took a snapshot at the human thug before turning and running for the Sith ship.
I run up the ramp and look around desperately for the door controls, silently wishing I had applied my spare skill points to Mechanics or Piloting, as I punched at the first thing that looked at controls, only for a cupboard to open exposing a hover-bike.
I nearly fist-pumped as the third set of dials I pressed began to close the ramp and I moved out of the small entrance area, hitting the controls on the other side of the door to close those before blasting them, hoping it would have the same effect for me as it did for Luke in A New Hope.
I turned and moved down the corridor until it opened onto a large, central room and I glanced around. I took a moment to try to orientate myself with where I expected the bridge to be and moved in that direction, quickly being rewarded with the sight of three seats, controls and a glass canopy.
"Great. Now to figure out how to launch the ship." I muttered as I slipped into one of the front two seats and examined the controls, being thankful that some of the controls were labelled.
After calling up my skills and dumping all my remaining points into a handful of skills that should help me pilot the ship, I pressed what I now knew was the engine start switch. Yes, dumping points into skills somehow instantly gave me knowledge, but I wasn't caring about how such a thing worked as I slowly increased the power to lift the ship off the ground.
I instinctively ducked as blaster shots began to pepper the canopy, though I quickly noted that none were even scratching the glass – or whatever it was – and ignored the fire as the ship began to lift and turn.
As the onboard computer began what I noted was an automated take-off sequence, the ship tilted back until all I could see was the sky, I let out a breath of relief at getting away.
"Not bad boy, but you're out of your league." Crackled a voice from behind me as I felt myself being pulled backwards, out of the seat and onto the ground hard. "Now stay down. I have orders to not harm you permanently, but so long as you arrive in one piece, I doubt Lord Frux will complain."
I looked up while still grabbing at my throat to see a girl of about 16 years of age, standing over me with a malicious smirk on her face as her yellow eyes seemed to sparkle as I struggled.
"What? Felinx got your tongue?" The girl asked as the smirk turned into a grin.
A glance at my HP showed it falling slowly as the choke continued and I frantically looked around for some way out of this. I reached for my pistol and got off a snapshot, but she deflected it back past me then casually flicked her lightsaber, slicing the barrel clean off.
"Uh-uh. No trying to escape." She warned as her eyes narrowed and I felt the pressure on my throat increase. My HP was falling faster now, and I estimated I had no more than a few minutes before I died.
My eyes frantically searched the room and spotting what looked like a wrench on a table behind her, I reached out for it with the Force even as I opened my mouth. "In. Ven. Tory." A managed to say as the wrench slowly lifted off the surface it was on.
I reached out towards my inventory even as the girl began to laugh.
"Inventory? Seriously? That's your distraction?" She chuckled as she spun, dropping the choke on me and sliced the wrench that was now flying towards her in half.
"Such a pa…" Her words stopped as she turned back to find I had ignited both Jedi lightsabers that I'd grabbed from my inventory while she had turned away; stabbing her through the calf and chest as I managed to kneel.
I pulled them outwards, slicing her chest open and severing her lightsaber arm at the shoulder while leaving one leg hanging on by a thread.
I turned off the lightsabers before falling backwards onto my arse. There was no pain in my throat now, but after dropping one of the lightsabers back into the inventory, I took out a stim-pack, and after examining it for a moment, jammed it into my leg.
I smiled a fraction as I saw my HP climb rapidly; thankful that whatever was in the pack still worked on me with my strange powers.
A single cough had me snapping the remaining lightsaber on as I turned to face the Sith, though I stayed still, waiting to see if somehow the girl had survived. After nearly a minute of watching her, I realised she wasn't moving and extinguished the lightsaber and stood slowly.
The room was filling with the smell of cooked meat, and I cringed as I realised that was the after-effect of a lightsaber cutting flesh.
Activating Breath Control, I slowly dragged the body out of the cockpit and – after taking her lightsaber, a Sith Holocron with the passcode Passion grants Strength and a further 47 Credits – returned to the controls.
I frowned when I saw that the deflected blaster shot had hit one of the consoles, but nothing seemed wrong as the ship was now leaving orbit and I couldn't help but gasp at seeing the stars from space for the first time.
Another console beeped, drawing my attention, I frowned as I realised that it was the hyperdrive powering up. I hadn't inputted a target, so I had to assume that it was a pre-programmed setup in case the Sith were killed.
I tried to gain access to the computer, but it required a password and I worried that if I entered the wrong password the ship might just explode or something, so I was resigned to travelling to wherever the Sith had come from on the hope the computer would unlock once I arrived.
Another console beeped, and I spotted a blinking orange switch. With my increased skills in computing, I knew this was the ship-to-ship intercom and flicked the switch.
"I say again. Unknown vessel, you are ordered to heave to and prepared to be boarded. Fail to comply and you will be fired upon."
"Um, this is Cameron Shan. I escaped an attack by the owners of the ship on my grandfather's home but it's powering up the hyperdrive and I can't stop it. Please advise."
"Shan? As in… Right. Mister Shan, I'm Captain Hardin of the Talravin Defence Force. I'm going to try and…"
The Captain's voice was cut off as the ship accelerated to lightspeed.
"Damm," I muttered as the stars merged into a continuous field of white.
I glanced down at the hyperdrive computer, hoping it would display where I was now heading, even the destroyed console sparked and buzzed. Clearly, something was wrong, but without knowing what the console was for I just had to hope it was nothing important.
"Right, since I've no idea how long this is going to take, I'd better do an inventory of what's on board." I said as I stood and walked back to the central area of the ship, and the remains of the female Sith.
…
To be clear, this where Cam will begin to travel to the future. The console in the cockpit that was damaged was the part of the hyperdrive that regulates time relative to real-space.
I knew that this wasn't a game, or at least I was trying to not treat it as one, but I was starting to go bored just sitting in my room day and night grinding. Yes, the whole not needing to sleep thing was starting to get to me. I mean, I get that with my new power I didn't need to, but to hell with grinding, I wanted to sleep and was going to, quest be dammed.
Sure, I'd gotten Heal and Trance to at least 15 Novice – Trance was at 20 Master which granted 110% bonus to regeneration, on top of meditation's bonus – and Breath Control was almost there as well, but I was getting seriously bored.
I'd have the same Force Vision 4 more times, which had been enough to level up Vision once. Sadly, the glimpse of the future was no clearer or obvious in meaning, though I had reached the conclusion it had something to do with how the Prologue quest was going to end.
With a sigh, I figured it was time to start levelling up TK now that Heal was high enough to meet the quest requirements and I began to fly a pillow around the room.
I'd only been at that for maybe 10 minutes when there was a knock at the door.
"Cameron, can you come downstairs. There's someone here to meet you."
I frowned for a moment before I realised who it probably was. While my grandfather hadn't mentioned if Bastila had called him back, I assumed she had and that the newcomer was a Jedi to check my Force connection; hopefully without that silly blood-test thingy from The Phantom Menace.
I walked out of the room slowly, trying to contain my excitement, though I paused as I reached the bottom of the stairs as I got a new notification box.
Opening it, I discovered I had a new Force Power; Detection, which detected living beings within a 10meter range.
I opened the mini-map and saw three blue dots in the living room to my left, one of which had my grandfather's name attached to it in very small text.
'That might get awkward if I'm at the Jedi Temple or in a major battle. I'll have to look later to see if I can turn off the names from the options.' I considered as I entered the living room and saw my grandfather talking with two brown-robed individuals. The taller of the two was a green-skinned Twi'lek; and knowing that generated another blue box, though I ignored it for now.
"There you are," Vaner said with a slight smile. "Cameron, this is Jedi Master Tardon Komad, and his padawan, Haqu. They were sent by your Great-Grandmother to see if you are suitable for training with the Jedi."
"Hello," I said taking in the sight of my first real aliens and trying very hard to not freak out about it. Tardon was as tall as my grandfather and his head-tails – I didn't know what they were called – were wrapped around his neck. The padawan was of the same species as Darth Maul, yet his skin was a light brown. He looked to be about 15-18 in age.
"Yes, I can see the resemblance to Ressa," Tardon commented as he looked at me. "I was her master when she was a padawan." He stepped forward and knelt in front of me. "Now, let us see."
He closed his eyes and I felt a brief tingle in my mind and at the end of my fingers.
"Well, he's definitely strong in the Force, that much is certain. But the records show he wasn't. A conundrum." He said as he stood and rubbed his chin.
"Why would that be master?" Haqu asked, his eyes glancing to his master as he spoke.
I had pondered that myself over the last few days and had a suspicion. "Maybe my mother wanted me to grow up away from Coruscant and the Jedi. Given to my family name, I think I'd gather a lot of attention."
"Yes, that is possible. Ressa was not one who enjoyed the way people looked at her once her family name was revealed." Tardon replied. "Perhaps it also has something to do with your father. Do you know whom that was?"
Vaner shook his head. "Ressa never told me and Emess never mentioned anything about it to me when she came home with Cameron." He paused and looked over at picture that was of him and a woman when he was younger, one I knew was my grandmother who'd died a few years ago.
I frowned. More than likely my dad was just someone my mother had gotten close to during a mission and gotten pregnant, but not knowing was a little disconcerting.
"Still, we need to carry out a few more test to be sure if he is suitable to join the Younglings at one of the training centres," Tardon stated slowly. "With your permission Chancellor, I'd like to try and teach him a few basic Force abilities."
"Just Vaner is fine Master Jedi," Vaner replied with a small frown that made me wonder if he regretted something about being the Chancellor. "And go ahead. Cameron has done nothing but meditate on Bastila's words these last few days."
I managed to avoid smirking at my grandfather thinking I'd just been meditating in my room instead of grinding my skills.
"Indeed. Well, that is a good start." Tardon paused and looked around the room. "Hmm, perhaps we should move outside. Younglings have a tendency to lack control when learning new skills."
I followed the two Jedi outside, wondering just what they would try to teach me, and how long this would take.
.........
"Well done Cameron," Tardon said with a large smile that exposed his sharp, razor teeth. "It is quite astonishing how easily you are able to pick up new skills." He continued, and I couldn't help but smile at the praise.
In the last several hours, between all the talking about what the Jedi stand for, I had gained seven new Force powers and while some seemed less than useful, I had created another quest while doing so and was halfway to finishing it. I had to gain 10 new Force powers before reaching a Jedi training centre for 300XP while failing would only cost me 100XP.
The only downside of this learning was that my FP became depleted and that meant another bout of meditation; something I was becoming truly sick of doing.
"Thank you, sir," I replied, not willing or truthful comfortable with calling someone master. Blame it on the connotations of the word and too much Doctor Who growing up.
"Master," I turned with Tardon as his padawan approached from where their small ship was parked. "The ship's scanners have detected another ship on an approach vector."
"Hmm, was your grandfather expecting visitors?"
"No, that I know of." Though given I'd spent the last few days locked in my room by choice I wouldn't know.
"Hmm. Perhaps it would be best if we returned to the house and awaited these…"
I stopped paying attention to the Twi'lek Jedi when a white notice appeared in the centre of my vision.
MOVE!
…
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand at the simple warning as I realised it was a message from the Force thanks to now learning Precognition.…
"We need to go!" I blurted out, already backing off towards the house even as I glanced up at the sky. There was nothing to see but the message changed.
MOVE NOW!
…
I pulled on Tardon's sleeve. "We need to move!" I said with as much emotion as I could, hoping my very real fear would convince him.…
"I dou…" whatever he was going to say was cut-off by a string of red light beams that struck the Jedi's ship, destroying it and throwing me and Tardon backwards towards the house.
I grunted as I rolled onto my side and stared at where the ship had been. Now it was nothing but a burning and smocking pile of remains. I shook my head to clear it and saw that the interface had changed; my mini-map and key stats were now on, as was Player's mind. All of that told me I was now in combat and I looked up as a shadow fell over the ship remains to see another ship, one that looked slightly larger than the former Jedi ship, descending rapidly.
"Get inside," Tardon said, and I turned to look at him. His face was marred by what I assumed was blood, though it was blue in colour. Otherwise, he looked fine and I turned back to the remains of his ship as I realised that Haqu had been between us and the ship when it exploded.
"Haqu?" I asked slowly as I stood, noting the new ship was going to land behind the remains of the Jedi's one.
"Dead," Tardon stated softly before he held out a hand and summoned the padawan's lightsaber. "Here, I sense the presence of the dark side on that ship. I hope you will not need it, but it is better to be prepared."
I took the lightsaber slowly, turning it over in my hands.
"Move," Tardon ordered.
Warning!
Attempted Force Compulsion!
Overwritten due to Player's Mind.
…
I waved away the warning, that while not appearing in the centre of my vision, was still easy to read as it appeared in my combat log and ran back into the house to find my grandfather approaching, two guns in hand.Attempted Force Compulsion!
Overwritten due to Player's Mind.
…
"What's happening?"
"We're under attack," I replied as I slid the lightsaber into my pocket in case he tried to take it from me. I really wished I could drop it in my inventory, but having it disappear in plain-sight would raise a lot of questions I'd rather avoid if possible. "Haqu is dead and their ship is destroyed. Another is landing behind it and Tardon says there are Sith on board."
Vaner's face went white for a moment before he thrust one of the blasters to me. "Take it." He commanded, and I did so.
I turned it over in my hands slowly. While the thing was very different from a pistol from my former life, the principles were still the same and I felt more comfortable with a gun than a lightsaber; though if I survived this I hoped to change that.
Vaner moved me behind the table he had overturned, one I saw was made of metal, and moved to the window to glance outside.
"Sithspit!" He spat out. "There's two of them and a handful of thugs."
I closed my eyes and reach out of with Force Detection, but the attackers were not close enough for me to sense yet as all I felt was my grandfather and Tardon.
"Kriff! The thugs are moving this way." Vaner stated not long after my attempt to detect the Sith and I realised that I'd given away my position by doing so. "Keep your head down." He added as he took aim with his pistol and fired off a few shots.
The return fire was not as quick in coming as I would've expected if I was in my old life, but what came forced Vaner to duck down low.
Glasses exploded, pots and pans clanged, and cupboard doors creaked under the fire that was coming in and I knew that we couldn't stay in the kitchen.
"We need to move," I called out. "If they've got half a brain between them some will keep firing while the others flank us."
"What?" Vaner shouted back over the incoming shots that I noted where lessening but still sustained. I looked at my grandfather and his shock at my statement was clear to see.
"I've read a few books on battles. They'll try to pin us down here while circling around to attack from behind." I lied/explained. "If we stay here we'll die."
Vaner tried to glance out of the window, but the incoming fire stopped him, and he sighed. "Fine, but where should we go?"
I thought for a moment as I considered the layout of the house. "They'll try to come in through a window if one is open, or the front door if not. Regardless they'd need to pass through the hall to get here so we should move up the stairs. It gives us an advantage and we can slip out of one of the upstairs windows to try and help Tardon."
Vaner nodded along slowly. "Very well, however, you are not to engage the Sith. You're no match for them."
I nodded in agreement, remembering that failure here would mean capture by them or death; neither of which was an appealing option.
Vaner sent a few random shots out of the window, not that I expected him to him anything, to hopefully convince the attackers we were staying still, then we moved quickly but quietly up the stairs, checking the rooms we passed to ensure there was no-one there yet.
Once we reached the top of the stairs, Vaner ushered me into my room.
"Stay in here. Don't come out unless I tell you."
"But…"
"No buts." His tone was firm. "Stay here." He paused and sighed. "I can't lose you too."
I opened my mouth to retort, only to stop and nod in acceptance. This man had lost his wife, one of his children had died and the other was somewhere in the galaxy as a Jedi.
I knew that I would be leaving here soon, but if I could do so without hurting him, I would try. Though I was also already planning how to get out of the window.
He gave me a small smile and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Whatever happens, I love you."
He turned to leave, but I stopped him by grabbing his arm. Player's Mind was clearly controlling my emotions, but I still didn't want him to die. "May the Force be with you."
I felt a shiver go up my spine at finally saying those words and his smile grew as he replied.
"And with you."
He turned without a further word and left, closing the room as he did.
I dropped the lightsaber into my inventory – figuring I was less likely to lose it there than in my pocket – and looked around the room. With a quick wave of my hand, I moved the desk behind the door, then dragged the bed – as its weight was too heavy to fully lift – behind that before I walked over to the window.
I was relieved that it was big enough for me to leave through and that it faced away from where the ships and the Sith were.
I opened it slowly, keeping down in case the other attackers could see then risked a glance outside.
There was no sign of anyone but also, there was no ledge and if I leapt it would be straight drop to the ground.
Blaster fire from outside the room told Vaner had engaged the attackers and I knew I needed to go.
Moving slowly, until I was sitting, legs out on the ledge, I turned at the sound of someone banging at the door.
"Get out here you little brat!" Someone shouted, and I frowned as I realised that Vaner was either dead or dying outside. "Open this door or the old man is dead!"
"RUN CAM…" Vaner was cut off by the sound of a blaster and I growled. Part of me wanted to stay and kill these bastards, but I knew that it was a risk I should avoid. The further I got from them and the Sith the more likely I was to survive and complete the prologue quest.
As an idea formed, I looked upwards and smirked at seeing the edge of the roof was close enough that if I stood I should be able to grab it and pull myself up and I managed to reach the roof just as there was an explosion from my room and I shimmed backwards until everything but my head was away from the edge. Carefully I took the blaster and aimed just past the window then waited quietly.
"Where's the brat gone?"
"Rand check the cupboard and under the bed. Sansk, the window."
I smirked at the voices and waited patiently until a green head popped out of the window; its eyes scanning the ground below.
"Nothi…" was as far as he got as I pressed the trigger and blasted a hole through his head, making his body slump over the ledge before sliding back into the room. Even as the body slumped to the floor, I moved backwards until I was
"Kriff! Sansk's gone!"
"I can see that you idiot! Move slowly, either there's someone else out there or the kid's more dangerous than we were told."
"First Gran, now Sansk. This mission is going to druk."
"Keep it up and you'll be next."
I had to shake my head that the back and forth between the two people in my room. Clearly, they were not soldiers and I was learning a few new, what I assumed were, swear words.
"I've got nothing," Rand said quietly, though given I was so close I heard him clearly.
"Same here. He must be directly below us or have gone."
"The Sith'll kill us if we lose him."
"If we're lucky they'll kill us." The leader, and the one who's name I didn't know said, telling me they worked for the Sith. Probably pirates or thugs hired for this mission as expendable cannon fodder. "I've heard tales about what they do to those that fail them." There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Still, two fewer bodies means more loot for us."
Rand chuckled. "Guess it does. So what do we do now?"
"We follow the boy. You jump first, and I'll cover you."
"Wha… Fine." Rand grumbled and I shimmied back a little bit in case he decided to look up before he jumped.
While the two had been talking I'd glanced around, hoping that there was a way for me to go, but discovered that the house was isolated in a valley.
There was another house further away, maybe 5 klicks or so, but the ground between here and there offered no cover and I couldn't see any garage for a speeder.
There was a grunt from Rand as he struggled to get through the window and I pondered that my only option might be to steal their ship, though given to my lack of understanding in how to pilot a starship, let alone plot a journey to another planet, I was not keen on the idea.
Sure, I could spend some of my backup skill points in the hope I'd miraculously learn how to fly, but it was not the most comforting Plan A.
"I'm down. Come on."
That left Plan B, which was to simply stun or kill every one of the attackers; and while there was a chance I could do that with the remaining thugs, the two Sith would probably take me down with ease.
The sound of a second thump told me the leader of these two had landed and I crawled forwards slowly. They were now too far from me to make out what they were saying but I saw one of them pull out a small device from his belt and talk into it.
Working on the assumption that he was calling the ones who were either still attacking the kitchen or now probably trying to help the Sith, I waited until he finished as I slowly aimed by pistol.
As he slipped the communicator back into his belt a fired; catching him on the top of his head and sending bits of brain flying, including onto the other.
I quickly shifted my aim and fired at the remaining thug, and though it took three shots to get him – and the rush of heat as he managed to get a snapshot off in my direction – he joined his friends.
I smiled a little at managing to take down the trio my I was forced from my relief as 2 more thugs came around the corner, firing on my location.
I moved back quickly, but in my haste, I slipped and began to roll down the roof, bouncing off a lower roof then crashing hard to the ground.
"Fuck," I groaned as I moved to kneel and saw that I'd lost just over a third of my hit-points.
Looking around, I saw that I'd landed near the kitchen and spotted three bodies lying on the ground.
I groaned when I realised one was Tardon and moved over quickly to where he lay hoping that he wasn't dead, though the pool of blueish liquid I saw didn't fill me with confidence.
As I placed a hand on his body, a new popup appeared.
ID: Tardon Komad [Jedi]
Status: Dead
Do you wish to loot the body?
Yes/No?
…
I stared at the pop-up in shock for a moment before mumbling out a 'yes'.Status: Dead
Do you wish to loot the body?
Yes/No?
…
Lightsaber Collected!
A green-bladed lightsaber that formerly belonged to the Jedi Master Tardon Komad.
Jedi Commlink Collected!
A commlink used by the Jedi to communicate with others.
Capable of Hypercomm access but need access to a transceiver to do so.
Jedi Robes Collected!
The robes formerly worn by Jedi Master Tardon Komad.
Provides minimal protection from damage.
[Currently cannot be equipped due to size difference]
Jedi Holocron Collected!
The personal holocron of former Jedi Master Tardon Komad.
Can only be accessed by a Force-user with the correct passphrase.
[passphrase: Peace through training]
246 Credits added!
…
A green-bladed lightsaber that formerly belonged to the Jedi Master Tardon Komad.
Jedi Commlink Collected!
A commlink used by the Jedi to communicate with others.
Capable of Hypercomm access but need access to a transceiver to do so.
Jedi Robes Collected!
The robes formerly worn by Jedi Master Tardon Komad.
Provides minimal protection from damage.
[Currently cannot be equipped due to size difference]
Jedi Holocron Collected!
The personal holocron of former Jedi Master Tardon Komad.
Can only be accessed by a Force-user with the correct passphrase.
[passphrase: Peace through training]
246 Credits added!
…
Glancing around to make sure that I was still alone, I scurried over to the other two bodies and repeated the process, gaining a Sith lightsaber, a blaster rifle and spare power cell, vibroblade, two stim-packs that would restore health, and a further 823 Credits.
As I finished looting the Sith's body, I glanced back at the house and saw movement, forcing me to lay down flat against the ground and begin to shimmy slowly backwards, taking me away from the house.
I'd managed to move a few meters away when the door to the kitchen opened and a Human man walked out slowly, his gun tracking with his head.
"Bugger," I mumbled at seeing the man was on edge, though given a boy of 8 had killed three of his cohorts, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.
I watched as he focused on Tardon and began to walk forward slowly as I cursed myself for looting the body with my powers, and thus, removing the Jedi's robes.
I glanced behind me and saw I was almost next to the smouldering remains of the Jedi ship, and figured if I could get behind it I had a fair chance to go with Plan A and attempt to steal the attacker's ship and escape.
He called back into the house as he moved, and I raised my blaster, slowly taking aim in the hopes I could take him out before the other thugs of the remaining Sith appeared, even as I continued to slowly move backwards while staying as low to the ground as I could.
I felt the air heat up, meaning I was close to the Jedi ship when a second person came out of the house. This one, while a head shorter than the first was walking casually with her lightsaber lit and a cursed silently as the Sith glanced at each of the bodies before looking my direction.
"Bollocks," I mumbled as I saw his eyes lock on mine and I took a snapshot at the human thug before turning and running for the Sith ship.
I run up the ramp and look around desperately for the door controls, silently wishing I had applied my spare skill points to Mechanics or Piloting, as I punched at the first thing that looked at controls, only for a cupboard to open exposing a hover-bike.
I nearly fist-pumped as the third set of dials I pressed began to close the ramp and I moved out of the small entrance area, hitting the controls on the other side of the door to close those before blasting them, hoping it would have the same effect for me as it did for Luke in A New Hope.
I turned and moved down the corridor until it opened onto a large, central room and I glanced around. I took a moment to try to orientate myself with where I expected the bridge to be and moved in that direction, quickly being rewarded with the sight of three seats, controls and a glass canopy.
"Great. Now to figure out how to launch the ship." I muttered as I slipped into one of the front two seats and examined the controls, being thankful that some of the controls were labelled.
After calling up my skills and dumping all my remaining points into a handful of skills that should help me pilot the ship, I pressed what I now knew was the engine start switch. Yes, dumping points into skills somehow instantly gave me knowledge, but I wasn't caring about how such a thing worked as I slowly increased the power to lift the ship off the ground.
I instinctively ducked as blaster shots began to pepper the canopy, though I quickly noted that none were even scratching the glass – or whatever it was – and ignored the fire as the ship began to lift and turn.
As the onboard computer began what I noted was an automated take-off sequence, the ship tilted back until all I could see was the sky, I let out a breath of relief at getting away.
Warning!
Force Choke detected!
…
I found myself ignoring the warning that appeared as my hands went to my throat as it felt like someone was crushing it with a truck.Force Choke detected!
…
"Not bad boy, but you're out of your league." Crackled a voice from behind me as I felt myself being pulled backwards, out of the seat and onto the ground hard. "Now stay down. I have orders to not harm you permanently, but so long as you arrive in one piece, I doubt Lord Frux will complain."
I looked up while still grabbing at my throat to see a girl of about 16 years of age, standing over me with a malicious smirk on her face as her yellow eyes seemed to sparkle as I struggled.
"What? Felinx got your tongue?" The girl asked as the smirk turned into a grin.
A glance at my HP showed it falling slowly as the choke continued and I frantically looked around for some way out of this. I reached for my pistol and got off a snapshot, but she deflected it back past me then casually flicked her lightsaber, slicing the barrel clean off.
"Uh-uh. No trying to escape." She warned as her eyes narrowed and I felt the pressure on my throat increase. My HP was falling faster now, and I estimated I had no more than a few minutes before I died.
My eyes frantically searched the room and spotting what looked like a wrench on a table behind her, I reached out for it with the Force even as I opened my mouth. "In. Ven. Tory." A managed to say as the wrench slowly lifted off the surface it was on.
I reached out towards my inventory even as the girl began to laugh.
"Inventory? Seriously? That's your distraction?" She chuckled as she spun, dropping the choke on me and sliced the wrench that was now flying towards her in half.
"Such a pa…" Her words stopped as she turned back to find I had ignited both Jedi lightsabers that I'd grabbed from my inventory while she had turned away; stabbing her through the calf and chest as I managed to kneel.
I pulled them outwards, slicing her chest open and severing her lightsaber arm at the shoulder while leaving one leg hanging on by a thread.
I turned off the lightsabers before falling backwards onto my arse. There was no pain in my throat now, but after dropping one of the lightsabers back into the inventory, I took out a stim-pack, and after examining it for a moment, jammed it into my leg.
I smiled a fraction as I saw my HP climb rapidly; thankful that whatever was in the pack still worked on me with my strange powers.
A single cough had me snapping the remaining lightsaber on as I turned to face the Sith, though I stayed still, waiting to see if somehow the girl had survived. After nearly a minute of watching her, I realised she wasn't moving and extinguished the lightsaber and stood slowly.
The room was filling with the smell of cooked meat, and I cringed as I realised that was the after-effect of a lightsaber cutting flesh.
Activating Breath Control, I slowly dragged the body out of the cockpit and – after taking her lightsaber, a Sith Holocron with the passcode Passion grants Strength and a further 47 Credits – returned to the controls.
I frowned when I saw that the deflected blaster shot had hit one of the consoles, but nothing seemed wrong as the ship was now leaving orbit and I couldn't help but gasp at seeing the stars from space for the first time.
Another console beeped, drawing my attention, I frowned as I realised that it was the hyperdrive powering up. I hadn't inputted a target, so I had to assume that it was a pre-programmed setup in case the Sith were killed.
I tried to gain access to the computer, but it required a password and I worried that if I entered the wrong password the ship might just explode or something, so I was resigned to travelling to wherever the Sith had come from on the hope the computer would unlock once I arrived.
Another console beeped, and I spotted a blinking orange switch. With my increased skills in computing, I knew this was the ship-to-ship intercom and flicked the switch.
"I say again. Unknown vessel, you are ordered to heave to and prepared to be boarded. Fail to comply and you will be fired upon."
"Um, this is Cameron Shan. I escaped an attack by the owners of the ship on my grandfather's home but it's powering up the hyperdrive and I can't stop it. Please advise."
"Shan? As in… Right. Mister Shan, I'm Captain Hardin of the Talravin Defence Force. I'm going to try and…"
The Captain's voice was cut off as the ship accelerated to lightspeed.
"Damm," I muttered as the stars merged into a continuous field of white.
I glanced down at the hyperdrive computer, hoping it would display where I was now heading, even the destroyed console sparked and buzzed. Clearly, something was wrong, but without knowing what the console was for I just had to hope it was nothing important.
"Right, since I've no idea how long this is going to take, I'd better do an inventory of what's on board." I said as I stood and walked back to the central area of the ship, and the remains of the female Sith.
…
To be clear, this where Cam will begin to travel to the future. The console in the cockpit that was damaged was the part of the hyperdrive that regulates time relative to real-space.
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Prologue 4
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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I looked up from the datapad where I'd been reading up on how to program a hyperlight jump for the last hour as the ship shuddered and I saw that the constant blue swirling tunnel of hyper-speed was gone.
Quickly I moved to the pilot's chair and read the scanners and discovered I was entering the orbit of a planet called Dormund Kaas, though I had no idea where that was. I really needed to learn the locations of every planet I could remember from the movies.
One of the consoles was blinking, and thanks to reading up on starship operations, I knew this was the requesting access to the local Datanet; though no reply seemed to be incoming.
Looking out the canopy, I spotted a single orbiting station, and though there was no light coming from it, I wasn't willing to risk hailing it since this was where the Sith wanted to take me.
After discovering that the navigation computer was now unlocked, I waited as calmly as I could without using Player's Mind for the next few minutes, ready to turn the ship around and run if anything approached, but nothing did, and I began to relax; though only a little.
"Right, now what to do," I said to myself as I continued to check the sensors for any approaching ship or incoming hail. "I've got five more days of rations, though I'd rather not have to keep eating those, so I could investigate the station to learn more about where I am, and why the Sith wanted me to come here. This planet looks abandoned, so maybe it's just a layover location.
"Or I could head down to the planet and investigate it." A quick check at the scanners showed the remains of a handful of cities, though all had been overrun by jungle and swamp meaning they were abandoned years ago.
"S-three? That's four levels higher the Prologue quest and I barely survived that Sith girl. Still, nothing says I have to do this now, just that I need to complete it to weaken the Sidious." I read the quest again before shrugging. "Yes."
"Thanks," I said to the message as it disappeared and turned to the navigation computer. "Something about this place tells me I really shouldn't let others know it exists. If Sidious or others like him discover this place it could make things worse for the galaxy. I need to find a way to copy the flight logs of this ship then clear them before I reach Coruscant."
Still, realising that I could learn new Force powers from the two holocrons was a nice surprise as until then, I'd thought they were nothing more than personal journals or diaries and that meant I could hopefully complete the Force Power quest before I reached Coruscant.
I looked back at the navigation computer and, after checking it for a few minutes I discovered that there was a data slot that matched the one on the datapad I had been using to read new skills from.
I moved to plug the pad into the computer to wipe the worlds when I paused and realised that if I did that then maybe the computer would not be able to fly to Coruscant safely.
I placed the pad next to the pad down and accessed the nav-computer to program a trip to Coruscant. After a few minutes, the computer stated that such a jump would use most of the fuel onboard and I would need to refuel once I arrived before asking If I accepted the flight plan.
I went to confirm when a new alert appeared.
A few of the options were less than appealing and given I was a boy of 8, dangerous to enter for now, but maybe they would be useful to start later.
"Yes." I accepted the quest then confirmed my destination in the nav-computer, before piloting the ship slowly away from Dormund Kaas. After I was far enough away from the planet, I powered up the hyperdrive and watched the view change to the blue of white.
"Right, another 2 or so days of this then I can figure out how exactly I'm going to move from this era to just before the prequels," I muttered as I picked up the datapad again and went back to learning more about piloting.
…
…
Just before lunch on the second day of travel from Dormund Kaas I felt another shudder and quickly walked to the cockpit to see the ship had dropped out of hyperspeed.
"Whoa," I muttered as I took in the sight before me. I knew that Coruscant was a planet-wide city, but seeing it for real, and the sheer number of ships approaching from various directions was awe-inspiring, and not a little intimidating.
The comms blinked as it did over Talravin, I had discovered that was the name of the world I'd come from by examining the nav-computers logs, and I opened the channel.
"Hello?"
"This is Coruscant System Patrol. Please state your identity and reason for arriving in-system on an unused vector." A voice asked. It was hard to tell over the channel, but I thought he sounded bored.
"Um, my name is Cameron Shan and I'm here to see the Jedi Council."
There was a laugh from the man.
"Yeah, you and thousands of others buddy. What makes you think they'll want to meet you?" His tone was dripping with sarcasm I was silently wondering if I could learn Force Choke from the Sith holocron so I could strangle the bastard at range.
Sure, I'd learnt a bunch of powers for Tardon's holocron, but I'd only scratched the surface of the Sith one as it pushed against my mind, trying to make me angry and while Player's mind would counter it, that special power only lasted for about 20 minutes before it had to recharge Player Points.
Still, I now had about 20 Force Powers, some more useful than others, and had managed to learn Huttese to Adept levels within a few days, so I couldn't complain too much.
"Well for one, I have the holocron of a Jedi who died to protect me and for another, I killed a Sith on this ship."
Silence greeted my reply, which I had expected.
"What?"
"I have a Jedi holocron to return and a dead Sith onboard," I reply with a large smirk. "If this isn't sufficient to at least grant me a landing pad near the Jedi Temple I don't know what is." Yes, I was being cheeky, but this guy clearly wasn't interested in doing his job; plus, it was fun. "So can I land?"
"Um, I need to check with my Captain. Please hold."
I rolled my eyes at being put on hold – somethings clearly don't change no matter what galaxy you're in – and waited patiently as the time ticked away.
"Um, Mr Shan. You are ordered to heave too and prepare for an inspection. If we can corroborate your claims, then we will see about contacting the Jedi for you."
"Very well. I'm cutting engines now." I replied before closing the channel then watching as a ship approached.
.........
Nearly two hours – and far too much bullshit from the customs officers – later, I was granted a landing slot in the Temple district where I was told that a member of the Council would meet me.
Though as I exited the ship – which I still did not actually know the name of – I stumbled at seeing a small green alien, no more than a metre in height waiting with two others.
"Hmm, surprising to you, my appearance is. Yes?" The green alien asked with a chuckle and unless all of his species had the same voice, then I was looking at Yoda; meaning I had somehow travelled forward in time.
"Um, no. Well, yes. I mean I didn't know there were aliens like yourself on the Council." I replied slowly, thinking on the fly and silently glad that I had activated Player's Mind before exiting the ship. I noted that the two humans that accompanied Yoda[?] were watching me carefully. "Um, forgive my manners. My name is Cameron Shan and…"
The far older of the two men waved his hand and seemed to scowl. "Yes, yes. We heard the story you concocted to gain landing permission and drag us out here. Now tell us your real reason for being here child."
I mentally wanted to slap the old git for a moment before Player's Mind cancelled out the anger and I smirked. "Perhaps some proof would help you?" I say as I pull Tardon's holocron, his lightsaber and one of the Sith weapons from my pocket. "I also have a five-day-old body of a dead Sith girl locked in an air-tight hold that I would happily show to you." Though I hoped that wouldn't be needed as I suspected the room smelled rank by now.
"Well that is definitely a holocron," The younger man said, lifting the object from my hand along with the lightsabers with the Force. He ignited the two blades, eyes narrowing at the red Sith blade. "And this is certainly a Sith blade."
"Preposterous!" The older man half-shouted with a wild wave of his arm. "Just because your Sentinels claim to be sensing the dark side rising does not make it, nor this boy's claims, true."
'Well, you're on my shit list arsehole.' I opened my mouth to comment but Yoda[?] beat me to it.
"This to the temple, we should take. Brought in for an examination, the body can be." He stepped closer to me, hobbling on his stick as he did. "Incredible, your story is. Help us decide on its validity, your proof will."
He turned and walked away, followed by the two humans, though not before the older one gave me a narrow stare.
Two Republic officers moved beside me, while another pair moved past me to enter the ship.
While the small transport took us towards the Jedi Temple I pondered just how I had ended up here – and when exactly here was – and what affects my arrival would have. Yes, I had been warned that the Prologue quest would transit me from past to present, but I was still at a loss as to how it happened.
As the transport landed, I was still working through what had happened to allow me to travel almost 4000 years into the future, though I was broken from those thoughts as I took my first few steps up to the Jedi Temple as notice appeared.
"Um, yes. I just was caught off guard at how imposing this place is." I replied, using his question to accept a quest that I hadn't expected.
'25 per cent boost to most Force Powers is going to be handy, but I never knew the Temple was corrupted. Guess I'll have to find out its history and see if I can work out when and where the corruption is. Though it would be nice is every quest given to me by the PtB didn't carry the chance of death'
I followed the three Jedi Masters into the temple, my eyes were wide at seeing just how massive this place was as we entered and I couldn't help myself as I looked around, taking in the multi-floor entrance that seemed to stretch on and on.
"Yes, it is quite an imposing sight." I turned at as the younger Human spoke. "Tell me, what can you feel?"
I frowned for a moment before closing my eyes and reaching out with Detection, though it was only level 5 Novice and gave 50 metres of sensing it was enough to make me gasp at the energy that seemed to radiate around the place, though it was strongest directly in front of me. The three Jedi also stood out, with Yoda[?] being the brightest and the old man having a hint of grey about him.
I relayed all that – barring the greyness – to the Jedi and he smiled.
"What you are sensing is the mountain on which the Temple is built. It is a Force nexus; a place where the Force is unusually strong in power and this helps the Jedi become closer to the Force."
I nodded at his words but didn't reply as we reached the end of the entrance hall and entered an elevator.
After a few minutes in that, we walked and again took another elevator until I followed the trio into a round room that I remembered seeing in the prequel movies and the Clone Wars cartoons; the Jedi Council Chamber.
I stopped near the door and looked at the other Jedi sitting around the room, several of whom I recognized from the movies and cartoon, though I struggled to remember any of their names save Mace Windu and Plo Koon.
The Jedi all began to talk quietly among themselves, gesturing at various datapads they all held; reminding me of the one in my inventory that held the locations of all the worlds around Dormund Kaas that I'd deleted from the computer before landing. Figuring that the Sith Empire mentioned when I was there would be more than one world, I decided to wipe all reference to worlds within a few hundred light-years around DK on the off chance those worlds were also strong in the Dark Side.
"Now, a story to tell us, you have. Yes?" Yoda – and after seeing Windu and Plo I was no longer in doubt that I was in the era I had chosen during identity creation two weeks ago.
.........
"And then I landed here." I finished, calmly, having just retold everything from when I first displayed Force powers to landing on Coruscant.
The Council sat silently, seemingly having a conversation without speaking and I began to wonder just what they would decide to do about me.
"We need to discuss your situation carefully," Windu said slowly, his eyes locking on mine. "For now, we will provide you with guest quarters. A member of our Order will escort you to your room."
I bowed slightly. "Thank you, sir," I replied, noting the amused look the younger Jedi from earlier gave me before he glanced at Plo Koon.
I turned on my heel and walked calmly out of the Council Chamber, wondering if being a Jedi was the right path to take.
Right, at the Temple in the right timeframe now.
I'll try to post the next arc up early next week
Quickly I moved to the pilot's chair and read the scanners and discovered I was entering the orbit of a planet called Dormund Kaas, though I had no idea where that was. I really needed to learn the locations of every planet I could remember from the movies.
One of the consoles was blinking, and thanks to reading up on starship operations, I knew this was the requesting access to the local Datanet; though no reply seemed to be incoming.
Looking out the canopy, I spotted a single orbiting station, and though there was no light coming from it, I wasn't willing to risk hailing it since this was where the Sith wanted to take me.
After discovering that the navigation computer was now unlocked, I waited as calmly as I could without using Player's Mind for the next few minutes, ready to turn the ship around and run if anything approached, but nothing did, and I began to relax; though only a little.
"Right, now what to do," I said to myself as I continued to check the sensors for any approaching ship or incoming hail. "I've got five more days of rations, though I'd rather not have to keep eating those, so I could investigate the station to learn more about where I am, and why the Sith wanted me to come here. This planet looks abandoned, so maybe it's just a layover location.
"Or I could head down to the planet and investigate it." A quick check at the scanners showed the remains of a handful of cities, though all had been overrun by jungle and swamp meaning they were abandoned years ago.
Quest Alert!
Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire
Investigate the former capital of the Sith Empire that Revan tried to end then which later launched an all-out war on the Republic.
Rating: S***
Objective:
Investigate Kaas City
Investigate Kaas Command Station
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
8000XP
5500XP
Penalties:
Possible death
Probable dismemberment
Accept?
Yes/No
...
NOTE:
This quest does not have to be attempted now, but not accepting could strengthen the Rise of the Sith under Darth Sidious.
This Quest does not have to be attempted alone, though only you will receive the XP for completion.
…
"Bloody… That's just…" my voice trailed off as I read through the quest and the note and I shook my head to clam myself. "Player's Mind on," I said, hoping the numbing effect of the power would help me process just what I was being asked to do.Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire
Investigate the former capital of the Sith Empire that Revan tried to end then which later launched an all-out war on the Republic.
Rating: S***
Objective:
Investigate Kaas City
Investigate Kaas Command Station
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
8000XP
5500XP
Penalties:
Possible death
Probable dismemberment
Accept?
Yes/No
...
NOTE:
This quest does not have to be attempted now, but not accepting could strengthen the Rise of the Sith under Darth Sidious.
This Quest does not have to be attempted alone, though only you will receive the XP for completion.
…
"S-three? That's four levels higher the Prologue quest and I barely survived that Sith girl. Still, nothing says I have to do this now, just that I need to complete it to weaken the Sidious." I read the quest again before shrugging. "Yes."
Well someone's feeling brave!
Honestly, we weren't sure if you'd take that quest.
Since you have, we will give you some free advice.
This quest can be done in steps, but we suggest waiting until you are at least Level 20 and at least 3 other Force Users are with you.
…
I blinked in surprise as that was the first message I'd gotten from the PtB in a while, and there was no snark in it; just solid advice, which I planned to listen to.Honestly, we weren't sure if you'd take that quest.
Since you have, we will give you some free advice.
This quest can be done in steps, but we suggest waiting until you are at least Level 20 and at least 3 other Force Users are with you.
…
"Thanks," I said to the message as it disappeared and turned to the navigation computer. "Something about this place tells me I really shouldn't let others know it exists. If Sidious or others like him discover this place it could make things worse for the galaxy. I need to find a way to copy the flight logs of this ship then clear them before I reach Coruscant."
Damm, now that's smart thinking.
Also, congratulations!
~~~
Quest Completed!
Prologue
Objectives:
Survive and Escape [Yes]
? Discover a holocron [2/1]
? Defeat the Dark Jedi x2 [1/2]
? Defeat 3 attackers [4/3]
Rewards:
3500EXP
Access to Force skills without needing to be trained by a Force Master [Via a Holocron]
Sith lightsaber
500 Credits
200 EXP
~~~
Quest Completed!
One with the Force
Objectives:
Get the 4 powers to 15 Novice [Yes]
? Get 2 powers to 25 Novice [1/2]
? Get 1 Power to 1 Adept. [Yes]
Rewards:
300XP
150XP
…
I grunted at seeing that I'd managed to complete almost all the bonus objectives from both quests, though the fact the Sith lightsabers were already in my inventory felt a little cheap as a reward.Also, congratulations!
~~~
Quest Completed!
Prologue
Objectives:
Survive and Escape [Yes]
? Discover a holocron [2/1]
? Defeat the Dark Jedi x2 [1/2]
? Defeat 3 attackers [4/3]
Rewards:
3500EXP
Access to Force skills without needing to be trained by a Force Master [Via a Holocron]
Sith lightsaber
500 Credits
200 EXP
~~~
Quest Completed!
One with the Force
Objectives:
Get the 4 powers to 15 Novice [Yes]
? Get 2 powers to 25 Novice [1/2]
? Get 1 Power to 1 Adept. [Yes]
Rewards:
300XP
150XP
…
Still, realising that I could learn new Force powers from the two holocrons was a nice surprise as until then, I'd thought they were nothing more than personal journals or diaries and that meant I could hopefully complete the Force Power quest before I reached Coruscant.
I looked back at the navigation computer and, after checking it for a few minutes I discovered that there was a data slot that matched the one on the datapad I had been using to read new skills from.
I moved to plug the pad into the computer to wipe the worlds when I paused and realised that if I did that then maybe the computer would not be able to fly to Coruscant safely.
I placed the pad next to the pad down and accessed the nav-computer to program a trip to Coruscant. After a few minutes, the computer stated that such a jump would use most of the fuel onboard and I would need to refuel once I arrived before asking If I accepted the flight plan.
I went to confirm when a new alert appeared.
Quest Alert!
Forge your own Path
What will you do with your life?
Unlike most quests, some of the objectives here are mutually exclusive.
Objectives:
Attempt to join the Jedi on Coruscant.
Become the leader of a planet of your choice.
Travel the galaxy as an explorer.
Join the Bounty Hunter's guild.
Attempt to find other Force Users willing to train you
Join a criminal organization
Rewards:
Each objective opens up new quest chains.
Certain objectives prevent other quest chains from being started/finished until their chain is completed.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
I looked at the quest and frowned, having honestly not considered anything but joining the Jedi.Forge your own Path
What will you do with your life?
Unlike most quests, some of the objectives here are mutually exclusive.
Objectives:
Attempt to join the Jedi on Coruscant.
Become the leader of a planet of your choice.
Travel the galaxy as an explorer.
Join the Bounty Hunter's guild.
Attempt to find other Force Users willing to train you
Join a criminal organization
Rewards:
Each objective opens up new quest chains.
Certain objectives prevent other quest chains from being started/finished until their chain is completed.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
A few of the options were less than appealing and given I was a boy of 8, dangerous to enter for now, but maybe they would be useful to start later.
"Yes." I accepted the quest then confirmed my destination in the nav-computer, before piloting the ship slowly away from Dormund Kaas. After I was far enough away from the planet, I powered up the hyperdrive and watched the view change to the blue of white.
"Right, another 2 or so days of this then I can figure out how exactly I'm going to move from this era to just before the prequels," I muttered as I picked up the datapad again and went back to learning more about piloting.
…
…
Just before lunch on the second day of travel from Dormund Kaas I felt another shudder and quickly walked to the cockpit to see the ship had dropped out of hyperspeed.
"Whoa," I muttered as I took in the sight before me. I knew that Coruscant was a planet-wide city, but seeing it for real, and the sheer number of ships approaching from various directions was awe-inspiring, and not a little intimidating.
The comms blinked as it did over Talravin, I had discovered that was the name of the world I'd come from by examining the nav-computers logs, and I opened the channel.
"Hello?"
"This is Coruscant System Patrol. Please state your identity and reason for arriving in-system on an unused vector." A voice asked. It was hard to tell over the channel, but I thought he sounded bored.
"Um, my name is Cameron Shan and I'm here to see the Jedi Council."
There was a laugh from the man.
"Yeah, you and thousands of others buddy. What makes you think they'll want to meet you?" His tone was dripping with sarcasm I was silently wondering if I could learn Force Choke from the Sith holocron so I could strangle the bastard at range.
Sure, I'd learnt a bunch of powers for Tardon's holocron, but I'd only scratched the surface of the Sith one as it pushed against my mind, trying to make me angry and while Player's mind would counter it, that special power only lasted for about 20 minutes before it had to recharge Player Points.
Still, I now had about 20 Force Powers, some more useful than others, and had managed to learn Huttese to Adept levels within a few days, so I couldn't complain too much.
"Well for one, I have the holocron of a Jedi who died to protect me and for another, I killed a Sith on this ship."
Silence greeted my reply, which I had expected.
"What?"
"I have a Jedi holocron to return and a dead Sith onboard," I reply with a large smirk. "If this isn't sufficient to at least grant me a landing pad near the Jedi Temple I don't know what is." Yes, I was being cheeky, but this guy clearly wasn't interested in doing his job; plus, it was fun. "So can I land?"
"Um, I need to check with my Captain. Please hold."
I rolled my eyes at being put on hold – somethings clearly don't change no matter what galaxy you're in – and waited patiently as the time ticked away.
"Um, Mr Shan. You are ordered to heave too and prepare for an inspection. If we can corroborate your claims, then we will see about contacting the Jedi for you."
"Very well. I'm cutting engines now." I replied before closing the channel then watching as a ship approached.
.........
Nearly two hours – and far too much bullshit from the customs officers – later, I was granted a landing slot in the Temple district where I was told that a member of the Council would meet me.
Though as I exited the ship – which I still did not actually know the name of – I stumbled at seeing a small green alien, no more than a metre in height waiting with two others.
"Hmm, surprising to you, my appearance is. Yes?" The green alien asked with a chuckle and unless all of his species had the same voice, then I was looking at Yoda; meaning I had somehow travelled forward in time.
"Um, no. Well, yes. I mean I didn't know there were aliens like yourself on the Council." I replied slowly, thinking on the fly and silently glad that I had activated Player's Mind before exiting the ship. I noted that the two humans that accompanied Yoda[?] were watching me carefully. "Um, forgive my manners. My name is Cameron Shan and…"
The far older of the two men waved his hand and seemed to scowl. "Yes, yes. We heard the story you concocted to gain landing permission and drag us out here. Now tell us your real reason for being here child."
I mentally wanted to slap the old git for a moment before Player's Mind cancelled out the anger and I smirked. "Perhaps some proof would help you?" I say as I pull Tardon's holocron, his lightsaber and one of the Sith weapons from my pocket. "I also have a five-day-old body of a dead Sith girl locked in an air-tight hold that I would happily show to you." Though I hoped that wouldn't be needed as I suspected the room smelled rank by now.
"Well that is definitely a holocron," The younger man said, lifting the object from my hand along with the lightsabers with the Force. He ignited the two blades, eyes narrowing at the red Sith blade. "And this is certainly a Sith blade."
"Preposterous!" The older man half-shouted with a wild wave of his arm. "Just because your Sentinels claim to be sensing the dark side rising does not make it, nor this boy's claims, true."
'Well, you're on my shit list arsehole.' I opened my mouth to comment but Yoda[?] beat me to it.
"This to the temple, we should take. Brought in for an examination, the body can be." He stepped closer to me, hobbling on his stick as he did. "Incredible, your story is. Help us decide on its validity, your proof will."
He turned and walked away, followed by the two humans, though not before the older one gave me a narrow stare.
Two Republic officers moved beside me, while another pair moved past me to enter the ship.
While the small transport took us towards the Jedi Temple I pondered just how I had ended up here – and when exactly here was – and what affects my arrival would have. Yes, I had been warned that the Prologue quest would transit me from past to present, but I was still at a loss as to how it happened.
As the transport landed, I was still working through what had happened to allow me to travel almost 4000 years into the future, though I was broken from those thoughts as I took my first few steps up to the Jedi Temple as notice appeared.
Warning!
Entering Force Nexus!
Jedi Temple [Minor corruption]
This nexus grants a 25% XP boost to all Force Powers
[1% chance per year to corrupt a Jedi]
...
Quest Alert!
Cleanse the Temple
Something is off in the Jedi Temple
Rating: B
Objective:
Find the dark side taint and cleanse it
Rewards:
3000XP
Penalties:
Possible death
Accept?
Yes/No
…
"Is everything alright young one?" the younger human Jedi asked as I stumbled.Entering Force Nexus!
Jedi Temple [Minor corruption]
This nexus grants a 25% XP boost to all Force Powers
[1% chance per year to corrupt a Jedi]
...
Quest Alert!
Cleanse the Temple
Something is off in the Jedi Temple
Rating: B
Objective:
Find the dark side taint and cleanse it
Rewards:
3000XP
Penalties:
Possible death
Accept?
Yes/No
…
"Um, yes. I just was caught off guard at how imposing this place is." I replied, using his question to accept a quest that I hadn't expected.
'25 per cent boost to most Force Powers is going to be handy, but I never knew the Temple was corrupted. Guess I'll have to find out its history and see if I can work out when and where the corruption is. Though it would be nice is every quest given to me by the PtB didn't carry the chance of death'
I followed the three Jedi Masters into the temple, my eyes were wide at seeing just how massive this place was as we entered and I couldn't help myself as I looked around, taking in the multi-floor entrance that seemed to stretch on and on.
"Yes, it is quite an imposing sight." I turned at as the younger Human spoke. "Tell me, what can you feel?"
I frowned for a moment before closing my eyes and reaching out with Detection, though it was only level 5 Novice and gave 50 metres of sensing it was enough to make me gasp at the energy that seemed to radiate around the place, though it was strongest directly in front of me. The three Jedi also stood out, with Yoda[?] being the brightest and the old man having a hint of grey about him.
I relayed all that – barring the greyness – to the Jedi and he smiled.
"What you are sensing is the mountain on which the Temple is built. It is a Force nexus; a place where the Force is unusually strong in power and this helps the Jedi become closer to the Force."
I nodded at his words but didn't reply as we reached the end of the entrance hall and entered an elevator.
After a few minutes in that, we walked and again took another elevator until I followed the trio into a round room that I remembered seeing in the prequel movies and the Clone Wars cartoons; the Jedi Council Chamber.
I stopped near the door and looked at the other Jedi sitting around the room, several of whom I recognized from the movies and cartoon, though I struggled to remember any of their names save Mace Windu and Plo Koon.
The Jedi all began to talk quietly among themselves, gesturing at various datapads they all held; reminding me of the one in my inventory that held the locations of all the worlds around Dormund Kaas that I'd deleted from the computer before landing. Figuring that the Sith Empire mentioned when I was there would be more than one world, I decided to wipe all reference to worlds within a few hundred light-years around DK on the off chance those worlds were also strong in the Dark Side.
"Now, a story to tell us, you have. Yes?" Yoda – and after seeing Windu and Plo I was no longer in doubt that I was in the era I had chosen during identity creation two weeks ago.
.........
"And then I landed here." I finished, calmly, having just retold everything from when I first displayed Force powers to landing on Coruscant.
The Council sat silently, seemingly having a conversation without speaking and I began to wonder just what they would decide to do about me.
"We need to discuss your situation carefully," Windu said slowly, his eyes locking on mine. "For now, we will provide you with guest quarters. A member of our Order will escort you to your room."
I bowed slightly. "Thank you, sir," I replied, noting the amused look the younger Jedi from earlier gave me before he glanced at Plo Koon.
I turned on my heel and walked calmly out of the Council Chamber, wondering if being a Jedi was the right path to take.
Right, at the Temple in the right timeframe now.
I'll try to post the next arc up early next week
Last edited:
Initiate Training 1
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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"Cameron, may I speak with you."
I lifted my head from the book on the Trade Federation – I figured the more I knew about them the better I could prepare for the Phantom Menace – and looked up to see Jedi Master Micah Giiett standing over me; a very subtle smirk on his face.
He had been the younger of the 2 Jedi masters who had met me when I landed 2 months ago, and the member of the Council who had spent the time helping me settle in after they had allowed me to stay and train beside the Initiates around my age; Initiates being the stage before becoming a Padawan, which granted me the Title of Jedi Youngling from my new powers. Though that only let me have the lowest possible level of access to the temple and the archives.
Those 2 months had been strange. I mean, I'd been allowed to stay in the Temple, training the Force, learning to use a lightsaber and studying with a few clans, but I hadn't been placed into one of those said clans, which I had come to realise was unusual for a Youngling; though all the current clans had been together for years so adding me to one of them might run the risk of upsetting the clan dynamic.
"Yes, sir," I replied, turning his smirk into a small smile.
"One day you will have to start calling senior Jedi Master Cameron," he said though unlike a few other Jedi Masters, he seemed unconcerned with my apparent lack of interest in following their traditions. "I just wanted to come down and check on how you are doing."
"Fine. I mean, I've been here two months now, but I still haven't heard anything from the Council as to if I placed in a clan or not." It was irksome, but I knew that if Qui-Gon hadn't died and Obi-Wan hadn't been made a knight then Anakin wouldn't have been allowed in; though maybe the Council were right in that case given to what happened. "I'd just like to know what is going to happen, so I can start to move on with my life."
And get back my ship. OK, technically, it wasn't my ship, but given that I killed a few of the former owners, I was claiming it. Though the Jedi were not letting me anywhere near it as they seemed curious to learn if it held secrets about the dark side; or at least that's the line they'd tried to feed me. Not that I was entirely buying it; more I just knew I didn't have any way to really push for access to it.
"Yes, I imagine being essentially a prisoner would make you angsty," Micah commented as he walked me out of the archives. "Still, no Initiate is allowed to leave the Temple without an escort from a Jedi Master." He added.
I frowned and looked up at him as we walked down one of the multitude of corridors in the labyrinth that was the Jedi Temple. "And is that where we are going now?" I didn't think it was, but it didn't hurt to ask.
"No, no." He answered with a chuckle. "Though nice try. No, I needed to talk with you about the upcoming Initiate Trials. While you are still young, and only had a few months of training, the Council wishes for you to enter.
"There is no shame in failing them, indeed most do not sand out until they are at least 10 cycles, but we are curious about how you will fair."
"You mean you want to test me without saying so," I countered, having seen through his words easily.
He chuckled again. "That too. But the primary interest is in judging your level."
"That's easy. Well behind the others my age." I replied, not upset or annoyed about it. They'd been at this for 5 or 6 years for the other 8-year-olds, so they should be miles ahead of me. "I'm not angry about that. Just stating a fact."
"Indeed. I must admit I find it strange that you are so calm about everyone else being better than you." He said, and I noted he was watching my expression carefully, probably trying to detect my emotions through the Force. "Most children would be, at the very least, annoyed about that."
"I'm not most children." I countered with a smirk that made him chuckle. "I mean, I get that they've been at this for years more than me, but that doesn't mean I can't catch and overtake them."
Micah shook his head. "Be careful with that drive. Seeking power to be better than others can lead to the Dark Side."
"There is no dark or light, only the Force," I replied, making him stop and look at me strangely. Seeing he was waiting for an explanation, I decided to give him one that I'd come up with a few days before; well, that and my own opinions from watching the movies/cartoons and playing a few computer games. "I know I've only been here a few months but the Force itself is neither good nor bad; it merely is. The user, the person who can access the Force, they decide how it is used.
"Jedi seem to cut themselves off from their emotions, fearing that things like anger, fear and jealousy will draw them to the dark side. Yet the Sith fear emotions like love, humility and kindness as they draw them to the light; supposedly weakening them. Yet it was love that brought my great-grandmother back from the Dark Side. Her love for Revan. And Loving another and having a child did not drive my great-great-whatever, Satele Shan to the Dark Side, nor turn her against the Jedi Order."
"I see someone has been reading up on their family history." He said with a small smile before glancing around and leaning in closer. "While I can understand why you see things that way, many other Jedi, including some Council members, would disagree and try to force you from this place for stating an apparent willingness to embrace your emotions."
"That's not…" He cut me off with a raise of his hand.
"It might not be what you are saying, but it is how others would interpret it. They would see you as being arrogant, prideful, in your belief that you see yourself as better than others and would seek your expulsion from our Order."
'Well, I'm not actually a part of the Jedi Order now am I?' "I understand." I said slowly, though I had no intention of not continuing my thinking; I would just be more discreet about it.
"Good." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with feeling someone for others, but placing your emotions above the Order, the Republic, and even the Force is a slippery slope that has led to the fall of far, far too many Jedi over the millennia." I nodded, and he removed his hand and his smile returned. "Now, about the Trials?"
"Certainly. The initial Trials are to prove an understanding of the Jedi Code, though you will be partially exempt from that given to your lack of time studying it. Though you will still have to be able to recite it and provide reasons why the code is structured as it is.
"The next is to show a connection to the Force by meditating in perfect silence and stillness for a minimum of three hours.
"The third is an event called push-feather. This is a duel style event where you most unbalance an opponent by using the Force to alter the air currents in the duelling ring."
"So only powers that create air alterations? Could we not alter the air temperature or pressure?"
Micah rubbed his chin as he pondered that. "Hmm, I am not sure. Since most initiates do not think to use anything but telekinesis, I am not certain if altering air pressure or temperature is permissible. I will check with Grand Master Yoda and get back to you." He narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "Have you managed to do such a thing in your studies?"
I looked around, then reached out with Detection. Satisfied that we were alone enough for me to reveal what I was going to, I extended my arm and slowly increased the temperature of the air around him for a few seconds until I felt him push the hot air away.
"Well, well. Most impressive." His eyes seemed to sparkle as he spoke. "I will definitely check about the exact wordings of the rules." He paused and seemed to get his amusement under control as the sparkle disappeared.
"Now, and this is a big if. If you do well enough at push-feather, you will be permitted to take part in mock lightsaber duels with the other Initiates. Rules of those will be the same as regular sparing duels save for the few final rounds were the top eight complete in a free-for-all to determine the last being standing."
I listened carefully and frowned as I considered his words. "That sounds like more than just a trial. More like a test."
"My, you are a clever one." He said with a chuckle. "But yes, the lightsaber duels are designed to showcase your abilities to the Knights and Masters who will be watching to see if any Initiate stands out as a potential Padawan."
"So only lightsaber strength determines being selected as a Padawan?" I doubted that but had to ask to be sure.
"Of course not, but by showing you're are at least competent with a lightsaber, you prove you are ready to leave the Temple. Under the supervision of your master of course."
I grunted a little. "And killing a Sith doesn't count?"
"Oh, it does. It does. Otherwise, we would not be asking you to compete." He stepped back and clapped his hands together softly. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to meet Master Plo."
"Of course. Thank you, sir." I replied and watched him go, only to randomly stumble.
I looked at where the Jedi Master was and saw his hand was facing me, palm open and realised that he'd just hit me with a blast of TK.
"Be mindful of your surroundings young one." He called out just before he rounded a corner.
"Bastard," I muttered as he left, only to let the anger slip as I considered his words and the new quest.
"Right, time to change my training," I said as I began to walk towards my room.
For the last two months, I had spent most of my free study time learning various skills about mechanics and such while getting to know a few of the other Initiates while training up my Force Powers in classes or at night in as equal a manner as I could.
Now, however, I planned to just concentrate on 4 powers; TK, Cryokinesis, Pyrokinesis and Blast; the last being a power I'd gotten from the Sith Holocron but which I'd learnt was not a truly dark power, more a neutral one.
Though it was not one openly taught by the Jedi here and now, it was something I remembered Tardon mentioning on his Holocron before I'd handed that over to the Jedi Council with his lightsaber. I still, however, had the one from his Padawan, Haqu, just in case I was forced to leave the Temple before being shown how to construct my own.
I also needed to see about the obstacle course, as currently, I was far behind most of the Initiates, due mainly to my lack of Force Powers to help and fractionally lower physical stats. I wondered how I could raise them, but beyond doing what I felt were appropriate exercises/activities for each, I had no idea as the Help menu was less than forthcoming.
"Hmm, perhaps there's a power that's not taught much that could give me an advantage." I pondered, changing my destination from my quarters to the Archives.
...
This was the shortest chapter I did (or probably will do) for ANP, mainly as day-to-day life as an Initiate was no fun to write, and the High Council still wasn't sure if they would let him stay, which made most days very repetitive/lonely
I lifted my head from the book on the Trade Federation – I figured the more I knew about them the better I could prepare for the Phantom Menace – and looked up to see Jedi Master Micah Giiett standing over me; a very subtle smirk on his face.
He had been the younger of the 2 Jedi masters who had met me when I landed 2 months ago, and the member of the Council who had spent the time helping me settle in after they had allowed me to stay and train beside the Initiates around my age; Initiates being the stage before becoming a Padawan, which granted me the Title of Jedi Youngling from my new powers. Though that only let me have the lowest possible level of access to the temple and the archives.
Those 2 months had been strange. I mean, I'd been allowed to stay in the Temple, training the Force, learning to use a lightsaber and studying with a few clans, but I hadn't been placed into one of those said clans, which I had come to realise was unusual for a Youngling; though all the current clans had been together for years so adding me to one of them might run the risk of upsetting the clan dynamic.
"Yes, sir," I replied, turning his smirk into a small smile.
"One day you will have to start calling senior Jedi Master Cameron," he said though unlike a few other Jedi Masters, he seemed unconcerned with my apparent lack of interest in following their traditions. "I just wanted to come down and check on how you are doing."
"Fine. I mean, I've been here two months now, but I still haven't heard anything from the Council as to if I placed in a clan or not." It was irksome, but I knew that if Qui-Gon hadn't died and Obi-Wan hadn't been made a knight then Anakin wouldn't have been allowed in; though maybe the Council were right in that case given to what happened. "I'd just like to know what is going to happen, so I can start to move on with my life."
And get back my ship. OK, technically, it wasn't my ship, but given that I killed a few of the former owners, I was claiming it. Though the Jedi were not letting me anywhere near it as they seemed curious to learn if it held secrets about the dark side; or at least that's the line they'd tried to feed me. Not that I was entirely buying it; more I just knew I didn't have any way to really push for access to it.
"Yes, I imagine being essentially a prisoner would make you angsty," Micah commented as he walked me out of the archives. "Still, no Initiate is allowed to leave the Temple without an escort from a Jedi Master." He added.
I frowned and looked up at him as we walked down one of the multitude of corridors in the labyrinth that was the Jedi Temple. "And is that where we are going now?" I didn't think it was, but it didn't hurt to ask.
"No, no." He answered with a chuckle. "Though nice try. No, I needed to talk with you about the upcoming Initiate Trials. While you are still young, and only had a few months of training, the Council wishes for you to enter.
"There is no shame in failing them, indeed most do not sand out until they are at least 10 cycles, but we are curious about how you will fair."
"You mean you want to test me without saying so," I countered, having seen through his words easily.
He chuckled again. "That too. But the primary interest is in judging your level."
"That's easy. Well behind the others my age." I replied, not upset or annoyed about it. They'd been at this for 5 or 6 years for the other 8-year-olds, so they should be miles ahead of me. "I'm not angry about that. Just stating a fact."
"Indeed. I must admit I find it strange that you are so calm about everyone else being better than you." He said, and I noted he was watching my expression carefully, probably trying to detect my emotions through the Force. "Most children would be, at the very least, annoyed about that."
"I'm not most children." I countered with a smirk that made him chuckle. "I mean, I get that they've been at this for years more than me, but that doesn't mean I can't catch and overtake them."
Micah shook his head. "Be careful with that drive. Seeking power to be better than others can lead to the Dark Side."
"There is no dark or light, only the Force," I replied, making him stop and look at me strangely. Seeing he was waiting for an explanation, I decided to give him one that I'd come up with a few days before; well, that and my own opinions from watching the movies/cartoons and playing a few computer games. "I know I've only been here a few months but the Force itself is neither good nor bad; it merely is. The user, the person who can access the Force, they decide how it is used.
"Jedi seem to cut themselves off from their emotions, fearing that things like anger, fear and jealousy will draw them to the dark side. Yet the Sith fear emotions like love, humility and kindness as they draw them to the light; supposedly weakening them. Yet it was love that brought my great-grandmother back from the Dark Side. Her love for Revan. And Loving another and having a child did not drive my great-great-whatever, Satele Shan to the Dark Side, nor turn her against the Jedi Order."
"I see someone has been reading up on their family history." He said with a small smile before glancing around and leaning in closer. "While I can understand why you see things that way, many other Jedi, including some Council members, would disagree and try to force you from this place for stating an apparent willingness to embrace your emotions."
"That's not…" He cut me off with a raise of his hand.
"It might not be what you are saying, but it is how others would interpret it. They would see you as being arrogant, prideful, in your belief that you see yourself as better than others and would seek your expulsion from our Order."
'Well, I'm not actually a part of the Jedi Order now am I?' "I understand." I said slowly, though I had no intention of not continuing my thinking; I would just be more discreet about it.
"Good." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with feeling someone for others, but placing your emotions above the Order, the Republic, and even the Force is a slippery slope that has led to the fall of far, far too many Jedi over the millennia." I nodded, and he removed his hand and his smile returned. "Now, about the Trials?"
Quest Alert!
Trials of an Initiate
Take part in the Jedi Initiate Trials and put on a good performance.
[4 months till Trials]
Rating: C
Objectives:
Advance to the free-for-all lightsaber stage for your age group.
Win at least 3 of your push-feather duels.
Complete the obstacle course with a time in the upper half for your age group.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
1500XP
1000XP
1000XP
The chance to be taken as a Padawan.
Penalties:
Spend another year stuck as an Initiate
Possible expulsion from the Jedi Order.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
"Yes. I mean I accept. Though could you tell me about what is involved." I asked, wondering what exactly a push-feather duel was and hoping that his explanation would hint at the five bonuses were. Based on the three completed quests, they would either be secondary goals or more advanced forms of the base objectives.Trials of an Initiate
Take part in the Jedi Initiate Trials and put on a good performance.
[4 months till Trials]
Rating: C
Objectives:
Advance to the free-for-all lightsaber stage for your age group.
Win at least 3 of your push-feather duels.
Complete the obstacle course with a time in the upper half for your age group.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
1500XP
1000XP
1000XP
The chance to be taken as a Padawan.
Penalties:
Spend another year stuck as an Initiate
Possible expulsion from the Jedi Order.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
"Certainly. The initial Trials are to prove an understanding of the Jedi Code, though you will be partially exempt from that given to your lack of time studying it. Though you will still have to be able to recite it and provide reasons why the code is structured as it is.
"The next is to show a connection to the Force by meditating in perfect silence and stillness for a minimum of three hours.
"The third is an event called push-feather. This is a duel style event where you most unbalance an opponent by using the Force to alter the air currents in the duelling ring."
"So only powers that create air alterations? Could we not alter the air temperature or pressure?"
Micah rubbed his chin as he pondered that. "Hmm, I am not sure. Since most initiates do not think to use anything but telekinesis, I am not certain if altering air pressure or temperature is permissible. I will check with Grand Master Yoda and get back to you." He narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "Have you managed to do such a thing in your studies?"
I looked around, then reached out with Detection. Satisfied that we were alone enough for me to reveal what I was going to, I extended my arm and slowly increased the temperature of the air around him for a few seconds until I felt him push the hot air away.
"Well, well. Most impressive." His eyes seemed to sparkle as he spoke. "I will definitely check about the exact wordings of the rules." He paused and seemed to get his amusement under control as the sparkle disappeared.
"Now, and this is a big if. If you do well enough at push-feather, you will be permitted to take part in mock lightsaber duels with the other Initiates. Rules of those will be the same as regular sparing duels save for the few final rounds were the top eight complete in a free-for-all to determine the last being standing."
I listened carefully and frowned as I considered his words. "That sounds like more than just a trial. More like a test."
"My, you are a clever one." He said with a chuckle. "But yes, the lightsaber duels are designed to showcase your abilities to the Knights and Masters who will be watching to see if any Initiate stands out as a potential Padawan."
"So only lightsaber strength determines being selected as a Padawan?" I doubted that but had to ask to be sure.
"Of course not, but by showing you're are at least competent with a lightsaber, you prove you are ready to leave the Temple. Under the supervision of your master of course."
I grunted a little. "And killing a Sith doesn't count?"
"Oh, it does. It does. Otherwise, we would not be asking you to compete." He stepped back and clapped his hands together softly. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to meet Master Plo."
"Of course. Thank you, sir." I replied and watched him go, only to randomly stumble.
I looked at where the Jedi Master was and saw his hand was facing me, palm open and realised that he'd just hit me with a blast of TK.
"Be mindful of your surroundings young one." He called out just before he rounded a corner.
"Bastard," I muttered as he left, only to let the anger slip as I considered his words and the new quest.
"Right, time to change my training," I said as I began to walk towards my room.
For the last two months, I had spent most of my free study time learning various skills about mechanics and such while getting to know a few of the other Initiates while training up my Force Powers in classes or at night in as equal a manner as I could.
Now, however, I planned to just concentrate on 4 powers; TK, Cryokinesis, Pyrokinesis and Blast; the last being a power I'd gotten from the Sith Holocron but which I'd learnt was not a truly dark power, more a neutral one.
Though it was not one openly taught by the Jedi here and now, it was something I remembered Tardon mentioning on his Holocron before I'd handed that over to the Jedi Council with his lightsaber. I still, however, had the one from his Padawan, Haqu, just in case I was forced to leave the Temple before being shown how to construct my own.
I also needed to see about the obstacle course, as currently, I was far behind most of the Initiates, due mainly to my lack of Force Powers to help and fractionally lower physical stats. I wondered how I could raise them, but beyond doing what I felt were appropriate exercises/activities for each, I had no idea as the Help menu was less than forthcoming.
"Hmm, perhaps there's a power that's not taught much that could give me an advantage." I pondered, changing my destination from my quarters to the Archives.
...
This was the shortest chapter I did (or probably will do) for ANP, mainly as day-to-day life as an Initiate was no fun to write, and the High Council still wasn't sure if they would let him stay, which made most days very repetitive/lonely
Last edited:
Initiate Training 2
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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I was lazily floating around one datapad with the Force while I read another on a day-off. A year here was close enough to Earth, though three days longer, but with 7 weeks instead of 5 in a month, different enough that it still felt strange. Additionally, there where three weeks of festivals that were spread out around the calendar, with the Initiate tournament taking place during the Festival of Life.
Today, however, was one of three special one-day holidays celebrated by the Republic, which meant no training; though I had noticed that the archives were still full of Jedi who decided to spend their time learning on a holiday. Not that I was any different, mind you.
"Hey, you're Cameron Shan, right?"
I turned from where I was moving around a spare datapad in the air and saw a girl looking at me. Her blue eyes met mine and I noticed she wore her black hair to her shoulders in two ponytails. I thought she was cute for a moment before banishing the thought as I still felt 28, not 8, at times.
I knew she was in Dragon Clan, one of the Initiate clans but I hadn't spoken to anyone in that clan in the 3 months I'd been in the Temple. I'd spent most of my time alternating between following the Heliost and Katarn clans around. That had been the idea of Masters Giiett and Yoda who noted my love to try to hide myself in the Force matched the way I spent the first two months buried in datapads learning everything I could to further my skills.
"Yeah, that's me," I replied, bringing the datapad down to rest next to the datapad I was reading from.
"Hi. I'm Serra Keto." She said with a small smile.
"Hi," I replied, raising a single eyebrow at her in curiosity at why she was speaking to me now.
"So, the scuttlebutt is that you're taking part in the Twelve-and-Under Tournament," Serra stated, the corner of her mouth twisting into a small smirk.
"Maybe," I replied, easily seeing the girl's plan before it even began. "What's it to you?"
"Well, I was thinking that I could help you prepare for it." She said, surprising me as I'd expected her to make some kind of challenge or threat about beating me.
I looked at her face, trying to see if there was something else behind her thinking. "What do you get out of it?" I asked since nothing in her body language indicated anything but a genuine desire to help.
"Nothing really I mean, I'm well beyond you with a lightsaber – I've started learning Jar'Kai – and I'm sure you're not comfortable with using the Force, and I doubt you know much about the history of our Order…"
She stopped when I placed a finger to her lips, making her cheeks to redden a fraction. "Again, what do you get out of it?"
I removed my finger and watched as she gulped a few times and closed her eyes. I mentally smiled at managing to off-balance her so easily. Trying to suppress emotions was a dangerous ploy.
She opened her mouth to say something, only to close it without making a sound and I watched as her shoulders slumped fractionally.
"Truthfully, I just want to talk with you." She finally said. "I mean, I'm curious about what you know of your family and how you're dealing with it around here." She paused and looked around as though expecting someone to come out of the woodwork and grab her. "I, I sometimes hear things about what people say about my family."
I frowned a little. "Forgive me, but your family is who?"
"Oh, right." Her expression changed, and the small smirk reappeared. "My granddad is the current king of the Empress Teta system."
"So that makes you a princess?" I asked with a small smirk of my own.
"No." Her smirk fell, as did her shoulders. "I was given to the Order when I was a babe and was removed from the line of succession." She smiled a little as she rubbed her arm, "I may have, uh, looked up my personal files in the archives."
"Aren't those restricted?" I asked. Honestly, I didn't know if they were but given to the Jedi's stance on attachments, there was no way they would leave data unencrypted about where a baby had come from for the child to find later on in life.
"Maybe." The smirk returned. OK, I was starting to like this girl. She was a Jedi, yes, but there were hints of a confidence and drive to learn that I liked. Though, if all the lectures about the perils of the Dark Side were true, that same drive to learn could lead her down a darker road later in life.
"So all you want is someone to talk to about coming from a famous family?" I asked, keeping my face as calm as possible. "Not scouting out the opposition?"
"Well, yeah there is that." She replied honestly, the smirk turning into a small smile. "But mainly it's just to talk with you." She stopped and looked around slowly, before leaning closer and whispering. "I've heard a few of the other Initiates making comments about you becoming one of us at such a late stage. About how the Council is showing favouritism based on your name."
I shrugged. I mean, I heard those comments from time to time in passing but I understood the sentiment and truthfully wasn't all that bothered about it. Doing well in the tournament would silence a lot of that. "They might have, but what else could they do? Throw an 8-year-old out on the streets? How would that look to the public?"
She frowned, and I suppressed the urge to shake my head. The Jedi were clearly not even bothering to teach their Initiates about the outside world.
"You think everyone loves the Jedi? That they see you coming and greet you with warm smiles and open arms? I doubt it." I stated, having done a lot of reading on the Order and its interactions with the Republic in the last thousand years. "We should be thankful that most no longer care about the wars with the Sith. To many, I'm sure its just two sides of the same credit arguing over whose interpretation is right."
"But the Sith are evil. They maimed, tortured and killed for fun as they gave in to their emotions." Serra countered with more passion than I had come to expect from my fellow Initiates. Again, not something the Jedi preached but something I was very happy to see since the members of Heliost and Katarn clans were very solemn; if not a little robotic at times.
"Maybe, but how many regular people in the galaxy truly understand the difference? One in a million? Less? That means that to most the Jedi and Sith are the same thing. We all use the Force for seemingly magical powers, we use lightsabers and are capable of feats beyond that of normal beings." I countered slowly, finally getting the chance to let the theories I'd had for years come out. Theories that were backed up by being here and reading about how the Jedi were seen by the Republic at large. "We preach about the Force in a way that makes it sound like a religion to many. The Jedi take children from their families to, and this is the opinion of some, indoctrinate them in the Jedi ways. While the Sith pick out those with anger in their hearts and use the lure of the Force to turn them to their ways. Again, indoctrination."
I stopped there to give her time to think things through. How she saw this was important to me as I did not want to spend my time around those who blindly followed the words of the Jedi Code and the Council without thinking for themselves.
Yes, I was beginning to regret joining the Jedi and was considering how to get out of this. The long way was to become a Jedi Knight and simply begin to wander the galaxy. That left me stuck here until I was in my twenties and left the chance I missed the events of Episode 1; which hadn't happened as I'd set up a datalink to monitor political events, waiting on Padme becoming queen. And yes, I was curious if she'd look like Natalie Portman who I admit I had a crush on when I was a teen.
The other option was to find a way to be kicked out of the Jedi, or not taken as a Padawan; but that ran the risk of me being dumped somewhere in the galaxy as a child with nothing to my name, not even a lightsaber; which I still did not have. I was stuck using a training saber and I was getting annoyed – though I tried to hide it – at not being allowed to make my own.
"But that's…" Serra began before stopping. "Worrying." She finally finished after nearly a minute of silence. Her smile and confidence were gone, and she was now fidgeting a little, her hand rubbing her forearm in a repeating pattern.
"Yes, it is. But no-one here really seems to care. Even Master Giiett said not to worry about it and trust in the Force." I said slowly, trying to hide my annoyance at this lack of concern about public perception. I was all but certain that the Sith had been altering the news feeds to slowly turn opinion against the Jedi over the centuries; just as many companies and governments had done in my old life.
"But if people don't trust us how can we protect them?" She asked, and I felt my face twist in a frown.
"Do they want or need us to protect them?"
"Yes."
"From what? The Sith are gone." OK, I knew that wasn't true but no-one else did. "Are you saying that the Jedi are needed because the average person/being is too incompetent to look after themselves?"
She shook her head." No. But there are times that a Jedi is able to solve a problem that a normal being couldn't. We are here to help the Republic serve the people." Her voice was slowly rising as she spoke as her emotions came through. "We are here to serve the people of the Republic to the best of our abilities and protect them from threats."
"What threats though? The Sith are gone. The Republic spans over half the galaxy, and no other power could truly challenge them. So are the threats internal and not external? If so, who or what are the threats? The average person? No." I shook my head and looked at her carefully as she listened to me rant/explain. "The greatest threat to democracy is the people and organizations at the top. Those who seek to subvert the will of the people to suit their own selfish whims and desires."
"So you're saying that the Senate and business leaders are the enemy?" she asked, confusion reigning over her face.
I shook my head again and sighed. "Not all of them no. But something my grandfather said once was that you should never trust anyone who actively seeks out power."
"Um, wasn't he a former Chancellor of the Old Republic?"
I chuckled at the question. "Yes, he was. But I think he regretted a lot about his time in charge." I paused and thought about the few times we'd talked about politics and every time he had gotten this look like he wanted to go back and change something, though I never knew what and the records of what happened before the Ruusan Reformations were sketchy; especially as the Sith had sacked Coruscant twice between when I'd left and now.
"Honestly, I think most people are good but all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing," I added, using one of my favoured quotes from before. "It is a being's own mind, not those around him, that lures them to the dark side." I liked that quote I'd found in an older text a few weeks ago in the archive.
Serra, who had sat during the last minute of our talk, rubbed her forearm again as her eyes looked past me, clearly thinking through what I had said.
"Those that seek power are doomed to be corrupted by it." She said slowly as if remembering something she had heard once but was only just understanding. "I get it now." She smiled, and I again thought she looked cute. "Everyone is a threat if they submit to the call of darkness inside them."
I smiled back and nodded. "Yes. I once heard an old saying that sums things up nicely. It goes; inside each of us, there are two wolves. One is evil; jealousy, anger, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, ego. The other is good; joy, peace, kindness, truth, love. The wolf that wins is the one that we feed the most."
"An interesting story, that is. One that holds true just for others not, but as well the Jedi."
I nearly jumped at the voice that came from behind me and spun to see Yoda floating there in his chair beside a snake-like Jedi Council member and Mace Windu.
"Master Yoda, you, um, surprised me," I said and noted that all three Jedi Masters smiled at my statement.
"Yes. Easy to that I did, it is." He said slowly, his eyes shifting to Serra. "To the raised voice of initiate Keto, I found myself drawn. Impressed with how you explained the role of the Jedi to her, am I."
"Indeed. The fable you told is not one I have heard before, but it is a wonderful lesson on the dangers of how easy any being, Jedi or not, can fall into darkness." The snakelike Jedi stated as I searched my mind for his name, coming up empty as he was never named in the movies or cartoons and most of my dealings with the Council had been through Master Giiett. "And while we do appear to not be concerned about the public perception of our Order, rest assured that we have noticed the gradual change that has happened over the last few centuries."
"Master Rancisis is correct," Windu added, giving me a name for the snakelike Jedi Master. "However, this is not a matter that should concern Initiates." He stated, and while I nodded, I had no plan to go along with his warning, and I hoped that Serra didn't either.
"Yes, Master." She said without any hint of which way her emotions were taking her.
"Good, good. Leave you to your studies, we will. The opinions of others to the council, you should leave." Yoda stated as he and the other two members of the Council floated away.
"That fable you told, do you believe it?" Serra asked once she was seemingly sure the masters were gone, and we were alone again.
I turned to see her face was now closer to mine and her eyes were focused on me. "I think so."
"But one of the things you mentioned for the good wolf was love," She stated quietly as she shifted a fraction closer. "Do you mean to say that emotions are not a bad thing for a Jedi?"
I smiled. The girl was more curious about things than most and I figured she was going to be a handful for her master later in life. "Well things like anger, jealousy and arrogance are definitely bad, but I fail to see why things like love, hope and compassion are against the code."
She nodded along and smiled, though for the first time it wasn't a prideful smirk, but one I felt that was genuinely happy with what she was hearing. "I know, like why should we reject connections with people if they make us stronger."
"Well, I imagine it's something to do with becoming too attached or dependent on someone, that you'd say or do anything to protect them."
"But isn't that just a sign of love?"
I chuckled a little at the naivety of the girl. Then again, she was only 8, like I was meant to be. She didn't have a few decades of extra knowledge, understanding and feelings to draw on. "It's possessive. I think any kind of relationship should be equal. One where both people are partners in all things. If one person begins to dominate, or exert a will to break their own rules, while claiming its to protect/help their partner, they are straying from the truth of what they feel into what they want."
She nodded along, pretending to understand, but I knew she didn't. She was just far too young to have any real clue. Still, if she was willing to listen honestly and openly to my opinion on the Jedi Code, I wasn't going to stop talking.
"So, um, are you free now?" She asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence as I watched her seemingly contemplate what I had said.
I nodded, and she gave me a big smile. "Come on then."
.........
I blocked Serra's blade with my own, only to have to pivot to avoid her off-hand saber. A quick blast of TK sent me backwards across the duelling ring, giving me some separation from the girl.
"You're seriously telling me you've only been learning the lightsaber for a few months?" She asked from across the ring and I nodded. "Damm. Even I didn't pick up the basics of Shii-Cho that fast, and I'm brilliant with a lightsaber." She commented with the smirk that I now knew, after three hours of training – just trying to avoid her attacks in truth – that she was very sure of herself. Though given that I'd failed to land a single mark on her, while I'd stopped counting how many times I'd been hit, though the fact I'd gained a new Skill – Damage Reduction: Energy – and it had levelled up three times told me that it was a lot as a training saber, or one set to a low power level, only did about 15HP of damage told me it was a lot.
"Maybe, but I still haven't managed to hit you yet." I responded, making her smirk grow bigger. "I will one day."
"Keep telling yourself that." She replied as she powered down her twin blades and walked out of the ring.
I followed her and caught the canister of water she tossed my way.
"How are you not sweating?" She asked as I drew closer and I shrugged.
"Never really have." Well, it was actually Player's Body, but I couldn't exactly say I didn't sweat, cut or mark because I was granted powers by extra-dimensional beings for winning an afterlife lottery. That would get me a one-way ticket to the funny farm, or whatever passed for one here. "Just a fluke of evolution I guess." That was my public excuse and I was sticking to it, even if I suspected that a few of the Masters were getting curious about me; beyond arriving from 4000 years in the past.
"Force, you're lucky. Needing to shower is the only downside of lightsaber training. I smell awful." She muttered and I leaned over and took a long, deep inhale of her hair. "What?" She blurted out as I pulled back.
"I think you smell fine," I said, curious if the comment would have any effect on an 8-year-old Jedi girl. It did and I saw her cheeks redden further than just from exhaustion.
"What?" She repeated, and I chuckled as I took a long mouthful of water. While it granted no HP bonus, water was a great way to restore my STAM; a full canister seemed to restore about half of my current STAM and I was curious if this was a set value or a percentage. Once I levelled up and increased my STAM I would find out.
Actually, the lack of clarity on how I levelled up my skills, or how fast that happened was annoying. I was fairly certain that I learnt more when being trained than when spending time by myself self-learning, but there were no hints or indicators as to how much a skill improved during supervised or self-training.
"Serra!" We both turned at the voice and I saw a group of 4 other females approaching. Well, two human girls and two aliens; 1 a Twi'lek and the other an Ithorian. "Where have you been?" The Twi'lek asked as they approached. "We've been looking for you for ages."
"Sorry, Aayla. I guess I just lost track of time," Serra said as she moved closer to the other girls.
"Yes, I can see that." The blue-skinned alien commented, her eyes looking me over.
"Ah right. Cameron this is Aayla, Sia-Lan, Jyl and Vhiblul." I nodded and smiled at the girls.
"A pleasure," I said with a smile, taking note of the four newcomers.
"We know who you are," stated one of the human girls with wavy brown hair and blue eyes, a slight sneer on her face as her eyes examined me slowly. "I expected something better."
'Well screw you.' I thought as Serra's eyes narrowed.
"Sia! What was that for? You're the one who dared me to talk with him." My brow rose at that little nugget, but ignored it as the girl, Sia-Lan, shrugged.
"I didn't think you'd do it. He's like a lost Kath hound, wandering around here like he belongs. He doesn't." she stated, and I felt the growing urge to punch her. "See? You can feel him giving in to his baser instincts. Losing control of his emotions."
"PM," I whispered out and let the neutralising feeling of Player's Mind – which I had shortened to PM – settle over my mind. "Yet I don't," I stated calmly. "Unlike you, I do not judge someone by the cover." I turned and nodded at Serra. "Thanks for the spar but I suddenly feel the urge to stand behind an active hyperdrive engine."
I walked away, ignoring the faint chuckles of the other girls, and moved to head back to my quarters.
I was surprised when the blast hit her, sending her flying backwards a good 20 metres before she hit the wall.
"Holy shit," I muttered as I looked at my hand in surprise.
"What is going on here?!" My head, along with the girls, snapped to see three males approached. I didn't recognize the lead human, nor the Twi'lek, but the second Human, walking purposefully behind the other two sent alarm bells ringing in my head. Count Dooku was heading straight for me!
I instantly calmed down and was glad I'd already engaged Player's Mind as the three adults approached.
"This moron just attacked me for no reason!" Sia-Lan blurted out and I glared at her.
"I did attack you, but only after you tried to hit me in the back with a Force Push." I countered. "Why else would I feel the Force tell me to move."
"Is this true?" the lead human, who I now recognised as the Temple's Battlemaster – lead combat instructor – Cin Drallig, asked the other girls.
None of them, not even Serra, said anything, though at least the girl I'd spent the last three hours sparring with had the decency to not even try to meet my gaze. I was angry with her for a moment, until Player's Mind took that away, then realised that she'd grown up with Sia-Lan and the others, and so was unlikely to turn on them. Though the fact none of them were willing to tell the truth was a worrying sign if the Jedi were meant to be protectors of it.
"I sense the boy is telling the truth," Dooku said slowly, in that calm, controlled voice that still sent a shiver down my spine. "The girl's emotions are clear to sense while his are remarkably calm for someone so young." His gaze met mine and I felt the need to meet it. After a moment his lip twitched, and he turned back to Master Drallig. "Though this is your arena, and you have the final say."
Master Drallig looked calmly from Sia-Lan to me a few times before he spoke. "Regardless of who started this, both shall be punished." He paused to rub his chin. "I believe Master Tiin has requested help with the maintenance of one of the disused hanger bays." While his face was calm, his tone held a more than a subtle hint of disappointment at both me and Sia-Lan for our actions.
I felt a momentary annoyance at being punished for the girl's attack, but let it go as it wasn't worth arguing with 3 Jedi Masters over. Not unless I wanted to make my punishment worse.
"Yes, master," Sia-Lan mumbled out as she stood, though her eyes were anything but humble as she glared at me for a moment before stalking away.
The others followed though Serra mouthed 'sorry' to me before she did, which brought the faintest of smiles to my lips.
"This is the child of Shan? The one that you wished for us to meet?" the Twi'lek said and I turned to see that Master Drallig was looking at me with a very slight smile as he nodded at the question.
"Yes. As I said, he has mastered the basics of Shii-Cho was remarkable speed. If he can keep it up, I suspect he will be ready for the basics of Makashi within another month or two."
I watched silently as the Twi'lek and Dooku examined me with their eyes, figuring silence was the safest course of action for now.
"Perhaps this is a sign that lightsaber forms should be restricted to older students," Dooku said slowly.
"No. I've seen students older than him struggle to get the basics of certain forms down. That is not it." Drallig said as he passed me a training saber. "Are you willing to see how he performs?"
Dooku shared a look with the Twi'lek before stepping into the duelling circle. "Come boy." He said as he lit his lightsaber.
As I stepped into the circle, I blinked at an unexpected pop-up.
"No. Your feet should be pointing towards me in a straight line. Raise your blade vertically, making the tip rest just above your forehead." Dooku stated and I moved quickly to comply.
.........
Three hours later, split in half between Dooku and the Twi'lek whom I learnt was named Bondara and was a master of Soresu for receiving one-on-one training, I walked back to my quarters with a smile.
I had levelled both forms twice and now had the basics to practice before the tournament. Though I was unsure if I would spend the time needed to get them up or stay with Shii-Cho.
Dooku was a stiff teacher. Strict and demanding like any drill sergeant but I had felt more at home with him teaching me than Bondara, who was more nurturing and patient. I guess that was a result of almost a decade of military training.
As I walked back into my quarters, I pulled out my datapad and noticed that I'd received a message.
Curious about it, I closed the doors and opened it; making a small hologram of Serra appear from it.
"Hey. Um, look I just wanted to say sorry for Sia-Lan earlier. She's not happy about the apparent special treatment you're getting from the Council.
"But she's a good person at heart. She's just wound tight about the tournament as she's competed twice before but never done well."
The hologram stopped talking and I watched as she rubbed her arm just above the elbow.
"I, um, I liked duelling with you and was wondering if you'd like to do so again tomorrow if you want to. Or we can just talk about things, like earlier. Anyway, got to go. Bye."
I smiled a little as the hologram faded. While today had started slowly, I'd seemingly made my first friend, learnt the very basics of the next two lightsaber forms and met Count Dooku, who, while stiff didn't seem a bad guy. Hell, it might even be possible to prevent his fall to the Dark Side, though how I'd do that was up in the air.
Still, I liked the character of Dooku – more so than the brat that became Vader – so if I had the chance to save him from himself, I would try.
…
At this point, I was thinking about Giiett, Rancisis, Dooku, Bondara and Fae as possible masters for Cameron.
While you are free to speculate on who he ended up being trained by, the choices have long since been made
Today, however, was one of three special one-day holidays celebrated by the Republic, which meant no training; though I had noticed that the archives were still full of Jedi who decided to spend their time learning on a holiday. Not that I was any different, mind you.
"Hey, you're Cameron Shan, right?"
I turned from where I was moving around a spare datapad in the air and saw a girl looking at me. Her blue eyes met mine and I noticed she wore her black hair to her shoulders in two ponytails. I thought she was cute for a moment before banishing the thought as I still felt 28, not 8, at times.
I knew she was in Dragon Clan, one of the Initiate clans but I hadn't spoken to anyone in that clan in the 3 months I'd been in the Temple. I'd spent most of my time alternating between following the Heliost and Katarn clans around. That had been the idea of Masters Giiett and Yoda who noted my love to try to hide myself in the Force matched the way I spent the first two months buried in datapads learning everything I could to further my skills.
"Yeah, that's me," I replied, bringing the datapad down to rest next to the datapad I was reading from.
"Hi. I'm Serra Keto." She said with a small smile.
"Hi," I replied, raising a single eyebrow at her in curiosity at why she was speaking to me now.
"So, the scuttlebutt is that you're taking part in the Twelve-and-Under Tournament," Serra stated, the corner of her mouth twisting into a small smirk.
"Maybe," I replied, easily seeing the girl's plan before it even began. "What's it to you?"
"Well, I was thinking that I could help you prepare for it." She said, surprising me as I'd expected her to make some kind of challenge or threat about beating me.
I looked at her face, trying to see if there was something else behind her thinking. "What do you get out of it?" I asked since nothing in her body language indicated anything but a genuine desire to help.
"Nothing really I mean, I'm well beyond you with a lightsaber – I've started learning Jar'Kai – and I'm sure you're not comfortable with using the Force, and I doubt you know much about the history of our Order…"
She stopped when I placed a finger to her lips, making her cheeks to redden a fraction. "Again, what do you get out of it?"
I removed my finger and watched as she gulped a few times and closed her eyes. I mentally smiled at managing to off-balance her so easily. Trying to suppress emotions was a dangerous ploy.
She opened her mouth to say something, only to close it without making a sound and I watched as her shoulders slumped fractionally.
"Truthfully, I just want to talk with you." She finally said. "I mean, I'm curious about what you know of your family and how you're dealing with it around here." She paused and looked around as though expecting someone to come out of the woodwork and grab her. "I, I sometimes hear things about what people say about my family."
I frowned a little. "Forgive me, but your family is who?"
"Oh, right." Her expression changed, and the small smirk reappeared. "My granddad is the current king of the Empress Teta system."
"So that makes you a princess?" I asked with a small smirk of my own.
"No." Her smirk fell, as did her shoulders. "I was given to the Order when I was a babe and was removed from the line of succession." She smiled a little as she rubbed her arm, "I may have, uh, looked up my personal files in the archives."
"Aren't those restricted?" I asked. Honestly, I didn't know if they were but given to the Jedi's stance on attachments, there was no way they would leave data unencrypted about where a baby had come from for the child to find later on in life.
"Maybe." The smirk returned. OK, I was starting to like this girl. She was a Jedi, yes, but there were hints of a confidence and drive to learn that I liked. Though, if all the lectures about the perils of the Dark Side were true, that same drive to learn could lead her down a darker road later in life.
"So all you want is someone to talk to about coming from a famous family?" I asked, keeping my face as calm as possible. "Not scouting out the opposition?"
"Well, yeah there is that." She replied honestly, the smirk turning into a small smile. "But mainly it's just to talk with you." She stopped and looked around slowly, before leaning closer and whispering. "I've heard a few of the other Initiates making comments about you becoming one of us at such a late stage. About how the Council is showing favouritism based on your name."
I shrugged. I mean, I heard those comments from time to time in passing but I understood the sentiment and truthfully wasn't all that bothered about it. Doing well in the tournament would silence a lot of that. "They might have, but what else could they do? Throw an 8-year-old out on the streets? How would that look to the public?"
She frowned, and I suppressed the urge to shake my head. The Jedi were clearly not even bothering to teach their Initiates about the outside world.
"You think everyone loves the Jedi? That they see you coming and greet you with warm smiles and open arms? I doubt it." I stated, having done a lot of reading on the Order and its interactions with the Republic in the last thousand years. "We should be thankful that most no longer care about the wars with the Sith. To many, I'm sure its just two sides of the same credit arguing over whose interpretation is right."
"But the Sith are evil. They maimed, tortured and killed for fun as they gave in to their emotions." Serra countered with more passion than I had come to expect from my fellow Initiates. Again, not something the Jedi preached but something I was very happy to see since the members of Heliost and Katarn clans were very solemn; if not a little robotic at times.
"Maybe, but how many regular people in the galaxy truly understand the difference? One in a million? Less? That means that to most the Jedi and Sith are the same thing. We all use the Force for seemingly magical powers, we use lightsabers and are capable of feats beyond that of normal beings." I countered slowly, finally getting the chance to let the theories I'd had for years come out. Theories that were backed up by being here and reading about how the Jedi were seen by the Republic at large. "We preach about the Force in a way that makes it sound like a religion to many. The Jedi take children from their families to, and this is the opinion of some, indoctrinate them in the Jedi ways. While the Sith pick out those with anger in their hearts and use the lure of the Force to turn them to their ways. Again, indoctrination."
I stopped there to give her time to think things through. How she saw this was important to me as I did not want to spend my time around those who blindly followed the words of the Jedi Code and the Council without thinking for themselves.
Yes, I was beginning to regret joining the Jedi and was considering how to get out of this. The long way was to become a Jedi Knight and simply begin to wander the galaxy. That left me stuck here until I was in my twenties and left the chance I missed the events of Episode 1; which hadn't happened as I'd set up a datalink to monitor political events, waiting on Padme becoming queen. And yes, I was curious if she'd look like Natalie Portman who I admit I had a crush on when I was a teen.
The other option was to find a way to be kicked out of the Jedi, or not taken as a Padawan; but that ran the risk of me being dumped somewhere in the galaxy as a child with nothing to my name, not even a lightsaber; which I still did not have. I was stuck using a training saber and I was getting annoyed – though I tried to hide it – at not being allowed to make my own.
"But that's…" Serra began before stopping. "Worrying." She finally finished after nearly a minute of silence. Her smile and confidence were gone, and she was now fidgeting a little, her hand rubbing her forearm in a repeating pattern.
"Yes, it is. But no-one here really seems to care. Even Master Giiett said not to worry about it and trust in the Force." I said slowly, trying to hide my annoyance at this lack of concern about public perception. I was all but certain that the Sith had been altering the news feeds to slowly turn opinion against the Jedi over the centuries; just as many companies and governments had done in my old life.
"But if people don't trust us how can we protect them?" She asked, and I felt my face twist in a frown.
"Do they want or need us to protect them?"
"Yes."
"From what? The Sith are gone." OK, I knew that wasn't true but no-one else did. "Are you saying that the Jedi are needed because the average person/being is too incompetent to look after themselves?"
She shook her head." No. But there are times that a Jedi is able to solve a problem that a normal being couldn't. We are here to help the Republic serve the people." Her voice was slowly rising as she spoke as her emotions came through. "We are here to serve the people of the Republic to the best of our abilities and protect them from threats."
"What threats though? The Sith are gone. The Republic spans over half the galaxy, and no other power could truly challenge them. So are the threats internal and not external? If so, who or what are the threats? The average person? No." I shook my head and looked at her carefully as she listened to me rant/explain. "The greatest threat to democracy is the people and organizations at the top. Those who seek to subvert the will of the people to suit their own selfish whims and desires."
"So you're saying that the Senate and business leaders are the enemy?" she asked, confusion reigning over her face.
I shook my head again and sighed. "Not all of them no. But something my grandfather said once was that you should never trust anyone who actively seeks out power."
"Um, wasn't he a former Chancellor of the Old Republic?"
I chuckled at the question. "Yes, he was. But I think he regretted a lot about his time in charge." I paused and thought about the few times we'd talked about politics and every time he had gotten this look like he wanted to go back and change something, though I never knew what and the records of what happened before the Ruusan Reformations were sketchy; especially as the Sith had sacked Coruscant twice between when I'd left and now.
"Honestly, I think most people are good but all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing," I added, using one of my favoured quotes from before. "It is a being's own mind, not those around him, that lures them to the dark side." I liked that quote I'd found in an older text a few weeks ago in the archive.
Serra, who had sat during the last minute of our talk, rubbed her forearm again as her eyes looked past me, clearly thinking through what I had said.
"Those that seek power are doomed to be corrupted by it." She said slowly as if remembering something she had heard once but was only just understanding. "I get it now." She smiled, and I again thought she looked cute. "Everyone is a threat if they submit to the call of darkness inside them."
I smiled back and nodded. "Yes. I once heard an old saying that sums things up nicely. It goes; inside each of us, there are two wolves. One is evil; jealousy, anger, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, ego. The other is good; joy, peace, kindness, truth, love. The wolf that wins is the one that we feed the most."
"An interesting story, that is. One that holds true just for others not, but as well the Jedi."
I nearly jumped at the voice that came from behind me and spun to see Yoda floating there in his chair beside a snake-like Jedi Council member and Mace Windu.
"Master Yoda, you, um, surprised me," I said and noted that all three Jedi Masters smiled at my statement.
"Yes. Easy to that I did, it is." He said slowly, his eyes shifting to Serra. "To the raised voice of initiate Keto, I found myself drawn. Impressed with how you explained the role of the Jedi to her, am I."
"Indeed. The fable you told is not one I have heard before, but it is a wonderful lesson on the dangers of how easy any being, Jedi or not, can fall into darkness." The snakelike Jedi stated as I searched my mind for his name, coming up empty as he was never named in the movies or cartoons and most of my dealings with the Council had been through Master Giiett. "And while we do appear to not be concerned about the public perception of our Order, rest assured that we have noticed the gradual change that has happened over the last few centuries."
"Master Rancisis is correct," Windu added, giving me a name for the snakelike Jedi Master. "However, this is not a matter that should concern Initiates." He stated, and while I nodded, I had no plan to go along with his warning, and I hoped that Serra didn't either.
"Yes, Master." She said without any hint of which way her emotions were taking her.
"Good, good. Leave you to your studies, we will. The opinions of others to the council, you should leave." Yoda stated as he and the other two members of the Council floated away.
"That fable you told, do you believe it?" Serra asked once she was seemingly sure the masters were gone, and we were alone again.
I turned to see her face was now closer to mine and her eyes were focused on me. "I think so."
"But one of the things you mentioned for the good wolf was love," She stated quietly as she shifted a fraction closer. "Do you mean to say that emotions are not a bad thing for a Jedi?"
I smiled. The girl was more curious about things than most and I figured she was going to be a handful for her master later in life. "Well things like anger, jealousy and arrogance are definitely bad, but I fail to see why things like love, hope and compassion are against the code."
She nodded along and smiled, though for the first time it wasn't a prideful smirk, but one I felt that was genuinely happy with what she was hearing. "I know, like why should we reject connections with people if they make us stronger."
"Well, I imagine it's something to do with becoming too attached or dependent on someone, that you'd say or do anything to protect them."
"But isn't that just a sign of love?"
I chuckled a little at the naivety of the girl. Then again, she was only 8, like I was meant to be. She didn't have a few decades of extra knowledge, understanding and feelings to draw on. "It's possessive. I think any kind of relationship should be equal. One where both people are partners in all things. If one person begins to dominate, or exert a will to break their own rules, while claiming its to protect/help their partner, they are straying from the truth of what they feel into what they want."
She nodded along, pretending to understand, but I knew she didn't. She was just far too young to have any real clue. Still, if she was willing to listen honestly and openly to my opinion on the Jedi Code, I wasn't going to stop talking.
"So, um, are you free now?" She asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence as I watched her seemingly contemplate what I had said.
I nodded, and she gave me a big smile. "Come on then."
.........
I blocked Serra's blade with my own, only to have to pivot to avoid her off-hand saber. A quick blast of TK sent me backwards across the duelling ring, giving me some separation from the girl.
"You're seriously telling me you've only been learning the lightsaber for a few months?" She asked from across the ring and I nodded. "Damm. Even I didn't pick up the basics of Shii-Cho that fast, and I'm brilliant with a lightsaber." She commented with the smirk that I now knew, after three hours of training – just trying to avoid her attacks in truth – that she was very sure of herself. Though given that I'd failed to land a single mark on her, while I'd stopped counting how many times I'd been hit, though the fact I'd gained a new Skill – Damage Reduction: Energy – and it had levelled up three times told me that it was a lot as a training saber, or one set to a low power level, only did about 15HP of damage told me it was a lot.
"Maybe, but I still haven't managed to hit you yet." I responded, making her smirk grow bigger. "I will one day."
"Keep telling yourself that." She replied as she powered down her twin blades and walked out of the ring.
I followed her and caught the canister of water she tossed my way.
"How are you not sweating?" She asked as I drew closer and I shrugged.
"Never really have." Well, it was actually Player's Body, but I couldn't exactly say I didn't sweat, cut or mark because I was granted powers by extra-dimensional beings for winning an afterlife lottery. That would get me a one-way ticket to the funny farm, or whatever passed for one here. "Just a fluke of evolution I guess." That was my public excuse and I was sticking to it, even if I suspected that a few of the Masters were getting curious about me; beyond arriving from 4000 years in the past.
"Force, you're lucky. Needing to shower is the only downside of lightsaber training. I smell awful." She muttered and I leaned over and took a long, deep inhale of her hair. "What?" She blurted out as I pulled back.
"I think you smell fine," I said, curious if the comment would have any effect on an 8-year-old Jedi girl. It did and I saw her cheeks redden further than just from exhaustion.
"What?" She repeated, and I chuckled as I took a long mouthful of water. While it granted no HP bonus, water was a great way to restore my STAM; a full canister seemed to restore about half of my current STAM and I was curious if this was a set value or a percentage. Once I levelled up and increased my STAM I would find out.
Actually, the lack of clarity on how I levelled up my skills, or how fast that happened was annoying. I was fairly certain that I learnt more when being trained than when spending time by myself self-learning, but there were no hints or indicators as to how much a skill improved during supervised or self-training.
"Serra!" We both turned at the voice and I saw a group of 4 other females approaching. Well, two human girls and two aliens; 1 a Twi'lek and the other an Ithorian. "Where have you been?" The Twi'lek asked as they approached. "We've been looking for you for ages."
"Sorry, Aayla. I guess I just lost track of time," Serra said as she moved closer to the other girls.
"Yes, I can see that." The blue-skinned alien commented, her eyes looking me over.
"Ah right. Cameron this is Aayla, Sia-Lan, Jyl and Vhiblul." I nodded and smiled at the girls.
"A pleasure," I said with a smile, taking note of the four newcomers.
"We know who you are," stated one of the human girls with wavy brown hair and blue eyes, a slight sneer on her face as her eyes examined me slowly. "I expected something better."
'Well screw you.' I thought as Serra's eyes narrowed.
"Sia! What was that for? You're the one who dared me to talk with him." My brow rose at that little nugget, but ignored it as the girl, Sia-Lan, shrugged.
"I didn't think you'd do it. He's like a lost Kath hound, wandering around here like he belongs. He doesn't." she stated, and I felt the growing urge to punch her. "See? You can feel him giving in to his baser instincts. Losing control of his emotions."
"PM," I whispered out and let the neutralising feeling of Player's Mind – which I had shortened to PM – settle over my mind. "Yet I don't," I stated calmly. "Unlike you, I do not judge someone by the cover." I turned and nodded at Serra. "Thanks for the spar but I suddenly feel the urge to stand behind an active hyperdrive engine."
I walked away, ignoring the faint chuckles of the other girls, and moved to head back to my quarters.
DUCK AND ROLL!
…
I took the warning and ducked and rolled as I felt a blast of air fly past my body and turned to see Sia-Lan had her hand extended in my direction and I responded with over a decade of military training, mixed with a few months of Force experience, and a flung a Blast at her.…
I was surprised when the blast hit her, sending her flying backwards a good 20 metres before she hit the wall.
"Holy shit," I muttered as I looked at my hand in surprise.
"What is going on here?!" My head, along with the girls, snapped to see three males approached. I didn't recognize the lead human, nor the Twi'lek, but the second Human, walking purposefully behind the other two sent alarm bells ringing in my head. Count Dooku was heading straight for me!
I instantly calmed down and was glad I'd already engaged Player's Mind as the three adults approached.
"This moron just attacked me for no reason!" Sia-Lan blurted out and I glared at her.
"I did attack you, but only after you tried to hit me in the back with a Force Push." I countered. "Why else would I feel the Force tell me to move."
"Is this true?" the lead human, who I now recognised as the Temple's Battlemaster – lead combat instructor – Cin Drallig, asked the other girls.
None of them, not even Serra, said anything, though at least the girl I'd spent the last three hours sparring with had the decency to not even try to meet my gaze. I was angry with her for a moment, until Player's Mind took that away, then realised that she'd grown up with Sia-Lan and the others, and so was unlikely to turn on them. Though the fact none of them were willing to tell the truth was a worrying sign if the Jedi were meant to be protectors of it.
"I sense the boy is telling the truth," Dooku said slowly, in that calm, controlled voice that still sent a shiver down my spine. "The girl's emotions are clear to sense while his are remarkably calm for someone so young." His gaze met mine and I felt the need to meet it. After a moment his lip twitched, and he turned back to Master Drallig. "Though this is your arena, and you have the final say."
Master Drallig looked calmly from Sia-Lan to me a few times before he spoke. "Regardless of who started this, both shall be punished." He paused to rub his chin. "I believe Master Tiin has requested help with the maintenance of one of the disused hanger bays." While his face was calm, his tone held a more than a subtle hint of disappointment at both me and Sia-Lan for our actions.
I felt a momentary annoyance at being punished for the girl's attack, but let it go as it wasn't worth arguing with 3 Jedi Masters over. Not unless I wanted to make my punishment worse.
"Yes, master," Sia-Lan mumbled out as she stood, though her eyes were anything but humble as she glared at me for a moment before stalking away.
The others followed though Serra mouthed 'sorry' to me before she did, which brought the faintest of smiles to my lips.
"This is the child of Shan? The one that you wished for us to meet?" the Twi'lek said and I turned to see that Master Drallig was looking at me with a very slight smile as he nodded at the question.
"Yes. As I said, he has mastered the basics of Shii-Cho was remarkable speed. If he can keep it up, I suspect he will be ready for the basics of Makashi within another month or two."
I watched silently as the Twi'lek and Dooku examined me with their eyes, figuring silence was the safest course of action for now.
"Perhaps this is a sign that lightsaber forms should be restricted to older students," Dooku said slowly.
"No. I've seen students older than him struggle to get the basics of certain forms down. That is not it." Drallig said as he passed me a training saber. "Are you willing to see how he performs?"
Dooku shared a look with the Twi'lek before stepping into the duelling circle. "Come boy." He said as he lit his lightsaber.
As I stepped into the circle, I blinked at an unexpected pop-up.
NOTICE:
You are receiving one-on-one training with a true Makashi Master.
25% increase in Makashi XP gains while training with the master.
…
I waved away the notice as I lit my own saber and moved to mirror his stance.You are receiving one-on-one training with a true Makashi Master.
25% increase in Makashi XP gains while training with the master.
…
"No. Your feet should be pointing towards me in a straight line. Raise your blade vertically, making the tip rest just above your forehead." Dooku stated and I moved quickly to comply.
.........
Three hours later, split in half between Dooku and the Twi'lek whom I learnt was named Bondara and was a master of Soresu for receiving one-on-one training, I walked back to my quarters with a smile.
I had levelled both forms twice and now had the basics to practice before the tournament. Though I was unsure if I would spend the time needed to get them up or stay with Shii-Cho.
Dooku was a stiff teacher. Strict and demanding like any drill sergeant but I had felt more at home with him teaching me than Bondara, who was more nurturing and patient. I guess that was a result of almost a decade of military training.
As I walked back into my quarters, I pulled out my datapad and noticed that I'd received a message.
Curious about it, I closed the doors and opened it; making a small hologram of Serra appear from it.
"Hey. Um, look I just wanted to say sorry for Sia-Lan earlier. She's not happy about the apparent special treatment you're getting from the Council.
"But she's a good person at heart. She's just wound tight about the tournament as she's competed twice before but never done well."
The hologram stopped talking and I watched as she rubbed her arm just above the elbow.
"I, um, I liked duelling with you and was wondering if you'd like to do so again tomorrow if you want to. Or we can just talk about things, like earlier. Anyway, got to go. Bye."
I smiled a little as the hologram faded. While today had started slowly, I'd seemingly made my first friend, learnt the very basics of the next two lightsaber forms and met Count Dooku, who, while stiff didn't seem a bad guy. Hell, it might even be possible to prevent his fall to the Dark Side, though how I'd do that was up in the air.
Quest Alert!
Changing Fate [Dooku]
Can you change the fate of the Jedi known as Count Dooku?
Rating: A
Objective:
Prevent the fall of Count Dooku and the rise of Darth Tyrannus.
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
5000EXP
Penalties:
Dooku falls faster.
Possible death at the hands of Darth Tyrannus.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
"Yes." I quickly said, figuring that it was worth the risk. If Dooku never fell, then Palpatine would need a new stooge. The problem was, from what I learnt so far, the resentment felt but the Mid and Outer Rim to the Core Worlds was genuine. Fixing that was probably well beyond me for now, but once I either became a Padawan – or left the Order as I was beginning to chafe a little under their strictness – I would spend some time trying to work out how to fix the Republic; though I was well aware that the odds on ever succeeding there were slim to none. And slim was about to leave the building.Changing Fate [Dooku]
Can you change the fate of the Jedi known as Count Dooku?
Rating: A
Objective:
Prevent the fall of Count Dooku and the rise of Darth Tyrannus.
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
5000EXP
Penalties:
Dooku falls faster.
Possible death at the hands of Darth Tyrannus.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
Still, I liked the character of Dooku – more so than the brat that became Vader – so if I had the chance to save him from himself, I would try.
…
At this point, I was thinking about Giiett, Rancisis, Dooku, Bondara and Fae as possible masters for Cameron.
While you are free to speculate on who he ended up being trained by, the choices have long since been made
Last edited:
Initiate Training 3
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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As the sun shone in through the window of my quarters on the first morning of the Festival of Life holiday week and I looked over my room before my eyes settled on the datapad on my desk and the worrying information I had discovered yesterday.
Any Initiate that reached their thirteenth birthday and was not taken as a Padawan was assigned to one of four corps that were under the control of the Council of Reassignment. While none of the corps sounded bad in their descriptions on the datapad, something about the fact that anyone dumped there was basically ignored by the rest of the Jedi was worrying. As was that after being raised and indoctrinated – and after six months of lectures on the Jedi and what they stood for, the signs were clear as day that Jedi were indoctrinated once taken from their families – those sent to the corps had to be at least a little resentful towards the Jedi; making them perfect targets for Sidious and his master – if he was alive – to corrupt and use as agents.
I shook my head to clear the worry and anger that the apparent abandonment of failed Initiates generated and turned my attention to what today was; the start of the Initiate Trials.
"List Quests."
"List Quest, Trials of an Initiate."
The lightsaber part was, from what I had learnt, the final part of the week, but also my weakest.
Even with the way I seemed to gain skills – I was now Adapt 55 for Shii-Cho and Novice 80 for Makashi, which in 6 months felt an insane improvement – I knew I was miles behind the Initiates. Even after 3 months of on-and-off sparing with Serra – and a few other members of her clan – I'd yet to win a single spar.
However, the fact I'd spared with them using only Shii-Cho while they'd used their preferred Forms meant I might have a leg up as none of them spent much time on Makashi – which was the Form designed for one-on-one lightsaber duels. I'd also spent time in the archives learning of the flaws of each Form in the hopes to find a weakness there and had watched the clan members for any physical ticks that were potentially exploitable.
Even with every advantage I had thought of, and the Force Powers I'd trained up that I felt were different from what was commonly expected for Initiates, I didn't hold out much hope of making the free-for-all.
The push-feather event was one I was looking forward too as Jedi Master Giiett had informed me that while my ability to alter the temperature with Cryo/Pyrokinesis was banned, I had discovered that a Force Blast wasn't; it was simply a more concentrated form of TK to the Jedi, but it was not a trick commonly taught. That some of my other self-usage powers were viable to use – as they only affected me and not my opponent – I felt I had a fair shot at completing that objective.
The obstacle course objective was the event I most expected to complete, not least as I had learnt two Force Powers that I felt were rather rare to use and should give me a huge advantage with the objective.
Force Teleport allowed me to make short-range jumps from one place to another, and while the cost was high – currently 1994FP at Novice 2 – and had a range limited to 2*my level, it was a handy skill to have.
Force Phase, however, was my big hope for the obstacle course. It granted me the ability to alter my physical density, I wasn't sure how and frankly wasn't going to even try to understand how beyond 'The Force', meaning I could walk through solid objects with ease. At current costs, I could hold it for about 5 minutes continuously, or use it 4 times before needing to meditate to restore my FP. Though that now only took about 20 minutes as Trance had evolved into Serenity, which had improved the boost, and maxed out. Combined with Meditation, I had 550% boost to my FP regeneration, which just seemed grossly unfair; for others.
"List Quest; Cleanse the Temple."
But after examining the mountain everywhere I could from levels 1 to 23, I had yet to find any hint of the taint. Levels 24 and above were not for Initiates, or even Padawans, without permission and common sense suggested that the chances of the part of the mountain where the various Councils of the Jedi were located was tainted were small enough to be ignored unless no other option was left but to check them.
That meant I was going to have to go under the Temple, which meant becoming a Padawan or leaving the Jedi, probably permanently.
Frankly, I was chafing at being stuck in Temple for the last 6 months and was seriously considering just leaving. The indoctrination was starting to get to me and it was taking a lot of self-control to not point out that cutting one's self off from emotions left you weak when confronted with an emotional situation beyond your grasp; and thus, easy prey for the whispers of the darker side of the Force.
And I was now certain that there was a darker element to the Force. I had felt the pull to lash out at various times over the last half-year; the faint wish to act on my anger to prove a point, to push back in fear. Yet, I had no problem with resisting the temptations. A decade of serving in the army and SAS before dying had let me see the dark side of Human nature and learn to control my urges.
It made me feel that fear and anger were not something to be avoided, but controlled, tempered, if not negated if possible. After all, a wise man had once said that fear meant one of two things; Forget Everything and Run, or Face Everything and Rise.
The Jedi, by closing themselves off to the better emotions – or at least being able to show them – left themselves unable to see that fear/hate/anger were things to overcome. And that could often only be done if you had something good to hold on to.
Or that was my take on things at any rate.
The big issue with leaving the Order before being fully trained was Senator Palpatine. Unsurprisingly, I hadn't run into any politicians in my time here so far, but I knew the man was on the planet and a senator having done a brief search of the Holonet for information on him, Dooku and a few others that I remembered from the movies. That meant that there was a good chance Palpatine knew about my arrival here and whom my great-grandparents were.
And that would put me clearly in the crosshairs of Sidious and his master; if he was still around. I honestly had no idea about that beyond him mentioning a Darth Plagueis to Anakin in RotS, so I was working on the theory that that was the name of his master, though whether he was alive currently or not I did not know; nor if Darth Maul was around as a Sith yet or not.
And if I left the temple abruptly as a child, I was all but certain that Sidious would have me monitored, if not kidnapped, and that was not something I wanted currently. Which was why becoming a Padawan was the safer – if more stifling – option. And since I wanted out of the Temple a-sap, it meant trying to find a master who wasn't tied at the hip to Coruscant.
I sighed as I stood and waved away the quest details and began a slow walk from my quarters – which were still in the guest quarters – to the Room of 1000 Fountains; where all Initiates over 8 had to gather for the start of the Trails.
As I entered the Room of 1000 Fountains and took in the sight of all the massive greenhouse/meditation centre/waterworks – something I didn't think I would ever find anything but breath-taking, calming and inspiring all at the same time – I looked around and saw maybe a hundred or so kids my age and a little older waiting around in one of the larger pavilions and moved over to join them. Most were standing in groups that, based on the faces I recognized, were their clans, with each clan having two adult Jedi standing with them.
I spotted Serra standing nearby with the other members of Dragons Clan and gave her and the others a wave. While most waved back, Sia-Lan glared at me. The older girl was still less than happy with my admittance into the Temple – even if I wasn't truthfully an Initiate – but she held her tongue when we met. The glares, however, did not stop; nor a few less than quiet comments on my lack of ability and only getting in here based on my family name.
At the sound of a sharp bang I turned with the Initiates and saw the Jedi High Council take to the stage; Yoda and Yaddle – a female of Yoda's species – floating on their chairs beside the other members. Yaddle hadn't been present when I'd met the Council when I'd first arrived so seeing a female of Yoda's species during one of my morning classes a month ago had surprised me; though I guess they would need to be for them to reproduce. At least, I assumed that most, if not all, life in this galaxy followed the same patterns as Humans for genders and reproduction.
"To the yearly Initiate Trials, welcome younglings. High hopes that you will all perform well and impress your fellow Jedi, I have." Yoda said calmly as he smiled out at the gathered children. "But remember, competition this is not. Merely a chance for you to show your comfort with the force, it is, and learnt over the years, what you have."
'Yeah right. This is how you choose the Padawans, so it is a competition. Plus, I've got my quest to complete and if I get all 3 objectives, I'll level up. Kinda curious as to what that will be like.' I thought to myself as Yoda floated back and Windu stepped forward.
"For those of you taking part in the trials for the first time, understand that your performance has no bearing on your standing in the Order. Just because someone is older and has spent longer at the Temple does not guarantee victory. Younger Initiates have emerged victorious at the various components of the Trials in years past." He paused for a moment and I watched as several of the older Jedi glanced at Dooku, who looked uninterested in the proceedings, and I was actually surprised he was here as what I'd found in the Archives suggested he'd become a bit of a recluse after a failed mission about 4 years ago which resulted in his Padawan being killed.
'Huh. So Dooku won one of the parts at a younger age? Didn't know that. Maybe if I do the same it will give me an in to get to know him and start the quest to prevent his fall.'
"This year the schedule for the Trials is as follows: Today will see all Initiates attempting to cross a randomly created obstacle course in the holographic training area. Each clan will be taken there by their lead Jedi trainers in due course. Due to the number of Initiates this year, the top 15 in the obstacle course will receive a pass in the first round of the push-feather tournament.
"Tomorrow will begin the push-feather tournament. These will be held throughout the day, with the last 32 being held the day after. For the lightsaber spars, Initiates between 8 and 10 cycles will compete on the fourth day of the Festival, including the final free-for-all between the top 8 Initiates. Regardless of the outcome, all 8 will be allowed to compete against the older Initiates on the final day of the Festival."
Windu stopped and gazed out over the room. I noted that the rest of the Council and the gathered Jedi were doing the same, some seemingly focusing in on a select clan. I spotted a young Human male with a strange yellow mark across face focusing on Dragon Clan and noted that Aayla seemed to sense his stare as she waved to him.
"Katarn Clan will be first up. Please head to the training area. All other Initiates are free to either watch their fellow Initiates on the screens around the Temple or head off to prepare for when their time comes. Dismissed."
I turned around and silently wondered just how I was to know when I was to attempt the course.
"Wondering about your turn?"
I turned at the familiar sound of Master Giiett's voice and nodded. "The Council has decided that you will attempt the course after Dragon clan given to your budding friendship with a few members of that clan." He smiled in what felt to me like an amused way. "It's good to see you starting to spend time with your fellow Initiates. I was beginning to think you didn't like people."
I chuckled at his comment. "No, just settling in. And Serra approached me first."
"Initiate Keto?" He rubbed his chin. "Hmm, now that is interesting. Did she mention anything about her past while you talked?"
"One doesn't rat out your friends," I replied with a small smirk, one Master Giiett returned.
"Indeed. Well, so long as neither of you dwells on the past, I see no harm in discussing it. I must leave now. The Council has asked me and my Padawan to investigate a disturbance in the Kessel sector. I hope that when I return, I find you have done adequately in the trials."
"I hope I do so as well. May the Force be with you, sir."
He chuckled as he gently shook his head. "One day young one, we will get you to refer to your seniors as Master. But not this day it seems." He turned and walked purposefully across the pavilion to where a young Human female was waiting. If I was on Earth, I'd have called her Asian, but here, I had no idea how to define that ethnic group.
With a shrug I walked over to one of the quieter fountains and sat patiently waiting for Dragon Clan to be summoned, figuring I could head along behind them instead of wandering aimlessly through the halls of the Temple; well doing so once more. I closed my eyes and ran through my plans for the push-feather events, as I was more than comfortable with my plans for the obstacle course.
"Master Rancisis says you'll be joining us for the obstacle course." I opened my eyes to see Serra had come over to speak with me again. She was smiling as she spoke, and I saw that two other members of Dragon Clan had come over. Jaeman Charlton and Darihd Bykys.
Jaeman Charlton was a Human male from Alderaan with sandy brown hair and eyes. He was the same age as Serra and I and generally had no opinion on my being accepted into the Jedi; preferring a wait, learn and see approach.
Darihd Bykys was a green-skinned Togruta who was friendly towards me when he wasn't stomping a mudhole into my arse during the few spars we'd had. He was proficient at Form 1 to a level I just couldn't cope with and I was praying not to run into him during the lightsaber spars.
Honestly, I was fearing the lightsaber trials a lot, but I put it out my mind as I spoke.
"Yeah. Master Giiett told me as much at the end of the Council's little speech." I scoffed quietly. "Not a competition my backside."
Darihd, who was about half-a-head taller and a good 10 Kg heavier, slapped me on the back. "This is why I like you, Cameron. You speak your mind. Everyone else just says 'yes master' or 'no master' all the time."
"You mean like you do?" Jaeman queried with a smirk and ducked the lazy backhand that Darihd aimed at him.
"Well yeah. But I have to at least keep up the pretence of following orders. I'm the minder of the Clan, remember?"
I chuckled at the interaction. If not for Serra talking to me I would've become a social pariah, which had kind of been my plan. The idea of dealing with a bunch of kids did not appeal but thanks to our first talk and spar, Serra had given me a door into her clan and I was enjoying the interactions; even if it was often juvenile at times.
"Yes sir, no sir. May I lick your boots, sir." I said, doing a fair impression of Darihd's voice.
"Careful Cameron. I've got no reason to go easy on you, unlike some." He warned, a finger-wagging in my face as the other two chuckled, though Serra's cheeks reddened a touch.
"And who's to say I haven't been letting you whoop my arse just to make you overconfident." I countered with a smile as I swatted the finger away.
Serra shook her head. "Nope. No way you've been holding back. Face it Cam, you've got next to no chance with the lightsaber. Heck, even Jyl can take you and she's nearly two cycles younger than you."
That wasn't true; she was only a cycle-and-a-half younger than me. But yeah, she had tanned me when we sparred. God, did I suck at sparring. Though these would not be spars, but full combat drills, so I had a few plans.
"Really? None of you think I stand a chance? How about a friendly bet then?" I asked with a smirk as they all shook their heads at my first question.
"Jedi don't gamble," Jaeman stated even though he had a small smile on his face.
"It's not a gamble. It's a bet." I replied.
"And what's the bet?" Serra asked as I expected. While Darihd did occasionally speak out privately about things in the Temple it was only Serra that had questioned things; and even then, only when we were alone.
That might have only been an hour or two each week, but it was enough to see she had a rebellious streak in her, and that my words when we'd first met had had an effect. The questions she asked me about my family were a solid attempt – for a child – to examine someone's thinking without exposing themselves; though I had always ended my questions about family and life outside the Order with a question challenging her, and those always got her thinking about her own family and what life outside was really like.
"Hmm. How about for every spar I win, you each have to clean my quarters once? If I don't win any, I'll clean yours for a week." I figured I had an outside shot at winning one duel, and even if I lost it gave me a greater in with Dragon Clan. Plus, you never know what you can find when searching, I mean cleaning, someone's bunk.
"Deal," Darihd replied instantly, Jaeman nodding at the same time in acceptance. Serra however, had narrowed her eyes and was looking at my face carefully.
"You've got something prepared, don't you? Something we've not seen yet."
I smiled back in what I hope was an enigmatic way. I'd not expected anyone to object to the terms, but I was pleasantly surprised that she'd guessed I had something planned. That rebellious streak I'd been seeing leant itself to non-conformist ways of thinking for a Jedi; something I'd seen in our last spar when she'd intentionally dropped one of her lightsabers – yes, the girl used two – until I was past it, then summoned it back to her hand; taking out my legs as it flew. I'd been pissed about it at the time, but since then I'd come to appreciate the fact she was willing to fight 'dirty'.
"Maybe." Was all I said in reply.
"Then, I'm going to wait until after the obstacle course before accepting." She said with a smile.
I gave her a mock salute as an adult Rodian approached.
"Come. Dragon Clan's time is approaching." He stated with a lisp when he used an 's', before turning and walking to where I saw the rest of their clan was waiting.
As we walked, I gently touched Serra on the arm and leaned towards her. "Good girl," I whispered before picking up the pace to meet the group, leaving the girl a few steps behind me.
The rest of the clan, bar Sia-Lan and another Human girl named Trudie, all gave me small smiles or nods of acknowledgement. Sia-Lan narrowed her eyes but said nothing since the Rodian Jedi was with us and Trudie stood to Sia-Lan's right, but a half-step behind; as always.
The journey to the training room was quick, thankfully the elevators in the Temple were fast and quiet, and while the Clan began to get excited for the event, I held back, going over my plans for the course once more.
Sure, there was a chance none of my ideas/power would work, but if that happened, then I'd just fall back on a decade-plus of military assault courses.
When the first of Dragon Clan, Aayla Secura, was called in, I turned to the monitor and decided to make note of how each worked through the course; thinking there might be things there I could use if I encountered them in later events.
Aayla was fast and agile; someone I could picture as a dancer in another life as she ducked, dodged and weaved through the course. What had caught me off-guard was that there were active guns firing at her as she went but given to the way no-one else responded to them, I guessed they were only set to sting.
That theory was proven when the next member of the clan, Trudie Fulton was clipped in the side by a blast. She stumbled, a grimace clear to see on her face, but managed to duck out of the way of any further blasts.
A Sullustan named Funt cleared his course quickly by jumping over several large walls with help for the Force, while Darihd and Jaeman both set times in the middle of the pack; though with only one clan having gone before Dragon Clan, I wasn't sure how good that really was.
Sia-Lan surprised me when she blasted away a wall with the Force to clear a path, and I made a mental note to be wary of facing her in the later events if she was that comfortable with Force-assisted TK.
Serra was the last member of her clan to go, and while she wasn't as graceful as Aayla, nor as blunt as Sia-Lan, she seemed to be a step or two above the others in her clan. Her time placed her at the top so far with a time just under 5 minutes.
"Cameron Shan." I turned to see the Rodian Jedi who'd escorted us up looking at me. "Come with me."
I followed him to the main doors of the training area.
"The rules are simple. Reach the exit door on the far side of the room before time runs out. The blasters will not hurt, but each hit carries a ten-second penalty to your overall time. Destruction of any part of the course carries a five-second penalty for each wall or obstacle destroyed." It was hard to read his face, having not had much time around Rodians so far, but if he was Human, I'd say he was less than impressed with Sia-Lan's blunt-force approach. I, however, so no problems with it, as even with the time penalties, she was still third overall and probably more concerned with the lightsaber duels.
"Understood," I replied as he waved his hand and the door opened.
"Your time begins with the chime."
I nodded again and waited until the starter's bell. When it sounded, I walked forward slowly and looked around the entry area, mindful of any blasters around the door that could get a free shot off at me.
Seeing none, I glanced at my mini-map and was happy to see that even though the room had a different layout to the last – and only – time I'd visited, the map still showed the location of the other on the far side.
I started jogging straight for it and phased as I was a step from the first wall. I'd only walked through a table in my room once, so the tingles that erupted through my body caught me off-guard for a moment and I stopped once I was through. Finding myself in another area, I looked around for blasters, but once again, found none.
Even though the wall had felt strange to pass through, I stayed phased as I started to jog across the room, ignoring the tingles as I passed through more walls, only to come to a stop at a chasm that was probably beyond my ability to Force Jump currently.
I shivered as a blaster bolt went through me, chilling me to the bone. 'That was unpleasant.' It was quickly followed by more shots, but as they went feebly through me, and did no damage to either my HP or FP, I ignored them as I examined the chasm.
Even with a run-up, I doubted I could clear the gap with a Force-Jump so that left one option.
With a smirk, I stepped forward, dropped my Phase and I felt myself pulled both inwards and outwards at the same time, my stomach seemed to dance the Tango and my skin felt like I'd stuck my fingers in a live power socket, but I stepped down on the far side of the chasm.
"Awesome," I said to the room with a smile as I looked back across the gap as the blasters turned to reacquire me. That was the first time I'd used Teleport outside of my quarters and it worked exactly as the description stated, even if the feeling was still uncomfortable. 'Hopefully, it gets better with time.'
I activated Force Phase again and jogged the short distance to the exit; not waiting for the door to open and making the waiting Jedi jump in shock. I noted that it was a female Togruta and as she stared at me, her face a few shades of red lighter than her arms, I noted that I recognized her from the movies; though I didn't have a name to go with the face yet.
"How'd I do?" I asked as I dropped the Phase, a smirk on my face.
The Togruta's eyes narrowed as she looked past me. "Beyond ageing me a few years, I do believe that is the quickest time I have ever seen. Possibly a new Temple record. Though when, where and how you learnt to use such advanced Force abilities is a question I, and many other Jedi, will no doubt ask you in the days ahead."
"I saw a Sith Phase when my home was attacked, and the Teleport was just an idea I came up with, ma'am," I replied, instantly using the excuses I had prepared for those questions.
"Ah, yes. Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner. Child of Revan." She smiled and if my body was a decade older, I'd have found it very enticing. "I am Master Shaak Ti, and I have been assigned to run the obstacle course component of the Initiate Trials."
"Hello," I replied, then looked around the small room I was in with Master Ti; and yes, I felt weird referring to a female as master, but when in Rome…
"So, um, what now?" I asked slowly.
"Ah, yes. You have completed the course, so please feel free to return to whatever you were doing previously. A final timesheet will be posted at 18:00, though I do not expect anyone to beat your time. Today, or within my lifetime." She added with a smile that seemed to be both proud and curious at the same time.
"Thank you, ma'am." I bowed fractionally, then exited the room into the corridor. "Well, that was easy. Guess I can go and prepare for tomorrow." I muttered to myself as the doors closed behind me.
"What was that?!" I turned to Serra and the rest of Dragon Clan waiting around. Most were looking at me in surprise or awe; though Sia-Lan's expression was fighting to not show any interest as she scowled deeply. Even her little follower, Trudie, was staring at me with wide eyes.
"What was what?" I replied, earning myself a slap on the arm and a notice that I'd taken 3HP of damage in my combat log.
"You walked through walls! That was kriffing brilliant!" Exclaimed Aayla, her eyes wide as she danced from one foot to the other.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
"Can you teach us?"
"What does it feel like?"
"What was that thing you did to clear the chasm?"
I raised my hands. "Stop," I said simply, getting the barrage of questions to end before they became a deluge. "As I just told Master Ti, I saw a Sith Phase when they attacked my home and the Teleport was just an idea I had that, thankfully worked."
"You mean you tried that for the first time in there?" Serra asked as she pointed at the doors I'd just come through. As I nodded, she slapped my arm hard; causing another 5HP of damage. "That was stupid! What would've happened if it hadn't worked and you'd fallen down the chasm?" Her lips pursed together as she finished talking and I reached forward, placing my hands on her arms.
"Then I'd have Phased through the floor and ended up in someone's quarters," I replied with a smile. I was surprised at how worried she was over me supposedly trying something dangerous for the first time during the obstacle course. I didn't think we were that close. "Though hopefully they would've been dressed. I'd hate to see what the Council look like naked."
A few of the others groaned. "Oh, gross." Muttered one of the boys, but my attention was on Serra and I was relieved to see her lips twitch at the bad joke.
"Initiate Shan, the Council of First Knowledge wishes to speak with you." A teenage Twi'lek male – if I was judging the ageing of the race correctly – stated, drawing my attention away from Serra and Dragon Clan.
I chuckled once. "Yeah, I bet they do," I replied. I knew this was going to happen, but my story was prepared and, if needed I had another card to play to limit any concern/anger they had at me using concepts that I'd learnt from the Sith Holocron were only meant for the most advanced of Jedi. "I'll see you all later," I said to Dragon Clan, though my eyes lingered on Serra until she gave a slight nod, and then I followed the Twi'lek through the corridors.
He didn't speak once, but I noticed that several Jedi – of various ages – gave me glances as we walked; usually where a display screen was set up to show the obstacle course.
'Figured this would happen. But I'm surprised so many seem amazed that I did what I did. Shouldn't such a trick be known to Jedi Knights and Masters? Then again, I don't think I ever saw in in the movies, cartoons or games.' I pondered the question as we entered the elevator under the northwest tower; thank you mini-map for that.
As the elevator slowed and the doors opened, the Twi'lek turned to face me.
"They await you within." He said formally, then leaned closer. "I'd really like to know how you did that." He whispered, making me smirk.
"It seems that most of the Temple want to know that. I thought it was a common ability." I knew it wasn't but playing mild-mannered and unknowing helped deflect attention that I was up to something wrong. "PM," I whispered, thinking that staying clam would hide any hint of me lying to this sub-council.
I entered the room to see six Jedi masters present. I recognized Yoda and two others from my meeting with the High Council when I arrived, and one more who had been on the High Council in the Prequels; a short alien with large, drooping ears and a missing eye. The last two, however, I had never seen before.
"Initiate Shan, I am Astaal Vilbum, Caretaker of First Knowledge and leader of the Council of First Knowledge." Said a large black-skinned alien that's skin was all wrinkled making it look like he – she? – had spent far too long in the bath. "We have some questions for you regarding the abilities you displayed within the Initiate obstacle course."
I chuckled softly. "I imagine you do sir." The drooping-eared alien frowned at my apparent lack of respect, but Yoda's lips twitched and another High Council member – a dark-skinned human woman, who had a strange headdress with white… things coming out of it, smiled at my reply.
Vilbum nodded, or I took the movement of his head for a nod. "There are two initial questions we have, though we may have more depending on your answers."
"Shoot. Um, I mean, go ahead."
"Where did you learn to Phase and Teleport using the force and why have you not shown these abilities to any master?"
I calmed myself internally, boosted by Player's Mind cancelling out emotions quickly, and began. "Truthfully, I think I saw a Sith Phase during the attack on my home on Talravin; though at the time I gave my report to the High Council, I wasn't sure, so I failed to mention it. Up until I managed to succeed in Phasing myself, I wasn't sure I'd actually seen it done." I glanced and Yoda and tilted my head in an apology for not mentioning that before. He replied with a tap of his stick and a very subtle smile.
"As for Teleporting; well, that was just me thinking that if the Force allowed me to alter my body to be able to pass through solid objected, then maybe it could allow me to move instantly from one place to the other. Though that was the first time I'd actually attempted it." I shrugged when I said that, hoping to seem sheepish about doing so.
The five seated Jedi turned and looked at each other and I suspected they were talking mentally to each other; though since I hadn't tried that myself I wasn't sure if that was possible with the Force.
"When did you first phase?" an older human female asked bluntly, catching me off-guard for a split second.
"About 3 months ago."
"And you never felt like informing a member of this Council, or any Master for that matter, about learning a power we have classified as dangerous for any being lower than a Jedi Master to learn?" Droopy-ears challenged, his eyes narrowing as he leant forward in his seat. "Why didn't you inform us of this development?"
"Well, you never asked," I replied, fighting to not smirk at my own reply.
A few of the Council members seemed to splutter at my answer, though I caught the female with the strange headdress covering her mouth, which I took to mean she also didn't want the Council to see her smile at my answer.
"Besides, I'm isolated from the other Initiates, never mind actual Jedi, so who would I have told?"
"Perhaps Master Giiett, hmm?" Yoda suggested, clearly aware that he was the only member of the Council to spend much time with me. Though I suspected that some of that was because the Council wished for me to have an informal minder.
"Well yes, but the last time I mentioned using the Force in an unexpected way I was told I couldn't use it during these Trials." I shrugged. "Something my grandfather said was that it was sometimes easier to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission."
The Council seemed to split between annoyance at my lack of apparent respect and amusement at my reasoning, but before anyone could speak I started again.
"Also, I still haven't been told anything about how I arrived in this time nor have I been allowed access to my ship." I had a suspicion of how I'd arrived, thanks to months of study on hyperspace and computers, but I wanted confirmation instead of the Jedi's apparent unconcern about my arrival.
"The High Council is still conducting a review of the flight logs of the ship you arrived in. " Remarked a red-skinned humanoid member of this Council. " And I was not aware that you had ownership of it."
I shrugged again. "OK, technically, I never bought it, but seeing as the former owner wanted to kidnap me and murdered my grandfather – the only living member of my family – and that I killed a Sith on board, I figure I earned it."
"Jedi do not have possessions," Vilbum stated calmly. "The ship is also a Sith vessel. As such, the Council and Jedi Sentinels are examining it thoroughly for possible links to locations strong in the Force."
'Meaning you knew the flight data was erased and have been unable to recover any clues to where the ship came from. Good. No point in risking Sidious gaining access to Ziost and the remains of the Sith Empire that attacked the Republic millennia ago.' Yes, I'd done a fair bit of reading about the time I'd come from if only to help me build plausible stories to confirm my background. It left me wishing I'd played SW:TOR, but the idea of on-line gaming never appealed.
"And once you have finished examining it, what then?"
"We have arranged for it to be sold to a museum. The ship is millennia out of date and could not be brought up to a standard we would deem safe for Jedi usage."
'You were planning to just take my ship and not tell me? Bastards!' "Then what if I am not taken as a Padawan, or choose not to stay with the Order?" Now that got a response from a few of the gathered Masters. It seems they were less than keen on me leaving. 'Why… Oh, fuck no! They cannot think I'm the one to bring balance to the Force? Fuck!'
That was something I had honestly not considered but it looked like others had. I guess my ease with learning the Force – because of my other powers – and my appearance from another time and link to one of the Jedi's most infamous members probably meant others had discussed whether I fit the prophecy.
"To become a Jedi you expect not, hmm?" Yoda asked with a faint smile.
I shrugged once more. "Well, there's always a chance I'm not taken, right? So why shouldn't I have plans for that possibility?"
"If only other Initiate and Padawans were able to see that truth," Vilbum said quietly with a shake of his head. "Very well, in the event that you are not taken as a Padawan by your 13th cycle, we will grant you credits equal to the amount the museum has paid for the freighter. Is that acceptable?"
I nodded slowly. I'd prefer to take the old ship if only to scrap it to ensure no-one could recover anything from the computers, but I guess I could always find out which museum bought the ship and ensure it suffered an 'accident'. No point leaving a loose end after all. And I'd only need that money if I couldn't find a good match for a Jedi Master, I thought. Though while having it regardless would be useful, I doubted I could change their minds on this.
"Then I congratulate you on setting a new record for the Initiate obstacle course but ask that any new abilities you discover are reported to a Master immediately and order you not to teach any controlled abilities to your fellow Initiates. You may go." Vilbum said, and I heard the doors opened behind me.
'Fat chance of that. You'll probably just say I can't use those powers either.' I thought as I turned only to stop and turn back to the Council.
"You have something to ask?" Vilbum asked as he saw that I had stopped.
"Yes. I was wondering if you could tell me how exactly I arrived on Coruscant nearly 4000 years after I left Talravin." I said slowly. Mentally I had just put it down to the PtB playing with time, but perhaps there was a technical reason as for why it had happened.
"Ah, yes. We had forgotten to inform you of that." Vilbum replied before shuffling a little in his seat. "I am unsure of your exact understanding of hyperspace mechanics and the mechanical component of a starship, but in simplest terms, the console in the cockpit that was damaged during your struggle with the Sith was a temporal compensator. Truthfully, the exact technical understanding is beyond me, but our technicians assure us that the damage to that is what caused you to travel thousands of years forward in time inside a few days."
I bowed a touch, more for show than to give thanks for the answer. "Thank you, Master Vilbum." With that, I turned and left the chamber and quickly crossed the I exited the Council chamber and crossed the small antechamber outside.
As I entered the elevator, I dropped Player's Mind and growled. The order to not teach others was unexpected, but I could see the reasoning behind it, though I imagined a normal 8-cycle old child would not.
I'd managed to avoid getting into trouble for using my powers and gotten something sorted out on the chance I didn't become a Padawan – or choose to leave of my own volition.
Now I just had to let Serra and the others down gently about not being able to teach them until they were Padawans. 'He should've been clearer in his instructions.' I thought as the anger gave way to a small smirk.
…
Now before anyone suggests that Cameron got off easy.
Did he?
The Council is now going to watch him closer, especially since he has hinted at leaving the Jedi Order and it seems some may think that he's the one to bring balance to the Force.
Any Initiate that reached their thirteenth birthday and was not taken as a Padawan was assigned to one of four corps that were under the control of the Council of Reassignment. While none of the corps sounded bad in their descriptions on the datapad, something about the fact that anyone dumped there was basically ignored by the rest of the Jedi was worrying. As was that after being raised and indoctrinated – and after six months of lectures on the Jedi and what they stood for, the signs were clear as day that Jedi were indoctrinated once taken from their families – those sent to the corps had to be at least a little resentful towards the Jedi; making them perfect targets for Sidious and his master – if he was alive – to corrupt and use as agents.
I shook my head to clear the worry and anger that the apparent abandonment of failed Initiates generated and turned my attention to what today was; the start of the Initiate Trials.
"List Quests."
QUESTS
These are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.
Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.
Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.
You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.
All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or over potentially carrying the risk of bodily harm, if not death.
Current quests are:
Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire
Forge your own Path
Cleanse the Temple
Trials of an Initiate
Changing Fate [Dooku]
…
For more details, on a quest, tap it or say 'List Quest' followed by the quest required.
…
I smirked at the changed glad I'd spent some time fiddling with the settings of the Player Powers to limit details on certain pages. It made all the lists much shorter and easier to browse; especially the Skills and Force Powers lists.These are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.
Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.
Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.
You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.
All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or over potentially carrying the risk of bodily harm, if not death.
Current quests are:
Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire
Forge your own Path
Cleanse the Temple
Trials of an Initiate
Changing Fate [Dooku]
…
For more details, on a quest, tap it or say 'List Quest' followed by the quest required.
…
"List Quest, Trials of an Initiate."
Trials of an Initiate
Take part in the Jedi Initiate Trials and put on a good performance.
[Start today]
Rating: C
Objectives:
Advance to the free-for-all lightsaber stage for your age group.
Win at least 3 of your push-feather duels.
Complete the obstacle course with a time in the upper half for your age group.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
1500XP
1000XP
1000XP
The chance to be taken as a Padawan.
Penalties:
Spend another year stuck as an Initiate
Possible expulsion from the Jedi Order.
…
I looked through the 3 main objectives and mentally went over my chances with each.Take part in the Jedi Initiate Trials and put on a good performance.
[Start today]
Rating: C
Objectives:
Advance to the free-for-all lightsaber stage for your age group.
Win at least 3 of your push-feather duels.
Complete the obstacle course with a time in the upper half for your age group.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
1500XP
1000XP
1000XP
The chance to be taken as a Padawan.
Penalties:
Spend another year stuck as an Initiate
Possible expulsion from the Jedi Order.
…
The lightsaber part was, from what I had learnt, the final part of the week, but also my weakest.
Even with the way I seemed to gain skills – I was now Adapt 55 for Shii-Cho and Novice 80 for Makashi, which in 6 months felt an insane improvement – I knew I was miles behind the Initiates. Even after 3 months of on-and-off sparing with Serra – and a few other members of her clan – I'd yet to win a single spar.
However, the fact I'd spared with them using only Shii-Cho while they'd used their preferred Forms meant I might have a leg up as none of them spent much time on Makashi – which was the Form designed for one-on-one lightsaber duels. I'd also spent time in the archives learning of the flaws of each Form in the hopes to find a weakness there and had watched the clan members for any physical ticks that were potentially exploitable.
Even with every advantage I had thought of, and the Force Powers I'd trained up that I felt were different from what was commonly expected for Initiates, I didn't hold out much hope of making the free-for-all.
The push-feather event was one I was looking forward too as Jedi Master Giiett had informed me that while my ability to alter the temperature with Cryo/Pyrokinesis was banned, I had discovered that a Force Blast wasn't; it was simply a more concentrated form of TK to the Jedi, but it was not a trick commonly taught. That some of my other self-usage powers were viable to use – as they only affected me and not my opponent – I felt I had a fair shot at completing that objective.
The obstacle course objective was the event I most expected to complete, not least as I had learnt two Force Powers that I felt were rather rare to use and should give me a huge advantage with the objective.
Force Teleport allowed me to make short-range jumps from one place to another, and while the cost was high – currently 1994FP at Novice 2 – and had a range limited to 2*my level, it was a handy skill to have.
Force Phase, however, was my big hope for the obstacle course. It granted me the ability to alter my physical density, I wasn't sure how and frankly wasn't going to even try to understand how beyond 'The Force', meaning I could walk through solid objects with ease. At current costs, I could hold it for about 5 minutes continuously, or use it 4 times before needing to meditate to restore my FP. Though that now only took about 20 minutes as Trance had evolved into Serenity, which had improved the boost, and maxed out. Combined with Meditation, I had 550% boost to my FP regeneration, which just seemed grossly unfair; for others.
"List Quest; Cleanse the Temple."
Cleanse the Temple
Something is off in the Jedi Temple
Rating: B
Objective:
Find the dark side taint and cleanse it.
Rewards:
3000XP
Penalties:
Possible death
…
I frowned as I re-read the details of that quest. I'd studied the history of the Temple in classes on the history of the Order and browsed the archives for details on the temple and concluded that the taint would be linked to the mountain on which the temple was built.Something is off in the Jedi Temple
Rating: B
Objective:
Find the dark side taint and cleanse it.
Rewards:
3000XP
Penalties:
Possible death
…
But after examining the mountain everywhere I could from levels 1 to 23, I had yet to find any hint of the taint. Levels 24 and above were not for Initiates, or even Padawans, without permission and common sense suggested that the chances of the part of the mountain where the various Councils of the Jedi were located was tainted were small enough to be ignored unless no other option was left but to check them.
That meant I was going to have to go under the Temple, which meant becoming a Padawan or leaving the Jedi, probably permanently.
Frankly, I was chafing at being stuck in Temple for the last 6 months and was seriously considering just leaving. The indoctrination was starting to get to me and it was taking a lot of self-control to not point out that cutting one's self off from emotions left you weak when confronted with an emotional situation beyond your grasp; and thus, easy prey for the whispers of the darker side of the Force.
And I was now certain that there was a darker element to the Force. I had felt the pull to lash out at various times over the last half-year; the faint wish to act on my anger to prove a point, to push back in fear. Yet, I had no problem with resisting the temptations. A decade of serving in the army and SAS before dying had let me see the dark side of Human nature and learn to control my urges.
It made me feel that fear and anger were not something to be avoided, but controlled, tempered, if not negated if possible. After all, a wise man had once said that fear meant one of two things; Forget Everything and Run, or Face Everything and Rise.
The Jedi, by closing themselves off to the better emotions – or at least being able to show them – left themselves unable to see that fear/hate/anger were things to overcome. And that could often only be done if you had something good to hold on to.
Or that was my take on things at any rate.
The big issue with leaving the Order before being fully trained was Senator Palpatine. Unsurprisingly, I hadn't run into any politicians in my time here so far, but I knew the man was on the planet and a senator having done a brief search of the Holonet for information on him, Dooku and a few others that I remembered from the movies. That meant that there was a good chance Palpatine knew about my arrival here and whom my great-grandparents were.
And that would put me clearly in the crosshairs of Sidious and his master; if he was still around. I honestly had no idea about that beyond him mentioning a Darth Plagueis to Anakin in RotS, so I was working on the theory that that was the name of his master, though whether he was alive currently or not I did not know; nor if Darth Maul was around as a Sith yet or not.
And if I left the temple abruptly as a child, I was all but certain that Sidious would have me monitored, if not kidnapped, and that was not something I wanted currently. Which was why becoming a Padawan was the safer – if more stifling – option. And since I wanted out of the Temple a-sap, it meant trying to find a master who wasn't tied at the hip to Coruscant.
I sighed as I stood and waved away the quest details and began a slow walk from my quarters – which were still in the guest quarters – to the Room of 1000 Fountains; where all Initiates over 8 had to gather for the start of the Trails.
As I entered the Room of 1000 Fountains and took in the sight of all the massive greenhouse/meditation centre/waterworks – something I didn't think I would ever find anything but breath-taking, calming and inspiring all at the same time – I looked around and saw maybe a hundred or so kids my age and a little older waiting around in one of the larger pavilions and moved over to join them. Most were standing in groups that, based on the faces I recognized, were their clans, with each clan having two adult Jedi standing with them.
I spotted Serra standing nearby with the other members of Dragons Clan and gave her and the others a wave. While most waved back, Sia-Lan glared at me. The older girl was still less than happy with my admittance into the Temple – even if I wasn't truthfully an Initiate – but she held her tongue when we met. The glares, however, did not stop; nor a few less than quiet comments on my lack of ability and only getting in here based on my family name.
At the sound of a sharp bang I turned with the Initiates and saw the Jedi High Council take to the stage; Yoda and Yaddle – a female of Yoda's species – floating on their chairs beside the other members. Yaddle hadn't been present when I'd met the Council when I'd first arrived so seeing a female of Yoda's species during one of my morning classes a month ago had surprised me; though I guess they would need to be for them to reproduce. At least, I assumed that most, if not all, life in this galaxy followed the same patterns as Humans for genders and reproduction.
"To the yearly Initiate Trials, welcome younglings. High hopes that you will all perform well and impress your fellow Jedi, I have." Yoda said calmly as he smiled out at the gathered children. "But remember, competition this is not. Merely a chance for you to show your comfort with the force, it is, and learnt over the years, what you have."
'Yeah right. This is how you choose the Padawans, so it is a competition. Plus, I've got my quest to complete and if I get all 3 objectives, I'll level up. Kinda curious as to what that will be like.' I thought to myself as Yoda floated back and Windu stepped forward.
"For those of you taking part in the trials for the first time, understand that your performance has no bearing on your standing in the Order. Just because someone is older and has spent longer at the Temple does not guarantee victory. Younger Initiates have emerged victorious at the various components of the Trials in years past." He paused for a moment and I watched as several of the older Jedi glanced at Dooku, who looked uninterested in the proceedings, and I was actually surprised he was here as what I'd found in the Archives suggested he'd become a bit of a recluse after a failed mission about 4 years ago which resulted in his Padawan being killed.
'Huh. So Dooku won one of the parts at a younger age? Didn't know that. Maybe if I do the same it will give me an in to get to know him and start the quest to prevent his fall.'
"This year the schedule for the Trials is as follows: Today will see all Initiates attempting to cross a randomly created obstacle course in the holographic training area. Each clan will be taken there by their lead Jedi trainers in due course. Due to the number of Initiates this year, the top 15 in the obstacle course will receive a pass in the first round of the push-feather tournament.
"Tomorrow will begin the push-feather tournament. These will be held throughout the day, with the last 32 being held the day after. For the lightsaber spars, Initiates between 8 and 10 cycles will compete on the fourth day of the Festival, including the final free-for-all between the top 8 Initiates. Regardless of the outcome, all 8 will be allowed to compete against the older Initiates on the final day of the Festival."
Windu stopped and gazed out over the room. I noted that the rest of the Council and the gathered Jedi were doing the same, some seemingly focusing in on a select clan. I spotted a young Human male with a strange yellow mark across face focusing on Dragon Clan and noted that Aayla seemed to sense his stare as she waved to him.
"Katarn Clan will be first up. Please head to the training area. All other Initiates are free to either watch their fellow Initiates on the screens around the Temple or head off to prepare for when their time comes. Dismissed."
I turned around and silently wondered just how I was to know when I was to attempt the course.
"Wondering about your turn?"
I turned at the familiar sound of Master Giiett's voice and nodded. "The Council has decided that you will attempt the course after Dragon clan given to your budding friendship with a few members of that clan." He smiled in what felt to me like an amused way. "It's good to see you starting to spend time with your fellow Initiates. I was beginning to think you didn't like people."
I chuckled at his comment. "No, just settling in. And Serra approached me first."
"Initiate Keto?" He rubbed his chin. "Hmm, now that is interesting. Did she mention anything about her past while you talked?"
"One doesn't rat out your friends," I replied with a small smirk, one Master Giiett returned.
"Indeed. Well, so long as neither of you dwells on the past, I see no harm in discussing it. I must leave now. The Council has asked me and my Padawan to investigate a disturbance in the Kessel sector. I hope that when I return, I find you have done adequately in the trials."
"I hope I do so as well. May the Force be with you, sir."
He chuckled as he gently shook his head. "One day young one, we will get you to refer to your seniors as Master. But not this day it seems." He turned and walked purposefully across the pavilion to where a young Human female was waiting. If I was on Earth, I'd have called her Asian, but here, I had no idea how to define that ethnic group.
With a shrug I walked over to one of the quieter fountains and sat patiently waiting for Dragon Clan to be summoned, figuring I could head along behind them instead of wandering aimlessly through the halls of the Temple; well doing so once more. I closed my eyes and ran through my plans for the push-feather events, as I was more than comfortable with my plans for the obstacle course.
"Master Rancisis says you'll be joining us for the obstacle course." I opened my eyes to see Serra had come over to speak with me again. She was smiling as she spoke, and I saw that two other members of Dragon Clan had come over. Jaeman Charlton and Darihd Bykys.
Jaeman Charlton was a Human male from Alderaan with sandy brown hair and eyes. He was the same age as Serra and I and generally had no opinion on my being accepted into the Jedi; preferring a wait, learn and see approach.
Darihd Bykys was a green-skinned Togruta who was friendly towards me when he wasn't stomping a mudhole into my arse during the few spars we'd had. He was proficient at Form 1 to a level I just couldn't cope with and I was praying not to run into him during the lightsaber spars.
Honestly, I was fearing the lightsaber trials a lot, but I put it out my mind as I spoke.
"Yeah. Master Giiett told me as much at the end of the Council's little speech." I scoffed quietly. "Not a competition my backside."
Darihd, who was about half-a-head taller and a good 10 Kg heavier, slapped me on the back. "This is why I like you, Cameron. You speak your mind. Everyone else just says 'yes master' or 'no master' all the time."
"You mean like you do?" Jaeman queried with a smirk and ducked the lazy backhand that Darihd aimed at him.
"Well yeah. But I have to at least keep up the pretence of following orders. I'm the minder of the Clan, remember?"
I chuckled at the interaction. If not for Serra talking to me I would've become a social pariah, which had kind of been my plan. The idea of dealing with a bunch of kids did not appeal but thanks to our first talk and spar, Serra had given me a door into her clan and I was enjoying the interactions; even if it was often juvenile at times.
"Yes sir, no sir. May I lick your boots, sir." I said, doing a fair impression of Darihd's voice.
"Careful Cameron. I've got no reason to go easy on you, unlike some." He warned, a finger-wagging in my face as the other two chuckled, though Serra's cheeks reddened a touch.
"And who's to say I haven't been letting you whoop my arse just to make you overconfident." I countered with a smile as I swatted the finger away.
Serra shook her head. "Nope. No way you've been holding back. Face it Cam, you've got next to no chance with the lightsaber. Heck, even Jyl can take you and she's nearly two cycles younger than you."
That wasn't true; she was only a cycle-and-a-half younger than me. But yeah, she had tanned me when we sparred. God, did I suck at sparring. Though these would not be spars, but full combat drills, so I had a few plans.
"Really? None of you think I stand a chance? How about a friendly bet then?" I asked with a smirk as they all shook their heads at my first question.
"Jedi don't gamble," Jaeman stated even though he had a small smile on his face.
"It's not a gamble. It's a bet." I replied.
"And what's the bet?" Serra asked as I expected. While Darihd did occasionally speak out privately about things in the Temple it was only Serra that had questioned things; and even then, only when we were alone.
That might have only been an hour or two each week, but it was enough to see she had a rebellious streak in her, and that my words when we'd first met had had an effect. The questions she asked me about my family were a solid attempt – for a child – to examine someone's thinking without exposing themselves; though I had always ended my questions about family and life outside the Order with a question challenging her, and those always got her thinking about her own family and what life outside was really like.
"Hmm. How about for every spar I win, you each have to clean my quarters once? If I don't win any, I'll clean yours for a week." I figured I had an outside shot at winning one duel, and even if I lost it gave me a greater in with Dragon Clan. Plus, you never know what you can find when searching, I mean cleaning, someone's bunk.
"Deal," Darihd replied instantly, Jaeman nodding at the same time in acceptance. Serra however, had narrowed her eyes and was looking at my face carefully.
"You've got something prepared, don't you? Something we've not seen yet."
I smiled back in what I hope was an enigmatic way. I'd not expected anyone to object to the terms, but I was pleasantly surprised that she'd guessed I had something planned. That rebellious streak I'd been seeing leant itself to non-conformist ways of thinking for a Jedi; something I'd seen in our last spar when she'd intentionally dropped one of her lightsabers – yes, the girl used two – until I was past it, then summoned it back to her hand; taking out my legs as it flew. I'd been pissed about it at the time, but since then I'd come to appreciate the fact she was willing to fight 'dirty'.
"Maybe." Was all I said in reply.
"Then, I'm going to wait until after the obstacle course before accepting." She said with a smile.
I gave her a mock salute as an adult Rodian approached.
"Come. Dragon Clan's time is approaching." He stated with a lisp when he used an 's', before turning and walking to where I saw the rest of their clan was waiting.
As we walked, I gently touched Serra on the arm and leaned towards her. "Good girl," I whispered before picking up the pace to meet the group, leaving the girl a few steps behind me.
The rest of the clan, bar Sia-Lan and another Human girl named Trudie, all gave me small smiles or nods of acknowledgement. Sia-Lan narrowed her eyes but said nothing since the Rodian Jedi was with us and Trudie stood to Sia-Lan's right, but a half-step behind; as always.
The journey to the training room was quick, thankfully the elevators in the Temple were fast and quiet, and while the Clan began to get excited for the event, I held back, going over my plans for the course once more.
Sure, there was a chance none of my ideas/power would work, but if that happened, then I'd just fall back on a decade-plus of military assault courses.
When the first of Dragon Clan, Aayla Secura, was called in, I turned to the monitor and decided to make note of how each worked through the course; thinking there might be things there I could use if I encountered them in later events.
Aayla was fast and agile; someone I could picture as a dancer in another life as she ducked, dodged and weaved through the course. What had caught me off-guard was that there were active guns firing at her as she went but given to the way no-one else responded to them, I guessed they were only set to sting.
That theory was proven when the next member of the clan, Trudie Fulton was clipped in the side by a blast. She stumbled, a grimace clear to see on her face, but managed to duck out of the way of any further blasts.
A Sullustan named Funt cleared his course quickly by jumping over several large walls with help for the Force, while Darihd and Jaeman both set times in the middle of the pack; though with only one clan having gone before Dragon Clan, I wasn't sure how good that really was.
Sia-Lan surprised me when she blasted away a wall with the Force to clear a path, and I made a mental note to be wary of facing her in the later events if she was that comfortable with Force-assisted TK.
Serra was the last member of her clan to go, and while she wasn't as graceful as Aayla, nor as blunt as Sia-Lan, she seemed to be a step or two above the others in her clan. Her time placed her at the top so far with a time just under 5 minutes.
"Cameron Shan." I turned to see the Rodian Jedi who'd escorted us up looking at me. "Come with me."
I followed him to the main doors of the training area.
"The rules are simple. Reach the exit door on the far side of the room before time runs out. The blasters will not hurt, but each hit carries a ten-second penalty to your overall time. Destruction of any part of the course carries a five-second penalty for each wall or obstacle destroyed." It was hard to read his face, having not had much time around Rodians so far, but if he was Human, I'd say he was less than impressed with Sia-Lan's blunt-force approach. I, however, so no problems with it, as even with the time penalties, she was still third overall and probably more concerned with the lightsaber duels.
"Understood," I replied as he waved his hand and the door opened.
"Your time begins with the chime."
I nodded again and waited until the starter's bell. When it sounded, I walked forward slowly and looked around the entry area, mindful of any blasters around the door that could get a free shot off at me.
Seeing none, I glanced at my mini-map and was happy to see that even though the room had a different layout to the last – and only – time I'd visited, the map still showed the location of the other on the far side.
I started jogging straight for it and phased as I was a step from the first wall. I'd only walked through a table in my room once, so the tingles that erupted through my body caught me off-guard for a moment and I stopped once I was through. Finding myself in another area, I looked around for blasters, but once again, found none.
Even though the wall had felt strange to pass through, I stayed phased as I started to jog across the room, ignoring the tingles as I passed through more walls, only to come to a stop at a chasm that was probably beyond my ability to Force Jump currently.
I shivered as a blaster bolt went through me, chilling me to the bone. 'That was unpleasant.' It was quickly followed by more shots, but as they went feebly through me, and did no damage to either my HP or FP, I ignored them as I examined the chasm.
Even with a run-up, I doubted I could clear the gap with a Force-Jump so that left one option.
With a smirk, I stepped forward, dropped my Phase and I felt myself pulled both inwards and outwards at the same time, my stomach seemed to dance the Tango and my skin felt like I'd stuck my fingers in a live power socket, but I stepped down on the far side of the chasm.
"Awesome," I said to the room with a smile as I looked back across the gap as the blasters turned to reacquire me. That was the first time I'd used Teleport outside of my quarters and it worked exactly as the description stated, even if the feeling was still uncomfortable. 'Hopefully, it gets better with time.'
I activated Force Phase again and jogged the short distance to the exit; not waiting for the door to open and making the waiting Jedi jump in shock. I noted that it was a female Togruta and as she stared at me, her face a few shades of red lighter than her arms, I noted that I recognized her from the movies; though I didn't have a name to go with the face yet.
"How'd I do?" I asked as I dropped the Phase, a smirk on my face.
The Togruta's eyes narrowed as she looked past me. "Beyond ageing me a few years, I do believe that is the quickest time I have ever seen. Possibly a new Temple record. Though when, where and how you learnt to use such advanced Force abilities is a question I, and many other Jedi, will no doubt ask you in the days ahead."
"I saw a Sith Phase when my home was attacked, and the Teleport was just an idea I came up with, ma'am," I replied, instantly using the excuses I had prepared for those questions.
"Ah, yes. Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner. Child of Revan." She smiled and if my body was a decade older, I'd have found it very enticing. "I am Master Shaak Ti, and I have been assigned to run the obstacle course component of the Initiate Trials."
"Hello," I replied, then looked around the small room I was in with Master Ti; and yes, I felt weird referring to a female as master, but when in Rome…
"So, um, what now?" I asked slowly.
"Ah, yes. You have completed the course, so please feel free to return to whatever you were doing previously. A final timesheet will be posted at 18:00, though I do not expect anyone to beat your time. Today, or within my lifetime." She added with a smile that seemed to be both proud and curious at the same time.
"Thank you, ma'am." I bowed fractionally, then exited the room into the corridor. "Well, that was easy. Guess I can go and prepare for tomorrow." I muttered to myself as the doors closed behind me.
"What was that?!" I turned to Serra and the rest of Dragon Clan waiting around. Most were looking at me in surprise or awe; though Sia-Lan's expression was fighting to not show any interest as she scowled deeply. Even her little follower, Trudie, was staring at me with wide eyes.
"What was what?" I replied, earning myself a slap on the arm and a notice that I'd taken 3HP of damage in my combat log.
"You walked through walls! That was kriffing brilliant!" Exclaimed Aayla, her eyes wide as she danced from one foot to the other.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
"Can you teach us?"
"What does it feel like?"
"What was that thing you did to clear the chasm?"
I raised my hands. "Stop," I said simply, getting the barrage of questions to end before they became a deluge. "As I just told Master Ti, I saw a Sith Phase when they attacked my home and the Teleport was just an idea I had that, thankfully worked."
"You mean you tried that for the first time in there?" Serra asked as she pointed at the doors I'd just come through. As I nodded, she slapped my arm hard; causing another 5HP of damage. "That was stupid! What would've happened if it hadn't worked and you'd fallen down the chasm?" Her lips pursed together as she finished talking and I reached forward, placing my hands on her arms.
"Then I'd have Phased through the floor and ended up in someone's quarters," I replied with a smile. I was surprised at how worried she was over me supposedly trying something dangerous for the first time during the obstacle course. I didn't think we were that close. "Though hopefully they would've been dressed. I'd hate to see what the Council look like naked."
A few of the others groaned. "Oh, gross." Muttered one of the boys, but my attention was on Serra and I was relieved to see her lips twitch at the bad joke.
"Initiate Shan, the Council of First Knowledge wishes to speak with you." A teenage Twi'lek male – if I was judging the ageing of the race correctly – stated, drawing my attention away from Serra and Dragon Clan.
I chuckled once. "Yeah, I bet they do," I replied. I knew this was going to happen, but my story was prepared and, if needed I had another card to play to limit any concern/anger they had at me using concepts that I'd learnt from the Sith Holocron were only meant for the most advanced of Jedi. "I'll see you all later," I said to Dragon Clan, though my eyes lingered on Serra until she gave a slight nod, and then I followed the Twi'lek through the corridors.
He didn't speak once, but I noticed that several Jedi – of various ages – gave me glances as we walked; usually where a display screen was set up to show the obstacle course.
'Figured this would happen. But I'm surprised so many seem amazed that I did what I did. Shouldn't such a trick be known to Jedi Knights and Masters? Then again, I don't think I ever saw in in the movies, cartoons or games.' I pondered the question as we entered the elevator under the northwest tower; thank you mini-map for that.
As the elevator slowed and the doors opened, the Twi'lek turned to face me.
"They await you within." He said formally, then leaned closer. "I'd really like to know how you did that." He whispered, making me smirk.
"It seems that most of the Temple want to know that. I thought it was a common ability." I knew it wasn't but playing mild-mannered and unknowing helped deflect attention that I was up to something wrong. "PM," I whispered, thinking that staying clam would hide any hint of me lying to this sub-council.
I entered the room to see six Jedi masters present. I recognized Yoda and two others from my meeting with the High Council when I arrived, and one more who had been on the High Council in the Prequels; a short alien with large, drooping ears and a missing eye. The last two, however, I had never seen before.
"Initiate Shan, I am Astaal Vilbum, Caretaker of First Knowledge and leader of the Council of First Knowledge." Said a large black-skinned alien that's skin was all wrinkled making it look like he – she? – had spent far too long in the bath. "We have some questions for you regarding the abilities you displayed within the Initiate obstacle course."
I chuckled softly. "I imagine you do sir." The drooping-eared alien frowned at my apparent lack of respect, but Yoda's lips twitched and another High Council member – a dark-skinned human woman, who had a strange headdress with white… things coming out of it, smiled at my reply.
Vilbum nodded, or I took the movement of his head for a nod. "There are two initial questions we have, though we may have more depending on your answers."
"Shoot. Um, I mean, go ahead."
"Where did you learn to Phase and Teleport using the force and why have you not shown these abilities to any master?"
I calmed myself internally, boosted by Player's Mind cancelling out emotions quickly, and began. "Truthfully, I think I saw a Sith Phase during the attack on my home on Talravin; though at the time I gave my report to the High Council, I wasn't sure, so I failed to mention it. Up until I managed to succeed in Phasing myself, I wasn't sure I'd actually seen it done." I glanced and Yoda and tilted my head in an apology for not mentioning that before. He replied with a tap of his stick and a very subtle smile.
"As for Teleporting; well, that was just me thinking that if the Force allowed me to alter my body to be able to pass through solid objected, then maybe it could allow me to move instantly from one place to the other. Though that was the first time I'd actually attempted it." I shrugged when I said that, hoping to seem sheepish about doing so.
The five seated Jedi turned and looked at each other and I suspected they were talking mentally to each other; though since I hadn't tried that myself I wasn't sure if that was possible with the Force.
"When did you first phase?" an older human female asked bluntly, catching me off-guard for a split second.
"About 3 months ago."
"And you never felt like informing a member of this Council, or any Master for that matter, about learning a power we have classified as dangerous for any being lower than a Jedi Master to learn?" Droopy-ears challenged, his eyes narrowing as he leant forward in his seat. "Why didn't you inform us of this development?"
"Well, you never asked," I replied, fighting to not smirk at my own reply.
A few of the Council members seemed to splutter at my answer, though I caught the female with the strange headdress covering her mouth, which I took to mean she also didn't want the Council to see her smile at my answer.
"Besides, I'm isolated from the other Initiates, never mind actual Jedi, so who would I have told?"
"Perhaps Master Giiett, hmm?" Yoda suggested, clearly aware that he was the only member of the Council to spend much time with me. Though I suspected that some of that was because the Council wished for me to have an informal minder.
"Well yes, but the last time I mentioned using the Force in an unexpected way I was told I couldn't use it during these Trials." I shrugged. "Something my grandfather said was that it was sometimes easier to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission."
The Council seemed to split between annoyance at my lack of apparent respect and amusement at my reasoning, but before anyone could speak I started again.
"Also, I still haven't been told anything about how I arrived in this time nor have I been allowed access to my ship." I had a suspicion of how I'd arrived, thanks to months of study on hyperspace and computers, but I wanted confirmation instead of the Jedi's apparent unconcern about my arrival.
"The High Council is still conducting a review of the flight logs of the ship you arrived in. " Remarked a red-skinned humanoid member of this Council. " And I was not aware that you had ownership of it."
I shrugged again. "OK, technically, I never bought it, but seeing as the former owner wanted to kidnap me and murdered my grandfather – the only living member of my family – and that I killed a Sith on board, I figure I earned it."
"Jedi do not have possessions," Vilbum stated calmly. "The ship is also a Sith vessel. As such, the Council and Jedi Sentinels are examining it thoroughly for possible links to locations strong in the Force."
'Meaning you knew the flight data was erased and have been unable to recover any clues to where the ship came from. Good. No point in risking Sidious gaining access to Ziost and the remains of the Sith Empire that attacked the Republic millennia ago.' Yes, I'd done a fair bit of reading about the time I'd come from if only to help me build plausible stories to confirm my background. It left me wishing I'd played SW:TOR, but the idea of on-line gaming never appealed.
"And once you have finished examining it, what then?"
"We have arranged for it to be sold to a museum. The ship is millennia out of date and could not be brought up to a standard we would deem safe for Jedi usage."
'You were planning to just take my ship and not tell me? Bastards!' "Then what if I am not taken as a Padawan, or choose not to stay with the Order?" Now that got a response from a few of the gathered Masters. It seems they were less than keen on me leaving. 'Why… Oh, fuck no! They cannot think I'm the one to bring balance to the Force? Fuck!'
That was something I had honestly not considered but it looked like others had. I guess my ease with learning the Force – because of my other powers – and my appearance from another time and link to one of the Jedi's most infamous members probably meant others had discussed whether I fit the prophecy.
"To become a Jedi you expect not, hmm?" Yoda asked with a faint smile.
I shrugged once more. "Well, there's always a chance I'm not taken, right? So why shouldn't I have plans for that possibility?"
"If only other Initiate and Padawans were able to see that truth," Vilbum said quietly with a shake of his head. "Very well, in the event that you are not taken as a Padawan by your 13th cycle, we will grant you credits equal to the amount the museum has paid for the freighter. Is that acceptable?"
I nodded slowly. I'd prefer to take the old ship if only to scrap it to ensure no-one could recover anything from the computers, but I guess I could always find out which museum bought the ship and ensure it suffered an 'accident'. No point leaving a loose end after all. And I'd only need that money if I couldn't find a good match for a Jedi Master, I thought. Though while having it regardless would be useful, I doubted I could change their minds on this.
"Then I congratulate you on setting a new record for the Initiate obstacle course but ask that any new abilities you discover are reported to a Master immediately and order you not to teach any controlled abilities to your fellow Initiates. You may go." Vilbum said, and I heard the doors opened behind me.
'Fat chance of that. You'll probably just say I can't use those powers either.' I thought as I turned only to stop and turn back to the Council.
"You have something to ask?" Vilbum asked as he saw that I had stopped.
"Yes. I was wondering if you could tell me how exactly I arrived on Coruscant nearly 4000 years after I left Talravin." I said slowly. Mentally I had just put it down to the PtB playing with time, but perhaps there was a technical reason as for why it had happened.
"Ah, yes. We had forgotten to inform you of that." Vilbum replied before shuffling a little in his seat. "I am unsure of your exact understanding of hyperspace mechanics and the mechanical component of a starship, but in simplest terms, the console in the cockpit that was damaged during your struggle with the Sith was a temporal compensator. Truthfully, the exact technical understanding is beyond me, but our technicians assure us that the damage to that is what caused you to travel thousands of years forward in time inside a few days."
I bowed a touch, more for show than to give thanks for the answer. "Thank you, Master Vilbum." With that, I turned and left the chamber and quickly crossed the I exited the Council chamber and crossed the small antechamber outside.
As I entered the elevator, I dropped Player's Mind and growled. The order to not teach others was unexpected, but I could see the reasoning behind it, though I imagined a normal 8-cycle old child would not.
I'd managed to avoid getting into trouble for using my powers and gotten something sorted out on the chance I didn't become a Padawan – or choose to leave of my own volition.
Now I just had to let Serra and the others down gently about not being able to teach them until they were Padawans. 'He should've been clearer in his instructions.' I thought as the anger gave way to a small smirk.
…
Now before anyone suggests that Cameron got off easy.
Did he?
The Council is now going to watch him closer, especially since he has hinted at leaving the Jedi Order and it seems some may think that he's the one to bring balance to the Force.
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Initiate Training 4
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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…
"It's not fair! Why can you learn it but not us?" Jaeman complained for about the 100th time since I'd told Dragon Clan about the orders of the Council of First Knowledge, and it been less than a day.
"The Council stated it was dangerous," Darihd stated clearly, and loudly enough for others not at their table to hear. "We must respect the Council's decision." He glanced at me and winked since he'd come to see me late last night to check the exact wording of the Council's order. Serra had asked me quietly about it just before breakfast, where we were sitting now; me having joined Dragon Clan unofficially. Even Sia-Lan was being nice, though that may be more because I had not only set the fastest time at the obstacle course yesterday; I'd also set a new Temple record at 1 minute 5 seconds, and I thought about 30 seconds of that was me being cautious at the beginning and taking time to examine the chasm before I teleported.
"Still, saying we can't even attempt to learn it ourselves until we are a Jedi Knight? That's not fair!" Jaeman countered, referring to the mandate the High Council had established this morning. I'd woken to find a notice on my Jedi datapad stating that self-research into phasing and teleporting using the Force was banned to all under the rank of Jedi Knight as the powers were dangerous if improperly used.
I guessed that my other powers helped negate the inherent risks, so I understood the Council's mandate; yet the loophole about me teaching it to anyone who was a Padawan or above still existed; which was why Darihd and Serra were not as bothered by the mandate as the others. And maybe why Sia-Lan was being neutral to me.
"Let it go Jae," the girl in question said quietly but firmly. "Just take pleasure in the fact we destroyed the other Clans."
"That's only because of Cam," Serra mentioned, giving me a small smile when she spoke my name. "Is that why you like him now?"
"I don't like him, unlike some!" Sai-Lan sent back, making Serra's head drop back to her bowl, before she turned to look at me. "I just admit that I may have been, overzealous, in my initial opinion of Shan."
'Someone else figured out that I can teach Padawans and is playing nice to maybe get that chance.' "Well thank you for the apology," I said with a smirk before turning back to Darihd. "What's this about beating the other clans?"
"You didn't know about that?" I shook my head and the Togruta boy tapped a few buttons on his datapad before sliding it over to me.
I looked at it and saw the final timing for the obstacle course. My time was at the top, nearly four minutes ahead of someone called Dlurs Virtiell from Katarn Clan, though I couldn't put a face to the name even after months of on-and-off classes with Katarn Clan. Indeed, outside of Dragon Clan, I couldn't place any of the names on the list to the four clans I'd spent time with over the last month.
What caught my eye, however, was that beside my name, it stated Dragon as my clan.
I looked down the top 20 and was impressed to see Aayla, Serra, Sia-Lan and Funt were all listed. Further examination showed that the top 20 was composed of only half-dozen clans, all but one of which I had spent time training with at various times over the last half-year. Darihd swiped his finger across a part of the screen and the table was replaced by one that showed the average time for each clan, with Dragon a full 30 seconds clear of anyone else.
"Why am I placed with Dragon?" I asked as I handed the pad back to Darihd.
He shrugged, making his head-tails bounce upon his shoulders. "No idea, but I'm not complaining. Last year we were fifth out of ten clans, and the older members were taken as Padawans since then. Honestly, I was expecting us to struggle a bit his year, but Serra and Aayla did great. Your time just pushed us over the top."
"He shouldn't be allowed to compete. He's not an Initiate." I turned to see a boy, at least a few years older than me, approach with others. His eyes burrowed into mine as he spoke. "He's used his supposed status to worm his way into the Temple."
"The High Council confirmed his story, Jon. He's one of us." I had to fight off the shock at hearing Sia-Lan defend me, but it seemed she was really trying to play nice now; whether that was because she hoped to learn to phase/teleport once we were Padawans, or she just liked that Dragon was top of the time standings, I couldn't say. Nor was I complaining as she continued. "If you and your clanmates had done a better job of accepting him, maybe he'd be with Katarn instead of Dragon."
Jon glared at Sia-Lan, though the girl just ignored him as she returned to her meal, then shifted to me. "You will not be so lucky today." He stated slowly. "Katarn has won the push-feather the last three years running, and I do not expect you to be able to stop us."
"Good for you," I said calmly, turning away slowly. Frankly, the childish drama of competing clans was beneath my care. I simply wanted to do well enough to succeed at the related quest and find a way to get out of the Temple.
I heard him growl a touch at me ignoring him, but him being angry just meant I'd have more of a chance of beating him if we faced off.
"Is there a problem?" I looked up and saw an older man standing on the other side of the table from me, looking at where Jon was standing the last time I bothered to look at him.
"No Master. I was just informing Initiate Shan that things will not be so easy in the following trials." Jon replied with a tone-neutral voice, and I bit my tongue to not retort.
"Ah, so this is the child of Revan, how interesting." The man's eyes were of a darker shade of green than my own, while his hair was black with large streaks of grey making me think he was at least in his 40s, though I had no idea if the Force slowed ageing, so it was but a guess. His expression was calm, yet I felt as though he was examining me carefully as we held each other's gaze. "I know only one other Jedi with the ability to both phase through objects and teleport, though her teleport has a purple tint, while from what I saw of your obstacle course run, it can be noted that yours has a grey, almost silver tint."
All of that was news to me. I'd yet to hear of anyone who could Phase or Teleport, and now I discovered there was one woman who could also do both, and that my teleport had a different colour than hers, and I hadn't even known it had a colour to it.
"If you say so, sir," I replied, which drew a wry smile from the Jedi.
"Ah, I have forgotten my manners. I am Master Tholme and the young man speaking to your clanmate is my current Padawan, Quinlan Vos." I turned and saw that Aayla was talking animatedly with the same man with the yellow facial marking from yesterday. Clearly the 2 knew each other from somewhere.
"Cameron Shan sir," I replied, extending my hand and shaking his. The small smile on Tholme's face grew at my reply.
"I see Master Drallig was being truthful about your addressing of your superiors." He raised his hand as I opened my mouth to explain. "He already told me your logic and I understand, even if others within the Order may not."
"Master Tholme, how much longer until Quinlan can attempt his Trials?" Aayla blurted out as she stepped closer.
"I imagine no more than 3 or 4 years Aayla," Tholme said as he turned to her, releasing my hand as he did so, with a small smile on his face. "Do not worry yourself. Once he completes his Knight Trials, he will take you as a Padawan. Everyone in the Order knows this to be true. Even if some are uncomfortable with the bond you 2 already share."
Aayla nodded, though I noted her smile slipped a fraction at the time needed until Vos' Knight Trials. "Yes, Master."
"Quinlan Vos," the Padawan in question said as he shook my hand. "I would love to learn how you did what you did yesterday."
I couldn't help but chuckle at the bluntness of the statement. After dealing with more subtle comments from Padawans, Knights and a few Masters yesterday until I'd retreated to my room to train privately for today, it was nice to get someone being forthright in their reason for saying hello.
"You and most of the Order." He smirked at that. "Perhaps once the week is over we can talk. Aayla trusts you, and while she's not a friend yet, she's certainly been nicer to me than others, so I'll trust her judgement on you." 'Plus, the only time you appeared in the Clone Wars you were fun.' I explained to him when his brow rose at me saying we could talk. Sia-Lan rolled her eyes at my comment about Aayla being 'nicer to me than others' but said nothing.
"I would like that. How do you expect to do today?"
I shrugged. "Survive. I've been at this for 6 months; everyone else for years. Honestly, I only expect to maybe win 1 duel today." OK, I was aiming for at least 3, but no need to seem arrogant or over-confident.
"Hmm, then may I offer some advice?" Tholme said as he rubbed his chin and I nodded. "While this trial is all about your ability to use the Force to move objects, in this case, your opponent, simply pushing and pulling is not all that you can do with this ability."
"Thank you, sir." I nodded slowly as I thanked him. I'd already considered that based off the description of the Force Power – each power/ability had a description on what it could do – it was nice to have a subtle confirmation on that fact. While using the Force to choke someone was out, no matter how much fun it might be to do so, there were other body parts I could grip with the Force.
Once I'd retreated to my room yesterday afternoon, I'd spent close to 12 hours almost non-stop training my TK. That had gotten me a further 3 levels in the power, but I doubted the improvement would matter much. I'd then spent the last few hours this morning before breakfast going over combat scenarios, and what Tholme had just said meant many I had considered iffy to be allowed to do were possible, and his comment gave me an out if I got into trouble for doing something unexpected.
"I see you already understand my words." He said as our hands parted, a smile dancing on his face. "Just be careful not to go too far. These Trials are nothing but friendly competition."
I lowered my head, making myself bow a touch even though I was still sitting. "I understand." Indeed, unlike every other Initiate, I had fought and survived real battles – though ones without the Force or energy weapons – and understood that when in battle, the most important rule was survival, while in training it did not matter if you lost, only that you learnt from it.
"Come Quinlan. We have time before the Push-Feather Tournament begins and I wish to discuss your opinion of the events of our last mission."
"Yes, Master," Quinlan said, though before he left, he took a final look at Aayla and smiled at her.
.........
A couple of hours later I was stepping into the sparring circle for my first match of the push-feather tournament. Like Aayla, Serra, Sia-Lan, Funt and the other top 20 of the obstacle course, I'd received a bye in the first round for this tournament.
While I was happy about that in some regards, it just made me winning 3 duels that little bit harder to accomplish. Still, I had my ideas and Master Tholme's words had given me a few more to consider.
"Initiates are you prepared?" Master Bondara from the side of the circle and I brought my focus back to the Rodian across from me. Judging from his height – which may be a mistake, but I had no other guide to work with – he was around my age. Well, my body's age as technically I was nearly 4000 cycles old.
We both nodded, and I noticed his hand twitch a fraction.
"Begin when the gong sounds," Bondara stated and I went over the rules quickly in my head.
You can win one of three ways; taking an opponent off all his feet, knocking them from the circle or rendering them unconscious. The last one I'd only learnt when I'd seen Jon from Katarn Clan smack Jaeman with a blast to the back of the head that knocked out the younger boy before he hit the floor.
The rest of Dragon clan were furious as Jon hadn't needed to be so aggressive and I'd seen Master Drallig speaking to him after the spar while healers tended to Jaeman.
My thoughts were brought back to the present as the gong sounded and I flicked three fingers on my left hand, sending three small TK blasts at my opponent's shoulder. While this was three attacks, it was judged as one by my Player Powers/Interface as after I reached Adept 1 I could lift multiple objects or initiate several smaller TK pushes simultaneously; the number of which was determined by my current level.
My opponent lifted his whole hand quickly and blocked all three attacks, and I noted his antennae twitch as I side-stepped his retaliation attack.
I sent another set of small pushes at him, this time aimed at his arm and chest while I clenched my right fist; using the Force to grip his shoe.
He blocked four of my smaller attacks but the fifth clipped his arm, making it fail backwards. He snarled, and I grimaced at the smell I detected coming from him. He threw out his hand at me and I instinctively rolled to the side, keeping my fist clenched.
As I finished the roll, I saw him prepping for another attack and pulled my fist backwards, taking his foot out from under him. As he hopped in confusion I pushed the fist out and threw a full-strength TK push at him.
I watched in shock as he was lifted clean off the floor and sent flying backwards; out of the circle. The energy net that surrounded the circle flared to life; catching him easily and preventing the Rodian from smashing into the wall.
"Winner, Shan," Bondara said as I took a breath and got control of my shock.
Standing, I walked over to the Rodian and extended my hand. "Sorry, about that. I didn't think the push was that powerful."
The Rodian's eyes focused on me as his antennae leaned forward. I left my hand out until he sighed and took it; allowing me to help him stand.
"It is fine." He said slowly as he allowed me to pull him to his feet. "I was unprepared for the push when my leg failed me. I knew you had a hold of it, but I had not expected the yank you gave it as you finished your roll. That was my mistake."
I smiled even as I wished there was a way to block off the smell coming from him. It wasn't that bad, but it was still off-putting. "If I didn't have that hold you'd have gotten me with your next attack," I replied.
It was true. Once the match was finished, I noticed that my roll had taken me to the edge of the circle, meaning another roll or a small push would've taken me out of bounds.
The Rodian gave me a slight nod off acceptance and I left the circle, only to be accosted by my new clanmates.
"You won!" Serra said with a smile as they gathered around me.
"Don't sound so surprised." I retorted with a smile of my own.
"She's not. She's just happy you won as now she doesn't have to clean our dorm for the next few weeks." Sia-Lan grunted out and I chuckled at learning they had taken bets on my match.
"Isn't gambling for money against the Jedi Code?" I asked, though from what I understood for 6 months of boring-ass lectures on the Code and the role of the Jedi, I knew it wasn't. More a grey area as the Force could really help if used correctly for certain forms of gambling.
Serra looked down even as Darihd chuckled. "Technically, yes. But we keep our bets to cleaning duties. It's a way to make our spars more interesting. Thanks for the ideas by the way."
I shrugged. It was no big deal to me about the bets, though I really didn't want to have to clean the boy's dorm.
"Who's up next?" I asked, changing the subject before anyone asked any specifics about how I'd won. Sure, they could all probably do better than me, but I need 2 more wins to complete this stage of the Trials quest, so I wasn't willing to reveal anything until it was over. 'Huh, have I become that person now? Only interested in finishing a quest?' I wondered as the clan turned to Darihd.
"Me. I'm against a member of Heliost Clan. He's good, finished second last year, easily beating me in the process and he's pushing the limit for getting selected as a Padawan." His head-tails – I really needed to learn the correct name for them, but I'd been far too busy to research it and I felt asking might come across as ignorant – rippled as he spoke, and I turned to see an older Human boy, just shy of being a teenager at a guess, enter the circle.
I leaned closer and whispered to him. "Go for his groin. It's dirty but it's not dark and winning equals survival."
When I leaned back I saw his eyes widen until he smiled, exposing a row of sharp-looking teeth. "Sweet." He muttered as he stepped into the circle and I moved outside the range of the safety nets.
"What did you say to him?" Sia-Lan asked, and I noticed she was glancing between myself and Darihd.
"Just gave him a pointer my grandfather told me years ago after I go into a fight at school," I replied as I watched a Jedi Master with dark brown, almost leathery-looking skin stepped to the edge of the circle to begin the spar.
My mind, however, was already on my next fight.
.........
As I stepped into the sparring circle for the third time that day, I found myself facing a boy who had stood behind Jon of Katarn Clan that morning when he'd mouthed off. From what Sia-Lan had told me just before I entered the circle, the boy question was a few years older than me and was regarded as one of the favourites for this event, having lifted one of the Muntuur Stones, which from the way she spoke was impressive. Though I had no idea as to what she was talking about.
As I looked over at him, he smirked back, and I realised he expected to curb-stomp me.
'Fine then. Gloves off.' I thought as I readied my attack. Whatever these Stones were, lifting them must be hard, so he could probably bring a lot of force – no pun intended – to bear. Meaning I'd have to fight a little dirty and push the rules if I wanted to win.
"Initiates are you prepared?" Master Drallig asked, earning nods from myself and my opponent. "Then be ready."
It was a minor difference from what Master Bondara had said in my previous 2 bouts, but the meaning was the same.
As the gong sounded, I raised my hand and pushed as hard as I could with TK. The other boy stepped back a fraction, his brow rising in shock at my attack, but I didn't let up. As he continued to block my full-force TK push, my other hand sent a Force Blast – technically not illegal in push-feather, but not something that the various Councils would approve of – at the floor where he was standing.
To both of our amazement, the floor visibly cracked at the strike, but I hadn't let up my TK push, whereas he slipped for a moment, losing his Focus and allowing me to send him flying from the circle with enough speed that I was seriously concerned I'd killed him as the energy net kicked in a slowed his momentum.
"Winner, Shan," Drallig said and I instantly rushed over to my opponent.
"Is he ok?" I asked the Jedi who were tending to him as others approached.
"He will be fine in time." The female Jedi who was running something over him said calmly. "The net did its job and limited his velocity safely and the Force will accelerate the healing of his bones."
I gulped at how easy it had been to break someone with a full-powered TK push and said a silent prayer to the inventors of the energy net. Without it I would be up on charges of murder and this whole new life would be over before it had begun.
"What the frag was that?" I turned to face the voice and saw Jon from that morning approaching, his eyes narrowed dangerously and focused on me even as his hands clenched into fists. "You tried to kill him."
"I tried to win," I replied quietly, wishing I could put on Player's Mind but knowing that saying that now would be a problem. "I was told he could lift some stones and it sounded impressive so I…"
"So you tried to kill him!" Jon stepped closer still and cocked his arm backwards.
"Enough!" The healer ordered, turning her gaze to Jon. "Control your emotions now." The words were said without aggression, but the tone was clear in the threat that if he didn't, Jon would be in just as much trouble as I was.
Jon said nothing, but he continued to glare at me as more people came over.
"How is Initiate Kirkhey?" Asked a voice that made me cringe. I turned and saw the same older Jedi master who'd met me with Yoda and Giiett when I'd first arrived on Coruscant and who seemed to despise me being allowed to even stay in the Temple. How he felt about my participation in these Trials I could only guess, but I seriously doubted he approved.
"He will recover Master Belfarr, however, he will not be taking any further part in the Trials." The healer replied and I was both glad he would live and fearful of the next words from the Council Master's mouth.
"Then Initiate Shan is also disbarred from further activities this week." Belfarr almost growled out and I didn't look up at him even as I felt my anger growing at his decision.
"That is not your decision to make Master Belfarr," I heard Master Windu say calmly and turned to see him approaching with High Council members Plo Koon and Yaddle. "The Council of First Knowledge control the training of Initiates and Younglings, not the High Council and thus the final decision to allow the Initiate to continue is theirs to make." He paused and turned his attention to me. "Initiate Shan, for now, you are removed from the push-feather tournament. Your next match, if the Council of First Knowledge grants you permission to continue, will take place after first meal tomorrow."
"Yes, sir," I reply, not really caring if I am still in the tournament or not. "Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked the healer.
She gave me a soft smile and placed a hand on my shoulder. "While I thank you for the offer, I believe I, and the other healers, can handle this."
I nodded in acceptance and stood. Ignoring the sneer Jon was sending my way – and the look of disgust I caught on Belfarr's face – I walked away, heading for my own room.
"Hey Cameron, wait up!" I slowed at the familiar sound of Darihd's voice, but I didn't stop walking. "Seriously wait. We need to talk."
He placed a hand on my shoulder and I spun to face him, Jaeman and another boy from the Clan whose name slipped my mind for the moment.
"Fuck off!" I pushed his hand away. "Don't follow me," I stated as I marched away.
I need time. Time to think, to clear my head at almost killing a child.
Yeah, I might be trapped in the boy of one, but my mind was that of a 10-year military veteran who'd seen far too many dead children. Dealing with the idea that I almost killed one myself was too much and after storming through the temple I entered my assign dorm and smashed my hand hard into the wall.
"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." I said, marking each word with another punch of the wall, then followed it up with another 3 or 4 punches.
Suddenly I felt weak and stumbled back to my bed even as my emotions came under control.
WARNING!
HP under 25%
Player's Mind auto-engaged.
...
HP under 25%
Player's Mind auto-engaged.
...
I frowned at the message. "List stats," I whispered and noted that my HP was now down to 22; which was less than 25% of the 120 total I had. "Seriously? 7 punches do that much damage? Damm." Though I noted that my Physical Damage Resistance had gone up a level. "Wait, you mean that punching a wall can help me level up my PDR? And I can use the Force to heal myself afterwards. That is… exploitable. And I could do that with Energy DR with a lightsaber or blaster at low settings." I shook my head as I realised that I had a way of making myself partly immune to any damage by intentionally hurting myself. While it seemed wrong, I could definitely see myself doing so.
'Maybe I can get my DRs high enough that I could even hold a lightsaber or take a blaster shot to the face and not die.'Quest Alert!
You Can't Hurt Me. [User Defined]
Time to be (almost) unhurtable.
Rating: B
Objective:
Raise each of your Damage Resistances to Professional 1 by the time you are 17.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
350XP [x6]
Penalties:
Your Damage Resistances become frozen for ten years at their end of the quest level if less than 3 meet the objective.
Accept?:
Yes/No
...
NOTE:
The penalty for failure is increased as the timeframe to the quest complete is long.
Shorter timeframes quest carry lower risks for the same reward.
...
I pondered the quest mentally for about a minute before accepting.You Can't Hurt Me. [User Defined]
Time to be (almost) unhurtable.
Rating: B
Objective:
Raise each of your Damage Resistances to Professional 1 by the time you are 17.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
350XP [x6]
Penalties:
Your Damage Resistances become frozen for ten years at their end of the quest level if less than 3 meet the objective.
Accept?:
Yes/No
...
NOTE:
The penalty for failure is increased as the timeframe to the quest complete is long.
Shorter timeframes quest carry lower risks for the same reward.
...
Raising my Physical and Energy DRs would be easy enough but those were currently the only 2 DR skills I had. I had considered what the others might be and came up with chemical, biological and electrical as possible DRs. It should be easy to test the theories later and discover what the other one was.
As I used Force Heal to restore my HP, I pondered what else might be exploitable in such a way and my mind turned back to the main Trails quest. I had met 2 of the 3 main objectives, leaving just the lightsaber duels, and there I felt lacking. However, I had almost 2 days to train for them, more if I was out of the push-feather tournament, during which I could focus solely on lightsaber skills.
Though there were only 2 Forms available to me, I already knew that Form II was the way to go. It was designed to counter a lightsaber-wielding opponent and I knew that Form I relied on speed, something I seemed to be seriously lacking, so perhaps there was a way to get my Form II up quickly as a quest?
Quest Alert!
Trainee Duellist [User Defined]
Time to put your money, or XP, where your mouth is.
Rating: C
Objective:
Get Form II to level Adept 1 by your first lightsaber duel.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Reward:
1000XP
Penalty:
-250XP
Accept?
Yes/No
...
I smirked as the quest appeared as I realised that I could exploit this massively to climb levels by dedicating myself to a task or 2 at a time, and I accepted the quest.Trainee Duellist [User Defined]
Time to put your money, or XP, where your mouth is.
Rating: C
Objective:
Get Form II to level Adept 1 by your first lightsaber duel.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Reward:
1000XP
Penalty:
-250XP
Accept?
Yes/No
...
I figured that thanks to Serenity and only needing to sleep once or twice a month at most, which I had done the night before the Trials began, I could spend all of tonight and tomorrow night training nothing but Form II. That should hopefully get me through the main objective and to 1 of the bonuses, which I postulated could only be to reach even higher levels in Form II.
I was considering other quests to create for once the Trials were over when the doorbell chimed.
"Player Mind off," I whispered before raising my voice. "Enter."
The door opened to reveal Darihd and Dragon Clan; even the younger members who weren't taking part in the Trials.
"At least you're being more civil now," Darihd said with a smirk as he led his Clan into my room; making it very crowded.
"How come he gets his own room?" A girl who I had seen around but never spoken to, her name escaped me for a moment, asked as her grey eyes taking in my room.
"Because he's not a proper Initiate." Replied Sia-Lan with a sigh. "And an arrogant laserbrain." A few other clan members stared at the girl, but she kept her eyes locked on me. "You think you're the first to seriously injure someone during these Trials? Well, you're not. So get over yourself."
I chuckled at her bluntness. "Well thank you for that pep-talk Sia, it's already working."
"Dumb Kriff." She muttered as she turned away.
"While Sia-Lan lacks subtlety," Darihd began, proving he had already mastered the Jedi ability for understatement, "she does have a point. There are usually 1 or 2 nasty injuries every year the Initiate Trials take place. There's even more in the Padawan tournaments, but those aren't as severe." He shrugged at that comment. "I guess its because they've got more training than we currently do."
I nodded a touch and stood from my bed. "While I am happy you all came to see me, I'm fine now." I paused and glanced to the small window as I considered how to explain away my calmness after less than 30 minutes. "Honestly, I don't think it was that I hurt him, more that I had flashbacks to killing the Sith apprentice to escape my former home." That should cut off a lot of questions.
"What was it like? Fighting the Sith I mean?" the young girl – Jyl, that was her name – probed. "Was it scary? How did you defeat him?"
I chuckled at the girl, even as Sia-Lan and Serra both gave her glares to be quiet. Though the way they, and the rest of the clan, tried to look at me without looking told me they all wanted to know. I had been avoiding that for a while now.
"Scary. Very, very scary. My grandfather was already dead, as was a Jedi Master and his Padawan. I'd already killed 3 of the people with the Sith, but the apprentice chased me into the ship.
"I, uh, distracted her while she choked me and got her to turn away long enough for me to pull the Jedi Master's lightsaber from my pocket and stab her with it twice when she turned back to face me." I sighed and looked up at the roof. "I was very, very lucky."
"Understatement," Sia-Lan muttered.
"Changing topic," I said, making clear I didn't want to talk further about that. "What are these Stones of Mantar?"
"Muntuur. Muntuur stones." Serra corrected with a small smirk. "I swear, you did that on purpose."
I smiled back at her, but neither confirmed nor denied her accusation.
She shook her head. "Come on. The room is good for meditating and I think you could do with that."
The other elder members of the Clan agreed and I walked with them to the room in question, whistling at seeing the 7 large stones that said in a semi-circle around the far wall of the room.
"Most Jedi can only lift 2 or 3 of these things, though they say Master Yoda has managed to get 6 up and moving at once," Jaeman explained. As I looked at each of the stones in turn. At a guess, each was over a ton in weight. "Though it's rumoured that a Jedi Master named Snee once lifted all 7 and went for a walk through the Temple district."
"Saven, that's the boy you beat earlier, is the only current Initiate to lift even one of these things," Trudie added. "You think you can lift one?"
Quest Alert!
Stones of Muntuur
Be the first Jedi since Ferleen Snee to lift all seven Muntuur Stones
Rating: S**
Objective:
Lift all 7 Muntuur Stones simultaneously before the Start of the Clone Wars.
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
6000XP
Penalties
% based on the overall weight lifted at once when the quest ends. [50 tonnes]
Telekinesis is permanently locked at the quest end level.
Accept:
Yes/No
...
I looked at each stone slowly as I pondered the quest. The reward was massive; the 2nd highest I'd gotten, but the idea my TK would be limited so badly if I failed had me pausing for a moment. Still, TK was already at Professional level, and at current lift ability, I could manage about 15% of that total weight with TK maxed out; and that was if the lift weight limit didn't increase as it had done when I'd reached Adept 1 and Professional 1.Stones of Muntuur
Be the first Jedi since Ferleen Snee to lift all seven Muntuur Stones
Rating: S**
Objective:
Lift all 7 Muntuur Stones simultaneously before the Start of the Clone Wars.
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
6000XP
Penalties
% based on the overall weight lifted at once when the quest ends. [50 tonnes]
Telekinesis is permanently locked at the quest end level.
Accept:
Yes/No
...
"Yes. Yes, I think I can give it a try." I answered both the quest and Trudie's question and extended my hand, focusing on what looked like the smallest of the Stones.
I grunted as I felt the weight I was trying to lift and increased the effort, trying to work out the weight of the Stone until, as I was using what my interface said was a TK force of just over a ton, the stone began to rise slowly.
I ignored the gasps coming from those around me as I lifted the stone to the roof before lowering it down even slower than I'd lifted it.
"That was awesome!" someone said, and I turned to see a group of younglings had just entered the room with Master Yoda.
"Impressive, that was. More useful than raw power, however control can be." Yoda said with his ears twitching upwards.
"Yes sir," I replied with a smirk creeping onto my face as I realised that because I'd shown myself to be that powerful with TK, my next opponent – if I had one – would expect me to attack similarly, thus going small or using blasts might be beneficial.
I turned to the members of Dragon Clan. "Hey, how about a few quick spars?"
"Why not," Darihd answered with a shrug. "Save for you, me, Jaeman and Sia-Lan, no-one else is still in the push-feather."
"Eh, why not. Beating you never gets old." Serra added with a grin that made me promise to one day beat her in a spar.
Quest Alert!
Wipe that Grin off Her Face [User Defined]
One day you have to beat Serra Keto in a lightsaber duel.
Rating: C
Objective:
Defeat Serra in a spar before either of you becomes a Jedi Knight.
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
600XP
Penalties:
Lightsaber skills become locked for 5 years at quest end levels.
Accept?
Yes/No
...
"Yes, laugh it up but one day I will trounce you," I replied waving my hand madly around my head. "Victory shall be mine!" I added with a mad grin, making the members of Dragon Clan chuckle, and drawing a few giggles from the Younglings as we left the room.Wipe that Grin off Her Face [User Defined]
One day you have to beat Serra Keto in a lightsaber duel.
Rating: C
Objective:
Defeat Serra in a spar before either of you becomes a Jedi Knight.
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
600XP
Penalties:
Lightsaber skills become locked for 5 years at quest end levels.
Accept?
Yes/No
...
"You're such a laserbrain," Sia-Lan muttered as she shook her head, though I thought I saw the hint of a smile trying to creep onto her face.
.........
About an hour later I stepped out of the sparring circle, a frown marring my face as I looked over at my opponent.
Once again, I had lost to Trudie, a girl nearly 2 years younger than me and it was starting to get on my nerves.
How could I be so good at using the Force but suck so much at learning to wield a lightsaber?
"How did you do that? I mean, there was no way you could've seen the second saber, yet you ducked instinctively and then rolled away from my attack without ever seeing it coming." I asked her as we moved over to where the rest of the Clan was gathered, Sia-Lan and Jaeman stepping into the circle in our place.
"The Force told me," Trudie replied in a way that must have been totally logical to her but sounded like a pile of horseshit to me.
"What Trudie means is that we learn to trust the Force when it gives us warnings. It's ones of the first things…" Darihd's voice trailed off for a moment before he slapped his forehead. "Right. You were never a Youngling.
"Well, one of the first things they teach Younglings to do when given a lightsaber is to allow the Force to help guide you to a target. It feels like you know what is going to happen before it happens."
I looked at the older boy in a combination of shock and annoyance. The shock that I hadn't realised that there was more to lightsaber combat than just blade skill and made a mental note to review my Force powers and see if one fit the role of pre-cognitive abilities. And annoyance at the fact none of the Masters had seemingly realised that I might have missed some basic Force training by not sitting in on a Youngling class or 2.
"Yeah, that makes sense," I said slowly, already taking a step away from the group. "Um, I think I need to go and think about this a bit," I said before I jogged, then ran across the Temple and up several flights of stairs – annoying more than a handful of older Jedi – until I reached my room.
"List Force Powers," I stated as the doors closed and browsed the short list until 2 jumped out at me. I tapped each in turn and read their descriptions.
Precognition
Novice 5
A combat-based power that helps to predict and anticipate attacks.
[Due to your status as the Player, these are displayed as white notices above your combat log]
Cost:
50FP + 5FP/sec
Auto-engage in Combat: Yes/No
...
Bullet Time
Novice 16
Grants the ability to effectively slow down the world around you, allowing you more time to deal with a situation.
Cost:
237FP + 15FP/Sec
Auto-engage in Combat: Yes/No
...
As I read each, I felt a giant urge to scream at the wall at realising that my level in Form I might not be the issue with my losses in the last 6 months of spars as both were set to not auto-engage in combat. They also would've come in handy today during the Push-Feather duels.Novice 5
A combat-based power that helps to predict and anticipate attacks.
[Due to your status as the Player, these are displayed as white notices above your combat log]
Cost:
50FP + 5FP/sec
Auto-engage in Combat: Yes/No
...
Bullet Time
Novice 16
Grants the ability to effectively slow down the world around you, allowing you more time to deal with a situation.
Cost:
237FP + 15FP/Sec
Auto-engage in Combat: Yes/No
...
"Player's Mind," I managed to growl out and instantly felt the anger/annoyance/fury die away.
I checked each of the 26 current powers I had and found that 6 others – TK, Breath Control, Detection, Speed, Sight and Enhance – all had options to auto-engage in combat. I set Precognition and Bullet Time to auto-engage in combat, figuring that just those 2 would give me a major boost; even if their levels were very low.
"Fine, then I train up at least Bullet Time and Precognition while training Form II until the lightsaber duels. If I get back into the push-feather tourney, I'm fine as I've made the main objective there, so anything else is a bonus."
A glance at the chronometer told me it was about 30 minutes to dinner time, which meant, if I could get back here and practice without interruptions, I had about 12 hours tonight to train. I'd have the same tomorrow night and at least 6 hours during the day, taking out time for meals and keeping Dragon Clan out of my hair.
I laughed once as I realised that while I'd almost killed someone today, without doing so I might not have realised how to exploit my powers for quick and easy quests, or why I was possibly struggling so badly at duelling.
Though even if I improved enough to make the free-for-all, I wouldn't train any further after that. I didn't want to fuel any hype that I was the Chosen One and run the risk that the High Council assigned me a Master who stayed at the Temple all the time.
...
Last edited:
Initiate Training 5
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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Snapping out of my stance when my morning alarm sounded, I placed Haqu's lightsaber back in my inventory and jumped into a quick sonic shower.
I'd managed to get 10 hours of near-continuous training in Makashi done during the night, stopping only for a few minutes each hour to speed up my FP regeneration. I'd done it this way as I felt that stopping every 3 or 4 minutes when my FP reached 0 to then meditate was less effective.
While this limited Precognition and Bullet Time to only a level of increase each, I'd added 12 levels to Makashi, leaving me only a few short of reaching the base objective in the Trainee Duellist quest, and a handful in Lightsaber [1-handed] which increased my critical chance and damage; though what this was never revealed to me as the help menus had said such values were hidden to avoid a number overload, though I would still get notifications when I scored a critical hit.
Still, I was feeling a lot better this morning compared to yesterday and left my quarters with a small smile on my face, though this quickly fell as I wondered about the boy from yesterday and decided to visit the infirmary before reaching the mess hall.
"Hello young one, how can I help you?" I turned as I entered the infirmary and found myself face to face – snout? – with a fur-covered alien.
"Um, yeah. I was wondering about an Initiate brought in here yesterday. His name is…"
"Saven Kirkhey." The alien finished for me with a smile that exposed some very impressive canines. "I am aware who you are Initiate Shan. You will find Initiate Kirkhey in room Besh-7."
"I, um, I'm not sure he'd want to see me. I was more just wondering if he was doing ok."
The Jedi healer tilted his head to the left for a few seconds before answering. "Yes, he is healing well. He spent the night in a Bacta tank, but scans show his bones are knitting together properly. You have nothing to worry about Initiate, he will recover and re-join his Clan by the beginning of next week at the latest."
"That's good to know." I turned to leave but paused and turned back to the healer. "Um, when he wakes can you tell him I stopped by and that I'm sorry for what happened. I was just told he was really powerful at using the Force telekinetically and figured I'd only win by going all out."
The healer nodded and gave me another toothy smile. "I will, but the point of the Trials is to prove yourself and, as you said, go all out. That you destroyed the obstacle course and won 3 fights in push-feather so comfortably is a clear indication that you are not holding back." He paused and leaned closer. "Indeed, many in the Temple are wondering if you are special." He leaned back and chuckled, though he sounded more like a wolf than a man. "Though don't get a big head. Any Padawan would easily beat you, never-mind a Knight or Master."
"Yes sir," I said and stepped out of the Infirmary. 'Great, just fraking great. The better I do in these Trials the more it seems the Jedi are coming to think I'm the Chosen One.' I chuckled for a moment at a stray thought. 'Ha, bet they'll all be confused when Anakin turns up and has a higher midi-chlorian count than even Yoda. Though if they name me the Chosen One, what the hell what they do with Anakin?' I laughed quietly to myself as I walked to the mess hall, wondering all the way if there was a way I could actually use this to lessen the pressure on Anakin – and stop him getting a big head – so that when Palpatine made his move, Anakin stayed with the Jedi. Or at least, stood against the Sith.
I pondered the bonuses, wondering if they were linked to his mother and Padme, but I had no way to be sure.
The penalties were just as severe as the reward was tempting. If I understood it correctly, then failing this quest would mean even Yoda and Obi-Wan wouldn't make it out of the Clone Wars – unless they became Sith. So dead.
"Yes," I whispered, thinking that I if I didn't stop the 'Rise of Vader' I was probably dead in a few decades anyway, so why not get paid – in XP – for doing so.
"Cameron! Where have you been?" Jaeman asked as I rounded a corner near the mess hall. "We've been looking for you all morning." The other boy looked a little out of breath and his eyes were wider than normal.
"Um, why?" I asked as I tried to figure if I'd done something else to draw attention to myself.
"The Council, the one in-charge in the Trials, they've reinstated you into the push-feather," he said rapidly, his brown eyes blinking as he spoke.
"Ok," I replied slowly, not getting why he seemed so flustered.
"And your match is in 5 minutes." He added, and my own eyes shot open.
"Right," I said slowly as I turned and the pair of us ran to the sparring circles where the push-feather dual where being held. 'Bloody assholes. Couldn't they have sent me a message or something?' I wondered as we weaved around small groups of Jedi or Younglings until we reached the hall.
"You found him!" Serra shouted out as we slid to a stop as we passed through the large doorway.
"Yeah… Outside… Mess." Jaeman explained between breaths.
"Here, I grabbed you something to eat," Funt said as he handed me a bottle of water and some fruit.
"Thanks." I quickly devoured the offered food and drink and turned with Dragon Clan as Masters Drallig and Bondara approached.
"Initiate Shan, it is good of you to join us," Drallig said with a smirk. "We were wondering if you had slept in when no-one responded to the summons."
I mentally cursed as I realised they had messaged me, and a tap at my waist told me I'd forgotten – again – to take my comm-device with me.
"Sorry. I left my comms in my room, again, and went to the Infirmary to check on Saven." I explained, which seemed to please both Jedi Masters.
"Hmm, very well. We suggest you hurry. Your bout is due to begin any minute and Master Dooku is not one to keep waiting."
I gulped at realising Dooku was officiating my bout today and nodded. "Yes sir." A quick jog later, and a slightly terrifying glare from the future Sith Lord, I found myself in the duelling circle once more.
"Prepare yourselves," Dooku said slowly, calmly, yet still sounding utterly imposing.
At the sound of the gong, my combat log stated Player's Mind, Precognition and Bullet Time had all activated even as I sent four rapid-fire Force blasts at my opponent even as Precognition warned me of a push inbound to my left leg.
As I stepped over his attack, he ducked the 1st blast, stepped away from the 2nd but the 3rd caught his left shin and the 4th the right shoulder.
Not giving him time to adjust, I sent 2 more blasts at him, the 1st striking his left arm while the 2nd caught him in the gut and sent him tumbling backwards.
"Winner Shan," Dooku stated and I noted his brow had risen a touch as he looked at me.
I stepped across the circle and helped up my fellow Initiate.
"What the Kriff was that?" he asked once he was upright.
"Not telling now, but ask me again once the Trials are over," I replied with a smirk. He seemed a little taken back by my initial non-disclosure, but relaxed when I finished speaking. Not that I actually wanted to explain what I did, but it was better to appear friendly after curb-stomping someone; unless I wanted to make an enemy of them.
"I will do so. Well fought."
"Indeed," Dooku said from behind me, making me almost jump. "It has been some time since I've seen an Initiate so young understand the basics of a Force Blast. Impressive, but you lack the finesse to guide your blasts and pushes in anything but a straight line."
I felt my eyes widen at that. "Yes sir. I've only been at this for a few months but give me a few more and I think I'll have gotten the hang of it."
He rubbed his beard slowly. "Maybe, but be careful of overconfidence young one. Others may believe you fulfil a special role in the Order, but do not let it make you sloppy."
I thought about his words for a moment before replying. "Yes sir. However, if they place belief in me, that is their flaw, not mine. I can only control my actions, for now."
Dooku's eyes narrowed and he looked directly into mine. "Wise words, especially for one so young. I will be watching your performances in the rest of these Trials carefully."
He left no room for a reply as he walked over to where Drallig and Bondara were standing, leaving me to think on his words. Clearly what I had said, and how I had said it, had affected him, now I just had to impress him more so that he wanted to take an interest in my future education, even if I wasn't assigned to him as a Padawan. It would allow me an in to try and prevent his fall to the Dark Side.
"What was that about?" Funt asked as I left the circle and approached Dragon Clan. "Dooku only ever seems to criticize Initiates, when he doesn't glare you into feeling no bigger than a dung beetle."
"Yeah, what did you two talk about?" Sia-Lan asked with a slight creasing of her brow.
"Nothing major, just not to become arrogant because of what others think of me." I paused as I considered asking them about the prophecy. "Actually, Dooku seemed to be hinting at something Master Giiett and a few others have also spoken obtrusively about. Some kind of prophecy or legend I think."
The way the various members of Dragon Clan looked away from me – save Sia-Lan, who's eyes narrowed as her brow creased more – told me they knew something about it.
"What?" I said slowly.
"Well, when we were younglings, Master Yoda taught us a class on the Force and prophecies. In it he only mentions one prophecy and talks about it in a way that makes it seem that every Jedi can and, at the same time, can't be the target of that prophecy." Darihd slowly explained as the rest of the Clan glanced between the two of us.
"This prophecy talks of a Chosen One. Someone sent by the Force with the potential to be the greatest of all Jedi and bring Balance to the Force by defeating the Sith once-and-for-all and bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy."
'Well Fuck,' I thought as I considered his words, and how the ending reminded me of Anakin's words when he fought Obi-Wan. "So what does that have to do with me?"
"Seriously?" Sia-Lan blurted out and she threw her arms up. "You appear here, in a ship not manufactured in over 3000 years, a dead Sith in tow, and claim to be the great-grandchild of a man who was both Jedi and Sith, but neither. How could some of these morons not think that you're the Chosen One?"
I stared at her for a while, more surprised that she was the one to put into words what I'd already suspected than because of what she'd said, before turning back to Darihd.
"Is that, is that why you dared Serra to talk to me?"
"Um, kind of…" Darihd replied, looking away from me. "When you appeared here – with your seemingly impossible story that the High Council said was true – and seemed to pick up Force training so quickly, we were curious, so we dared Serra to talk to you."
"Not why I accepted though," Serra added with a small smile that I quickly mirrored as I remembered our initial talk about famous families and being cut off from them.
"I still don't like you." Sia-Lan tacked on with a very slight smirk. "Though I can tolerate you as long as you keep doing well in the Trials."
At least I now knew why her attitude towards me had lessened so much. "Thanks for the honesty," I replied, mock-saluting her and earning a growl and a roll of her eyes in response.
"So you're not angry about why we started hanging around you?" Aayla asked, her head-tails rippling and her fingers playing with each other as she spoke.
"Back then I might have been but now, no, not really," I answered, making the blue-skinned alien girl smile a touch. "But I'd like to see this prophecy for myself," I said to Darihd since he was the Minder of Dragon Clan, and nominally in-charge; even if I had asserted control on more than a few occasions over the last few months.
"That's going to be difficult. All prophecies are kept in the Archives, but the exact details of them are restricted to Knights or higher." He replied.
"Ah, never-mind then." Though I figured that if I could get my computing skills to a high enough level could hack my way into restricted files; and probably a lot more as well.
"Right now, not so much. But after I'm out of the push-feather, yes, I think I'll head down and see what I can find." Accepting the quest as I answered his question. "But for now, I need to think about this; privately."
"You sure?" Aayla asked, her head-tails seeming to drop a touch.
"Yeah. Finding out that people here think I'm some kind of saviour is a lot to take in." I replied and stepped away from the group, only to pause as a hand was placed on my arm.
"We're here if you want to talk," Serra said, earning her a nod of thanks before I left the hall and returned to my quarters. Though I was going to practice Makashi, not dwell on a prophecy that I knew did not apply to me.
.........
I groaned as I opened my eyes and looked up at the roof of a room, blinking to clear the spots in my vision.
"Wha?"
"Easy there. You took a nasty hit," I heard a female voice say and the next moment there was a face looking down at me, which I recognized as that of the healer who'd treated Saven Kirkley the day before. "Can you tell me the last thing you remember?"
I frowned and thought back. "I was in a push-feather duel; the semi-final I think, but I was struggling. The girl across from me was good. Like really good. I felt something hit my leg, then lights and then nothing."
"Well, your memory's fine." She said with a smile as she ran a small cylindrical tube over my forehead. "I'm sorry to say you lost. She took one of your pushes and guided it around behind you; taking your knees out before she hit you with a final push.
"That's why you're here actually. You hit the ground hard and we had to be sure there was no damage. Thankfully the scans say you are fine bar a light headache. How do you feel? Any blurred vision or inability to focus?" I shook my head and she smiled before slowly helping me sit up. "What about now? Does anything feel wrong?"
"Nope. I feel fine." I replied, wanting to get some privacy so I could call up my stats and see if it said anything about injuries. I might've said I was fine, but something felt a little off. "Can I return to my friends?"
Her smile grew a touch at my words. "You could, but like most of the Temple, they are sound asleep." She pointed at the wall to my right and I glance up there to see the clock said it was just past 23:00.
"How long was I out?" I asked, worried I'd missed the lightsaber duel and failed the 'Trainee Duelist' quest.
"Only a few hours, but I'd prefer you rest up her tonight."
"Can't I go back to my room? I promise I won't leave." I slouched down a bit. "I'm just don't like infirmaries," I said quietly, hoping to play on a common fear to get out of here and back to my quarters so I could practice and check my stats.
"Hmm, I suppose so. But I will have someone escort you to make sure you go straight to bed."
"Yes ma'am," I replied as I already began to plan how long I'd have to wait for my escort to leave before I could pull out one of the lightsabers in my inventory and practice enough to at least meet the base condition of the relevant quest.
"Good. Wait here a moment while I find a trainee to escort you."
"List Stats." Came from my mouth quietly the moment she left the room and the doors closed behind her.
I frowned when I saw that every numerical value was down a touch and scrolled down until I came to the end of the list.
Though now I found myself wondering why the Temple scanners had only detected a mild headache when I actually had a concussion. Was something about my unique powers interfering with the scanner?
I didn't have time to ponder that as the doors opened and the healer returned with a green-skinned girl who looked to be in her mid-teens.
"This is Wisha Dari. She will escort you back to your room and make sure you rest." The Healer was speaking to both of us and I nodded in understanding, even if I planned to get this girl to leave ASAP.
As we left the Infirmary I looked up at the teen. "Forgive me, but I've never seen you before. What race are you?"
Wisha looked down at me with her orange eyes. "I am a Mirialan and you would not see many of my kind in the Order. While my race may produce many Force Sensitives, we have an understanding with the High Council that only a Mirialan may train another in the ways of the Jedi. My master is Luminara Unduli; the only Mirialan Jedi Master currently."
"OK. I'm still getting used to meeting new races." I replied honestly. "Before arriving here, I lived with my grandfather on a farm. All our neighbours were Human." I wasn't sure if that was true, but it was a solid cover story that I'd used a few times already and seemed to have been bought by the Jedi.
"Mirialans are what is classed as near-Human. We are biologically compatible with our major difference being we have far higher flexibility than your average Human." Wisha explained without me asking or wanting, her to do so.
"OK." I had no follow-up to that. Well, not any an 8-year-old Jedi Initiate would have.
We walked in silence from then on until we arrived at my assigned quarters.
"I will remain here until I am certain you are sleeping," Wisha stated in what I assumed she thought was a commanding voice but failed to have any effect on me.
"Ok. Night." I slipped into my room, and after washing, slid under the covers.
Since I couldn't train Makashi until Wisha left, but I had no intention of sleeping, I activated Precognition and waited quietly until it had drained my FP.
Once that happened, I meditated until my FP was full and then sent a pulse with Force Detection which, while adding lots of Force-user pulses to my mini-map, showed that no-one was directly outside my door.
As I slid out of bed, I pulled Haqu's lightsaber from my inventory and got to work on training for the last part of the trials.
.........
"Cameron! Where were you? We went to the Infirmary this morning, but the healer-on-duty said you weren't there." Jaeman asked as he saw me approach the table where Dragon Clan gathered. The rest of the Clan turned at his shouting out my name.
"My quarters. The healer last night said I free to go and rest in my room." I replied as I sat down between him and Aayla.
OK, so I'd not slept and trained Makashi up to Adept 1, meeting the basic objective of Trainee Duellist. The levels in Form 2 and 1-handed Lightsaber had lifted my total skill levels to over 6000, granting me another stat point, and after spending 1 each on STR, AGI and VIT, I had 1 leftover as a spare.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Aayla asked as she placed her hand on my forearm.
I turned and smiled at her, though I noted Serra's brow had dropped as she looked at Aayla and I. "Yeah, I'm fine. Though sleeping through today's events might not have been a bad thing." I chuckled at my own bad joke. While I was still not overly hopeful of making the free-for-all, I did hope I'd win at least my first duel. Though my plans involved not actively showing my improvement in Makashi unless I absolutely had to. The rules on the duels stated the ways to win and what was banned, but none of the Force Powers I had learned/developed since arriving in this universe were on that list, meaning I had more than few ideas about winning that weren't lightsaber-focused.
"Hey, at least it'll be over quick." Suggested Sia-Lan with a smirk.
"And we finished 3rd as a Clan in push-feather thanks to you and Sia-Lan," Darihd added as his head-tails bounced around. "Getting both of you to the semis was great."
"Well now it's up to the rest of you," I said as I picked up a pear-looking fruit called Shuura. "I think I've more than earned my keep."
"Our best bets are the girls and Darihd," Jaeman commented and I had to agree. Darihd was excellent at Form I, and fast too. Sia-Lan, Aayla and Serra were all very comfortable with Ataru, though Serra's training in Jar'Kal was useless in these duels as it was 1 single-bladed lightsaber per duellist.
Jaeman was competent with Soresu, but he didn't have the stamina or discipline to last for long while Funt was aiming more to be a healer than a swordsman and spent most of his time using Niman; which I'd come to regard as something of a fall-back for those who weren't comfortable with fighting or wished to pursue other avenues of being a Jedi.
"Hey, everyone's doing fine. From what I can tell, you guys are the youngest Clan to be taking part." I countered, hoping to raise his spirits as Jaeman. Truthfully, he'd been near the bottom of in both the obstacle course and push-feather and I was concerned this would somehow affect his chances of being taken as a Padawan.
I'd asked them about how Padawans were selected before the Trials had begun and I'd learnt that only about half of the Initiates were taken by a Jedi; the rest were assigned to one of 4 corps.
Nominally, this was to keep them with the Order but to me, it hinted at both tossing them aside when they were found to be lacking and also keep them under control of the Order. I could be wrong about their motives, but that was how my military mind saw things; and even without knowing war was coming, it seemed stupid for the Jedi to limit their numbers so massively.
"We are. We had a few older members, but they were all taken as Padawans in the past cycle." Darihd added, slapping Jaeman on the shoulder. "Besides, not all of us are walking, talking, Force-sent gifts." He smirked at me and I had to bite off the need to retort. I really shouldn't haven't have asked about the prophecy.
"Stop it, Dar," Serra said with a small frown.
I gave Serra a small smile of thanks, making her cheeks redden, which had Trudie, Jyl and a few of the even younger girls in the Clan giggle.
"What's the schedule?" I asked, moving the conversation away from Serra's embarrassment, though I'd probably be just as embarrassed as well if I was a normal 8-year-old instead of a near 30-year-old in a child's body. Honestly, it was little things like this that still made me uneasy around my fellow Initiates but I felt that making friends with them now would be useful later if I couldn't slow or prevent the Clone Wars and the rise of the Sith. Though plans to stop Sidious and others were on the back-burner until after the Trials.
"Oh, right." Darihd pulled out a datapad and slid it down the table to me. "Every duel in the 1st round is set, as are the following rounds. I'm up first in about an hour."
I looked down the list and saw my match was the 32nd match in the opening round and I was against a boy from Heliost Clan. That meant I had just over 3 hours before my duel; provided the duels all ran on time with 10 minutes assigned to each duel.
"You actually have a chance against him," Aayla stated as she leaned closer and looked at the pad. "He's only a month above the cut-off and frankly is far too reckless."
"Says the girl you jumps around like she's on fire," I said back, which was true as Aayla loved using the Force to jump and rush around the duelling ring.
She bumped against me with a full-face grin, exposing her teeth. "Not my fault you're too slow to keep up."
I laughed at her confidence, and ignored the new frown on Serra's face, as I dug into breakfast.
.........
"Duels are won 1 of 4 ways," Master Drallig explained slowly to my opponent and I as we stepped into the sparing circle.
"1st, and most common, is scoring 3 marked strikes against your opponent.
"2nd is driving them from the circle; even a single foot outside of the markers is an automatic loss.
"3rd is by having your opponent trapped in a what would be regarded as a fatal blow; these are blows to the head or heart.
"And finally, by rendering your opponent unconscious."
We moved to our assigned positions at opposite sides of the circle while Drallig stood at the centre of the circle, glancing from one of us to the other.
"Do you both understand these rules?" He asked sternly, locking eyes on my opponent 1st then me. We nodded, and he walked out of the circle. "Begin on the chime."
The moment the chime sounded my opponent ignited his saber and moved into a basic fighting stance. Having had my ass handed to me regularly by Aayla, Serra and Sia-Lan, I was easily able to identify it as 1 of the 3 basic starting points of Ataru.
I merely held my weapon at my side as both Precognition and Bullet Time engaged automatically and I waited for a notice from Precognition about his attack even as my free hand closed slowly.
Seeing I hadn't even ignited my lightsaber, my opponent smirked and stepped forward, but I stayed still.
I stepped to the left, ignited my lightsaber and shifted my body into the most basic starting stance for Makashi even as he began his descent.
He twisted in mid-air to bring his blade down upon me, and I raised my own to parry the attack away from my body as late as I felt safe doing so.
My parry worked and as our blades clashed I yanked my clenched fist backwards.
I couldn't help but smirk at the shock on his face as his feet were pulled out from under his just they struck the ground and he was pulled out of the circle by the Force.
"Winner, Shan," Drallig stated and I lazily extinguished my lightsaber and walked from the ring, handing the training saber to one of the Padawans who are helping the Jedi Masters with manage this event. Spotting a few familiar faces, I walked over to a corner of the room.
"You won."
"Don't sound so surprised," I replied to Aayla's comment as I approached where she was sitting with Serra and Jaeman was gathered. "Just because I've never beaten you doesn't mean I can't be others."
She smirked a fraction. "That's true. And Drak was reckless, as normal."
"Why Makashi?" Serra asked as I sat down between the two girls. "We've never seen you use it before. Actually, very few Jedi spend much time training in that Form."
"Then they're all idiots," I said with a smirked as I accepted a bottle of water from Jaeman. "What is Makashi designed for?"
"Fighting against other… Oh." Jaeman had begun to answer before realising what I was saying. "Huh, I never thought about doing more training in that Form."
"None of us did save Cam," Serra added, giving me a gentle shoulder-barge. "Good thinking."
"Yeah. But why didn't you use it when sparring with us?"
I turned and smiled at Aayla. "And give away what may be my only hope of even scoring a mark against you, Sia or Serra?" I chuckled and shook my head. "I'm new here, not stupid." All 3 of them chuckled. "So why are you three here?"
"I'm after the next match. Aayla's right after me and Serra's 2 after that." Jaeman answered. "The others are off practising in the other halls or meditating."
"Serra here made sure we came early for your match," Aayla added, giving her clanmate a wink – which I could easily see as I was sitting between them. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was more excited about your match than her own."
I chuckled and glanced at the girl in question from the corner of my eye to see her face taking on a now-familiar red tint. "Well, I guess it's only fair I do the same," I said, earning smiles from all 3.
As we sat in silence, I opened up a small tab that appeared above my combat log.
With a flick of my fingers, I waved away the pop-up info box and sat back, figuring I could relax for the next 30 min or so before getting an early lunch. I doubted I'd have much time to practice my lightsaber skills but could let my FP run out just sitting by having Precog or Bullet Time on.
Turing Precognition on, I sat back as Jaeman stood and walked towards the ring, the match between his and mine ending almost as quickly as mine.
…
Almost done with the Initiate arc.
Also, for those who wonder why Cameron doesn't keep Player's Mind on all the time, it's not possible as it uses Player Points and the current drain Vs regeneration means there's a time limit.
...
And yes, Cam does take on every quest he gets offered as he's new to the whole Gamer concept.
I'd managed to get 10 hours of near-continuous training in Makashi done during the night, stopping only for a few minutes each hour to speed up my FP regeneration. I'd done it this way as I felt that stopping every 3 or 4 minutes when my FP reached 0 to then meditate was less effective.
While this limited Precognition and Bullet Time to only a level of increase each, I'd added 12 levels to Makashi, leaving me only a few short of reaching the base objective in the Trainee Duellist quest, and a handful in Lightsaber [1-handed] which increased my critical chance and damage; though what this was never revealed to me as the help menus had said such values were hidden to avoid a number overload, though I would still get notifications when I scored a critical hit.
Still, I was feeling a lot better this morning compared to yesterday and left my quarters with a small smile on my face, though this quickly fell as I wondered about the boy from yesterday and decided to visit the infirmary before reaching the mess hall.
"Hello young one, how can I help you?" I turned as I entered the infirmary and found myself face to face – snout? – with a fur-covered alien.
"Um, yeah. I was wondering about an Initiate brought in here yesterday. His name is…"
"Saven Kirkhey." The alien finished for me with a smile that exposed some very impressive canines. "I am aware who you are Initiate Shan. You will find Initiate Kirkhey in room Besh-7."
"I, um, I'm not sure he'd want to see me. I was more just wondering if he was doing ok."
The Jedi healer tilted his head to the left for a few seconds before answering. "Yes, he is healing well. He spent the night in a Bacta tank, but scans show his bones are knitting together properly. You have nothing to worry about Initiate, he will recover and re-join his Clan by the beginning of next week at the latest."
"That's good to know." I turned to leave but paused and turned back to the healer. "Um, when he wakes can you tell him I stopped by and that I'm sorry for what happened. I was just told he was really powerful at using the Force telekinetically and figured I'd only win by going all out."
The healer nodded and gave me another toothy smile. "I will, but the point of the Trials is to prove yourself and, as you said, go all out. That you destroyed the obstacle course and won 3 fights in push-feather so comfortably is a clear indication that you are not holding back." He paused and leaned closer. "Indeed, many in the Temple are wondering if you are special." He leaned back and chuckled, though he sounded more like a wolf than a man. "Though don't get a big head. Any Padawan would easily beat you, never-mind a Knight or Master."
"Yes sir," I said and stepped out of the Infirmary. 'Great, just fraking great. The better I do in these Trials the more it seems the Jedi are coming to think I'm the Chosen One.' I chuckled for a moment at a stray thought. 'Ha, bet they'll all be confused when Anakin turns up and has a higher midi-chlorian count than even Yoda. Though if they name me the Chosen One, what the hell what they do with Anakin?' I laughed quietly to myself as I walked to the mess hall, wondering all the way if there was a way I could actually use this to lessen the pressure on Anakin – and stop him getting a big head – so that when Palpatine made his move, Anakin stayed with the Jedi. Or at least, stood against the Sith.
Quest Alert!
Changing Fate [Anakin]
Can you prevent the rise of Darth Vader?
Rating: S***
Objective:
Find a way to prevent Anakin Skywalker from falling to the Sith
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
15000XP
Penalties:
Anakin turns to the Dark Side earlier than canon.
The death of ALL Jedi who do not submit to the Sith and their Empire.
Accept?
Yes/No
...
That stopped me dead in my tracks. Stopping Anakin falling would have a massive effect on the fate of the Jedi, and I was obviously going to have to deal with him once he appeared, but getting it in a quest, and one with the highest XP reward yet, was not something I'd expected, in hindsight, I supposed I should have.Changing Fate [Anakin]
Can you prevent the rise of Darth Vader?
Rating: S***
Objective:
Find a way to prevent Anakin Skywalker from falling to the Sith
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
15000XP
Penalties:
Anakin turns to the Dark Side earlier than canon.
The death of ALL Jedi who do not submit to the Sith and their Empire.
Accept?
Yes/No
...
I pondered the bonuses, wondering if they were linked to his mother and Padme, but I had no way to be sure.
The penalties were just as severe as the reward was tempting. If I understood it correctly, then failing this quest would mean even Yoda and Obi-Wan wouldn't make it out of the Clone Wars – unless they became Sith. So dead.
"Yes," I whispered, thinking that I if I didn't stop the 'Rise of Vader' I was probably dead in a few decades anyway, so why not get paid – in XP – for doing so.
"Cameron! Where have you been?" Jaeman asked as I rounded a corner near the mess hall. "We've been looking for you all morning." The other boy looked a little out of breath and his eyes were wider than normal.
"Um, why?" I asked as I tried to figure if I'd done something else to draw attention to myself.
"The Council, the one in-charge in the Trials, they've reinstated you into the push-feather," he said rapidly, his brown eyes blinking as he spoke.
"Ok," I replied slowly, not getting why he seemed so flustered.
"And your match is in 5 minutes." He added, and my own eyes shot open.
"Right," I said slowly as I turned and the pair of us ran to the sparring circles where the push-feather dual where being held. 'Bloody assholes. Couldn't they have sent me a message or something?' I wondered as we weaved around small groups of Jedi or Younglings until we reached the hall.
"You found him!" Serra shouted out as we slid to a stop as we passed through the large doorway.
"Yeah… Outside… Mess." Jaeman explained between breaths.
"Here, I grabbed you something to eat," Funt said as he handed me a bottle of water and some fruit.
"Thanks." I quickly devoured the offered food and drink and turned with Dragon Clan as Masters Drallig and Bondara approached.
"Initiate Shan, it is good of you to join us," Drallig said with a smirk. "We were wondering if you had slept in when no-one responded to the summons."
I mentally cursed as I realised they had messaged me, and a tap at my waist told me I'd forgotten – again – to take my comm-device with me.
"Sorry. I left my comms in my room, again, and went to the Infirmary to check on Saven." I explained, which seemed to please both Jedi Masters.
"Hmm, very well. We suggest you hurry. Your bout is due to begin any minute and Master Dooku is not one to keep waiting."
I gulped at realising Dooku was officiating my bout today and nodded. "Yes sir." A quick jog later, and a slightly terrifying glare from the future Sith Lord, I found myself in the duelling circle once more.
"Prepare yourselves," Dooku said slowly, calmly, yet still sounding utterly imposing.
At the sound of the gong, my combat log stated Player's Mind, Precognition and Bullet Time had all activated even as I sent four rapid-fire Force blasts at my opponent even as Precognition warned me of a push inbound to my left leg.
As I stepped over his attack, he ducked the 1st blast, stepped away from the 2nd but the 3rd caught his left shin and the 4th the right shoulder.
Not giving him time to adjust, I sent 2 more blasts at him, the 1st striking his left arm while the 2nd caught him in the gut and sent him tumbling backwards.
"Winner Shan," Dooku stated and I noted his brow had risen a touch as he looked at me.
I stepped across the circle and helped up my fellow Initiate.
"What the Kriff was that?" he asked once he was upright.
"Not telling now, but ask me again once the Trials are over," I replied with a smirk. He seemed a little taken back by my initial non-disclosure, but relaxed when I finished speaking. Not that I actually wanted to explain what I did, but it was better to appear friendly after curb-stomping someone; unless I wanted to make an enemy of them.
"I will do so. Well fought."
"Indeed," Dooku said from behind me, making me almost jump. "It has been some time since I've seen an Initiate so young understand the basics of a Force Blast. Impressive, but you lack the finesse to guide your blasts and pushes in anything but a straight line."
I felt my eyes widen at that. "Yes sir. I've only been at this for a few months but give me a few more and I think I'll have gotten the hang of it."
He rubbed his beard slowly. "Maybe, but be careful of overconfidence young one. Others may believe you fulfil a special role in the Order, but do not let it make you sloppy."
I thought about his words for a moment before replying. "Yes sir. However, if they place belief in me, that is their flaw, not mine. I can only control my actions, for now."
Dooku's eyes narrowed and he looked directly into mine. "Wise words, especially for one so young. I will be watching your performances in the rest of these Trials carefully."
He left no room for a reply as he walked over to where Drallig and Bondara were standing, leaving me to think on his words. Clearly what I had said, and how I had said it, had affected him, now I just had to impress him more so that he wanted to take an interest in my future education, even if I wasn't assigned to him as a Padawan. It would allow me an in to try and prevent his fall to the Dark Side.
"What was that about?" Funt asked as I left the circle and approached Dragon Clan. "Dooku only ever seems to criticize Initiates, when he doesn't glare you into feeling no bigger than a dung beetle."
"Yeah, what did you two talk about?" Sia-Lan asked with a slight creasing of her brow.
"Nothing major, just not to become arrogant because of what others think of me." I paused as I considered asking them about the prophecy. "Actually, Dooku seemed to be hinting at something Master Giiett and a few others have also spoken obtrusively about. Some kind of prophecy or legend I think."
The way the various members of Dragon Clan looked away from me – save Sia-Lan, who's eyes narrowed as her brow creased more – told me they knew something about it.
"What?" I said slowly.
"Well, when we were younglings, Master Yoda taught us a class on the Force and prophecies. In it he only mentions one prophecy and talks about it in a way that makes it seem that every Jedi can and, at the same time, can't be the target of that prophecy." Darihd slowly explained as the rest of the Clan glanced between the two of us.
"This prophecy talks of a Chosen One. Someone sent by the Force with the potential to be the greatest of all Jedi and bring Balance to the Force by defeating the Sith once-and-for-all and bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy."
'Well Fuck,' I thought as I considered his words, and how the ending reminded me of Anakin's words when he fought Obi-Wan. "So what does that have to do with me?"
"Seriously?" Sia-Lan blurted out and she threw her arms up. "You appear here, in a ship not manufactured in over 3000 years, a dead Sith in tow, and claim to be the great-grandchild of a man who was both Jedi and Sith, but neither. How could some of these morons not think that you're the Chosen One?"
I stared at her for a while, more surprised that she was the one to put into words what I'd already suspected than because of what she'd said, before turning back to Darihd.
"Is that, is that why you dared Serra to talk to me?"
"Um, kind of…" Darihd replied, looking away from me. "When you appeared here – with your seemingly impossible story that the High Council said was true – and seemed to pick up Force training so quickly, we were curious, so we dared Serra to talk to you."
"Not why I accepted though," Serra added with a small smile that I quickly mirrored as I remembered our initial talk about famous families and being cut off from them.
"I still don't like you." Sia-Lan tacked on with a very slight smirk. "Though I can tolerate you as long as you keep doing well in the Trials."
At least I now knew why her attitude towards me had lessened so much. "Thanks for the honesty," I replied, mock-saluting her and earning a growl and a roll of her eyes in response.
"So you're not angry about why we started hanging around you?" Aayla asked, her head-tails rippling and her fingers playing with each other as she spoke.
"Back then I might have been but now, no, not really," I answered, making the blue-skinned alien girl smile a touch. "But I'd like to see this prophecy for myself," I said to Darihd since he was the Minder of Dragon Clan, and nominally in-charge; even if I had asserted control on more than a few occasions over the last few months.
"That's going to be difficult. All prophecies are kept in the Archives, but the exact details of them are restricted to Knights or higher." He replied.
"Ah, never-mind then." Though I figured that if I could get my computing skills to a high enough level could hack my way into restricted files; and probably a lot more as well.
Quest Alert!
Just Don't Get Caught [User Defined]
If you want to read secure files, you'll need to be better with computers.
Rating: C
Objectives:
Get all 3 Computing skills [Slicing/Programming/Electronics] to Master 1 before your 16th cycle.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
1000XP
Penalties:
Computing Skills are locked for 5 years at their levels at the end of the quest.
Accept?
Yes/No
...
"Do want to head to the Archives?" Jaeman asked as I took my mind away from them at the new quest that appeared.Just Don't Get Caught [User Defined]
If you want to read secure files, you'll need to be better with computers.
Rating: C
Objectives:
Get all 3 Computing skills [Slicing/Programming/Electronics] to Master 1 before your 16th cycle.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
1000XP
Penalties:
Computing Skills are locked for 5 years at their levels at the end of the quest.
Accept?
Yes/No
...
"Right now, not so much. But after I'm out of the push-feather, yes, I think I'll head down and see what I can find." Accepting the quest as I answered his question. "But for now, I need to think about this; privately."
"You sure?" Aayla asked, her head-tails seeming to drop a touch.
"Yeah. Finding out that people here think I'm some kind of saviour is a lot to take in." I replied and stepped away from the group, only to pause as a hand was placed on my arm.
"We're here if you want to talk," Serra said, earning her a nod of thanks before I left the hall and returned to my quarters. Though I was going to practice Makashi, not dwell on a prophecy that I knew did not apply to me.
.........
I groaned as I opened my eyes and looked up at the roof of a room, blinking to clear the spots in my vision.
"Wha?"
"Easy there. You took a nasty hit," I heard a female voice say and the next moment there was a face looking down at me, which I recognized as that of the healer who'd treated Saven Kirkley the day before. "Can you tell me the last thing you remember?"
I frowned and thought back. "I was in a push-feather duel; the semi-final I think, but I was struggling. The girl across from me was good. Like really good. I felt something hit my leg, then lights and then nothing."
"Well, your memory's fine." She said with a smile as she ran a small cylindrical tube over my forehead. "I'm sorry to say you lost. She took one of your pushes and guided it around behind you; taking your knees out before she hit you with a final push.
"That's why you're here actually. You hit the ground hard and we had to be sure there was no damage. Thankfully the scans say you are fine bar a light headache. How do you feel? Any blurred vision or inability to focus?" I shook my head and she smiled before slowly helping me sit up. "What about now? Does anything feel wrong?"
"Nope. I feel fine." I replied, wanting to get some privacy so I could call up my stats and see if it said anything about injuries. I might've said I was fine, but something felt a little off. "Can I return to my friends?"
Her smile grew a touch at my words. "You could, but like most of the Temple, they are sound asleep." She pointed at the wall to my right and I glance up there to see the clock said it was just past 23:00.
"How long was I out?" I asked, worried I'd missed the lightsaber duel and failed the 'Trainee Duelist' quest.
"Only a few hours, but I'd prefer you rest up her tonight."
"Can't I go back to my room? I promise I won't leave." I slouched down a bit. "I'm just don't like infirmaries," I said quietly, hoping to play on a common fear to get out of here and back to my quarters so I could practice and check my stats.
"Hmm, I suppose so. But I will have someone escort you to make sure you go straight to bed."
"Yes ma'am," I replied as I already began to plan how long I'd have to wait for my escort to leave before I could pull out one of the lightsabers in my inventory and practice enough to at least meet the base condition of the relevant quest.
"Good. Wait here a moment while I find a trainee to escort you."
"List Stats." Came from my mouth quietly the moment she left the room and the doors closed behind her.
I frowned when I saw that every numerical value was down a touch and scrolled down until I came to the end of the list.
Injuries:
Mild Concussion [16:34:51] HEAL?
This results in a 10% decrease in all stats and their derived values.
[Can be healed for 500FP]
…
I noted that the number beside the injury was decreasing, meaning that if I just left it, I would be weakened until midday tomorrow. Curious about the way the word Heal was emphasized beside the injury, I pressed at where it was floating and watched as a new pop-up appeared.Mild Concussion [16:34:51] HEAL?
This results in a 10% decrease in all stats and their derived values.
[Can be healed for 500FP]
…
Mild Concussion
Can be healed with Force Heal.
Cost: 500FP
Heal?
Yes/No
…
"Yes," I said instantly and watched as the injury disappeared and my stats and derived values all returned to their proper levels. "Well, that's exploitable. And not just for me." I muttered as I slid off the bed I was on and waved away my stats. 'I imagine that restoring lost limbs is not possible, but pretty much any other injury is curable with enough Force Points. Hmm, does that mean I can save Qui-Gon even after he's stabbed by Maul?'Can be healed with Force Heal.
Cost: 500FP
Heal?
Yes/No
…
Quest Alert!
Changing Fate [Qui-Gon Jinn]
Can you delay the death of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn?
Rating: B
Objective:
Prevent Qui-Gon's death at the hands of Darth Maul
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
2000XP
Penalties:
Qui-Gon still dies.
Massive loss of Reputation with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi [-500]
Accept?
Yes/No
…
"Well, that's easy. Yes." I mumbled. Saving Qui-Gon would help with Anakin. Plus, I was a fan of Liam Neeson.Changing Fate [Qui-Gon Jinn]
Can you delay the death of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn?
Rating: B
Objective:
Prevent Qui-Gon's death at the hands of Darth Maul
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
2000XP
Penalties:
Qui-Gon still dies.
Massive loss of Reputation with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi [-500]
Accept?
Yes/No
…
Though now I found myself wondering why the Temple scanners had only detected a mild headache when I actually had a concussion. Was something about my unique powers interfering with the scanner?
I didn't have time to ponder that as the doors opened and the healer returned with a green-skinned girl who looked to be in her mid-teens.
"This is Wisha Dari. She will escort you back to your room and make sure you rest." The Healer was speaking to both of us and I nodded in understanding, even if I planned to get this girl to leave ASAP.
As we left the Infirmary I looked up at the teen. "Forgive me, but I've never seen you before. What race are you?"
Wisha looked down at me with her orange eyes. "I am a Mirialan and you would not see many of my kind in the Order. While my race may produce many Force Sensitives, we have an understanding with the High Council that only a Mirialan may train another in the ways of the Jedi. My master is Luminara Unduli; the only Mirialan Jedi Master currently."
"OK. I'm still getting used to meeting new races." I replied honestly. "Before arriving here, I lived with my grandfather on a farm. All our neighbours were Human." I wasn't sure if that was true, but it was a solid cover story that I'd used a few times already and seemed to have been bought by the Jedi.
"Mirialans are what is classed as near-Human. We are biologically compatible with our major difference being we have far higher flexibility than your average Human." Wisha explained without me asking or wanting, her to do so.
"OK." I had no follow-up to that. Well, not any an 8-year-old Jedi Initiate would have.
We walked in silence from then on until we arrived at my assigned quarters.
"I will remain here until I am certain you are sleeping," Wisha stated in what I assumed she thought was a commanding voice but failed to have any effect on me.
"Ok. Night." I slipped into my room, and after washing, slid under the covers.
Since I couldn't train Makashi until Wisha left, but I had no intention of sleeping, I activated Precognition and waited quietly until it had drained my FP.
Once that happened, I meditated until my FP was full and then sent a pulse with Force Detection which, while adding lots of Force-user pulses to my mini-map, showed that no-one was directly outside my door.
As I slid out of bed, I pulled Haqu's lightsaber from my inventory and got to work on training for the last part of the trials.
.........
"Cameron! Where were you? We went to the Infirmary this morning, but the healer-on-duty said you weren't there." Jaeman asked as he saw me approach the table where Dragon Clan gathered. The rest of the Clan turned at his shouting out my name.
"My quarters. The healer last night said I free to go and rest in my room." I replied as I sat down between him and Aayla.
OK, so I'd not slept and trained Makashi up to Adept 1, meeting the basic objective of Trainee Duellist. The levels in Form 2 and 1-handed Lightsaber had lifted my total skill levels to over 6000, granting me another stat point, and after spending 1 each on STR, AGI and VIT, I had 1 leftover as a spare.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Aayla asked as she placed her hand on my forearm.
I turned and smiled at her, though I noted Serra's brow had dropped as she looked at Aayla and I. "Yeah, I'm fine. Though sleeping through today's events might not have been a bad thing." I chuckled at my own bad joke. While I was still not overly hopeful of making the free-for-all, I did hope I'd win at least my first duel. Though my plans involved not actively showing my improvement in Makashi unless I absolutely had to. The rules on the duels stated the ways to win and what was banned, but none of the Force Powers I had learned/developed since arriving in this universe were on that list, meaning I had more than few ideas about winning that weren't lightsaber-focused.
"Hey, at least it'll be over quick." Suggested Sia-Lan with a smirk.
"And we finished 3rd as a Clan in push-feather thanks to you and Sia-Lan," Darihd added as his head-tails bounced around. "Getting both of you to the semis was great."
"Well now it's up to the rest of you," I said as I picked up a pear-looking fruit called Shuura. "I think I've more than earned my keep."
"Our best bets are the girls and Darihd," Jaeman commented and I had to agree. Darihd was excellent at Form I, and fast too. Sia-Lan, Aayla and Serra were all very comfortable with Ataru, though Serra's training in Jar'Kal was useless in these duels as it was 1 single-bladed lightsaber per duellist.
Jaeman was competent with Soresu, but he didn't have the stamina or discipline to last for long while Funt was aiming more to be a healer than a swordsman and spent most of his time using Niman; which I'd come to regard as something of a fall-back for those who weren't comfortable with fighting or wished to pursue other avenues of being a Jedi.
"Hey, everyone's doing fine. From what I can tell, you guys are the youngest Clan to be taking part." I countered, hoping to raise his spirits as Jaeman. Truthfully, he'd been near the bottom of in both the obstacle course and push-feather and I was concerned this would somehow affect his chances of being taken as a Padawan.
I'd asked them about how Padawans were selected before the Trials had begun and I'd learnt that only about half of the Initiates were taken by a Jedi; the rest were assigned to one of 4 corps.
Nominally, this was to keep them with the Order but to me, it hinted at both tossing them aside when they were found to be lacking and also keep them under control of the Order. I could be wrong about their motives, but that was how my military mind saw things; and even without knowing war was coming, it seemed stupid for the Jedi to limit their numbers so massively.
"We are. We had a few older members, but they were all taken as Padawans in the past cycle." Darihd added, slapping Jaeman on the shoulder. "Besides, not all of us are walking, talking, Force-sent gifts." He smirked at me and I had to bite off the need to retort. I really shouldn't haven't have asked about the prophecy.
"Stop it, Dar," Serra said with a small frown.
I gave Serra a small smile of thanks, making her cheeks redden, which had Trudie, Jyl and a few of the even younger girls in the Clan giggle.
"What's the schedule?" I asked, moving the conversation away from Serra's embarrassment, though I'd probably be just as embarrassed as well if I was a normal 8-year-old instead of a near 30-year-old in a child's body. Honestly, it was little things like this that still made me uneasy around my fellow Initiates but I felt that making friends with them now would be useful later if I couldn't slow or prevent the Clone Wars and the rise of the Sith. Though plans to stop Sidious and others were on the back-burner until after the Trials.
"Oh, right." Darihd pulled out a datapad and slid it down the table to me. "Every duel in the 1st round is set, as are the following rounds. I'm up first in about an hour."
I looked down the list and saw my match was the 32nd match in the opening round and I was against a boy from Heliost Clan. That meant I had just over 3 hours before my duel; provided the duels all ran on time with 10 minutes assigned to each duel.
"You actually have a chance against him," Aayla stated as she leaned closer and looked at the pad. "He's only a month above the cut-off and frankly is far too reckless."
"Says the girl you jumps around like she's on fire," I said back, which was true as Aayla loved using the Force to jump and rush around the duelling ring.
She bumped against me with a full-face grin, exposing her teeth. "Not my fault you're too slow to keep up."
I laughed at her confidence, and ignored the new frown on Serra's face, as I dug into breakfast.
.........
"Duels are won 1 of 4 ways," Master Drallig explained slowly to my opponent and I as we stepped into the sparing circle.
"1st, and most common, is scoring 3 marked strikes against your opponent.
"2nd is driving them from the circle; even a single foot outside of the markers is an automatic loss.
"3rd is by having your opponent trapped in a what would be regarded as a fatal blow; these are blows to the head or heart.
"And finally, by rendering your opponent unconscious."
We moved to our assigned positions at opposite sides of the circle while Drallig stood at the centre of the circle, glancing from one of us to the other.
"Do you both understand these rules?" He asked sternly, locking eyes on my opponent 1st then me. We nodded, and he walked out of the circle. "Begin on the chime."
The moment the chime sounded my opponent ignited his saber and moved into a basic fighting stance. Having had my ass handed to me regularly by Aayla, Serra and Sia-Lan, I was easily able to identify it as 1 of the 3 basic starting points of Ataru.
I merely held my weapon at my side as both Precognition and Bullet Time engaged automatically and I waited for a notice from Precognition about his attack even as my free hand closed slowly.
Seeing I hadn't even ignited my lightsaber, my opponent smirked and stepped forward, but I stayed still.
MOVE LEFT!
…
I raised an eyebrow at the rather blunt warning even as my opponent leapt across the ring using the Force.…
I stepped to the left, ignited my lightsaber and shifted my body into the most basic starting stance for Makashi even as he began his descent.
He twisted in mid-air to bring his blade down upon me, and I raised my own to parry the attack away from my body as late as I felt safe doing so.
My parry worked and as our blades clashed I yanked my clenched fist backwards.
I couldn't help but smirk at the shock on his face as his feet were pulled out from under his just they struck the ground and he was pulled out of the circle by the Force.
"Winner, Shan," Drallig stated and I lazily extinguished my lightsaber and walked from the ring, handing the training saber to one of the Padawans who are helping the Jedi Masters with manage this event. Spotting a few familiar faces, I walked over to a corner of the room.
"You won."
"Don't sound so surprised," I replied to Aayla's comment as I approached where she was sitting with Serra and Jaeman was gathered. "Just because I've never beaten you doesn't mean I can't be others."
She smirked a fraction. "That's true. And Drak was reckless, as normal."
"Why Makashi?" Serra asked as I sat down between the two girls. "We've never seen you use it before. Actually, very few Jedi spend much time training in that Form."
"Then they're all idiots," I said with a smirked as I accepted a bottle of water from Jaeman. "What is Makashi designed for?"
"Fighting against other… Oh." Jaeman had begun to answer before realising what I was saying. "Huh, I never thought about doing more training in that Form."
"None of us did save Cam," Serra added, giving me a gentle shoulder-barge. "Good thinking."
"Yeah. But why didn't you use it when sparring with us?"
I turned and smiled at Aayla. "And give away what may be my only hope of even scoring a mark against you, Sia or Serra?" I chuckled and shook my head. "I'm new here, not stupid." All 3 of them chuckled. "So why are you three here?"
"I'm after the next match. Aayla's right after me and Serra's 2 after that." Jaeman answered. "The others are off practising in the other halls or meditating."
"Serra here made sure we came early for your match," Aayla added, giving her clanmate a wink – which I could easily see as I was sitting between them. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was more excited about your match than her own."
I chuckled and glanced at the girl in question from the corner of my eye to see her face taking on a now-familiar red tint. "Well, I guess it's only fair I do the same," I said, earning smiles from all 3.
As we sat in silence, I opened up a small tab that appeared above my combat log.
Quest Completed!
Trainee Duellist [User Defined]
Time to put your money, or XP, where your mouth is.
Rating: C
Objective:
Get Makashi to level Adept 1 by your first lightsaber duel.
Bonus: Reach Adept 25 [N]
Bonus: Reach Adept 50 [N]
Reward:
1000XP
…
'Seriously? Adept 25 and 50? To get those I'd have had to throw the rest of the push-feather duels and spend 2 straight days in my quarters. I wonder if the other new quests have the same kind of "bonuses" to achieve.'Trainee Duellist [User Defined]
Time to put your money, or XP, where your mouth is.
Rating: C
Objective:
Get Makashi to level Adept 1 by your first lightsaber duel.
Bonus: Reach Adept 25 [N]
Bonus: Reach Adept 50 [N]
Reward:
1000XP
…
With a flick of my fingers, I waved away the pop-up info box and sat back, figuring I could relax for the next 30 min or so before getting an early lunch. I doubted I'd have much time to practice my lightsaber skills but could let my FP run out just sitting by having Precog or Bullet Time on.
Turing Precognition on, I sat back as Jaeman stood and walked towards the ring, the match between his and mine ending almost as quickly as mine.
…
Almost done with the Initiate arc.
Also, for those who wonder why Cameron doesn't keep Player's Mind on all the time, it's not possible as it uses Player Points and the current drain Vs regeneration means there's a time limit.
...
And yes, Cam does take on every quest he gets offered as he's new to the whole Gamer concept.
Last edited:
Initiate Training 6
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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"This is going to be easy," Sia-Lan muttered with a large smile as we both stepped into the sparing circle.
"Do not become overconfident young one, Initiate Shan has gotten to this round the same as you and has shown more variety in his approach than most Initiates do." Master Drallig countered.
I resisted the urge to smirk at the praise. I'd won my 1st spar thanks to a well-timed TK pull. My 2nd had ended when I'd made my opponent's lightsaber too hot for them to hold, allowing me to tag them the required 3 times before they could pick it up again and my 3rd match had been won when I'd let an attack phase through me; allowing me to place my blade to my opponent's neck as he stumbled forward when his attack met nothing but air. Feeling a lightsaber phase through me was a little nauseating, but it had gotten me to the 4th round.
Now if I could just pull off a miracle and beat Sia-Lan I'd make the free-for-all and complete the last of the 3 main objectives for the 'Trials of the Initiate' quest.
"That is true Master, but he has never scored a mark against me in spars," Sia-Lan replied to the Battlemaster. "Or anyone else in our Clan."
I smirked at her as we moved to our start positions. "Maybe that was on purpose. After all, I'm not really a member of your Clan, so why should I reveal all my secrets to someone I don't trust."
Sia-Lan's smile faltered a touch at my words even as Master Drallig stepped out of the circle.
"Prepare yourselves." He stated as he stepped away and there was a faint buzzing as the safety net powered up.
The gong sounded, I got the notices that Precog, Bullet Time and Player's Mind had all engaged, and we ignited our blades; Sian-Lan adopting a standard starting stance of Ataru while I adopted Makashi.
'I need to get her off her game.' I thought as we began to walk slowly around the edge of the circle. I kept my eyes locked on her, looking, waiting for a sign of what she had planned.
Almost before I could blink, she had cleared the distance between us and I shifted my weight to push her attack away. I flicked my blade, hoping to clip her as she landed but she spun gracefully and slid under my blade and out of reach.
"Not bad," she said with a small smirk. "You have been holding back."
I smirked back at her, letting her think that was the reason I'd lost so many spars and not me failing to use the Force properly.
"Let's see how much," she added before coming at me fast.
If not for Player's Mind I may have freaked at the speed she moved, but thanks to it I didn't, and my blade moved quickly to meet hers, guiding it away from my body with the minimum of effort – as Makashi was designed to do.
She jumped over my head, swinging as she did, and I spun and ducked simultaneously to try to avoid the attack.
"Point, Wezz," Drallig called out and I looked at my combat log to see I'd lost about 15HP, meaning I hadn't been fast enough.
"You're better than I expected," Sia-Lan said as I shuffled back to increase the distance between us. "But still not good enough."
She leapt, blade held high, towards me and I brought my blade up to block hers. Though this time I lifted one hand from my lightsaber to grab hers, locking our blades in a cross between us.
"Speed kills," I replied as she tried to pull her hand away even as I used the Force to rapidly cool her hands, my own and her lightsaber; ice forming almost instantly around our hands.
I ignored the chill and pushed forward, trying to trap her head between the twin blades of energy. After a moment's shock, she did the same and our faces came closer and closer as we both put all our strength into the push.
A small smirk crept onto her face as the blades moved closer to me. "Not. Good. Enough." She grunted out as I began to feel the heat of the blade against my neck.
'Shite. She's older and stronger. I need to find a way to level up my stats. But what to d…' I smirked as an insane idea came to mind and I pushed my face forward, planning to give her a headbutt.
However, she sensed my move and tilted her head, trying to avoid the hit. This, instead of our foreheads colliding, our lips mashed together before being joined by our noses.
The reaction was instantaneous as Sia-Lan's head snapped back in shock, her grip failed her, and I pushed her backwards, driving her to the ground with both blades against her throat. Without Player's Mind, I doubt I'd have been in any better a state than her, but with it, I used the advantage her shock created.
"Winner, Shan," Drallig stated and I powered down my lightsaber, ended the cold spell on Sia-Lan's hand and step backwards, mentally sending a prayer of thanks to TPTB for Player's Mind while cursing at having essentially kissed a freaking child! As I caught her eyes, I thought I saw something shimmer in them as she lifted her free hand to her lips.
"Wh, what. What did you do?" She asked slowly as a finger traced the outline of her lips.
"I meant to distract you," I replied, extending my hand to her. "I wanted to headbutt you, but you moved, and…" My voice trailed off as even though there was no emotion clouding my thoughts, finding words to apologise for kissing an 8-year-old when you're 28 – on the inside – didn't exist. "Sorry."
"Um, no. It's ok." She gave me a weak smile and accepted the hand.
As I lifted her, my other arm went to her waist to support her weight and she inhaled sharply under her breath.
"Are you ok?" I asked slowly, wondering if the kiss had had more of an effect than I realised.
She continued to smile at me as our eyes met again and her cheeks reddened a touch. "Y-yeah. That was just unexpected." Her smile grew a little. "And different." The smile shifted into a smirk. "Just be more careful in future."
"OK. And, again, I'm sorry. Whatever you want me to do make up for this, I'll do." I replied honestly.
Her cheeks reddened a fraction more at my words. "I'll remember that."
She stepped past me, letting her hand brush against the back of mine and I stood there for a moment trying to ignore the apparent signs of her flirting with me.
"Is something the matter Initiate?" I turned at the firm voice to find Master Dooku standing in the circle with 2 other Initiates. His brow was creased as he watched me.
"No sir. Just thinking I may have used the wrong distraction. If you'll excuse me." I slipped passed him and the 2 Initiates waiting to duel and walked quickly over to where Dragon Clan was gathered.
I noted Sia-Lan was talking rapidly in whispers with Trudie and Jyl, the younger of the pair giving me a big smile when she caught me looking.
Having an inkling of what they were discussing, I sat beside Jaeman; as far as I could from the trio without not sitting with the Clan.
"Well that was different," Darihd stated with a grin from Jaeman's other side, as he kept his eyes on the sparing circle. "I don't think I've ever seen someone kiss an another to win a spar."
I chuckled a little and rubbed the back of my head. In hindsight, it was feeling like more and more of a bad choice, quest notwithstanding. "Yeah. I just meant to headbutt her, but she moved and… well." I replied nervously.
"So how do you think Serra's going to do?" Jaeman asked, tilting his head towards the circle and I felt a cold shiver shoot down my spine as I saw that 1 of the Initiates that had stepped into the circle with Dooku was the girl I suspected had a slight crush on me.
"Fuck," I mumbled out as I realised that I'd said nothing to her as I'd left the circle and she'd just watched me kiss her friend/rival in full view of her. "I'm so dead."
"Hey, it's not that bad. I'm sure that Serra unders…" Darihd's words were cut off as the gong sounded and Serra leapt at her opponent, slashing rapidly and aggressively in a way I'd never seen before. Her opponent, who looked a little older than her, stumbled backwards under the powerful onslaught.
"What the fuck?" I muttered as Serra landed 2 quick hits before sweeping her opponent's legs and driving the butt of her saber into the other Initiate's chest.
"Winner Keto," Dooku called out and I turned to look at Darihd.
"What was that?"
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "At a guess, her channelling her anger into her attacks. I'd say Juyo, Form VII, but that's not taught to anyone below the rank of Knight." He replied adding another nervous chuckle at the end.
"Huh," was the extent of my verbal response as the girl marched out of the circle and towards us. Internally I was worried I'd hurt her more than I'd expected and that she'd just had her 1st brush with the darker side of emotions and the Force.
I stood as she came closer. "Serra, listen. I…"
I was cut off as she walked past me, clipping my shoulder in a way I felt was intentional. I stumbled backwards, landing on the floor on my butt, and watched as she continued to storm out of the hall. The only outward sign of the anger I suspected was flowing through her was the tightly clenched fists she held at her side; unnaturally not swinging with her steps.
"What was that about?" Jaeman asked as he and Darihd helped me up.
"No idea," I said but internally I knew that I'd hurt her emotionally with accidentally kissing Sia-Lan. I sighed at having to deal with this childhood bullshit and glanced at the 2 other boys. "I'll see you later." I walked off, hoping to find Serra and talk to her.
"Don't be too long. The free-for-all's in less than an hour." Darihd called out as I exited the hall.
I looked in both directions the corridor went but saw no sign of her, or anyone else. I sent out a ping with Force Detection, but it brought up over a hundred people within its radius of 400m. Without knowing which way she had gone, I had no way to lock onto which one was her.
"Dammit!" I grunted and punched a wall. All I could do now was relax before the free-for-all and hope that Serra calmed down before then.
'Guess this is what I get for only caring about winning a quest and handing out with kids who've known nothing but the Temple.' I thought as I began to walk to the mess hall. Though I slid to a stop as I reviewed my log and saw a red notice.
With nothing to do until the free-for-all in a few hours, I continued on my way to the mess hall then planned to just relax beforehand. I could've practised Makashi, but I doubted a few extra hours would make a big difference to where I finished in the contest.
.
I stood with the other 7 Initiates in the free-for-all for those 10-and-under and took a deep breath as the Battlemaster and the 2 Masters who were assisting him stepped into the hall.
Once we'd all assembled for the finals, but before we'd entered the sparring hall, I'd talked to Aayla about working together to clear out some of the others until only Serra and we were left. She'd been receptive to the idea, but Serra had simply glared at me when I'd tried to bring up the idea with her.
I'd explained slowly and calmly what had happened with Sia-Lan, making sure to say I was only looking to win, yet she'd just given me a cold shoulder and irritated me enough that I'd walked off before I lost my temper at her acting like a freaking child.
Which we both were technically, but we were meant to be Jedi, and be above emotions, or that's how the teachers drilled us in class about the meaning of the Code regarding our emotions.
I didn't agree with those teachers, but I kept my head down and stayed silent since making waves wasn't going to help me currently.
Serra's glare had intensified when Sia-Lan had wandered over to wish me luck – placing her hand on my arm as we spoke – and I was silently praying to both the Force and the PtB that I was taken as a Padawan as soon as the Trials were over or I might just quit the Jedi to avoid this juvenile bull-crap.
"The rules of the free-for-all are slightly different," Battlemaster Drallig stated as he stood in front of us with Masters Bondara and Dooku. "As this event uses the whole of this sparring hall, there is no way to be eliminated by stepping foot outside the hall. However, jumping to the viewing gallery above will result in instant disqualification.
"You will also be eliminated by taking 3 strikes to non-critical areas, being trapped in a fatal strike manoeuvre or rendered unconscious. We will call out when this occurs. This means that even if you are the sole survivor when the free-for-all ends, this does not guarantee victory. We will examine recordings to ensure that the order of elimination is correct before posting the final standings after dinner."
He paused and smiled at each of us in turn. "Regardless of how you do in the free-for-all, you should all take pride in the fact that you are the current best in your age group with a lightsaber but take heed to remember that a lightsaber is a mere tool of the Jedi; not the solution."
He turned and left the hall with Dooku and Bondara and 8 spots on the floor were lit up.
"Move to a designated start position." A male voice stated from speakers above and around us.
I walked slowly to one of the light sources, trying to not look upwards at gallery ring that surrounded the hall as I'd learnt that there were some important visitors to the Temple today as they wished to speak with me after the free-for-all.
I had initially been surprised about anyone outside the temple caring about me being here, but after a while thinking things through and I realised that my arrival would've set off a few notices.
The Galactic Senate must have received a report about someone arriving claiming to have killed a Sith before being taken in by the Jedi, so the politicians would be curious, especially a certain Senator from Naboo.
That had me worried that I'd already made it onto the Sith's radar, and possibly become a target to kill or convert to their cause.
I pushed those thoughts out of my head once more as the light marking the 8 starting points faded and the others all ignited their lightsabers.
I followed suit, sliding into a Makashi stance and breathing deeply as a klaxon sounded and the room was showered in light. Makashi was not a good choice for this, but since my only other option was Shii-Cho, and that was the most basic of Forms, I would just have to adapt and survive as best as I could.
'Crap.'
I turned, blocking a rapid strike from Serra before pushing her back with TK.
I opened my mouth to try and talk to her.
I looked up to see a green-skinned Twi'lek had engaged Serra, though Serra smashed through her opponent's defences with ease, scoring 2 quick strikes to the Twi'lek's arms.
Seeing an opportunity, I pushed my lightsaber forward and clipped the Twi'lek on her lower leg.
I heard Master Drallig's voice call out, but whatever he said was lost as Serra turned towards me and attacked.
I blocked, weaved and followed Precog's warnings for as long as I could, but Serra was just too fast and aggressive for me at my current level and I was quickly tagged twice more.
"Initiate Shan has been eliminated," Drallig called out and I stepped back, hoping/figuring that Serra would turn her attention to the others.
However, she swung at me again, and I was forced to pirouette away from the strike, and on instinct, brought my lightsaber upwards, managing to clip her hand; making her lose her grip on her weapon.
"Serra, calm down!" I said as I pushed my saber into her hand, not wanting her to be eliminated because of her anger driving her to focus solely on me. "Get your head back in the fight Initiate." I tried to push the Force behind the command and I watched as she blinked a few times.
"Cam? Wha... Ok." She turned from me and I sighed in relief as she moved to engage someone else. This didn't mean she was no longer angry with me, but hopefully, she wasn't blinded by her anger.
I picked up the lightsaber Serra had dropped and walked towards the exit, though I noted a flashing notice in my log.
Now I had another power to level up, though how to do so without using it on Jedi was going to be an issue while I was stuck in the Temple. That was also why I hadn't bothered to learn it since arriving and learning about it in the Archives.
I dropped the lightsaber in a basket as the doors to the hall closed behind me, ignoring the Jedi standing there, and began to walk away.
"Initiate Shan," I turned at a voice I recognized and found myself looking up at Qui-Gon Jinn. "I have been instructed to escort you to members of the High Council. They wish to speak with you."
"Yes sir," I replied walking beside him down the corridor. "Did they say why they wished to see me?"
Qui-Gon smiled. "You are not in trouble, of that I am certain. I believe this has to do with how you arrived here and members of the Senate who are attending today's event."
'Fuck! I thought when they said after the free-for-all they meant later in the day, not right afterwards. Shite!'
I did my best to remain calm as I followed Qui-Gon down the corridors. A few glances at him to try and determine his age – and get a hint as to where I was in relation to the movie timeline – failed as beyond seeing he was probably in his 40s or 50s, there was nothing to indicate the current time, and Obi-Wan was not present.
I'd already learnt that the current Chancellor was a Human male named Kalpana and that Palpatine had been a member of the Senate for just over a decade, but that didn't tell me much. I was reasonably sure that Kalpana wasn't the Chancellor during Episode 1, but I wasn't certain exactly who had been, nor how long they had held the post before the Invasion of Naboo. This is what I get for not having seen Episode 1 in nearly a decade and the part played by the former Chancellor being relatively unimportant, save for how he was removed to allow Palpatine to ascend to power.
I breathed slowly as we entered an elevator and I sought to put my thoughts in order. As the doors opened and Qui-Gon stepped out, I quietly whispered to activate Player's Mind and called up my stats. A quick mental calculation told me I had about 20 minutes before I ran out of Player Points and Player's Mind automatically stopped, so hopefully, this meeting wouldn't go on for too long.
Eventually, we stopped outside a room in an area of the Temple where I hadn't been to before. We were in the central spire, however from the view, I figured we were a dozen floors below the Council Chambers.
"Grandmaster Yoda is inside along with other members of the High Council and members of the Senate," Qui-Gon stated with a soft smile. "They merely wish to discuss with you how you arrived here and your plans." He chuckled and looked each way down the corridor before leaning down. "A word of advice when dealing with politicians, keep your answers short, accurate and simple. That way they have no chance to spin things to suit their own narratives."
"Yes sir," I replied, already knowing that advice from my past life when explaining how things went wrong to superiors or hiding facts from those that I didn't want to know what my work entailed.
"You summoned me, masters," I said as I stepped through the door, figuring playing the loyal Initiate would help make things easier. I noticed Master Windu's brow rise a touch at me addressing them by their titles instead of my usual sir or madam.
"Ah, Initiate Shan, come, come," Yoda said, waving me over from where he was sitting with Windu, Sifo-Dyas and Belfarr and a half-dozen people who I didn't know. "Chancellor Kalpana, this is. Most interested in speaking with you, he is." Yoda added, indicating an older man who sat opposite him.
"Chancellor," I said slowly, bowing a touch to show respect for the office, and take my eyes from a face behind and to his right. Palpatine was here and I was glad I'd engaged Player's Mind beforehand.
"This is the child of Revan?" Kalpana asked and my eyes came back up to meet his, allowing me to take in features.
He was old, at a guess I'd say in his 70's, with his white hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, and sharp blue eyes that seemed friendly, but I imagined would've looked like ice when angered.
"Great-grandchild according to his story," Master Belfarr stated in a tone that made me want to smack him.
"A story that our technicians have collaborated by data recovered from the ship he arrived on." Windu countered instantly, given his fellow Jedi a short stare.
"Indeed. Most interesting." Kalpana said and with a smile, tapped a space beside him "Please, sit." The man where he had tapped stood, leaving a space for me, and moved to sit beside him, meaning Palpatine would be directly behind me.
"Thank you, sir." I replied as I sat down, turning to face the Chancellor. "Was there something specific you wished to discuss?"
Kalpana chuckled. "No, no. I like to attend the Initiate and Padawan tournaments when I can and after reading the report that was brought to me by my staff, and watching your remarkable performance in the obstacle course, I found myself most interested in speaking to a child of a Jedi still taught about over 3000 years later."
"Do not forget that his grandfather was a former Chancellor, nor that another famous member of their family was Grandmaster of the Jedi." I was again thankful for Player's Mind as Palpatine spoke.
Kalpana laughed softly. "I am aware Sheev. I read your comments about Satele Shan when I went through your very detailed account of the Shan family." He shook his head and looked back at the man who would – if I couldn't find a way to stop him – one day bring about the destruction of the Jedi and the Republic. "I never knew you were so interested in ancient history."
"My father was something of an enthusiast for military history, his love of it is one of the few things we shared."
"Forgive me, but who was Satele Shan?" I asked. I knew the name from having played a little of SWTOR, but I hadn't stuck with it as I'd never enjoyed MMO's. I had also searched the Jedi Archives for information on her, but it was limited to details about her time as a Jedi, with only a brief mention of her having had a son. I asked now in the hope that Republic records were more extensive, but I didn't expect hem to be.
"Records are, hazy, regarding your family tree, but Satele Shan rose to become Grandmaster of the Jedi Order during what was known as the Galactic War between the Republic and the Sith Empire. She was known to be a descendant of Revan, and came along a few hundred years after you, so she would've been your, great-great-great-grandniece, or something similar. The war was about 3,700 years ago if I remember correctly from Senator Palpatine's report."
"You do, Chancellor."
Kalpana turned from giving him a smile to stare at me. "I am a little surprised that you haven't researched your family in the Jedi Archives."
"The Council decided to restrict information about Initiate Shan's family from him, as we do with all Initiates." Windu stated slowly. I met his eyes as he spoke, a little annoyed by them doing that, but remembering that they had done the same to Serra, I quickly lost my annoyance. "Familial attachments are against the code of the Jedi."
"Hmm, I've never questioned the Jedi way, but would learning about what is ancient history really be a risk for young Cameron? You don't mind if I use your name, do you?"
"No sir. It's a nice change from being called Initiate Shan all the time."
He chuckled. "Yes, I imagine it would. So about those records?"
"We will discuss this with the rest of the High Council, but I do not see a risk in allowing him access to those files." Windu said with a slight bow to the Chancellor.
"Provided he stays," Belfarr whispered loud enough for everyone to hear and I mentally cursed him for revealing that in-front of Sidious.
Kalpana turned to me. "You do not wish to be a Jedi?"
"I am, uncertain, about my path." I answered slowly, trying to frame things to get Palpatine uninterested in me, without making it obvious. "While I am grateful for the Jedi for taking me in, it is difficult to let go of everything I knew and learnt before I arrived here. I find that what I was taught by my grandfather at times runs counter to the Jedi way."
"Living example of the reason for taking in Younglings so early, Initiate Shan is." Yoda added with a smile. "Though a tendency to use the force in unexpected ways, he does have."
"Yes, I saw the recording of his obstacle run. I didn't know Jedi could phase through solid matter." Kalpana stated and I knew Palpatine's eyes were on me; wondering how I did such a thing.
"It is an unusual application of the Force. Only a handful of Jedi even attempt to learn it and only 1 is known to the Council who has mastered the art." Sifo-Dyas explained.
"Indeed. Well, I can think of a few times when such a trick would be useful." Kalpana said with a chuckle.
"Maybe, but the usage of the Force in such a way is not commonly taught as it involves manipulating the laws of matter; an approach the Council has long since deemed as dangerous for learning by any below the rank of Knight." Windu countered. "Initiate Shan has been forbidden from teaching it to his peers."
"Though I know a few Masters who are interested in taking on the Initiate as their Padawan solely because he can do the unexpected, myself included." Sifo-Dyas countered with a small smile. "With the various conflicts occurring in the last few decades, it would do the Jedi good to have such abilities widely known through the Order."
"It sounds as though they don't want you to go young one," Kalpana stated to me with a smile.
"Maybe, but I am my own person."
He laughed softly, as did a few of his entourage. "Yes, you are." He reached behind him, and someone handed him a datapad. "Now, I've read the report that reached my desk, but I would love to hear, in your own words, how you ended up here; displaced by nearly 4000 years."
I sighed. "Yes Sir." While I had no interest in going over this story again – especially in front of Palpatine – I couldn't exactly refuse the Chancellor of the Republic.
…
I slumped against the wall of an empty conference room a few doors down from where I had met the Chancellor and sighed deeply.
What I had hoped would only be a 20-minute meeting – due to the limit on Player's Mind – had turned into a near 2-hour discussion.
Chancellor Kalpana had listened quietly as I told my story once more, tapping at his pad occasionally until I finished; then the questions began.
He'd asked about little things at first in my story, like where on Talravin we lived and what my daily life was like, before slowly working her way to what was different about technology then and now.
He had been especially interested in the fact in the time I'd come from, personal force-shields were commonplace and had clearly hoped I knew something about them since no-one today used them; save stationary versions used by rich individuals or expensive droids like the droidekas used by the Trade Federation.
He'd asked about other pieces of technology, but it was clear that he – or someone in his group who was subtlety manipulating him – was interested in getting their paws on technology that could potentially give them a leg-up in future conflicts.
I'd played dumb – which wasn't hard as I knew literary nothing – to those questions until I decided to turn the tables and ask about how the Republic worked. I knew that the current Republic was far larger than the one in Revan's time, yet I had asked why the military and security forces seemed so much weaker.
Of course, I knew that this was probably the work of the Sith over generations, but the Chancellor did not, nor did the Council.
Palpatine had agreed with me at that point, catching me off-guard until I worked out that he came from an Outer Rim sector; one that would be more at risk to pirates and exploitation than the Core sectors, and as such, should be pushing for more security forces in public.
Master Sifo-Dyas – whose name kept setting off a warning in my head, but I couldn't quite place where I knew it from – had also chimed in with his opinion that things were slowly deteriorating to a degree that open conflict between the Rim and the Core was a possibility in the next century or so.
Kalpana had then mentioned how private organizations, such as the Trade Federation, helped to provide security to the Mid and Outer Rim by arming their trade-ships.
It had been hard for me to not argue too fiercely against letting private companies arm themselves to such a degree, or be gaining seats in a supposedly democratically elected government by all but buying off Senators, without letting on I was far more mature and knowledgeable than my age suggested, but I had held my ground until a member of his staff had informed the Chancellor that he had a dinner meeting with the Senators from the Corellia and Alderaan sectors in 30 minutes.
The moment that it was stated I could leave I had bolted out of the meeting and into this empty room.
"That was fun," I muttered to myself as I slumped to the floor. "At least I have a timeframe to go on now."
One little tidbit that I'd gotten was that Kalpana was standing down at the end of the year and his main aide, Senator Valorum was expected to become the next Chancellor. Hearing that name – and having the Photographic Memory Perk – had helped me to link that name to the Chancellor before Palpatine.
Since I'd already learnt that a Chancellor could only serve for 2, 4-year terms, that meant I had no more than 8 years until the Blockage of Naboo took place.
Now I just had to come up with plans to slow, if not stop, the Clone Wars and alter things so that the Sith wouldn't win. Though how to do so was not going to be easy, nor did I expect it to be one giant single quest, though I suspected that if I could pull off all 3 'Changing Fate' quests, things would be different and hopefully better.
'Actually, I'm a little surprised I haven't gotten a quest to stop Sidious or the Clone Wars.'
It seemed that no matter what I did, the galactic death toll was going to be insane, which had me frowning as it suggested that even if I was able to change things so that Palpatine didn't become Emperor, there were still other threats to worry about. Which the PtB message had stated existed and was somehow worse than a galaxy-spanning evil empire. Also, what was a Banite Sith?
"Man, I sure picked the wrong bloody universe to be reborn into," I mumbled as I slipped to the floor as the reality of just how hard it was going to be to stop the Sith sank in; and the realisation that not having followed Star Wars, outside of the movies and Clone Wars cartoons, was going to be a major issue for knowing what was really going on in the galaxy.
"Player's Mind," I said after a while for sitting there and instantly felt the worry, fear, anger and regret drain away. "Man, that is so abusable I can't wait until I get high enough to just leave it on 24/7." Though based on how long it took to regenerate Player Points from 0, I'd have to be about level 25 for that to be the case.
'Right, I know I can't just go out and hire an assassin to take out Palpatine, but perhaps I can find other ways to hamper his plans.' I stood and moved to the door of the room. I needed to get back to my quarters and start making plans for how to weaken the Sith for when war did finally come.
"Initiate Shan, is something the matter?" I slid to a halt as I exited the room and turned to see Master Sifo-Dyas talking with the very man I didn't want to talk with.
"No sir. I just felt a need to meditate after meeting the Chancellor." I paused, keeping my eyes on the Jedi Council member and away from the Senator. "I felt I became too emotional at times."
"There is nothing wrong with being passionate about what you feel is wrong about the Republic my child," Palpatine said with a kind smile. "In truth, it is heartening to see such desire to change those flaws in one so young."
I nodded a touch, showing respect for his office even if all I wanted to do was grab a lightsaber from my inventory and gut him with it. 'Thank you, Player's Mind.' "My grandfather was keen on me speaking my mind Senator, however, such emotional outbursts are unbecoming of a Jedi."
There was the slightest wrinkling of Palpatine's brow as Master Sifo-Dyas smiled at me. "It is good to see you are taking your lessons to heart Initiate, but both the Senator and I share your concerns regarding the dangers the Republic is facing."
"Yes, however, we differ greatly on how to deal with our concerns," Palpatine added with the smile still on his face. "I know you are young, but what was the status of the Republic's standing military during your Grandfather's time?"
I shrugged a little. "I can't give you exact figures, but as I mentioned to the Chancellor, the Republic back then had fleets spread across the Rim and Core; the ship that brought me here detected over 30 cruisers in range as I left Talravin, most with Republic colours, I think. If that helps."
Palpatine nodded and rubbed his chin. "It does, it does." He seemed to be thinking about something. "I am unsure of the current status of Talravin's defence force off-hand, but I do know that the Republic military has only a single sub-fleet covering that entire sector."
"That's about 50 ships," Sifo-Dyas explained, making me nod even as I wondered just how unsure the Senator really was. He prepared a report for the Chancellor on myself and my family, and I suspected he was one of those who'd pushed her to ask me about what I knew of technology from Revan's time.
"That does seem low," I shrugged, "but I can't say for certain if the number of ships when I left home was normal or not."
"True. However, I know for a fact that 95% of the Republic military is patrolling the Core and Colonies." Palpatine added in what sounded like he was just adding to the conversation, but I could see he was fishing for more from me and trying to influence my thinking. "Many Rim-worlds are forced to rely on their own meagre defence forces. Republic law has strict controls on the number of ships non-Core worlds can have in their defence forces."
I nodded. "I guess I can see the Senate's thinking there but doesn't that limit Rim-worlds from raising forces to counter pirates and criminals?"
Palpatine smiled warmly and nodded. "That is my opinion too." He paused and looked at Sifo-Dyas. "It is encouraging to see that the Jedi are so keen to promote such outward thinking in their younglings."
Sifo-Dyas frowned. "Sadly, Initiate Shan is something of a unique case. Most Jedi do not share our concerns about the problems brewing in the Rim, nor the danger it poses to the Republic."
Palpatine's smile fell. "Hmm, that is most troubling." He turned back to look at me, kneeling a touch so we could see eye-to-eye. "Do know young-one, that your concerns are shared by some by others. Indeed, if you ever wish to know more about what is going on in the Senate or think of any ideas on how to improve things for all the Republic's citizens, please feel free to contact me. I am sure Master Sifo-Dyas will be more than helpful in arranging such a meeting."
I smiled back at him, though I could see through his plan. "I will Senator, but since I am currently an Initiate, and not allowed to leave the Temple, I do not know how likely it is that we can speak any time soon." 'Hopefully, it would be never again, but totally avoiding you might just make you suspicious.'
"You are only an Initiate for now young one. I expect the Council of First Knowledge will meet to discuss the next batch in Initiates to be taken as Padawans and I am certain your name will be mentioned." Sifo-Dyas said and I caught the very slight twitch of Palpatine's lips at hearing I that.
"Truly?" he asked, and Sifo-Dyas nodded. "That is impressive as I was under the impression that most younglings were not taken as Padawans until they passed 10 cycles."
"It is uncommon, but not unheard of. I do know that Master Koon was taken as a Padawan learner when he was only 9 cycles old."
"Hmm. Then it is even more impressive given your lack of time with the Jedi." Palpatine said to me as he smiled in a way that reminded me of Vaner Shan, though I doubted it was a pure as my grandfather's had been. "I will be watching your career most intently young one."
"If that is your desire," I replied, brushing off his interest before turning to Sifo-Dyas. "If I may be excused. I am feeling hungry and I'm worried that my clanmates will be worried about my apparent disappearance."
Sifo-Dyas smiled and nodded. "Of course. You should eat as you will be competing in the 13-and-under lightsaber duels tomorrow."
I bowed a touch, before turning and walking towards the elevator as quickly as I could without making it seem that I was running.
As the doors closed and I began to descent, I gasped as I was finally able to place who Sifo-Dyas was. The Jedi who ordered the Clone army. I'd honestly thought that It had just been a false name used by Dooku or Palpatine to hide their involvement, but if it was a real person, then he would be murdered by one of them – or whomever Palpatine got to replace Dooku if I could prevent his fall to the dark side. Perhaps there was a way to prevent that.
I was concerned about the fact failure could result in my ending up in Sidious' crosshairs – and I suspected that the fact it used that name there meant I would be a threat instead of currently being a possible asset – and the idea that someone close to me would die. The only people who even spent time with me were… Dragon Clan. Shit! Did that mean one of them might die if I failed this quest?
Player's Mind had cleared any emotional response to that already, so I could examine the quest logically, and I could only see 1 course of action. While the risk of losing someone that might be a friend was high, the benefits of keeping Sifo-Dyas alive long enough to warn the Jedi were greater. To quote another movie franchise; the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few or the one.
"Yes."
The quest disappeared as the doors opened and I walked to the mess hall calmly, even as I played over everything that Palpatine had said in the last few hours in my mind.
'Damm, he's good.' Nothing he'd said had hinted at a darker motive, and yet he'd phrased things, or added little details, to just shift the conversations towards topics that if thought about longer would raise questions about the Republic and its effectiveness.
…
Yes, I am well aware that the 'kiss' between Cam and Sia-Lan would've been more of then banging faces than a kiss.
But Cam, Sia-Lan and Serra all react like it was, though for different reasons.
"Do not become overconfident young one, Initiate Shan has gotten to this round the same as you and has shown more variety in his approach than most Initiates do." Master Drallig countered.
I resisted the urge to smirk at the praise. I'd won my 1st spar thanks to a well-timed TK pull. My 2nd had ended when I'd made my opponent's lightsaber too hot for them to hold, allowing me to tag them the required 3 times before they could pick it up again and my 3rd match had been won when I'd let an attack phase through me; allowing me to place my blade to my opponent's neck as he stumbled forward when his attack met nothing but air. Feeling a lightsaber phase through me was a little nauseating, but it had gotten me to the 4th round.
Now if I could just pull off a miracle and beat Sia-Lan I'd make the free-for-all and complete the last of the 3 main objectives for the 'Trials of the Initiate' quest.
"That is true Master, but he has never scored a mark against me in spars," Sia-Lan replied to the Battlemaster. "Or anyone else in our Clan."
I smirked at her as we moved to our start positions. "Maybe that was on purpose. After all, I'm not really a member of your Clan, so why should I reveal all my secrets to someone I don't trust."
Sia-Lan's smile faltered a touch at my words even as Master Drallig stepped out of the circle.
"Prepare yourselves." He stated as he stepped away and there was a faint buzzing as the safety net powered up.
The gong sounded, I got the notices that Precog, Bullet Time and Player's Mind had all engaged, and we ignited our blades; Sian-Lan adopting a standard starting stance of Ataru while I adopted Makashi.
'I need to get her off her game.' I thought as we began to walk slowly around the edge of the circle. I kept my eyes locked on her, looking, waiting for a sign of what she had planned.
Almost before I could blink, she had cleared the distance between us and I shifted my weight to push her attack away. I flicked my blade, hoping to clip her as she landed but she spun gracefully and slid under my blade and out of reach.
"Not bad," she said with a small smirk. "You have been holding back."
I smirked back at her, letting her think that was the reason I'd lost so many spars and not me failing to use the Force properly.
"Let's see how much," she added before coming at me fast.
If not for Player's Mind I may have freaked at the speed she moved, but thanks to it I didn't, and my blade moved quickly to meet hers, guiding it away from my body with the minimum of effort – as Makashi was designed to do.
She jumped over my head, swinging as she did, and I spun and ducked simultaneously to try to avoid the attack.
"Point, Wezz," Drallig called out and I looked at my combat log to see I'd lost about 15HP, meaning I hadn't been fast enough.
"You're better than I expected," Sia-Lan said as I shuffled back to increase the distance between us. "But still not good enough."
She leapt, blade held high, towards me and I brought my blade up to block hers. Though this time I lifted one hand from my lightsaber to grab hers, locking our blades in a cross between us.
"Speed kills," I replied as she tried to pull her hand away even as I used the Force to rapidly cool her hands, my own and her lightsaber; ice forming almost instantly around our hands.
I ignored the chill and pushed forward, trying to trap her head between the twin blades of energy. After a moment's shock, she did the same and our faces came closer and closer as we both put all our strength into the push.
A small smirk crept onto her face as the blades moved closer to me. "Not. Good. Enough." She grunted out as I began to feel the heat of the blade against my neck.
'Shite. She's older and stronger. I need to find a way to level up my stats. But what to d…' I smirked as an insane idea came to mind and I pushed my face forward, planning to give her a headbutt.
However, she sensed my move and tilted her head, trying to avoid the hit. This, instead of our foreheads colliding, our lips mashed together before being joined by our noses.
The reaction was instantaneous as Sia-Lan's head snapped back in shock, her grip failed her, and I pushed her backwards, driving her to the ground with both blades against her throat. Without Player's Mind, I doubt I'd have been in any better a state than her, but with it, I used the advantage her shock created.
"Winner, Shan," Drallig stated and I powered down my lightsaber, ended the cold spell on Sia-Lan's hand and step backwards, mentally sending a prayer of thanks to TPTB for Player's Mind while cursing at having essentially kissed a freaking child! As I caught her eyes, I thought I saw something shimmer in them as she lifted her free hand to her lips.
"Wh, what. What did you do?" She asked slowly as a finger traced the outline of her lips.
"I meant to distract you," I replied, extending my hand to her. "I wanted to headbutt you, but you moved, and…" My voice trailed off as even though there was no emotion clouding my thoughts, finding words to apologise for kissing an 8-year-old when you're 28 – on the inside – didn't exist. "Sorry."
"Um, no. It's ok." She gave me a weak smile and accepted the hand.
As I lifted her, my other arm went to her waist to support her weight and she inhaled sharply under her breath.
"Are you ok?" I asked slowly, wondering if the kiss had had more of an effect than I realised.
She continued to smile at me as our eyes met again and her cheeks reddened a touch. "Y-yeah. That was just unexpected." Her smile grew a little. "And different." The smile shifted into a smirk. "Just be more careful in future."
"OK. And, again, I'm sorry. Whatever you want me to do make up for this, I'll do." I replied honestly.
Her cheeks reddened a fraction more at my words. "I'll remember that."
She stepped past me, letting her hand brush against the back of mine and I stood there for a moment trying to ignore the apparent signs of her flirting with me.
"Is something the matter Initiate?" I turned at the firm voice to find Master Dooku standing in the circle with 2 other Initiates. His brow was creased as he watched me.
"No sir. Just thinking I may have used the wrong distraction. If you'll excuse me." I slipped passed him and the 2 Initiates waiting to duel and walked quickly over to where Dragon Clan was gathered.
I noted Sia-Lan was talking rapidly in whispers with Trudie and Jyl, the younger of the pair giving me a big smile when she caught me looking.
Having an inkling of what they were discussing, I sat beside Jaeman; as far as I could from the trio without not sitting with the Clan.
"Well that was different," Darihd stated with a grin from Jaeman's other side, as he kept his eyes on the sparing circle. "I don't think I've ever seen someone kiss an another to win a spar."
I chuckled a little and rubbed the back of my head. In hindsight, it was feeling like more and more of a bad choice, quest notwithstanding. "Yeah. I just meant to headbutt her, but she moved and… well." I replied nervously.
"So how do you think Serra's going to do?" Jaeman asked, tilting his head towards the circle and I felt a cold shiver shoot down my spine as I saw that 1 of the Initiates that had stepped into the circle with Dooku was the girl I suspected had a slight crush on me.
"Fuck," I mumbled out as I realised that I'd said nothing to her as I'd left the circle and she'd just watched me kiss her friend/rival in full view of her. "I'm so dead."
"Hey, it's not that bad. I'm sure that Serra unders…" Darihd's words were cut off as the gong sounded and Serra leapt at her opponent, slashing rapidly and aggressively in a way I'd never seen before. Her opponent, who looked a little older than her, stumbled backwards under the powerful onslaught.
"What the fuck?" I muttered as Serra landed 2 quick hits before sweeping her opponent's legs and driving the butt of her saber into the other Initiate's chest.
"Winner Keto," Dooku called out and I turned to look at Darihd.
"What was that?"
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "At a guess, her channelling her anger into her attacks. I'd say Juyo, Form VII, but that's not taught to anyone below the rank of Knight." He replied adding another nervous chuckle at the end.
"Huh," was the extent of my verbal response as the girl marched out of the circle and towards us. Internally I was worried I'd hurt her more than I'd expected and that she'd just had her 1st brush with the darker side of emotions and the Force.
I stood as she came closer. "Serra, listen. I…"
I was cut off as she walked past me, clipping my shoulder in a way I felt was intentional. I stumbled backwards, landing on the floor on my butt, and watched as she continued to storm out of the hall. The only outward sign of the anger I suspected was flowing through her was the tightly clenched fists she held at her side; unnaturally not swinging with her steps.
"What was that about?" Jaeman asked as he and Darihd helped me up.
"No idea," I said but internally I knew that I'd hurt her emotionally with accidentally kissing Sia-Lan. I sighed at having to deal with this childhood bullshit and glanced at the 2 other boys. "I'll see you later." I walked off, hoping to find Serra and talk to her.
"Don't be too long. The free-for-all's in less than an hour." Darihd called out as I exited the hall.
I looked in both directions the corridor went but saw no sign of her, or anyone else. I sent out a ping with Force Detection, but it brought up over a hundred people within its radius of 400m. Without knowing which way she had gone, I had no way to lock onto which one was her.
"Dammit!" I grunted and punched a wall. All I could do now was relax before the free-for-all and hope that Serra calmed down before then.
'Guess this is what I get for only caring about winning a quest and handing out with kids who've known nothing but the Temple.' I thought as I began to walk to the mess hall. Though I slid to a stop as I reviewed my log and saw a red notice.
Skill Usage Warning!
You have attempted to access an age-locked skill.
[Kissing]
This skill is linked to your age and as such cannot be seen or increased until you reach the required age.
…
'Guess I should've seen that coming.' I remembered all the adult skills it gave me from my past life had been age-locked, so getting the warning made sense.You have attempted to access an age-locked skill.
[Kissing]
This skill is linked to your age and as such cannot be seen or increased until you reach the required age.
…
With nothing to do until the free-for-all in a few hours, I continued on my way to the mess hall then planned to just relax beforehand. I could've practised Makashi, but I doubted a few extra hours would make a big difference to where I finished in the contest.
.
I stood with the other 7 Initiates in the free-for-all for those 10-and-under and took a deep breath as the Battlemaster and the 2 Masters who were assisting him stepped into the hall.
Once we'd all assembled for the finals, but before we'd entered the sparring hall, I'd talked to Aayla about working together to clear out some of the others until only Serra and we were left. She'd been receptive to the idea, but Serra had simply glared at me when I'd tried to bring up the idea with her.
I'd explained slowly and calmly what had happened with Sia-Lan, making sure to say I was only looking to win, yet she'd just given me a cold shoulder and irritated me enough that I'd walked off before I lost my temper at her acting like a freaking child.
Which we both were technically, but we were meant to be Jedi, and be above emotions, or that's how the teachers drilled us in class about the meaning of the Code regarding our emotions.
I didn't agree with those teachers, but I kept my head down and stayed silent since making waves wasn't going to help me currently.
Serra's glare had intensified when Sia-Lan had wandered over to wish me luck – placing her hand on my arm as we spoke – and I was silently praying to both the Force and the PtB that I was taken as a Padawan as soon as the Trials were over or I might just quit the Jedi to avoid this juvenile bull-crap.
"The rules of the free-for-all are slightly different," Battlemaster Drallig stated as he stood in front of us with Masters Bondara and Dooku. "As this event uses the whole of this sparring hall, there is no way to be eliminated by stepping foot outside the hall. However, jumping to the viewing gallery above will result in instant disqualification.
"You will also be eliminated by taking 3 strikes to non-critical areas, being trapped in a fatal strike manoeuvre or rendered unconscious. We will call out when this occurs. This means that even if you are the sole survivor when the free-for-all ends, this does not guarantee victory. We will examine recordings to ensure that the order of elimination is correct before posting the final standings after dinner."
He paused and smiled at each of us in turn. "Regardless of how you do in the free-for-all, you should all take pride in the fact that you are the current best in your age group with a lightsaber but take heed to remember that a lightsaber is a mere tool of the Jedi; not the solution."
He turned and left the hall with Dooku and Bondara and 8 spots on the floor were lit up.
"Move to a designated start position." A male voice stated from speakers above and around us.
I walked slowly to one of the light sources, trying to not look upwards at gallery ring that surrounded the hall as I'd learnt that there were some important visitors to the Temple today as they wished to speak with me after the free-for-all.
I had initially been surprised about anyone outside the temple caring about me being here, but after a while thinking things through and I realised that my arrival would've set off a few notices.
The Galactic Senate must have received a report about someone arriving claiming to have killed a Sith before being taken in by the Jedi, so the politicians would be curious, especially a certain Senator from Naboo.
That had me worried that I'd already made it onto the Sith's radar, and possibly become a target to kill or convert to their cause.
I pushed those thoughts out of my head once more as the light marking the 8 starting points faded and the others all ignited their lightsabers.
I followed suit, sliding into a Makashi stance and breathing deeply as a klaxon sounded and the room was showered in light. Makashi was not a good choice for this, but since my only other option was Shii-Cho, and that was the most basic of Forms, I would just have to adapt and survive as best as I could.
DUCK
…
I did as the warning advised and felt the heat of a saber as it whizzed through where my head had been.…
'Crap.'
I turned, blocking a rapid strike from Serra before pushing her back with TK.
I opened my mouth to try and talk to her.
ROLL RIGHT
…
Again, I followed the advice and did so, but grunted as I felt a sting on my left shin; meaning someone had caught me.…
I looked up to see a green-skinned Twi'lek had engaged Serra, though Serra smashed through her opponent's defences with ease, scoring 2 quick strikes to the Twi'lek's arms.
Seeing an opportunity, I pushed my lightsaber forward and clipped the Twi'lek on her lower leg.
I heard Master Drallig's voice call out, but whatever he said was lost as Serra turned towards me and attacked.
I blocked, weaved and followed Precog's warnings for as long as I could, but Serra was just too fast and aggressive for me at my current level and I was quickly tagged twice more.
"Initiate Shan has been eliminated," Drallig called out and I stepped back, hoping/figuring that Serra would turn her attention to the others.
However, she swung at me again, and I was forced to pirouette away from the strike, and on instinct, brought my lightsaber upwards, managing to clip her hand; making her lose her grip on her weapon.
"Serra, calm down!" I said as I pushed my saber into her hand, not wanting her to be eliminated because of her anger driving her to focus solely on me. "Get your head back in the fight Initiate." I tried to push the Force behind the command and I watched as she blinked a few times.
"Cam? Wha... Ok." She turned from me and I sighed in relief as she moved to engage someone else. This didn't mean she was no longer angry with me, but hopefully, she wasn't blinded by her anger.
I picked up the lightsaber Serra had dropped and walked towards the exit, though I noted a flashing notice in my log.
Force Power Discovered!
Compulsion
This is the ability to persuade a target to do something.
Chance success depends on factors including reputation, emotional state and LUCK.
Force training, such as that of a Jedi or Sith, also affects the chance of success.
NOTE:
Certain Species are immune to mental Force powers.
…
'Sweet! Not much use in a building full of Jedi, but I guess even they are susceptible when emotional.' Compulsion
This is the ability to persuade a target to do something.
Chance success depends on factors including reputation, emotional state and LUCK.
Force training, such as that of a Jedi or Sith, also affects the chance of success.
NOTE:
Certain Species are immune to mental Force powers.
…
Now I had another power to level up, though how to do so without using it on Jedi was going to be an issue while I was stuck in the Temple. That was also why I hadn't bothered to learn it since arriving and learning about it in the Archives.
I dropped the lightsaber in a basket as the doors to the hall closed behind me, ignoring the Jedi standing there, and began to walk away.
"Initiate Shan," I turned at a voice I recognized and found myself looking up at Qui-Gon Jinn. "I have been instructed to escort you to members of the High Council. They wish to speak with you."
"Yes sir," I replied walking beside him down the corridor. "Did they say why they wished to see me?"
Qui-Gon smiled. "You are not in trouble, of that I am certain. I believe this has to do with how you arrived here and members of the Senate who are attending today's event."
'Fuck! I thought when they said after the free-for-all they meant later in the day, not right afterwards. Shite!'
I did my best to remain calm as I followed Qui-Gon down the corridors. A few glances at him to try and determine his age – and get a hint as to where I was in relation to the movie timeline – failed as beyond seeing he was probably in his 40s or 50s, there was nothing to indicate the current time, and Obi-Wan was not present.
I'd already learnt that the current Chancellor was a Human male named Kalpana and that Palpatine had been a member of the Senate for just over a decade, but that didn't tell me much. I was reasonably sure that Kalpana wasn't the Chancellor during Episode 1, but I wasn't certain exactly who had been, nor how long they had held the post before the Invasion of Naboo. This is what I get for not having seen Episode 1 in nearly a decade and the part played by the former Chancellor being relatively unimportant, save for how he was removed to allow Palpatine to ascend to power.
I breathed slowly as we entered an elevator and I sought to put my thoughts in order. As the doors opened and Qui-Gon stepped out, I quietly whispered to activate Player's Mind and called up my stats. A quick mental calculation told me I had about 20 minutes before I ran out of Player Points and Player's Mind automatically stopped, so hopefully, this meeting wouldn't go on for too long.
Eventually, we stopped outside a room in an area of the Temple where I hadn't been to before. We were in the central spire, however from the view, I figured we were a dozen floors below the Council Chambers.
"Grandmaster Yoda is inside along with other members of the High Council and members of the Senate," Qui-Gon stated with a soft smile. "They merely wish to discuss with you how you arrived here and your plans." He chuckled and looked each way down the corridor before leaning down. "A word of advice when dealing with politicians, keep your answers short, accurate and simple. That way they have no chance to spin things to suit their own narratives."
"Yes sir," I replied, already knowing that advice from my past life when explaining how things went wrong to superiors or hiding facts from those that I didn't want to know what my work entailed.
"You summoned me, masters," I said as I stepped through the door, figuring playing the loyal Initiate would help make things easier. I noticed Master Windu's brow rise a touch at me addressing them by their titles instead of my usual sir or madam.
"Ah, Initiate Shan, come, come," Yoda said, waving me over from where he was sitting with Windu, Sifo-Dyas and Belfarr and a half-dozen people who I didn't know. "Chancellor Kalpana, this is. Most interested in speaking with you, he is." Yoda added, indicating an older man who sat opposite him.
"Chancellor," I said slowly, bowing a touch to show respect for the office, and take my eyes from a face behind and to his right. Palpatine was here and I was glad I'd engaged Player's Mind beforehand.
"This is the child of Revan?" Kalpana asked and my eyes came back up to meet his, allowing me to take in features.
He was old, at a guess I'd say in his 70's, with his white hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, and sharp blue eyes that seemed friendly, but I imagined would've looked like ice when angered.
"Great-grandchild according to his story," Master Belfarr stated in a tone that made me want to smack him.
"A story that our technicians have collaborated by data recovered from the ship he arrived on." Windu countered instantly, given his fellow Jedi a short stare.
"Indeed. Most interesting." Kalpana said and with a smile, tapped a space beside him "Please, sit." The man where he had tapped stood, leaving a space for me, and moved to sit beside him, meaning Palpatine would be directly behind me.
"Thank you, sir." I replied as I sat down, turning to face the Chancellor. "Was there something specific you wished to discuss?"
Kalpana chuckled. "No, no. I like to attend the Initiate and Padawan tournaments when I can and after reading the report that was brought to me by my staff, and watching your remarkable performance in the obstacle course, I found myself most interested in speaking to a child of a Jedi still taught about over 3000 years later."
"Do not forget that his grandfather was a former Chancellor, nor that another famous member of their family was Grandmaster of the Jedi." I was again thankful for Player's Mind as Palpatine spoke.
Kalpana laughed softly. "I am aware Sheev. I read your comments about Satele Shan when I went through your very detailed account of the Shan family." He shook his head and looked back at the man who would – if I couldn't find a way to stop him – one day bring about the destruction of the Jedi and the Republic. "I never knew you were so interested in ancient history."
"My father was something of an enthusiast for military history, his love of it is one of the few things we shared."
"Forgive me, but who was Satele Shan?" I asked. I knew the name from having played a little of SWTOR, but I hadn't stuck with it as I'd never enjoyed MMO's. I had also searched the Jedi Archives for information on her, but it was limited to details about her time as a Jedi, with only a brief mention of her having had a son. I asked now in the hope that Republic records were more extensive, but I didn't expect hem to be.
"Records are, hazy, regarding your family tree, but Satele Shan rose to become Grandmaster of the Jedi Order during what was known as the Galactic War between the Republic and the Sith Empire. She was known to be a descendant of Revan, and came along a few hundred years after you, so she would've been your, great-great-great-grandniece, or something similar. The war was about 3,700 years ago if I remember correctly from Senator Palpatine's report."
"You do, Chancellor."
Kalpana turned from giving him a smile to stare at me. "I am a little surprised that you haven't researched your family in the Jedi Archives."
"The Council decided to restrict information about Initiate Shan's family from him, as we do with all Initiates." Windu stated slowly. I met his eyes as he spoke, a little annoyed by them doing that, but remembering that they had done the same to Serra, I quickly lost my annoyance. "Familial attachments are against the code of the Jedi."
"Hmm, I've never questioned the Jedi way, but would learning about what is ancient history really be a risk for young Cameron? You don't mind if I use your name, do you?"
"No sir. It's a nice change from being called Initiate Shan all the time."
He chuckled. "Yes, I imagine it would. So about those records?"
"We will discuss this with the rest of the High Council, but I do not see a risk in allowing him access to those files." Windu said with a slight bow to the Chancellor.
"Provided he stays," Belfarr whispered loud enough for everyone to hear and I mentally cursed him for revealing that in-front of Sidious.
Kalpana turned to me. "You do not wish to be a Jedi?"
"I am, uncertain, about my path." I answered slowly, trying to frame things to get Palpatine uninterested in me, without making it obvious. "While I am grateful for the Jedi for taking me in, it is difficult to let go of everything I knew and learnt before I arrived here. I find that what I was taught by my grandfather at times runs counter to the Jedi way."
"Living example of the reason for taking in Younglings so early, Initiate Shan is." Yoda added with a smile. "Though a tendency to use the force in unexpected ways, he does have."
"Yes, I saw the recording of his obstacle run. I didn't know Jedi could phase through solid matter." Kalpana stated and I knew Palpatine's eyes were on me; wondering how I did such a thing.
"It is an unusual application of the Force. Only a handful of Jedi even attempt to learn it and only 1 is known to the Council who has mastered the art." Sifo-Dyas explained.
"Indeed. Well, I can think of a few times when such a trick would be useful." Kalpana said with a chuckle.
"Maybe, but the usage of the Force in such a way is not commonly taught as it involves manipulating the laws of matter; an approach the Council has long since deemed as dangerous for learning by any below the rank of Knight." Windu countered. "Initiate Shan has been forbidden from teaching it to his peers."
"Though I know a few Masters who are interested in taking on the Initiate as their Padawan solely because he can do the unexpected, myself included." Sifo-Dyas countered with a small smile. "With the various conflicts occurring in the last few decades, it would do the Jedi good to have such abilities widely known through the Order."
"It sounds as though they don't want you to go young one," Kalpana stated to me with a smile.
"Maybe, but I am my own person."
He laughed softly, as did a few of his entourage. "Yes, you are." He reached behind him, and someone handed him a datapad. "Now, I've read the report that reached my desk, but I would love to hear, in your own words, how you ended up here; displaced by nearly 4000 years."
I sighed. "Yes Sir." While I had no interest in going over this story again – especially in front of Palpatine – I couldn't exactly refuse the Chancellor of the Republic.
…
I slumped against the wall of an empty conference room a few doors down from where I had met the Chancellor and sighed deeply.
What I had hoped would only be a 20-minute meeting – due to the limit on Player's Mind – had turned into a near 2-hour discussion.
Chancellor Kalpana had listened quietly as I told my story once more, tapping at his pad occasionally until I finished; then the questions began.
He'd asked about little things at first in my story, like where on Talravin we lived and what my daily life was like, before slowly working her way to what was different about technology then and now.
He had been especially interested in the fact in the time I'd come from, personal force-shields were commonplace and had clearly hoped I knew something about them since no-one today used them; save stationary versions used by rich individuals or expensive droids like the droidekas used by the Trade Federation.
He'd asked about other pieces of technology, but it was clear that he – or someone in his group who was subtlety manipulating him – was interested in getting their paws on technology that could potentially give them a leg-up in future conflicts.
I'd played dumb – which wasn't hard as I knew literary nothing – to those questions until I decided to turn the tables and ask about how the Republic worked. I knew that the current Republic was far larger than the one in Revan's time, yet I had asked why the military and security forces seemed so much weaker.
Of course, I knew that this was probably the work of the Sith over generations, but the Chancellor did not, nor did the Council.
Palpatine had agreed with me at that point, catching me off-guard until I worked out that he came from an Outer Rim sector; one that would be more at risk to pirates and exploitation than the Core sectors, and as such, should be pushing for more security forces in public.
Master Sifo-Dyas – whose name kept setting off a warning in my head, but I couldn't quite place where I knew it from – had also chimed in with his opinion that things were slowly deteriorating to a degree that open conflict between the Rim and the Core was a possibility in the next century or so.
Kalpana had then mentioned how private organizations, such as the Trade Federation, helped to provide security to the Mid and Outer Rim by arming their trade-ships.
It had been hard for me to not argue too fiercely against letting private companies arm themselves to such a degree, or be gaining seats in a supposedly democratically elected government by all but buying off Senators, without letting on I was far more mature and knowledgeable than my age suggested, but I had held my ground until a member of his staff had informed the Chancellor that he had a dinner meeting with the Senators from the Corellia and Alderaan sectors in 30 minutes.
The moment that it was stated I could leave I had bolted out of the meeting and into this empty room.
"That was fun," I muttered to myself as I slumped to the floor. "At least I have a timeframe to go on now."
One little tidbit that I'd gotten was that Kalpana was standing down at the end of the year and his main aide, Senator Valorum was expected to become the next Chancellor. Hearing that name – and having the Photographic Memory Perk – had helped me to link that name to the Chancellor before Palpatine.
Since I'd already learnt that a Chancellor could only serve for 2, 4-year terms, that meant I had no more than 8 years until the Blockage of Naboo took place.
Now I just had to come up with plans to slow, if not stop, the Clone Wars and alter things so that the Sith wouldn't win. Though how to do so was not going to be easy, nor did I expect it to be one giant single quest, though I suspected that if I could pull off all 3 'Changing Fate' quests, things would be different and hopefully better.
'Actually, I'm a little surprised I haven't gotten a quest to stop Sidious or the Clone Wars.'
Do you really need a quest to do try to stop the Sith?
If you don't do anything, you will die like the rest of the Jedi.
Or replace Skywalker as the Emperor's puppet.
As for stopping the war between the Rim and the Core of this galaxy, nothing can do that.
All the Sith have done is fanned the flames of discontent that have existed from millennia.
You even made mention earlier when in the room with a Sith Lord as to why this war is inevitable.
However, without the control of Sidious, the death toll will be worse.
Instead of billions dying in the war, trillions will.
This is a greater number than all those killed in the Clone Wars and by the Empire during its reign.
This will also leave the galaxy weaker when facing even more dangerous threats than the Banite Sith.
However, the choice is yours.
…
Quest Alert!
Sever the Head
Can you remove Darth Sidious from the board before the outbreak of the Clone Wars?
Rating: S***
Objective:
Kill Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious before the Clone Wars begins
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
30000XP
Death toll in the quintillions over the next 100 years
Penalties:
Your death
Death of everyone you care about
Death toll in the quadrillions over the next 100 years.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
"Um no," I muttered as I read through the rewards and penalties.If you don't do anything, you will die like the rest of the Jedi.
Or replace Skywalker as the Emperor's puppet.
As for stopping the war between the Rim and the Core of this galaxy, nothing can do that.
All the Sith have done is fanned the flames of discontent that have existed from millennia.
You even made mention earlier when in the room with a Sith Lord as to why this war is inevitable.
However, without the control of Sidious, the death toll will be worse.
Instead of billions dying in the war, trillions will.
This is a greater number than all those killed in the Clone Wars and by the Empire during its reign.
This will also leave the galaxy weaker when facing even more dangerous threats than the Banite Sith.
However, the choice is yours.
…
Quest Alert!
Sever the Head
Can you remove Darth Sidious from the board before the outbreak of the Clone Wars?
Rating: S***
Objective:
Kill Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious before the Clone Wars begins
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
30000XP
Death toll in the quintillions over the next 100 years
Penalties:
Your death
Death of everyone you care about
Death toll in the quadrillions over the next 100 years.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
It seemed that no matter what I did, the galactic death toll was going to be insane, which had me frowning as it suggested that even if I was able to change things so that Palpatine didn't become Emperor, there were still other threats to worry about. Which the PtB message had stated existed and was somehow worse than a galaxy-spanning evil empire. Also, what was a Banite Sith?
"Man, I sure picked the wrong bloody universe to be reborn into," I mumbled as I slipped to the floor as the reality of just how hard it was going to be to stop the Sith sank in; and the realisation that not having followed Star Wars, outside of the movies and Clone Wars cartoons, was going to be a major issue for knowing what was really going on in the galaxy.
"Player's Mind," I said after a while for sitting there and instantly felt the worry, fear, anger and regret drain away. "Man, that is so abusable I can't wait until I get high enough to just leave it on 24/7." Though based on how long it took to regenerate Player Points from 0, I'd have to be about level 25 for that to be the case.
'Right, I know I can't just go out and hire an assassin to take out Palpatine, but perhaps I can find other ways to hamper his plans.' I stood and moved to the door of the room. I needed to get back to my quarters and start making plans for how to weaken the Sith for when war did finally come.
"Initiate Shan, is something the matter?" I slid to a halt as I exited the room and turned to see Master Sifo-Dyas talking with the very man I didn't want to talk with.
"No sir. I just felt a need to meditate after meeting the Chancellor." I paused, keeping my eyes on the Jedi Council member and away from the Senator. "I felt I became too emotional at times."
"There is nothing wrong with being passionate about what you feel is wrong about the Republic my child," Palpatine said with a kind smile. "In truth, it is heartening to see such desire to change those flaws in one so young."
I nodded a touch, showing respect for his office even if all I wanted to do was grab a lightsaber from my inventory and gut him with it. 'Thank you, Player's Mind.' "My grandfather was keen on me speaking my mind Senator, however, such emotional outbursts are unbecoming of a Jedi."
There was the slightest wrinkling of Palpatine's brow as Master Sifo-Dyas smiled at me. "It is good to see you are taking your lessons to heart Initiate, but both the Senator and I share your concerns regarding the dangers the Republic is facing."
"Yes, however, we differ greatly on how to deal with our concerns," Palpatine added with the smile still on his face. "I know you are young, but what was the status of the Republic's standing military during your Grandfather's time?"
I shrugged a little. "I can't give you exact figures, but as I mentioned to the Chancellor, the Republic back then had fleets spread across the Rim and Core; the ship that brought me here detected over 30 cruisers in range as I left Talravin, most with Republic colours, I think. If that helps."
Palpatine nodded and rubbed his chin. "It does, it does." He seemed to be thinking about something. "I am unsure of the current status of Talravin's defence force off-hand, but I do know that the Republic military has only a single sub-fleet covering that entire sector."
"That's about 50 ships," Sifo-Dyas explained, making me nod even as I wondered just how unsure the Senator really was. He prepared a report for the Chancellor on myself and my family, and I suspected he was one of those who'd pushed her to ask me about what I knew of technology from Revan's time.
"That does seem low," I shrugged, "but I can't say for certain if the number of ships when I left home was normal or not."
"True. However, I know for a fact that 95% of the Republic military is patrolling the Core and Colonies." Palpatine added in what sounded like he was just adding to the conversation, but I could see he was fishing for more from me and trying to influence my thinking. "Many Rim-worlds are forced to rely on their own meagre defence forces. Republic law has strict controls on the number of ships non-Core worlds can have in their defence forces."
I nodded. "I guess I can see the Senate's thinking there but doesn't that limit Rim-worlds from raising forces to counter pirates and criminals?"
Palpatine smiled warmly and nodded. "That is my opinion too." He paused and looked at Sifo-Dyas. "It is encouraging to see that the Jedi are so keen to promote such outward thinking in their younglings."
Sifo-Dyas frowned. "Sadly, Initiate Shan is something of a unique case. Most Jedi do not share our concerns about the problems brewing in the Rim, nor the danger it poses to the Republic."
Palpatine's smile fell. "Hmm, that is most troubling." He turned back to look at me, kneeling a touch so we could see eye-to-eye. "Do know young-one, that your concerns are shared by some by others. Indeed, if you ever wish to know more about what is going on in the Senate or think of any ideas on how to improve things for all the Republic's citizens, please feel free to contact me. I am sure Master Sifo-Dyas will be more than helpful in arranging such a meeting."
I smiled back at him, though I could see through his plan. "I will Senator, but since I am currently an Initiate, and not allowed to leave the Temple, I do not know how likely it is that we can speak any time soon." 'Hopefully, it would be never again, but totally avoiding you might just make you suspicious.'
"You are only an Initiate for now young one. I expect the Council of First Knowledge will meet to discuss the next batch in Initiates to be taken as Padawans and I am certain your name will be mentioned." Sifo-Dyas said and I caught the very slight twitch of Palpatine's lips at hearing I that.
"Truly?" he asked, and Sifo-Dyas nodded. "That is impressive as I was under the impression that most younglings were not taken as Padawans until they passed 10 cycles."
"It is uncommon, but not unheard of. I do know that Master Koon was taken as a Padawan learner when he was only 9 cycles old."
"Hmm. Then it is even more impressive given your lack of time with the Jedi." Palpatine said to me as he smiled in a way that reminded me of Vaner Shan, though I doubted it was a pure as my grandfather's had been. "I will be watching your career most intently young one."
"If that is your desire," I replied, brushing off his interest before turning to Sifo-Dyas. "If I may be excused. I am feeling hungry and I'm worried that my clanmates will be worried about my apparent disappearance."
Sifo-Dyas smiled and nodded. "Of course. You should eat as you will be competing in the 13-and-under lightsaber duels tomorrow."
I bowed a touch, before turning and walking towards the elevator as quickly as I could without making it seem that I was running.
As the doors closed and I began to descent, I gasped as I was finally able to place who Sifo-Dyas was. The Jedi who ordered the Clone army. I'd honestly thought that It had just been a false name used by Dooku or Palpatine to hide their involvement, but if it was a real person, then he would be murdered by one of them – or whomever Palpatine got to replace Dooku if I could prevent his fall to the dark side. Perhaps there was a way to prevent that.
Quest Alert!
Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas]
Can you prevent or delay the death of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas?
Rating: B
Objective:
Delay the death of Sifo-Dyas for long enough that other Jedi can learn he placed the order for the clone army.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
2000XP
Large reputation gain with Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas
Failure:
Place yourself in Darth Sidious' crosshairs.
Death of someone close to you.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
I looked at the quest carefully. The quest was more about keeping Sifo-Dyas alive long enough to make sure other Jedi – presumably the High Council – learnt about him placing an order for a clone army for the Republic than preventing his death. Thus, one of the bonuses was probably about keeping him alive until the outbreak of the Clone Wars.Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas]
Can you prevent or delay the death of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas?
Rating: B
Objective:
Delay the death of Sifo-Dyas for long enough that other Jedi can learn he placed the order for the clone army.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
2000XP
Large reputation gain with Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas
Failure:
Place yourself in Darth Sidious' crosshairs.
Death of someone close to you.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
I was concerned about the fact failure could result in my ending up in Sidious' crosshairs – and I suspected that the fact it used that name there meant I would be a threat instead of currently being a possible asset – and the idea that someone close to me would die. The only people who even spent time with me were… Dragon Clan. Shit! Did that mean one of them might die if I failed this quest?
Player's Mind had cleared any emotional response to that already, so I could examine the quest logically, and I could only see 1 course of action. While the risk of losing someone that might be a friend was high, the benefits of keeping Sifo-Dyas alive long enough to warn the Jedi were greater. To quote another movie franchise; the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few or the one.
"Yes."
The quest disappeared as the doors opened and I walked to the mess hall calmly, even as I played over everything that Palpatine had said in the last few hours in my mind.
'Damm, he's good.' Nothing he'd said had hinted at a darker motive, and yet he'd phrased things, or added little details, to just shift the conversations towards topics that if thought about longer would raise questions about the Republic and its effectiveness.
…
Yes, I am well aware that the 'kiss' between Cam and Sia-Lan would've been more of then banging faces than a kiss.
But Cam, Sia-Lan and Serra all react like it was, though for different reasons.
Last edited:
Initiate Training 7
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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I stepped to the side a touch as my opponent swung his blade and then guided his blade away, making him stumble and allowing me to tap him gently near where his kidney was; or where it would be in a Human since the other Initiate was a Duros.
"Point, Shan," Bondara called out, and I grinned at my opponent. That tied the score at 2-2 in my 2nd duel in 11-and-older lightsaber duels having won my 1st duel by letting an attack phase through me before pushing that Initiate from the duelling circle.
The Duros leapt way, re-establishing distance between us as I smirked and taunted him by turning off my lightsaber, his red eyes narrowed at my actions, but he didn't leap into to attack me.
"What's the matter? Afraid to attack me?" I taunted, hoping to make him commit rashly. I'd come across this approach – known as Dun Möch – in the archives a while back but this match was the first time that I'd applied it in combat.
It felt like it was nothing more than typical taunting, but the files I'd read suggested that by applying a Force Compulsion to the taunt, it could unsettle an opponent and weaken their connection to the Force. Since Compulsion was at Novice 1, I was adding in a Force Weaken as well; that supposedly lowered a targets connection to the Force by a certain percentage for a while dependent on level.
The effects might be low, but even the slightest disruption of a target's connection to the Force might be enough to bring any of their fears to the surface.
The only issue was that using both cost 500FP each time, so I was reaching a point where I couldn't use it again without my FP going so low that Precognition and Bullet-Time would turn off; which would all but certainly cost me the duel.
"You think to trick me into a rash move?" the Duros asked as we slowly circled each other, his blade aimed at me while mine stayed turned off. "To charge in blindly like a fool?"
Time to just try good, old-fashioned taunting and see where that got me. I shrugged. "Well, if the shoe fits." He blinked a few times, clearly not getting the metaphor. 'Huh, figured that 1 would still work here.'
"Why would my footwear matter?" He asked with a blink of confusion.
I sighed and shook my head. "Never mind, you're too dumb to understand the level my mind works at. Is that normal for your species or are you a special case?" I asked with a smirk, which grew as his red eyes narrowed. "Ah, must just be you then," I added, rubbing in the insult. 'Man, this is too easy' Seriously, did the Jedi not teach the Younglings and Initiates how to handle a few simple insults?
He growled and stepped forward, his knees bending as if to leap, only to stop and take a deep breath. "No. I will not let you trick me."
"So no basic maths then?" I asked quickly, starting to enjoy the taunting. It was childish, but hey, we were both kids! "Like 12 plus 14. Or should I make it even easier? What's 2 plus 1?" I chuckled as he didn't respond. "Oh come on. That's easy. Here I'll help you."
I held up my hand and started to count loudly. "1, 2…"
With a growl he leapt, using the Force to propel himself higher than normal, his blade held high above his head.
As he began his downward arc, I closed my fist and yanked his lightsaber towards the floor.
My smirk turned into a smile as his eyes widened as he realised what I was doing, but he didn't release his grip and face-planted into the floor hard.
"3," I stated as I placed my still turned-off blade to the back of his neck.
"Winner Shan," Bondara called out as the light came back on and I rolled the Duros over.
"No hard feelings?" I asked as I held out my open hand.
He growled and slapped it away, pulling himself to his feet, before walking from the circle.
I shrugged at his behaviour, not bothered that he was pissed about losing, or that my taunting had worked, and walked out of the hall. No one from Dragon Clan was currently around as Serra's 2nd match wasn't for about an hour and Aayla's was after that, so I figured I'd head to my room to relax before my next bout.
"Cameron, wait up!" I turned and smiled at the familiar voice.
"Serra. You here for your match?" I asked calmly even as I wondered why she'd picked now to talk to me as we hadn't spoken directly since the free-for-all yesterday evening.
After the meeting with Chancellor Kalpana, then the short talk with Master Sifo-Dyas and Palpatine, I'd found only Darihd and Jaeman in the mess hall, which when I saw it was nearly 9 by the time I got there, wasn't a surprise. We'd sat at the same table this morning for breakfast, but she hadn't even looked in my direction, so I'd avoided talking with her. Instead, I had spent time with boys of Dragon Clan; the younger members asking me for pointers on Makashi while we ate.
"Kind of," She said, her eyes meeting mine for a moment before they darted away. "I, I was hoping we could talk. Just the 2 of us."
"Sure, how about my quarters?" I suggested since it was only about a five-minute walk from here; provided the elevators weren't busy.
"Actually, I was thinking we could talk in the Gardens," Serra said slowly.
"Sure." I agreed with a shrug and we walked quietly to the nearest elevator, then rode it in silence until we reached the garden.
She took my hand and lead me down one of the paths, ducking and weaving to avoid the overhanging leaves and branches until we arrived a bench.
"This, this is where I come to think by myself." She said as we sat.
"It seems peaceful."
"Yeah. I, I spent a bit of time here last night thinking." She took a deep breath and then turned to face me, bringing her legs up to sit cross-legged. "I'm sorry for how I acted. I was angry with what happened between you and Sia and I wanted to hurt you when I had no reason to be so angry."
I smiled and turned to face her. "There's nothing wrong with being angry, we're not machines after all."
"I know, but we are Jedi, or we will be, and we shouldn't let our emotions control us. There is no emotion, there is peace." She said, stating the first line of the Jedi Code.
"I prefer emotion, yet peace." She tilted her in a way I knew meant she was either unsure and/or curious about something. "It's an older form of the Code I came across in the archives, from before the time of my great-grandfather. I like it better than the one you quoted."
"Why?"
I smiled at her. "I'll leave it up to you to consider what the differences are, and why I'd prefer it. And I accept the apology." She smiled back at me. "Still not sure why you were angry though." OK, I had a good idea why she had been, but I had to act like an 8-year-old, and they wouldn't; at least not most boys. Her cheeks tinted red and I waved my hand aimlessly. "Doesn't matter anyway. You're my friend. My first one here."
She smiled happily. "Thanks." I turned back to face the path and we sat there in silence for a while, letting me slip into a meditative state to restore my FP.
"What did it feel like?" She asked, breaking my meditation.
"What?" I asked, silently hoping she was not asking about what I thought she was asking about.
"The kiss. What did it feel like?"
I kept my eyes straight ahead, not wanting to turn and face an 8-year-old girl who I was all but certain had a crush on me. 'This is starting to become an issue. How to stop this without losing a friend and someone I might need later on when it comes time to move against Palpatine?'
"I, I don't know. I wasn't exactly thinking about kissing her beforehand, nor have I done so afterwards." I said slowly.
"Hmm, ok." She said quietly and again we slipped into silence.
I felt her shift around a few times as we sat there, and I was certain she wanted to say more but was probably worried/afraid to do so. And there was no way I was going to say or do anything with her. Not now. Though once we were older, much older, I might be willing to see how far this could go.
I knew the Jedi were supposed to stay celibate, but my 'family' wasn't exactly known for obeying that rule, or others, and my great-great-whatever niece Satele had had a child of her own and still been Grandmaster of the Jedi.
Still, I was only 8 now and…
My thoughts were interrupted by a beeping sound and I opened my eyes to see Serra pulling her commlink.
"Um, I've got to go. My match is in 10 minutes." She said as she stood from the bench.
"Want me to come?" I asked, earning a smile from her.
"Sure."
.........
At the end of the day, I stood with all the other Initiates who had taken part in the Trails in the Room of 100 Fountains, patiently waiting for the High Council to speak. OK, I wasn't patiently waiting, I was just acting like I was so that this week could be over, the quest would finish, and I would experience the first level up of my powers.
"The Initiate Trials are now over, and we are impressed with how all of you have done," Master Windu said from the small stage where he stood with the other members of the Jedi High Council. "This year we've seen impressive displays from Initiates, young and old, and a new record set in the Obstacle Course that may not be challenged for some time."
I resisted the urge to smirk at the indirect praise, even as Aayla gave me a shoulder bump and others turned to look at me. I just wished I hadn't lost to Jon from Katarn Clan in the 3rd round of the lightsaber duels; though thankfully Serra took him out in the next round. I was impressed that she made it to the older free-for-all and it had me a little worried if I could complete the quest to beat her in a duel before we became Knights. But I had years to deal with that, so I wasn't letting it bother me too much.
"Tomorrow you are free to spend your time how you wish. That said, as always, no Initiate may leave the Temple without permission from a member of 1 of the Jedi Councils and an escort from a fully established Jedi." He stated, his eyes narrowing as they wandered over the crowd of children. "Additionally, the Council of First Knowledge will be speaking with most of you over the next few days to discuss your performance and future. Be assured that not one of you have failed the Order, nor will be dismissed from the Order for struggling at any event.
"Regular classes will resume the day after tomorrow. Dismissed."
I smiled as I saw the notice in my log for completion of a quest and another for a level-up, but I wasn't going to open them until I was alone to avoid comments about me concentrating on nothing.
"So what do we do with our time off?" Jaeman asked as Dragon Clan gathered around me.
"What about getting Cam to show us how to Phase?" Serra suggested, making Darihd frown, though it still looked strange to see someone do so when they lacked eyebrows.
"He is forbidden from teaching us how to Phase or Teleport."
Serra smirked crookedly. "Yes, but nothing was said about us watching him do it a few times to see if we can see how he does it."
I chuckled at that, as it was something that I'd thought about with the exact wording of the orders the Council of First Knowledge had given me regarding my powers. I should've expected someone else to spot that flaw as well.
"She's right. I mean, it's not like he is actively teaching us to do it. More like we're watching him practice." Aayla added with a smile that exposed her sharp teeth as she gave me another friendly bump.
"Yes, but there is the chance the Council would not look kindly on us trying to circumvent their ruling." Darihd countered, standing his ground.
"I'm with them," Sia-Lan said with a tilt of her head to the other 2 girls who'd spoken. "The worst they can do is give us extra chores as we'd not be actually breaking any rules."
'Well, they could kick you out of the Order, but that'd be an overreaction.' I thought to myself as Darihd rubbed his chin as Jaeman and Funt voiced their agreement with the girls.
"Fine, but we're not bringing the younger ones into this. Only those who were in the Trials." Darihd sighed, relenting under the combined weight of the rest of his Clan. "This is dangerous if it goes wrong and I'm not risking any of them on our decision."
"Agreed," Sia-Lan said with a smile. "Though once they take part in the Trials, we'll let them watch."
"Don't I get a say in this?" I asked with a smirk. Truthfully, I was fine with this, since I wasn't breaking the order, and if the Council got stroppy, I could use it as an excuse to leave the Order; or extract something from them to get me to stay.
"No!" Aayla, Serra and Sia-Lan said at once, which made me chuckle as I raised my hands in mock surrender.
"Fine. Far be it from me to go against 3 pretty girls." I said, making all of them blush to varying degrees. Aayla's was the cutest as her cheeks turned a soft lilac. I was a little surprised that Sia-Lan blushed, even if it was only a very slight reddening of her cheeks. 'Fuck, did that kiss have more of an effect that I realised?'
"Initiate Shan," I turned and saw a grey-skinned Sullustan approaching. Based on his height was in his late teens, but since the growth patterns of non-Human species was not something that I was overly familiar with, I was only hazarding a guess.
"Yes?"
"I am Padawan Sivv Sebbs. I have been tasked with bringing you to a meeting with the Council of First Knowledge." He stated slowly.
I sighed and turned back to the others. "Looks like we'll have to hold off on that," I said, being vague in-case this Padawan reported that they wanted me to demonstrate my powers to a Master.
Darihd smiled and gripped me on my shoulder. "No problem, we'll just deal with it later."
"Yeah, you shouldn't keep the council waiting," Serra said with a small smile, though it seemed forced and her shoulders were drooping.
I smiled at them and followed the Padawan through the corridors of the Temple until we stepped off the elevator that took us up the spire that contained the chambers of the Council of First Knowledge.
"They await you within," Sivv said before bowing and stepping back onto the elevator.
Once those doors closed, I whispered to activate Player's Mind then stepped into the chamber. "You wished to see me?" I asked as the chamber doors closed behind me.
"Indeed we do young one," the leader of this council, Master Vilbum, his mouth moving into what I hoped was a friendly smile. "You understand why you have been called?"
I shrugged. "To talk about my performance, I assume. That is what Master Windu said you would be doing."
Vilbum chuckled deeply, his wrinkled skin flapping about as he did so, and I was glad Player's Mind was active to avoid me cringing at the action. "Yes, that we do. That and more."
"To be blunt, you are far too powerful for one with so little training," Master Piell stated, his one eye narrowing at me as he spoke. "I for one feel you should be placed on a shorter leash to avoid you become arrogant about your powers."
"We have been over this Even," the dark-skinned woman with the strange headdress said with a sigh. "The Initiate exceeded our expectations in the Trials and others have stated their intentions." I frowned at the words of Master Gallia, the name having been supplied by Jaeman after my first visit to this council chamber.
"Intentions? What intentions?" I asked slowly, my own eyes narrowing as I took in the 5 Jedi Masters in front of me. Yoda was not present like last time, so I assumed he was not a member of this council but had merely been there to see how I reacted to their instructions the first time.
"There is no threat here Initiate," Master Di stated, his blue eyes catching mine. "Relax."
"Perhaps you did not understand Master Windu's comments about our meeting with Initiates," Vilbum said slowly. "In addition to overseeing the teaching of Younglings and Initiates, this council debates on the futures of the young ones; whether that means assigning someone to one of the corps or discussing with them a potential master for future training."
"And which is to be for me?" I asked slowly. I knew the 'Trials of an Initiate' quest stated I had a chance to be taken as a Padawan, but if it was to a Jedi on one of the Councils, or who worked permanently at the Temple, I was going to leave the Order.
Vilbum chuckled once more. "We are not assigning you to a corps young one. Though there are, issues, we need to discuss with you before we can allow you to continue your studies."
Piell grumbled even as Gallia spoke. "Normally, an Initiate is selected by a Jedi and if the Initiate agrees to the match, everything is fine. Occasionally a pair of Jedi show interest in an Initiate and this council helps them make an informed choice as to which Jedi is more suitable for their growth and the direction that they wish to take with their studies." She smiled softly at me as I listened carefully.
"Then where do I fit in?"
"You are a rare breed," Master Nilas said and as I looked at the old woman, I noticed for the first time that she had a strip of light-blue cloth covering her eyes. "A light within the Force." She smiled. "Not like any Jedi I have seen before. Darkness touches your soul, yet it does not taint your essence. It makes your shine brighter, clearer than any I have seen before." I frowned at her words.
"Master Nilas is one of a rare type of Jedi called Seers," Vilbum explained, obviously seeing I was confused. "Seers are adjusted to the Force in a way few other Jedi are and are prone to powerful visions of future events." His brow drooped a touch. "Though the visions are far less than they once were."
"And she had a vision involving me?" I asked slowly, not liking the idea that the Force was trying to control what I would do or manipulate the Jedi into a course of action for me. 'Is the Force actually sentient in a way that allows it to manipulate the Jedi like they claim the Dark Side does to the Sith? And if so, is it trying to stop me from making wave, preventing me from changing what is to come?'
"She did. As did 3 other Seers." Gallia stated with a small smile. "Such an event has not happened in living memory."
I was glad, really glad, Player's Mind was running, or I was sure my eyebrows would've merged with my fringe at what I'd just been told.
"They saw something about me?" I asked slowly, still not liking that the Force was seemingly trying to manipulate my direction while being curious as to what the vision was about. 'Hopefully nothing about the Chosen One crap.'
"That they did," Vilbum replied, making my brow rise rapidly even with Player's Mind active. "Though strangely none of the 4 visions matched closely with another." He paused and looked at Nilas. "However, that is not something to concern yourself with. The Seer Council, in conjunction with this Council, have discussed these visions and how they will affect your future training as a Jedi.
"You will be continuing your training with us, should you so choose." Vilbum continued with a smile that just looked wrong to me with the way his face wrinkled as he spoke. "But it is because of these visions that we made you our first summons after the Initiate Trials concluded."
"OK," I said slowly, not sure where this was going but certain that if I was assigned to a Master who wouldn't let me leave the Temple, I would quit the order. 6 months of this place was really starting to drive me up the wall, and with the Trials of an Initiate quest now finished, I had little to focus on within these walls. Everything else, save for what may be on the Holocrons in the Vault, whether it was quest related or otherwise, I felt was outside the walls of the Temple. 'I really need to come up with plans to hamper Sidious' rise to power and build a power base of my own.' Though how to do that, was something I still had to consider.
"Masters and Knights have come forward to seek your permission to take you as their Padawan, but it is here that an issue arises." Master Gallia said slowly with a smile, though I saw Master Piell frowning as she spoke. "Many have spoken to us of a desire to train you, though we suspect many are just curious about your unexpected abilities with rare Force powers."
I nodded at her words even as I considered them. I had expected that some Jedi would be interested in training me because of what I did in the obstacle course, but I hadn't expected many to offer to train me.
"This Council has considered those requests and lowered it to four, from which you are permitted to make a final choice," Vilbum spoke, casting a glance at Nilas. "Two of these Jedi you have met directly, while another you may have seen around the Temple. The last, however…"
"Would be me."
I turned at the voice and ended up staring at a damm elf!
'Thank God for Player's Mind or I'd be gawking at her like a lost puppy, if not drooling.'
The Jedi in question was tall, lithe and just breath-taking to look at. Her long, silken blond hair cascaded around her angular face while her grey eyes seemed to dance as she smiled down at me.
"This is Jedi Master Fay," Vilbum spoke with a touch of reverence. "She is something of a legend, or myth, within our Order. Indeed, this is the first time in my life that she has stepped foot within the Temple."
Fay laughed in an almost musical way and I had to look away to avoid looking too much like a fool. "Master Vilbum is too kind. I simply follow the will of the Force, one that guides me across the galaxy and for once, has guided me back here." While she spoke, her eyes stayed with me, or I assumed they did as when I looked back at her she was still watching me. "The Force spoke to me of a child torn through time and space, one born of warriors and Jedi, and yet not. One with the potential for true balance within the Force. It guided me back here where I found out about the child of Revan."
"I dislike that label," I said with a small frown. "And being seen in visions and prophecy," I added, making it clear – I hoped – that I knew about the Chosen One prophecy and didn't want any part of it.
Fay laughed once more. "Yes, most do. Yet you cannot deny that the Force has chosen to bring you to us, here and now. A time and a place far from your own. You cannot deny the actions of the Force."
"I deny nothing. But I am not a pawn in a game to be played by someone, or something, else." I growled.
"You believe yourself above the Force? That you are better than it and us?" Master Piell asked, his one eye narrowed heavily as he glared at me. "Then perhaps we should deny you further training."
"And allow someone so powerful to just freely wander the galaxy? That doesn't sound very wise." I countered, throwing his earlier words about me back in his face.
"Master Piell meant no disrespect young one. He simply stated, in his own way, that we all are guided by the Force. Jedi or not, it flows through and around us in ways even Grandmaster Yoda does not fully understand." Fay said with a soft smile as she stepped towards me. "I do not know if the Force's guidance has sent me here to become your teacher, or merely if it wishes for me to help you grow, but I accept this calling."
I bowed a touch. "I would be grateful for either ma'am." I turned back to Vilbum. "You said there were 3 others sir?"
"Yes. Masters Sifo-Dyas and Dooku have both expressed interest in taking you as their learner, as has Knight Lhan has also expressed interest."
"Knight Lhan is the Cathar Jedi who has been helping Battlemaster Drallig with Initiate training. He is new to his rank and wishes to take a Padawan before taking up his role as Watchman of the Mandalore sector." Di added. "He is young for a knight but brave and loyal."
"And these 4 are the ones you feel would be the best choices for me to accept as my teacher?" I asked cautiously, avoiding calling any of them my master. That had always bugged me about the Jedi.
"Yes. However, we feel that even if you decide now on your Master, you should remain as an Initiate until New Year Week, which is in 4 months." Vilbum replied. "This is not because we feel you are unready, but because all 4 visions shared 1 single, common trait. That if you left the Temple permanently in the next few months you would die."
"Then might I take these 4 months to get to know each Jedi better before making a final choice in the New Year?" I asked even as I processed that leaving early would result in my death, probably by agents of Sidious. 'Or more likely the bastard would abduct me to raise as a quote/unquote, Proper Sith.'
Vilbum smiled once more. "That would be a wise decision young one. Very wise. However, I must caution you to not mention our discussions about visions with your clanmates. We do not wish undue worry to affect them and distract them from their studies."
"Understood."
I suspected that mentioning visions and prophecy to Initiates was not a normal occurrence, and I could get their reasoning. I just hoped that this didn't cause me problems with the others or risk people starting to really think I was the Chosen One. '4 more months of this place? Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Still, I will have more time with Dooku and Sifo-Dyas so even if I don't pick either of them as my Master, I can get closer to them and hopefully change both their fates.'
"I look forward to learning about you over the coming months young one," Fay said with a smile that would've made me talk gibberish if I was in my teens and didn't have Player's Mind. "I suspect there is much we may learn from each other."
"As do I ma'am," I said slowly, keeping my eyes locked on her face.
"Feel free to ask for a further meeting if you wish to discuss your possible master young one, and if there is nothing you wish to ask, you are free to leave," Vilbum said with another of those wrong-looking smiles.
"Yes, sir," I said with a small bow.
Pivoting I walked slowly out of the chamber and into an elevator once one arrived; thankful it was empty, so I could start to examine the choices I had in front of me.
Dooku and Sifo-Dyas were both covered by quests, though if I failed then there was a chance that I could die with Sifo-Dyas if he was my Master or be killed by Dooku when he turns if I chose him. Though that was conditional on me failing the quests to save each of them. Also, Sifo-Dyas was on the Council and Dooku was working in the Temple as a combat instructor, so there was a high chance I'd be stuck in the Temple for a few more years at least, which I was firmly against.
Lhan was a virtual unknown as I had seen a Cathar male Jedi helping with lightsaber training, but he'd never trained me or Dragon Clan. Though he was clearly going to head out into the galaxy soon and would be heading to Mandalore, which meant Death Watch and Mandalorians, and created possibilities for building up friendships and weakening Sidious' power base before the Clone Wars.
Fay, however, beyond being beautiful, was a true unknown. I hadn't met her in the Temple, nor had the name come up in the movies or cartoons. From what little she had said she seemed to glide around, letting the Force guide her where it wanted. That sounded both useful and problematic. Useful as it would let me likely see more than just a sector of planets or Coruscant, it would leave me at the will of the Force; something that irritated me as it seemed to suggest a semi-sentience to the Force. Problematic, however, as it might make it harder for me to work on my current quests or any plans I had to build my own power base and begin to disrupt Palpatine's plans.
"Is the Force actually sentient?" I asked the empty elevator, hoping that the PtB would give me a response.
Sadly, they didn't, and I sighed in annoyance. "Was worth a shot."
The doors opened, and I walked quietly back to my quarters. I needed more time to think through carefully just what the pros and cons of each of my options for a Master were. And the privacy of my room would allow me to go through the quest completion and level-up notices.
'Is the Force really trying to stop me? Is it working against me because I was sent here by a higher power?' I wondered as I walked.
The Force was living but not and sought balance. Yet both the Jedi and Sith were wrong about what that balance was. 'So, balance involves accepting your emotions, yet not letting them rule you. Like the older code that I had come across; emotion, yet peace. Or at least, that's how I see it. And damm! The Force is the one bringing the Sith to power to achieve balance as the Jedi are an extreme that it cannot accept.'
I chuckled a little at that even as I tried to get my head around the idea that the reason the Sith kept rising was that the Jedi had, in some way, become too strong for its liking.
'Looks like I have to find a new path. Well, I've got 4 months or so to survive in this place, so that gives me time to create plans. For now, I should just get back to my room and sort through where I am.'
The rest of the walk to my quarters passed in silence as the corridors were empty, and I reached my room quickly and quietly.
Windu had stated that no Initiate could leave the Temple without permission from one of the Jedi Councils and an escort, so maybe I could persuade the Council of First Knowledge to allow me to explore the depths of the Temple with one or more of my prospective Jedi Masters.
'I'll have to wait a week or so before seeing if any of the Jedi are willing to escort me outside. Or I could claim to have had a vision about something dark under the Temple. I had one before about the attack on my grandfather's home, so it should be possible to fake something. But, if I do that, there's a chance the Seer Council may try to have me trained in learning to have visions. Which could see me trapped in the Temple long-term. So faking a vision is a backup plan to get to the Temple underground.'
I shifted my attention to the Stones of Muntuur quest and browsed the details. For that, I had to lift all 7 stones, which the quest was nice enough to inform me was 50 tonnes. With my current level in TK, I could lift just shy of 3 tonnes, but each stratum of the power increased the overall weight limit. Novice had been 2Kg/level, Adept 5Kg and Professional, where I currently was, was 12.5Kg. If that rate of increase continued – and if it didn't it just wasn't possible to lift the stones – then I guessed I'd need to be somewhere in the Prodigy strata to pull it off.
The bonus was probably time-related – either before the Clone Wars or the blockade of Naboo – so I planned to spend as much free time training that up as I could. Even if I did nothing more than levitating a datapad under a table while reading or meditating I would quickly gain levels in the power.
The You Can't Hurt Me and Just Don't Get Caught quests were just a case of focusing on a few set skills/abilities when I could, so they moved to the front of my short-term planning for what to focus on over the coming few months.
Beating Serra was going to take effort and I suspected I'd need to learn more than just Makashi to pull it off, so I pulled Haqu's lightsaber from my inventory – which now had 18 slots – and got into the opening stance for Soresu, only for a notice to appear in my log.
I slipped into the basic starting stance for Ataru and got another warning.
"Bugger," I muttered as I read and waved away that notice. "Fine, then I need to get some tutoring in Soresu to get to N-10 while working hard on Makashi until it reaches A-50." I moved to adopt a Makashi stance when a thought came to me and stopped.
1 skill I hadn't seen at the Temple so far, and only hinted at in the few records I had perused on lightsaber combat, was the ability to control an active lightsaber via the Force. I remembered Kreia doing it with 3 blades in KOTOR2.
"Now this could be fun," I said as a smile threatened to break my face and I placed the lightsaber on the floor.
With a simple gesture, I lifted the unpowered weapon and floated it to the far side of the room. Then I tried to ignite it.
I sighed as nothing happened and I a notice appeared in my log. Calling the lightsaber back to my hand, I opened the notice.
"Guess that trick is a long way away," I muttered as I frowned though it turned into a small smile as I realised there was another power I hadn't attempted yet, but that I knew I wanted to learn.
I pointed my hand at my bed and concentrated.
A thin, weak bolt of lightning shot from my hand and struck my bed, igniting my pillow.
"Fuck!" I yelled as I raced over and started frantically waving the pillow while using cyrokinesis to cool it until it was no longer burnt.
I stared at the charred black object and sighed. "Pity there's isn't a Force power that can restore this." I murmured as I threw the pillow back onto the bed. I turned only to stop, and frown. "Maybe there is."
I walked over and picked up the pillow before concentrating on it and trying to channel the Force into it. My eyes bugged out as the blackened pillow slowly returned its original white. "Well fuck me," I muttered as I dropped the now fresh-looking pillow on the bed and read the new notices.
I opened the window to clear the smell from the burnt pillow and exited the room. There were just under 2 hours until dinner, so I lifted the pillow with TK until my FP ran out then adopted the opening stance of Makashi.
…
Arc 1 over.
To be clear, while Cam could throw an active lightsaber, and call it back to his hand, what he was attempting was using a blade with TK to fight. (Think Keria at the end of KOTOR2)
"Point, Shan," Bondara called out, and I grinned at my opponent. That tied the score at 2-2 in my 2nd duel in 11-and-older lightsaber duels having won my 1st duel by letting an attack phase through me before pushing that Initiate from the duelling circle.
The Duros leapt way, re-establishing distance between us as I smirked and taunted him by turning off my lightsaber, his red eyes narrowed at my actions, but he didn't leap into to attack me.
"What's the matter? Afraid to attack me?" I taunted, hoping to make him commit rashly. I'd come across this approach – known as Dun Möch – in the archives a while back but this match was the first time that I'd applied it in combat.
It felt like it was nothing more than typical taunting, but the files I'd read suggested that by applying a Force Compulsion to the taunt, it could unsettle an opponent and weaken their connection to the Force. Since Compulsion was at Novice 1, I was adding in a Force Weaken as well; that supposedly lowered a targets connection to the Force by a certain percentage for a while dependent on level.
The effects might be low, but even the slightest disruption of a target's connection to the Force might be enough to bring any of their fears to the surface.
The only issue was that using both cost 500FP each time, so I was reaching a point where I couldn't use it again without my FP going so low that Precognition and Bullet-Time would turn off; which would all but certainly cost me the duel.
"You think to trick me into a rash move?" the Duros asked as we slowly circled each other, his blade aimed at me while mine stayed turned off. "To charge in blindly like a fool?"
Time to just try good, old-fashioned taunting and see where that got me. I shrugged. "Well, if the shoe fits." He blinked a few times, clearly not getting the metaphor. 'Huh, figured that 1 would still work here.'
"Why would my footwear matter?" He asked with a blink of confusion.
I sighed and shook my head. "Never mind, you're too dumb to understand the level my mind works at. Is that normal for your species or are you a special case?" I asked with a smirk, which grew as his red eyes narrowed. "Ah, must just be you then," I added, rubbing in the insult. 'Man, this is too easy' Seriously, did the Jedi not teach the Younglings and Initiates how to handle a few simple insults?
He growled and stepped forward, his knees bending as if to leap, only to stop and take a deep breath. "No. I will not let you trick me."
"So no basic maths then?" I asked quickly, starting to enjoy the taunting. It was childish, but hey, we were both kids! "Like 12 plus 14. Or should I make it even easier? What's 2 plus 1?" I chuckled as he didn't respond. "Oh come on. That's easy. Here I'll help you."
I held up my hand and started to count loudly. "1, 2…"
With a growl he leapt, using the Force to propel himself higher than normal, his blade held high above his head.
As he began his downward arc, I closed my fist and yanked his lightsaber towards the floor.
My smirk turned into a smile as his eyes widened as he realised what I was doing, but he didn't release his grip and face-planted into the floor hard.
"3," I stated as I placed my still turned-off blade to the back of his neck.
"Winner Shan," Bondara called out as the light came back on and I rolled the Duros over.
"No hard feelings?" I asked as I held out my open hand.
He growled and slapped it away, pulling himself to his feet, before walking from the circle.
I shrugged at his behaviour, not bothered that he was pissed about losing, or that my taunting had worked, and walked out of the hall. No one from Dragon Clan was currently around as Serra's 2nd match wasn't for about an hour and Aayla's was after that, so I figured I'd head to my room to relax before my next bout.
"Cameron, wait up!" I turned and smiled at the familiar voice.
"Serra. You here for your match?" I asked calmly even as I wondered why she'd picked now to talk to me as we hadn't spoken directly since the free-for-all yesterday evening.
After the meeting with Chancellor Kalpana, then the short talk with Master Sifo-Dyas and Palpatine, I'd found only Darihd and Jaeman in the mess hall, which when I saw it was nearly 9 by the time I got there, wasn't a surprise. We'd sat at the same table this morning for breakfast, but she hadn't even looked in my direction, so I'd avoided talking with her. Instead, I had spent time with boys of Dragon Clan; the younger members asking me for pointers on Makashi while we ate.
"Kind of," She said, her eyes meeting mine for a moment before they darted away. "I, I was hoping we could talk. Just the 2 of us."
"Sure, how about my quarters?" I suggested since it was only about a five-minute walk from here; provided the elevators weren't busy.
"Actually, I was thinking we could talk in the Gardens," Serra said slowly.
"Sure." I agreed with a shrug and we walked quietly to the nearest elevator, then rode it in silence until we reached the garden.
She took my hand and lead me down one of the paths, ducking and weaving to avoid the overhanging leaves and branches until we arrived a bench.
"This, this is where I come to think by myself." She said as we sat.
"It seems peaceful."
"Yeah. I, I spent a bit of time here last night thinking." She took a deep breath and then turned to face me, bringing her legs up to sit cross-legged. "I'm sorry for how I acted. I was angry with what happened between you and Sia and I wanted to hurt you when I had no reason to be so angry."
I smiled and turned to face her. "There's nothing wrong with being angry, we're not machines after all."
"I know, but we are Jedi, or we will be, and we shouldn't let our emotions control us. There is no emotion, there is peace." She said, stating the first line of the Jedi Code.
"I prefer emotion, yet peace." She tilted her in a way I knew meant she was either unsure and/or curious about something. "It's an older form of the Code I came across in the archives, from before the time of my great-grandfather. I like it better than the one you quoted."
"Why?"
I smiled at her. "I'll leave it up to you to consider what the differences are, and why I'd prefer it. And I accept the apology." She smiled back at me. "Still not sure why you were angry though." OK, I had a good idea why she had been, but I had to act like an 8-year-old, and they wouldn't; at least not most boys. Her cheeks tinted red and I waved my hand aimlessly. "Doesn't matter anyway. You're my friend. My first one here."
She smiled happily. "Thanks." I turned back to face the path and we sat there in silence for a while, letting me slip into a meditative state to restore my FP.
"What did it feel like?" She asked, breaking my meditation.
"What?" I asked, silently hoping she was not asking about what I thought she was asking about.
"The kiss. What did it feel like?"
I kept my eyes straight ahead, not wanting to turn and face an 8-year-old girl who I was all but certain had a crush on me. 'This is starting to become an issue. How to stop this without losing a friend and someone I might need later on when it comes time to move against Palpatine?'
"I, I don't know. I wasn't exactly thinking about kissing her beforehand, nor have I done so afterwards." I said slowly.
"Hmm, ok." She said quietly and again we slipped into silence.
I felt her shift around a few times as we sat there, and I was certain she wanted to say more but was probably worried/afraid to do so. And there was no way I was going to say or do anything with her. Not now. Though once we were older, much older, I might be willing to see how far this could go.
I knew the Jedi were supposed to stay celibate, but my 'family' wasn't exactly known for obeying that rule, or others, and my great-great-whatever niece Satele had had a child of her own and still been Grandmaster of the Jedi.
Still, I was only 8 now and…
My thoughts were interrupted by a beeping sound and I opened my eyes to see Serra pulling her commlink.
"Um, I've got to go. My match is in 10 minutes." She said as she stood from the bench.
"Want me to come?" I asked, earning a smile from her.
"Sure."
.........
At the end of the day, I stood with all the other Initiates who had taken part in the Trails in the Room of 100 Fountains, patiently waiting for the High Council to speak. OK, I wasn't patiently waiting, I was just acting like I was so that this week could be over, the quest would finish, and I would experience the first level up of my powers.
"The Initiate Trials are now over, and we are impressed with how all of you have done," Master Windu said from the small stage where he stood with the other members of the Jedi High Council. "This year we've seen impressive displays from Initiates, young and old, and a new record set in the Obstacle Course that may not be challenged for some time."
I resisted the urge to smirk at the indirect praise, even as Aayla gave me a shoulder bump and others turned to look at me. I just wished I hadn't lost to Jon from Katarn Clan in the 3rd round of the lightsaber duels; though thankfully Serra took him out in the next round. I was impressed that she made it to the older free-for-all and it had me a little worried if I could complete the quest to beat her in a duel before we became Knights. But I had years to deal with that, so I wasn't letting it bother me too much.
"Tomorrow you are free to spend your time how you wish. That said, as always, no Initiate may leave the Temple without permission from a member of 1 of the Jedi Councils and an escort from a fully established Jedi." He stated, his eyes narrowing as they wandered over the crowd of children. "Additionally, the Council of First Knowledge will be speaking with most of you over the next few days to discuss your performance and future. Be assured that not one of you have failed the Order, nor will be dismissed from the Order for struggling at any event.
"Regular classes will resume the day after tomorrow. Dismissed."
I smiled as I saw the notice in my log for completion of a quest and another for a level-up, but I wasn't going to open them until I was alone to avoid comments about me concentrating on nothing.
"So what do we do with our time off?" Jaeman asked as Dragon Clan gathered around me.
"What about getting Cam to show us how to Phase?" Serra suggested, making Darihd frown, though it still looked strange to see someone do so when they lacked eyebrows.
"He is forbidden from teaching us how to Phase or Teleport."
Serra smirked crookedly. "Yes, but nothing was said about us watching him do it a few times to see if we can see how he does it."
I chuckled at that, as it was something that I'd thought about with the exact wording of the orders the Council of First Knowledge had given me regarding my powers. I should've expected someone else to spot that flaw as well.
"She's right. I mean, it's not like he is actively teaching us to do it. More like we're watching him practice." Aayla added with a smile that exposed her sharp teeth as she gave me another friendly bump.
"Yes, but there is the chance the Council would not look kindly on us trying to circumvent their ruling." Darihd countered, standing his ground.
"I'm with them," Sia-Lan said with a tilt of her head to the other 2 girls who'd spoken. "The worst they can do is give us extra chores as we'd not be actually breaking any rules."
'Well, they could kick you out of the Order, but that'd be an overreaction.' I thought to myself as Darihd rubbed his chin as Jaeman and Funt voiced their agreement with the girls.
"Fine, but we're not bringing the younger ones into this. Only those who were in the Trials." Darihd sighed, relenting under the combined weight of the rest of his Clan. "This is dangerous if it goes wrong and I'm not risking any of them on our decision."
"Agreed," Sia-Lan said with a smile. "Though once they take part in the Trials, we'll let them watch."
"Don't I get a say in this?" I asked with a smirk. Truthfully, I was fine with this, since I wasn't breaking the order, and if the Council got stroppy, I could use it as an excuse to leave the Order; or extract something from them to get me to stay.
"No!" Aayla, Serra and Sia-Lan said at once, which made me chuckle as I raised my hands in mock surrender.
"Fine. Far be it from me to go against 3 pretty girls." I said, making all of them blush to varying degrees. Aayla's was the cutest as her cheeks turned a soft lilac. I was a little surprised that Sia-Lan blushed, even if it was only a very slight reddening of her cheeks. 'Fuck, did that kiss have more of an effect that I realised?'
"Initiate Shan," I turned and saw a grey-skinned Sullustan approaching. Based on his height was in his late teens, but since the growth patterns of non-Human species was not something that I was overly familiar with, I was only hazarding a guess.
"Yes?"
"I am Padawan Sivv Sebbs. I have been tasked with bringing you to a meeting with the Council of First Knowledge." He stated slowly.
I sighed and turned back to the others. "Looks like we'll have to hold off on that," I said, being vague in-case this Padawan reported that they wanted me to demonstrate my powers to a Master.
Darihd smiled and gripped me on my shoulder. "No problem, we'll just deal with it later."
"Yeah, you shouldn't keep the council waiting," Serra said with a small smile, though it seemed forced and her shoulders were drooping.
I smiled at them and followed the Padawan through the corridors of the Temple until we stepped off the elevator that took us up the spire that contained the chambers of the Council of First Knowledge.
"They await you within," Sivv said before bowing and stepping back onto the elevator.
Once those doors closed, I whispered to activate Player's Mind then stepped into the chamber. "You wished to see me?" I asked as the chamber doors closed behind me.
"Indeed we do young one," the leader of this council, Master Vilbum, his mouth moving into what I hoped was a friendly smile. "You understand why you have been called?"
I shrugged. "To talk about my performance, I assume. That is what Master Windu said you would be doing."
Vilbum chuckled deeply, his wrinkled skin flapping about as he did so, and I was glad Player's Mind was active to avoid me cringing at the action. "Yes, that we do. That and more."
"To be blunt, you are far too powerful for one with so little training," Master Piell stated, his one eye narrowing at me as he spoke. "I for one feel you should be placed on a shorter leash to avoid you become arrogant about your powers."
"We have been over this Even," the dark-skinned woman with the strange headdress said with a sigh. "The Initiate exceeded our expectations in the Trials and others have stated their intentions." I frowned at the words of Master Gallia, the name having been supplied by Jaeman after my first visit to this council chamber.
"Intentions? What intentions?" I asked slowly, my own eyes narrowing as I took in the 5 Jedi Masters in front of me. Yoda was not present like last time, so I assumed he was not a member of this council but had merely been there to see how I reacted to their instructions the first time.
"There is no threat here Initiate," Master Di stated, his blue eyes catching mine. "Relax."
"Perhaps you did not understand Master Windu's comments about our meeting with Initiates," Vilbum said slowly. "In addition to overseeing the teaching of Younglings and Initiates, this council debates on the futures of the young ones; whether that means assigning someone to one of the corps or discussing with them a potential master for future training."
"And which is to be for me?" I asked slowly. I knew the 'Trials of an Initiate' quest stated I had a chance to be taken as a Padawan, but if it was to a Jedi on one of the Councils, or who worked permanently at the Temple, I was going to leave the Order.
Vilbum chuckled once more. "We are not assigning you to a corps young one. Though there are, issues, we need to discuss with you before we can allow you to continue your studies."
Piell grumbled even as Gallia spoke. "Normally, an Initiate is selected by a Jedi and if the Initiate agrees to the match, everything is fine. Occasionally a pair of Jedi show interest in an Initiate and this council helps them make an informed choice as to which Jedi is more suitable for their growth and the direction that they wish to take with their studies." She smiled softly at me as I listened carefully.
"Then where do I fit in?"
"You are a rare breed," Master Nilas said and as I looked at the old woman, I noticed for the first time that she had a strip of light-blue cloth covering her eyes. "A light within the Force." She smiled. "Not like any Jedi I have seen before. Darkness touches your soul, yet it does not taint your essence. It makes your shine brighter, clearer than any I have seen before." I frowned at her words.
"Master Nilas is one of a rare type of Jedi called Seers," Vilbum explained, obviously seeing I was confused. "Seers are adjusted to the Force in a way few other Jedi are and are prone to powerful visions of future events." His brow drooped a touch. "Though the visions are far less than they once were."
"And she had a vision involving me?" I asked slowly, not liking the idea that the Force was trying to control what I would do or manipulate the Jedi into a course of action for me. 'Is the Force actually sentient in a way that allows it to manipulate the Jedi like they claim the Dark Side does to the Sith? And if so, is it trying to stop me from making wave, preventing me from changing what is to come?'
"She did. As did 3 other Seers." Gallia stated with a small smile. "Such an event has not happened in living memory."
I was glad, really glad, Player's Mind was running, or I was sure my eyebrows would've merged with my fringe at what I'd just been told.
"They saw something about me?" I asked slowly, still not liking that the Force was seemingly trying to manipulate my direction while being curious as to what the vision was about. 'Hopefully nothing about the Chosen One crap.'
"That they did," Vilbum replied, making my brow rise rapidly even with Player's Mind active. "Though strangely none of the 4 visions matched closely with another." He paused and looked at Nilas. "However, that is not something to concern yourself with. The Seer Council, in conjunction with this Council, have discussed these visions and how they will affect your future training as a Jedi.
"You will be continuing your training with us, should you so choose." Vilbum continued with a smile that just looked wrong to me with the way his face wrinkled as he spoke. "But it is because of these visions that we made you our first summons after the Initiate Trials concluded."
"OK," I said slowly, not sure where this was going but certain that if I was assigned to a Master who wouldn't let me leave the Temple, I would quit the order. 6 months of this place was really starting to drive me up the wall, and with the Trials of an Initiate quest now finished, I had little to focus on within these walls. Everything else, save for what may be on the Holocrons in the Vault, whether it was quest related or otherwise, I felt was outside the walls of the Temple. 'I really need to come up with plans to hamper Sidious' rise to power and build a power base of my own.' Though how to do that, was something I still had to consider.
"Masters and Knights have come forward to seek your permission to take you as their Padawan, but it is here that an issue arises." Master Gallia said slowly with a smile, though I saw Master Piell frowning as she spoke. "Many have spoken to us of a desire to train you, though we suspect many are just curious about your unexpected abilities with rare Force powers."
I nodded at her words even as I considered them. I had expected that some Jedi would be interested in training me because of what I did in the obstacle course, but I hadn't expected many to offer to train me.
"This Council has considered those requests and lowered it to four, from which you are permitted to make a final choice," Vilbum spoke, casting a glance at Nilas. "Two of these Jedi you have met directly, while another you may have seen around the Temple. The last, however…"
"Would be me."
I turned at the voice and ended up staring at a damm elf!
'Thank God for Player's Mind or I'd be gawking at her like a lost puppy, if not drooling.'
The Jedi in question was tall, lithe and just breath-taking to look at. Her long, silken blond hair cascaded around her angular face while her grey eyes seemed to dance as she smiled down at me.
"This is Jedi Master Fay," Vilbum spoke with a touch of reverence. "She is something of a legend, or myth, within our Order. Indeed, this is the first time in my life that she has stepped foot within the Temple."
Fay laughed in an almost musical way and I had to look away to avoid looking too much like a fool. "Master Vilbum is too kind. I simply follow the will of the Force, one that guides me across the galaxy and for once, has guided me back here." While she spoke, her eyes stayed with me, or I assumed they did as when I looked back at her she was still watching me. "The Force spoke to me of a child torn through time and space, one born of warriors and Jedi, and yet not. One with the potential for true balance within the Force. It guided me back here where I found out about the child of Revan."
"I dislike that label," I said with a small frown. "And being seen in visions and prophecy," I added, making it clear – I hoped – that I knew about the Chosen One prophecy and didn't want any part of it.
Fay laughed once more. "Yes, most do. Yet you cannot deny that the Force has chosen to bring you to us, here and now. A time and a place far from your own. You cannot deny the actions of the Force."
"I deny nothing. But I am not a pawn in a game to be played by someone, or something, else." I growled.
"You believe yourself above the Force? That you are better than it and us?" Master Piell asked, his one eye narrowed heavily as he glared at me. "Then perhaps we should deny you further training."
"And allow someone so powerful to just freely wander the galaxy? That doesn't sound very wise." I countered, throwing his earlier words about me back in his face.
"Master Piell meant no disrespect young one. He simply stated, in his own way, that we all are guided by the Force. Jedi or not, it flows through and around us in ways even Grandmaster Yoda does not fully understand." Fay said with a soft smile as she stepped towards me. "I do not know if the Force's guidance has sent me here to become your teacher, or merely if it wishes for me to help you grow, but I accept this calling."
I bowed a touch. "I would be grateful for either ma'am." I turned back to Vilbum. "You said there were 3 others sir?"
"Yes. Masters Sifo-Dyas and Dooku have both expressed interest in taking you as their learner, as has Knight Lhan has also expressed interest."
"Knight Lhan is the Cathar Jedi who has been helping Battlemaster Drallig with Initiate training. He is new to his rank and wishes to take a Padawan before taking up his role as Watchman of the Mandalore sector." Di added. "He is young for a knight but brave and loyal."
"And these 4 are the ones you feel would be the best choices for me to accept as my teacher?" I asked cautiously, avoiding calling any of them my master. That had always bugged me about the Jedi.
"Yes. However, we feel that even if you decide now on your Master, you should remain as an Initiate until New Year Week, which is in 4 months." Vilbum replied. "This is not because we feel you are unready, but because all 4 visions shared 1 single, common trait. That if you left the Temple permanently in the next few months you would die."
"Then might I take these 4 months to get to know each Jedi better before making a final choice in the New Year?" I asked even as I processed that leaving early would result in my death, probably by agents of Sidious. 'Or more likely the bastard would abduct me to raise as a quote/unquote, Proper Sith.'
Vilbum smiled once more. "That would be a wise decision young one. Very wise. However, I must caution you to not mention our discussions about visions with your clanmates. We do not wish undue worry to affect them and distract them from their studies."
"Understood."
I suspected that mentioning visions and prophecy to Initiates was not a normal occurrence, and I could get their reasoning. I just hoped that this didn't cause me problems with the others or risk people starting to really think I was the Chosen One. '4 more months of this place? Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Still, I will have more time with Dooku and Sifo-Dyas so even if I don't pick either of them as my Master, I can get closer to them and hopefully change both their fates.'
"I look forward to learning about you over the coming months young one," Fay said with a smile that would've made me talk gibberish if I was in my teens and didn't have Player's Mind. "I suspect there is much we may learn from each other."
"As do I ma'am," I said slowly, keeping my eyes locked on her face.
"Feel free to ask for a further meeting if you wish to discuss your possible master young one, and if there is nothing you wish to ask, you are free to leave," Vilbum said with another of those wrong-looking smiles.
"Yes, sir," I said with a small bow.
Pivoting I walked slowly out of the chamber and into an elevator once one arrived; thankful it was empty, so I could start to examine the choices I had in front of me.
Dooku and Sifo-Dyas were both covered by quests, though if I failed then there was a chance that I could die with Sifo-Dyas if he was my Master or be killed by Dooku when he turns if I chose him. Though that was conditional on me failing the quests to save each of them. Also, Sifo-Dyas was on the Council and Dooku was working in the Temple as a combat instructor, so there was a high chance I'd be stuck in the Temple for a few more years at least, which I was firmly against.
Lhan was a virtual unknown as I had seen a Cathar male Jedi helping with lightsaber training, but he'd never trained me or Dragon Clan. Though he was clearly going to head out into the galaxy soon and would be heading to Mandalore, which meant Death Watch and Mandalorians, and created possibilities for building up friendships and weakening Sidious' power base before the Clone Wars.
Fay, however, beyond being beautiful, was a true unknown. I hadn't met her in the Temple, nor had the name come up in the movies or cartoons. From what little she had said she seemed to glide around, letting the Force guide her where it wanted. That sounded both useful and problematic. Useful as it would let me likely see more than just a sector of planets or Coruscant, it would leave me at the will of the Force; something that irritated me as it seemed to suggest a semi-sentience to the Force. Problematic, however, as it might make it harder for me to work on my current quests or any plans I had to build my own power base and begin to disrupt Palpatine's plans.
"Is the Force actually sentient?" I asked the empty elevator, hoping that the PtB would give me a response.
Sadly, they didn't, and I sighed in annoyance. "Was worth a shot."
The doors opened, and I walked quietly back to my quarters. I needed more time to think through carefully just what the pros and cons of each of my options for a Master were. And the privacy of my room would allow me to go through the quest completion and level-up notices.
'Is the Force really trying to stop me? Is it working against me because I was sent here by a higher power?' I wondered as I walked.
Yes, and no.
Truthfully, we are unsure if we should tell you this, but we felt you needed to understand if only a little.
The Force is sentient, but not in a way you understand currently.
It is a force of nature, yet it feels the galaxy, the universe through the creatures within it.
And Like all forces of nature, it seeks the balance.
Sadly, simple beings such as yourself struggle for true balance.
Emotions, which the Force lacks, interfere with balance.
Yet to surrender to emotions, or cut them off, is not balance.
It is an extreme.
The Force accepts we have sent you into its domain yet is still trying to settle you into its need for balance.
…
That is all we are prepared to tell you.
Use it how you wish.
I stopped walking to read the message from the PtB and tried to process it.Truthfully, we are unsure if we should tell you this, but we felt you needed to understand if only a little.
The Force is sentient, but not in a way you understand currently.
It is a force of nature, yet it feels the galaxy, the universe through the creatures within it.
And Like all forces of nature, it seeks the balance.
Sadly, simple beings such as yourself struggle for true balance.
Emotions, which the Force lacks, interfere with balance.
Yet to surrender to emotions, or cut them off, is not balance.
It is an extreme.
The Force accepts we have sent you into its domain yet is still trying to settle you into its need for balance.
…
That is all we are prepared to tell you.
Use it how you wish.
The Force was living but not and sought balance. Yet both the Jedi and Sith were wrong about what that balance was. 'So, balance involves accepting your emotions, yet not letting them rule you. Like the older code that I had come across; emotion, yet peace. Or at least, that's how I see it. And damm! The Force is the one bringing the Sith to power to achieve balance as the Jedi are an extreme that it cannot accept.'
I chuckled a little at that even as I tried to get my head around the idea that the reason the Sith kept rising was that the Jedi had, in some way, become too strong for its liking.
'Looks like I have to find a new path. Well, I've got 4 months or so to survive in this place, so that gives me time to create plans. For now, I should just get back to my room and sort through where I am.'
The rest of the walk to my quarters passed in silence as the corridors were empty, and I reached my room quickly and quietly.
Quest Completed!
Trials of an Initiate
Objectives:
Advance to the free-for-all stage for your age group. [Yes]
Win at least 3 of your push-feather duels [Yes]
Complete the obstacle course with a time in the upper half for your age group [Yes]
[?] Place in the top 3 of the lightsaber free-for-all for your age group [No]
[?] Advance to the quarter-finals of the push-feather duels [Yes]
[?] Win at least 3 lightsaber duels against Initiates in the older age group [2/3]
[?] Win the push-feather tournament [No]
[?] Have an obstacle course time in the upper half of all Initiates [Yes]
Rewards:
1500XP
1000XP
1000XP
500XP
500XP
...
LEVEL UP!
Level: 8 - 9
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +12
SP: +5
SKP: +32
…
"Nice. Extra FP means more time using powers between meditation recharges and while not a lot, 2 Player Points means I can have Player's Mind on for a little longer. List Stats."Trials of an Initiate
Objectives:
Advance to the free-for-all stage for your age group. [Yes]
Win at least 3 of your push-feather duels [Yes]
Complete the obstacle course with a time in the upper half for your age group [Yes]
[?] Place in the top 3 of the lightsaber free-for-all for your age group [No]
[?] Advance to the quarter-finals of the push-feather duels [Yes]
[?] Win at least 3 lightsaber duels against Initiates in the older age group [2/3]
[?] Win the push-feather tournament [No]
[?] Have an obstacle course time in the upper half of all Initiates [Yes]
Rewards:
1500XP
1000XP
1000XP
500XP
500XP
...
LEVEL UP!
Level: 8 - 9
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +12
SP: +5
SKP: +32
…
Cameron Shan
"Sweet, I'm already a 3rd of the way to the next level." I spent a little bit of time examining my new status, and placed one SP in STR, AGI and VIT, bringing all 3 up to 9, and removing the small penalty that existed for the stats being under my level. "List Quests."Species: Human
Title: The Player
Level 9
HP: 130/130
FP: 4500/4500
PP: 18/18
XP [3530/9000]
STAM [108/108]
Hunger [0/100]
STR: 8 +
VIT: 8 +
AGI: 8 +
INT: 16 +
WIS: 12 +
CH: 10 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 6
SKP: 32
PerkP: 0
PPP: 0
Credits: 1116
Title: The Player
Level 9
HP: 130/130
FP: 4500/4500
PP: 18/18
XP [3530/9000]
STAM [108/108]
Hunger [0/100]
STR: 8 +
VIT: 8 +
AGI: 8 +
INT: 16 +
WIS: 12 +
CH: 10 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 6
SKP: 32
PerkP: 0
PPP: 0
Credits: 1116
QUESTS
These are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.
Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.
Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.
You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.
All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or greater running the risk of bodily harm, if not death.
Current quests are:
Tremors Of The Ancient Sith Empire
Forge Your Own Path
Cleanse The Temple
Changing Fate [Dooku]
You Can't Hurt Me [User Defined]
Stones of Muntuur
Wipe That Grin Off Her Face [User Defined]
Changing Fate [Anakin]
Just Don't Get Caught [User Defined]
Changing Fate [Qui-Gon]
Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas]
…
For more details, on a quest, tap it or say 'List Quest' followed by the quest required.
…
I whistled as I realised just how many quests I had. Yet as I thought through things, almost all of them were long-term, on-going quests. The exception being Cleaning The Temple, but since I had examined everywhere I could inside the Temple, I assumed that required me to go below the Temple and examine the mountain it stood upon. And for that, I needed to be a Padawan to leave… No, I didn't.These are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.
Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.
Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.
You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.
All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or greater running the risk of bodily harm, if not death.
Current quests are:
Tremors Of The Ancient Sith Empire
Forge Your Own Path
Cleanse The Temple
Changing Fate [Dooku]
You Can't Hurt Me [User Defined]
Stones of Muntuur
Wipe That Grin Off Her Face [User Defined]
Changing Fate [Anakin]
Just Don't Get Caught [User Defined]
Changing Fate [Qui-Gon]
Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas]
…
For more details, on a quest, tap it or say 'List Quest' followed by the quest required.
…
Windu had stated that no Initiate could leave the Temple without permission from one of the Jedi Councils and an escort, so maybe I could persuade the Council of First Knowledge to allow me to explore the depths of the Temple with one or more of my prospective Jedi Masters.
'I'll have to wait a week or so before seeing if any of the Jedi are willing to escort me outside. Or I could claim to have had a vision about something dark under the Temple. I had one before about the attack on my grandfather's home, so it should be possible to fake something. But, if I do that, there's a chance the Seer Council may try to have me trained in learning to have visions. Which could see me trapped in the Temple long-term. So faking a vision is a backup plan to get to the Temple underground.'
I shifted my attention to the Stones of Muntuur quest and browsed the details. For that, I had to lift all 7 stones, which the quest was nice enough to inform me was 50 tonnes. With my current level in TK, I could lift just shy of 3 tonnes, but each stratum of the power increased the overall weight limit. Novice had been 2Kg/level, Adept 5Kg and Professional, where I currently was, was 12.5Kg. If that rate of increase continued – and if it didn't it just wasn't possible to lift the stones – then I guessed I'd need to be somewhere in the Prodigy strata to pull it off.
The bonus was probably time-related – either before the Clone Wars or the blockade of Naboo – so I planned to spend as much free time training that up as I could. Even if I did nothing more than levitating a datapad under a table while reading or meditating I would quickly gain levels in the power.
The You Can't Hurt Me and Just Don't Get Caught quests were just a case of focusing on a few set skills/abilities when I could, so they moved to the front of my short-term planning for what to focus on over the coming few months.
Beating Serra was going to take effort and I suspected I'd need to learn more than just Makashi to pull it off, so I pulled Haqu's lightsaber from my inventory – which now had 18 slots – and got into the opening stance for Soresu, only for a notice to appear in my log.
Skill Usage Warning!
Level not higher enough for self-learning.
[Form III: Soresu]
To self-study, you require Adept 50 in Forms I and II and Novice 10 in Soresu.
…
"Heh, didn't see that coming," I muttered as I waved away the notice. "List Skills." I quickly browsed until I reached lightsaber forms and noted I had about 40 levels in Makashi and 7 levels in Soresu to meet the requirements. "I wonder if similar rules exist for the other forms."Level not higher enough for self-learning.
[Form III: Soresu]
To self-study, you require Adept 50 in Forms I and II and Novice 10 in Soresu.
…
I slipped into the basic starting stance for Ataru and got another warning.
"Bugger," I muttered as I read and waved away that notice. "Fine, then I need to get some tutoring in Soresu to get to N-10 while working hard on Makashi until it reaches A-50." I moved to adopt a Makashi stance when a thought came to me and stopped.
1 skill I hadn't seen at the Temple so far, and only hinted at in the few records I had perused on lightsaber combat, was the ability to control an active lightsaber via the Force. I remembered Kreia doing it with 3 blades in KOTOR2.
"Now this could be fun," I said as a smile threatened to break my face and I placed the lightsaber on the floor.
With a simple gesture, I lifted the unpowered weapon and floated it to the far side of the room. Then I tried to ignite it.
I sighed as nothing happened and I a notice appeared in my log. Calling the lightsaber back to my hand, I opened the notice.
Force Power Warning!
You attempted to use an advanced Force Power
[Lightsaber TK]
This power cannot be learnt until the following requirements are met:
TK: Master 1
Lightsaber [style]: Master 1
Makashi: Master 1
Soresu: Master 1
Shien: Master 1
Djem-So: Master 1
…
"Son of a… That's just not fair." I muttered as I waved away the notice. That was one of the coolest powers/abilities/tricks from KOTOR2 and here I was being told I couldn't learn it until I had mastered 4 different lightsaber Forms. Technically it was 3 as Shien and Djem-So were meant to be variants of Form V, but given that the notice listed them separately, I had to assume they were treated as independent skills.You attempted to use an advanced Force Power
[Lightsaber TK]
This power cannot be learnt until the following requirements are met:
TK: Master 1
Lightsaber [style]: Master 1
Makashi: Master 1
Soresu: Master 1
Shien: Master 1
Djem-So: Master 1
…
"Guess that trick is a long way away," I muttered as I frowned though it turned into a small smile as I realised there was another power I hadn't attempted yet, but that I knew I wanted to learn.
I pointed my hand at my bed and concentrated.
A thin, weak bolt of lightning shot from my hand and struck my bed, igniting my pillow.
"Fuck!" I yelled as I raced over and started frantically waving the pillow while using cyrokinesis to cool it until it was no longer burnt.
I stared at the charred black object and sighed. "Pity there's isn't a Force power that can restore this." I murmured as I threw the pillow back onto the bed. I turned only to stop, and frown. "Maybe there is."
I walked over and picked up the pillow before concentrating on it and trying to channel the Force into it. My eyes bugged out as the blackened pillow slowly returned its original white. "Well fuck me," I muttered as I dropped the now fresh-looking pillow on the bed and read the new notices.
Force Power Discovered!
Lightning
This is the ability to generate a bolt of energy that behaves like lightning.
Range and damage are dependent on level.
…
Force Power Discovered!
Restore
By channelling the Force into an object, you can restore the damage done to it.
The rate of restoration depends on the current level.
…
"Sweet," I said with a huge grin. "Now I can level lightning up without worrying about destroying my room."Lightning
This is the ability to generate a bolt of energy that behaves like lightning.
Range and damage are dependent on level.
…
Force Power Discovered!
Restore
By channelling the Force into an object, you can restore the damage done to it.
The rate of restoration depends on the current level.
…
I opened the window to clear the smell from the burnt pillow and exited the room. There were just under 2 hours until dinner, so I lifted the pillow with TK until my FP ran out then adopted the opening stance of Makashi.
…
Arc 1 over.
To be clear, while Cam could throw an active lightsaber, and call it back to his hand, what he was attempting was using a blade with TK to fight. (Think Keria at the end of KOTOR2)
Last edited:
Stats at end of Initiate Training Arc
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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STATS
Cameron Shan
Cameron Shan
Species: Human
Title: The Player
Level 9
HP: 140/140
FP: 4500/4500
PP: 18/18
XP [3530/9000]
STAM [121/121]
Hunger [100/100]
STR: 9 + VIT: 9 + AGI: 9 +
INT: 16 + WIS: 12 + CH: 10 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 3
SKP: 32
PerkP: 0
PPP: 1
Credits: 1116
Title: The Player
Level 9
HP: 140/140
FP: 4500/4500
PP: 18/18
XP [3530/9000]
STAM [121/121]
Hunger [100/100]
STR: 9 + VIT: 9 + AGI: 9 +
INT: 16 + WIS: 12 + CH: 10 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 3
SKP: 32
PerkP: 0
PPP: 1
Credits: 1116
SKILLS
Lightsaber [Standard]
Professional 13
Form 1 Shii-Cho
Adept 58
Form 2 Makashi
Adept 12
Form 3 Soresu
Novice 3
Hand to Hand [General]
Professional 30
Melee Weapons [2-handed]
Adept 1
Melee Weapons [1-handed]
Professional 3
Melee Weapons [Thrown]
Adept 15
Marksmanship
Adept 97
Ranged Weapons [1-handed]
Professional 5
Ranged Weapons [2-handed]
Professional 40
Ranged Weapons [Heavy]
Adept 2
Piloting [Atmospheric]
Novice 25
Piloting [Space]
Novice 25
Riding [4-legged]
Novice 34
Stealth
Adept 65
Sleight of Hand
Novice 45
Lockpicking
Novice 15
Cleaning
Adept 16
Cooking
Novice 67
Musical Instrument [Guitar]
Adept 1
Damage Resistance [Physical]
Novice 9
Damage Resistance [Energy]
Novice 17
Athletics
Adept 23
Swimming
Adept 50
Astrogation
Adept 5
Computer [Slicing]
Adept 7
Computer [Programming]
Adept 5
Computer [Electronics]
Novice 75
Language [Basic]
Master 26
Language [Huttese]
Adept 77
Language [Binary]
Adept 22
Language [German]
Adept 12
Economics
Adept 11
Mechanics [Engines]
Adept 4
Mechanics [Speeders]
Novice 75
Mechanics [Fighters]
Novice 75
Mechanics [Starships]
Adept 64
Medicine [First Aid]
Adept 36
Anatomy [Human]
Adept 18
Anatomy [Twi'lek]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Zabrak]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Duros]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Ithorian]
Novice 9
Forensics
Novice 67
Warfare [Ground]
Professional 46
Warfare [Space]
Novice 55
Concentration
100
Composure
38/100
Danger Sense
21/100
Meditation
100/100
Deception
Adept 1
Lie Detection
Novice 76
Perception
Adept 75
Survival
Adept 74
Persuasion
Adept 6
Intimidation/Taunting
Adept 3
Singing
Novice 56
Negotiation
Novice 45
Professional 13
Form 1 Shii-Cho
Adept 58
Form 2 Makashi
Adept 12
Form 3 Soresu
Novice 3
Hand to Hand [General]
Professional 30
Melee Weapons [2-handed]
Adept 1
Melee Weapons [1-handed]
Professional 3
Melee Weapons [Thrown]
Adept 15
Marksmanship
Adept 97
Ranged Weapons [1-handed]
Professional 5
Ranged Weapons [2-handed]
Professional 40
Ranged Weapons [Heavy]
Adept 2
Piloting [Atmospheric]
Novice 25
Piloting [Space]
Novice 25
Riding [4-legged]
Novice 34
Stealth
Adept 65
Sleight of Hand
Novice 45
Lockpicking
Novice 15
Cleaning
Adept 16
Cooking
Novice 67
Musical Instrument [Guitar]
Adept 1
Damage Resistance [Physical]
Novice 9
Damage Resistance [Energy]
Novice 17
Athletics
Adept 23
Swimming
Adept 50
Astrogation
Adept 5
Computer [Slicing]
Adept 7
Computer [Programming]
Adept 5
Computer [Electronics]
Novice 75
Language [Basic]
Master 26
Language [Huttese]
Adept 77
Language [Binary]
Adept 22
Language [German]
Adept 12
Economics
Adept 11
Mechanics [Engines]
Adept 4
Mechanics [Speeders]
Novice 75
Mechanics [Fighters]
Novice 75
Mechanics [Starships]
Adept 64
Medicine [First Aid]
Adept 36
Anatomy [Human]
Adept 18
Anatomy [Twi'lek]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Zabrak]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Duros]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Ithorian]
Novice 9
Forensics
Novice 67
Warfare [Ground]
Professional 46
Warfare [Space]
Novice 55
Concentration
100
Composure
38/100
Danger Sense
21/100
Meditation
100/100
Deception
Adept 1
Lie Detection
Novice 76
Perception
Adept 75
Survival
Adept 74
Persuasion
Adept 6
Intimidation/Taunting
Adept 3
Singing
Novice 56
Negotiation
Novice 45
FORCE POWERS
Telekinesis
Professional 39
Serenity [Meditation]
Prodigy 100 [Maxed]
Heal
Novice 18
Restore
Novice 1
Breath Control
Novice 30
Vision
Novice 2
Detection
Novice 40
Cloak
Savant 10
Comprehend Speech
Novice 1
Empathy
Novice 1
Sense Force
Novice 37
Precognition
Novice 29
Sight
Novice 36
Suppression
Novice 12
Speed
Novice 16
Bullet Time [Reflex]
Novice 44
Stun
Novice 1
Blast
Adept 43
Enhance Stats
Novice 1
Enhance Skill
Novice 1
Jump
Novice 1
Cryokinesis
Novice 62
Pyrokinesis
Novice 62
Force Weaken
Novice 1
Phase
Adept 15
Teleport
Novice 2
Barrier
Novice 1
Compulsion
Novice 1
Lightning
Novice 1
Professional 39
Serenity [Meditation]
Prodigy 100 [Maxed]
Heal
Novice 18
Restore
Novice 1
Breath Control
Novice 30
Vision
Novice 2
Detection
Novice 40
Cloak
Savant 10
Comprehend Speech
Novice 1
Empathy
Novice 1
Sense Force
Novice 37
Precognition
Novice 29
Sight
Novice 36
Suppression
Novice 12
Speed
Novice 16
Bullet Time [Reflex]
Novice 44
Stun
Novice 1
Blast
Adept 43
Enhance Stats
Novice 1
Enhance Skill
Novice 1
Jump
Novice 1
Cryokinesis
Novice 62
Pyrokinesis
Novice 62
Force Weaken
Novice 1
Phase
Adept 15
Teleport
Novice 2
Barrier
Novice 1
Compulsion
Novice 1
Lightning
Novice 1
PERKS
Force Prodigy
Photographic Memory
Empathy
Ambidextrous
Photographic Memory
Empathy
Ambidextrous
PLAYER POWERS
Player's Mind
Player's Body
Inventory
Player's Body
Inventory
TITLES
The Player
Leader [2/10]
Jedi [1/5]
Leader [2/10]
Jedi [1/5]
Last edited:
Crystal Stars 1
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2019
- Messages
- 514
- Likes received
- 27,914
The sun was just creeping into the room as I growled as I looked at my private datapad. It was the one that contained the flight logs of the ship that brought me to Coruscant and the worlds of the Sith Empire – and was stored in my Inventory – but that was not what I was not what was making my anger grow.
What was grating on my nerves was the fact that every idea I had about how to delay, weaken and counter Sidious' plans seemed to boil down to the same underlying issue: Money. Whatever I could think of – beyond just assassinating the current Senator, which the PtB had suggested with the 'Sever the Head' quest would actually make things worse in the long term– were long, drawn-out plans that would take time, effort and money. Lots and lots of money.
"I really need to figure out how I'm going to go against what is probably a massive, secret war-chest that the Sith have built up over a millennium, if not longer," I muttered as I looked at the list.
"I wonder if I can get Dooku to become Count without leaving the Jedi?" I mused, figuring that the title must've made him rich. That was based on what was seen of his private estate in the Clone Wars cartoons, but there was always a chance the title was more political than financial; like many minor members of the royal family in Britain in my past life. Sure, they all lived very comfortably, but I think only Queen Elizabeth had much in the way of financial holdings; and even then, she wasn't close to being the richest person in Britain.
"Right so how do I make money?" I muttered as I tapped my finger on the table beside the pad as I sat quietly in my quarters. "I could invest in companies that create the battle-droids used by the Trade Federation, but even then, I need cash to do so," I growled once more. "Maybe I should just rob someone," I muttered with a small chuckle which petered out as I started to consider the random idea.
"Maybe I could rob someone. It's not like everyone in the galaxy are nice and deserve what they have. And I could use Compulsion to…" My self-discussion trailed off a small hatch in the wall near the door opened and a scuttle-droid rolled in. The things wandered around the temple constantly cleaning the floors while other droids cleaned the walls or carried supplies back and forth. "Buggers are everywhere," I mumbled as the droid sped around the room.
As I watched it speed around, my mind wandered as to how much access this droid – and its siblings – had to the Temple. They had to have access to every room in the place, sleeping quarters, training rooms, the hanger bay and council chambers. Heck probably even had access to the Holocron V…
'OK. Now that could be useful.' I thought as I focused on the small tan-brown droid. 'If droids have a way into the vault, then it is possible I could use it to gain access to the Holocrons.' I needed to get my computing skills to higher levels and I remembered I had a quest to do just that.
I called up the quest lists and expanded 'Just Don't Get Caught'.
'OK, the rewards don't kick in until I'm 16 it seems, but nothing is stopping me from getting to the base levels earlier. And the three short term quests I have don't overlap so I don't have to worry about taking time for them from working on my other skills.'
Those three quests were Competent Duellist and Trainee Space Ranger/Ace. The first was just a push/reward to get Makashi to Professional 1 before the year was out while the two Trainee quests were to get the piloting skills for space and atmosphere to Adept 1 in the same timeframe. They had come to me once I had started flight training after the Initiate Trials had ended; about three weeks ago. It was interesting that Dragon Clan was being taught by Knight Lhan, one of the four Jedi the Council of First Knowledge had recommended for me to take as my trainer.
I was not going to refer to whomever it was – if it was anyone as I was still considering just going solo, though I was less keen to do so now that I realised Sidious knew about me – as Master as the term held issues with granting someone power/ownership over me. How the Jedi didn't see that Anakin must've felt the same I didn't understand but put it down to institutionalized blindness.
I was drawn out of my thoughts when the cleaning droid smacked into my foot.
"Damm it you little… Go away!" I growled. The droid ignored me but a small purple notice in my log drew my attention.
Assuming Mind Probe and Memory Rub were what I suspected they were – reading and manipulating minds – and that they were advanced forms of Compulsion like how Lightsaber TK was to TK, then if I could get all three to high enough levels, I could simply take control of certain individuals.
Though it would take a long, long time to get the powers levelled up as Compulsion was 250FP a pop and I had to assume the others would be even more expensive/taxing to use.
"Something to work towards, without making it a quest," I added to prevent my interface from offering another quest. This was going to be a slow, background plan that I didn't want interfering with my current, and future, short-term quests.
Was I abusing the powers I had? Probably, but why shouldn't I use and abuse them to give myself the best chance to succeed and survive in this galaxy.
I went back to watching as the droid as it continued to move around the room and hit it with Compulsions until I ran out of FP, then became bored as it kept cleaning then I began to think about where the main control system was for the cleaning and maintenance droids in the temple, and how easy/difficult it would be to access that room.
'I imagine it is behind multiple locked doors with cameras and other security measures in place to avoid tampering. Hmm, entering the room would be difficult, however, if I was to install a worm into a cleaning droid, it might upload that to the central computer. If programmed correctly, I could have the computer transfer everything that happened in the Temple to an outside server, provided it had network access, which I could then pursue at my leisure. Damm, that seems like…' "Fuck!" I spat out as my train of thought led me to realise that I may have just found a huge flaw in the Temple's security.
I lifted my datapad and quickly opened another file. This file covered the ways that the Sith could monitor/spy on the Jedi. I suspected they must have access to Senate records – especially since Palpatine was a Senator – but I hadn't considered they could actively spy on the Jedi themselves.
"Great, so I just found a potentially major security flaw. I would assume the Jedi have closed that flaw, but if they haven't…" My voice trailed off as I stared at the droid as it left my room. "Well fuck."
I dropped the datapad back in my Inventory and exited the room, planning to find someone to tell. But who to talk to?
Dooku and Sifo-Dyas were out. While both were respected and Sifo-Dyas sat on the High Council, both talked regularly with Palpatine so he could ask them subtlety who had closed the flaw; which would draw his attention to me even more.
Fay, while someone held in high regard by other Jedi, was not a regular to the Temple, so I doubted she had much understanding of the daily activities that went on here. Lhan was a new Knight, so lacked authority.
"Guess I need to find Yoda or Windu then." I murmured to myself as I walked the quiet corridors. Now just to find them. The most likely places at this time in the morning were either the mess halls or a meditation room. But which way to go?
"Ug."
"Damm." I spat as I crashed to the floor having bounced off someone and fallen backwards.
"Cameron? Are you alright?" A male voice asked, and I looked up to see Master Giiett looking down at me with a slightly creased brow.
"Yes sir. Just was lost in thought." I replied as he helped me stand before I gently patted my robe. "Sorry for not looking where I was going."
"I believe we were both guilty of that Cameron." He countered as he reached down and picked up a datapad. "What has you moving so fast this early in the morning?"
I opened my mouth to mutter out a half-hearted excuse when it occurred to me that Master Giiett might just be the Jedi I needed to talk to. He was a High Council member and a Sentinel; a Jedi charged with hunting down Dark Side users and their influence across the galaxy. Sure, he and the rest were missing the Sith Lord in the Senate, but otherwise, I felt he was competent at his job.
"I, I think I've found a security breach," I said slowly. "I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that I'm not."
Giiett's brow creased as he looked down at me. "And what is this breach you believe you have found?"
I mentally thanked him for not just ignoring my concern as I think some of the other High Council members might.
"I…" I paused as another cleaning droid – though it could've been the same one as from my room – shot across the floor behind him. "I would rather discuss that in private. Away from anything that could monitor us." I said slowly, tilting my head to the droid.
Giiett's eyes caught my movement before drifting skywards for a moment. "Hmm. Perhaps that would be for the best. Come." He turned and walked back the way he had come from and I quickly fell into step beside him.
"I saw the recordings of your performance in the Initiate Trials," he began as we entered an elevator, "and read the reports from the Council of First Knowledge. I had expected you to do well in the Trials, but phasing, teleporting and showing an interest in Makashi?" He chuckled and shook his head. "There is doing well, and then there's rubbing everyone else's faces in the dirt."
"I… that was not my intention." I countered slowly as we exited the elevator and I noted we were now on levels that Initiates were restricted from going to unaccompanied. "I simply knew I had to think outside the box if I wanted to do well."
Giiett laughed and shook his head. "You did more than 'well', Cameron. You shattered the course record for the obstacle course. And I mean the temple record, not the Initiate one. And you made Master Dooku smile."
"What?" I couldn't help but stumble and blurt out at that comment. While I respected Dooku's ability with Makashi, and actually enjoyed the gruff no-nonsense manner he had – probably as it reminded me of my old life – I had never seen the slightest hint the man could smile.
Giiett laughed once more as he glanced at me. "He smiled. Sure, he tried hard to hide it, but I have known him since I was an Initiate." We entered a small room that was obviously an office of some sort as Giiett slipped around the desk and sat while indicating for me to do the same.
"Now, what is this concern you have?" He asked and I explained what I had considered about the droids and how someone could use them to monitor them every day, and restricted if the droids had access to the Council chambers, workings of the Jedi.
Through my short explanation – which avoided getting into why I was thinking about the droids and their programming – he sat there quietly and when I finished, he leaned back in his chair and tapped his forefingers on his chin while his hands were overwise interlocked.
"Hmm. I admit your concerns are valid. The droids, cameras and external data requests are all recorded by a central computer core. And while that is regularly checked to ensure it is free of external programs, it does link to a secure mainframe within the Senate." He tapped his forefingers a few more times against his chin. "I believe that this mainframe is also secure, but we are talking about politicians here…"
Normally that little comment would earn a small smile from me, but not today. "Who would have access to the mainframe?" I asked. Hopefully, I didn't come off as too curious/aware, but I had to get him thinking about the potential dangers that existed.
"To my knowledge that core is for the Chancellor, their staff, and select Senators. If any of them wished to know about what went on within the Temple, they are free to do so. However, if one or more of them were, persuaded, to provide copies of those activities, then we could be looking at a serious problem." It looked like he agreed with me, but the way his brow seemed to both lower and rise made me think he'd thought of something else that was a bigger threat than just knowing what Jedi did every day within the Temple.
We sat in silence as I pondered just what else beyond droid recordings could be on this Senate computer and Master Giiett's brow furrowed as he considered whatever was going through his head.
"Thank you for bringing this to me Cameron." He said as he suddenly leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. "I will discuss this with the High Council, and we will take appropriate actions to ensure this potential security breach is removed." His words were calm and relaxed, but the furrows in his brow didn't vanish.
"Yes sir." I hoped he could convince them to do something about it, but until I knew for certain, I was going to have to be very careful of what I did and said around the droids, or in any room with recording devices.
His nodded and leaned back as a small smile came to his face. "Now, what drove you to focus on Makashi when almost no-one, Knights and Masters included, do so?"
I shrugged. "The main part of the combat trail was one-on-one combat. Of the three Forms I had been shown, the only one that was designed for that was Makashi."
Giiett nodded as his smile grew a touch. "Yes, that is true. Most Jedi choose Soresu or Ataru, though I prefer Shien. And that is because I find myself dealing with an inordinately large number of blaster-wielding foes on my missions." He chuckled at what I had to assume was a private joke. "Are you staying with Makashi?"
Again, I shrugged. "For now, yeah. Though from my reading of history I do know there are far less Sith around than when I was born." That drew another chuckle. "Perhaps later I will study another Form, but not until I feel I have mastered my current one." And unlike the others, I had a built-in system that told me when I had done that. Once Form II was at Master, I planned to try to train up Shii-Cho and Soresu. Hopefully, by the time of Episode One, I would have at least mastered those three Forms.
"Hmm, so you will be taking Dooku as you master?" Giiett asked as he leant forward.
"I have not decided on whom I wish to learn from, though all of the options given to me by the Council have their strengths."
Giiett shook his head, though he continued to smile. "Spoken like a diplomat. Your grandfather's teachings I assume."
"Yes sir." No that wasn't why I was being careful, but it was the best reason that anyone had come up with so far as to why I hadn't instantly picked a trainer. The others were pushing me to take various Jedi, though none suggested Dooku, and that was only after they got over their annoyance that I was being 'fast-tracked'. Actually, now that I thought about it for a second, Serra had never been annoyed. She had simply given me a massive smile and a nod before asking who was to be my 'Master'. Damm, I hated that term so I could only imagine how Anakin would feel about it.
"Very wise. Very wise. Now, is there anything else you wish to discuss? It is time for the morning meal and, while I do not know about you, I am famished." She asked as he stood.
"No sir," I replied as I stood even as I wished I could tell him about Palpatine and everything else, but the instructions for my power had said I couldn't just tell someone about what was to happen. And I had tested that last week when talking with Sifo-Dyas. Instead of saying Palpatine was a Sith Lord, I'd called him a smelly lady! It seemed I was going to have to hunt for the proof I needed after all.
He nodded and we walked out of the office to begin the day.
...
...
"May I join you?" I lifted my head at the request and saw Master Fay standing on the opposite side of the table that I was using in the Archives, a slight smile on her face as our eyes met.
I nodded and the elegant Jedi slid onto the bench beside me.
"If I may ask, what are you reading?" She asked calmly.
I shifted the datapad to her as I answered. "I'm learning about my family," I replied. The datapad was currently showing an overview of Satele Shan's time with the Order.
After getting the clearance from the Council of First Knowledge, I'd spent an hour a day in the following week researching and reading about whatever I could find about Revan, Bastila and now Satele. The information contained in the Archives, or at least the freely available information, was nothing useful/impressive and did nothing to improve on what I knew of Raven and Bastila from the KOTOR video games.
Satele however, while mainly just a long, long list of bullet points about her career, was more helpful. I had never played TOR so apart from the name, I knew nothing about her.
"Ah, Satele Shan. I remember reading about her when I was a Padawan." She slid the datapad back to me and her smile had curved upwards. "It is a shame the public records are so, dry."
I felt my brow lift at her comment. For a normal child, it would've seemed innocent, but I caught the less than subtle markers suggesting she knew more than she was telling.
"Did Satele, or my great-grandparents, leave a recording or diary? Maybe even a holocron?" I asked, figuring I'd play her game to see if it led somewhere. Plus, the more time I got to spend around the lady the better. She easily put any woman I had ever met to shame with her beauty and the way she carried herself.
"Hmm, I believe that Grandmaster Satele did create a holocron after the war with the Sith, but I never checked if there was one from Revan or Bastila. Though I highly doubt it has survived to the present day. Ignoring their non-accepted views of marriage and family, the Sith attacked and held Coruscant during the war when Satele was Grandmaster of the Order." She paused and tapped her fingers on the table. "Still, if they had created a holocron, then I imagine Satele may have tried to save and protect it from the Sith. Revan was, a curiosity, too many, including myself."
"Truly?" I blurted out, and Fay's smile turned into a small grin.
"Yes. When I was but a Padawan, I admit to finding the story of the Prodigal Knight most… enjoyable." Her eyes wandered off to a spot before returning her gaze to me, her eyes seeming to bore right into my soul. If I was a normal child, I would've squirmed under the intensity of her gaze, but I did not.
"You have something of him in you. Oh, your face is different, as are your colourings, but I can see that same, certain something to you. The same energy that he seemed to radiate is within you. Many cultures have their own words or phrases to describe it, but I like jate'kara."
"Jate'kora?"
"Jate'kara." She corrected quietly. "It translates into basic as 'a course to steer by'. It implies that someone has been touched by the Force, fate, or some other power, to be or do, something important. Though I imagine the galaxy at large tries its best to keep such people limited." She laughed a soft, musical laugh, and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.
"What do the tattoos mean?" I blurted out, as I had missed them when we had first met as I was distracted by her, but now I was curious about them, and I felt a heat build in my cheeks.
I almost engaged Player's Mind, but I didn't want to rely on that power too much or risk her wondering why I had suddenly become so in control of my emotions. Oh sure, The Jedi might preach about letting go of your emotions, but I was less than a year into their 'training' and I knew that other Jedi showed emotion; case-in-point, the lady sitting with me, whose emotions were clear to see at my abrupt – ok rude – question.
She continued to smile even as her fingers traced the twin lines on her left cheek. "You are the first Jedi I have met in a very long time who has asked me about them." She sighed and looked away from me, towards one of the windows in the upper walls. "They are a reminder of something that happened a long time ago."
I felt my brow rise in surprise at her seeming admission of having cared deeply, if not loved, someone long ago and I kept my mouth shut as she continued to look out of the window; her brow having drooped, as had her smile. Figuring she needed time, I returned to reading about my great-great-whatever niece.
"How does your training go?" I lifted my head to see she was now looking at me once more, her face calm again.
I shrugged. "It's fine. The flight lessons with Knight Lhan are helping to pass the time and I am learning more every day."
"And?" She probed, her lips twitching upwards at my neutral answer.
I sighed and looked around to make sure we were alone. "I'm bored! I mean, the others have spent their entire lives growing up here. It's home. But for me…" I stopped there, unsure of how to exactly phrase my mounting frustration.
"It is just a place. Nothing more. Indeed, it probably feels like a prison." She finished for me and laughed at my surprise/shock at her so easily hitting the nail on the head. "I am much like you in that regard. Oh, I was raised here from before I can remember, but I always felt a… pull to leave. To explore the galaxy. Many Jedi are the same but most still regard the Temple as home, but to me, it is nothing but a place now." She paused and now it was her turn to glance around before leaning closer.
"I should not probably say this, but I do not like this planet. It feels like a world basking is decay and deceit. That feeling has only grown stronger over my time away from here and even now, in this great Temple, that feeling of decline is clear to me."
"Have, have you spoken to others about this?" I asked, genuinely curious as to if she could feel the corruption of the Sith and the plans that were coming to fruition, and if she'd informed anyone of her sensations.
"No. I have not mentioned it to anyone here. Indeed, I am unsure as to why I even mentioned it to you." She paused and stared into my eyes, tilting her head in the process. "You are far older than you appear and something about you guided the Force to return me here."
"Well, I am technically three-and-a-half thousand years old," I replied, hoping to deflect her attention as a tingle went up my spine.
She smiled at the bad humour. "Yes, while your legal age is far older than anyone else, that is not what I meant." She leaned forward and her hands lifted my head gently. "Your body is young, yet your inner energy, the part of you that is both part of the Force, and yet not, is older." Her hands left my cheeks, yet I could still feel their touch, and she sat back.
"Jate'kara." She said that word once more and smiled at me as her head tilted to the side. "The Force has marked you, of that I am certain. And I believe you already know this."
I opened my mouth to deny her statement but paused. She was right in that I was here with a purpose, but just not one of the Force's making. No, just my own choice and the power of someone/thing far beyond the Force. So I decided to play on it to probe in my own way.
"I have heard others hint at something similar. A prophesy about a 'Chosen One'." I didn't hide my annoyance at them thinking I could be their saviour as I left that prophesy dangling.
Fay laughed even as her brow rose. "Yes, I imagine many would think that way. The child of the Prodigal Knight, sent across time and space, having killed a pair of Sith without any formal training. How could the masses not believe you were a gift from the Force?"
"I only killed one Sith, and that was blind luck." I felt the need to correct that point.
"And yet that is what no less than five Masters told me you had done; including one rather frustrated member of the Council." She chuckled softly and shook her head. "People always look for a cause, an ideal, a champion. They are willing to follow without truly understanding and that often leads to more problems than it solves."
Before I could ask what just she was on about, she stood.
"Forgive me, but I have taken up too much of my time and have an appointment with Master Yoda."
"Any time spent with one so wise and beautiful is well spent," I replied, though I instantly wondered why I had just attempted to flirt with her.
Her musical laughter filled the air. "Such a charmer. Already I fear for my fellow females when you reach your majority."
She continued to laugh as she turned and walked away, and while I shouldn't have, I watched her go.
She stopped just as she was about to disappear from my view and my gaze moved upwards to meet hers. While I couldn't hear her, I could see her laugh a little as our eyes met and I felt the heat return to my cheek. 'Dammit! I'm meant to only be 8! I need to act like it or others might suspect something is off about me.'
Fay shook her head even as she smiled and resumed walking, leaving my field of vision.
The moment she did, I remembered about the Cleansing the Temple quest and felt an urge to smash my head against the table. I should've said something to her about it, maybe hinted that I felt something off below the main Temple and see if I could persuade her to take me on a trip downwards.
"I will have to remember to mention it to her the next time we talk," I muttered though I didn't know when that would be. Today was the first time since meeting Fay that I had spoken to her, and one of the four months for me to select my trainer had already past.
Fay was the only one of the four Jedi Masters who I hadn't talked with until today, though my only words with Dooku were regarding my lightsaber training. Sifo-Dyas and Lhan both actively sought me out for conversation.
Truthfully, Lhan's continual need to ask me a question first during flight classes/training was annoying everyone in Dragon Clan and had quickly soured me on choosing the only Jedi confirmed to be leaving the Temple that might become my trainer.
…
The original idea for the Competent/Trainee quests came from Blaze1992 on FFN.
And at this point, I generated the first of two polls to help decide the colour for Cam's first lightsaber.
What was grating on my nerves was the fact that every idea I had about how to delay, weaken and counter Sidious' plans seemed to boil down to the same underlying issue: Money. Whatever I could think of – beyond just assassinating the current Senator, which the PtB had suggested with the 'Sever the Head' quest would actually make things worse in the long term– were long, drawn-out plans that would take time, effort and money. Lots and lots of money.
"I really need to figure out how I'm going to go against what is probably a massive, secret war-chest that the Sith have built up over a millennium, if not longer," I muttered as I looked at the list.
- Develop my own army. Not clones, but loyal.
- Create/take control of a mega-corp.
- Found my own Force Order.
- Accelerate the development of certain tech. (X-Wings, personal shielding, etc.)
- Discover and colonise a safe harbour for Jedi/Force users.
- Eliminate key people.
"I wonder if I can get Dooku to become Count without leaving the Jedi?" I mused, figuring that the title must've made him rich. That was based on what was seen of his private estate in the Clone Wars cartoons, but there was always a chance the title was more political than financial; like many minor members of the royal family in Britain in my past life. Sure, they all lived very comfortably, but I think only Queen Elizabeth had much in the way of financial holdings; and even then, she wasn't close to being the richest person in Britain.
"Right so how do I make money?" I muttered as I tapped my finger on the table beside the pad as I sat quietly in my quarters. "I could invest in companies that create the battle-droids used by the Trade Federation, but even then, I need cash to do so," I growled once more. "Maybe I should just rob someone," I muttered with a small chuckle which petered out as I started to consider the random idea.
"Maybe I could rob someone. It's not like everyone in the galaxy are nice and deserve what they have. And I could use Compulsion to…" My self-discussion trailed off a small hatch in the wall near the door opened and a scuttle-droid rolled in. The things wandered around the temple constantly cleaning the floors while other droids cleaned the walls or carried supplies back and forth. "Buggers are everywhere," I mumbled as the droid sped around the room.
As I watched it speed around, my mind wandered as to how much access this droid – and its siblings – had to the Temple. They had to have access to every room in the place, sleeping quarters, training rooms, the hanger bay and council chambers. Heck probably even had access to the Holocron V…
'OK. Now that could be useful.' I thought as I focused on the small tan-brown droid. 'If droids have a way into the vault, then it is possible I could use it to gain access to the Holocrons.' I needed to get my computing skills to higher levels and I remembered I had a quest to do just that.
I called up the quest lists and expanded 'Just Don't Get Caught'.
'OK, the rewards don't kick in until I'm 16 it seems, but nothing is stopping me from getting to the base levels earlier. And the three short term quests I have don't overlap so I don't have to worry about taking time for them from working on my other skills.'
Those three quests were Competent Duellist and Trainee Space Ranger/Ace. The first was just a push/reward to get Makashi to Professional 1 before the year was out while the two Trainee quests were to get the piloting skills for space and atmosphere to Adept 1 in the same timeframe. They had come to me once I had started flight training after the Initiate Trials had ended; about three weeks ago. It was interesting that Dragon Clan was being taught by Knight Lhan, one of the four Jedi the Council of First Knowledge had recommended for me to take as my trainer.
I was not going to refer to whomever it was – if it was anyone as I was still considering just going solo, though I was less keen to do so now that I realised Sidious knew about me – as Master as the term held issues with granting someone power/ownership over me. How the Jedi didn't see that Anakin must've felt the same I didn't understand but put it down to institutionalized blindness.
I was drawn out of my thoughts when the cleaning droid smacked into my foot.
"Damm it you little… Go away!" I growled. The droid ignored me but a small purple notice in my log drew my attention.
Force Power Usage: Compulsion
Power Failed!
Half XP granted for the attempt.
…
NOTE:
Droids are immune to Compulsion/Mind Probe/Memory Rub
…
"Huh?" I mumbled out as I read the notice. I could get XP for Compulsion by using it on droids; though it wouldn't work successfully. That was broken as hell, but I was so going to exploit it over the coming years. Power Failed!
Half XP granted for the attempt.
…
NOTE:
Droids are immune to Compulsion/Mind Probe/Memory Rub
…
Assuming Mind Probe and Memory Rub were what I suspected they were – reading and manipulating minds – and that they were advanced forms of Compulsion like how Lightsaber TK was to TK, then if I could get all three to high enough levels, I could simply take control of certain individuals.
Though it would take a long, long time to get the powers levelled up as Compulsion was 250FP a pop and I had to assume the others would be even more expensive/taxing to use.
"Something to work towards, without making it a quest," I added to prevent my interface from offering another quest. This was going to be a slow, background plan that I didn't want interfering with my current, and future, short-term quests.
Was I abusing the powers I had? Probably, but why shouldn't I use and abuse them to give myself the best chance to succeed and survive in this galaxy.
I went back to watching as the droid as it continued to move around the room and hit it with Compulsions until I ran out of FP, then became bored as it kept cleaning then I began to think about where the main control system was for the cleaning and maintenance droids in the temple, and how easy/difficult it would be to access that room.
'I imagine it is behind multiple locked doors with cameras and other security measures in place to avoid tampering. Hmm, entering the room would be difficult, however, if I was to install a worm into a cleaning droid, it might upload that to the central computer. If programmed correctly, I could have the computer transfer everything that happened in the Temple to an outside server, provided it had network access, which I could then pursue at my leisure. Damm, that seems like…' "Fuck!" I spat out as my train of thought led me to realise that I may have just found a huge flaw in the Temple's security.
I lifted my datapad and quickly opened another file. This file covered the ways that the Sith could monitor/spy on the Jedi. I suspected they must have access to Senate records – especially since Palpatine was a Senator – but I hadn't considered they could actively spy on the Jedi themselves.
"Great, so I just found a potentially major security flaw. I would assume the Jedi have closed that flaw, but if they haven't…" My voice trailed off as I stared at the droid as it left my room. "Well fuck."
I dropped the datapad back in my Inventory and exited the room, planning to find someone to tell. But who to talk to?
Dooku and Sifo-Dyas were out. While both were respected and Sifo-Dyas sat on the High Council, both talked regularly with Palpatine so he could ask them subtlety who had closed the flaw; which would draw his attention to me even more.
Fay, while someone held in high regard by other Jedi, was not a regular to the Temple, so I doubted she had much understanding of the daily activities that went on here. Lhan was a new Knight, so lacked authority.
"Guess I need to find Yoda or Windu then." I murmured to myself as I walked the quiet corridors. Now just to find them. The most likely places at this time in the morning were either the mess halls or a meditation room. But which way to go?
"Ug."
"Damm." I spat as I crashed to the floor having bounced off someone and fallen backwards.
"Cameron? Are you alright?" A male voice asked, and I looked up to see Master Giiett looking down at me with a slightly creased brow.
"Yes sir. Just was lost in thought." I replied as he helped me stand before I gently patted my robe. "Sorry for not looking where I was going."
"I believe we were both guilty of that Cameron." He countered as he reached down and picked up a datapad. "What has you moving so fast this early in the morning?"
I opened my mouth to mutter out a half-hearted excuse when it occurred to me that Master Giiett might just be the Jedi I needed to talk to. He was a High Council member and a Sentinel; a Jedi charged with hunting down Dark Side users and their influence across the galaxy. Sure, he and the rest were missing the Sith Lord in the Senate, but otherwise, I felt he was competent at his job.
"I, I think I've found a security breach," I said slowly. "I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that I'm not."
Giiett's brow creased as he looked down at me. "And what is this breach you believe you have found?"
I mentally thanked him for not just ignoring my concern as I think some of the other High Council members might.
"I…" I paused as another cleaning droid – though it could've been the same one as from my room – shot across the floor behind him. "I would rather discuss that in private. Away from anything that could monitor us." I said slowly, tilting my head to the droid.
Giiett's eyes caught my movement before drifting skywards for a moment. "Hmm. Perhaps that would be for the best. Come." He turned and walked back the way he had come from and I quickly fell into step beside him.
"I saw the recordings of your performance in the Initiate Trials," he began as we entered an elevator, "and read the reports from the Council of First Knowledge. I had expected you to do well in the Trials, but phasing, teleporting and showing an interest in Makashi?" He chuckled and shook his head. "There is doing well, and then there's rubbing everyone else's faces in the dirt."
"I… that was not my intention." I countered slowly as we exited the elevator and I noted we were now on levels that Initiates were restricted from going to unaccompanied. "I simply knew I had to think outside the box if I wanted to do well."
Giiett laughed and shook his head. "You did more than 'well', Cameron. You shattered the course record for the obstacle course. And I mean the temple record, not the Initiate one. And you made Master Dooku smile."
"What?" I couldn't help but stumble and blurt out at that comment. While I respected Dooku's ability with Makashi, and actually enjoyed the gruff no-nonsense manner he had – probably as it reminded me of my old life – I had never seen the slightest hint the man could smile.
Giiett laughed once more as he glanced at me. "He smiled. Sure, he tried hard to hide it, but I have known him since I was an Initiate." We entered a small room that was obviously an office of some sort as Giiett slipped around the desk and sat while indicating for me to do the same.
"Now, what is this concern you have?" He asked and I explained what I had considered about the droids and how someone could use them to monitor them every day, and restricted if the droids had access to the Council chambers, workings of the Jedi.
Through my short explanation – which avoided getting into why I was thinking about the droids and their programming – he sat there quietly and when I finished, he leaned back in his chair and tapped his forefingers on his chin while his hands were overwise interlocked.
"Hmm. I admit your concerns are valid. The droids, cameras and external data requests are all recorded by a central computer core. And while that is regularly checked to ensure it is free of external programs, it does link to a secure mainframe within the Senate." He tapped his forefingers a few more times against his chin. "I believe that this mainframe is also secure, but we are talking about politicians here…"
Normally that little comment would earn a small smile from me, but not today. "Who would have access to the mainframe?" I asked. Hopefully, I didn't come off as too curious/aware, but I had to get him thinking about the potential dangers that existed.
"To my knowledge that core is for the Chancellor, their staff, and select Senators. If any of them wished to know about what went on within the Temple, they are free to do so. However, if one or more of them were, persuaded, to provide copies of those activities, then we could be looking at a serious problem." It looked like he agreed with me, but the way his brow seemed to both lower and rise made me think he'd thought of something else that was a bigger threat than just knowing what Jedi did every day within the Temple.
We sat in silence as I pondered just what else beyond droid recordings could be on this Senate computer and Master Giiett's brow furrowed as he considered whatever was going through his head.
"Thank you for bringing this to me Cameron." He said as he suddenly leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. "I will discuss this with the High Council, and we will take appropriate actions to ensure this potential security breach is removed." His words were calm and relaxed, but the furrows in his brow didn't vanish.
"Yes sir." I hoped he could convince them to do something about it, but until I knew for certain, I was going to have to be very careful of what I did and said around the droids, or in any room with recording devices.
His nodded and leaned back as a small smile came to his face. "Now, what drove you to focus on Makashi when almost no-one, Knights and Masters included, do so?"
I shrugged. "The main part of the combat trail was one-on-one combat. Of the three Forms I had been shown, the only one that was designed for that was Makashi."
Giiett nodded as his smile grew a touch. "Yes, that is true. Most Jedi choose Soresu or Ataru, though I prefer Shien. And that is because I find myself dealing with an inordinately large number of blaster-wielding foes on my missions." He chuckled at what I had to assume was a private joke. "Are you staying with Makashi?"
Again, I shrugged. "For now, yeah. Though from my reading of history I do know there are far less Sith around than when I was born." That drew another chuckle. "Perhaps later I will study another Form, but not until I feel I have mastered my current one." And unlike the others, I had a built-in system that told me when I had done that. Once Form II was at Master, I planned to try to train up Shii-Cho and Soresu. Hopefully, by the time of Episode One, I would have at least mastered those three Forms.
"Hmm, so you will be taking Dooku as you master?" Giiett asked as he leant forward.
"I have not decided on whom I wish to learn from, though all of the options given to me by the Council have their strengths."
Giiett shook his head, though he continued to smile. "Spoken like a diplomat. Your grandfather's teachings I assume."
"Yes sir." No that wasn't why I was being careful, but it was the best reason that anyone had come up with so far as to why I hadn't instantly picked a trainer. The others were pushing me to take various Jedi, though none suggested Dooku, and that was only after they got over their annoyance that I was being 'fast-tracked'. Actually, now that I thought about it for a second, Serra had never been annoyed. She had simply given me a massive smile and a nod before asking who was to be my 'Master'. Damm, I hated that term so I could only imagine how Anakin would feel about it.
"Very wise. Very wise. Now, is there anything else you wish to discuss? It is time for the morning meal and, while I do not know about you, I am famished." She asked as he stood.
"No sir," I replied as I stood even as I wished I could tell him about Palpatine and everything else, but the instructions for my power had said I couldn't just tell someone about what was to happen. And I had tested that last week when talking with Sifo-Dyas. Instead of saying Palpatine was a Sith Lord, I'd called him a smelly lady! It seemed I was going to have to hunt for the proof I needed after all.
He nodded and we walked out of the office to begin the day.
...
...
"May I join you?" I lifted my head at the request and saw Master Fay standing on the opposite side of the table that I was using in the Archives, a slight smile on her face as our eyes met.
I nodded and the elegant Jedi slid onto the bench beside me.
"If I may ask, what are you reading?" She asked calmly.
I shifted the datapad to her as I answered. "I'm learning about my family," I replied. The datapad was currently showing an overview of Satele Shan's time with the Order.
After getting the clearance from the Council of First Knowledge, I'd spent an hour a day in the following week researching and reading about whatever I could find about Revan, Bastila and now Satele. The information contained in the Archives, or at least the freely available information, was nothing useful/impressive and did nothing to improve on what I knew of Raven and Bastila from the KOTOR video games.
Satele however, while mainly just a long, long list of bullet points about her career, was more helpful. I had never played TOR so apart from the name, I knew nothing about her.
"Ah, Satele Shan. I remember reading about her when I was a Padawan." She slid the datapad back to me and her smile had curved upwards. "It is a shame the public records are so, dry."
I felt my brow lift at her comment. For a normal child, it would've seemed innocent, but I caught the less than subtle markers suggesting she knew more than she was telling.
"Did Satele, or my great-grandparents, leave a recording or diary? Maybe even a holocron?" I asked, figuring I'd play her game to see if it led somewhere. Plus, the more time I got to spend around the lady the better. She easily put any woman I had ever met to shame with her beauty and the way she carried herself.
"Hmm, I believe that Grandmaster Satele did create a holocron after the war with the Sith, but I never checked if there was one from Revan or Bastila. Though I highly doubt it has survived to the present day. Ignoring their non-accepted views of marriage and family, the Sith attacked and held Coruscant during the war when Satele was Grandmaster of the Order." She paused and tapped her fingers on the table. "Still, if they had created a holocron, then I imagine Satele may have tried to save and protect it from the Sith. Revan was, a curiosity, too many, including myself."
"Truly?" I blurted out, and Fay's smile turned into a small grin.
"Yes. When I was but a Padawan, I admit to finding the story of the Prodigal Knight most… enjoyable." Her eyes wandered off to a spot before returning her gaze to me, her eyes seeming to bore right into my soul. If I was a normal child, I would've squirmed under the intensity of her gaze, but I did not.
"You have something of him in you. Oh, your face is different, as are your colourings, but I can see that same, certain something to you. The same energy that he seemed to radiate is within you. Many cultures have their own words or phrases to describe it, but I like jate'kara."
"Jate'kora?"
"Jate'kara." She corrected quietly. "It translates into basic as 'a course to steer by'. It implies that someone has been touched by the Force, fate, or some other power, to be or do, something important. Though I imagine the galaxy at large tries its best to keep such people limited." She laughed a soft, musical laugh, and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.
"What do the tattoos mean?" I blurted out, as I had missed them when we had first met as I was distracted by her, but now I was curious about them, and I felt a heat build in my cheeks.
I almost engaged Player's Mind, but I didn't want to rely on that power too much or risk her wondering why I had suddenly become so in control of my emotions. Oh sure, The Jedi might preach about letting go of your emotions, but I was less than a year into their 'training' and I knew that other Jedi showed emotion; case-in-point, the lady sitting with me, whose emotions were clear to see at my abrupt – ok rude – question.
She continued to smile even as her fingers traced the twin lines on her left cheek. "You are the first Jedi I have met in a very long time who has asked me about them." She sighed and looked away from me, towards one of the windows in the upper walls. "They are a reminder of something that happened a long time ago."
I felt my brow rise in surprise at her seeming admission of having cared deeply, if not loved, someone long ago and I kept my mouth shut as she continued to look out of the window; her brow having drooped, as had her smile. Figuring she needed time, I returned to reading about my great-great-whatever niece.
"How does your training go?" I lifted my head to see she was now looking at me once more, her face calm again.
I shrugged. "It's fine. The flight lessons with Knight Lhan are helping to pass the time and I am learning more every day."
"And?" She probed, her lips twitching upwards at my neutral answer.
I sighed and looked around to make sure we were alone. "I'm bored! I mean, the others have spent their entire lives growing up here. It's home. But for me…" I stopped there, unsure of how to exactly phrase my mounting frustration.
"It is just a place. Nothing more. Indeed, it probably feels like a prison." She finished for me and laughed at my surprise/shock at her so easily hitting the nail on the head. "I am much like you in that regard. Oh, I was raised here from before I can remember, but I always felt a… pull to leave. To explore the galaxy. Many Jedi are the same but most still regard the Temple as home, but to me, it is nothing but a place now." She paused and now it was her turn to glance around before leaning closer.
"I should not probably say this, but I do not like this planet. It feels like a world basking is decay and deceit. That feeling has only grown stronger over my time away from here and even now, in this great Temple, that feeling of decline is clear to me."
"Have, have you spoken to others about this?" I asked, genuinely curious as to if she could feel the corruption of the Sith and the plans that were coming to fruition, and if she'd informed anyone of her sensations.
"No. I have not mentioned it to anyone here. Indeed, I am unsure as to why I even mentioned it to you." She paused and stared into my eyes, tilting her head in the process. "You are far older than you appear and something about you guided the Force to return me here."
"Well, I am technically three-and-a-half thousand years old," I replied, hoping to deflect her attention as a tingle went up my spine.
She smiled at the bad humour. "Yes, while your legal age is far older than anyone else, that is not what I meant." She leaned forward and her hands lifted my head gently. "Your body is young, yet your inner energy, the part of you that is both part of the Force, and yet not, is older." Her hands left my cheeks, yet I could still feel their touch, and she sat back.
"Jate'kara." She said that word once more and smiled at me as her head tilted to the side. "The Force has marked you, of that I am certain. And I believe you already know this."
I opened my mouth to deny her statement but paused. She was right in that I was here with a purpose, but just not one of the Force's making. No, just my own choice and the power of someone/thing far beyond the Force. So I decided to play on it to probe in my own way.
"I have heard others hint at something similar. A prophesy about a 'Chosen One'." I didn't hide my annoyance at them thinking I could be their saviour as I left that prophesy dangling.
Fay laughed even as her brow rose. "Yes, I imagine many would think that way. The child of the Prodigal Knight, sent across time and space, having killed a pair of Sith without any formal training. How could the masses not believe you were a gift from the Force?"
"I only killed one Sith, and that was blind luck." I felt the need to correct that point.
"And yet that is what no less than five Masters told me you had done; including one rather frustrated member of the Council." She chuckled softly and shook her head. "People always look for a cause, an ideal, a champion. They are willing to follow without truly understanding and that often leads to more problems than it solves."
Before I could ask what just she was on about, she stood.
"Forgive me, but I have taken up too much of my time and have an appointment with Master Yoda."
"Any time spent with one so wise and beautiful is well spent," I replied, though I instantly wondered why I had just attempted to flirt with her.
Her musical laughter filled the air. "Such a charmer. Already I fear for my fellow females when you reach your majority."
She continued to laugh as she turned and walked away, and while I shouldn't have, I watched her go.
She stopped just as she was about to disappear from my view and my gaze moved upwards to meet hers. While I couldn't hear her, I could see her laugh a little as our eyes met and I felt the heat return to my cheek. 'Dammit! I'm meant to only be 8! I need to act like it or others might suspect something is off about me.'
Fay shook her head even as she smiled and resumed walking, leaving my field of vision.
The moment she did, I remembered about the Cleansing the Temple quest and felt an urge to smash my head against the table. I should've said something to her about it, maybe hinted that I felt something off below the main Temple and see if I could persuade her to take me on a trip downwards.
"I will have to remember to mention it to her the next time we talk," I muttered though I didn't know when that would be. Today was the first time since meeting Fay that I had spoken to her, and one of the four months for me to select my trainer had already past.
Fay was the only one of the four Jedi Masters who I hadn't talked with until today, though my only words with Dooku were regarding my lightsaber training. Sifo-Dyas and Lhan both actively sought me out for conversation.
Truthfully, Lhan's continual need to ask me a question first during flight classes/training was annoying everyone in Dragon Clan and had quickly soured me on choosing the only Jedi confirmed to be leaving the Temple that might become my trainer.
…
The original idea for the Competent/Trainee quests came from Blaze1992 on FFN.
And at this point, I generated the first of two polls to help decide the colour for Cam's first lightsaber.
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Notes and Details
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2019
- Messages
- 514
- Likes received
- 27,914
Skills and Force Powers
Most Skills and Force Powers have six strata.
Novice
Adept
Professional
Master
Savant
Prodigy
Each stratum increases in difficulty for levelling up.
Training Quests are designed to reward Cam increasing a given skill.
The strata aimed for and the time taken affect the amount of EXP on offer.
The go in rank,
Force Points versus Midi-chlorians
Yeah, this is a weird one.
As best as I could come up with, Force Points are a measure of how easily Cam can access and use the Force with the number of points per level determined by his Perk linked to the Force.
At creation, he had three perk options for accessing the Force:
Force Sensitive Force Adept Force Prodigy
These place him at a level where the Jedi, Sith and others would be interested in him for his Force sensitivity.
Using the table below, the three perks link to Intermediate, High and Very High Force Potential.
Most Jedi are between Intermediate and Very High, though Anakin and other rare cases (i.e the Hero of Tython) would be in the Extreme range
This should help to explain Cam's midi-chlorian count and also Force Potential (once it appears in the story)
Levels for Jedi
While this is just a guide, it should help for determining where Cam stands in relation to others in the Jedi Order (and without as well)
Initiate <= 11 Padawan: 11 – 22 Knight: 19 – 28 Master: 30+
Most Skills and Force Powers have six strata.
Novice
Adept
Professional
Master
Savant
Prodigy
Each stratum increases in difficulty for levelling up.
Training Quests are designed to reward Cam increasing a given skill.
The strata aimed for and the time taken affect the amount of EXP on offer.
The go in rank,
| Quest name | Trainee | Competent | Expert | Generational | Legendary |
| Strata aimed for | Adept | Professional | Master | Savant | Prodigy |
Force Points versus Midi-chlorians
Yeah, this is a weird one.
As best as I could come up with, Force Points are a measure of how easily Cam can access and use the Force with the number of points per level determined by his Perk linked to the Force.
At creation, he had three perk options for accessing the Force:
Force Sensitive Force Adept Force Prodigy
These place him at a level where the Jedi, Sith and others would be interested in him for his Force sensitivity.
Using the table below, the three perks link to Intermediate, High and Very High Force Potential.
| Force Potential | Negligible | Minimal | Low | Intermediate | High | Very High | Extreme |
| Midi-chlorian Count | <1000 | 1000-2500 | 5000-7000 | 7000-10000 | 10000-15000 | 15000-20000 | 20000+ |
This should help to explain Cam's midi-chlorian count and also Force Potential (once it appears in the story)
Levels for Jedi
While this is just a guide, it should help for determining where Cam stands in relation to others in the Jedi Order (and without as well)
Initiate <= 11 Padawan: 11 – 22 Knight: 19 – 28 Master: 30+
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Crystal Stars 2
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2019
- Messages
- 514
- Likes received
- 27,914
"Watch your footwork, Funt," I stated as I watched the Sullustan duel Aayla. He didn't reply but slid his rear foot back a touch. "Good. Now relax and just guide Aayla's attacks away from you."
I observed as Aayla came at Funt using her preferred Ataru, while Funt tried to use the basics of Makashi. He, like a few others in Dragon Clan, had come to me about a week after the Initiate Trials had ended and asked for help learning the basics of the Form.
I had suggested they go to Dooku for instruction, but strangely none of them found my idea appealing.
So here I was, two months after the trials, guiding the members of Dragon Clan through the basics of the duelling form.
"You're really good at teaching," said Serra from my right side.
"Yeah, much nicer than Master Dooku," agreed Lon Boglid, a younger Duros member of the clan who was standing on my left. "I actually enjoy these sessions."
"That's good, but remember not to state such a thing within range of Dooku," I replied to Lon, my eyes still watching the duel. It was a very slow affair as I had made sure that whomever the aggressor was – usually Sia-Lan, Serra or Aayla – they would not directly use the Force while attacking and slow their movements down. Everyone was a little confused as to why I had them do so since they hadn't done slow katas or spars since they were younglings. I had reminded them that Makashi was a form that none of the clan, save myself, had spent any real-time learning, so if a spar was conducted at regular speeds, they would instinctively fall back to their preferred form.
"Pause," I said loud enough for Funt and Aayla to hear me. Both stopped their motions as I stepped towards them. "Funt, slowly go back to where you blocked her last strike."
The pair revered their actions until Aayla's blade was halfway-down an aggressive arc.
"Stop there. Funt, when Aayla's blade came down, you raised yours fully to block it. Why?"
Funt blinked once, then shrugged. "Why shouldn't I? I stopped her attack." His tone was calm, though there was a hint of annoyance which I suspected was because, of all the members of the clan, he was struggling the most with Makashi.
I reached forward and placed my hands on his. "You did yes, but if you had done this…" I looked at Aayla and she resumed her attack, though even slower than when they were sparring.
As she did so, I tilted Funt's blade so that Aayla's attack would be guided away and to one side of Funt's body while exposing Aayla's midsection.
"… then you would've been able to strike at her and gain the advantage." I finished as I released my grip. "Remember, Makashi isn't about simply defending yourself, but about fluid motion, balance and precise strikes. Guide your opponent where you want them to go. Make them overcommit to their actions while you stay balanced."
Funt nodded, and I stepped back from them.
"Resume."
I watched as they continued from the new position even as I noted a skill level-up in my notice box. With a subtle flick of my wrist, I opened it.
"Well done. I didn't think anyone could get through his dewflaps and teach him so easily," said Darihd quietly enough that the combatants didn't hear with his amusement clear to hear. "You're going to make an excellent instructor one day."
"He may one day be, but he is not one yet."
I spun around at the familiar adult voice, my hand instantly reaching for where my lightsaber would be – if I was carrying one – and saw Masters Dooku and Drallig standing behind us.
Drallig was relaxed, his eyes on Funt and Aayla, but Dooku's were locked onto mine the moment they met.
"What is going on here?" He asked sharply and I caught sight of Darihd and the others quickly and quietly moving away from me to avoid being in Dooku's glares. 'Traitors.'
"Sir, after the Trials, a few members approached me for pointers on Makashi. Soon others did as well, and so I arranged an introductory session to the basics, in which I feel I have sufficient proficiency that I could pass them on." I replied calmly.
Dooku's eyes narrowed and he glanced at the rest of the clan before returning his gaze to me. "And why did you not ask Master Drallig or I to conduct these sessions?"
I glanced at the rest of the clan and noticed a few pleading looks to not throw them under a bus. "I felt I could handle the very basics of the form and did not wish to bother you or Master Drallig with something that may not have resulted in any of my clanmates choosing to take further studies in Makashi. If that occurred, it would have resulted in a waste of your time."
I spotted Drallig nod once at my reason, but my focus was on Dooku. If I handled this well, it might help ingrain me with him more. More learners of the form he considered the True Form might help persuade him that some Jedi were worth saving.
"Your reasons are valid," he said slowly, and I felt the corners of my lips twitch in triumph. "However, neither Master Drallig nor I have stated you are proficient enough to teach even the most basic katas of Makashi." And the twitch ended.
"Perhaps you should test him then," Drallig said, a smirk on his face as he looked at me. "From what I saw in the trials, and in the regular sessions, he is competent enough to be tested on the form."
"He is too young."
"Nonsense. Unlike a few of the other forms, Makashi does not count strength as a major factor. You know this better than most," Drallig countered Dooku's argument. "Besides, I am sure we both agree that more students of Makashi would be a good thing."
Dooku's eyes narrowed further as he turned back to me. "Perhaps you are correct. Come Initiate." He pivoted, his robes billowing out and forcing me to take a step back to avoid being struck by them, before marching away.
"You should do as he says," Drallig said with a rueful shake of his head. "Actually, I think you should all come. It will allow you to view a pure Makashi duel, which will help you determine if you wish to commit to the form or not."
"Yes Master," said Darihd.
We all followed the Jedi Battlemaster to the main sparring hall. Dooku was waiting in the middle of the smaller sparring circles and tossed me a training lightsaber as we approached.
"During this exercise, you may only use Makashi. The usage of katas from another Form will result in your failure. If you can survive five minutes without sustaining three glancing strikes or one killing blow you, it will be accepted that you understand the basics of Makashi well enough to carry out simple training katas for your clanmates.
"However, if you fail, not only will I forbid you from holding your training sessions, but you will be forced to spend an hour each day under my tutelage until such time as I am satisfied with your proficiency with Makashi. Do you accept these terms?" Dooku asked as he ignited his lightsaber – seeing it blue instead of red was still a little strange for me – and swished it a few times in the gap between us.
"Yes, sir. I understand and accept." I said out loud as I ignited my blade and stepped into the circle. I knew from training that I could only keep on Precognition and Bullet Time together for around four minutes, and as soon as they auto-engaged, I planned to turn off Precognition. While both would be useful, a faster reaction time would grant me the best benefit during this spar, and I could always turn Precog back on if I started to struggle; provided I had the time/FP to do so.
Dooku gave me a fractional nod of his head. "Master Drallig, on your word." We both raised our blades in salute before swinging them downwards.
"Begin."
Dooku stepped forward and probed my defences with a flurry of short, sharp slashes. None of them were difficult to avoid or parry and after the initial attack, Dooku stepped back and gave me a very fractional nod. Hopefully, it meant he was satisfied with my defence. Before I could consider it though, he came at me again, far faster than before.
Thanks to Bullet Time, I was able to keep up with his thrusts, slashes and probes, though I quickly could tell that he was still taking it easy on me, even as I began to struggle with the constant storm of movement.
Eventually, his constant attacks exposed my blade arm and he clipped it, earning a point in the duel and costing me a few dozen HPs.
"Your defence is sound, though you lack the strength and reach that will come with age." He said as he stepped backwards, not taking further advantage of the hole he had created in my defence. "Now then, let us see how well you can attack."
I nodded in acceptance of the command and stepped forward to probe his defences, even if I knew the odds on me breaking through and scoring a hit were minimal at best.
I was proven right as nothing I did seemed to expose an opening in his stance for me to exploit even as I activated Force Speed in the hope that a faster attack would help.
I wasn't sure how long I attacked for since I was only concentrating on him and not the small countdown in the upper left of my vision, but suddenly I spotted a gap that seemed to expose his left thigh.
I moved my blade to exploit the gap, only to stop as and ignore it. The moment I did so, Dooku parried my latest jab and tapped his blade against my forearm before stepping backwards.
"Why did you not take the opening?" He asked as we reset out stances.
"The chances of me succeeding in breaking through your defences are slim, and while the gap was only there for a moment, it was too obvious and large to be anything but a trap."
His lips twitched even as we saluted each other once more. "Good." He said nothing else before he came at me far faster than before and I was instantly on the defensive; taking one step back. That step was followed by others and I knew that if I did not do something soon, I would be forced from the ring and lose the spar.
In desperation I ignored an attack that was heading for my left side and pivoted away, dropping my lightsaber from my right hand to my left, and frantically jabbed the blade out in blind hope that it would block an attack I knew was coming.
As I ended my pivot, my eyes bugged out a touch as the tip of his blade was now right between my eyes with my own weapon in no position to help.
"I yield," I said calmly, knowing the fight was over and Dooku pulled his lightsaber backwards and extinguished it even as he clipped it to his belt.
"Your attacks are slow and predictable yet controlled. Perhaps you do understand more than just the basics of Makashi." He said spoke slowly with no audio or visual clue if he was impressed or disappointed in how I had done even as he turned and looked away from me. "Time?"
"Seven minutes, eighteen seconds." Master Drallig stated and my head whipped around to see the Battlemaster was standing there with a large smile on his face; and that there were more than just the members of Dragon Clan watching us. "I know you stated he only needed to survive five minutes, but I felt the other Initiates would benefit from seeing Makashi in action from one of their own."
"Indeed." Dooku turned back to me. "Your execution is commendable for one so young. You may continue instructing your clanmates in the basics of Makashi, but I reserve the right to test them at a time and place of my choosing."
"Yes, sir," I answered as I tried – and failed – to stop a grin from creeping onto my face.
Dooku gave me a short nod before walking away, which allowed the rest of Dragon Clan to rush into the ring.
"That was awesome!" Shouted Jyl as she bounced over with the others. "You made Dooku smile!"
"And you landed a strike on him," Sia-Lan added giving me an unexpected smile with a sideways tilt of her head.
"What? When?" I asked since I had no memory of doing so.
"When you pivoted out of position," Darihd explained. "You managed to tag his forearm without looking. Sure, you lost, but we all knew that was coming."
"Not all of us," Aayla stated with a smirk as she glanced at Serra, who avoided my gaze when I turned to her.
"That was pure luck. I only extended my lightsaber in a vain hope to stop him attacking while I lost sight of him." I explained to the Clan as I looked at each of them in turn. "Master Dooku is many levels beyond where I am and has decades of experience of using Makashi; probably in real combat."
"Yeah, but that was still awesome! The way the two of you seemed to flow without really moving was incredible. I want to learn Makashi." Jyl stated with firmness in her voice. Up until now, Jyl hadn't shown any interest in Makashi, though she came to the sessions, preferring Soresu.
I smiled at the younger girl. "That's fine but remember that every Form has its own advantages and drawbacks."
"I know, I know. But Makashi looks graceful, fluid." Jyl smiled as she looked skyward. "It feels right."
I had nothing to add to that and so just nodded at her.
"Well, you'll have to try Makashi next session. We have flight training with Knight Lhan in ten minutes, and I doubt Cameron being tested by Master Dooku as a valid excuse as to why we are all late." Darihd stated after a glance at his datapad.
As we moved off to our class, I slid to the back of the group and accessed my interface.
'Still, this should boost my standing in the Order and hopefully increase my chances of preventing Dooku's fall.'
I waved away the message and caught up with the rest of the Clan to continue the day.
...
...
It referred to an instant quest created during what was hopefully my last flight training class when Knight Lhan randomly split Dragon Clan into four teams and gave us a challenge. If my team had won I'd have earned a chance to fly a real ship, but given that my teammates were the two youngest members of the Clan to be allowed to take flight training, and that I'd already flown on a starship, I wasn't too concerned about failing my first quest. I was just glad we hadn't finished last, as that would've resulted in a loss of Reputation with Dragon Clan.
The only quests that I was worried about failing were the Changing Fates quests, as if I failed them they would make things worse for both me and the Jedi – though I was more concerned with my own fate that the Order's – and the two quests that would lock my skills at a certain level for years.
"Congratulations to Blue Team," Lhan said with a smile that exposed fearsome-looking fangs as Aayla, Serra and Jyl bounced around in enjoyment at winning. "Also well done to Cameron, who scored the highest number of kills during the competition."
I acknowledged him with a slight nod but had no other reaction to his statement. Since my teammates had been the youngest, and least experienced, on the simulators, during our attempt at the mission, I'd acted as bait for the 'defenders' and drawn a majority away from the target. That I'd managed to kill so many was due as much to the program's low level as it was to my own skills at flying and combat.
"Knight Lhan, may I enter?" We all turned to see Master Ima-Gun Di standing in the doorway.
"Of course, Master Di." Lhan replied with a partial bow. "We have just finished class for the day."
"Yes, I was watching on the monitor outside," Di stated as he took a few steps into the room. "Blue team worked extremely well as a unit." I glanced to my left and noted the three girls all sit up straighter at the praise. "However, that is not why I am here. Initiates Bykys and Shan, the Council of First Knowledge wishes to speak with you both. Come with me."
Darihd and I stood and followed the Nikto Jedi Master through the halls of the Temple. Since tomorrow was the first day of New Year's Week, I knew that it was time for me to make my choice regarding which Jedi would be my 'Master', and I was hoping I could convince the Council of my choice. I could only hope that Darihd had also been chosen as a Padawan if he was also being summoned by the Council. I didn't think he was being reassigned to one of the corps, but either way, I planned to try to keep in contact with him as loyal allies were going to be needed in the coming decades.
The walk was done in silence, save for Master Di greeting other Jedi as we passed them. Many of those Jedi stared intently at me as we passed. I was not enjoying the fact many saw me as their Chosen One but figured I could put up with it since I was soon to leave the Temple and it would hopefully mean some of them would not try to fill Anakin's head with the bull when he joined.
However, I had no intention of staying in the Temple to be trained as I needed out to begin prepping for the war to come. I had had a revelation about how to begin to earn credits, but that needed outside access, like almost every other thing I needed to do before the war came.
"Initiate Shan, please wait here. Initiate Bykys, enter with me." Di stated as we arrived in the antechamber for the Council of First Knowledge.
I gave Darihd a smile and a nod in support before he followed the Jedi Master into the chambers. As the doors closed, I sat down on an empty bench and considered how I was going to get what I wanted, though how to go about it was still uncertain as I worried the Force would be a factor in this argument, yet I still didn't know how it 'saw' me.
The one thing I had taken from that brief explanation about the Force was that it saw both the Jedi and Sith as unbalanced, which suggested to me that if I could find a new, better, way, the Force may just decide to help me. Then again, it could just as easily decide my new way was worse, and subtly act against me and those who stood with me.
Perplexing did not even begin to describe the Force. And the less said about TPTB, the better.
"Eh, best not to dwell on things I cannot control or understand for too long," I muttered as the message from the PtB vanished. "List Quests."
Still, there was no point on dwelling on things I couldn't change. "List Quest, Two are Better Than One."
Still, I was going to try anyway to get both as trainers, and even before the quest had been generated, I'd expected to lose access to whoever wasn't assigned as my 'Master' if I failed to convince the Council of my wish, so all in all, the risks were acceptable.
"Initiate Shan, the Council is ready to speak with you." I stood at Master Di's statement and spared a glance for Darihd. He was smiling happily, so I hoped that meant he had been assigned a Master that he was happy with. As Master Di turned back towards the chamber, I quickly activated Player's Mind and the Force Powers of Enhance Stat and Enhance Skill. The boosts weren't much, one stat point to CHA and a handful of skill levels for Persuasion, but any help was welcomed for what I was about to attempt.
Entering the chambers, I saw all five members of the First Knowledge Council were present. The seer, Nilas, gave me a small smile as she turned to face me.
"Greetings once more, young one. Please step forward." Astaal Vilbum said with a smile on his heavily wrinkled face. "Do you understand why we have called you here today?" He asked as I stepped into the centre of the chamber.
"Yes, sir. And I have reached a decision, but I wish to explain it to you," I replied as I took a breath.
"I already suspect your choice young one, and my vote you have, if that is indeed the case," Nilas said, the smile growing a touch.
I nodded at her, even if deep down I was worried that the Force was letting seers know what I planned before I did anything. I am the master of my own fate, not the Force.
"Thank you. When I was last called to face this Council, I was given four choices for whom to take as my Jedi trainer. Knight Lhan is engaging, friendly and eager. Master Sifo-Dyas is a diplomat of renown, and who also appears patient and willing to listen to the concerns of younglings. Master Dooku is the Jedi Order's true master of Makashi, and a firm but fair trainer who has little to no patience for excuses. Master Fay is… a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. She is a very powerful Force wielder, yet she reminds of my first schoolteacher in how aloof she is."
"That is a fair assessment of the four Jedi who we feel would be best to become your Master," Adi Gallia said with a slight upturn of her lips. "And I am impressed you have gotten such accurate impressions of them at your tender age. But what exactly does this have to do with your choice?"
"I feel that I need to explain my choice, and before I do that, I wish to make it clear that I hold no ill-will towards those I have not chosen." That earned me nods or smiles from the entire Council. "Truthfully, my choice is.. unusual I suspect, but it is what I feel the Force is guiding me to." OK, not totally true, but I knew I had to play every card I could to make this work.
"And what is your choice?" Master Piell asked, his ears twitching as he leaned forward.
"With this council's permission, I would accept either Master Dooku or Master Fay as my Jedi Master, however, I wish to learn equally from both."
The Masters looked at each other, their smiles faltering – save Nilas, whose own smile grew as she gave me a nod, meaning this was the choice she had seen in a vision. I again ignored, for now, the fact the Force was able to predict my actions. That was an issue to think on for a later date.
"That is...an unusual request," Astaal said slowly after a moment of silence that I suspected the Council had used to talk with each other telepathically. "Do you have reasons for making this request?"
I smiled a touch at not having my request rejected out of hand. Now to explain my reasons and see where things went.
"Master Dooku is the undisputed master of Makashi, the form I find myself drawn to, and while he can appear to be uninterested in training, I find his strict and concise lessons rewarding." OK, I planned to learn all seven Forms to at least Master levels, but there was no need to state that here and now.
"Master Fay is, something undefinable. At least to me. There is an energy, a pull, that I cannot deny the feeling. I would not assume to suggest it was the will of the Force, yet I cannot deny that the few times I have spent with her have been more enlightening than anything else I have learnt with these walls." I knew that if I had said some of that after I had hit puberty, it could've had a hidden context, but since I was not yet affected by those physical and psychological changes, I hoped the Council would not worry about that issue. That Fay was essentially a Space Elf had nothing to do with my opinion, though it did make me curious about her species.
"Your reasons are sound, yet no Padawan is assigned two Masters. Why should we make an exception for you? Do you feel you are special?" Master Di asked with a frown that pulled the horns on his head closer, giving him a slightly demonic look.
"I am no more or less special than anyone," I replied slowly, having expected this line of questioning. "My, admittedly limited understanding of the Jedi Code states that we are to forgo attachments, yet it is common practice to assign an Initiate to a Knight or Master, thus creating a bond of attachment from a child that has never known a true parental figure. From my thinking, I am led to believe that this is allowed as it maintains loyalty to the Order above all else." I noticed that Gallia was nodding while both Nilas and Astaal were smiling as I spoke.
"I, on the other hand, have already had a parental figure. I have suffered loss, and know that death is not the end, but merely a natural part of the circle of life. As my grandfather used to say; 'We are born of the stars and return to the stars upon our deaths.' Thus, I am far less likely to accept any single Jedi as a parental figure going forward."
"Well spoken, yet I have yet to hear a reason for granting you the right to have two Masters," Piell stated, a crease in his brow making his ears droop in a way that would've have made me chuckle at the silliness/cuteness of it if not for Player's Mind being engaged.
"I already formed bonds to others before the Order, and while yes, those people are gone, the bonds to them, and what they taught me still exist in here." I tapped my head. "I respect what the Order is, I wish to learn more and help protect those that cannot protect themselves, yet that loyalty to the Order that all others my age have, I do not. And I do not think time spent with a single Master to guide me is enough to help me fully integrate with this ideal, or the Force."
Some of that was true, some wasn't, but it was all something that I hoped the Council wanted or needed to hear.
"Your reasons are valid, and you have shown why we generally avoid taking in older younglings, yet all you have done nothing to truly convince us of your wish," Di stated, earning him nods of agreement from Gallia and Piell.
I shrugged. "If that is so, then you can assign me to one of the Masters I prefer; or one of the others I do not. That is your choice. But all our actions now create ripples in life, within the Force itself, and actions that are taken without understanding are often the wrong actions to take." I paused and took a breath. "Four months ago, you gave me a choice, today I have given you my preference. Now all I can do is wait for your decision."
Astaal smiled that wrinkly smile of his and chuckled. "Very true. You are wiser than most your age and speak with an intelligence far beyond your years." He looked at the other members of the Council. "We will consider your request for a few days but before we allow you to leave this chamber…" He trailed off and I watched as Master Di left the chamber, only to return with Darihd a moment later, the smile from before still present, though more under control.
"Initiates Bykys and Shan, you have been chosen and accepted as Padawans of the Jedi Order. Now it is time for you to construct your own lightsaber. Report to the hanger in this spire no later than nineteen hundred for The Gathering."
"Yes Master," Darihd said with a bow that I copied, and we left the chamber, even if no formal dismissal was given, it was clear that were to leave.
"Ya-hoo!" Darihd shouted as soon as we entered the elevator. "Who were you assigned as your Master?" He asked with a grin.
"The Council has given me a choice and they are debating whom would be the best for my further training," I replied. I wasn't intentionally being vague, but I didn't want to deal with others thinking I might have two Jedi Masters before the Council made their final decision. "What about you?"
"Master Sifo-Dyas." He replied and I felt my brow rise. It was a good thing I had decided a while ago against taking him as a trainer or things would be very awkward. I could only assume that Sifo-Dyas had realised I was not interested in becoming his Padawan and turned his attention to others in Dragon Clan.
"Congratulations are in order then. This is my stop. I will see you in the hanger," I said as we reached the hall leading to my quarters.
"You don't want to talk with the others?" He asked as his smile faltered a touch.
"No. I am concerned that some of them may resent me being taken before them, so I would ask that you not mention anything about why I was called to the Council to them."
Darihd nodded before he replied. "Right, I hadn't considered that. Well, see you later Padawan." The doors closed on his smiling face, which exposed his sharp-looking teeth.
I walked quietly to my quarters and began to pack the few things that I would need for this Gathering even as I did mental somersaults at finally getting to make my own lightsaber.
…
I observed as Aayla came at Funt using her preferred Ataru, while Funt tried to use the basics of Makashi. He, like a few others in Dragon Clan, had come to me about a week after the Initiate Trials had ended and asked for help learning the basics of the Form.
I had suggested they go to Dooku for instruction, but strangely none of them found my idea appealing.
So here I was, two months after the trials, guiding the members of Dragon Clan through the basics of the duelling form.
"You're really good at teaching," said Serra from my right side.
"Yeah, much nicer than Master Dooku," agreed Lon Boglid, a younger Duros member of the clan who was standing on my left. "I actually enjoy these sessions."
"That's good, but remember not to state such a thing within range of Dooku," I replied to Lon, my eyes still watching the duel. It was a very slow affair as I had made sure that whomever the aggressor was – usually Sia-Lan, Serra or Aayla – they would not directly use the Force while attacking and slow their movements down. Everyone was a little confused as to why I had them do so since they hadn't done slow katas or spars since they were younglings. I had reminded them that Makashi was a form that none of the clan, save myself, had spent any real-time learning, so if a spar was conducted at regular speeds, they would instinctively fall back to their preferred form.
"Pause," I said loud enough for Funt and Aayla to hear me. Both stopped their motions as I stepped towards them. "Funt, slowly go back to where you blocked her last strike."
The pair revered their actions until Aayla's blade was halfway-down an aggressive arc.
"Stop there. Funt, when Aayla's blade came down, you raised yours fully to block it. Why?"
Funt blinked once, then shrugged. "Why shouldn't I? I stopped her attack." His tone was calm, though there was a hint of annoyance which I suspected was because, of all the members of the clan, he was struggling the most with Makashi.
I reached forward and placed my hands on his. "You did yes, but if you had done this…" I looked at Aayla and she resumed her attack, though even slower than when they were sparring.
As she did so, I tilted Funt's blade so that Aayla's attack would be guided away and to one side of Funt's body while exposing Aayla's midsection.
"… then you would've been able to strike at her and gain the advantage." I finished as I released my grip. "Remember, Makashi isn't about simply defending yourself, but about fluid motion, balance and precise strikes. Guide your opponent where you want them to go. Make them overcommit to their actions while you stay balanced."
Funt nodded, and I stepped back from them.
"Resume."
I watched as they continued from the new position even as I noted a skill level-up in my notice box. With a subtle flick of my wrist, I opened it.
Skill Levelled-Up!
Teaching
Novice 9
...
I had gotten this skill when I started these sessions. Each level granted a small boost in the ease with which my 'students' learnt from me.Teaching
Novice 9
...
"Well done. I didn't think anyone could get through his dewflaps and teach him so easily," said Darihd quietly enough that the combatants didn't hear with his amusement clear to hear. "You're going to make an excellent instructor one day."
"He may one day be, but he is not one yet."
I spun around at the familiar adult voice, my hand instantly reaching for where my lightsaber would be – if I was carrying one – and saw Masters Dooku and Drallig standing behind us.
Drallig was relaxed, his eyes on Funt and Aayla, but Dooku's were locked onto mine the moment they met.
"What is going on here?" He asked sharply and I caught sight of Darihd and the others quickly and quietly moving away from me to avoid being in Dooku's glares. 'Traitors.'
"Sir, after the Trials, a few members approached me for pointers on Makashi. Soon others did as well, and so I arranged an introductory session to the basics, in which I feel I have sufficient proficiency that I could pass them on." I replied calmly.
Dooku's eyes narrowed and he glanced at the rest of the clan before returning his gaze to me. "And why did you not ask Master Drallig or I to conduct these sessions?"
I glanced at the rest of the clan and noticed a few pleading looks to not throw them under a bus. "I felt I could handle the very basics of the form and did not wish to bother you or Master Drallig with something that may not have resulted in any of my clanmates choosing to take further studies in Makashi. If that occurred, it would have resulted in a waste of your time."
I spotted Drallig nod once at my reason, but my focus was on Dooku. If I handled this well, it might help ingrain me with him more. More learners of the form he considered the True Form might help persuade him that some Jedi were worth saving.
"Your reasons are valid," he said slowly, and I felt the corners of my lips twitch in triumph. "However, neither Master Drallig nor I have stated you are proficient enough to teach even the most basic katas of Makashi." And the twitch ended.
"Perhaps you should test him then," Drallig said, a smirk on his face as he looked at me. "From what I saw in the trials, and in the regular sessions, he is competent enough to be tested on the form."
"He is too young."
"Nonsense. Unlike a few of the other forms, Makashi does not count strength as a major factor. You know this better than most," Drallig countered Dooku's argument. "Besides, I am sure we both agree that more students of Makashi would be a good thing."
Dooku's eyes narrowed further as he turned back to me. "Perhaps you are correct. Come Initiate." He pivoted, his robes billowing out and forcing me to take a step back to avoid being struck by them, before marching away.
"You should do as he says," Drallig said with a rueful shake of his head. "Actually, I think you should all come. It will allow you to view a pure Makashi duel, which will help you determine if you wish to commit to the form or not."
"Yes Master," said Darihd.
We all followed the Jedi Battlemaster to the main sparring hall. Dooku was waiting in the middle of the smaller sparring circles and tossed me a training lightsaber as we approached.
"During this exercise, you may only use Makashi. The usage of katas from another Form will result in your failure. If you can survive five minutes without sustaining three glancing strikes or one killing blow you, it will be accepted that you understand the basics of Makashi well enough to carry out simple training katas for your clanmates.
"However, if you fail, not only will I forbid you from holding your training sessions, but you will be forced to spend an hour each day under my tutelage until such time as I am satisfied with your proficiency with Makashi. Do you accept these terms?" Dooku asked as he ignited his lightsaber – seeing it blue instead of red was still a little strange for me – and swished it a few times in the gap between us.
Quest Alert!
Duel of Contention (Challenge Quest)
Prove your (basic) competence with Form II
Rating: C
Objective:
Survive 5 minutes in a duel with a Makashi master without suffering 3 tags.
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
Increased reputation with all Jedi.
Heavily increased reputation with Master Dooku.
Permission to hold elementary training sessions in Makashi for other Initiates.
500EXP
Failure:
0-300EXP (based on how long you survive)
1-hour daily tutoring with Master Dooku for 2 months.
Loss of reputation with all Jedi.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
NOTE:
Challenge quests are quests directed at you by another to prove yourself.
This can be for a specific skill, a title, a competition or for other reasons.
These quests carry lower EXP rewards than regular quests, though they often grant reputation boosts with large groups or offer different rewards for competitions.
Challenge quests cannot be denied without incurring an automatic failure.
…
'Son of a… I either accept it and probably get an arse-kicking, or reject it and fail. That's just… Actually, it makes sense, I guess. Especially, as this whole power is unbalanced in my favour, to begin with.' Duel of Contention (Challenge Quest)
Prove your (basic) competence with Form II
Rating: C
Objective:
Survive 5 minutes in a duel with a Makashi master without suffering 3 tags.
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
Increased reputation with all Jedi.
Heavily increased reputation with Master Dooku.
Permission to hold elementary training sessions in Makashi for other Initiates.
500EXP
Failure:
0-300EXP (based on how long you survive)
1-hour daily tutoring with Master Dooku for 2 months.
Loss of reputation with all Jedi.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
NOTE:
Challenge quests are quests directed at you by another to prove yourself.
This can be for a specific skill, a title, a competition or for other reasons.
These quests carry lower EXP rewards than regular quests, though they often grant reputation boosts with large groups or offer different rewards for competitions.
Challenge quests cannot be denied without incurring an automatic failure.
…
"Yes, sir. I understand and accept." I said out loud as I ignited my blade and stepped into the circle. I knew from training that I could only keep on Precognition and Bullet Time together for around four minutes, and as soon as they auto-engaged, I planned to turn off Precognition. While both would be useful, a faster reaction time would grant me the best benefit during this spar, and I could always turn Precog back on if I started to struggle; provided I had the time/FP to do so.
Dooku gave me a fractional nod of his head. "Master Drallig, on your word." We both raised our blades in salute before swinging them downwards.
"Begin."
Dooku stepped forward and probed my defences with a flurry of short, sharp slashes. None of them were difficult to avoid or parry and after the initial attack, Dooku stepped back and gave me a very fractional nod. Hopefully, it meant he was satisfied with my defence. Before I could consider it though, he came at me again, far faster than before.
Thanks to Bullet Time, I was able to keep up with his thrusts, slashes and probes, though I quickly could tell that he was still taking it easy on me, even as I began to struggle with the constant storm of movement.
Eventually, his constant attacks exposed my blade arm and he clipped it, earning a point in the duel and costing me a few dozen HPs.
"Your defence is sound, though you lack the strength and reach that will come with age." He said as he stepped backwards, not taking further advantage of the hole he had created in my defence. "Now then, let us see how well you can attack."
I nodded in acceptance of the command and stepped forward to probe his defences, even if I knew the odds on me breaking through and scoring a hit were minimal at best.
I was proven right as nothing I did seemed to expose an opening in his stance for me to exploit even as I activated Force Speed in the hope that a faster attack would help.
I wasn't sure how long I attacked for since I was only concentrating on him and not the small countdown in the upper left of my vision, but suddenly I spotted a gap that seemed to expose his left thigh.
I moved my blade to exploit the gap, only to stop as and ignore it. The moment I did so, Dooku parried my latest jab and tapped his blade against my forearm before stepping backwards.
"Why did you not take the opening?" He asked as we reset out stances.
"The chances of me succeeding in breaking through your defences are slim, and while the gap was only there for a moment, it was too obvious and large to be anything but a trap."
His lips twitched even as we saluted each other once more. "Good." He said nothing else before he came at me far faster than before and I was instantly on the defensive; taking one step back. That step was followed by others and I knew that if I did not do something soon, I would be forced from the ring and lose the spar.
In desperation I ignored an attack that was heading for my left side and pivoted away, dropping my lightsaber from my right hand to my left, and frantically jabbed the blade out in blind hope that it would block an attack I knew was coming.
As I ended my pivot, my eyes bugged out a touch as the tip of his blade was now right between my eyes with my own weapon in no position to help.
"I yield," I said calmly, knowing the fight was over and Dooku pulled his lightsaber backwards and extinguished it even as he clipped it to his belt.
"Your attacks are slow and predictable yet controlled. Perhaps you do understand more than just the basics of Makashi." He said spoke slowly with no audio or visual clue if he was impressed or disappointed in how I had done even as he turned and looked away from me. "Time?"
"Seven minutes, eighteen seconds." Master Drallig stated and my head whipped around to see the Battlemaster was standing there with a large smile on his face; and that there were more than just the members of Dragon Clan watching us. "I know you stated he only needed to survive five minutes, but I felt the other Initiates would benefit from seeing Makashi in action from one of their own."
"Indeed." Dooku turned back to me. "Your execution is commendable for one so young. You may continue instructing your clanmates in the basics of Makashi, but I reserve the right to test them at a time and place of my choosing."
"Yes, sir," I answered as I tried – and failed – to stop a grin from creeping onto my face.
Dooku gave me a short nod before walking away, which allowed the rest of Dragon Clan to rush into the ring.
"That was awesome!" Shouted Jyl as she bounced over with the others. "You made Dooku smile!"
"And you landed a strike on him," Sia-Lan added giving me an unexpected smile with a sideways tilt of her head.
"What? When?" I asked since I had no memory of doing so.
"When you pivoted out of position," Darihd explained. "You managed to tag his forearm without looking. Sure, you lost, but we all knew that was coming."
"Not all of us," Aayla stated with a smirk as she glanced at Serra, who avoided my gaze when I turned to her.
"That was pure luck. I only extended my lightsaber in a vain hope to stop him attacking while I lost sight of him." I explained to the Clan as I looked at each of them in turn. "Master Dooku is many levels beyond where I am and has decades of experience of using Makashi; probably in real combat."
"Yeah, but that was still awesome! The way the two of you seemed to flow without really moving was incredible. I want to learn Makashi." Jyl stated with firmness in her voice. Up until now, Jyl hadn't shown any interest in Makashi, though she came to the sessions, preferring Soresu.
I smiled at the younger girl. "That's fine but remember that every Form has its own advantages and drawbacks."
"I know, I know. But Makashi looks graceful, fluid." Jyl smiled as she looked skyward. "It feels right."
I had nothing to add to that and so just nodded at her.
"Well, you'll have to try Makashi next session. We have flight training with Knight Lhan in ten minutes, and I doubt Cameron being tested by Master Dooku as a valid excuse as to why we are all late." Darihd stated after a glance at his datapad.
As we moved off to our class, I slid to the back of the group and accessed my interface.
Quest Completed!
Duel of Contention (Challenge Quest)
Objectives:
Survive 5 minutes in a duel with a Makashi master without suffering 3 tags. [Yes]
[?] Score a hit on the Jedi Master [Yes]
Rewards:
Increased reputation with all Jedi.
Heavily increased reputation with Master Dooku.
Permission to hold elementary training sessions in Makashi for other Initiates.
500EXP
300EXP
…
'Nice, though I wish I actually knew what my reputation was with everyone.' Currently, all that was displayed on my Reputation page were two lists – Jedi and Others – with some details about the various beings I had met. There was no indication of what my reputation with anyone actually was, and I wouldn't find out that until I turned eleven, and the system 'upgraded'. Whatever that meant.Duel of Contention (Challenge Quest)
Objectives:
Survive 5 minutes in a duel with a Makashi master without suffering 3 tags. [Yes]
[?] Score a hit on the Jedi Master [Yes]
Rewards:
Increased reputation with all Jedi.
Heavily increased reputation with Master Dooku.
Permission to hold elementary training sessions in Makashi for other Initiates.
500EXP
300EXP
…
'Still, this should boost my standing in the Order and hopefully increase my chances of preventing Dooku's fall.'
I waved away the message and caught up with the rest of the Clan to continue the day.
...
...
Quest Failed!
Miner's Run [Challenge Quest]
Objectives:
Complete the challenge in the quickest time. (Casualties will result in time penalties.) [3rd]
[?] Destroy a target (5EXP/target) [20]
Rewards:
100EXP
100EXP
…
'At least I got EXP for my 'kills' and not coming last.' I thought as I waved the quest failure notice.Miner's Run [Challenge Quest]
Objectives:
Complete the challenge in the quickest time. (Casualties will result in time penalties.) [3rd]
[?] Destroy a target (5EXP/target) [20]
Rewards:
100EXP
100EXP
…
It referred to an instant quest created during what was hopefully my last flight training class when Knight Lhan randomly split Dragon Clan into four teams and gave us a challenge. If my team had won I'd have earned a chance to fly a real ship, but given that my teammates were the two youngest members of the Clan to be allowed to take flight training, and that I'd already flown on a starship, I wasn't too concerned about failing my first quest. I was just glad we hadn't finished last, as that would've resulted in a loss of Reputation with Dragon Clan.
The only quests that I was worried about failing were the Changing Fates quests, as if I failed them they would make things worse for both me and the Jedi – though I was more concerned with my own fate that the Order's – and the two quests that would lock my skills at a certain level for years.
"Congratulations to Blue Team," Lhan said with a smile that exposed fearsome-looking fangs as Aayla, Serra and Jyl bounced around in enjoyment at winning. "Also well done to Cameron, who scored the highest number of kills during the competition."
I acknowledged him with a slight nod but had no other reaction to his statement. Since my teammates had been the youngest, and least experienced, on the simulators, during our attempt at the mission, I'd acted as bait for the 'defenders' and drawn a majority away from the target. That I'd managed to kill so many was due as much to the program's low level as it was to my own skills at flying and combat.
"Knight Lhan, may I enter?" We all turned to see Master Ima-Gun Di standing in the doorway.
"Of course, Master Di." Lhan replied with a partial bow. "We have just finished class for the day."
"Yes, I was watching on the monitor outside," Di stated as he took a few steps into the room. "Blue team worked extremely well as a unit." I glanced to my left and noted the three girls all sit up straighter at the praise. "However, that is not why I am here. Initiates Bykys and Shan, the Council of First Knowledge wishes to speak with you both. Come with me."
Darihd and I stood and followed the Nikto Jedi Master through the halls of the Temple. Since tomorrow was the first day of New Year's Week, I knew that it was time for me to make my choice regarding which Jedi would be my 'Master', and I was hoping I could convince the Council of my choice. I could only hope that Darihd had also been chosen as a Padawan if he was also being summoned by the Council. I didn't think he was being reassigned to one of the corps, but either way, I planned to try to keep in contact with him as loyal allies were going to be needed in the coming decades.
The walk was done in silence, save for Master Di greeting other Jedi as we passed them. Many of those Jedi stared intently at me as we passed. I was not enjoying the fact many saw me as their Chosen One but figured I could put up with it since I was soon to leave the Temple and it would hopefully mean some of them would not try to fill Anakin's head with the bull when he joined.
However, I had no intention of staying in the Temple to be trained as I needed out to begin prepping for the war to come. I had had a revelation about how to begin to earn credits, but that needed outside access, like almost every other thing I needed to do before the war came.
"Initiate Shan, please wait here. Initiate Bykys, enter with me." Di stated as we arrived in the antechamber for the Council of First Knowledge.
I gave Darihd a smile and a nod in support before he followed the Jedi Master into the chambers. As the doors closed, I sat down on an empty bench and considered how I was going to get what I wanted, though how to go about it was still uncertain as I worried the Force would be a factor in this argument, yet I still didn't know how it 'saw' me.
The one thing I had taken from that brief explanation about the Force was that it saw both the Jedi and Sith as unbalanced, which suggested to me that if I could find a new, better, way, the Force may just decide to help me. Then again, it could just as easily decide my new way was worse, and subtly act against me and those who stood with me.
Perplexing did not even begin to describe the Force. And the less said about TPTB, the better.
Good, you're learning.
We are so far beyond you, that you cannot understand our ways.
But know that whatever you choose to do with this new life, we accept.
Live your life, or don't.
Be a Jedi, a Sith or something else.
Engage in what you call Virtues or Vices.
All of this is your choice.
'Sometimes I don't know if the PtB are simply uncaring, or do things like give me these powers to amuse themselves. It's like they act like both the Prophets and the Q at the same time.' I thought, using the two Star Trek omnipotent races as examples. Examples that should not be compatible, yet both worked to, at least partially, explain to me what I felt TPTB were.We are so far beyond you, that you cannot understand our ways.
But know that whatever you choose to do with this new life, we accept.
Live your life, or don't.
Be a Jedi, a Sith or something else.
Engage in what you call Virtues or Vices.
All of this is your choice.
"Eh, best not to dwell on things I cannot control or understand for too long," I muttered as the message from the PtB vanished. "List Quests."
QUESTS
These are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.
Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.
Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.
You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.
All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or overrunning the risk of bodily harm, if not death.
Current quests, with rankings, are:
For more details, on a quest, tap it or say 'List Quest' followed by the quest required.
…
Competent Swordsman and Trainee Defender referred to quests for Shii-Cho and Soresu that I had taken when I'd examined my skills after being challenged to prove my competency with Makashi and found I had past Professional 1. I had decided to try to improve those two Forms during my nightly training cycles. Only needing to sleep once every thirty days thanks to the Force Power Serenity was just ridiculous, but I had to learn to exploit these seeming flaws in my special powers. If I had truly understood how RPGs worked before I had created my new life, I would've done things differently during the creation of my new life; like taking Eidetic Memory instead of Photographic Memory. Though I would correct that mistake the first chance I got.These are the story chains that will help push and shape your new life.
Quests come in various forms, from repeatable simple ones to long, multi-part campaigns.
Most of your activities will be set up as quests, however, you are free to decline most quests.
You can also create your own quests if you are willing to push yourself beyond what would be considered easy/safe.
All quests are rated from F to S*** for difficulty, with anything rated B or overrunning the risk of bodily harm, if not death.
Current quests, with rankings, are:
Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire (S***)
Forge your own Path (N/A)
Cleanse the Temple (B)
Changing Fate [Dooku] (A)
You Can't Hurt Me [User Defined] (B)
Stones of Muntuur (S*)
Wipe That Grin off her Face [User Defined] (D)
Changing Fate [Anakin] (S**)
Just Don't Get Caught [User Defined] (C)
Changing Fate [Qui-Gon] (B)
Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas] (B)
Trainee Space Ranger [User Defined] (C)
Trainee Ace [User Defined] (C)
Competent Duellist [User Defined] (C)
Competent Swordsman [User Defined] (C)
Trainee Defender [User Defined] (C)
Two are Better Than One (B)
Forge your own Path (N/A)
Cleanse the Temple (B)
Changing Fate [Dooku] (A)
You Can't Hurt Me [User Defined] (B)
Stones of Muntuur (S*)
Wipe That Grin off her Face [User Defined] (D)
Changing Fate [Anakin] (S**)
Just Don't Get Caught [User Defined] (C)
Changing Fate [Qui-Gon] (B)
Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas] (B)
Trainee Space Ranger [User Defined] (C)
Trainee Ace [User Defined] (C)
Competent Duellist [User Defined] (C)
Competent Swordsman [User Defined] (C)
Trainee Defender [User Defined] (C)
Two are Better Than One (B)
…
Still, there was no point on dwelling on things I couldn't change. "List Quest, Two are Better Than One."
Two are Better Than One [User Defined]
Gain 2 Jedi Masters as your formal trainers.
Rating: B
Objective:
Convince the Council of 1st Knowledge that both Fay and Dooku should become your Masters.
Rewards:
2000EXP
+25 ranks in skill [Persuasion]
Failure:
Loss of reputation with whoever doesn't become your trainer and lack of access to them for 5 years.
…
The quest had been generated once I'd made up my mind last week to try to gain both Dooku and Fay as my trainers. The risk of failure was big, especially if I lost access to Dooku as that would probably remove the reputation gain I'd made during the Duel of Contention quest and would greatly increase the chances of me failing the Changing Fate [Dooku] quest.Gain 2 Jedi Masters as your formal trainers.
Rating: B
Objective:
Convince the Council of 1st Knowledge that both Fay and Dooku should become your Masters.
Rewards:
2000EXP
+25 ranks in skill [Persuasion]
Failure:
Loss of reputation with whoever doesn't become your trainer and lack of access to them for 5 years.
…
Still, I was going to try anyway to get both as trainers, and even before the quest had been generated, I'd expected to lose access to whoever wasn't assigned as my 'Master' if I failed to convince the Council of my wish, so all in all, the risks were acceptable.
"Initiate Shan, the Council is ready to speak with you." I stood at Master Di's statement and spared a glance for Darihd. He was smiling happily, so I hoped that meant he had been assigned a Master that he was happy with. As Master Di turned back towards the chamber, I quickly activated Player's Mind and the Force Powers of Enhance Stat and Enhance Skill. The boosts weren't much, one stat point to CHA and a handful of skill levels for Persuasion, but any help was welcomed for what I was about to attempt.
Entering the chambers, I saw all five members of the First Knowledge Council were present. The seer, Nilas, gave me a small smile as she turned to face me.
"Greetings once more, young one. Please step forward." Astaal Vilbum said with a smile on his heavily wrinkled face. "Do you understand why we have called you here today?" He asked as I stepped into the centre of the chamber.
"Yes, sir. And I have reached a decision, but I wish to explain it to you," I replied as I took a breath.
"I already suspect your choice young one, and my vote you have, if that is indeed the case," Nilas said, the smile growing a touch.
I nodded at her, even if deep down I was worried that the Force was letting seers know what I planned before I did anything. I am the master of my own fate, not the Force.
"Thank you. When I was last called to face this Council, I was given four choices for whom to take as my Jedi trainer. Knight Lhan is engaging, friendly and eager. Master Sifo-Dyas is a diplomat of renown, and who also appears patient and willing to listen to the concerns of younglings. Master Dooku is the Jedi Order's true master of Makashi, and a firm but fair trainer who has little to no patience for excuses. Master Fay is… a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. She is a very powerful Force wielder, yet she reminds of my first schoolteacher in how aloof she is."
"That is a fair assessment of the four Jedi who we feel would be best to become your Master," Adi Gallia said with a slight upturn of her lips. "And I am impressed you have gotten such accurate impressions of them at your tender age. But what exactly does this have to do with your choice?"
"I feel that I need to explain my choice, and before I do that, I wish to make it clear that I hold no ill-will towards those I have not chosen." That earned me nods or smiles from the entire Council. "Truthfully, my choice is.. unusual I suspect, but it is what I feel the Force is guiding me to." OK, not totally true, but I knew I had to play every card I could to make this work.
"And what is your choice?" Master Piell asked, his ears twitching as he leaned forward.
"With this council's permission, I would accept either Master Dooku or Master Fay as my Jedi Master, however, I wish to learn equally from both."
The Masters looked at each other, their smiles faltering – save Nilas, whose own smile grew as she gave me a nod, meaning this was the choice she had seen in a vision. I again ignored, for now, the fact the Force was able to predict my actions. That was an issue to think on for a later date.
"That is...an unusual request," Astaal said slowly after a moment of silence that I suspected the Council had used to talk with each other telepathically. "Do you have reasons for making this request?"
I smiled a touch at not having my request rejected out of hand. Now to explain my reasons and see where things went.
"Master Dooku is the undisputed master of Makashi, the form I find myself drawn to, and while he can appear to be uninterested in training, I find his strict and concise lessons rewarding." OK, I planned to learn all seven Forms to at least Master levels, but there was no need to state that here and now.
"Master Fay is, something undefinable. At least to me. There is an energy, a pull, that I cannot deny the feeling. I would not assume to suggest it was the will of the Force, yet I cannot deny that the few times I have spent with her have been more enlightening than anything else I have learnt with these walls." I knew that if I had said some of that after I had hit puberty, it could've had a hidden context, but since I was not yet affected by those physical and psychological changes, I hoped the Council would not worry about that issue. That Fay was essentially a Space Elf had nothing to do with my opinion, though it did make me curious about her species.
"Your reasons are sound, yet no Padawan is assigned two Masters. Why should we make an exception for you? Do you feel you are special?" Master Di asked with a frown that pulled the horns on his head closer, giving him a slightly demonic look.
"I am no more or less special than anyone," I replied slowly, having expected this line of questioning. "My, admittedly limited understanding of the Jedi Code states that we are to forgo attachments, yet it is common practice to assign an Initiate to a Knight or Master, thus creating a bond of attachment from a child that has never known a true parental figure. From my thinking, I am led to believe that this is allowed as it maintains loyalty to the Order above all else." I noticed that Gallia was nodding while both Nilas and Astaal were smiling as I spoke.
"I, on the other hand, have already had a parental figure. I have suffered loss, and know that death is not the end, but merely a natural part of the circle of life. As my grandfather used to say; 'We are born of the stars and return to the stars upon our deaths.' Thus, I am far less likely to accept any single Jedi as a parental figure going forward."
"Well spoken, yet I have yet to hear a reason for granting you the right to have two Masters," Piell stated, a crease in his brow making his ears droop in a way that would've have made me chuckle at the silliness/cuteness of it if not for Player's Mind being engaged.
"I already formed bonds to others before the Order, and while yes, those people are gone, the bonds to them, and what they taught me still exist in here." I tapped my head. "I respect what the Order is, I wish to learn more and help protect those that cannot protect themselves, yet that loyalty to the Order that all others my age have, I do not. And I do not think time spent with a single Master to guide me is enough to help me fully integrate with this ideal, or the Force."
Some of that was true, some wasn't, but it was all something that I hoped the Council wanted or needed to hear.
"Your reasons are valid, and you have shown why we generally avoid taking in older younglings, yet all you have done nothing to truly convince us of your wish," Di stated, earning him nods of agreement from Gallia and Piell.
I shrugged. "If that is so, then you can assign me to one of the Masters I prefer; or one of the others I do not. That is your choice. But all our actions now create ripples in life, within the Force itself, and actions that are taken without understanding are often the wrong actions to take." I paused and took a breath. "Four months ago, you gave me a choice, today I have given you my preference. Now all I can do is wait for your decision."
Astaal smiled that wrinkly smile of his and chuckled. "Very true. You are wiser than most your age and speak with an intelligence far beyond your years." He looked at the other members of the Council. "We will consider your request for a few days but before we allow you to leave this chamber…" He trailed off and I watched as Master Di left the chamber, only to return with Darihd a moment later, the smile from before still present, though more under control.
"Initiates Bykys and Shan, you have been chosen and accepted as Padawans of the Jedi Order. Now it is time for you to construct your own lightsaber. Report to the hanger in this spire no later than nineteen hundred for The Gathering."
"Yes Master," Darihd said with a bow that I copied, and we left the chamber, even if no formal dismissal was given, it was clear that were to leave.
"Ya-hoo!" Darihd shouted as soon as we entered the elevator. "Who were you assigned as your Master?" He asked with a grin.
"The Council has given me a choice and they are debating whom would be the best for my further training," I replied. I wasn't intentionally being vague, but I didn't want to deal with others thinking I might have two Jedi Masters before the Council made their final decision. "What about you?"
"Master Sifo-Dyas." He replied and I felt my brow rise. It was a good thing I had decided a while ago against taking him as a trainer or things would be very awkward. I could only assume that Sifo-Dyas had realised I was not interested in becoming his Padawan and turned his attention to others in Dragon Clan.
"Congratulations are in order then. This is my stop. I will see you in the hanger," I said as we reached the hall leading to my quarters.
"You don't want to talk with the others?" He asked as his smile faltered a touch.
"No. I am concerned that some of them may resent me being taken before them, so I would ask that you not mention anything about why I was called to the Council to them."
Darihd nodded before he replied. "Right, I hadn't considered that. Well, see you later Padawan." The doors closed on his smiling face, which exposed his sharp-looking teeth.
I walked quietly to my quarters and began to pack the few things that I would need for this Gathering even as I did mental somersaults at finally getting to make my own lightsaber.
…
Crystal Stars 3
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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I ignored the regular morning notice that my HP, FP and Stamina had all been fully restored after having eight hours or more of sleep and rolled out of the bed in the cabin I was sharing with Darihd.
We were currently aboard the Crucible, a Jedi training ship on our way to Ilum.
Since I had to share a compartment, I decided it was safer to simply sleep normally for the few days this trip would take. As I stood and stretched, I saw a series of flashing notices in my log.
Checking that Darihd was still sleeping, I sat back down and opened them.
I swiped away the notices and quietly spoke. "List Player Powers."
Silent Interface enabled me to give commands to my power without having to vocalise them. That was going to be huge as currently, I had to whisper commands like I was doing now if I wasn't alone.
Enhanced Inventory increased the volume of each slot in my inventory to a meter-squared while doubling the number of an object that could be stored in each slot. That would be useful if I had much in there, but all I had were two lightsabers, a Sith holocron, a stim-pack, an ancient blaster rifle, a four-thousand-year-old vibroblade and a spare power cell for the rifle. The only reason I was still holding onto the rifle and vibroblade is they might still be useful in the current galaxy. And if not, I could sell them off as relics. Maybe.
Examine instantly sounded overpowered. By simply touching an object or person, I could, as the power evolve, gain information about it/them such as what it was and did, how much damage it could take, its value and what it was made of. Truthfully, I got some of that from examining an item in my inventory, but the extra details would clearly expand on that.
Enlarge/Shrink allowed me to in/decrease the size of any non-organic object by 1% per day. This power had the potential to applied to organic matter like food and living beings as it levelled up and increase how often I could apply it each day. That could, in theory, allow me to take a kilo of precious metal and, over time, end up with several kilos. Talk about an economically unbalanced power!
Colour Shift allowed me to change the colour of any inorganic object with the size I could change dependent on the power's level. It sounded semi-useful, but not very powerful.
Glamours allowed me to change various parts of my facial appearance (Hair, eyes, skin in colour and/or shape) for short times and at the highest levels could even allow me to change my appearance to another humanoid race. This had the potential for creating multiple personas for hiding from people who were after me. Yet, I wondered if such a thing wasn't possible with the Force; though whether that would work on droids was something I was unsure of.
Of the five, Silent Interface was a certainty to take while Examine and Enlarge/Shrink had the next highest possible usage, with Glamours and Enhanced Inventory also being useful. Colour Shift sounded a little pointless, but I wasn't stupid enough to just dismiss it out of hand.
"Morning Cam."
I turned from the choices, waving them away with a casual swish, and looked over a Darihd with a small frown at both him preventing me from choosing new powers and using the nickname that Serra had come up with for me.
"You know I hate that."
"Yeah, but it's so much easier than saying your full name," he replied with a smile as he stood and stretched. "Have you cleaned yet?"
"Nah, you go ahead."
"OK, but I'll be quick. It's going to be so cool learning about how to build and maintain a lightsaber."
"You and I have very different ideas about what is 'cool'," I muttered as he walked to the smaller refresher in our quarters.
The trip to Ilum was projected to take two days. During that time, Padawan Bultar Swan, who was escorting us and the six others who were taken as padawans to Ilum, would be teaching us all about lightsabers including their history and meaning. It sounded less than enjoyable, but like basic training for the army, it was something that had to be done, so I would get through it. No matter how boring I thought it was going to be.
...
...
Four days, and hours upon hours of tedious lessons on lightsaber usage and safety instructions – seriously, who would use it for 'recreational activities'? – later, we arrived at Ilum. Soon enough, I found myself standing just inside the entrance of the ice chamber of Ilum that I remembered from the Clone Wars cartoon.
While the time had been boring, I had gained and levelled up fifty-two times a skill called Mechanics [Lightsaber].
This was a skill that covered the building, maintaining and enhancing a lightsaber. I assumed this meant that I needed to level it up if I wished to add extra crystals to a lightsaber like what could be done in KOTOR, but I wasn't certain as nothing in the lectures had covered the adding of extra crystals to a lightsaber. I suspected that, like a few other things I remembered from KOTOR, it had been 'discontinued' or 'outlawed' by the current Jedi Order.
Since we'd spent the whole four days learning about lightsaber usage and safety, I'd just ran Force Cloak – which I could now run continuously without my FP ever draining – constantly; day and night. This had taken it past Savant 50, which granted me a new Force Power; Force Camouflage.
While Force Cloak was more meant to add to my natural skill at stealth, Force Camouflage actively hid me from sight with the Force, though currently, it didn't hide me from droids or detection via IR, UV or similar methods.
Even if the last few days had seemed wasted, new powers and skills were always welcome, so I considered it something of a fair trade.
As I began to walk with the small group of other potential Padawans, I silently wondered what challenge I would have to face in this cave.
"He approaches."
The voice came suddenly and unexpectedly, carried by the swirling snow. I glanced around, half-expecting a few more Jedi to appear to monitor our progress. There was nothing.
"What do we do now?" Darihd asked to the older Initiates. I glanced at them, they seemed not to have heard anything at all.
"Summon the Council." There it was again. The same voice, though I thought the undertones might be slightly different.
"Trust in the Force," replied the eldest, sadly for me Jon Savos from Katarn Clan, confidently. "Though for now, let's stick together for safety."
I fought off an urge to roll my eyes at him saying to 'trust the Force' and followed the group further into the cave.
"Come to us, Master. We are waiting for you"
"How long do you think we have before the door freezes over?" Asakan, a white-haired and eyed older Human asked.
"The Council is in session Master."
"I'd say a few hours at least, replied Gastee, a red-skinned Zabrak who had 2 forward-facing horns that gave her a demonic look.
"What is your desire, my Master?"
"We await your command, Grandmaster." The voices were slowing becoming louder as we walked deeper into the caves until I had to stop and stare at the passage from which the voices were coming.
"Cam? What is it?" Darihd asked and the group stopped and looked at me.
"I can hear something," I muttered as I stared down the tunnel
"Oh, the Great One hears something! Praise to the Force!" Jon exclaimed, his hands coming to his cheeks. "We should all bow to the Cho… argkh." He stopped as I used the TK to clamp his mouth shut.
"I suggest you hold your tongue, lest I do something more than just clamp your mouth shut," I warned. After 2 days of his condescending and belittling comments, I was fed up. Sure, I shouldn't just casually use the Force to shut him up, but I'd reached the end of my tether. He could go and bitch to the Council once we returned if he wanted, but that would just prove he was nothing more than a sycophant. No worth my…
I shook my head to clear it. 'Where did that come from?' I wondered as I released the grip I had on his jaw. "There is something this way. I'm going."
I didn't catch what anyone said as I walked away from the group and down the side-tunnel.
The walls began to close in, and the light began to dim, so I activated Force Sight.
"Fuck!" I called out as my vision was flooded, my hands went to my knees and I turned off the power. I forgot the whole place was soaked in the Force and I stayed bent over blinking until my vision settled. "That was stupid."
"Yes, it was."
My head snapped up at hearing a voice that sounds both familiar yet different, and I found myself staring at someone that reminded me of Vaner Shan. Yet as I examined the figure a few things stood out.
First, and the biggest, was that the person wasn't a person; more of a semi-solid ghost. Not unlike a Force ghost, but this one was lacking the blue edge lighting and it was difficult to see through them. Though that might just be because I was standing in a darkened cave.
The shape of their face wasn't Vaner's, though it was similar and as I focused on the face, I noticed the eyes held a slight hint of green and the hair had flecks of light brown whereas Vaner's hair and eyes had been dark brown. The jaw was squarer than Vaner's had been as well and this figure was maybe a head taller than my grandfather.
"Who are you?" I asked as I turned to lower my profile to the ghost.
"Who do you think I am?" The ghost asked calmly.
I frowned and examined the face even closer before it clicked. "Me. Somehow, you are a much older version of me."
"Indeed. I am Master Cameron Shan Grandmaster of the Jedi Order." Ghost-me stated evenly as the area behind him came into focus and I saw other sitting around behind him. Obi-Wan, Aayla, an older woman who I suspected was Serra, Fay and others who I did not recognise but that felt familiar.
The room was meant to be the High Council Chambers, but everything in the room was white. Whether that was because of the vision, or something else, I did not know.
"Then why are you here?" I asked cautiously.
"I am what you can become if you chose to be," the Jedi version of me stated in a tone that seemed devoid of emotion.
"Are you something sent by the Force to test me?" I slowly asked as I examined this Jedi's face. There was no indication of how he was feeling or thinking; indeed, the face seemed almost robotic in his mannerisms.
"We both are." I spun to face behind me and saw myself again.
Yet this version was different from the first. This me was sitting on a… it could only be called a throne. The back reached high above him as he watched me condescendingly, his hand gripping a lightsaber hilt.
"Oh great, it the angel-devil routine," I muttered with a shake of my head.
Bultar had told us that we'd face a challenge which we'd have to overcome, but that mine would be the whole Jedi/Sith dichotomy was disappointing, if not unexpected. The PtB had stated the Force wasn't sure how I fitted into its ideals of balance, so this kind of test was logical. "Please tell me you aren't going to perch on my shoulder."
"Do not mock what you don't understand boy," Sith-me snarled as figures emerged from behind him.
My jaw fell open as the same females that were with Jedi-me sauntered around the throne. Aayla, Serra, Fay, a red-skinned Togruta, a green-skinned Mirialan, and even Padme, moved around the throne, stroking the arms, legs and chest of Sith-me as they did.
Though what had me from making a retort was the fact that all were dressed in what could only be described as cosplay outfits. Adult cosplay outfits that in some cases wouldn't look out of place in a bad adult movie. The only part of the cosplay that looked strange was the collar around each of their necks, though it did take me a few moments to even spot those.
"Power grants you many things boy. You will learn to enjoy them as you claim your power," Sith-me stated as one of his hands moved down Fay's back before drifting out of my sight as he reached her arse.
She gasped and Sith-me smirked as he continued. "With our power, we can mould the galaxy to our will, take and control what we want. Palpatine is powerful, but in the end, he can do nothing to stop us. He cannot stop you." I saw the muscles in the arm behind Fey clench, and Fey gasped loudly as they did.
"The Force is not something to be controlled." Jedi-me countered evenly, drawing my attention slowly back to him. "It is something to let guide us, to take our emotions. Our power lets us achieve this better than any other. We serve it better than any other can. Only we can guide the Jedi to achieve a true merging with the Force. Only we can submit to the Force as it guides the galaxy around us."
"He lies. Like all Jedi, he wants your servitude. Follow me. Embrace your power and take what you want."
"Sith only care for power. That power is all that drives them until they are nothing without it."
"This is all well and good, but do either of you have any cookies?" I asked with a small smirk just to break up the back-and-forth the two elder versions of me had going and it was too easy of an opportunity to make that joke.
"The Jedi are nothing more than Bantha being led to the slaughter. Claim your power, break your chains and be free. Or die like the rest." Sith-me stood and ignited two red lightsabers.
"We must serve the Force. If you will not serve, you must be removed." Jedi-me stated neutrally as he ignited a double-bladed lightsaber, one blade blue, the other green.
"Ok then," I muttered as I stepped backwards and sent a concentrated blast of Force energy at both. They simmered as the blasts struck and went through them but what really worried me was the rumble I felt from the cave as the blasts hit the walls. "Well, that didn't work."
"Unchallenged aggression. The sign of a Sith." Stated Jedi-me with a calm, clear voice.
"Narrowminded dogma. The sign of the Jedi." Sith-me snarled as his face twisted in anger.
"But which are you?" They asked together as they moved closer and raised their blades.
"Neither. I hope," I replied as I scooted backwards and mentally opened my inventory just in case. Boy was I glad I took that Player Power. "After all, I am only eight. Ok, I'll be nine soon, I think. But honestly, to me, both of you are wrong."
"No, we must dominate the Force."
"No, we must submit to the Force."
The two ghosts said at the same time as the continued to approach.
"If you are not with us, you are against us." These words they spoke in perfect tandem.
"Wonderful," I muttered as they came closer; the light from their lightsabers beginning to merge. I reached into my inventory, pulled out Haqu's lightsaber and ignited the blade. I brought it up, barely managing to block Jedi-me's attack before one of Sith-me's lightsabers struck my hilt; shattering it and making me stumble away.
I reached back into my inventory and pulled out the other lightsaber.
I pivoted and parried Sith-me's attacks a few times before the hilt was struck by Jedi-me stabbing it with his blade.
"For fuck's sake!" I grumbled as I dove over the double-bladed lightsaber and rolled down the passage.
I turned as I came to a stop and saw the two were now walking towards side-by-side.
"Can't we just talk about this?" I asked as I mentally tried to come up with a way to escape this without losing any part of my body. I had thought they were just ghosts or figments of my imagination, but the two destroyed lightsaber hilts proved that theory wrong and I was unwilling to risk any of their blades hitting me.
"If you will not accept the way of the Jedi, you must be removed." "If you will not accept the way of the Sith, you must die." They spoke simultaneously.
As Sith-me raised his blades to attack, an insane idea came to me and I use the Force to push his blades towards Jedi-me.
Jedi-me instinctively defended himself and turned to face Sith-me.
I watched as the two future-mes – future-I's? – began to fight against each other. Sith-me lost a hand and blade even as he struck one half of Jedi-me's hilt. They spun away from each other and raised their remaining blades to attack.
The battle was quick as Jedi-me parried an attack and sliced Sith-me in the chest, though Sith-me had reacted to the parry to stab his blade through Jedi-me's heart.
As both fell to their knees, they turned to me.
"A path must be chosen," they said with 1 voice. "Which will you take?"
"That was… something," I muttered as the two figures fade away, yet my eyes narrowed as where each had been, a saw a light coming from the floor.
Kneeling cautiously where Jedi-me had been, I found a small crystal, though it seemed almost too small to be used in a lightsaber. Like it was incomplete. Curious, I used one of my new Player Powers, Examine, on it.
I turned as I saw another light from where Sith me had fallen and discovered another smaller than expected crystal. After using Examine on that one, and discovering that it too was too small to be used, I placed the two crystals in a single hand and rolled them around until the two came to rest together; seemingly forming a new, larger crystal and a gentle chime sounded from them.
"Unexpected," I muttered to myself as I pocketed the two half-crystals and moved to the remains of the two lightsabers I had used.
Both were destroyed, though as I examined the combined remains of them, I felt I could salvage enough from their parts to create a single hilt, and critically, the two lightsaber crystals where intact.
Each of these crystals, while still small, were larger than either of the two I had just pocketed.
I pulled the mini-crystals from my pocket and compared them in one hand with what I felt were normal-sized crystals in the other. Combined the 2 mini crystals where a touch bigger than the normal crystals, so I suspected I could use them together in a lightsaber. Though I was curious if using two crystals would influence the lightsaber blade generated.
Realising that I would need to talk with Bultar Swan or another Jedi about using the two mini crystals in a lightsaber, I placed them back in my pocket and slipped the remains of the two lightsabers into my Inventory. I had every intention of creating another blade, not just to practice Jar'Kai once I could but so that I had another blade available if I needed one and didn't want to use the hilt the Jedi knew about.
I stood and turned to begin walking back towards the entrance of the cave.
"Fucking hell!"
I stumbled back and fell to a knee as I came eye-to-eye with another ghost, though this one was tinted blue as I'd expect for a Force ghost.
This ghost again reminded me of Vaner Shan, yet the eyes were purple and his hair a darker brown. The facial structure was similar to Vaner's, yet the cheeks were more withdrawn, and this ghost had an air about him that spoke of power.
"Did I startle you?" The ghost asked with a small smirk.
"What do you think? And who the fuck are you?" I blurted out in reply, my anger building slightly at potentially having to deal with another Force-induced episode.
The ghost chuckled and raised his hands, palms out. "Relax, I am not here to attack you. Merely to talk. Before I joined with the Force, I was known as Revan."
I felt my jaw fall a touch at that revelation. This Revan looked nothing like the one I had played as, yet the similarity between him and Vaner – and even myself a little – meant I knew he was telling the truth.
"Why are you here?" I probed as Revan smirked at my reaction to his reveal.
"To talk, nothing more," said Revan in reply as he leaned back against the tunnel's wall. "Though I am unsure of how to address you."
"Why?"
Revan's smirk fell. "You are my descendant, yet you are not. Being one with the Force has let me see possible, probable futures. For the longest time, your destiny was to die when the Sith attacked, yet barely a week before you were meant to die, something happened."
I frowned as he stated that without my intervention this 'Cameron' would've died. "So what changed?" I asked, trying to play ignorant.
Revan tilted his head and gave me a small smile.
"You know well what happened. You who are my great-grandson yet you are also not. Something… beyond the Force changed your fate and gave you unique powers that, while I have observed you using, I fail to comprehend." He glanced at my hands. "Those two lightsabers that you can hide beyond sight of the Force is the clearest sign of your different status."
"Do you hate me for changing his fate?" I asked slowly, hoping he would not as I had no clue how to deal with an angry Force Ghost, nor any idea of how to handle upsetting the Force itself. That was if the ghost and the Force were one and the same.
"I admit that a small part of me does. Yet the larger part knows that if you had not…" He paused and shook his head. "I am unsure of what word to use here. Replaced? Merged? It doesn't really matter." He stated with a wave of his hand.
"The larger part of me is grateful that my bloodline continues, even if this time grows darker and darker as the Sith grow stronger. Yet I sense you not only know about this threat but willingly chose to be here and now."
"I did," I replied with a small nod. "I don't know if I can stop Sidious and those he's working with, but I mean to try."
Revan smirked. "To quote an old Master of the High Council, 'do or do not, there is no try.'"
I couldn't help myself and I laughed loudly. "The current Grandmaster has used that one." I managed to get out once I stopped laughing.
Revan chuckled gently and shook his head. "While the phrase remains popular, it holds true. Do not try my boy. Do what needs to be done. Balance the Force."
"Is that what the Force desires?" I queried as I moved around to find a more comfortable way to sit as I felt this conversation was going to continue for some time.
Revan smiled in that almost condescending way that adults did with children. "The Force is… complicated. Even after millennia within it, I cannot say I understand it fully, yet if I had to say, that if it desired anything – not that I believe it is sentient in a way either of us could understand – it would desire balance."
I frowned as a question that never truly left my mind bounced to the forefront. "What does that mean though? I mean, I know the Sith do not bring balance, not once they fall so far as to need the Force almost like a glutton hungers for food, yet is never full. Yet, I don't think the Jedi are much better."
Revan chuckled once. "Yes, your little dilemma just now proved that." He paused and stroked his chin. "Balance is such a vague term when referring to something like the Force. I cannot speak for the Force, yet I agree with you that both Jedi and Sith, in my time as well as now, are not balanced."
"Then what is?"
"Have you covered the ancient history of the Order?" He asked as he tapped his chin, and I nodded in affirmative. "Good. Then you know of the Je'daii, the forerunners of the Jedi Order."
Again, I nodded.
"From my studies while living, and while using the Force to explore the past, I have come to realise that while still flawed, they were still closer to what I think balance within the Force is meant to be.
"Everyone has good and bad, light and dark, within them. Even the greatest Jedi can fall into the dark, or the Darkest Sith bathe in the light. Yet finding a way to accept both sides, to give and take, help and hinder, love and hate, without allowing the extremes to control you is difficult."
"That is true for everyone," I stated. What he was saying made sense to me and seemed to agree with my own opinions on what 'balance in the Force' meant, but it was still just an idea that was floating around in my head. Not a philosophy that I was willing to push others.
"Yes, it is. However, those with a deeper connection to the Force have access to abilities and powers beyond the normal. We can give and take from what many believe to be the very energy of the universe itself.
"The Force exists in almost every living thing, yet most fail to even realise that they exist in symbiosis with it. That without out it, we are less than we should be."
I grimaced at another vague explanation. After a year in the Temple, I was sick to death of them. "Is balance possible?"
Revan smiled and held his arms wide. "If it was not, I would not be here." He chortles as I felt my face contort into a frown. "Have the Order told you about Force Ghosts?"
"In passing, but they speak of them as nothing more than visions given to others by the Force."
Revan sighed and shook his head. "How narrow-minded." He locked his eyes on mine as he continued. "I am me, I retain my memories of my life, good and bad, joy and pain. Yet I am a part of the Force.
"A Force ghost is one who has not only recognised the good and bad within themselves but has accepted that both parts make them more than either does alone. I was Jedi and Sith, saviour and conqueror. While I regret many of my actions as both Jedi and Sith, I accept that they were mine and mine alone.
"This is, to me, why I became one with the Force, and why no Force user from either of the main orders has achieved this state in nearly a thousand years."
I nodded as he spoke, finding wisdom in his words. Even if the more metaphysical aspects of it went right over my head.
"So the Chosen One prophesy?"
"Is wrong. At least as how the Jedi and Sith view it. Yes, the Sith have their own version of this, the Sith'ari. The perfect being, free of limits, who will destroy them but remake them stronger than ever before."
"That… sounds just as nuts as the Jedi's view on the Chosen One." I muttered as I processed what Revan had said. "And could fit any number of Sith, past and present."
"The same as the Chosen One could fit Jedi, past and present." Revan continued with a wide smile. "It has been so long since I have spoken to another that understood the inherent failings of both Sith and Jedi. It is liberating." He stated with a grin.
"So what should I do?" I probed, wondering if this Force ghost, my great-grandfather and a former Jedi and Sith, would have if not answers, then suggestions.
"Be true to yourself." He replied as he squatted down so we were almost eye-to-eye. "I am not yet willing to help you: you are after all not truly my progeny, yet you are."
He gave me a lopsided grin as he continued. "Since I became one with Force, you are the first whom I have witnessed that has the potential to make the changes I feel are needed. The first to possibly understand things as I do."
He stood and stepped backwards, into the wall. "Walk your path, know yourself and do what you need to do."
"Wait!" I called out as he began to fade. "There's so much more I want to ask you. Things you could teach me."
"There is," he agreed with a small chuckle, "but I am not sure if you are worthy of my time. Maybe I shall teach you if you prove to be so one day. We shall see."
I watched open-mouthed as he faded away to nothing.
"Son of a bitch!" I muttered once I was alone again. "I met Revan!"
I smile crept onto my face. Even if nothing he had said helped me or explained things beyond my thoughts about the Force, I had just spoken directly to Revan; The Prodigal Knight and Sith Lord.
"Now, how do I go about getting him to come back?"
Still, this had potential. Perhaps Revan knew something that could help me with what was to come, perhaps lost techniques or technologies, or something else that I could use to help me in the future. Though first, I had to get back to the entrance.
After quickly checking that there was nothing on the ground I had missed, I set off at a brisk walk back towards the cave entrance.
"Ah," I muttered as I came upon the entrance, and saw it had frozen over. That might be an issue to others, but to me, it wasn't so I used Teleport to appear on the other side.
"Kriff! Are you trying to give us heart attacks bantha-brain!" Gastee spat out, her hand coming to her chest.
"Sorry, but would've you preferred I blasted the ice apart, and thus risk injuring you?" I replied with a smirk aimed at Jon. While such an event wouldn't have harmed him as he was a good thirty metres away, I couldn't resist the dig/threat.
"We are just glad you are safe Initiate Shan," Bultar Swan stated as she stepped forward. "Did you retrieve a crystal?"
I gave her a small nod as I pulled the two min-crystals from my pocket and showed them to her. "Two actually."
"That is… unusual," she said slowly as she looked down at the two. "They look viable however we will consult with Professor Huyang once back aboard the Crucible."
I slipped the crystals back into my pocket as she walked towards the temple entrance and to where the starship was parked and ignored the glare Jon was sending my way.
"You just have to be different, don't you?" Darihd asked as we followed the Padawan.
"I don't plan these things, Darihd. They just happen."
Darihd chortles and shook his head. "Yes, they do. To you." He placed a hand on my shoulder to get me to stop and open up a little distance between us and the rest of the Initiates. "Cam, you need to be careful. Jon told Padawan Swan about your actions towards him. I tried to defend you, but she will report this to the council."
I sighed and turned my head to meet his eyes. "I know, but he had it coming. And I was right about the voices."
"Really? What did you find?" His lekku shifted and brightened in colour as his eyes widened at my answer.
I sighed. "It's personal. And I'm not sure how to describe it until I speak to someone with a better understanding of Force-induced imagery."
The lekku dulled. "Ah, right."
"So did you find a crystal?" I asked changing the topic and listening while he talked about how he found his crystal as we walked across the surface of Ilum and onto the Crucible.
For anyone unclear, Examine and Silent Interface have been taken as the two perks.
Yes, Cam did have one Perk Point, but him forgetting to spend it is another example of him still learning to take advantage of his unique powers.
(Or that's the in-verse reason for my mistake)
P.S. I am enjoying the options for formatting on QQ. Being able to differentiate between which Force apparition is speaking makes that whole scene easier to follow. And the option to hid long info dumps from the interface is another bonus.
We were currently aboard the Crucible, a Jedi training ship on our way to Ilum.
Since I had to share a compartment, I decided it was safer to simply sleep normally for the few days this trip would take. As I stood and stretched, I saw a series of flashing notices in my log.
Checking that Darihd was still sleeping, I sat back down and opened them.
Quest Completed!
Trainee Space Ranger
Objectives:
Get Piloting [Space] to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Adept 25 [No]
? Get it to Adept 50 [No]
Rewards:
600XP
...
Quest Completed!
Trainee Ace
Objectives:
Get Piloting [Atmosphere] to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Adept 25 [No]
? Get it to Adept 50 [No]
Rewards:
600XP
...
Quest Completed!
Competent Duellist
Objectives:
Get Makashi to Professional 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Professional 25 [Yes]
? Get it to Professional 50 [Yes]
Rewards:
800XP
300XP
500XP
...
Quest Completed!
Competent Swordsman
Objectives:
Get Shii-Cho to Professional 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Professional 25 [Yes]
? Get it to Professional 50 [Yes]
Rewards:
900XP
400XP
600XP
...
Quest Completed!
Trainee Defender
Objectives:
Get Soresu to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Adept 25 [No]
? Get it to Adept 50 [No]
Rewards:
650XP
...
LEVEL UP!
Level: 9 - 10
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +14
SP: +5
SKP: +32
PPP: +1
…
Trainee Space Ranger
Objectives:
Get Piloting [Space] to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Adept 25 [No]
? Get it to Adept 50 [No]
Rewards:
600XP
...
Quest Completed!
Trainee Ace
Objectives:
Get Piloting [Atmosphere] to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Adept 25 [No]
? Get it to Adept 50 [No]
Rewards:
600XP
...
Quest Completed!
Competent Duellist
Objectives:
Get Makashi to Professional 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Professional 25 [Yes]
? Get it to Professional 50 [Yes]
Rewards:
800XP
300XP
500XP
...
Quest Completed!
Competent Swordsman
Objectives:
Get Shii-Cho to Professional 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Professional 25 [Yes]
? Get it to Professional 50 [Yes]
Rewards:
900XP
400XP
600XP
...
Quest Completed!
Trainee Defender
Objectives:
Get Soresu to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]
? Get it to Adept 25 [No]
? Get it to Adept 50 [No]
Rewards:
650XP
...
LEVEL UP!
Level: 9 - 10
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +14
SP: +5
SKP: +32
PPP: +1
…
Nice. Another level up, mainly by exploiting these powers better with small, narrow-focused quests. The two extra lightsaber form quests granted a greater boost in EXP as the timeframe was smaller. I was now sure I could set quests for shorter timeframes and generate more XP quicker for completing them. Though the knowledge that the bonuses for all these skill-focused quests were level 25 or 50 of the initial target, meant I could adapt my training to aim for them as well.I swiped away the notices and quietly spoke. "List Player Powers."
PLAYER POWERS
These are powers and skills that are unique to The Player.
However, some of them are very close to what many consider to be 'Dark-Side Force powers' so be careful when using them around 'Light-Side Force users'
You gain 1 Player Power Point every 5 levels to spend on new powers.
Currently, you have the following Player Powers:
Player's Mind [ON/OFF]
Player's Body
Inventory
NOTE:
Currently, you have 2 PPP.
Do you wish to view available Player Powers?
Yes/No
...
"Yes," I whispered, glad that I'd turned off the info-dump on the pages like this so that it just listed what I had or could take. If I wanted further details on a Force Power or Perk, I just needed to ask the interface to list it.These are powers and skills that are unique to The Player.
However, some of them are very close to what many consider to be 'Dark-Side Force powers' so be careful when using them around 'Light-Side Force users'
You gain 1 Player Power Point every 5 levels to spend on new powers.
Currently, you have the following Player Powers:
Player's Mind [ON/OFF]
Player's Body
Inventory
NOTE:
Currently, you have 2 PPP.
Do you wish to view available Player Powers?
Yes/No
...
Available Player Powers:
Silent Interface
Enhanced Inventory
Examine
Enlarge/Shrink
Colour Shift
Glamours
…
You may view details about new powers by tapping on them and reading the descriptions.
To purchase a power, state 'purchase power:' followed by the power you wish to take.
…
I tapped each in turn and read the descriptions.Silent Interface
Enhanced Inventory
Examine
Enlarge/Shrink
Colour Shift
Glamours
…
You may view details about new powers by tapping on them and reading the descriptions.
To purchase a power, state 'purchase power:' followed by the power you wish to take.
…
Silent Interface enabled me to give commands to my power without having to vocalise them. That was going to be huge as currently, I had to whisper commands like I was doing now if I wasn't alone.
Enhanced Inventory increased the volume of each slot in my inventory to a meter-squared while doubling the number of an object that could be stored in each slot. That would be useful if I had much in there, but all I had were two lightsabers, a Sith holocron, a stim-pack, an ancient blaster rifle, a four-thousand-year-old vibroblade and a spare power cell for the rifle. The only reason I was still holding onto the rifle and vibroblade is they might still be useful in the current galaxy. And if not, I could sell them off as relics. Maybe.
Examine instantly sounded overpowered. By simply touching an object or person, I could, as the power evolve, gain information about it/them such as what it was and did, how much damage it could take, its value and what it was made of. Truthfully, I got some of that from examining an item in my inventory, but the extra details would clearly expand on that.
Enlarge/Shrink allowed me to in/decrease the size of any non-organic object by 1% per day. This power had the potential to applied to organic matter like food and living beings as it levelled up and increase how often I could apply it each day. That could, in theory, allow me to take a kilo of precious metal and, over time, end up with several kilos. Talk about an economically unbalanced power!
Colour Shift allowed me to change the colour of any inorganic object with the size I could change dependent on the power's level. It sounded semi-useful, but not very powerful.
Glamours allowed me to change various parts of my facial appearance (Hair, eyes, skin in colour and/or shape) for short times and at the highest levels could even allow me to change my appearance to another humanoid race. This had the potential for creating multiple personas for hiding from people who were after me. Yet, I wondered if such a thing wasn't possible with the Force; though whether that would work on droids was something I was unsure of.
Of the five, Silent Interface was a certainty to take while Examine and Enlarge/Shrink had the next highest possible usage, with Glamours and Enhanced Inventory also being useful. Colour Shift sounded a little pointless, but I wasn't stupid enough to just dismiss it out of hand.
"Morning Cam."
I turned from the choices, waving them away with a casual swish, and looked over a Darihd with a small frown at both him preventing me from choosing new powers and using the nickname that Serra had come up with for me.
"You know I hate that."
"Yeah, but it's so much easier than saying your full name," he replied with a smile as he stood and stretched. "Have you cleaned yet?"
"Nah, you go ahead."
"OK, but I'll be quick. It's going to be so cool learning about how to build and maintain a lightsaber."
"You and I have very different ideas about what is 'cool'," I muttered as he walked to the smaller refresher in our quarters.
The trip to Ilum was projected to take two days. During that time, Padawan Bultar Swan, who was escorting us and the six others who were taken as padawans to Ilum, would be teaching us all about lightsabers including their history and meaning. It sounded less than enjoyable, but like basic training for the army, it was something that had to be done, so I would get through it. No matter how boring I thought it was going to be.
...
...
Four days, and hours upon hours of tedious lessons on lightsaber usage and safety instructions – seriously, who would use it for 'recreational activities'? – later, we arrived at Ilum. Soon enough, I found myself standing just inside the entrance of the ice chamber of Ilum that I remembered from the Clone Wars cartoon.
While the time had been boring, I had gained and levelled up fifty-two times a skill called Mechanics [Lightsaber].
This was a skill that covered the building, maintaining and enhancing a lightsaber. I assumed this meant that I needed to level it up if I wished to add extra crystals to a lightsaber like what could be done in KOTOR, but I wasn't certain as nothing in the lectures had covered the adding of extra crystals to a lightsaber. I suspected that, like a few other things I remembered from KOTOR, it had been 'discontinued' or 'outlawed' by the current Jedi Order.
Since we'd spent the whole four days learning about lightsaber usage and safety, I'd just ran Force Cloak – which I could now run continuously without my FP ever draining – constantly; day and night. This had taken it past Savant 50, which granted me a new Force Power; Force Camouflage.
While Force Cloak was more meant to add to my natural skill at stealth, Force Camouflage actively hid me from sight with the Force, though currently, it didn't hide me from droids or detection via IR, UV or similar methods.
Even if the last few days had seemed wasted, new powers and skills were always welcome, so I considered it something of a fair trade.
As I began to walk with the small group of other potential Padawans, I silently wondered what challenge I would have to face in this cave.
"He approaches."
The voice came suddenly and unexpectedly, carried by the swirling snow. I glanced around, half-expecting a few more Jedi to appear to monitor our progress. There was nothing.
"What do we do now?" Darihd asked to the older Initiates. I glanced at them, they seemed not to have heard anything at all.
"Summon the Council." There it was again. The same voice, though I thought the undertones might be slightly different.
"Trust in the Force," replied the eldest, sadly for me Jon Savos from Katarn Clan, confidently. "Though for now, let's stick together for safety."
I fought off an urge to roll my eyes at him saying to 'trust the Force' and followed the group further into the cave.
"Come to us, Master. We are waiting for you"
"How long do you think we have before the door freezes over?" Asakan, a white-haired and eyed older Human asked.
"The Council is in session Master."
"I'd say a few hours at least, replied Gastee, a red-skinned Zabrak who had 2 forward-facing horns that gave her a demonic look.
"What is your desire, my Master?"
"We await your command, Grandmaster." The voices were slowing becoming louder as we walked deeper into the caves until I had to stop and stare at the passage from which the voices were coming.
"Cam? What is it?" Darihd asked and the group stopped and looked at me.
"I can hear something," I muttered as I stared down the tunnel
"Oh, the Great One hears something! Praise to the Force!" Jon exclaimed, his hands coming to his cheeks. "We should all bow to the Cho… argkh." He stopped as I used the TK to clamp his mouth shut.
"I suggest you hold your tongue, lest I do something more than just clamp your mouth shut," I warned. After 2 days of his condescending and belittling comments, I was fed up. Sure, I shouldn't just casually use the Force to shut him up, but I'd reached the end of my tether. He could go and bitch to the Council once we returned if he wanted, but that would just prove he was nothing more than a sycophant. No worth my…
I shook my head to clear it. 'Where did that come from?' I wondered as I released the grip I had on his jaw. "There is something this way. I'm going."
I didn't catch what anyone said as I walked away from the group and down the side-tunnel.
The walls began to close in, and the light began to dim, so I activated Force Sight.
"Fuck!" I called out as my vision was flooded, my hands went to my knees and I turned off the power. I forgot the whole place was soaked in the Force and I stayed bent over blinking until my vision settled. "That was stupid."
"Yes, it was."
My head snapped up at hearing a voice that sounds both familiar yet different, and I found myself staring at someone that reminded me of Vaner Shan. Yet as I examined the figure a few things stood out.
First, and the biggest, was that the person wasn't a person; more of a semi-solid ghost. Not unlike a Force ghost, but this one was lacking the blue edge lighting and it was difficult to see through them. Though that might just be because I was standing in a darkened cave.
The shape of their face wasn't Vaner's, though it was similar and as I focused on the face, I noticed the eyes held a slight hint of green and the hair had flecks of light brown whereas Vaner's hair and eyes had been dark brown. The jaw was squarer than Vaner's had been as well and this figure was maybe a head taller than my grandfather.
"Who are you?" I asked as I turned to lower my profile to the ghost.
"Who do you think I am?" The ghost asked calmly.
I frowned and examined the face even closer before it clicked. "Me. Somehow, you are a much older version of me."
"Indeed. I am Master Cameron Shan Grandmaster of the Jedi Order." Ghost-me stated evenly as the area behind him came into focus and I saw other sitting around behind him. Obi-Wan, Aayla, an older woman who I suspected was Serra, Fay and others who I did not recognise but that felt familiar.
The room was meant to be the High Council Chambers, but everything in the room was white. Whether that was because of the vision, or something else, I did not know.
"Then why are you here?" I asked cautiously.
"I am what you can become if you chose to be," the Jedi version of me stated in a tone that seemed devoid of emotion.
"Are you something sent by the Force to test me?" I slowly asked as I examined this Jedi's face. There was no indication of how he was feeling or thinking; indeed, the face seemed almost robotic in his mannerisms.
"We both are." I spun to face behind me and saw myself again.
Yet this version was different from the first. This me was sitting on a… it could only be called a throne. The back reached high above him as he watched me condescendingly, his hand gripping a lightsaber hilt.
"Oh great, it the angel-devil routine," I muttered with a shake of my head.
Bultar had told us that we'd face a challenge which we'd have to overcome, but that mine would be the whole Jedi/Sith dichotomy was disappointing, if not unexpected. The PtB had stated the Force wasn't sure how I fitted into its ideals of balance, so this kind of test was logical. "Please tell me you aren't going to perch on my shoulder."
"Do not mock what you don't understand boy," Sith-me snarled as figures emerged from behind him.
My jaw fell open as the same females that were with Jedi-me sauntered around the throne. Aayla, Serra, Fay, a red-skinned Togruta, a green-skinned Mirialan, and even Padme, moved around the throne, stroking the arms, legs and chest of Sith-me as they did.
Though what had me from making a retort was the fact that all were dressed in what could only be described as cosplay outfits. Adult cosplay outfits that in some cases wouldn't look out of place in a bad adult movie. The only part of the cosplay that looked strange was the collar around each of their necks, though it did take me a few moments to even spot those.
"Power grants you many things boy. You will learn to enjoy them as you claim your power," Sith-me stated as one of his hands moved down Fay's back before drifting out of my sight as he reached her arse.
She gasped and Sith-me smirked as he continued. "With our power, we can mould the galaxy to our will, take and control what we want. Palpatine is powerful, but in the end, he can do nothing to stop us. He cannot stop you." I saw the muscles in the arm behind Fey clench, and Fey gasped loudly as they did.
"The Force is not something to be controlled." Jedi-me countered evenly, drawing my attention slowly back to him. "It is something to let guide us, to take our emotions. Our power lets us achieve this better than any other. We serve it better than any other can. Only we can guide the Jedi to achieve a true merging with the Force. Only we can submit to the Force as it guides the galaxy around us."
"He lies. Like all Jedi, he wants your servitude. Follow me. Embrace your power and take what you want."
"Sith only care for power. That power is all that drives them until they are nothing without it."
"This is all well and good, but do either of you have any cookies?" I asked with a small smirk just to break up the back-and-forth the two elder versions of me had going and it was too easy of an opportunity to make that joke.
"The Jedi are nothing more than Bantha being led to the slaughter. Claim your power, break your chains and be free. Or die like the rest." Sith-me stood and ignited two red lightsabers.
"We must serve the Force. If you will not serve, you must be removed." Jedi-me stated neutrally as he ignited a double-bladed lightsaber, one blade blue, the other green.
"Ok then," I muttered as I stepped backwards and sent a concentrated blast of Force energy at both. They simmered as the blasts struck and went through them but what really worried me was the rumble I felt from the cave as the blasts hit the walls. "Well, that didn't work."
"Unchallenged aggression. The sign of a Sith." Stated Jedi-me with a calm, clear voice.
"Narrowminded dogma. The sign of the Jedi." Sith-me snarled as his face twisted in anger.
"But which are you?" They asked together as they moved closer and raised their blades.
"Neither. I hope," I replied as I scooted backwards and mentally opened my inventory just in case. Boy was I glad I took that Player Power. "After all, I am only eight. Ok, I'll be nine soon, I think. But honestly, to me, both of you are wrong."
"No, we must dominate the Force."
"No, we must submit to the Force."
The two ghosts said at the same time as the continued to approach.
"If you are not with us, you are against us." These words they spoke in perfect tandem.
"Wonderful," I muttered as they came closer; the light from their lightsabers beginning to merge. I reached into my inventory, pulled out Haqu's lightsaber and ignited the blade. I brought it up, barely managing to block Jedi-me's attack before one of Sith-me's lightsabers struck my hilt; shattering it and making me stumble away.
I reached back into my inventory and pulled out the other lightsaber.
I pivoted and parried Sith-me's attacks a few times before the hilt was struck by Jedi-me stabbing it with his blade.
"For fuck's sake!" I grumbled as I dove over the double-bladed lightsaber and rolled down the passage.
I turned as I came to a stop and saw the two were now walking towards side-by-side.
"Can't we just talk about this?" I asked as I mentally tried to come up with a way to escape this without losing any part of my body. I had thought they were just ghosts or figments of my imagination, but the two destroyed lightsaber hilts proved that theory wrong and I was unwilling to risk any of their blades hitting me.
"If you will not accept the way of the Jedi, you must be removed." "If you will not accept the way of the Sith, you must die." They spoke simultaneously.
As Sith-me raised his blades to attack, an insane idea came to me and I use the Force to push his blades towards Jedi-me.
Jedi-me instinctively defended himself and turned to face Sith-me.
I watched as the two future-mes – future-I's? – began to fight against each other. Sith-me lost a hand and blade even as he struck one half of Jedi-me's hilt. They spun away from each other and raised their remaining blades to attack.
The battle was quick as Jedi-me parried an attack and sliced Sith-me in the chest, though Sith-me had reacted to the parry to stab his blade through Jedi-me's heart.
As both fell to their knees, they turned to me.
"A path must be chosen," they said with 1 voice. "Which will you take?"
"That was… something," I muttered as the two figures fade away, yet my eyes narrowed as where each had been, a saw a light coming from the floor.
Kneeling cautiously where Jedi-me had been, I found a small crystal, though it seemed almost too small to be used in a lightsaber. Like it was incomplete. Curious, I used one of my new Player Powers, Examine, on it.
Ilum Adegan Crystal (miniature)
A kyber crystal from the caves on the planet Ilum.
This crystal, while capable of being used as a focus for the Force, is too small to be used in a lightsaber.
…
That wasn't much information, which I had expected as Examine currently didn't tell me much about an object or person, but it did confirm that the crystal was too small for what I needed.A kyber crystal from the caves on the planet Ilum.
This crystal, while capable of being used as a focus for the Force, is too small to be used in a lightsaber.
…
I turned as I saw another light from where Sith me had fallen and discovered another smaller than expected crystal. After using Examine on that one, and discovering that it too was too small to be used, I placed the two crystals in a single hand and rolled them around until the two came to rest together; seemingly forming a new, larger crystal and a gentle chime sounded from them.
"Unexpected," I muttered to myself as I pocketed the two half-crystals and moved to the remains of the two lightsabers I had used.
Both were destroyed, though as I examined the combined remains of them, I felt I could salvage enough from their parts to create a single hilt, and critically, the two lightsaber crystals where intact.
Each of these crystals, while still small, were larger than either of the two I had just pocketed.
I pulled the mini-crystals from my pocket and compared them in one hand with what I felt were normal-sized crystals in the other. Combined the 2 mini crystals where a touch bigger than the normal crystals, so I suspected I could use them together in a lightsaber. Though I was curious if using two crystals would influence the lightsaber blade generated.
Realising that I would need to talk with Bultar Swan or another Jedi about using the two mini crystals in a lightsaber, I placed them back in my pocket and slipped the remains of the two lightsabers into my Inventory. I had every intention of creating another blade, not just to practice Jar'Kai once I could but so that I had another blade available if I needed one and didn't want to use the hilt the Jedi knew about.
I stood and turned to begin walking back towards the entrance of the cave.
"Fucking hell!"
I stumbled back and fell to a knee as I came eye-to-eye with another ghost, though this one was tinted blue as I'd expect for a Force ghost.
This ghost again reminded me of Vaner Shan, yet the eyes were purple and his hair a darker brown. The facial structure was similar to Vaner's, yet the cheeks were more withdrawn, and this ghost had an air about him that spoke of power.
"Did I startle you?" The ghost asked with a small smirk.
"What do you think? And who the fuck are you?" I blurted out in reply, my anger building slightly at potentially having to deal with another Force-induced episode.
The ghost chuckled and raised his hands, palms out. "Relax, I am not here to attack you. Merely to talk. Before I joined with the Force, I was known as Revan."
I felt my jaw fall a touch at that revelation. This Revan looked nothing like the one I had played as, yet the similarity between him and Vaner – and even myself a little – meant I knew he was telling the truth.
"Why are you here?" I probed as Revan smirked at my reaction to his reveal.
"To talk, nothing more," said Revan in reply as he leaned back against the tunnel's wall. "Though I am unsure of how to address you."
"Why?"
Revan's smirk fell. "You are my descendant, yet you are not. Being one with the Force has let me see possible, probable futures. For the longest time, your destiny was to die when the Sith attacked, yet barely a week before you were meant to die, something happened."
I frowned as he stated that without my intervention this 'Cameron' would've died. "So what changed?" I asked, trying to play ignorant.
Revan tilted his head and gave me a small smile.
"You know well what happened. You who are my great-grandson yet you are also not. Something… beyond the Force changed your fate and gave you unique powers that, while I have observed you using, I fail to comprehend." He glanced at my hands. "Those two lightsabers that you can hide beyond sight of the Force is the clearest sign of your different status."
"Do you hate me for changing his fate?" I asked slowly, hoping he would not as I had no clue how to deal with an angry Force Ghost, nor any idea of how to handle upsetting the Force itself. That was if the ghost and the Force were one and the same.
"I admit that a small part of me does. Yet the larger part knows that if you had not…" He paused and shook his head. "I am unsure of what word to use here. Replaced? Merged? It doesn't really matter." He stated with a wave of his hand.
"The larger part of me is grateful that my bloodline continues, even if this time grows darker and darker as the Sith grow stronger. Yet I sense you not only know about this threat but willingly chose to be here and now."
"I did," I replied with a small nod. "I don't know if I can stop Sidious and those he's working with, but I mean to try."
Revan smirked. "To quote an old Master of the High Council, 'do or do not, there is no try.'"
I couldn't help myself and I laughed loudly. "The current Grandmaster has used that one." I managed to get out once I stopped laughing.
Revan chuckled gently and shook his head. "While the phrase remains popular, it holds true. Do not try my boy. Do what needs to be done. Balance the Force."
"Is that what the Force desires?" I queried as I moved around to find a more comfortable way to sit as I felt this conversation was going to continue for some time.
Revan smiled in that almost condescending way that adults did with children. "The Force is… complicated. Even after millennia within it, I cannot say I understand it fully, yet if I had to say, that if it desired anything – not that I believe it is sentient in a way either of us could understand – it would desire balance."
I frowned as a question that never truly left my mind bounced to the forefront. "What does that mean though? I mean, I know the Sith do not bring balance, not once they fall so far as to need the Force almost like a glutton hungers for food, yet is never full. Yet, I don't think the Jedi are much better."
Revan chuckled once. "Yes, your little dilemma just now proved that." He paused and stroked his chin. "Balance is such a vague term when referring to something like the Force. I cannot speak for the Force, yet I agree with you that both Jedi and Sith, in my time as well as now, are not balanced."
"Then what is?"
"Have you covered the ancient history of the Order?" He asked as he tapped his chin, and I nodded in affirmative. "Good. Then you know of the Je'daii, the forerunners of the Jedi Order."
Again, I nodded.
"From my studies while living, and while using the Force to explore the past, I have come to realise that while still flawed, they were still closer to what I think balance within the Force is meant to be.
"Everyone has good and bad, light and dark, within them. Even the greatest Jedi can fall into the dark, or the Darkest Sith bathe in the light. Yet finding a way to accept both sides, to give and take, help and hinder, love and hate, without allowing the extremes to control you is difficult."
"That is true for everyone," I stated. What he was saying made sense to me and seemed to agree with my own opinions on what 'balance in the Force' meant, but it was still just an idea that was floating around in my head. Not a philosophy that I was willing to push others.
"Yes, it is. However, those with a deeper connection to the Force have access to abilities and powers beyond the normal. We can give and take from what many believe to be the very energy of the universe itself.
"The Force exists in almost every living thing, yet most fail to even realise that they exist in symbiosis with it. That without out it, we are less than we should be."
I grimaced at another vague explanation. After a year in the Temple, I was sick to death of them. "Is balance possible?"
Revan smiled and held his arms wide. "If it was not, I would not be here." He chortles as I felt my face contort into a frown. "Have the Order told you about Force Ghosts?"
"In passing, but they speak of them as nothing more than visions given to others by the Force."
Revan sighed and shook his head. "How narrow-minded." He locked his eyes on mine as he continued. "I am me, I retain my memories of my life, good and bad, joy and pain. Yet I am a part of the Force.
"A Force ghost is one who has not only recognised the good and bad within themselves but has accepted that both parts make them more than either does alone. I was Jedi and Sith, saviour and conqueror. While I regret many of my actions as both Jedi and Sith, I accept that they were mine and mine alone.
"This is, to me, why I became one with the Force, and why no Force user from either of the main orders has achieved this state in nearly a thousand years."
I nodded as he spoke, finding wisdom in his words. Even if the more metaphysical aspects of it went right over my head.
"So the Chosen One prophesy?"
"Is wrong. At least as how the Jedi and Sith view it. Yes, the Sith have their own version of this, the Sith'ari. The perfect being, free of limits, who will destroy them but remake them stronger than ever before."
"That… sounds just as nuts as the Jedi's view on the Chosen One." I muttered as I processed what Revan had said. "And could fit any number of Sith, past and present."
"The same as the Chosen One could fit Jedi, past and present." Revan continued with a wide smile. "It has been so long since I have spoken to another that understood the inherent failings of both Sith and Jedi. It is liberating." He stated with a grin.
"So what should I do?" I probed, wondering if this Force ghost, my great-grandfather and a former Jedi and Sith, would have if not answers, then suggestions.
"Be true to yourself." He replied as he squatted down so we were almost eye-to-eye. "I am not yet willing to help you: you are after all not truly my progeny, yet you are."
He gave me a lopsided grin as he continued. "Since I became one with Force, you are the first whom I have witnessed that has the potential to make the changes I feel are needed. The first to possibly understand things as I do."
He stood and stepped backwards, into the wall. "Walk your path, know yourself and do what you need to do."
"Wait!" I called out as he began to fade. "There's so much more I want to ask you. Things you could teach me."
"There is," he agreed with a small chuckle, "but I am not sure if you are worthy of my time. Maybe I shall teach you if you prove to be so one day. We shall see."
I watched open-mouthed as he faded away to nothing.
"Son of a bitch!" I muttered once I was alone again. "I met Revan!"
I smile crept onto my face. Even if nothing he had said helped me or explained things beyond my thoughts about the Force, I had just spoken directly to Revan; The Prodigal Knight and Sith Lord.
"Now, how do I go about getting him to come back?"
Quest Alert!
The Promise of the Fallen [ꝏ]
Prove yourself to the one who was known as Revan.
Rating: B
Objectives:
?
Rewards:
?
Failure:
?
Accept?
Yes/No
…
That was unexpected.
The Force, or at least the Force Ghost of your ancestor, has found a way to grant you quests. Though as you can see, the details are hidden.
An outside power creating quests without our consent has only happened a handful of times across the entire Multiverse.
Now, we could show you what is hidden, but truthfully, we are curious about where this will go.
Thus, we will not.
Good luck.
I felt my mouth fall open at both the quest and the comment for the PtB. Revan had found a way – probably with help from the Force – to generate a quest for me, but I had no clear path as to how to complete it or the timeframe involved.The Promise of the Fallen [ꝏ]
Prove yourself to the one who was known as Revan.
Rating: B
Objectives:
?
Rewards:
?
Failure:
?
Accept?
Yes/No
…
That was unexpected.
The Force, or at least the Force Ghost of your ancestor, has found a way to grant you quests. Though as you can see, the details are hidden.
An outside power creating quests without our consent has only happened a handful of times across the entire Multiverse.
Now, we could show you what is hidden, but truthfully, we are curious about where this will go.
Thus, we will not.
Good luck.
Still, this had potential. Perhaps Revan knew something that could help me with what was to come, perhaps lost techniques or technologies, or something else that I could use to help me in the future. Though first, I had to get back to the entrance.
After quickly checking that there was nothing on the ground I had missed, I set off at a brisk walk back towards the cave entrance.
"Ah," I muttered as I came upon the entrance, and saw it had frozen over. That might be an issue to others, but to me, it wasn't so I used Teleport to appear on the other side.
"Kriff! Are you trying to give us heart attacks bantha-brain!" Gastee spat out, her hand coming to her chest.
"Sorry, but would've you preferred I blasted the ice apart, and thus risk injuring you?" I replied with a smirk aimed at Jon. While such an event wouldn't have harmed him as he was a good thirty metres away, I couldn't resist the dig/threat.
"We are just glad you are safe Initiate Shan," Bultar Swan stated as she stepped forward. "Did you retrieve a crystal?"
I gave her a small nod as I pulled the two min-crystals from my pocket and showed them to her. "Two actually."
"That is… unusual," she said slowly as she looked down at the two. "They look viable however we will consult with Professor Huyang once back aboard the Crucible."
I slipped the crystals back into my pocket as she walked towards the temple entrance and to where the starship was parked and ignored the glare Jon was sending my way.
"You just have to be different, don't you?" Darihd asked as we followed the Padawan.
"I don't plan these things, Darihd. They just happen."
Darihd chortles and shook his head. "Yes, they do. To you." He placed a hand on my shoulder to get me to stop and open up a little distance between us and the rest of the Initiates. "Cam, you need to be careful. Jon told Padawan Swan about your actions towards him. I tried to defend you, but she will report this to the council."
I sighed and turned my head to meet his eyes. "I know, but he had it coming. And I was right about the voices."
"Really? What did you find?" His lekku shifted and brightened in colour as his eyes widened at my answer.
I sighed. "It's personal. And I'm not sure how to describe it until I speak to someone with a better understanding of Force-induced imagery."
The lekku dulled. "Ah, right."
"So did you find a crystal?" I asked changing the topic and listening while he talked about how he found his crystal as we walked across the surface of Ilum and onto the Crucible.
For anyone unclear, Examine and Silent Interface have been taken as the two perks.
Yes, Cam did have one Perk Point, but him forgetting to spend it is another example of him still learning to take advantage of his unique powers.
(Or that's the in-verse reason for my mistake
)P.S. I am enjoying the options for formatting on QQ. Being able to differentiate between which Force apparition is speaking makes that whole scene easier to follow. And the option to hid long info dumps from the interface is another bonus.
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Crystal Stars 4
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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A chime rang out through the meditation chamber I was in and I opened my eyes.
It had been five days since Ilum, four spent on the Crucible travelling back to the Temple and another in private meditation, where I was meant to 'commune with the Force' regarding my Jedi Master. However, even though I was sent for private meditation, the council of First Knowledge had not told me their decision about my master/masters before instructing me to meditate.
Not that I had meditated and after a day in here, I called up the various notices in my log from the last twenty-four hours.
Negate Hunger lowered more than negated my hunger, but it was, potentially, one of the most powerful Force abilities I could think of. Currently, it would only stop me having to eat for a day, but I imagined that would increase as the power levelled up, to potentially reach a point where I could go without eating for years, if not forever.
Restore Stamina was like Negate Hunger and one I had discovered in the months after the Initiate Trials. It was already into Adept range and simply worked to restore my stamina. Perhaps this power and Negate Hunger, at much, much higher levels, would lead to another Force Power that could slow, if not stop, ageing. Though I was not dwelling on the implications of that, as the idea of being functionally immortal was exciting and terrifying in equal measure.
I suspected that some combination of these powers, and whatever might come from them later, explained why Fay looked not a day over twenty-one, yet was a few centuries old, at least.
Levitation seemed a pointless power at first, as it only allowed me to rise myself half-a-metre of the ground and I couldn't do anything more than that. But, based on its short description, I hoped that at higher levels it would allow me something akin to self-flight. The issue with discovering that was it was my joint most expensive power outright along with Teleport. Though imagining how insanely dangerous/powerful/useful those two powers were, it did make sense that they were harder to learn/use than anything else I currently knew.
I'd only considered the power in the last hour after the second crystal was attuned, but this was going to be handy power to train during those hour-plus sessions where I had to 'meditate on the Force'.
Slowly I stood and stretched. A full day in one place should've left me with a few cramps, but I didn't feel any. I suspected that this was because of Player's Body, but I still stretched to make it look like I was just as normal as everyone around me.
Sure, the room was meant to be empty, but I suspected that there was a camera somewhere to keep an eye out in case anyone inside somehow hurt themselves. Or record any conversations that took place in the rooms.
The doors opened and a short blue-skinned Duros stepped inside, his black, almost soulless looking eyes, fixed on me. "Initiate Shan, I am Padawan Nidu Zham. I have been instructed to escort you to the Council of First Knowledge." The tone of her voice was the only way I could tell she was female, and I nodded in acquiescence.
The walk through the halls was done in silence, and we soon exited the elevator to the atrium outside the council chamber, where I activated both Enhance Stat for Charisma and Enhance Skill for Persuasion.
"Ah Initiate Shan, welcome," Master Vilbum stated with a small smile that was in danger of being buried under the wrinkles that covered his skin. The other members looked around at me as I entered. "Please, take a seat."
I sat on the small stool that was in the centre of the room and waited. I knew I was here to hear if I would gain Dooku, Fay or both as my Jedi Master/trainer and figured it was better to wait and appear humble than blurt out a question and seem arrogant.
"Ah, patience in a youngling. So refreshing," commented Master Gallia with a small smile.
"Yes, though I suspect he is just doing this to not seem curious about our decision." Master Di countered with a chuckle as I shrugged. "At least he is smart enough to know when to speak and when to listen."
"He is smarter than many give him credit for," Master Nilas said as she stared at me. Or at least that is how it felt as where her eyes were covered with the same light blue cloth she always seemed to wear. "The Force has a plan for him."
I managed to school my features even as I frowned internally. I was still unsure what the Force felt about me, though the hints of what Revan had said made me think that it was willing to allow me to explore my own path.
"Yes, you have been quite clear on that point, which is why we have agreed with you." Master Piell growled out without any real anger.
"If I may," Vilbum waited for the rest of the council to look to him before he continued. "Initiate Shan, before we get to the primary reason that we have summoned you, there is an issue we need to address.
"We have received a report from Padawan Swan; upon entering the Crystal Cave on Ilum, you attacked a fellow member of this Order. Now, we have spoken to all other Initiates that were present, but before we pass judgement, we wish to hear your side of the story."
"Yes, Masters. For the entire trip to Ilum, Initiate Savos felt a need to mock and belittle me. Whenever I made a suggestion or questioned something we were told, he was condescending and scornful to anything I said or did." I paused and took a breath, letting go of the anger I had intentionally allowed to build within me as I spoke about Jon's actions.
"After four days I had reached my end and decided to deal with his verbal bullying, though the method I used was perhaps, a little too aggressive."
Di coughed quietly at that.
"You used the Force to clamp his mouth shut and then threatened to do worse. That is acceptable behaviour for a Jedi," snarled Piell as his ears pulled back in a way that reminded me of an angry dog.
"No, but it was how I was taught to deal with a bully. Once you push back, they generally stop." I countered, and it was true in Jon's case as after that incident, he never bad-mouthed me again; though he did still roll his eyes and whisper with a Clan-mate of his.
"While your decision to confront Padawan Savos about his behaviour was correct, your methodology was flawed," Gallia spoke slowly, calmly. Yet the side-eye she gave Piell suggested the two did not agree on something. "Threats and violence are not the Jedi way. In future, you should try to resolve such matters in a calm and friendly manner."
I had to fight off an eye roll at the apparent naivety of the Jedi Master. That approach rarely, if ever, worked with bullies.
"Yes ma'am."
"We have made a note in your file regarding this incident, as well as for Padawan Savos." Stated Di as he took over. "For now, we are willing to forgive your actions, but further instances of being unable to conform to the Jedi Code will result in censorship or even possible expulsion from the Order."
"Yes sir." I wasn't going to call them out on the fact that a few months ago they had seemingly bent over backwards to keep me in the Order. "I will try to be more considerate of the behaviour of others before acting." Maybe.
"Good, good. Then, for now, this matter is settled." Vilbum said. "Now, when we last spoke, you stated your belief that being trained by two Jedi Masters was the best path for you in your continuing education as a Jedi. Do you still believe that to be the case?"
"Yes, sir. While I am well aware of how rare, if not almost unheard of, it is for a Padawan to have two Masters teaching them, my reasoning has not changed. Yet in the end, the final decision is yours."
Vilbum nodded and smiled a fraction. "Yes, it is. However, we prefer to guide the Initiates and Masters to each other. Generally, that happens naturally, but if the Force grants a seer a vision of a path, or is felt to be accepting of a choice, we generally do not interfere." He paused and glanced over at Nilas, as did Master Di and Gallia.
"When we first told you of the four possibilities for your Master, we mentioned that all four appeared in conflicting visions regarding you. However, what we avoided mentioning to prevent it from influencing your choice, is that of the four Masters to appear with you in these visions, Masters Dooku and Fay both appeared more than once."
My brow rose at that, even if I wondered again if the Force itself was trying to push me towards a path.
"Is that unusual?" I asked carefully, as the idea of visions and glimpsing possible futures was not something that I was comfortable with.
"It is," answered Master Nilas, drawing my attention. "Rarely do the same Masters appear in such differing visions, or appear to be vastly different from themselves in some. Yet, it is not unheard of."
I nodded slowly at the brief explanation. 'Force visions sound both useful and exceedingly confusing.'
"The one common thread in these visions was you, young one. A source of light, yet touched by darkness, shining brightly over those around you."
'Great, more prophecy crap. This is getting ridiculous, but it does help explain why Anakin seemed so arrogant at times in the movies. Having people always say or imply you were special and destined for greatness would make almost everyone arrogant and prideful.'
"Has this influenced the Council decision?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from talk of prophecies and vision.
"It has," Vilbum replied even as Piell glared at Nilas, who looked far too happy with herself. "We have decided to provisionally grant your request for formal training with both Master Dooku and Master Fay. We will review this decision in two years, but until then, as Caretaker of the council of Frist Knowledge, it is my honour and privilege to raise you to the rank of Padawan learner within our order. Congratulations."
"Thank you, sir," I said, trying my best to not jump for joy even as a new Quest Completion notice appeared in my log.
Vilbum's smile grew. "Both Master Dooku and Master Fay have been informed of our decision and await your confirmation of them in the Temple spire."
"Then with your permission, I will go to them," I said as I stood.
"Yes, yes go young Padawan."
I turned and walked to the door, only to stop and turn back. I bowed a touch as I spoke. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you, child of time," Nilas replied.
I slipped through the doors and entered the elevator, and as it began to move, I pulled up the most recent notices in my log.
The benefits in promotion in rank as a Jedi were nice. Especially increased access to the Jedi Archives as much of the details regarding Revan, Bastila and Satele were denied to me before; save the bland/boring description of their lives.
Hopefully, more details about them and other things would be open to me now. Though I was noted that the increased rank said nothing about access to the Holocron vaults.
'Eh, I suppose I can always steal some later on, not that I will care about it for now.' I added mentally to prevent a quest from being generated. 'Or I could just wait until I become a Knight… eh.'
I decided to put how to access out of my mind for the moment and pulled the two mini crystals from my pockets, using Examine on both.
The cost also varied depending on the target, from 5 to 10 PP. With my PP only being 20, that limited my ability to level it up rapidly by abusing it as honestly, my mind had been on getting the two lightsaber crystals attuned so I could build my own lightsaber.
I frowned as I tried to work out what Energy Value was, even as I slid the two crystals back into my pocket. Force Potential was obvious, though I was curious about how it rated things and used Examine on myself.
That was going to be handy and learning my Force Potential was Very High was a little bit of an ego boost, but it made sense since I'd taken Force Prodigy when I'd created this new life.
I allowed a small smile to creep onto my face as the elevator stopped and I began to walk over to the Temple Spire; the central and largest of the five spires on the Jedi Temple.
I'd been surprised that the High Council didn't sit atop of that tower, but in retrospect it made sense. The Jedi were not meant to be prideful, so having the grandest tower for meditation, special occasions and to mark the history of the Order.
The peak of the mountain the temple was built upon was also contained within this spire, yet I knew the corruption of the temple couldn't be here as Jedi passed by this point every day. If it was corrupted, someone would've noticed long before I arrived.
After asking one of the temple guards for their exact location, I found Dooku and Fay sitting in one of the smaller chambers in the veranda. Since the door was open, I entered quietly and began to speak, only to hear another voice.
"The attack on Coruscant caught the Order off-guard and many of my fellow Jedi fell that day, including Master Ven Zallow, who died defending the Temple from Darth Malgus. His actions allowed many of the younglings to escape into the lower levels of the Temple and hide in the depths of Coruscant."
Fay and Dooku were both sitting as a woman projected from a holocron spoke. The holocron was different from others I had seen in the temple when a Master had brought one out for teaching. Those had all been blue cubes in shape but this one was bronze and gold in colour and appeared to be two diamonds joined together in shape.
The woman speaking was old, easily in her seventy's based on the silver hair that ended in two short ponytails that rested on her shoulders, and lines around her eyes, yet she stood tall and confident.
Her voice sounded familiar, and as I examined her face and stance, and spotted what appeared to be saberstaff on her waist, Fay noticed me.
"Ah, our new Padawan, welcome." She said with a smile as Dooku turned to face me, though not before touching the surface of the holocron to stop the recording.
"Sorry for interrupting but the door was open, and the Council of First Knowledge told me to report to you," I explained as my eyes struggled to not look at the woman in the hologram.
"We have been expecting you," Dooku stated calmly. "The Council informed you of their decision and you accept I presume?"
"Yes, sir. I am grateful for their, and your, agreement with my choices." I bowed a touch and Fay laughed softly.
"There is no need to bow child. The Force willed it that we are brought together." She paused and gave Dooku a sad smile. "Neither Master Dooku nor I had planned to take another Padawan learner, yet here we both are."
"Indeed. After what happened with my last Padawan, I had no interest in taking another, yet The Force has reacted unexpectedly in this instance. Yet I cannot bring my self to disagree with its intent." Dooku added in agreement.
"Still, thank you both."
"The only one to thank is the Force." Stated Fay as she waved my thanks and turned to look at the hologram. "Hmm, you seem curious about the woman. Why is that?" She asked with a smirk that hinted she knew who the person was.
"She seems, familiar. Yet I don't think I have ever seen her before." I replied as my brow creased as I raked my memories, yet not even Photographic Memory could tell me anything about her, save I had seen her face in my old life. Obviously, that meant I probably hadn't seen her face anytime in the last five years as it was only after that that the perk could fail.
Or it could be that someone/thing was intentionally blocking the information to get a reaction.
"Greetings fellow Jedi, may I ask you name?" Satele Shan, or the recording of her anyway, asked with a small smile.
"Um, Cameron Shan," I said slowly, wishing I'd turned on Player's Mind, but since the incident in the crystal caves, I had become reluctant to use the power.
After thinking over the strange behaviour of Jedi-me, I had realised that he meant that because of Player's Mind, I could become the perfect 'emotionless' being that the current Jedi strove to be.
Satele frowned and leaned closer. "And who was your mother?"
I frowned in return as this holocron recording was acting differently to the two I had taken when I'd left home. Though those were used as a diary/training tool. This one was clearly a recording for future generations, yet the fact both Fay and Dooku leaned closer at the question told me something was up.
"Jedi Knight Ressa Shan."
Satele's head tiled to her left. "And what is your rank?"
"Padawan."
"Rank insufficient. Access Denied. Facial features and voice pattern recorded for future reference." Satele stated as her image flicked.
"What the…" the muttered as the image returned to the one that had first asked me for my name. I turned and looked at the two Jedi Masters.
"Was that meant to happen?"
"No, that was, unexpected," Dooku replied slowly as Fay waved her hand over the holocron, turning it off.
"More like unheard of," Fay countered as she picked up the device and stared at it carefully. "Grandmaster Shan's holocron has always asked for a user's name, but I have never heard of it asking those other questions. Perhaps Master Yoda or an archivist would know if such a thing has happened before."
"So what was meant to happen?" My curiosity was pipped. Was there something on that holocron that was meant for my eyes only?
"Generally, a personal holocron, like that of Grandmaster Shan, will serve as a record of what has been and grant a Jedi insight into how our Order behaved during that Jedi's lifetime. Occasionally, they also providing training of rarer Force abilities." Explained Dooku as he stroked his beard slowly.
"That was why I had brought it here today," added Fay as she slid the holocron into her pocket. "I had hoped that she could provide you with pointers on Battle Meditation."
"What?" I asked, trying to play dumb, even as I tried not to jump for joy internally at learning the Force ability that Bastila used in KOTOR.
"Nice try, but we can sense you know something of the power," Fay said with a smile, having obviously sensed my internal reaction. I really needed to learn to block my emotions/mind from reading without always resorting to Player's Mind.
"I learnt stories about my great-grandmother and what she could do before I became a Jedi," I said slowly, trying to fudge the truth enough that the two Jedi Masters wouldn't think I was lying.
"And what stories were those?"
I turned to Dooku to answer him. "That she could influence the outcome of a battle with just the Force. Instil hope in one side and despair to the other before a battle even started."
"That is the basis of the ability, though a Jedi should not use fear," Fay replied with the faintest of smiles. "Your family was famous for its ability to use Battle Meditation; though that drove the Sith to actively seek out and kill your family line."
"Like the attack on my home," I blurted out as why the Sith had attacked finally made sense. Well, beyond a power greater than the Force wishing it.
"When my grandfather contacted the Jedi about my Force potential, the Sith somehow became aware and moved to take me."
"Indeed. Though if they could not take you, I suspect they would've killed you to prevent the Jedi of the time taking you in." Dooku said calmly, though the tone sent a shiver up my spine and how calmly he spoke of my death to my face.
"So you think that I can learn Battle Meditation?" I asked, moving the conversation away from discussions about my possible death.
"That is my hope, yet neither I nor Master Dooku have any training with the ability," Fay stated. "I had planned to introduce the idea into your head before we spoke to Master Rancisis, the Order's current master of the ability. Since you already know of what it is, perhaps we should now speak to him."
I bowed in acceptance of her suggestion and moved to walk behind the two senior Jedi.
"You are our Padawan, not an Initiate. Walk at our side." Dooku commanded gently and I moved quickly to his right side.
"How do you expect to learn from us if you only observe our backs?" Fay asked with a chuckle as I felt my cheeks heat up at her knowing my eyes had wandered lower than they should have.
"If I may, how exactly is my training to be handled?" I asked after regaining the control of my blush.
"Master Fay and I have discussed this greatly over the last week," Dooku began as I turned my head just enough to be able to see his face without losing sight of where we were going. "Currently, I am assigned as a lightsaber instructor while Master Fay is, disinterested, in spending a large amount of time on Coruscant.
"As such, we believe that rotating your training with us, say half a year each, is the best approach for now."
"I hope to convince Master Dooku to leave the planet, but for now, he is committed to training others Makashi. Your basic instruction in the Form to your former clanmates has given him a base to work from which he remiss in not using." Fay added with a wink and I internally groaned. By teaching the others in Dragon Clan, I had made Dooku less interested in joining Fay and me in exploring the galaxy. Thus, leaving him within easy reach of Palpatine.
"Who will I train with first?"
"Master Fay will handle your training initially."
"Though I think we will stay in the temple until your birthday. This should provide you with adequate time to say your goodbyes to your clanmates."
"I have no issues with that," I replied as my birthday was less than two weeks away. Then I'd finally get out of the dammed Temple and get to explore the galaxy.
"Excellent. Ah, we're here." Fay waved her hand over a panel on the door and it opened a moment later.
As we entered, I saw the long snake-like body of Master Rancisis sitting peacefully on a large chair.
"Greetings my fellow Jedi. Please come in," He said with a wave of his hand and I had to fight off a shudder at the length of the nails on his fingers. I was sure those were more than just a cultural choice and could do serious damage if needed.
"Before we begin, I wish to make one thing clear Padawan," the High Council member said as he locked his eyes on me. "I am unsure about teaching the art of Battle Meditation to one so young, and new to our Order. Yet Master Fay was able to convince enough of the High Council that at least seeing if you could learn based on your family line that I have consented to teach you the basics."
"Thank you, sir," I said with a small bow even as mentally thanked Fay and wondered if more of the High Council were against me learning advanced powers. Perhaps they felt I was learning too much too quickly or that I might somehow threaten their beliefs.
"Now, before we begin, you have spoken with Grandmaster Shan's recording regarding what Battle Mediation is."
"He has not," Dooku stated, cutting me off from replying. "It appears that the young Padawan already knew about the ability from stories told to him about Bastila Shan. What he knows is truthful, if coloured by non-Jedi thinking."
"Hmm, well perhaps I should explain fully what Battle Meditation is and allows," Rancisis said as his long, bony fingers stroked his beard.
"Battle Meditation is the ability to influence a conflict to achieve the result desired by the user by manipulating the emotions and abilities of those fighting; either by boosting their resolve and capacities while doing the opposite to their opponents.
"While it is an ability that has rarely been needed over my lifetime, it is one that can alter the flow of entire wars if the user is mentally strong enough to wield it.
"The only true drawback is that to fully use this ability, you must submerge yourself in a deep trance within the Force. This means that you will feel everyone you touch; their fear, pain even their deaths. It can be, discomforting, and result in you losing control."
I nodded along as Rancisis spoke, and ignored the new power notice in my log until I thought popped into my head. "Sir is there a form of this ability that would allow a user to use it while active. From the stories I was told, Bastila had to meditate away from a battle, thus she would've been unable to defend herself"
'Or take an active role in the conflict.' I added in my head.
I wasn't going to say it out loud on the chance the Jedi thought I wished to seek battle. Truthfully, I was more concerned about the fact that using this power would leave me vulnerable to assassins.
"There are records, from before even your time, of a handful of Jedi Masters who were able to use Battle Meditation while actively engaged in conflict. However, they note that the effects and range of their power were far less than when used in a meditative trance."
"Understood," I said as I noted a second new power alert in my log.
"If you have no more questions," I shook my head. "Good. Begin to meditate and listen to my voice, follow my instructions and we will see if you are ready to learn."
I folded my legs under me in the typical way one does to mediate as Rancisis pulled his coiled body close and sank into the coils and Fay and Dooku sat down either side of me.
"Reach out with your mind, try to sense the minds of myself and Masters Fay and Dooku."
It was weird to reach out through the Force, like pushing through both fog and water at once, yet I could easily sense the presence of the three Jedi Masters within the water-like fog. Each of them had a different… aura, to them. Two were old, though one was more… vibrant, colourful, while the other was… duller. OK, not dull, just less… lively. The young aura was much like the duller aura, yet it wasn't as… bland.
"Good. Now, brush against our minds. Be gentle though, as the stronger one is with their connection to the Force, the easier it will be for them to prevent you from touching even the edge their mind."
I let my senses touch the most colourful of the auras and heard Fay gasp quietly. It made sense that Fay's aura was the most colourful as she seemed the most outgoing/emotional of the three Jedi.
Now knowing which of the auras was Fay's, and having an idea of which of the other two was which, I touched the aura of the youngest and heard Dooku inhale sharply.
When I tried to touch Rancisis' aura, I failed. It felt like something was stopping me from making the connection.
"I, I can't touch your mind Master Rancisis. It's too hard." I said after failing a few more times to make a connection and realising that the power was obviously not strong enough yet to allow me to touch more than two minds.
"That is alright young one. I can sense you have managed to brush against the minds of my fellow Masters. Now, to them I want you to project hope, confidence, belief."
I nodded even though I was sure his eyes were closed like mine and did as he ordered. Both Fay and Dooku seemed to resist for a moment, I suspected due to their own minds rebelling at the intrusion before they let me in. I tried to make them feel better, more certain about themselves.
"It is weak, but I can feel his touch boosting my judgement," Fay whispered before gasping quietly and I thought I heard her move around a little. "This is… different from what I expected."
"Yes. This sense of certainty in myself. It is empowering." Dooku added with a hitch in his voice.
"Good, very good Cameron. Now hold the connections for as long as you can. Keep giving them hope and belief in themselves."
I did as Rancisis said, but soon enough I felt the link fail.
I gasped as I opened my eyes. "I'm sorry. That was all I could manage." I muttered as I regained my bearings. Having the link fail suddenly was jarring and a glance to either side showed me that the effect was felt by both Fay and Dooku.
"That is quite alright Cameron. This is a powerful but exhausting ability." Stated Rancisis with a soothing tone that was at ends with him looking like a giant snake. "That you were able to use it at all at your young age is most impressive." His head tilted to the left as his claws quietly made ripples in his beard.
"It will get easier with practice, so perhaps attempting to use this while you meditate will help. Though be careful with whose minds you attempt to link with. Many within the Order enjoy their privacy."
"Yes, sir." That now meant I had two power I could use while meditating which made me smile a touch. Having something I could actually train during that time for something was a relief as it was three hours each day that had been wasted until now.
Rancisis uncoiled his body and stretched upwards, which was taken as a sign to stand and glanced past me.
"Excellent. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to." He said before slithering past and I noted the clock above the door.
"I must also take my leave," Dooku stated with a small bow to Fay after seeing the time. "I have a class to instruct."
"Should I attend?" I asked as I had nothing else to do.
"No my young Padawan. This is for the younglings. It would be a waste of your time to attempt to learn from such a class. I will be free at four o'clock. If you are available, I would be willing to instruct you in more advanced techniques for Makashi."
"I will try to be free then sir." No way was I going to pass up one-on-one training with Dooku until I had maxed out Makashi. Heck, I might still take the sessions to learn more about him and try to prevent his joining the Sith.
As he left, I turned to Fay and glanced at the flashing new power alerts I remembered the first quest I had received when I entered the temple.
Before I even spoke, she cocked her head to the side and smiled. "You have something you wish to ask?"
I nodded once and managed to prevent a frown at how easily she could sense my intentions. There must be a Force power to block that, but I didn't think any of the ones I currently had would do that.
"Um, yes. When we spoke before, in the Archives, you mentioned how the temple felt decaying." I paused and closed my eyes, hoping she didn't suspect I was lying as I spoke again. "Well, after that, I, I felt something under me. Under the Temple. Something wrong."
"That may well be the planet itself that you sense. I feel it occasionally. This whole world is dying. It is slow, but because I stay away from it and have lived a long time, I can sense it."
I frowned at her seeming to dismiss my 'concern' while I ignored the urge to ask her how old she was. Not making that mistake with a lady again.
"That might be it, however," I paused and looked at the floor. "What I sense seems to come from directly below the Temple. From the mountain itself."
She gently tapped a single finger against her chin. "Hmm. I had not considered that the problem with the temple was the nexus itself."
"Nexus?" That word was mentioned in the quest regarding Dormund Kaas but not the Jedi Temple, but I hadn't given it any thought beyond the general meaning of the word.
"A Force nexus is exactly what it sounds like. A place, be it a room, mountain or even a planet, that is strong with the Force. They draw Force-sensitives to them. The mountain on which this great temple is built is one, or at least part of it is."
"And you think that what I sensed was a problem with this nexus?" I asked her even if internally I was all but certain that there was.
"It is, possible. But I do not know much about the older levels." She turned to look me in the eye. "I know there is something you are not telling me, yet the Force seems to be guiding me to accept what you say. Most interesting."
"I try to be," I smirk as I speak, and Fay chuckled quietly.
"Yes, that you do." She ruffled my hair as she smiled before she began to walk away and I forced myself to keep my eyes on the back of her head.
She paused in the doorframe and turned back. "Come along Padawan. The temple records will not read themselves and I had no interest in doing so alone."
"Yes, Master." I move quickly to her side and we walk towards the elevator in silence.
Once inside, I subtly open the new notices.
I casually waved away the notices and silently prayed that looking through the records wouldn't take too long so that I could build my lightsaber.
…
It had been five days since Ilum, four spent on the Crucible travelling back to the Temple and another in private meditation, where I was meant to 'commune with the Force' regarding my Jedi Master. However, even though I was sent for private meditation, the council of First Knowledge had not told me their decision about my master/masters before instructing me to meditate.
Not that I had meditated and after a day in here, I called up the various notices in my log from the last twenty-four hours.
Force Power Levelled-up!
Force Attune x14
...
Force Power Discovered!
Negate Hunger
Allows a Force-sensitive to use the Force itself to negate their need to eat and drink.
…
Force Power Levelled-up!
Restore Stamina
…
Force Power Discovered!
Levitation
The ability to lift and potentially move yourself using just the Force.
…
Force Attune x14
...
Force Power Discovered!
Negate Hunger
Allows a Force-sensitive to use the Force itself to negate their need to eat and drink.
…
Force Power Levelled-up!
Restore Stamina
…
Force Power Discovered!
Levitation
The ability to lift and potentially move yourself using just the Force.
…
Force Attune was nothing more than the ability to attune an object with a connection to the Force to myself, though unlike every other Force Power I had discovered so far, it did not seem to gradually increase in power/potential as it levelled. Instead, it stayed at the flat rate of two per cent per hour towards attuning an object. I really hoped it increased the rate once I got to Adept, otherwise attuning anything was going to take about two days per object.Negate Hunger lowered more than negated my hunger, but it was, potentially, one of the most powerful Force abilities I could think of. Currently, it would only stop me having to eat for a day, but I imagined that would increase as the power levelled up, to potentially reach a point where I could go without eating for years, if not forever.
Restore Stamina was like Negate Hunger and one I had discovered in the months after the Initiate Trials. It was already into Adept range and simply worked to restore my stamina. Perhaps this power and Negate Hunger, at much, much higher levels, would lead to another Force Power that could slow, if not stop, ageing. Though I was not dwelling on the implications of that, as the idea of being functionally immortal was exciting and terrifying in equal measure.
I suspected that some combination of these powers, and whatever might come from them later, explained why Fay looked not a day over twenty-one, yet was a few centuries old, at least.
Levitation seemed a pointless power at first, as it only allowed me to rise myself half-a-metre of the ground and I couldn't do anything more than that. But, based on its short description, I hoped that at higher levels it would allow me something akin to self-flight. The issue with discovering that was it was my joint most expensive power outright along with Teleport. Though imagining how insanely dangerous/powerful/useful those two powers were, it did make sense that they were harder to learn/use than anything else I currently knew.
I'd only considered the power in the last hour after the second crystal was attuned, but this was going to be handy power to train during those hour-plus sessions where I had to 'meditate on the Force'.
Slowly I stood and stretched. A full day in one place should've left me with a few cramps, but I didn't feel any. I suspected that this was because of Player's Body, but I still stretched to make it look like I was just as normal as everyone around me.
Sure, the room was meant to be empty, but I suspected that there was a camera somewhere to keep an eye out in case anyone inside somehow hurt themselves. Or record any conversations that took place in the rooms.
The doors opened and a short blue-skinned Duros stepped inside, his black, almost soulless looking eyes, fixed on me. "Initiate Shan, I am Padawan Nidu Zham. I have been instructed to escort you to the Council of First Knowledge." The tone of her voice was the only way I could tell she was female, and I nodded in acquiescence.
The walk through the halls was done in silence, and we soon exited the elevator to the atrium outside the council chamber, where I activated both Enhance Stat for Charisma and Enhance Skill for Persuasion.
"Ah Initiate Shan, welcome," Master Vilbum stated with a small smile that was in danger of being buried under the wrinkles that covered his skin. The other members looked around at me as I entered. "Please, take a seat."
I sat on the small stool that was in the centre of the room and waited. I knew I was here to hear if I would gain Dooku, Fay or both as my Jedi Master/trainer and figured it was better to wait and appear humble than blurt out a question and seem arrogant.
"Ah, patience in a youngling. So refreshing," commented Master Gallia with a small smile.
"Yes, though I suspect he is just doing this to not seem curious about our decision." Master Di countered with a chuckle as I shrugged. "At least he is smart enough to know when to speak and when to listen."
"He is smarter than many give him credit for," Master Nilas said as she stared at me. Or at least that is how it felt as where her eyes were covered with the same light blue cloth she always seemed to wear. "The Force has a plan for him."
I managed to school my features even as I frowned internally. I was still unsure what the Force felt about me, though the hints of what Revan had said made me think that it was willing to allow me to explore my own path.
"Yes, you have been quite clear on that point, which is why we have agreed with you." Master Piell growled out without any real anger.
"If I may," Vilbum waited for the rest of the council to look to him before he continued. "Initiate Shan, before we get to the primary reason that we have summoned you, there is an issue we need to address.
"We have received a report from Padawan Swan; upon entering the Crystal Cave on Ilum, you attacked a fellow member of this Order. Now, we have spoken to all other Initiates that were present, but before we pass judgement, we wish to hear your side of the story."
"Yes, Masters. For the entire trip to Ilum, Initiate Savos felt a need to mock and belittle me. Whenever I made a suggestion or questioned something we were told, he was condescending and scornful to anything I said or did." I paused and took a breath, letting go of the anger I had intentionally allowed to build within me as I spoke about Jon's actions.
"After four days I had reached my end and decided to deal with his verbal bullying, though the method I used was perhaps, a little too aggressive."
Di coughed quietly at that.
"You used the Force to clamp his mouth shut and then threatened to do worse. That is acceptable behaviour for a Jedi," snarled Piell as his ears pulled back in a way that reminded me of an angry dog.
"No, but it was how I was taught to deal with a bully. Once you push back, they generally stop." I countered, and it was true in Jon's case as after that incident, he never bad-mouthed me again; though he did still roll his eyes and whisper with a Clan-mate of his.
"While your decision to confront Padawan Savos about his behaviour was correct, your methodology was flawed," Gallia spoke slowly, calmly. Yet the side-eye she gave Piell suggested the two did not agree on something. "Threats and violence are not the Jedi way. In future, you should try to resolve such matters in a calm and friendly manner."
I had to fight off an eye roll at the apparent naivety of the Jedi Master. That approach rarely, if ever, worked with bullies.
"Yes ma'am."
"We have made a note in your file regarding this incident, as well as for Padawan Savos." Stated Di as he took over. "For now, we are willing to forgive your actions, but further instances of being unable to conform to the Jedi Code will result in censorship or even possible expulsion from the Order."
"Yes sir." I wasn't going to call them out on the fact that a few months ago they had seemingly bent over backwards to keep me in the Order. "I will try to be more considerate of the behaviour of others before acting." Maybe.
"Good, good. Then, for now, this matter is settled." Vilbum said. "Now, when we last spoke, you stated your belief that being trained by two Jedi Masters was the best path for you in your continuing education as a Jedi. Do you still believe that to be the case?"
"Yes, sir. While I am well aware of how rare, if not almost unheard of, it is for a Padawan to have two Masters teaching them, my reasoning has not changed. Yet in the end, the final decision is yours."
Vilbum nodded and smiled a fraction. "Yes, it is. However, we prefer to guide the Initiates and Masters to each other. Generally, that happens naturally, but if the Force grants a seer a vision of a path, or is felt to be accepting of a choice, we generally do not interfere." He paused and glanced over at Nilas, as did Master Di and Gallia.
"When we first told you of the four possibilities for your Master, we mentioned that all four appeared in conflicting visions regarding you. However, what we avoided mentioning to prevent it from influencing your choice, is that of the four Masters to appear with you in these visions, Masters Dooku and Fay both appeared more than once."
My brow rose at that, even if I wondered again if the Force itself was trying to push me towards a path.
"Is that unusual?" I asked carefully, as the idea of visions and glimpsing possible futures was not something that I was comfortable with.
"It is," answered Master Nilas, drawing my attention. "Rarely do the same Masters appear in such differing visions, or appear to be vastly different from themselves in some. Yet, it is not unheard of."
I nodded slowly at the brief explanation. 'Force visions sound both useful and exceedingly confusing.'
"The one common thread in these visions was you, young one. A source of light, yet touched by darkness, shining brightly over those around you."
'Great, more prophecy crap. This is getting ridiculous, but it does help explain why Anakin seemed so arrogant at times in the movies. Having people always say or imply you were special and destined for greatness would make almost everyone arrogant and prideful.'
"Has this influenced the Council decision?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from talk of prophecies and vision.
"It has," Vilbum replied even as Piell glared at Nilas, who looked far too happy with herself. "We have decided to provisionally grant your request for formal training with both Master Dooku and Master Fay. We will review this decision in two years, but until then, as Caretaker of the council of Frist Knowledge, it is my honour and privilege to raise you to the rank of Padawan learner within our order. Congratulations."
"Thank you, sir," I said, trying my best to not jump for joy even as a new Quest Completion notice appeared in my log.
Vilbum's smile grew. "Both Master Dooku and Master Fay have been informed of our decision and await your confirmation of them in the Temple spire."
"Then with your permission, I will go to them," I said as I stood.
"Yes, yes go young Padawan."
I turned and walked to the door, only to stop and turn back. I bowed a touch as I spoke. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you, child of time," Nilas replied.
I slipped through the doors and entered the elevator, and as it began to move, I pulled up the most recent notices in my log.
Quest Completed!
Two are Better Than one [User Generated]
Objective:
Convince the Council of 1st Knowledge that both Fay and Dooku should become your Masters.
Rewards:
2000EXP
+25 ranks in skill [Persuasion]
…
NOTE:
This completion is subject to reversal.
If the Council of 1st knowledge removes one or both Jedi Masters from your training, then you will lose the rewards and suffer the penalties.
…
Rank Gained!
Jedi [Rank 2: Padawan]
Grants access to the Great Holocron under the watchful gaze of your Jedi Master(s)
Grants level 4 access to Temple Archives.
…
I frown a touch at the note that the quest could still be failed if the Council of Frist Knowledge reversed their decision, but it did make sense.Two are Better Than one [User Generated]
Objective:
Convince the Council of 1st Knowledge that both Fay and Dooku should become your Masters.
Rewards:
2000EXP
+25 ranks in skill [Persuasion]
…
NOTE:
This completion is subject to reversal.
If the Council of 1st knowledge removes one or both Jedi Masters from your training, then you will lose the rewards and suffer the penalties.
…
Rank Gained!
Jedi [Rank 2: Padawan]
Grants access to the Great Holocron under the watchful gaze of your Jedi Master(s)
Grants level 4 access to Temple Archives.
…
The benefits in promotion in rank as a Jedi were nice. Especially increased access to the Jedi Archives as much of the details regarding Revan, Bastila and Satele were denied to me before; save the bland/boring description of their lives.
Hopefully, more details about them and other things would be open to me now. Though I was noted that the increased rank said nothing about access to the Holocron vaults.
'Eh, I suppose I can always steal some later on, not that I will care about it for now.' I added mentally to prevent a quest from being generated. 'Or I could just wait until I become a Knight… eh.'
I decided to put how to access out of my mind for the moment and pulled the two mini crystals from my pockets, using Examine on both.
Ilum Adegan Crystal (miniature)
[Attuned: Cameron Shan]
A kyber crystal from the caves on the planet Ilum.
This crystal, while capable of being used as a focus for the Force, is too small to be used in a lightsaber.
It has been attuned to work better with Cameron Shan.
HP: 5
Value: 3000 Credits
…
Power Levelled-up!
Examine [5/10]
Examine now also displays;
Energy Value of an object.
Force Potential of a sentient.
…
Ilum Adegan Crystal (miniature)
[Attuned: Cameron Shan]
A kyber crystal from the caves on the planet Ilum.
This crystal, while capable of being used as a focus for the Force, is too small to be used in a lightsaber.
It has been attuned to work better with Cameron Shan.
HP: 5
Value: 3000 Credits
Energy Value: 100
…
The level-up to Examine was nice, not least as it was the only Player Power I could level up, even if it had only gone up five levels in five days. Currently, the power told me the Value, Hit Points and Energy Value for an object and the Name, Race, Level, Health and Force Potential along with a short description for organics and droids, though I had yet to use the power on anything living for fear a Jedi would detect it.[Attuned: Cameron Shan]
A kyber crystal from the caves on the planet Ilum.
This crystal, while capable of being used as a focus for the Force, is too small to be used in a lightsaber.
It has been attuned to work better with Cameron Shan.
HP: 5
Value: 3000 Credits
…
Power Levelled-up!
Examine [5/10]
Examine now also displays;
Energy Value of an object.
Force Potential of a sentient.
…
Ilum Adegan Crystal (miniature)
[Attuned: Cameron Shan]
A kyber crystal from the caves on the planet Ilum.
This crystal, while capable of being used as a focus for the Force, is too small to be used in a lightsaber.
It has been attuned to work better with Cameron Shan.
HP: 5
Value: 3000 Credits
Energy Value: 100
…
The cost also varied depending on the target, from 5 to 10 PP. With my PP only being 20, that limited my ability to level it up rapidly by abusing it as honestly, my mind had been on getting the two lightsaber crystals attuned so I could build my own lightsaber.
I frowned as I tried to work out what Energy Value was, even as I slid the two crystals back into my pocket. Force Potential was obvious, though I was curious about how it rated things and used Examine on myself.
Cameron Shan (*The Player*)
Race: Human
Level: 10
Health: 100%
Force Potential: Very High
…
Note:
(*) implies that the target has another name/designation.
At your current level of Examine, this only is visible if you know someone has another identity.
Note:
No description is given for The Player, as that would be redundant.
…
'Huh? Once I level out this power, I'll be able to tell when people have a hidden identity? Wicked! That, combined with Force Potential, should give me a chance to discover who Palpatine's master is. Provided the person in question is still alive.' Race: Human
Level: 10
Health: 100%
Force Potential: Very High
…
Note:
(*) implies that the target has another name/designation.
At your current level of Examine, this only is visible if you know someone has another identity.
Note:
No description is given for The Player, as that would be redundant.
…
That was going to be handy and learning my Force Potential was Very High was a little bit of an ego boost, but it made sense since I'd taken Force Prodigy when I'd created this new life.
I allowed a small smile to creep onto my face as the elevator stopped and I began to walk over to the Temple Spire; the central and largest of the five spires on the Jedi Temple.
I'd been surprised that the High Council didn't sit atop of that tower, but in retrospect it made sense. The Jedi were not meant to be prideful, so having the grandest tower for meditation, special occasions and to mark the history of the Order.
The peak of the mountain the temple was built upon was also contained within this spire, yet I knew the corruption of the temple couldn't be here as Jedi passed by this point every day. If it was corrupted, someone would've noticed long before I arrived.
After asking one of the temple guards for their exact location, I found Dooku and Fay sitting in one of the smaller chambers in the veranda. Since the door was open, I entered quietly and began to speak, only to hear another voice.
"The attack on Coruscant caught the Order off-guard and many of my fellow Jedi fell that day, including Master Ven Zallow, who died defending the Temple from Darth Malgus. His actions allowed many of the younglings to escape into the lower levels of the Temple and hide in the depths of Coruscant."
Fay and Dooku were both sitting as a woman projected from a holocron spoke. The holocron was different from others I had seen in the temple when a Master had brought one out for teaching. Those had all been blue cubes in shape but this one was bronze and gold in colour and appeared to be two diamonds joined together in shape.
The woman speaking was old, easily in her seventy's based on the silver hair that ended in two short ponytails that rested on her shoulders, and lines around her eyes, yet she stood tall and confident.
Her voice sounded familiar, and as I examined her face and stance, and spotted what appeared to be saberstaff on her waist, Fay noticed me.
"Ah, our new Padawan, welcome." She said with a smile as Dooku turned to face me, though not before touching the surface of the holocron to stop the recording.
"Sorry for interrupting but the door was open, and the Council of First Knowledge told me to report to you," I explained as my eyes struggled to not look at the woman in the hologram.
"We have been expecting you," Dooku stated calmly. "The Council informed you of their decision and you accept I presume?"
"Yes, sir. I am grateful for their, and your, agreement with my choices." I bowed a touch and Fay laughed softly.
"There is no need to bow child. The Force willed it that we are brought together." She paused and gave Dooku a sad smile. "Neither Master Dooku nor I had planned to take another Padawan learner, yet here we both are."
"Indeed. After what happened with my last Padawan, I had no interest in taking another, yet The Force has reacted unexpectedly in this instance. Yet I cannot bring my self to disagree with its intent." Dooku added in agreement.
"Still, thank you both."
"The only one to thank is the Force." Stated Fay as she waved my thanks and turned to look at the hologram. "Hmm, you seem curious about the woman. Why is that?" She asked with a smirk that hinted she knew who the person was.
"She seems, familiar. Yet I don't think I have ever seen her before." I replied as my brow creased as I raked my memories, yet not even Photographic Memory could tell me anything about her, save I had seen her face in my old life. Obviously, that meant I probably hadn't seen her face anytime in the last five years as it was only after that that the perk could fail.
Or it could be that someone/thing was intentionally blocking the information to get a reaction.
Maybe
"Then allow me to introduce you to Grandmaster Satele Shan. Your great, great, and so on, niece." Fay said with a gentle laugh as she waved her hand over the holocron and my brow rose into my hair.
"Greetings fellow Jedi, may I ask you name?" Satele Shan, or the recording of her anyway, asked with a small smile.
"Um, Cameron Shan," I said slowly, wishing I'd turned on Player's Mind, but since the incident in the crystal caves, I had become reluctant to use the power.
After thinking over the strange behaviour of Jedi-me, I had realised that he meant that because of Player's Mind, I could become the perfect 'emotionless' being that the current Jedi strove to be.
Satele frowned and leaned closer. "And who was your mother?"
I frowned in return as this holocron recording was acting differently to the two I had taken when I'd left home. Though those were used as a diary/training tool. This one was clearly a recording for future generations, yet the fact both Fay and Dooku leaned closer at the question told me something was up.
"Jedi Knight Ressa Shan."
Satele's head tiled to her left. "And what is your rank?"
"Padawan."
"Rank insufficient. Access Denied. Facial features and voice pattern recorded for future reference." Satele stated as her image flicked.
"What the…" the muttered as the image returned to the one that had first asked me for my name. I turned and looked at the two Jedi Masters.
"Was that meant to happen?"
"No, that was, unexpected," Dooku replied slowly as Fay waved her hand over the holocron, turning it off.
"More like unheard of," Fay countered as she picked up the device and stared at it carefully. "Grandmaster Shan's holocron has always asked for a user's name, but I have never heard of it asking those other questions. Perhaps Master Yoda or an archivist would know if such a thing has happened before."
"So what was meant to happen?" My curiosity was pipped. Was there something on that holocron that was meant for my eyes only?
"Generally, a personal holocron, like that of Grandmaster Shan, will serve as a record of what has been and grant a Jedi insight into how our Order behaved during that Jedi's lifetime. Occasionally, they also providing training of rarer Force abilities." Explained Dooku as he stroked his beard slowly.
"That was why I had brought it here today," added Fay as she slid the holocron into her pocket. "I had hoped that she could provide you with pointers on Battle Meditation."
"What?" I asked, trying to play dumb, even as I tried not to jump for joy internally at learning the Force ability that Bastila used in KOTOR.
"Nice try, but we can sense you know something of the power," Fay said with a smile, having obviously sensed my internal reaction. I really needed to learn to block my emotions/mind from reading without always resorting to Player's Mind.
"I learnt stories about my great-grandmother and what she could do before I became a Jedi," I said slowly, trying to fudge the truth enough that the two Jedi Masters wouldn't think I was lying.
"And what stories were those?"
I turned to Dooku to answer him. "That she could influence the outcome of a battle with just the Force. Instil hope in one side and despair to the other before a battle even started."
"That is the basis of the ability, though a Jedi should not use fear," Fay replied with the faintest of smiles. "Your family was famous for its ability to use Battle Meditation; though that drove the Sith to actively seek out and kill your family line."
"Like the attack on my home," I blurted out as why the Sith had attacked finally made sense. Well, beyond a power greater than the Force wishing it.
"When my grandfather contacted the Jedi about my Force potential, the Sith somehow became aware and moved to take me."
"Indeed. Though if they could not take you, I suspect they would've killed you to prevent the Jedi of the time taking you in." Dooku said calmly, though the tone sent a shiver up my spine and how calmly he spoke of my death to my face.
"So you think that I can learn Battle Meditation?" I asked, moving the conversation away from discussions about my possible death.
"That is my hope, yet neither I nor Master Dooku have any training with the ability," Fay stated. "I had planned to introduce the idea into your head before we spoke to Master Rancisis, the Order's current master of the ability. Since you already know of what it is, perhaps we should now speak to him."
I bowed in acceptance of her suggestion and moved to walk behind the two senior Jedi.
"You are our Padawan, not an Initiate. Walk at our side." Dooku commanded gently and I moved quickly to his right side.
"How do you expect to learn from us if you only observe our backs?" Fay asked with a chuckle as I felt my cheeks heat up at her knowing my eyes had wandered lower than they should have.
"If I may, how exactly is my training to be handled?" I asked after regaining the control of my blush.
"Master Fay and I have discussed this greatly over the last week," Dooku began as I turned my head just enough to be able to see his face without losing sight of where we were going. "Currently, I am assigned as a lightsaber instructor while Master Fay is, disinterested, in spending a large amount of time on Coruscant.
"As such, we believe that rotating your training with us, say half a year each, is the best approach for now."
"I hope to convince Master Dooku to leave the planet, but for now, he is committed to training others Makashi. Your basic instruction in the Form to your former clanmates has given him a base to work from which he remiss in not using." Fay added with a wink and I internally groaned. By teaching the others in Dragon Clan, I had made Dooku less interested in joining Fay and me in exploring the galaxy. Thus, leaving him within easy reach of Palpatine.
"Who will I train with first?"
"Master Fay will handle your training initially."
"Though I think we will stay in the temple until your birthday. This should provide you with adequate time to say your goodbyes to your clanmates."
"I have no issues with that," I replied as my birthday was less than two weeks away. Then I'd finally get out of the dammed Temple and get to explore the galaxy.
"Excellent. Ah, we're here." Fay waved her hand over a panel on the door and it opened a moment later.
As we entered, I saw the long snake-like body of Master Rancisis sitting peacefully on a large chair.
"Greetings my fellow Jedi. Please come in," He said with a wave of his hand and I had to fight off a shudder at the length of the nails on his fingers. I was sure those were more than just a cultural choice and could do serious damage if needed.
"Before we begin, I wish to make one thing clear Padawan," the High Council member said as he locked his eyes on me. "I am unsure about teaching the art of Battle Meditation to one so young, and new to our Order. Yet Master Fay was able to convince enough of the High Council that at least seeing if you could learn based on your family line that I have consented to teach you the basics."
"Thank you, sir," I said with a small bow even as mentally thanked Fay and wondered if more of the High Council were against me learning advanced powers. Perhaps they felt I was learning too much too quickly or that I might somehow threaten their beliefs.
"Now, before we begin, you have spoken with Grandmaster Shan's recording regarding what Battle Mediation is."
"He has not," Dooku stated, cutting me off from replying. "It appears that the young Padawan already knew about the ability from stories told to him about Bastila Shan. What he knows is truthful, if coloured by non-Jedi thinking."
"Hmm, well perhaps I should explain fully what Battle Meditation is and allows," Rancisis said as his long, bony fingers stroked his beard.
"Battle Meditation is the ability to influence a conflict to achieve the result desired by the user by manipulating the emotions and abilities of those fighting; either by boosting their resolve and capacities while doing the opposite to their opponents.
"While it is an ability that has rarely been needed over my lifetime, it is one that can alter the flow of entire wars if the user is mentally strong enough to wield it.
"The only true drawback is that to fully use this ability, you must submerge yourself in a deep trance within the Force. This means that you will feel everyone you touch; their fear, pain even their deaths. It can be, discomforting, and result in you losing control."
I nodded along as Rancisis spoke, and ignored the new power notice in my log until I thought popped into my head. "Sir is there a form of this ability that would allow a user to use it while active. From the stories I was told, Bastila had to meditate away from a battle, thus she would've been unable to defend herself"
'Or take an active role in the conflict.' I added in my head.
I wasn't going to say it out loud on the chance the Jedi thought I wished to seek battle. Truthfully, I was more concerned about the fact that using this power would leave me vulnerable to assassins.
"There are records, from before even your time, of a handful of Jedi Masters who were able to use Battle Meditation while actively engaged in conflict. However, they note that the effects and range of their power were far less than when used in a meditative trance."
"Understood," I said as I noted a second new power alert in my log.
"If you have no more questions," I shook my head. "Good. Begin to meditate and listen to my voice, follow my instructions and we will see if you are ready to learn."
I folded my legs under me in the typical way one does to mediate as Rancisis pulled his coiled body close and sank into the coils and Fay and Dooku sat down either side of me.
"Reach out with your mind, try to sense the minds of myself and Masters Fay and Dooku."
It was weird to reach out through the Force, like pushing through both fog and water at once, yet I could easily sense the presence of the three Jedi Masters within the water-like fog. Each of them had a different… aura, to them. Two were old, though one was more… vibrant, colourful, while the other was… duller. OK, not dull, just less… lively. The young aura was much like the duller aura, yet it wasn't as… bland.
"Good. Now, brush against our minds. Be gentle though, as the stronger one is with their connection to the Force, the easier it will be for them to prevent you from touching even the edge their mind."
I let my senses touch the most colourful of the auras and heard Fay gasp quietly. It made sense that Fay's aura was the most colourful as she seemed the most outgoing/emotional of the three Jedi.
Now knowing which of the auras was Fay's, and having an idea of which of the other two was which, I touched the aura of the youngest and heard Dooku inhale sharply.
When I tried to touch Rancisis' aura, I failed. It felt like something was stopping me from making the connection.
"I, I can't touch your mind Master Rancisis. It's too hard." I said after failing a few more times to make a connection and realising that the power was obviously not strong enough yet to allow me to touch more than two minds.
"That is alright young one. I can sense you have managed to brush against the minds of my fellow Masters. Now, to them I want you to project hope, confidence, belief."
I nodded even though I was sure his eyes were closed like mine and did as he ordered. Both Fay and Dooku seemed to resist for a moment, I suspected due to their own minds rebelling at the intrusion before they let me in. I tried to make them feel better, more certain about themselves.
"It is weak, but I can feel his touch boosting my judgement," Fay whispered before gasping quietly and I thought I heard her move around a little. "This is… different from what I expected."
"Yes. This sense of certainty in myself. It is empowering." Dooku added with a hitch in his voice.
"Good, very good Cameron. Now hold the connections for as long as you can. Keep giving them hope and belief in themselves."
I did as Rancisis said, but soon enough I felt the link fail.
I gasped as I opened my eyes. "I'm sorry. That was all I could manage." I muttered as I regained my bearings. Having the link fail suddenly was jarring and a glance to either side showed me that the effect was felt by both Fay and Dooku.
"That is quite alright Cameron. This is a powerful but exhausting ability." Stated Rancisis with a soothing tone that was at ends with him looking like a giant snake. "That you were able to use it at all at your young age is most impressive." His head tilted to the left as his claws quietly made ripples in his beard.
"It will get easier with practice, so perhaps attempting to use this while you meditate will help. Though be careful with whose minds you attempt to link with. Many within the Order enjoy their privacy."
"Yes, sir." That now meant I had two power I could use while meditating which made me smile a touch. Having something I could actually train during that time for something was a relief as it was three hours each day that had been wasted until now.
Rancisis uncoiled his body and stretched upwards, which was taken as a sign to stand and glanced past me.
"Excellent. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to." He said before slithering past and I noted the clock above the door.
"I must also take my leave," Dooku stated with a small bow to Fay after seeing the time. "I have a class to instruct."
"Should I attend?" I asked as I had nothing else to do.
"No my young Padawan. This is for the younglings. It would be a waste of your time to attempt to learn from such a class. I will be free at four o'clock. If you are available, I would be willing to instruct you in more advanced techniques for Makashi."
"I will try to be free then sir." No way was I going to pass up one-on-one training with Dooku until I had maxed out Makashi. Heck, I might still take the sessions to learn more about him and try to prevent his joining the Sith.
As he left, I turned to Fay and glanced at the flashing new power alerts I remembered the first quest I had received when I entered the temple.
Before I even spoke, she cocked her head to the side and smiled. "You have something you wish to ask?"
I nodded once and managed to prevent a frown at how easily she could sense my intentions. There must be a Force power to block that, but I didn't think any of the ones I currently had would do that.
"Um, yes. When we spoke before, in the Archives, you mentioned how the temple felt decaying." I paused and closed my eyes, hoping she didn't suspect I was lying as I spoke again. "Well, after that, I, I felt something under me. Under the Temple. Something wrong."
"That may well be the planet itself that you sense. I feel it occasionally. This whole world is dying. It is slow, but because I stay away from it and have lived a long time, I can sense it."
I frowned at her seeming to dismiss my 'concern' while I ignored the urge to ask her how old she was. Not making that mistake with a lady again.
"That might be it, however," I paused and looked at the floor. "What I sense seems to come from directly below the Temple. From the mountain itself."
She gently tapped a single finger against her chin. "Hmm. I had not considered that the problem with the temple was the nexus itself."
"Nexus?" That word was mentioned in the quest regarding Dormund Kaas but not the Jedi Temple, but I hadn't given it any thought beyond the general meaning of the word.
"A Force nexus is exactly what it sounds like. A place, be it a room, mountain or even a planet, that is strong with the Force. They draw Force-sensitives to them. The mountain on which this great temple is built is one, or at least part of it is."
"And you think that what I sensed was a problem with this nexus?" I asked her even if internally I was all but certain that there was.
"It is, possible. But I do not know much about the older levels." She turned to look me in the eye. "I know there is something you are not telling me, yet the Force seems to be guiding me to accept what you say. Most interesting."
"I try to be," I smirk as I speak, and Fay chuckled quietly.
"Yes, that you do." She ruffled my hair as she smiled before she began to walk away and I forced myself to keep my eyes on the back of her head.
She paused in the doorframe and turned back. "Come along Padawan. The temple records will not read themselves and I had no interest in doing so alone."
"Yes, Master." I move quickly to her side and we walk towards the elevator in silence.
Once inside, I subtly open the new notices.
Force Power Discovered!
Battle Meditation (Passive)
The ability to alter the course of a battle by instilling hope and belief or sowing fear in those around you while in a meditative trance.
…
Force Power Discovered!
Battle Meditation (Active)
The ability to alter the course of a battle by instilling hope and belief or sowing fear in those around you while actively engaged in the battle.
…
WARNING!
Battle Meditation (Active) is locked until Battle Meditation (Passive) reaches Savant:1.
…
'Nice. Two new powers, though I'll have to wait a while to even begin to train the second one.'Battle Meditation (Passive)
The ability to alter the course of a battle by instilling hope and belief or sowing fear in those around you while in a meditative trance.
…
Force Power Discovered!
Battle Meditation (Active)
The ability to alter the course of a battle by instilling hope and belief or sowing fear in those around you while actively engaged in the battle.
…
WARNING!
Battle Meditation (Active) is locked until Battle Meditation (Passive) reaches Savant:1.
…
I casually waved away the notices and silently prayed that looking through the records wouldn't take too long so that I could build my lightsaber.
…
Last edited:
Crystal Stars 5
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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"You are late," Dooku stated simply as I ran into the training room.
"Sorry, sir. I got caught up in a project. With Master Fay. Then I had to. Complete the construction. Of my lightsaber." I replied between breaths.
That was an understatement as after learning the basics of Battle Meditation from Master Rancisis, I'd spent six hours in the Archives with Fay learning what we could about the Temple's history. It had been a long, boring read, but we had managed to rule out the upper five hundred levels of the complex, as those levels had all been used during the last major war with the Sith, nearly a thousand years ago. So Master Fay was planning to have us explore the levels lower than that. I honestly didn't expect to find anything above level one thousand – finding out that Coruscant had over five thousand levels was a shock – and so I was wondering how I could fill the time.
"Very well. May I?" He asked with a hand outstretched and I unclipped my lightsaber – and I couldn't help but feel proud at being able to say that – and handed it to him.
He turned it over slowly. While only about two-thirds the length of his, it had the same curved hilt as his own. I had done that purposefully as I was publicly committed to Makashi and he had explained that the curved hilt granted advantages when using Makashi and both styles of Form V, which I would ask him to start teaching me once Makashi was at Savant 1 or better.
The hilt was black, with the actual grip being grey and made of a hard substance that reminded me of the grip of a combat knife in my old life. A small activation button was situated just above where my forefinger would rest and Dooku touched that, making the blade ignite.
That made me grunt quietly. 'I just had to get something different, didn't I?' I pondered as Dooku did a fair impression of a Vulcan brow raise as he examined the blade.
The core of the blade was black, seeming to draw the light into it, yet the corona shone with a brilliant white light. After I had gotten over my initial anger at the colouring, I had noted that neither colour dominated the other. That reminded me of how Master Nilas had described me when I'd first appeared in front of her.
"Darkness touches your soul, yet it does not taint your essence. It makes your shine brighter, clearer than any I have seen before."
Those had been her words and I just knew that she had seen this happening. I was still trying to wrap my head around the Force knowing how certain things were going to go for me, but for now, I would accept it. The Force wasn't actively working against me, so no need to risk angering it; if I even could anger something that couldn't be fully described.
"A unique blade Padawan. One well suited to its owner." Dooku said as he handed the now unpowered hilt back to me. "Now we will work on teaching you to accept the blade as a part of you."
I moved to the far side of the sparring circle we stood in, ignoring the glances and whispers from onlookers around the room as I re-ignited my lightsaber.
"Begin."
...
...
Eight days we'd been at this.
Eight afternoons where we'd travelled downwards from the Jedi Temple into the bowels of Coruscant looking for the corruption that I knew – but Fay only suspected and Dooku didn't believe existed – was below the temple. After spending another day researching in the Archives, we had managed to determine that there couldn't be any corruption in the first two thousand or so levels below the main Temple, as these were all mapped out.
We'd left via speeder after lunch each day and only returned to the temple seven or eight hours later.
We had passed the three-thousandth level below the surface two days ago and I was getting concerned if we'd even find the source of the corruption before my birthday and me leaving the Temple with Fay.
Oh, don't get me wrong, leaving the temple – and Coruscant in general – was something I was looking forward to, but I wanted this quest cleared before then. That was also why during the last eight days I'd changed my studies to focus on just my computing skills, instead of a broad range I had been forced to learn when I was an Initiate so that I could level those skills quicker and not have to worry about the related quest - Just Don't Get Caught - as time went on. That I could maybe gain access to the Holocron Vault with high-level computing skills long before I became a Knight was a nice bonus.
Plus, the eight days hadn't been a complete waste. We'd discovered about four dozen lightsabers – of which I had managed to stash a pair in my inventory – and a handful of holocrons on and around the skeletal remains of Jedi and I'd also come across few thousand credits.
I had expected the credits to be useless at first, after all, what currency is still the same and valid a thousand years later, but my powers had just added them to my total. Now I just needed to try to buy something with those stored credits to see if they were useable.
On Dooku's instruction, I had logged where all the bodies of fallen Jedi were so that they could be gathered and cremated later. While their names had been long forgotten to the ages, both Jedi Masters felt they deserved to be treated with honour and respect. Though I was certain that a few at least were Sith, I had to agree with the decision.
"Which level have we cleared now?" Dooku asked with a hint of annoyance as his eyes narrowed and his hand torch illuminated the corridor in front of us.
"I believe this is level three thousand, one hundred and twenty-nine," Fay replied in her usual calm, serene manner. "I understand you place little faith in these explorations, but both our Padawan and I feel there is something down here that poses a danger to the Temple."
"I am well aware of your reasons for these daily examinations of the levels under the Temple, yet I again believe that you are both sensing the general decadence of the planet." Dooku countered as I struggled to not smile at the interplay.
Dooku was the epitome of nobility in the way he behaved; always placing stock in rules and what he knew to be true. He dealt in certainties and formal approaches to most matters. The Force was there to aide us with suggestions.
On the other hand, Fay was very much a feeling, caring, individual who subscribed to the belief that life was to be lived by following the Force, to let it guide you where it needed you to be.
"Our opinions amuse you, Padawan?" Dooku asked with a single eyebrow raised, noticing my smile.
"No, sir. Well, yes, but probably not for the reason you think."
"Then what is it about us you find so funny?" Fay queried with a small smile of her own; that one that she seemed to have when she knew an answer but didn't want to tell you what it was.
"Forgive me if I overstep, but from my time within the Temple, you are both rebels." Fay chuckled gently while Dooku's eyebrow rose higher. "I mean that while both of you are Jedi, neither of you are, well, willing or concerned to follow the general notion of what a Jedi should be.
"Master Dooku, you are always in control. You are calm and controlled while willing to do what must be done to achieve your goals, and yet you seem driven to know more than others.
"Master Fay, you are, forgive me for saying it like this, someone without obvious direction. You seem to want to just float around and let what comes come.
"You both prefer to deal with what is happening around you in your own ways and not always in strict accordance of the Order's rules.
"This is why I feel you are both outliers within the Jedi. You do not follow the common approach I was taught over the last year regarding who and what a Jedi is. In fact, your approaches are similar to what my grandfather explained to me about the ways of the Ancient Jedi before I came here."
Both Masters looked at each other when I finished and seemed to communicate with each other without talking. I was guessing a bit about both of them, but since I had a former life, and people I knew for that, to compare them too, I felt my guesses were reasonably accurate.
"Your observation is accurate, if unrefined," Dooku stated once they had both looked at me again. "While Master Fay and I see the role of a Jedi, and what it should mean to be one, in different ways, we do both agree that the standard methods used by the High Council are… lacking."
Fay shook her head even as her smile returned. "You can take the boy out of Serenno…" She chuckled a little before she continued. "Your assessment of us is correct, young one. We are both non-conformists to what the Jedi Council wishes all Jedi to be; as are many others. And yet, so are you.
"You challenge authority at times yet are content to obey it at others. One moment you seem driven by some force, pun intended, while others you are happy to simply be." She shook her head even if her face should clear signs of amusement. "You are in many ways, an interesting blend of Master Dooku and myself."
"Indeed. I have noticed that you go out of your way to help your clanmates, as a good Jedi should, yet you don't waste time sprouting platitudes or false praise. Even those I feel are not worthy of being a Jedi you still help. Why is this?"
I thought for a moment on how to phrase the answer without revealing my suspicions or plans.
"Even if there are some within the clans who aren't taken as Padawans, that does not mean they are no longer Jedi. Nor that the Council should just shunt them into what are essentially dead-end jobs without at least speaking to them.
"Dropping these so-called 'failed Jedi' off on farm worlds is sure to breed resentment among them and since, to me, the Jedi see emotions as something to avoid at all costs, this makes it likely that at least some of those designated for assignment will grow angry and frustrated. This leads to the Dark Side, or so my teachers claimed."
"And you feel there is a better way?" Dooku questioned in a softer tone than normal.
"Possibly. I know the Jedi Order is set up as a non-profit, but couldn't those reassigned be placed in some form of secondary training, or leased out to help with major problems? For example, I read that Mandalore is now a largely barren world. Couldn't the Council and the corps they oversee do something to help restore the planet?"
"Mandalore is an interesting example," Fay began, glancing at Dooku as she spoke. "But your idea has merit. I will speak with Master Rancisis who serves as the leader for the Council of Reassignment."
I gave Fay a nod even as I glanced at Dooku. I was aware of his recent history regarding Mandalore – I'd read about it early on after arriving in the temple since I was curious as to how the Mandalorians from KOTOR had become those from The Clone Wars – and learnt of Dooku's last Council-assigned mission there.
It had explained to me how Dooku had first met Jango Fett and I assumed that this failed mission was used as a reason to recruit to the Mandalorian to become the template of the clones of the GAR. I was still in two minds about stopping Jango being the template as even if I removed him, I was sure Sidious would find another template and I had no idea if the new choice would be better or worse in the long run.
"Master Dooku, is everything alright?" I asked slowly as I mentally turned on Player's Mind to block him sensing that I knew more than I should.
"Yes, yes. As Master Fay said, your idea has merit," he replied quietly and without all his usual certainty. "I just have strong, opinions, regarding Mandalorians. Or a certain group of them at least." He finished as his eyes narrowed at what I assumed was the memory of the Battle of Galidraan.
I knew I'd have to ask him about that battle if I travelled to Mandalore, or when I knew him better, but for now, I let the matter drop and sent out a pulse with Detection, and again cursed that the power still couldn't pierce through levels or more than five metres of cumulative duracrete. I hoped that changed once it reached Adept 1.
I'd done this about five times every hour each day we'd been down here, along with TK. The TK was just for the XP, but Detection was also to keep an 'eye out' for possible threats. Eight days, and over a dozen levels to the power, nothing had been sensed.
Until now.
"Um, I don't think we're alone," I muttered as I glanced down the corridor where Detection had sensed six presences a few hundred metres ahead. The same corridor that we needed to head down to find the stairs to the next level.
Sadly, while the power let me know if something was there, it didn't seem to be able to tell who or what was there, which did limit its potential, but even knowing where possible enemies were was something that I wasn't going to ignore.
"I believe you are right, young one," Fay said as her eyes narrowed a little and her tone lost some of its light and casual energy. "Not sentient, but not simple either. And anger, aggression, that we are in their territory."
"Perhaps sub-dwellers?" Dooku suggested as I noticed he was now palming his lightsaber. "Or another of the creatures known to live in the depths."
"Probable, and a problem." Fay glanced down at a datapad she had that contained the limited maps we'd been able to find of the lower levels. "If the map is correct, then they are blocking our route down."
"Can we go around them?"
Fay shook her head at her fellow Jedi's question. "From the old schematics that we found on level twenty-sixty-seven, no. All the other egresses are blocked or destroyed from the scans we've taken."
"Hmm. Then we will simply have to convince these creatures to let us past." Dooku stated as he slid his lightsaber into his hand.
"Stay behind us, Cameron. It is not that we doubt your ability, more that we do not wish to be placed in danger." Fay explained as she gently pushed me back a few steps.
"I have killed before." I countered bluntly, glad that Player's Mind was already running. I could wait for combat to begin, but that split-second where it isn't on, then is, could cost me.
"Yes, I am aware of the events leading to your being at the Temple," The Jedi Master said with a small smile that failed to reach her eyes. "But that was a situation where you were fighting for your very life. This may not be such a setting." She paused and glanced down at me, her eyes locking on to my own. "Remain behind us while we attempt to calm these creatures."
"Yes ma'am," I replied with a small sigh. While avoiding conflict was safer, I knew I could gain XP from combat since I'd earned about 800XP from killing the Sith apprentice and two of the pirates while escaping from my home. It wasn't much, but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to earn more if I had to fight, though I knew that if I started killing for XP, I risked heading down a dark road that I wanted to avoid; Force powers or no.
I unhooked my lightsaber, but I followed Dooku's behaviour and didn't ignite it as moved down the corridor, and as we rounded a corner we came upon an animal of some form.
They looked like dogs, yet they weren't. They were all about a metre long and had pale, white skin, large ears and some very sharp teeth. But what drew my attention was the lack of eyes.
"Why don't they have eyes?" I asked quietly as I watched the creatures amble around. They either hadn't detected us or didn't consider us a threat.
"Large areas of the lower levels of Coruscant have limited or no light. These creatures have clearly evolved to no longer rely on their sight." Dooku explained in a breath barely above a whisper.
"I have encountered similar creatures before. Judging by the ears, I believe that they rely on echolocation to detect their prey; which we would be doubtless if given the chance." Added Fay in a gentle voice as I tightened the grip on my lightsaber.
Slowly, cautiously we approached.
Even with trying to minimize any sound we made, the beasts seemed to sense us and turned our way; teeth exposed and a deep, guttural growl-like sound coming from them.
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand as the largest of the pack stalked towards us.
And then they suddenly stooped.
I looked from the beasts to see both Jedi Masters were standing calmly with their hands raised towards the beasts.
I mentally sighed in annoyance at missing out on the XP as one by one, the beasts fell into a slumber.
"What was that?" I asked once all the beasts were asleep.
"The Force grants us the ability to calm the hearts and minds of beasts, and even control them to a degree," Fay explained. "The ease to do so depends on the animal in question and the strength of will of the Jedi but it is generally possible to avoid needlessly killing creatures that are only a concern due to their territorial nature."
I nodded along even as I spotted Dooku moving slowly though the pack of creatures. The man still held his lightsaber in his hand as he moved through them, clearly cautious that they may wake.
"The path is clear; however, I advise caution. Just because they are now sleeping does not make them any less of a potential threat," he remarked quietly.
I gave a quick nod in understanding and moved quickly but cautiously to join him, Fay right behind me. Once we were clear and heading down the stairs to the next level, I pulled up a notice.
As we reached the next floor, Fay turned to face me.
"Has anyone counselled you about having to kill to escape the Sith?" After getting over the shock of the out-of-the-blue question, I shook my head in the negative.
She sighed loudly and looked upwards. "Disappointing, but not unexpected." She looked back at me and continued; "When we return tonight, both Master Dooku and I will speak with you about those events. Being in such circumstances, and being forced to take a life, can have a grave effect on your mental wellbeing and we would be remiss in our roles as your Masters to not ensure you are healthy in body and mind."
"Yes, ma'am." She smiled and stepped beside Dooku while I realised that she was the first to ask about how I was after killing and knowing my grandfather was killed, and she had only done it after we had avoided our first potential combat situation.
It was a worrying reminder to me of one way in which the Jedi seemingly failed the children in their care. Though perhaps because I was a unique case, it had not occurred to any of them to ask; not that that was much of an excuse for ignoring a child with a potential combat-related mental disorder.
Shaking my head at finding another failing of the Jedi Order, I cast Detection once more and frowned.
"I think this level is inhabited," I said slowly as the power identified nearly two dozen beings within its range, most congregated in a large group directly down the corridor in front of us.
"Yes, there appear to be lifeforms up ahead," Agreed Dooku as he again took the lead. "These, however, are not simple beasts." He added as we reached a doorframe and spotted creatures within.
These had the same pale, white skin, and sharp teeth as the canines above, yet these walked on two legs and their skin was hanging loosely from their frames. Their ears were seemingly merged with their eyes and I thought I saw something move behind the skin where an eyeball would be for most beings.
I counted over two dozen of the creatures ambling around the hall, but another blast of Detection told me there were another ten that I couldn't see.
"Troglodytes, wonderful." Dooku murmured as we stepped back from the doorframe. "I suggest we find another route."
"Yes, that would be for the best," agreed Fay. "While not sentient, these beings are intelligent and far more difficult to persuade with the Force." She added to my unasked question.
We returned to the stairs and tried two more routes, but both were blocked with fallen debris, and I was beginning to suspect that we'd have to fight our way through the Troglodytes when we reached the last possible way around the room.
"This is our only option," Dooku stated from his advanced position. "Padawan, stay to the rear and make sure that none of those beasts attempts to encircle us."
I nodded my consent and slipped behind the two adults, though I unhooked my lightsaber just in case it was needed.
We moved slowly down the corridor, taking each corner cautiously as we stepped and I used Detection before each turn as an extra precaution.
"It appears we will need to force our way through," Dooku stated in a voice barely above a whisper as we rounded yet another corner and saw that the about two-hundred metres ahead, a doorway opened onto the corridor and a group of about eight Troglodytes were ambling around.
A glance at my mini-map told me that the doorway probably opened up onto the hall that we were trying to avoid.
"I think that door leads to the area where we first encountered these creatures," Fay added, not realising she was agreeing with my mini-map.
"Then if we wish to continue to the next level down we will have to find a way past them," Stated Dooku with a tone that hinted at annoyance. "We could calm them easily, but that runs the chance of others through the doorway still sensing them."
"Why not calm them, then lead them towards us to stun?" I suggested. "That should help clear out this group without alerting the others."
Both Jedi looked and me for a moment, before sharing a glance.
"An interesting solution," Dooku said with the barest hint of a twitch to his lips. "And one that avoids bloodshed. Unexpected."
I felt a little affronted that he expected me to suggest just attacking them. Which admittedly I had considered for the XP alone, but the sheer number of the creatures within my detection range – about fifty all over the level – made me cautious about doing that.
"Still, it is a good plan," Fay added with a smile as she turned and extended her hands towards the creatures. Slowly, each of them stood and shuffled towards us.
Once they were close enough that he was certain they were out of range of the door, Dooku extended his hand and began to stun them.
Not wanting to miss out on any XP from that, and seeing an excuse to use level up a Force Power, I joined him and quickly we had eight soundly sleeping creatures at our feet.
"A successful plan. Well done Padawan," Dooku commented as he stepped over the stunned Troglodytes to take the lead.
"It is refreshing to see one so young realise that not all problems are solved with the use of force." Added Fay as she fell into step behind him.
I followed their path through the sleeping beasts, only to become curious and reached down to gently touch one.
A glance at my status showed I had gained just under 200XP since the start of the day. Without knowing the exact breakdown of how Party XP was calculated, I couldn't be sure, but it looked like I gained about 10XP for each Cthon that had been stunned.
'Perhaps I get a bigger part of that if I am the one who stunned them? Would that also apply if I killed them, and would the XP gain be greater?' I pondered as I stepped through the sleeping Cthon.
"We must move quickly and quietly past the door," Dooku said as I finished stepping past the sleeping creatures. "I will go first, followed by you Padawan."
"Yes, sir."
Suddenly Dooku was harder to spot, and I had to focus carefully to see him as I realised that he had summoned the Force to hide him, and I realised that this was what Force Camouflage looked like to others.
With silent steps, he moved quickly past the door and once he reached the other side turned back to face us.
A quick series of hand gestures told me that there were three Cthon near the door, but none were actively looking out into the corridor.
Figuring it was better to use the same power as Dooku, I activated Camouflage and walked quickly to where Dooku was waiting.
His brow rose a touch as I moved, I assumed because he didn't realise that I could also use Force Camouflage, though he said nothing as Fay crossed and we had moved a few metres past the doorway.
We moved quietly but quickly away from the occupied hall and soon found the way down to the next level.
"This could be a problem," Dooku muttered as we reached the next level, and found ourselves in a giant hall full of dozens of Cthon.
The nearest Cthon spotted us before we could do anything and screamed; drawing the attention of every one of the other Cthon in the hall.
Every Cthon turned and to face us and screamed as well before charging as one.
Dooku and I ignited our lightsabers and stepped forward as Fay lifted her hands.
A Cthon leapt at me from my left, and I instantly raised my lightsaber to slice it clean in half.
Three more charged from my right and I pushed them back roughly with the Force even as I sliced two more Cthon apart.
I couldn't risk a glance at either Jedi Master as another seven Cthon advanced on me and I was forced to twist and turn to avoid their claws even as I struck at them with my blade.
A female scream made me spin and I saw that Fay was covered in a net, which was pulsing with electricity.
A growl came from where Dooku was.
I grunted as my vision was blocked by bursts of blue and my hands spasmed.
Realising I was caught in a net the same as Fay, I tried to use my lightsaber to slice the net, only to grunt as my empty hand touched the net and collapsed to my knees.
I needed a way out of the net and without my lightsaber, that was not…
I used Teleport to move backwards about five meters and sighed in relief at losing the feeling of constant electricity surging over my skin.
A guttural scream drew me back to my surroundings, and I saw over a dozen Cthon closing on me, the nearest already raising their fists or primitive weapons to attack.
Reaching out with the Force, I grabbed any piece of rubble around me.
I accelerated them around my body before pushing out the rubble, sending it roaring at anything around my body, mentally hoping the Force and the weak sense of where they were, to prevent me from hitting Fay or Dooku.
Grunts, gargles and other guttural sounds were heard for a less than a minute.
I opened my eyes, not even realising that I had closed them, and almost gagged on what I saw.
The floor around me, and at other spots around the hall, was covered in a disturbing mix of white loose skin and red blood with bones and other solid parts of what I assumed were Cthon internal parts, jagging out of the blood and skin.
"Padawan," I turned at the soft voice and saw Fay, who was now free of the net and kneeling next to me. There was no smile gracing her face, and a hand came to rest on my shoulder. "Are, are you well?"
"I... I think so," I mumbled out. Player's Mind was engaged and had helped me think and act during the battle, but it had disengaged the moment the battle was over, and now I had to deal with having slaughtered so many creatures.
Yes, it had been done to save my own life – and that of Fay's and Dooku's – but seeing the… carnage I had wrought with unleashing such a common/basic Force Power was disturbing.
"I, I didn't mean to do this," I said slowly. While the aftereffects of the battle were easy to handle, due to my past life, knowing that I had done this, and how easy it had been to do, were going to take some time to accept.
"No, you did not. However, if you had not, we may all have died." Dooku stated solemnly as he surveyed the room. "While, excessive, your efforts were successful in saving us."
Fay's head snapped around and she glared at her fellow Jedi Master, but she didn't say anything to him. That was the first time I saw her face marred by anything approaching anger, and I knew I never wanted to see such venom turned my way, nor see her features damaged by such a reaction.
"We should return to the Temple," she said slowly as she turned back to look at me. "This has been a... taxing moment."
"No!" I replied more forcefully than I intended. "No. I'm ok to keep going. We can talk about this later, but I feel we are close."
I used Detection and gasped at sensing something unexpected at the far side of the level. Something painful, angry, tormented was where my mini-map suggested the stairs down to the next level should be.
"There's something close, something off," I muttered as I closed my eyes and reached out with Detection again, only to recoil at what I sensed.
Darkness, pain, fury, desire.
"Yes, I too sense something. It resonates with the Dark Side, but I am not sure if it is this taint you both claim to believe is down here." Dooku added, agreeing with me.
"That we would find anything tainted with the Dark Side shows that our theory has merit," said Fay, countering Dooku's scepticism. "However, I am wary of placing our Padawan into another potential situation so soon after this."
"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger," I muttered. "Something my grandfather used to say," I added quickly as an explanation for using an Earth-based expression that I wasn't sure existed in this galaxy.
"Not an entirely Jedi outlook, but true none the less," Dooku stated, giving me a fractional nod of approval.
"Very well, but Cameron, you are to remain behind us at all times from now on. I will not risk losing my first Padawan in centuries on our first mission. Neither the Force nor I would not forgive myself." Fay said with a sigh, once more reminding me of just how old she truly was.
She may look to only be a decade or so physically older than me, but she was not. The records in the Archives stated she joined the Order as one of the first Initiates on the cruiser Chu'unthor, which was launched approximately five-hundred years ago. That was the best I could do for discovering her age, as the records generally never stated how old a Jedi was when they were discovered and brought into the Order and Examine did not yet list the age of a being.
We moved slowly at first, Fay not wanting me to go too fast, through the hall and surrounding corridors – which were devoid of life without any sign of bloodshed – before picking up our speed once she was sure I was ok.
I would've liked to have stopped as my FP was barely above 500 after the battle, but I knew if we did stop, Fay would force us to return to the Temple. I stopped running Cloak and avoided using Detection and by the time we neared where I sensed the darkness, my FP had returned to just over 1500.
As the entrance to the next level down came into view, I spotted three new creatures.
These looked to be twice the height of the Cthon, and they had red, leathery skin, though it was uneven as were their heads, and none of the three looked the same.
"Wonderful," Dooku commented as the three beasts spotted us.
The creatures resisted Fay's attempt to calm them, and Dooku was forced to kill two before the third showed a hint of intelligence and ran away, heading down the stone tunnel.
It seemed that this level was the last of any initial temple as the tunnel headed inwards to the mountain instead of twisting around it as the last one-thousand plus levels had done.
"Hopefully he doesn't have any friends," I said, which earned me glares from the Jedi Masters.
"Perhaps you would be wise to not suggest such things," Dooku stated with a grunt.
Fay smiled, but it was more of a grim smile than one of genuine happiness. I silently wondered if the Force took the place of Murphy in this universe.
The tunnel was longer and darker than anything we'd come across previously, with Dooku and I using our lightsabers as torches. From the time given by my interface, it seemed to take us about five times as long as descending between levels before the tunnel widened out into a cavern and as my eyes adjusted to the limited natural light, I groaned.
The beast that had run had gathered nearly a dozen of his friends, all of whom were waiting in the cavern, and growling at us.
"My fault," I muttered just as the beasts charged.
Dooku stepped forward, and almost lazily, avoided a clawed hand before slicing off the arm it was attached to, then pivoted and slashed another beast across the chest.
As that happened, Fay flicked her wrist, and sent two of the beasts flying into their brethren, knocking out five of them as the combined mass of limbs struck the wall; which was accompanied by the cracking of more than a few bones.
I had barely even managed to step forward to help when the last two beasts ran into the cavern.
"Sorry," I mumbled out as Dooku turned to glare at me.
"Perhaps next time you will be more careful with your words," he stated as he clipped his lightsaber to his belt.
"Yes sir," I replied, even while cursing that Murphy was a thing here.
"This cave is within the mountain itself. There was nothing in the Archives that even hinted that such a thing existed." Fay said as she stepped past us and examined the walls of the cavern, only to pull her hand back sharply. "This place is tainted."
I used Detection and instantly regretted it as my mind was overloaded with whispers. Whispers of anger, of power, of rage, of taking what I wanted. An image from the crystal cave on Ilum flashed through my head and a glance at Fay had me glad I hadn't yet started puberty.
It was a little overwhelming and I slammed on Player's Mind and instantly the whispers ceased. This ability was so over-powered as to be ridiculous, but right now, I wasn't complaining.
"Cameron?" I turned and saw Fay looking at me.
"I am fine ma'am. Just a little unprepared to feel such… chaos."
"That is one word to describe what runs through this place," Dooku added without really opening his mouth. "Be wary, I sense that the taint is nearby and guarded."
"You now believe we are right about the taint?" Fay asked with a smile that failed to reach her eyes.
"To deny what I can see and feel would be a lie." He replied as he took point and lead us into the cavern.
For a few minutes, we walked with no light save that from our lightsabers, until the cavern began to narrow, and a small, narrow archway appeared. One that seemed to be marked with marking akin to hieroglyphs.
"These are ancient Sith markings," Fay commented as she floated her hand centimetres above the markings, seemingly being careful to not touch them. "I recognize a few from memory. They speak of, a well, used by warriors before battle. These say this temple was created to corrupt or dominate the nexus that is the mountain."
"A Sith Temple here? One that predates the Jedi Temple. How is this not known to the Order?" Dooku asked, probably more to himself than us as he stroked his beard. "How could the High Council not be aware of this?"
"Perhaps we can ask them after we've dealt with this place," I suggested, though I doubted they knew anything about this.
"Yes. Now let us see what awaits us within."
"Cameron, perhaps you should wait here," Fay suggested, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving me a motherly smile. "Whatever is inside will be dangerous and exposing you to such darkness is not something I am comfortable with."
"No. I helped you find this place; I should see things through." I countered. I was worried that if I did not help to clear the dark-side nexus then I'd fail the quest. And I was all but certain that with Player's Mind active that I was safe from any possible corruption.
Nothing so far, beyond being a new experience, was tempting me to go crazy and kill everyone. Though perhaps that is how falling to the dark side begins?
I remembered my talk with Revan and the discussion we had on trying to achieve balance with the Force. Could I use this as the first way to prove that I was serious about finding another way and impress Revan?
My body being rocked gently drew me from my thoughts.
"Cameron? Are you well?" Fay asked, her brow creased with concern.
"Yes, Master. I was just considering if there was a way to balance the taint here." I replied, making both Jedi look at me as though I had grown another head.
"Balance the taint? Not remove it?" Dooku asked slowly.
"Yes. Everything must exist in balance, right? I mean, if the ecosystem of a planet is unbalanced then eventually the animals and sentients living there will die out unless the balance is restored. Why should it not be the same for the Force?"
"So you wish to bring balance to the Force?" Fay asked, her brow creasing so much that I worried about her eyebrows going into her eyes.
"Yes. And no." I replied and sighed. "I am aware of a… prophecy that some have applied to me but that is not what I am thinking about. The Sith and the Jedi are two sides of the same coin. Two extremes of a pole. Too much one way, and nature, the Force, reacts and seeks balance. But often this tilt the other way takes things to that extreme."
"You seek to remove enough of the taint of the dark side within this place to bring it into balance. Neither light nor dark, just strong in the Force?" Dooku asked as he again stroked his beard.
"Yes."
"Interesting. But perhaps we should wait to see if such a thing is possible until after we secure the source of the taint." He stated and pivoted sharply to face the archway. "I sense danger inside, but not something we cannot handle if we work together."
"Agreed. But as I said, Cameron stays behind us." Fay added and I realised that the reason Fay had given me a shake was that I had spaced out while thinking about what to do with the dark side nexus.
As we stepped through the archway, a deep, animalistic growl echoed around the next cavern. Once that seemed to vibrate up my spine.
"Oh fuck me sideways," I muttered as, from the light that somehow was seeping into the far side of this new cavern, stood a giant beast that I remembered from the movies.
"How did a Rancor end up here?" Fay asked with a small shake of what I hoped was not fear. I did not need the two Jedi Masters to be scared of what we faced.
"The better question would be what has this taint done to it and the other beasts," Commented Dooku as he pulled a second lightsaber from his belt – one we had collected of a dead Jedi a dozen or so levels above – and ignited it.
I looked carefully at the Rancor and noted that it was different from the one in the movies. This one's skin was darkened, almost black in places, and extra spikes seemed to sprout from the skin where it was darkest.
The beasts that had been in the last cavern where here too, and a half-dozen or so of them also had darker skin and spikes.
"This is going to be fun," I drawled without any feeling.
The Rancor roared once more and then charged.
…
"Sorry, sir. I got caught up in a project. With Master Fay. Then I had to. Complete the construction. Of my lightsaber." I replied between breaths.
That was an understatement as after learning the basics of Battle Meditation from Master Rancisis, I'd spent six hours in the Archives with Fay learning what we could about the Temple's history. It had been a long, boring read, but we had managed to rule out the upper five hundred levels of the complex, as those levels had all been used during the last major war with the Sith, nearly a thousand years ago. So Master Fay was planning to have us explore the levels lower than that. I honestly didn't expect to find anything above level one thousand – finding out that Coruscant had over five thousand levels was a shock – and so I was wondering how I could fill the time.
"Very well. May I?" He asked with a hand outstretched and I unclipped my lightsaber – and I couldn't help but feel proud at being able to say that – and handed it to him.
He turned it over slowly. While only about two-thirds the length of his, it had the same curved hilt as his own. I had done that purposefully as I was publicly committed to Makashi and he had explained that the curved hilt granted advantages when using Makashi and both styles of Form V, which I would ask him to start teaching me once Makashi was at Savant 1 or better.
The hilt was black, with the actual grip being grey and made of a hard substance that reminded me of the grip of a combat knife in my old life. A small activation button was situated just above where my forefinger would rest and Dooku touched that, making the blade ignite.
That made me grunt quietly. 'I just had to get something different, didn't I?' I pondered as Dooku did a fair impression of a Vulcan brow raise as he examined the blade.
The core of the blade was black, seeming to draw the light into it, yet the corona shone with a brilliant white light. After I had gotten over my initial anger at the colouring, I had noted that neither colour dominated the other. That reminded me of how Master Nilas had described me when I'd first appeared in front of her.
"Darkness touches your soul, yet it does not taint your essence. It makes your shine brighter, clearer than any I have seen before."
Those had been her words and I just knew that she had seen this happening. I was still trying to wrap my head around the Force knowing how certain things were going to go for me, but for now, I would accept it. The Force wasn't actively working against me, so no need to risk angering it; if I even could anger something that couldn't be fully described.
"A unique blade Padawan. One well suited to its owner." Dooku said as he handed the now unpowered hilt back to me. "Now we will work on teaching you to accept the blade as a part of you."
I moved to the far side of the sparring circle we stood in, ignoring the glances and whispers from onlookers around the room as I re-ignited my lightsaber.
NOTICE:
You are receiving one-on-one training with a true Makashi Master.
25% increase in Makashi XP gains while training with the master.
...
I subtly waved away the notice, even as a small grin appeared on my face. These training sessions would make getting to Master 1 – and completing the new quest Expert Duellist, that I'd generated during lunch – by my birthday much easier. It was still going to be a challenge, but 3000XP just for Master 1 made it worth the effort.You are receiving one-on-one training with a true Makashi Master.
25% increase in Makashi XP gains while training with the master.
...
"Begin."
...
...
Eight days we'd been at this.
Eight afternoons where we'd travelled downwards from the Jedi Temple into the bowels of Coruscant looking for the corruption that I knew – but Fay only suspected and Dooku didn't believe existed – was below the temple. After spending another day researching in the Archives, we had managed to determine that there couldn't be any corruption in the first two thousand or so levels below the main Temple, as these were all mapped out.
We'd left via speeder after lunch each day and only returned to the temple seven or eight hours later.
We had passed the three-thousandth level below the surface two days ago and I was getting concerned if we'd even find the source of the corruption before my birthday and me leaving the Temple with Fay.
Oh, don't get me wrong, leaving the temple – and Coruscant in general – was something I was looking forward to, but I wanted this quest cleared before then. That was also why during the last eight days I'd changed my studies to focus on just my computing skills, instead of a broad range I had been forced to learn when I was an Initiate so that I could level those skills quicker and not have to worry about the related quest - Just Don't Get Caught - as time went on. That I could maybe gain access to the Holocron Vault with high-level computing skills long before I became a Knight was a nice bonus.
Plus, the eight days hadn't been a complete waste. We'd discovered about four dozen lightsabers – of which I had managed to stash a pair in my inventory – and a handful of holocrons on and around the skeletal remains of Jedi and I'd also come across few thousand credits.
I had expected the credits to be useless at first, after all, what currency is still the same and valid a thousand years later, but my powers had just added them to my total. Now I just needed to try to buy something with those stored credits to see if they were useable.
On Dooku's instruction, I had logged where all the bodies of fallen Jedi were so that they could be gathered and cremated later. While their names had been long forgotten to the ages, both Jedi Masters felt they deserved to be treated with honour and respect. Though I was certain that a few at least were Sith, I had to agree with the decision.
"Which level have we cleared now?" Dooku asked with a hint of annoyance as his eyes narrowed and his hand torch illuminated the corridor in front of us.
"I believe this is level three thousand, one hundred and twenty-nine," Fay replied in her usual calm, serene manner. "I understand you place little faith in these explorations, but both our Padawan and I feel there is something down here that poses a danger to the Temple."
"I am well aware of your reasons for these daily examinations of the levels under the Temple, yet I again believe that you are both sensing the general decadence of the planet." Dooku countered as I struggled to not smile at the interplay.
Dooku was the epitome of nobility in the way he behaved; always placing stock in rules and what he knew to be true. He dealt in certainties and formal approaches to most matters. The Force was there to aide us with suggestions.
On the other hand, Fay was very much a feeling, caring, individual who subscribed to the belief that life was to be lived by following the Force, to let it guide you where it needed you to be.
"Our opinions amuse you, Padawan?" Dooku asked with a single eyebrow raised, noticing my smile.
"No, sir. Well, yes, but probably not for the reason you think."
"Then what is it about us you find so funny?" Fay queried with a small smile of her own; that one that she seemed to have when she knew an answer but didn't want to tell you what it was.
"Forgive me if I overstep, but from my time within the Temple, you are both rebels." Fay chuckled gently while Dooku's eyebrow rose higher. "I mean that while both of you are Jedi, neither of you are, well, willing or concerned to follow the general notion of what a Jedi should be.
"Master Dooku, you are always in control. You are calm and controlled while willing to do what must be done to achieve your goals, and yet you seem driven to know more than others.
"Master Fay, you are, forgive me for saying it like this, someone without obvious direction. You seem to want to just float around and let what comes come.
"You both prefer to deal with what is happening around you in your own ways and not always in strict accordance of the Order's rules.
"This is why I feel you are both outliers within the Jedi. You do not follow the common approach I was taught over the last year regarding who and what a Jedi is. In fact, your approaches are similar to what my grandfather explained to me about the ways of the Ancient Jedi before I came here."
Both Masters looked at each other when I finished and seemed to communicate with each other without talking. I was guessing a bit about both of them, but since I had a former life, and people I knew for that, to compare them too, I felt my guesses were reasonably accurate.
"Your observation is accurate, if unrefined," Dooku stated once they had both looked at me again. "While Master Fay and I see the role of a Jedi, and what it should mean to be one, in different ways, we do both agree that the standard methods used by the High Council are… lacking."
Fay shook her head even as her smile returned. "You can take the boy out of Serenno…" She chuckled a little before she continued. "Your assessment of us is correct, young one. We are both non-conformists to what the Jedi Council wishes all Jedi to be; as are many others. And yet, so are you.
"You challenge authority at times yet are content to obey it at others. One moment you seem driven by some force, pun intended, while others you are happy to simply be." She shook her head even if her face should clear signs of amusement. "You are in many ways, an interesting blend of Master Dooku and myself."
"Indeed. I have noticed that you go out of your way to help your clanmates, as a good Jedi should, yet you don't waste time sprouting platitudes or false praise. Even those I feel are not worthy of being a Jedi you still help. Why is this?"
I thought for a moment on how to phrase the answer without revealing my suspicions or plans.
"Even if there are some within the clans who aren't taken as Padawans, that does not mean they are no longer Jedi. Nor that the Council should just shunt them into what are essentially dead-end jobs without at least speaking to them.
"Dropping these so-called 'failed Jedi' off on farm worlds is sure to breed resentment among them and since, to me, the Jedi see emotions as something to avoid at all costs, this makes it likely that at least some of those designated for assignment will grow angry and frustrated. This leads to the Dark Side, or so my teachers claimed."
"And you feel there is a better way?" Dooku questioned in a softer tone than normal.
"Possibly. I know the Jedi Order is set up as a non-profit, but couldn't those reassigned be placed in some form of secondary training, or leased out to help with major problems? For example, I read that Mandalore is now a largely barren world. Couldn't the Council and the corps they oversee do something to help restore the planet?"
"Mandalore is an interesting example," Fay began, glancing at Dooku as she spoke. "But your idea has merit. I will speak with Master Rancisis who serves as the leader for the Council of Reassignment."
I gave Fay a nod even as I glanced at Dooku. I was aware of his recent history regarding Mandalore – I'd read about it early on after arriving in the temple since I was curious as to how the Mandalorians from KOTOR had become those from The Clone Wars – and learnt of Dooku's last Council-assigned mission there.
It had explained to me how Dooku had first met Jango Fett and I assumed that this failed mission was used as a reason to recruit to the Mandalorian to become the template of the clones of the GAR. I was still in two minds about stopping Jango being the template as even if I removed him, I was sure Sidious would find another template and I had no idea if the new choice would be better or worse in the long run.
"Master Dooku, is everything alright?" I asked slowly as I mentally turned on Player's Mind to block him sensing that I knew more than I should.
"Yes, yes. As Master Fay said, your idea has merit," he replied quietly and without all his usual certainty. "I just have strong, opinions, regarding Mandalorians. Or a certain group of them at least." He finished as his eyes narrowed at what I assumed was the memory of the Battle of Galidraan.
I knew I'd have to ask him about that battle if I travelled to Mandalore, or when I knew him better, but for now, I let the matter drop and sent out a pulse with Detection, and again cursed that the power still couldn't pierce through levels or more than five metres of cumulative duracrete. I hoped that changed once it reached Adept 1.
I'd done this about five times every hour each day we'd been down here, along with TK. The TK was just for the XP, but Detection was also to keep an 'eye out' for possible threats. Eight days, and over a dozen levels to the power, nothing had been sensed.
Until now.
"Um, I don't think we're alone," I muttered as I glanced down the corridor where Detection had sensed six presences a few hundred metres ahead. The same corridor that we needed to head down to find the stairs to the next level.
Sadly, while the power let me know if something was there, it didn't seem to be able to tell who or what was there, which did limit its potential, but even knowing where possible enemies were was something that I wasn't going to ignore.
"I believe you are right, young one," Fay said as her eyes narrowed a little and her tone lost some of its light and casual energy. "Not sentient, but not simple either. And anger, aggression, that we are in their territory."
"Perhaps sub-dwellers?" Dooku suggested as I noticed he was now palming his lightsaber. "Or another of the creatures known to live in the depths."
"Probable, and a problem." Fay glanced down at a datapad she had that contained the limited maps we'd been able to find of the lower levels. "If the map is correct, then they are blocking our route down."
"Can we go around them?"
Fay shook her head at her fellow Jedi's question. "From the old schematics that we found on level twenty-sixty-seven, no. All the other egresses are blocked or destroyed from the scans we've taken."
"Hmm. Then we will simply have to convince these creatures to let us past." Dooku stated as he slid his lightsaber into his hand.
"Stay behind us, Cameron. It is not that we doubt your ability, more that we do not wish to be placed in danger." Fay explained as she gently pushed me back a few steps.
"I have killed before." I countered bluntly, glad that Player's Mind was already running. I could wait for combat to begin, but that split-second where it isn't on, then is, could cost me.
"Yes, I am aware of the events leading to your being at the Temple," The Jedi Master said with a small smile that failed to reach her eyes. "But that was a situation where you were fighting for your very life. This may not be such a setting." She paused and glanced down at me, her eyes locking on to my own. "Remain behind us while we attempt to calm these creatures."
"Yes ma'am," I replied with a small sigh. While avoiding conflict was safer, I knew I could gain XP from combat since I'd earned about 800XP from killing the Sith apprentice and two of the pirates while escaping from my home. It wasn't much, but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to earn more if I had to fight, though I knew that if I started killing for XP, I risked heading down a dark road that I wanted to avoid; Force powers or no.
I unhooked my lightsaber, but I followed Dooku's behaviour and didn't ignite it as moved down the corridor, and as we rounded a corner we came upon an animal of some form.
They looked like dogs, yet they weren't. They were all about a metre long and had pale, white skin, large ears and some very sharp teeth. But what drew my attention was the lack of eyes.
"Why don't they have eyes?" I asked quietly as I watched the creatures amble around. They either hadn't detected us or didn't consider us a threat.
"Large areas of the lower levels of Coruscant have limited or no light. These creatures have clearly evolved to no longer rely on their sight." Dooku explained in a breath barely above a whisper.
"I have encountered similar creatures before. Judging by the ears, I believe that they rely on echolocation to detect their prey; which we would be doubtless if given the chance." Added Fay in a gentle voice as I tightened the grip on my lightsaber.
Slowly, cautiously we approached.
Even with trying to minimize any sound we made, the beasts seemed to sense us and turned our way; teeth exposed and a deep, guttural growl-like sound coming from them.
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand as the largest of the pack stalked towards us.
And then they suddenly stooped.
I looked from the beasts to see both Jedi Masters were standing calmly with their hands raised towards the beasts.
I mentally sighed in annoyance at missing out on the XP as one by one, the beasts fell into a slumber.
"What was that?" I asked once all the beasts were asleep.
"The Force grants us the ability to calm the hearts and minds of beasts, and even control them to a degree," Fay explained. "The ease to do so depends on the animal in question and the strength of will of the Jedi but it is generally possible to avoid needlessly killing creatures that are only a concern due to their territorial nature."
I nodded along even as I spotted Dooku moving slowly though the pack of creatures. The man still held his lightsaber in his hand as he moved through them, clearly cautious that they may wake.
"The path is clear; however, I advise caution. Just because they are now sleeping does not make them any less of a potential threat," he remarked quietly.
I gave a quick nod in understanding and moved quickly but cautiously to join him, Fay right behind me. Once we were clear and heading down the stairs to the next level, I pulled up a notice.
Force Power Discovered!
Beast Control
Grants the ability to calm, control or even dominate a beast/creature.
...
I waved away the notice even as I placed seeing that used a few times in the movies or Clone Wars. I didn't think I would need it much, but a new power was always welcome. Though I was still annoyed about missing out on the XP I'd expected to get for defeating the beasts.Beast Control
Grants the ability to calm, control or even dominate a beast/creature.
...
As we reached the next floor, Fay turned to face me.
"Has anyone counselled you about having to kill to escape the Sith?" After getting over the shock of the out-of-the-blue question, I shook my head in the negative.
She sighed loudly and looked upwards. "Disappointing, but not unexpected." She looked back at me and continued; "When we return tonight, both Master Dooku and I will speak with you about those events. Being in such circumstances, and being forced to take a life, can have a grave effect on your mental wellbeing and we would be remiss in our roles as your Masters to not ensure you are healthy in body and mind."
"Yes, ma'am." She smiled and stepped beside Dooku while I realised that she was the first to ask about how I was after killing and knowing my grandfather was killed, and she had only done it after we had avoided our first potential combat situation.
It was a worrying reminder to me of one way in which the Jedi seemingly failed the children in their care. Though perhaps because I was a unique case, it had not occurred to any of them to ask; not that that was much of an excuse for ignoring a child with a potential combat-related mental disorder.
Shaking my head at finding another failing of the Jedi Order, I cast Detection once more and frowned.
"I think this level is inhabited," I said slowly as the power identified nearly two dozen beings within its range, most congregated in a large group directly down the corridor in front of us.
"Yes, there appear to be lifeforms up ahead," Agreed Dooku as he again took the lead. "These, however, are not simple beasts." He added as we reached a doorframe and spotted creatures within.
These had the same pale, white skin, and sharp teeth as the canines above, yet these walked on two legs and their skin was hanging loosely from their frames. Their ears were seemingly merged with their eyes and I thought I saw something move behind the skin where an eyeball would be for most beings.
I counted over two dozen of the creatures ambling around the hall, but another blast of Detection told me there were another ten that I couldn't see.
"Troglodytes, wonderful." Dooku murmured as we stepped back from the doorframe. "I suggest we find another route."
"Yes, that would be for the best," agreed Fay. "While not sentient, these beings are intelligent and far more difficult to persuade with the Force." She added to my unasked question.
We returned to the stairs and tried two more routes, but both were blocked with fallen debris, and I was beginning to suspect that we'd have to fight our way through the Troglodytes when we reached the last possible way around the room.
"This is our only option," Dooku stated from his advanced position. "Padawan, stay to the rear and make sure that none of those beasts attempts to encircle us."
I nodded my consent and slipped behind the two adults, though I unhooked my lightsaber just in case it was needed.
We moved slowly down the corridor, taking each corner cautiously as we stepped and I used Detection before each turn as an extra precaution.
"It appears we will need to force our way through," Dooku stated in a voice barely above a whisper as we rounded yet another corner and saw that the about two-hundred metres ahead, a doorway opened onto the corridor and a group of about eight Troglodytes were ambling around.
A glance at my mini-map told me that the doorway probably opened up onto the hall that we were trying to avoid.
"I think that door leads to the area where we first encountered these creatures," Fay added, not realising she was agreeing with my mini-map.
"Then if we wish to continue to the next level down we will have to find a way past them," Stated Dooku with a tone that hinted at annoyance. "We could calm them easily, but that runs the chance of others through the doorway still sensing them."
"Why not calm them, then lead them towards us to stun?" I suggested. "That should help clear out this group without alerting the others."
Both Jedi looked and me for a moment, before sharing a glance.
"An interesting solution," Dooku said with the barest hint of a twitch to his lips. "And one that avoids bloodshed. Unexpected."
I felt a little affronted that he expected me to suggest just attacking them. Which admittedly I had considered for the XP alone, but the sheer number of the creatures within my detection range – about fifty all over the level – made me cautious about doing that.
"Still, it is a good plan," Fay added with a smile as she turned and extended her hands towards the creatures. Slowly, each of them stood and shuffled towards us.
Once they were close enough that he was certain they were out of range of the door, Dooku extended his hand and began to stun them.
Not wanting to miss out on any XP from that, and seeing an excuse to use level up a Force Power, I joined him and quickly we had eight soundly sleeping creatures at our feet.
"A successful plan. Well done Padawan," Dooku commented as he stepped over the stunned Troglodytes to take the lead.
"It is refreshing to see one so young realise that not all problems are solved with the use of force." Added Fay as she fell into step behind him.
I followed their path through the sleeping beasts, only to become curious and reached down to gently touch one.
ID: Cthon [Creature]
Status: Stunned
Party XP Gain: 37
Do you wish to loot the body?
Yes/No?
'Yes.'Status: Stunned
Party XP Gain: 37
Do you wish to loot the body?
Yes/No?
3 credits added!
…
Looting these bodies were going to be a waste, but at least I now had a name for the creatures. Though I did wonder what it meant exactly by Party XP Gain and how that was applied. Did Fay and Dooku also have levels of their own, or was it just a way to limit me gaining too much XP from allowing others to fight beside me?…
A glance at my status showed I had gained just under 200XP since the start of the day. Without knowing the exact breakdown of how Party XP was calculated, I couldn't be sure, but it looked like I gained about 10XP for each Cthon that had been stunned.
'Perhaps I get a bigger part of that if I am the one who stunned them? Would that also apply if I killed them, and would the XP gain be greater?' I pondered as I stepped through the sleeping Cthon.
"We must move quickly and quietly past the door," Dooku said as I finished stepping past the sleeping creatures. "I will go first, followed by you Padawan."
"Yes, sir."
Suddenly Dooku was harder to spot, and I had to focus carefully to see him as I realised that he had summoned the Force to hide him, and I realised that this was what Force Camouflage looked like to others.
With silent steps, he moved quickly past the door and once he reached the other side turned back to face us.
A quick series of hand gestures told me that there were three Cthon near the door, but none were actively looking out into the corridor.
Figuring it was better to use the same power as Dooku, I activated Camouflage and walked quickly to where Dooku was waiting.
His brow rose a touch as I moved, I assumed because he didn't realise that I could also use Force Camouflage, though he said nothing as Fay crossed and we had moved a few metres past the doorway.
We moved quietly but quickly away from the occupied hall and soon found the way down to the next level.
"This could be a problem," Dooku muttered as we reached the next level, and found ourselves in a giant hall full of dozens of Cthon.
The nearest Cthon spotted us before we could do anything and screamed; drawing the attention of every one of the other Cthon in the hall.
Every Cthon turned and to face us and screamed as well before charging as one.
Dooku and I ignited our lightsabers and stepped forward as Fay lifted her hands.
A Cthon leapt at me from my left, and I instantly raised my lightsaber to slice it clean in half.
Three more charged from my right and I pushed them back roughly with the Force even as I sliced two more Cthon apart.
I couldn't risk a glance at either Jedi Master as another seven Cthon advanced on me and I was forced to twist and turn to avoid their claws even as I struck at them with my blade.
A female scream made me spin and I saw that Fay was covered in a net, which was pulsing with electricity.
A growl came from where Dooku was.
I grunted as my vision was blocked by bursts of blue and my hands spasmed.
Realising I was caught in a net the same as Fay, I tried to use my lightsaber to slice the net, only to grunt as my empty hand touched the net and collapsed to my knees.
I needed a way out of the net and without my lightsaber, that was not…
I used Teleport to move backwards about five meters and sighed in relief at losing the feeling of constant electricity surging over my skin.
A guttural scream drew me back to my surroundings, and I saw over a dozen Cthon closing on me, the nearest already raising their fists or primitive weapons to attack.
Reaching out with the Force, I grabbed any piece of rubble around me.
I accelerated them around my body before pushing out the rubble, sending it roaring at anything around my body, mentally hoping the Force and the weak sense of where they were, to prevent me from hitting Fay or Dooku.
Grunts, gargles and other guttural sounds were heard for a less than a minute.
I opened my eyes, not even realising that I had closed them, and almost gagged on what I saw.
The floor around me, and at other spots around the hall, was covered in a disturbing mix of white loose skin and red blood with bones and other solid parts of what I assumed were Cthon internal parts, jagging out of the blood and skin.
"Padawan," I turned at the soft voice and saw Fay, who was now free of the net and kneeling next to me. There was no smile gracing her face, and a hand came to rest on my shoulder. "Are, are you well?"
"I... I think so," I mumbled out. Player's Mind was engaged and had helped me think and act during the battle, but it had disengaged the moment the battle was over, and now I had to deal with having slaughtered so many creatures.
Yes, it had been done to save my own life – and that of Fay's and Dooku's – but seeing the… carnage I had wrought with unleashing such a common/basic Force Power was disturbing.
"I, I didn't mean to do this," I said slowly. While the aftereffects of the battle were easy to handle, due to my past life, knowing that I had done this, and how easy it had been to do, were going to take some time to accept.
"No, you did not. However, if you had not, we may all have died." Dooku stated solemnly as he surveyed the room. "While, excessive, your efforts were successful in saving us."
Fay's head snapped around and she glared at her fellow Jedi Master, but she didn't say anything to him. That was the first time I saw her face marred by anything approaching anger, and I knew I never wanted to see such venom turned my way, nor see her features damaged by such a reaction.
"We should return to the Temple," she said slowly as she turned back to look at me. "This has been a... taxing moment."
"No!" I replied more forcefully than I intended. "No. I'm ok to keep going. We can talk about this later, but I feel we are close."
I used Detection and gasped at sensing something unexpected at the far side of the level. Something painful, angry, tormented was where my mini-map suggested the stairs down to the next level should be.
"There's something close, something off," I muttered as I closed my eyes and reached out with Detection again, only to recoil at what I sensed.
Darkness, pain, fury, desire.
"Yes, I too sense something. It resonates with the Dark Side, but I am not sure if it is this taint you both claim to believe is down here." Dooku added, agreeing with me.
"That we would find anything tainted with the Dark Side shows that our theory has merit," said Fay, countering Dooku's scepticism. "However, I am wary of placing our Padawan into another potential situation so soon after this."
"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger," I muttered. "Something my grandfather used to say," I added quickly as an explanation for using an Earth-based expression that I wasn't sure existed in this galaxy.
"Not an entirely Jedi outlook, but true none the less," Dooku stated, giving me a fractional nod of approval.
"Very well, but Cameron, you are to remain behind us at all times from now on. I will not risk losing my first Padawan in centuries on our first mission. Neither the Force nor I would not forgive myself." Fay said with a sigh, once more reminding me of just how old she truly was.
She may look to only be a decade or so physically older than me, but she was not. The records in the Archives stated she joined the Order as one of the first Initiates on the cruiser Chu'unthor, which was launched approximately five-hundred years ago. That was the best I could do for discovering her age, as the records generally never stated how old a Jedi was when they were discovered and brought into the Order and Examine did not yet list the age of a being.
We moved slowly at first, Fay not wanting me to go too fast, through the hall and surrounding corridors – which were devoid of life without any sign of bloodshed – before picking up our speed once she was sure I was ok.
I would've liked to have stopped as my FP was barely above 500 after the battle, but I knew if we did stop, Fay would force us to return to the Temple. I stopped running Cloak and avoided using Detection and by the time we neared where I sensed the darkness, my FP had returned to just over 1500.
As the entrance to the next level down came into view, I spotted three new creatures.
These looked to be twice the height of the Cthon, and they had red, leathery skin, though it was uneven as were their heads, and none of the three looked the same.
"Wonderful," Dooku commented as the three beasts spotted us.
The creatures resisted Fay's attempt to calm them, and Dooku was forced to kill two before the third showed a hint of intelligence and ran away, heading down the stone tunnel.
It seemed that this level was the last of any initial temple as the tunnel headed inwards to the mountain instead of twisting around it as the last one-thousand plus levels had done.
"Hopefully he doesn't have any friends," I said, which earned me glares from the Jedi Masters.
"Perhaps you would be wise to not suggest such things," Dooku stated with a grunt.
Fay smiled, but it was more of a grim smile than one of genuine happiness. I silently wondered if the Force took the place of Murphy in this universe.
The tunnel was longer and darker than anything we'd come across previously, with Dooku and I using our lightsabers as torches. From the time given by my interface, it seemed to take us about five times as long as descending between levels before the tunnel widened out into a cavern and as my eyes adjusted to the limited natural light, I groaned.
The beast that had run had gathered nearly a dozen of his friends, all of whom were waiting in the cavern, and growling at us.
"My fault," I muttered just as the beasts charged.
Dooku stepped forward, and almost lazily, avoided a clawed hand before slicing off the arm it was attached to, then pivoted and slashed another beast across the chest.
As that happened, Fay flicked her wrist, and sent two of the beasts flying into their brethren, knocking out five of them as the combined mass of limbs struck the wall; which was accompanied by the cracking of more than a few bones.
I had barely even managed to step forward to help when the last two beasts ran into the cavern.
"Sorry," I mumbled out as Dooku turned to glare at me.
"Perhaps next time you will be more careful with your words," he stated as he clipped his lightsaber to his belt.
"Yes sir," I replied, even while cursing that Murphy was a thing here.
"This cave is within the mountain itself. There was nothing in the Archives that even hinted that such a thing existed." Fay said as she stepped past us and examined the walls of the cavern, only to pull her hand back sharply. "This place is tainted."
I used Detection and instantly regretted it as my mind was overloaded with whispers. Whispers of anger, of power, of rage, of taking what I wanted. An image from the crystal cave on Ilum flashed through my head and a glance at Fay had me glad I hadn't yet started puberty.
It was a little overwhelming and I slammed on Player's Mind and instantly the whispers ceased. This ability was so over-powered as to be ridiculous, but right now, I wasn't complaining.
"Cameron?" I turned and saw Fay looking at me.
"I am fine ma'am. Just a little unprepared to feel such… chaos."
"That is one word to describe what runs through this place," Dooku added without really opening his mouth. "Be wary, I sense that the taint is nearby and guarded."
"You now believe we are right about the taint?" Fay asked with a smile that failed to reach her eyes.
"To deny what I can see and feel would be a lie." He replied as he took point and lead us into the cavern.
For a few minutes, we walked with no light save that from our lightsabers, until the cavern began to narrow, and a small, narrow archway appeared. One that seemed to be marked with marking akin to hieroglyphs.
"These are ancient Sith markings," Fay commented as she floated her hand centimetres above the markings, seemingly being careful to not touch them. "I recognize a few from memory. They speak of, a well, used by warriors before battle. These say this temple was created to corrupt or dominate the nexus that is the mountain."
"A Sith Temple here? One that predates the Jedi Temple. How is this not known to the Order?" Dooku asked, probably more to himself than us as he stroked his beard. "How could the High Council not be aware of this?"
"Perhaps we can ask them after we've dealt with this place," I suggested, though I doubted they knew anything about this.
"Yes. Now let us see what awaits us within."
"Cameron, perhaps you should wait here," Fay suggested, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving me a motherly smile. "Whatever is inside will be dangerous and exposing you to such darkness is not something I am comfortable with."
"No. I helped you find this place; I should see things through." I countered. I was worried that if I did not help to clear the dark-side nexus then I'd fail the quest. And I was all but certain that with Player's Mind active that I was safe from any possible corruption.
Nothing so far, beyond being a new experience, was tempting me to go crazy and kill everyone. Though perhaps that is how falling to the dark side begins?
I remembered my talk with Revan and the discussion we had on trying to achieve balance with the Force. Could I use this as the first way to prove that I was serious about finding another way and impress Revan?
My body being rocked gently drew me from my thoughts.
"Cameron? Are you well?" Fay asked, her brow creased with concern.
"Yes, Master. I was just considering if there was a way to balance the taint here." I replied, making both Jedi look at me as though I had grown another head.
"Balance the taint? Not remove it?" Dooku asked slowly.
"Yes. Everything must exist in balance, right? I mean, if the ecosystem of a planet is unbalanced then eventually the animals and sentients living there will die out unless the balance is restored. Why should it not be the same for the Force?"
"So you wish to bring balance to the Force?" Fay asked, her brow creasing so much that I worried about her eyebrows going into her eyes.
"Yes. And no." I replied and sighed. "I am aware of a… prophecy that some have applied to me but that is not what I am thinking about. The Sith and the Jedi are two sides of the same coin. Two extremes of a pole. Too much one way, and nature, the Force, reacts and seeks balance. But often this tilt the other way takes things to that extreme."
"You seek to remove enough of the taint of the dark side within this place to bring it into balance. Neither light nor dark, just strong in the Force?" Dooku asked as he again stroked his beard.
"Yes."
"Interesting. But perhaps we should wait to see if such a thing is possible until after we secure the source of the taint." He stated and pivoted sharply to face the archway. "I sense danger inside, but not something we cannot handle if we work together."
"Agreed. But as I said, Cameron stays behind us." Fay added and I realised that the reason Fay had given me a shake was that I had spaced out while thinking about what to do with the dark side nexus.
As we stepped through the archway, a deep, animalistic growl echoed around the next cavern. Once that seemed to vibrate up my spine.
"Oh fuck me sideways," I muttered as, from the light that somehow was seeping into the far side of this new cavern, stood a giant beast that I remembered from the movies.
"How did a Rancor end up here?" Fay asked with a small shake of what I hoped was not fear. I did not need the two Jedi Masters to be scared of what we faced.
"The better question would be what has this taint done to it and the other beasts," Commented Dooku as he pulled a second lightsaber from his belt – one we had collected of a dead Jedi a dozen or so levels above – and ignited it.
I looked carefully at the Rancor and noted that it was different from the one in the movies. This one's skin was darkened, almost black in places, and extra spikes seemed to sprout from the skin where it was darkest.
The beasts that had been in the last cavern where here too, and a half-dozen or so of them also had darker skin and spikes.
"This is going to be fun," I drawled without any feeling.
The Rancor roared once more and then charged.
…
Crystal Stars 6
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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I groaned as I began to wake and moved to sit up, only to feel a hand on my shoulder holding me down.
"Easy there Padawan," a female voice said, and I slowly opened my eyes, blinking at the soft lighting in the room. As I grew accustomed to the light, a notice floated before my face.
She was of the same species as Master Fisto – who I had only met in passing around the temple – but her skin was darker, almost grey in colour. A Nau-something-or-other. The name of the species escaping me at the moment.
"You are in the temple's healing complex," She said, having guessed my first question. "Your masters brought you here after you fainted. From our examinations, it appears that you overexerted yourself with the Force and passed out."
"Ah," I managed to get out, my voice coming as more of a croak. I licked my lips and felt how dry they are.
"Here," the healer passed me a glass of water.
I sipped at it, careful to not drink it too fast, before handing it back to her.
"Thanks. How am I? Anything wrong?"
"You are fine, young one," She replied with a smile that combined with the tentacles on her head and her jet-black eyes, was a little disconcerting. I knew it was wrong, but a small part of me was still uncomfortable around the more stereo-typically alien-looking aliens of this galaxy.
"If I may, I will go and inform your masters that you are awake now."
"Ok," I replied and watched her leave the small private room I was in.
The moment the doors closed, I pulled up the two blinking notices.
I was pulled from my thoughts as I heard the doors opened, which I turned to face as I subtly waved away the notices.
"Good morning Cameron. How are you feeling?" Fay asked as she walked into the room with Dooku, the Jedi healer a step behind them.
"I'm fine, Master Fay. How long was I out?" I replied, curious as there was no mention of the Expert Duellist quest, which would expire on my birthday.
"You have been here since yesterday Padawan," the healer replied as she stepped beside the other Jedi, before turning to them. "Padawan Shan shows no signs of any ailment, so he is free to leave with you."
"Thank you, Master Zod. Come Padawan."
Say what you will for Dooku's abilities, it was still hard to not roll my eyes at being ordered about like an army recruit again.
Fay stayed beside the bed as I stood, and we both followed him out of the room.
"What happened to me?"
"You over-exerted yourself with the Force and pushed too far with Battle Meditation," Fay explained as we walked through the infirmary. I noted a few of the younger Jedi glance at me but I ignored them. I'd been getting such glances since I'd arrived, with them becoming far more prevalent after my performance in the Initiate Trials and discovering that others thought I was the 'Chosen One'.
"Ahh, that's right," I murmured as the memory came back to me. In the closing moments of the fight, I had attempted Battle Meditation in the heat of the moment to help Fay And Dooku.
"Yes, your Battle Meditation," Dooku drawled, glancing at me. "While we thank you for the help, we would prefer if you were more careful in future. Having you collapse like that could place all of our lives in danger, as we needed to both protect you and ourselves."
"That is not to say that we are unappreciative," Fay added, after glancing at Dooku. "And it was effective in helping us more effectively eliminating the Rancor, but Battle Meditation is best used if everyone is expecting it. To be thrust into it suddenly was momentarily disorienting, and that is potentially dangerous, not to mention taxing on yourself without the right preparation, as you learned firsthand."
"Understood ma'am," I said as a new notice appeared in my log. Clearly, there was more to what had happened.
"What about the temple in the mountain?" I asked. I already knew it had been dealt with because of the quest completion notice, but I had to ask to avoid suspicion. Plus, I was curious if they had taken my suggestion to heart and merely balanced the taint, and not removed it altogether.
"The High Council directed a team of Jedi to cleanse the place when we returned with you last night," Dooku explained with a subtle twitch of his mouth. "From the reports I have been shown, they were very, thorough, in removing all traces of the dark side form the place."
"Ah," I replied, trying to keep any annoyance out of my tone.
"This is the standard practice of the High Council when dealing with discovered minor dark side nexuses. Major nexuses are classified and placed on a list that only the High Council or other senior Jedi Masters can access." Fay explained calmly. "I meditated on your suggestion of balancing a nexus last night. I feel that you may have discovered a better approach to handling nexuses, and I suggested it to the High Council this morning. Perhaps they will consider it in future."
I nodded at her words, but I didn't hold out much hope that the High Council would listen to her. From what I remembered from before, and had seen while here, the Council was set in its way.
We walked in silence after that, and I used the time to pull up the new notice.
"Go, spend time with your friends. We will be leaving tomorrow and when we return, they may have been selected as Padawans themselves," Fay said, and I turned to see her smiling at me. "Say your goodbyes."
"Thank you, master," I replied with a slight bow before turning to Dooku. "Master Dooku, since I will be leaving tomorrow with Master Fay, I was hoping we could spend more time today training in Makashi. Will this be possible?"
Dooku rubbed his beard. "Hmm. Yes, I believe this may be possible. I have no scheduled classes from fourteen hundred, so I will meet you in the sparring arena then. Good day." He nodded to both of us then walked off towards a pair of Jedi, one of whom I spotted to be Sifo-Dyas.
I turned back to Fay but saw she had already stepped away and was speaking with Master Yaddle, so after grabbing some food, I headed over to where Dragon Clan was sitting.
"Hey Cameron, so you remembered we exist, did you?" Aayla teased as I sat next to her, and she bumped me with her shoulder.
"How could I ever forget your lovely lekku?" I teased back, ignoring the slight twinging of dark blue that came to her cheeks as I turned to look at the others. "How have you all been?"
"Bored," Serra replied with a sigh. "With you and Darihd now Padawans, the clan minder put Sia-Wan in charge. She's no fun."
"Just because you suck at the running is not my fault Serra," Sia-Wan countered, sending me a small smile as she spoke. "So, rumour has it you fought a Terrantatek under the temple." She added.
"No idea what that is, but we did run into a Rancor," I replied, noting the way a few of the clan leaned forward.
"Wicked!" Stated Lon with a massive smile. "That sounds awesome!"
"No, it's really not," I replied with a sigh.
"What exactly did happen?" Asked Aayla. "We've asked around, but the High Council has deemed it classified, and only other Masters know about it."
I frowned. There was no reason for the High Council to do this. The nexus was cleansed, the quest completion confirmed this, so there was no longer any risk to any of the Jedi. Even if the younger Jedi learned what happened, it would change nothing.
I huffed internally. The High Council seemed to have a blanket policy of either hoarding knowledge of the Force they deemed too strong or purging all traces of knowledge about the Force except for the what they deemed as 'The Light Side'. This was... an extremely narrow-minded and self-destructive practice for them. One I was steadily learning was all too common around here and helped me see how the Sith had so easily manoeuvred the Jedi. Heck, it was giving me ideas on how to shift some Jedi around to see things from my perspective.
I considered how I wanted to play this as I took a bite of my roll then leaned forward.
"I'll tell you what happened, but I need you all to see that this isn't a joke. Even on Coruscant, even on this mountain, there are dangers that are out to hurt or kill us." I said in a voice barely above a whisper. This would be a good chance to hopefully make one or two of them more cautious. Of everyone here, I only knew that Aayla made it to the Clone Wars. If I could, I wanted to make sure all of them did, and making them more willing to listen to me over others might just be useful to me later in life; though how I wasn't yet sure of.
So, I started on the story, explaining how Fay, Dooku and I had been taking expeditions to the lower levels of the temple for over a week. While they already knew this, I wanted to cover everything to help build up the story.
As was expected when entertaining children with an exciting story, I had a very good, and attentive audience.
Gasps and exclamations in all the right places, until I finally told them about meeting the Rancor in the heart of the nexus.
"Now, mind you, I was unconscious for part of it, but I can remember most of it," I said, as I thought back to those last moments...
"Wow, that sounds so exciting!" Lon exclaimed.
"Yeah, I was so excited that when it roared and charged, I almost crapped myself," I responded dryly. That drew a few laughs. "If not for Masters Fay and Dooku, I would've died."
That destroyed the mood of the table as I kept going.
"I thought I could handle anything, but I was wrong. I was arrogant and because of that I almost got into real trouble." I stated. While not totally true, I figured that teaching these kids to be more careful than most Jedi will help them live longer.
"But you didn't," countered Trudie, her curly blonde hair bouncing as she leaned across the table.
"Only because of my Masters. We all think we're ready, but we're not. Watching Master Dooku showed me just how far I still have to go, and how far we all still have to go if we want to be useful."
The others all were looking at me carefully. They clearly wanted to hear more of what had happened in greater detail, since I had left certain parts out and had been vague about what had happened while in the Battle Meditation. However, my warning was making each of them a little worried that what had happened to me could eventually happen to them, and I suspected that they were scared that they wouldn't be so lucky.
I resolved to myself then and there to try and prepare them much as possible so that they would never have to be as lucky as I was.
...
...
As I stepped out the sonic shower, I smiled.
Today was the day I finally got out of the Temple and could begin to see the galaxy and hopefully find a real water shower to use. Sure, a sonic shower might be better at cleaning you, but it wasn't the most relaxing as there was something missing from the experience.
I was drawn out of my musing as I saw the notice for quest completion, though I frowned as under that was a blinking white notification.
I'd never seen a white notification before; quests usually came in light and dark blue – for alerts and completions – or red when I failed while general interface messages such as level-ups or the annoying sleep statements, were in grey.
I tapped both and as I read the white one, felt my brow rise.
The birthday notice was unexpected, but that meant I just been granted about 3500XP for free. No way was I going to complain about that.
I honestly had forgotten about the degradation of knowledge-based skills as these weren't the skills counted towards levels but instead referred to my general knowledge about science, people, governments and so forth.
Though I was certain to take the perk Eidetic Memory at my next level up.
According to its description, it removed all knowledge loss and gave me perfect recall of everything I had ever known/seen/felt. While sounding a little overwhelming, having perfect recall of The Clone Wars cartoon and the movies was going to be a godsend.
I quickly called up my status.
I had used Examine yesterday while having a meal with Dragon Clan to learn the levels of those around my age. Serra and Sia-Wan were the highest at 9, while Aayla had been at 8 and the others were all lower.
From that, I was working on the assumption that most levels correlated to growth since the interface's help stated that most Human adults were between levels 20 and 25, and the human body generally stopped true physical development and brain maturation around that period.
An interesting thing was that none of the Initiates had detected my usage of Examine, so I planned to use it later with Fay just before we left the Temple. Hopefully, she wouldn't sense it, but if she did, it could just be waved off as a passing feeling.
The strangest thing though was learning that using Examine on a sentient improved the Force Power Empathy, with my perk Empathy granting a bonus to experience gained for the power. I had no idea how to even use the power, but at least this meant that the perk wasn't a total waste.
Putting that to the back of my mind, I focused on what I had been planning in the sonic shower and considered my next batch of learning quests. Soon enough I had five of them.
Generational Duellist was to raise Makashi to Savant 1 within half a year and granted 3000XP.
Competent Defender was to get Soresu to Professional 1 in the same time frame and granted 1000XP.
Both of those carried two hidden objectives, though from experience I knew they were for levels 25 and 50 of the relevant strata.
Cash in Hand was a straightforward quest; have one million credits to my name by the time I was eighteen. There were four hidden objectives, and I believed those referred to completing the task early and/or having more money by the deadline.
Fluffing any of those quests would just result in a loss of XP – and a block on storing money in my inventory for a few years for Cash in Hand – so there was no real danger to them unlike some of my earlier quests which carried the threat of locked skills if failed.
Force to the Max was a quest to max out as many Force powers as possible. Each maxing granted me 1000XP, and I instantly gained that amount as Force Power: Serenity was already maxed out.
Skilled to the Max was similar Force to the Max, though it applied to skills, with each maxed skill granting me 500XP; and there I gained 1000XP for Meditation and Concentration.
That combined instant XP left me less than 500 from levelling up, which was a nice surprise, and I realized that these two quests were going to be constant, abusable means of gaining XP, as they had no time limit.
My list covering what I needed to do to prepare for the coming war was still growing, and I suspected I could adapt most of it into quests, but much of it was dependent on how much say I had in where I went with Fay, and what we would be doing over the coming months.
...
...
"Is this all you wish to take?" Fay asked me as I met her near the temple's public hangar bay.
I had only my lightsaber and a standard Jedi utility belt on me. However, I had two small bags in my Inventory; one contained a spare set of robes and the other was full of food. A careful examination of the interface help led me to learn that anything placed in my inventory was in stasis, and thus would remain in the condition it entered regardless of when I removed it.
The bags were going to be my proof of this, but if it worked, I felt I'd discovered another loophole in the strange powers I now had.
In addition to the bags, my inventory also held the remains from the two lightsabers that had been destroyed on Ilum. I estimated them to be enough to make a single new weapon. I had the crystals from those lightsabers stored separately.
I also had the three functioning lightsabers found while we were exploring the lower levels of the temple, an ancient vibroblade and blaster, along with a spare energy pack and the Sith Holocron from the ship that had brought me to Coruscant.
There were also two datapads; one with my ideas/plans/notes and the other with the data for how to return to Dromund Kaas and the flight plan of the ship the Sith had used.
"Yes, ma'am. I was not told to bring anything else." I stated as I reached her.
She placed her hand on my shoulder and seeing my chance, I placed my hand on her arm as she spoke.
"I do not know where we will go Cameron, but the Force will guide us to where we are needed. Once we reach the spaceport, we will meditate and see what path the Force has ready for us." She said with a soft smile and as she began to remove her hand, I took my shot and activated Examine.
"Master, is everything alright?" I asked as Fay stumbled backwards
"Yes, Yes. I just felt… something unusual," She said as she stared at me. "Most unusual, yet I don't think it was anything to worry about. Now come along, we have a path to find."
As she turned and began to walk, I pulled up the notice of what Examine had discovered.
Learning that she felt I was important but was unsure about how, was not unexpected, but the confirmation was nice. And I was glad to see she didn't feel drawn to me like, according to Examine, a few members of Dragon Clan were.
Another notice stated that I had levelled up Empathy, which was interesting, as Fay was only the ninth person I'd used Examine on. If that held true, levelling up that power was going to be easy.
As we walked to the nearest landing pad, and the waiting speeder that would take us to the spaceport, I wondered just what level Dooku and the High Council members were. I suspected that only a few would be at or higher than Fay's level.
When we returned in half a year, I would have to see where Dooku stood and compare myself to the members of Dragon Clan to see how my growth hopefully surpassed their own.
On the flight to the spaceport, I wondered just what the next few months hold, and what I could learn. I silently hoped that at least some of it would be relevant to my plans and preparations for the future.
...
The fight scene was done it a flashback style at the suggestion of my beta. It was a different way to handle a combat scene, but not something I plan to do often.
"Easy there Padawan," a female voice said, and I slowly opened my eyes, blinking at the soft lighting in the room. As I grew accustomed to the light, a notice floated before my face.
You have slept for over 8 hours.
HP, FP, PP and Stam 100% restored.
All negative statuses and ailments have been removed.
…
I waved the notice away, still wondering how to at least move that reminder to a more convenient location and focused on the other person in the room.HP, FP, PP and Stam 100% restored.
All negative statuses and ailments have been removed.
…
She was of the same species as Master Fisto – who I had only met in passing around the temple – but her skin was darker, almost grey in colour. A Nau-something-or-other. The name of the species escaping me at the moment.
"You are in the temple's healing complex," She said, having guessed my first question. "Your masters brought you here after you fainted. From our examinations, it appears that you overexerted yourself with the Force and passed out."
"Ah," I managed to get out, my voice coming as more of a croak. I licked my lips and felt how dry they are.
"Here," the healer passed me a glass of water.
I sipped at it, careful to not drink it too fast, before handing it back to her.
"Thanks. How am I? Anything wrong?"
"You are fine, young one," She replied with a smile that combined with the tentacles on her head and her jet-black eyes, was a little disconcerting. I knew it was wrong, but a small part of me was still uncomfortable around the more stereo-typically alien-looking aliens of this galaxy.
"If I may, I will go and inform your masters that you are awake now."
"Ok," I replied and watched her leave the small private room I was in.
The moment the doors closed, I pulled up the two blinking notices.
Quest Completed
Cleanse the Temple
Objective:
Find the dark side taint and cleanse it [Yes]
Rewards:
3000XP
...
LEVEL UP!
Level: 10 – 11
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +15
SP: +5
SKP: +32
...
NOTE
While you did not directly finish the Quest Cleanse the Temple, your actions ensured that it could be completed.
This is enough to regard the quest as completed.
Please note that only a handful of quests can be completed in this manner.
...
'Huh, well that was unexpected. But useful.' If certain quests like Cleansing the Temple could be completed by others in a group with me, then it would make the more long-winded quests I was sure to develop easier to handle. Perhaps it had something to do with the same issue as earning Party XP from combat.Cleanse the Temple
Objective:
Find the dark side taint and cleanse it [Yes]
Rewards:
3000XP
...
LEVEL UP!
Level: 10 – 11
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +15
SP: +5
SKP: +32
...
NOTE
While you did not directly finish the Quest Cleanse the Temple, your actions ensured that it could be completed.
This is enough to regard the quest as completed.
Please note that only a handful of quests can be completed in this manner.
...
I was pulled from my thoughts as I heard the doors opened, which I turned to face as I subtly waved away the notices.
"Good morning Cameron. How are you feeling?" Fay asked as she walked into the room with Dooku, the Jedi healer a step behind them.
"I'm fine, Master Fay. How long was I out?" I replied, curious as there was no mention of the Expert Duellist quest, which would expire on my birthday.
"You have been here since yesterday Padawan," the healer replied as she stepped beside the other Jedi, before turning to them. "Padawan Shan shows no signs of any ailment, so he is free to leave with you."
"Thank you, Master Zod. Come Padawan."
Say what you will for Dooku's abilities, it was still hard to not roll my eyes at being ordered about like an army recruit again.
Fay stayed beside the bed as I stood, and we both followed him out of the room.
"What happened to me?"
"You over-exerted yourself with the Force and pushed too far with Battle Meditation," Fay explained as we walked through the infirmary. I noted a few of the younger Jedi glance at me but I ignored them. I'd been getting such glances since I'd arrived, with them becoming far more prevalent after my performance in the Initiate Trials and discovering that others thought I was the 'Chosen One'.
"Ahh, that's right," I murmured as the memory came back to me. In the closing moments of the fight, I had attempted Battle Meditation in the heat of the moment to help Fay And Dooku.
"Yes, your Battle Meditation," Dooku drawled, glancing at me. "While we thank you for the help, we would prefer if you were more careful in future. Having you collapse like that could place all of our lives in danger, as we needed to both protect you and ourselves."
"That is not to say that we are unappreciative," Fay added, after glancing at Dooku. "And it was effective in helping us more effectively eliminating the Rancor, but Battle Meditation is best used if everyone is expecting it. To be thrust into it suddenly was momentarily disorienting, and that is potentially dangerous, not to mention taxing on yourself without the right preparation, as you learned firsthand."
"Understood ma'am," I said as a new notice appeared in my log. Clearly, there was more to what had happened.
"What about the temple in the mountain?" I asked. I already knew it had been dealt with because of the quest completion notice, but I had to ask to avoid suspicion. Plus, I was curious if they had taken my suggestion to heart and merely balanced the taint, and not removed it altogether.
"The High Council directed a team of Jedi to cleanse the place when we returned with you last night," Dooku explained with a subtle twitch of his mouth. "From the reports I have been shown, they were very, thorough, in removing all traces of the dark side form the place."
"Ah," I replied, trying to keep any annoyance out of my tone.
"This is the standard practice of the High Council when dealing with discovered minor dark side nexuses. Major nexuses are classified and placed on a list that only the High Council or other senior Jedi Masters can access." Fay explained calmly. "I meditated on your suggestion of balancing a nexus last night. I feel that you may have discovered a better approach to handling nexuses, and I suggested it to the High Council this morning. Perhaps they will consider it in future."
I nodded at her words, but I didn't hold out much hope that the High Council would listen to her. From what I remembered from before, and had seen while here, the Council was set in its way.
We walked in silence after that, and I used the time to pull up the new notice.
Force Power Discovered!
Oneness
SrvseYsbsdYysdgdvsddgsvsd
Asfasftsas
...
Well, that was unexpected!
We hadn't expected you to gain that Force Power until you were much older.
You are not ready for the ramifications of using that power.
Thus, it is now locked.
This means the power is there, however you cannot train it up in the manner you have other powers.
As for when and how we will unlock it…
That is for us to know and you to find out.
I frowned as I read the note from the powers that be, but since I had no real idea of how exactly I had accessed this Oneness, I wasn't too concerned at having a locked power. Nor was I stupid enough to argue with beings capable of pulling me across time and dimensions.Oneness
SrvseYsbsdYysdgdvsddgsvsd
Asfasftsas
...
Well, that was unexpected!
We hadn't expected you to gain that Force Power until you were much older.
You are not ready for the ramifications of using that power.
Thus, it is now locked.
This means the power is there, however you cannot train it up in the manner you have other powers.
As for when and how we will unlock it…
That is for us to know and you to find out.
Clever Boy!
Soon we reached one of the mess halls and I spotted Serra and Aayla waving to me from where Dragon Clan was sitting.
"Go, spend time with your friends. We will be leaving tomorrow and when we return, they may have been selected as Padawans themselves," Fay said, and I turned to see her smiling at me. "Say your goodbyes."
"Thank you, master," I replied with a slight bow before turning to Dooku. "Master Dooku, since I will be leaving tomorrow with Master Fay, I was hoping we could spend more time today training in Makashi. Will this be possible?"
Dooku rubbed his beard. "Hmm. Yes, I believe this may be possible. I have no scheduled classes from fourteen hundred, so I will meet you in the sparring arena then. Good day." He nodded to both of us then walked off towards a pair of Jedi, one of whom I spotted to be Sifo-Dyas.
I turned back to Fay but saw she had already stepped away and was speaking with Master Yaddle, so after grabbing some food, I headed over to where Dragon Clan was sitting.
"Hey Cameron, so you remembered we exist, did you?" Aayla teased as I sat next to her, and she bumped me with her shoulder.
"How could I ever forget your lovely lekku?" I teased back, ignoring the slight twinging of dark blue that came to her cheeks as I turned to look at the others. "How have you all been?"
"Bored," Serra replied with a sigh. "With you and Darihd now Padawans, the clan minder put Sia-Wan in charge. She's no fun."
"Just because you suck at the running is not my fault Serra," Sia-Wan countered, sending me a small smile as she spoke. "So, rumour has it you fought a Terrantatek under the temple." She added.
"No idea what that is, but we did run into a Rancor," I replied, noting the way a few of the clan leaned forward.
"Wicked!" Stated Lon with a massive smile. "That sounds awesome!"
"No, it's really not," I replied with a sigh.
"What exactly did happen?" Asked Aayla. "We've asked around, but the High Council has deemed it classified, and only other Masters know about it."
I frowned. There was no reason for the High Council to do this. The nexus was cleansed, the quest completion confirmed this, so there was no longer any risk to any of the Jedi. Even if the younger Jedi learned what happened, it would change nothing.
I huffed internally. The High Council seemed to have a blanket policy of either hoarding knowledge of the Force they deemed too strong or purging all traces of knowledge about the Force except for the what they deemed as 'The Light Side'. This was... an extremely narrow-minded and self-destructive practice for them. One I was steadily learning was all too common around here and helped me see how the Sith had so easily manoeuvred the Jedi. Heck, it was giving me ideas on how to shift some Jedi around to see things from my perspective.
I considered how I wanted to play this as I took a bite of my roll then leaned forward.
"I'll tell you what happened, but I need you all to see that this isn't a joke. Even on Coruscant, even on this mountain, there are dangers that are out to hurt or kill us." I said in a voice barely above a whisper. This would be a good chance to hopefully make one or two of them more cautious. Of everyone here, I only knew that Aayla made it to the Clone Wars. If I could, I wanted to make sure all of them did, and making them more willing to listen to me over others might just be useful to me later in life; though how I wasn't yet sure of.
So, I started on the story, explaining how Fay, Dooku and I had been taking expeditions to the lower levels of the temple for over a week. While they already knew this, I wanted to cover everything to help build up the story.
As was expected when entertaining children with an exciting story, I had a very good, and attentive audience.
Gasps and exclamations in all the right places, until I finally told them about meeting the Rancor in the heart of the nexus.
"Now, mind you, I was unconscious for part of it, but I can remember most of it," I said, as I thought back to those last moments...
I had thought, after the life that I had lived before this one and the incidents that had occurred during this one, that there wasn't much that could scare me.
I had been shot at, shot in, thrown across a street as my friend was blown up with an RPG, assaulted by a man wielding a flamethrower, attacked by a Sith Warrior who had helped kill my grandfather, and even attacked by subterranean monsters less than an hour earlier.
I figured I really should be numb to fear.
Yet hearing a rancor roar then charge you, that was terrifying in a whole new, and more primaeval way. The kind of fear that is the more, tiger vs bunny rabbit instinctive way.
Something that was nearly ten meters tall and weighing what I suspected was more than a few tons, charged at us with more speed than a beast its size logically should.
Thankfully though, all the fear faded as Player's Mind auto engaged and I was able to think calmly again.
"Scatter!" Dooku shouted as he Force Leapt to my left and sliced two of the smaller beasts – I was going to call them grunts – in half as he landed.
I moved to my right and ducked under the wild swing of one of the grunts. My lightsaber cut it at the knee as I passed, and I pivoted around and took its head.
A giant boulder went flying past me and smashed into the on-rushing Rancor and I glanced to where it had come from to see Fay; three more large boulders lifting off the floor beside her.
"Stay back Cameron. These beasts are tainted by the dark side," She said as she calmly sent a boulder into three of the altered grunts; squishing them into a paste. "They are far more dangerous than what we've faced before."
"I'll try," I replied as I side-stepped one of the regular grunts before slashing its chest as it passed me.
I glanced up to see Dooku rolling out of the reach of one of the rancor's massive paws, bringing his lightsaber down on the arm as he did so. However, his sure expression shifted slightly as the blade just bounced off harmlessly.
"How," I heard Fay mutter as she sent a blast of pure Force energy at one of the mutated grunts, only for the grunt to shrug off the attack as it hit a patch of darkened skin.
My blade bounced off the skin of a mutated grunt, only to then skin it where the skin was the same colour as the non-mutated grunts.
"Their skin is only protected where it's dark!" I shouted out as I drove my blade through the mouth of the grunt then push the body back into the last grunt; with both them being squashed under a stalactite that came loose from the ceiling.
Neither Jedi Master said anything, though I watched as Fay now sent a long, narrow rock hurling at the rancor, piercing its skin where it wasn't darkened. Dooku then used the beast's roar of pain to step in and slice off one of its giant clawed fingers.
The beast roared again, and I felt a surge of fear shoot through me as it charged at Dooku. The old man leapt aside to avoid a massive clawed paw, only to be knocked away by a swing of the other arm.
As Dooku came to a sliding stop near the far wall of the cavern, I realized that I couldn't help him fight it directly, nor would throwing projectiles like Fay be much help. I wasn't skilled enough to use TK like this in battle. However, there was something I COULD do.
Seeing that the grunts were all down, I moved to a corner of the room and knelt. Taking a deep breath, I activated Battle Meditation.
I reached out with the Force tried to mentally touch both Jedi. After a few seconds, I was able to get a very weak link. I used the link to try and instil confidence in them that they could take the beast down and to link their minds to each other.
I knew I couldn't hold the connection for long but giving them even a minute might be enough.
I felt my FP begin to run out but pushed deeper into the Force, asking it to help. I still wasn't sure whether the Force was truly alive or not, but at this point, I wasn't above imploring possible deities. Straining my mind, I kept pushing further until...
I gasped out loud as I felt SOMETHING respond and wash over my mind and body. Power flooded into me and the connections between me and the two Jedi Masters instantly strengthened. I imagined that I could see what each was doing, as if I was perceiving through their senses, and not just my own.
Fay started striking the beast at the non-darkened spots and Dooku seemed to instantly know where and when to strike to compliment Fay's strikes to do the most damage.
With only a handful of further swipes of his lightsabers, Dooku had the beast on its chest and drove the twin blades through the back of the rancor's head. It was over.
Suddenly, just as quickly as it had come, the power faded, and the connection was severed. I suddenly felt weak, and my eyes snapped open to see both Jedi Masters looking at me in concern.
"…" I saw Fay's lips move but I heard nothing as my vision failed me and I was surrounded in darkness.
I had been shot at, shot in, thrown across a street as my friend was blown up with an RPG, assaulted by a man wielding a flamethrower, attacked by a Sith Warrior who had helped kill my grandfather, and even attacked by subterranean monsters less than an hour earlier.
I figured I really should be numb to fear.
Yet hearing a rancor roar then charge you, that was terrifying in a whole new, and more primaeval way. The kind of fear that is the more, tiger vs bunny rabbit instinctive way.
Something that was nearly ten meters tall and weighing what I suspected was more than a few tons, charged at us with more speed than a beast its size logically should.
Thankfully though, all the fear faded as Player's Mind auto engaged and I was able to think calmly again.
"Scatter!" Dooku shouted as he Force Leapt to my left and sliced two of the smaller beasts – I was going to call them grunts – in half as he landed.
I moved to my right and ducked under the wild swing of one of the grunts. My lightsaber cut it at the knee as I passed, and I pivoted around and took its head.
A giant boulder went flying past me and smashed into the on-rushing Rancor and I glanced to where it had come from to see Fay; three more large boulders lifting off the floor beside her.
"Stay back Cameron. These beasts are tainted by the dark side," She said as she calmly sent a boulder into three of the altered grunts; squishing them into a paste. "They are far more dangerous than what we've faced before."
"I'll try," I replied as I side-stepped one of the regular grunts before slashing its chest as it passed me.
I glanced up to see Dooku rolling out of the reach of one of the rancor's massive paws, bringing his lightsaber down on the arm as he did so. However, his sure expression shifted slightly as the blade just bounced off harmlessly.
"How," I heard Fay mutter as she sent a blast of pure Force energy at one of the mutated grunts, only for the grunt to shrug off the attack as it hit a patch of darkened skin.
My blade bounced off the skin of a mutated grunt, only to then skin it where the skin was the same colour as the non-mutated grunts.
"Their skin is only protected where it's dark!" I shouted out as I drove my blade through the mouth of the grunt then push the body back into the last grunt; with both them being squashed under a stalactite that came loose from the ceiling.
Neither Jedi Master said anything, though I watched as Fay now sent a long, narrow rock hurling at the rancor, piercing its skin where it wasn't darkened. Dooku then used the beast's roar of pain to step in and slice off one of its giant clawed fingers.
The beast roared again, and I felt a surge of fear shoot through me as it charged at Dooku. The old man leapt aside to avoid a massive clawed paw, only to be knocked away by a swing of the other arm.
As Dooku came to a sliding stop near the far wall of the cavern, I realized that I couldn't help him fight it directly, nor would throwing projectiles like Fay be much help. I wasn't skilled enough to use TK like this in battle. However, there was something I COULD do.
Seeing that the grunts were all down, I moved to a corner of the room and knelt. Taking a deep breath, I activated Battle Meditation.
I reached out with the Force tried to mentally touch both Jedi. After a few seconds, I was able to get a very weak link. I used the link to try and instil confidence in them that they could take the beast down and to link their minds to each other.
I knew I couldn't hold the connection for long but giving them even a minute might be enough.
I felt my FP begin to run out but pushed deeper into the Force, asking it to help. I still wasn't sure whether the Force was truly alive or not, but at this point, I wasn't above imploring possible deities. Straining my mind, I kept pushing further until...
I gasped out loud as I felt SOMETHING respond and wash over my mind and body. Power flooded into me and the connections between me and the two Jedi Masters instantly strengthened. I imagined that I could see what each was doing, as if I was perceiving through their senses, and not just my own.
Fay started striking the beast at the non-darkened spots and Dooku seemed to instantly know where and when to strike to compliment Fay's strikes to do the most damage.
With only a handful of further swipes of his lightsabers, Dooku had the beast on its chest and drove the twin blades through the back of the rancor's head. It was over.
Suddenly, just as quickly as it had come, the power faded, and the connection was severed. I suddenly felt weak, and my eyes snapped open to see both Jedi Masters looking at me in concern.
"…" I saw Fay's lips move but I heard nothing as my vision failed me and I was surrounded in darkness.
"Wow, that sounds so exciting!" Lon exclaimed.
"Yeah, I was so excited that when it roared and charged, I almost crapped myself," I responded dryly. That drew a few laughs. "If not for Masters Fay and Dooku, I would've died."
That destroyed the mood of the table as I kept going.
"I thought I could handle anything, but I was wrong. I was arrogant and because of that I almost got into real trouble." I stated. While not totally true, I figured that teaching these kids to be more careful than most Jedi will help them live longer.
"But you didn't," countered Trudie, her curly blonde hair bouncing as she leaned across the table.
"Only because of my Masters. We all think we're ready, but we're not. Watching Master Dooku showed me just how far I still have to go, and how far we all still have to go if we want to be useful."
The others all were looking at me carefully. They clearly wanted to hear more of what had happened in greater detail, since I had left certain parts out and had been vague about what had happened while in the Battle Meditation. However, my warning was making each of them a little worried that what had happened to me could eventually happen to them, and I suspected that they were scared that they wouldn't be so lucky.
I resolved to myself then and there to try and prepare them much as possible so that they would never have to be as lucky as I was.
...
...
As I stepped out the sonic shower, I smiled.
Today was the day I finally got out of the Temple and could begin to see the galaxy and hopefully find a real water shower to use. Sure, a sonic shower might be better at cleaning you, but it wasn't the most relaxing as there was something missing from the experience.
I was drawn out of my musing as I saw the notice for quest completion, though I frowned as under that was a blinking white notification.
I'd never seen a white notification before; quests usually came in light and dark blue – for alerts and completions – or red when I failed while general interface messages such as level-ups or the annoying sleep statements, were in grey.
I tapped both and as I read the white one, felt my brow rise.
Quest Completed!
Expert Duellist
Objectives:
Get Makashi to Master 1 by your ninth (9th) birthday. [Yes]
? Get it to Master 25 [Yes]
? Get it to Master 50 [No]
Rewards:
3000XP
1400XP
...
It's Your Birthday!
To help with your growth, each birthday you gain 1/3 of your current level's needed XP.
This will last until you reach 11 cycles, and the system will upgrade.
Knowledge Skills suffer 10*strata levels of degradation.
NOTE:
Degradation decreased by 75% due to perk Photographic Memory.
Degradation suffered is now 2.5*strata
...
I had only past Expert Duellist by using Skill points, and then, on a hunch, had spent more to get to Master 25. I was pleased to see that the pattern on that being the first bonus objective held true and even after spending so many skill points, I had thirty still to use.Expert Duellist
Objectives:
Get Makashi to Master 1 by your ninth (9th) birthday. [Yes]
? Get it to Master 25 [Yes]
? Get it to Master 50 [No]
Rewards:
3000XP
1400XP
...
It's Your Birthday!
To help with your growth, each birthday you gain 1/3 of your current level's needed XP.
This will last until you reach 11 cycles, and the system will upgrade.
Knowledge Skills suffer 10*strata levels of degradation.
NOTE:
Degradation decreased by 75% due to perk Photographic Memory.
Degradation suffered is now 2.5*strata
...
The birthday notice was unexpected, but that meant I just been granted about 3500XP for free. No way was I going to complain about that.
I honestly had forgotten about the degradation of knowledge-based skills as these weren't the skills counted towards levels but instead referred to my general knowledge about science, people, governments and so forth.
Though I was certain to take the perk Eidetic Memory at my next level up.
According to its description, it removed all knowledge loss and gave me perfect recall of everything I had ever known/seen/felt. While sounding a little overwhelming, having perfect recall of The Clone Wars cartoon and the movies was going to be a godsend.
I quickly called up my status.
Cameron Shan
Species: Human
Title: The Player
Level 11
HP: 160/160
FP: 5500/5500
PP: 22/22
XP [8578/11000]
STAM [181/181]
Hunger [0/100]
STR: 11 +
VIT: 11 +
AGI: 11 +
INT: 16 +
WIS: 12 +
CH: 11 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 6
SKP: 32
Perk P: 0
PPP: 0
Credits: 4251
Species: Human
Title: The Player
Level 11
HP: 160/160
FP: 5500/5500
PP: 22/22
XP [8578/11000]
STAM [181/181]
Hunger [0/100]
STR: 11 +
VIT: 11 +
AGI: 11 +
INT: 16 +
WIS: 12 +
CH: 11 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 6
SKP: 32
Perk P: 0
PPP: 0
Credits: 4251
"Nice," I muttered. Thanks to using the skill points and my birthday surprise, I was only 2500XP from another level up.I had used Examine yesterday while having a meal with Dragon Clan to learn the levels of those around my age. Serra and Sia-Wan were the highest at 9, while Aayla had been at 8 and the others were all lower.
From that, I was working on the assumption that most levels correlated to growth since the interface's help stated that most Human adults were between levels 20 and 25, and the human body generally stopped true physical development and brain maturation around that period.
An interesting thing was that none of the Initiates had detected my usage of Examine, so I planned to use it later with Fay just before we left the Temple. Hopefully, she wouldn't sense it, but if she did, it could just be waved off as a passing feeling.
The strangest thing though was learning that using Examine on a sentient improved the Force Power Empathy, with my perk Empathy granting a bonus to experience gained for the power. I had no idea how to even use the power, but at least this meant that the perk wasn't a total waste.
Putting that to the back of my mind, I focused on what I had been planning in the sonic shower and considered my next batch of learning quests. Soon enough I had five of them.
Generational Duellist was to raise Makashi to Savant 1 within half a year and granted 3000XP.
Competent Defender was to get Soresu to Professional 1 in the same time frame and granted 1000XP.
Both of those carried two hidden objectives, though from experience I knew they were for levels 25 and 50 of the relevant strata.
Cash in Hand was a straightforward quest; have one million credits to my name by the time I was eighteen. There were four hidden objectives, and I believed those referred to completing the task early and/or having more money by the deadline.
Fluffing any of those quests would just result in a loss of XP – and a block on storing money in my inventory for a few years for Cash in Hand – so there was no real danger to them unlike some of my earlier quests which carried the threat of locked skills if failed.
Force to the Max was a quest to max out as many Force powers as possible. Each maxing granted me 1000XP, and I instantly gained that amount as Force Power: Serenity was already maxed out.
Skilled to the Max was similar Force to the Max, though it applied to skills, with each maxed skill granting me 500XP; and there I gained 1000XP for Meditation and Concentration.
That combined instant XP left me less than 500 from levelling up, which was a nice surprise, and I realized that these two quests were going to be constant, abusable means of gaining XP, as they had no time limit.
My list covering what I needed to do to prepare for the coming war was still growing, and I suspected I could adapt most of it into quests, but much of it was dependent on how much say I had in where I went with Fay, and what we would be doing over the coming months.
...
...
"Is this all you wish to take?" Fay asked me as I met her near the temple's public hangar bay.
I had only my lightsaber and a standard Jedi utility belt on me. However, I had two small bags in my Inventory; one contained a spare set of robes and the other was full of food. A careful examination of the interface help led me to learn that anything placed in my inventory was in stasis, and thus would remain in the condition it entered regardless of when I removed it.
The bags were going to be my proof of this, but if it worked, I felt I'd discovered another loophole in the strange powers I now had.
In addition to the bags, my inventory also held the remains from the two lightsabers that had been destroyed on Ilum. I estimated them to be enough to make a single new weapon. I had the crystals from those lightsabers stored separately.
I also had the three functioning lightsabers found while we were exploring the lower levels of the temple, an ancient vibroblade and blaster, along with a spare energy pack and the Sith Holocron from the ship that had brought me to Coruscant.
There were also two datapads; one with my ideas/plans/notes and the other with the data for how to return to Dromund Kaas and the flight plan of the ship the Sith had used.
"Yes, ma'am. I was not told to bring anything else." I stated as I reached her.
She placed her hand on my shoulder and seeing my chance, I placed my hand on her arm as she spoke.
"I do not know where we will go Cameron, but the Force will guide us to where we are needed. Once we reach the spaceport, we will meditate and see what path the Force has ready for us." She said with a soft smile and as she began to remove her hand, I took my shot and activated Examine.
"Master, is everything alright?" I asked as Fay stumbled backwards
"Yes, Yes. I just felt… something unusual," She said as she stared at me. "Most unusual, yet I don't think it was anything to worry about. Now come along, we have a path to find."
As she turned and began to walk, I pulled up the notice of what Examine had discovered.
Fay
Race: Sephi-Human Hybrid
Level: 50
Health: 100%
Force Potential: High
Emotional State: Relaxed/Excited
Fay is one of the oldest living members of the Jedi Order.
She feels you have a part to play in countering the darkness that has fallen across the galaxy.
Though she is uncertain of what this will mean for her and the other Jedi.
...
'Holy fuck! Level fifty!' I almost stumbled myself when I read that. That was more than double the average adult according to the help, and combined with her high Force Potential, meant she was an incredibly powerful Jedi.Race: Sephi-Human Hybrid
Level: 50
Health: 100%
Force Potential: High
Emotional State: Relaxed/Excited
Fay is one of the oldest living members of the Jedi Order.
She feels you have a part to play in countering the darkness that has fallen across the galaxy.
Though she is uncertain of what this will mean for her and the other Jedi.
...
Learning that she felt I was important but was unsure about how, was not unexpected, but the confirmation was nice. And I was glad to see she didn't feel drawn to me like, according to Examine, a few members of Dragon Clan were.
Another notice stated that I had levelled up Empathy, which was interesting, as Fay was only the ninth person I'd used Examine on. If that held true, levelling up that power was going to be easy.
As we walked to the nearest landing pad, and the waiting speeder that would take us to the spaceport, I wondered just what level Dooku and the High Council members were. I suspected that only a few would be at or higher than Fay's level.
When we returned in half a year, I would have to see where Dooku stood and compare myself to the members of Dragon Clan to see how my growth hopefully surpassed their own.
On the flight to the spaceport, I wondered just what the next few months hold, and what I could learn. I silently hoped that at least some of it would be relevant to my plans and preparations for the future.
...
The fight scene was done it a flashback style at the suggestion of my beta. It was a different way to handle a combat scene, but not something I plan to do often.
Last edited:
Children In Shadow 1
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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I felt the galactic liner we were travelling on come out of hyperspace with a gentle shudder and looked out the window at the stream of ships moving passed us as they headed to and from the Republic capital.
I was meant to have returned with Master Fay during the sixth month, but a crisis on the planet Omman Minor had taken longer than expected and we were returning to the Temple – so I could spend training time with Master Dooku – two months later than planned.
"Cameron," I turned as Fay entered our shared quarters and spoke. "We are needed in the hanger. A Republic cruiser in inbound to meet us."
"Has something happened?" I asked as I stood, made sure all my obvious things were in up my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.
The backpack contained a change of clothes for both of us and a few fruits from the ships' cafeteria. Another bag in my inventory held some of the food I had taken from the temple before we had left, which was still fresh. This exposed a major flaw in the Inventory system, but one I was not going to ignore as I had two more bags that were just able to fill a single slot full of more food.
I doubted I would ever need all that food, but with currently having twenty-six slots in my inventory – and more to come as I grew stronger – devoting some of the slots to emergency supplies was only prudent. A fourth slot contained another bag full of common electronic components and two spare communicators.
"Not that I am aware of, but I believe we will be leaving on the cruiser," Fay said we left the quarters.
As we walked through the corridors of the ship towards the hanger, I considered how the last few months had gone.
Our first stop after Coruscant had been Dantooine; I'd seen a ship heading there when we had arrived at the capital's spaceport and wanted to see if the old Jedi Temple where Revan had re-studied was still there.
It hadn't been, but the interface gave me a quest to re-discover the crystal cave before we left the planet, which I had done. Inside I'd discovered a half-dozen lightsaber crystals and a dozen Kinrath; just like in KOTOR.
Completing that quest and killing the Kinrath without using my lightsaber – Fay's idea of Force training – had helped me get to level 12.
A few more trips around the galaxy, one to Ryloth to deal with slavers – which had meant another quest and more combat XP, and maxing out the Force Power Cloak – took place before we ended up on Omman Minor.
About a week after arriving, I'd finished both lightsaber related quests, and the first bonus for each, which took me to level 13.
I now had three lightsaber quests; Expert Swordsman, Expert Defender and Legendary Duellist. The two expert quests were until my tenth birthday and offered 1500XP each as a base. That was half of what Expert Duellist had offered, but I had several months to complete them compared to just the one I'd had for Expert Duellist. An exploit I planned to use the once those quests were finished.
Legendary Duellist was to get Makashi to Prodigy 1 by my eleventh birthday for 3000XP and had four bonuses attached to it. Given the difficulty and time needed to get to Savant 1, I suspected that getting it to Prodigy 1 in six months would've been extremely difficult so, having until my eleventh birthday was safer. Also, based on past quests, and after re-reading the help about skill strata, I was working on the assumption that the extra bonuses were to cover the skill up to where I maxed it out.
I'd taken the perk Eidetic Memory at level 12, but it had been more intensive than I had expected. I'd been unconscious for three days as my mind dealt with me recalling everything I had ever seen or learnt in my previous life and minor details in my new one.
Fay had been extremely worried about me collapsing and being unconscious for so long, but I had managed to reassure her that I'd been meditating on the Force before receiving glimpses of the future. To help with that, I had given her a few hints of what I had seen in my 'visions'.
I vaguely described events from the cartoon and prequel movies, and I'd been surprised when she said she'd also seen similar hints of an oncoming storm. She had also told me that just before I arrived in this time, the Force had screamed in pain and darkness had fallen over the Force. A vision she had not long after that happened was what had drawn her back to the Temple, and me.
Eidetic Memory was… strange. Having a now perfect recall of what I knew from my old life took some getting used to. The moment I thought about certain people, either real or fictional, I could instantly remember everything I'd seen, read or heard about them. I could also vividly remember every moment I had spent with them, which was unsettling at first, but I had learnt how to control the perk activating to avoid sensory overloads.
Thanks to the perk, I now saw a possible way to make money. If I could find a place to publish stories or sell movie scripts, I should be able to earn a decent amount of money to help fund future start-ups. And there was no issue with copyright as those stories/movies/songs didn't exist here.
Though I wished I couldn't remember every word of certain songs like 'Barbie Girl' or anything by the Spice Girls.
The most useful part of Eidetic Memory was that I could now remember everyone and everything that I had learnt about Star Wars. This had expanded my list of people that needed to be handled, but I had only taken one quest so far relating to those people.
Sister of the Night was an A-rated quest to stop Asajj Ventress from joining the Separatists. However, what had stopped me from quickly adding similar quests for other people were the options given for dealing with Ventress.
I could just kill her, which offered the lowest amount of XP reward, even when factoring the XP from combat, or I could convince her to remain with the Jedi until the beginning of the Clone Wars. But what had caught my eye, and was not something I had considered before, was the option to convince her to join me in a new faction.
Sure, I had contemplated the idea a little when drawing up my lists for the future, but I hadn't given it much thought until that option was stated in the quest. Seeing it listed as an option alongside the other objectives had somehow legitimized the idea in my head from a vague notion, into the beginnings of an actual plan.
Now, I was giving serious consideration to creating a third faction; but where to start and who to recruit?
"Lost in thought again?" Fay asked, drawing me out of my reminiscing and I looked up to see her smiling down at me.
"Sorry. Just thinking about some new songs," I replied with a half-truth.
She laughed softly, drawing the attention of most people in the corridor, and ruffled my hair.
"Then I look forward to hearing them." She stated, making me smile.
One of the more unexpected things I had discovered was that I could level up singing by doing so while showering, which I had only started doing on Dantooine when our quarters had a water shower. It made sense when I thought about it, but it was unexpected.
Fay had enjoyed hearing me 'create' new songs every few weeks; though I avoided singing any love song as I was far too young – physically – to be thinking about such things.
I'd also started cooking and cleaning every day to level up those skills.
I doubted they would be useful in my future, but every skill level helped as I gained an extra stat point with two thousand overall levels, and I currently had over eight thousand.
As we entered the hanger, I saw a shuttle painted in the red of the Republic come to a stop and the ramp lower as we approached.
"Master Dooku, to what do we owe your visit?" Fay asked as her fellow Jedi Master stepped out of the shuttle.
"The High Council have an assignment, for Cameron only." He said with a creased brow as he looked down at me.
"He is being assigned alone?" Fay queried as I wondered just what the council wished for me to do; and why Dooku was so unhappy about it.
"I have been assigned as his watcher, but this is an assignment where Cameron's young age is beneficial."
Fay sighed before turning to face me. "Come Cameron. Let us see what the Council wish for you to do. Though do remember that you do not have to take the mission if you do not wish to."
Dooku's brow smoothed a touch and his lip twitched at her words and I wondered if both Jedi Masters were less than happy about taking missions from the High Council as we boarded the shuttle, which then began to lift off.
As we exited the hanger, I glanced out of the window – and while a window in a starship was awesome, it also seemed like an obvious target – and noted the Republic cruiser we were heading for was aimed away from the planet.
It was the same type of ship as would be used by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan during the Naboo crisis and was decked out in the Republic red like the shuttle. My Eidetic Memory kicked in and informed me that this was, in fact, a Consular-class cruiser, of the kind typically used by Republic diplomats.
"May I ask as to what the delay was on Omman Minor?"
Fay sighed and shook her head. "The Trade Federation felt it was acceptable to change its negotiators every few weeks. While the traders and miners on the planet were clear in how far they were willing to go, and the local government was set it what it needed, the Federation seemed intent on dragging out the talks for as long as possible."
"It is a common tactic of corporations. They hope by drawing out a negotiation where they stand to lose, hoping to find a way to alter the outcome in their favour. Was that the case this time?"
Here Fay smiled and glanced my way. "No. Cameron here was able to, ah, borrow, a datapad and used it to access their computer systems. The files he found forced the Federation to acquiesce to the demands of the traders and miners."
I shrugged as Dooku fixed me with a gaze. "It's not my fault they left the pad lying around, nor that they didn't bother to install basic security on it to prevent anyone accessing their systems," I said with a smirk.
That wasn't the full story, as I had hacked through the pad's security in a few minutes. A browse of the more recent files accessed on it showed me that someone in the Trade Federation had attempted to kidnap the Prime Minister's children.
Having that come up in the talks had destroyed their position and earned Fay and I the gratitude of the other parties.
"Hmm. While it is not the way many Jedi would attempt to help proceedings, it was effective." He said to me slowly in his formal, clipped tone. "I would suggest that you avoid mentioning the exact details of how you found the information if asked by anyone else."
I nodded in acceptance. Clearly, he suspected that I had done more than said, but wasn't going to call me out on it.
The rest of the trip to the cruiser passed quickly as Fay and Dooku talked about what had happened with our exploring and his time at the Temple. I did note that he had a few more Initiates and Padawans training in the basics of Makashi, however, he did not sound impressed with most of them.
The shuttle docked with the cruiser and we walked quickly to the bridge where a holo-table was active.
"Ah. Good to see you once more it is, Master Fay, Padawan Shan," Yoda said from the hologram. Beside him stood Master Giiett.
"Likewise, Master Yoda, Master Giiett," Fay replied with a small bow which I copied. "What is this assignment you have for our Padawan?"
"Over the last year, a little shy of three dozen children of high-ranking members of the Republic have been kidnapped," Giiett explained slowly. "Some have been returned, ransomed or rescued, others have not, and the ones that were saved were, affected by their ordeal.
"Senate security and Coruscant police are doing what they can, but they are failing to find any leads and the Chancellor has asked if we could insert Padawans at schools that seem to be at the epicentre of this problem," Giiett explained, his brow having lowered when he spoke of those that returned from their kidnapping.
"Am I to assume that the children taken are around Cameron's age?"
Yoda's brow rose. I assumed it was at hearing Fay refer to me by my given name and not title within the Order. She had dropped my title the moment we had left Coruscant saying that as we would be spending so much time together, it was better to keep things informal unless needed.
"Yes. No older than thirteen cycles, has a child taken been. The youngest Padawan in the Order, Padawan Shan is. However, assigned to the mission alone he is not."
"We've already inserted four Padawans with another three, plus Padawan Shan, due to be inserted in the next week," Giiett added, trying to allay the concern that was creeping onto Fay's face. "However, all of them are at the upper range of the age group that has been kidnapped. Cameron here is the only one who is the same age as most kidnapped children."
"How would I be inserted into a school?" I asked, figuring that there was a high chance I will take the mission. It would give me time away from Jedi scrutiny that I could use to being planning which events and people I needed to target to alter events to my benefit.
"Just having a bunch of new kids appear in a school would alert the kidnappers; as would any of us turning up in Jedi robes," I added, explaining my reasoning.
Giiett gave a wide smile. "I was certain you would be a good choice for this assignment." He said before glancing at Yoda. "Each Padawan is being assigned as a child, or relative, of certain individuals in power. These people are friends of the Jedi and trustworthy, and each has contacts with members of our Order. Master Dooku here is friends with the Senator we wish to place you with."
Dooku gave the slightest of nods at this, and since he was staying quiet, I suspected he had already been given the details of the operation. Though the crease in his brow that had been there aboard the liner was still present, suggesting a dislike for something about the mission.
"How long would the assignment last and what will happen with regards to his Jedi training?" Fey queried.
"We expect the assignment will take no longer than a year but hope it to be concluded within half that time. Arrangements have also been made for the Padawans to train in the evening at their temporary residences."
"An opinion on this assignment, you have, Padawan?" Yoda asked, having been watching me carefully as Fay had spoken with Giiett.
"Yes, sir. I think I am ok with doing this. However, I want to see all the files related to it. I'd like extensive files about the former victims and anything those saved or rescued have given to the police. And I'd also like to know what my cover will be."
Saying all that likely risked revealing I was far, far smarter than any of them – save Fay who I had spent the last eight months with – expected. However, there was no way I was going to walk into something like this missing information. Doing that had been drilled into me in my past life as how to get yourself killed.
Giiett's smile grew. "Master Dooku had already requested everything the Senate and Police have on the matter, but it is encouraging to hear one so young realise that what you don't know can get you into trouble."
I glanced at Dooku, whose brow had eased a little, and he gave me a small nod and the slightest of smiles, before turning back to the two council members.
"Very well, then. Provided that both my masters are ok with this, I accept." I said, spotting that a new quest alert notice had appeared in my log. It was nice to see that if the High Council gave me a mission, it would generate a related quest if I accepted the mission. Otherwise, I felt I would be missing out on XP.
Fay and Dooku shared a glance. One that again suggested to me that Jedi had a way to communicate telepathically.
"Very well," Fay stated with a sigh and a frown of her own. "However, I request that Cameron is given an emergency beacon. There is no way for us to be certain how this will go, and I will not risk my Padawan without giving him the best chance to survive."
Giiett nodded and looked directly at Fay. "I understand your concerns, Master Fay. I have already made certain all Padawans assigned are given such beacons. Also, my Padawan is the eldest assigned to the mission and will be in the same school as Cameron."
"Thank you Master Giiett. Is anything else?" Fay asked, her face now relaxed back to its usual setting of serene calmness.
"Discussed here, nothing else needs to be," Yoda replied. "Hope you will stay in the Temple, for now, I do."
"Yes, Master."
Fay closed the channel and then to Dooku.
"Which Senator?"
"Senator Palpatine of Naboo," Dooku replied and I felt my heart sink. I activated Player's Mind with a thought to avoid either Jedi Master picking up on my distress as I realised that I was going to have to potentially spend a year in the presence of the future Emperor.
I could have used Empathic Shield, which was a power taught to me by Fay on Omman Minor that let me block my emotions from beings that could sense them. However, the power was only at Adept 75 and would only block my emotions from beings with Wisdom of less than fifteen. Given that mine was at thirteen, it was safe to assume that the Jedi Masters were all much wiser than that. Though I did wonder if there was a way for me to see stats for other beings. Perhaps a future perk would enhance Examine to allow this.
As my two masters moved away from me to talk, I wondered if this whole situation was drawn up by Sidious and his master to get close to me, to examine if I was the Chosen One. I had no idea who was Sidious' master. I knew it was someone called Darth Plagueis, as that had been confirmed in the series finale of The Clone Wars cartoon, but the problem was that Plagueis was the title given to him by his master. There was no way of telling what his real identity was at this point.
"Cameron?" I turned at hearing my name and saw the two Jedi Masters looking at me. "Is something the matter?"
"I was thinking about why someone would kidnap children," I replied, covering my reason for being lost in my thoughts with a half-truth.
"Sadly, there are many in the galaxy that would exploit any weakness for power," Fay replied with a sigh.
"That is true. However, this case is most peculiar," Dooku countered. "The children taken are all Human or near-Human, and most have been between one-thirty and one-fifty centimetres in height. They also have had brown or black hair. While some girls have been taken, most of the kidnapped have been male with short hair."
I frowned as that fit a very vague description of me. I was currently one-forty-five in height and had short, brown hair; though mine had a gentle wave to it that Fay enjoyed ruffling.
"Cameron certainly fits that criteria," Fay said, mirroring my thoughts. "What else have you discovered from the files?"
Dooku bowed a touch while extending his arm towards a nearby table. "There are a few things that I think are interesting. Perhaps we should all peruse them together?"
We settled down around the table as Dooku worked the console for the holographic display and began to discuss the mission.
...
...
I watched as the cruiser that had collected me when I had last been in-system began its descent into the clouds of Coruscant and wondered for the umpteenth time if I was walking into a trap.
I had travelled with Fay and Dooku to Naboo on the cruiser and stayed there for a few days as guests of King Veruna; the current ruler of Naboo. The king was aware of my mission and arranged for me to be 'discovered' in the village near another city where my 'parents' had died in a farming accident.
A routine blood check for relatives had shown a link to House Palpatine and I was brought to the palace to meet the King and Dooku; who would escort me to Coruscant to meet my long-lost uncle.
The time on Naboo had been boring but getting in several hours of training with Dooku each day for the trip was useful as it lifted my Makashi skill to Savant 49. I planned to spend my time at Palpatine's just levelling up Shii-Cho and Soresu so long as Dooku wasn't present as it was a perfect time to train those up without worrying about being seen by Jedi masters.
Additionally, Soresu was more defensive and I suspected that Palpatine would look down on it, which I could use to remove some of his interest in me or exploit to increase it. I still wasn't certain about how to play this, but I knew that both he and his master were watching me. I just needed them to not be too interested as I had no desire to join them or have Maul come after me before I was ready.
I was thinking about taking out the Zabrak Sith before the Invasion of Naboo, but nothing concrete or in the form of a quest yet.
"Padawan, are you prepared?" Dooku asked as he stepped beside me.
"Yes, sir," I replied as I unclipped my lightsaber and handed it to him. I couldn't take it with me, but Dooku would return it to me in a few days when he came to check on how I was settling in with my 'uncle'.
Dooku slid my lightsaber into his robes, making sure it wasn't as visible as his own, before turning to watch our descent.
"This mission is dangerous Padawan, but it does have a few benefits. You will be able to observe how the Galactic Senate works. Also, you have the chance to learn from one of the few Senators I feel has the interests of the people at heart and not their own personal greed."
"I am not sure Master Fay would be so keen on me learning about the Senate," I replied. This earned me a single chuckle from Dooku.
"Yes. Master Fay has an even lower opinion of the Senate, and most of the planet, than I do. Still, even she agreed that being able to watch how the Senate works would help you see some of the issues facing the Republic."
I nodded and silently wondered where Fay was. She had left the cruiser discreetly once we had landed on Naboo and would go back to following the will of the Force until the mission was completed and Dooku contacted her.
I had gotten very used to be around the elf-like alien and not seeing her smile, or hearing her gentle laughter was strange.
"You remember your role?" he asked, and I nodded.
"Cameron Shan. Born one, fifteen, nine-five-one ARR in a village on the outskirts of Keren. When my parents died, a blood test showed I was related to House Palpatine, so I'm being brought to Coruscant to meet my uncle." I replied without any real care as this was the three-hundredth and eighty-seventh time Dooku had probed me on the basic details. Eidetic Memory had its drawbacks.
"Try to be more convincing when asked about your past by your new teachers and fellow students," Dooku warned, though he failed to comment on how uninterested I was in repeating the details to him.
"Master Dooku, we will be arriving at the landing pad in a few minutes." A crewmember stated as he appeared behind us in the doorway. "The Captain says to use the hatch three to exit."
"Thank you."
We moved quickly to the hatch and felt the ship come to a stop with a gentle thud as it touched down.
"Stay behind me and remember to look in awe. This is your first time on Coruscant."
"Yes sir," I replied as the hatch opened quickly with a hiss.
I followed Dooku out, taking an apparent tentative step out, only to stop and gaze up at the buildings that surrounded the landing site.
Honestly, I had expected us to land on a platform like the one seen at the beginning of Episode II, but we had, in fact, landed somewhere near the Senate, as the large, mushroom-like building dominated my sight. It wasn't hard to appear in awe as the building was impressive, even if I had no desire to set foot inside the building.
"Mister Shan!" I spun at Dooku's sharp tone and saw he was standing a few meters away with Palpatine and, in an unexpected twist, the newly elected Chancellor Valorum.
That meant the trio were surrounded by a group of Senate guards while I could see a throng of media further back; camera droids floating around.
I scampered over to where they were, trying my best to ignore the flashing lights from the media while activating Player's Mind.
"Senator, may I present Cameron Shan," Dooku stated a little louder than normal, as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Ah, my long-lost nephew. It's a pleasure to finally have a family again." Palpatine said with a smile that matched the one he used around Anakin. "I had honestly given up hope of ever having anyone to continue my family's name and legacy after I was gone."
I ignored the retort bouncing around my head about him wanting to become an Emperor, and probably find a way to rule forever, and shook his hand slowly. "Hello, Senator."
His smile slipped a touch and he placed his other hand on the shoulder that Dooku had just touched. "There is no need for that Cameron. To you, and only you, I am Uncle Sheev."
I nodded and gave him a small smile. "Ok, Uncle." Man, this was going to be a weird mission.
Palpatine's smile grew into a grin and he pulled me gently into a hug. I returned it slowly, both playing the role of a confused child and trying to ignore the insanity of hugging a Sith Lord while ignoring the massive increase in flashing from the media.
Give the man his credit, he knew how to use the media to his advantage.
"Ah, where are my manners. Cameron, may I introduce Chancellor Finis Valorum." Palpatine said as he broke the hug, having milked the moment enough for his liking.
"Um, I… Do I bow or something?" I asked slowly to Palpatine and Dooku after seeming to stammer over what to do.
This earned laughter from all three men and Valorum shook his head.
"No, no. There is no need for that. Your uncle is a friend, and when I heard about him discovering a lost relative, I wanted to meet you." Valorum stated, again loudly enough for the nearby media to hear.
"Perhaps we might move to a more reserved area," Dooku said slowly, glancing over at the media and I wondered if he was thinking like me in sending them all away with a blast of TK like I wanted to do.
"Yes, yes. You are quite right Master Dooku," Palpatine agreed giving the Jedi a wide smile. "I was hoping we might also talk in private. I wish to hear how you are doing as well as get to know my nephew here."
He turned to Valorum and lowered his head a touch. "Thank you, Chancellor, for coming with me to meet young Cameron. It was an unexpected delight to be able to introduce my nephew to the most powerful man in the Republic."
I had to resist rolling my eyes at Palpatine's words. However, they seemed to work as Valorum stood a little straighter and smiled.
"It was my pleasure Senator. Perhaps, once your nephew has settled in, you might bring him to the Senate. I'm sure the boy would love to see where you work."
"An excellent idea Chancellor. Would you like that Cameron?"
"I wouldn't want to be a problem," I replied, dearly hoping to avoid spending any time surrounded by a bunch of self-serving politicians. Honestly, spending time alone with a Sith Lord sounded more appealing.
"Nonsense. We regularly have children in the building, whether on school tours or training with the Republic Legislative Branch." Valorum said, killing my hopes to avoid the place. "I am sure your uncle cannot wait to show you around where he works."
"Then I am honoured to accept Chancellor," I stated, giving him a very slight bow. This made the man preen a bit more and earned me a smirk from my new uncle. I did though wonder if Palpatine wasn't planning to use having a nephew for some political gain. If he did, I would have to try my best to fuck things up.
"Excellent. Sheev, when you do bring him in, inform my office and we will see about getting him arranging a special tour."
"Of course, Chancellor. Thank you."
We took our leave of the Chancellor and all three of us boarded a shuttle that quickly banked away from the landing pad and the Senate.
"I must say, I am impressed with how you handled your role young Padawan," Palpatine said as the shuttle slipped into the commuter traffic and we were away from everyone else. "I was unaware that Jedi children were trained in the art of deception."
"They are not. Padawan Shan, however, has very quickly shown himself to be a cut above your average Jedi child." Dooku explained slowly and I worried about how much about me he would reveal to the Senator. "He is far more intelligent than others his age and has shown an aptitude for knowing how to adapt to a situation, even if his methods are still rudimentary."
"Indeed. Then I look forward to helping him grow over the next few months." Palpatine turned his attention to me. "I am curious as to what you think of the Chancellor?"
"I wouldn't wish to talk about someone I've only met twice," I replied attempting to avoid the question.
Palpatine chuckled softly. "Yes, I see what you mean Master Dooku. A very wise answer young one. It is never smart to make full judgements regarding someone without first observing them carefully through both their words and deeds."
I nodded once, accepting the praise. Though mentally I was now certain that, even if the disappearing children was not the result of his actions, getting me to be assigned to him was.
The rest of the trip was short, Palpatine and Dooku conversing about seemingly random things though I did wonder if Palpatine asking about these topics in a way to influence Dooku. He would have needed at least a decade to convince Dooku to turn to the Sith – and get Sifo-Dyas to order the clone army – and each step would have needed to be small, almost inconsequential in nature to avoid arousing Dooku's suspicion.
The pair didn't speak to me again, which left me free to watch a master orator work. Just twenty minutes resulted in a level up to Persuasion and had me in something of a bind.
Speaking with and watching Palpatine would be a certain way to improve my charisma-based skills. But doing so risked increasing his interest in me and inadvertently helping him turn Dooku to his side. I was going to have to be very careful about how I behaved the next few months and find a balance between learning from the Senator without being drawn into his web with Dooku.
I was drawn from my thoughts as the shuttle touched down.
"It seems we have arrived. Perhaps, we could continue this in my apartment?" Palpatine asked Dooku.
"Sadly, I must return to the Temple. Several of Padawan Shan's old clanmates have shown an interest in Makashi. Even if they are not remotely near his level, I would be remiss in not ensuring their training is handled competently." Dooku replied, which had me both happy and worried.
Dooku would now get away from Palpatine, but that left me all alone with a Sith Lord. What fun.
"Ah, well then I shall not keep you. The training of the future of your Order is of the utmost importance."
The fact he could say that and appear so genuine was impressive.
"Indeed." Dooku turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Cameron, the Senator has converted one of the rooms in his suite into a private area for you. You are free to train there but do not disturb him unless you must. I will communicate with you this evening to ensure you have settled in."
"Yes, sir."
Dooku said his goodbye to Palpatine and stayed on the shuttle as we stepped off.
Once inside the impressive building, and after having had me logged in as a resident, we stepped into a very luxurious elevator which had its outer wall replaced by plexiglass to allow anyone inside a view of the surrounding buildings.
"I noticed you did not refer to your master by his rank. I was under the impression that all Jedi were required to do so."
Not wanting to look at him, I kept my eyes focused on the cityscape outside the elevator as I answered.
"We are required to show respect to those above us, but to me, I find the usage of the term master could easily suggest submission and servitude to others. Thankfully, my Masters Dooku and Fay are willing to allow me this leeway."
"Hmm, I had not considered that before." A glance via his reflection in the plexiglass showed me that he was rubbing his chin in apparent thought. "Yes, I can see how calling someone 'master' could be misconstrued. With slavery still rampant in areas of the galaxy, using such a term could indeed suggest ownership of one being over another. I must say, I am surprised that one so young would see such an issue where even the Jedi High Council seem blind."
"Less blind than more stuck in their ways," I found myself responding. "The Order has stood for a thousand years without threat. It, they, have possibly become somewhat complacent, which can be seen as the shadow of arrogance."
I managed to avoid frowning at how open I was suddenly being as I noted that Player's Mind had stopped as my PP had run out. I engaged Empathic Shield, which now stood at Professional 15, and knew it would be about an hour without meditation until my PP was fully restored. I was beginning to dislike using Player's Mind so much, but around someone as manipulative as Palpatine, I knew I was going to need it. A lot.
"You feel the Jedi have lost their way?"
"Yes and no." I paused to consider how to answer this. My feelings on the Jedi and their methods are coloured by my opinions about why they fell and then having to spend a year plus dealing with their indoctrination. "I think the Jedi have become…complacent, and in ways, stagnant. They believe the Sith are gone, that nothing stands against them."
"And you feel otherwise?" he probed gently as the air seemingly got colder.
"Maybe. I… I don't know. But there cannot be light without darkness, nor darkness without the light. The two define each other. Perhaps the Sith are long gone, but that does not mean the dark side is gone. It is still a part of the Force and that, from what I have been told and learnt myself, is always there."
That was a mix of my own opinion on the Force from my previous life, what the Jedi had taught, and what I had taken from my talk with Revan on Ilum. Whether it was accurate or not, I knew that revealing it to the High Council would result in me being labelled as 'Grey'. And that was a term I felt was impossible with the way the Jedi, and possibly the Sith, saw the Force.
"Hmm. A most intriguing theory Cameron. I can see why Master Dooku speaks so highly of you."
Any further discussion was thankfully cut off as the doors opened and Palpatine stepped forward to access a console next to a door.
As it slid open, he turned back to me and smiled. "Later I will have one of my assistants assign an entry code for you."
I nodded and followed him inside, seeing an older man of average height with thinning black hair waiting.
"Ah Sate, this is Cameron. He will be staying with me for the next few months. Cameron, this is my most trusted adjunct, Sate Pestage. If you need anything, either to help with your Jedi studies or to maintain your cover, do not hesitate to ask Sate."
"Greetings Padawan," Sate said with a slight narrowing of his eyes. "Please come this way so I may show you to your room."
"Go with him, Cameron. I have work to attend too but we can speak more over dinner."
"Yes, sir."
"This is your assigned area. Be sure to stay here outside of mealtimes. The Senator is a very busy man and will not be able to hold your hand as your Jedi Master would." Sate said in a voice that was barely better than a sneer.
"So I should bother you instead?" I asked, taking the chance to needle the man who I was already starting to dislike.
His face twisted in annoyance. "If you must. But I will often be occupied with work for the Senator."
"Ah, then thank you in advance," I said, extending my hand.
Sate was slow to shake my hand, but the moment he did, I used Examine.
I now knew that Palpatine was using the kidnappings to observe me and with Sate seemingly knowing that Palpatine was Sidious, it earned him a spot on my kill list alongside people like Pre Vizsla and Mas Amedda.
Around Sate I was going to be even more careful than with Palpatine as I did not want to tip my hand before I was old/strong enough to stand on my own before dealing with Palpatine's helpers.
"Well this is going to be an interesting few months," I muttered as I opened the wardrobe and saw an array of clothing for me to wear. All of it looked to be expensive and in my size.
I understood the need for the clothes as I was now family of a very powerful man, and I was looking forward to not having to wear Jedi robes for the first time in nearly two years. Brown and beige just weren't my colours.
As I examined the clothes, I cast Detection but narrowed it to only cover the room. I didn't want the power to ping Palpatine was Force-sensitive and hoped it would detect any surveillance equipment in the room.
Sadly, it did not. Whether that was because the power was only at Adept 15 or because it just wasn't designed to do so, I didn't know.
Now I was going to have to search the room for hidden recording devices without letting on that I was doing so. Whether they were present or not was going to affect my nightly training sessions, and possibly how openly I spoke with Dooku when he visited.
"This one," I muttered as I pulled out an olive-green shirt. One of my exes had said the colour went well with my old emerald green eyes, so I curious if that was still true for my new amber-green ones.
However, this mission played out, I was certainly going to 'borrow' some of the clothing. If I didn't keep them, they could be sold for some cash and would help me find colours and styles to wear once I could stop wearing standard Jedi robes.
I was meant to have returned with Master Fay during the sixth month, but a crisis on the planet Omman Minor had taken longer than expected and we were returning to the Temple – so I could spend training time with Master Dooku – two months later than planned.
"Cameron," I turned as Fay entered our shared quarters and spoke. "We are needed in the hanger. A Republic cruiser in inbound to meet us."
"Has something happened?" I asked as I stood, made sure all my obvious things were in up my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.
The backpack contained a change of clothes for both of us and a few fruits from the ships' cafeteria. Another bag in my inventory held some of the food I had taken from the temple before we had left, which was still fresh. This exposed a major flaw in the Inventory system, but one I was not going to ignore as I had two more bags that were just able to fill a single slot full of more food.
I doubted I would ever need all that food, but with currently having twenty-six slots in my inventory – and more to come as I grew stronger – devoting some of the slots to emergency supplies was only prudent. A fourth slot contained another bag full of common electronic components and two spare communicators.
"Not that I am aware of, but I believe we will be leaving on the cruiser," Fay said we left the quarters.
As we walked through the corridors of the ship towards the hanger, I considered how the last few months had gone.
Our first stop after Coruscant had been Dantooine; I'd seen a ship heading there when we had arrived at the capital's spaceport and wanted to see if the old Jedi Temple where Revan had re-studied was still there.
It hadn't been, but the interface gave me a quest to re-discover the crystal cave before we left the planet, which I had done. Inside I'd discovered a half-dozen lightsaber crystals and a dozen Kinrath; just like in KOTOR.
Completing that quest and killing the Kinrath without using my lightsaber – Fay's idea of Force training – had helped me get to level 12.
A few more trips around the galaxy, one to Ryloth to deal with slavers – which had meant another quest and more combat XP, and maxing out the Force Power Cloak – took place before we ended up on Omman Minor.
About a week after arriving, I'd finished both lightsaber related quests, and the first bonus for each, which took me to level 13.
I now had three lightsaber quests; Expert Swordsman, Expert Defender and Legendary Duellist. The two expert quests were until my tenth birthday and offered 1500XP each as a base. That was half of what Expert Duellist had offered, but I had several months to complete them compared to just the one I'd had for Expert Duellist. An exploit I planned to use the once those quests were finished.
Legendary Duellist was to get Makashi to Prodigy 1 by my eleventh birthday for 3000XP and had four bonuses attached to it. Given the difficulty and time needed to get to Savant 1, I suspected that getting it to Prodigy 1 in six months would've been extremely difficult so, having until my eleventh birthday was safer. Also, based on past quests, and after re-reading the help about skill strata, I was working on the assumption that the extra bonuses were to cover the skill up to where I maxed it out.
I'd taken the perk Eidetic Memory at level 12, but it had been more intensive than I had expected. I'd been unconscious for three days as my mind dealt with me recalling everything I had ever seen or learnt in my previous life and minor details in my new one.
Fay had been extremely worried about me collapsing and being unconscious for so long, but I had managed to reassure her that I'd been meditating on the Force before receiving glimpses of the future. To help with that, I had given her a few hints of what I had seen in my 'visions'.
I vaguely described events from the cartoon and prequel movies, and I'd been surprised when she said she'd also seen similar hints of an oncoming storm. She had also told me that just before I arrived in this time, the Force had screamed in pain and darkness had fallen over the Force. A vision she had not long after that happened was what had drawn her back to the Temple, and me.
Eidetic Memory was… strange. Having a now perfect recall of what I knew from my old life took some getting used to. The moment I thought about certain people, either real or fictional, I could instantly remember everything I'd seen, read or heard about them. I could also vividly remember every moment I had spent with them, which was unsettling at first, but I had learnt how to control the perk activating to avoid sensory overloads.
Thanks to the perk, I now saw a possible way to make money. If I could find a place to publish stories or sell movie scripts, I should be able to earn a decent amount of money to help fund future start-ups. And there was no issue with copyright as those stories/movies/songs didn't exist here.
Though I wished I couldn't remember every word of certain songs like 'Barbie Girl' or anything by the Spice Girls.
The most useful part of Eidetic Memory was that I could now remember everyone and everything that I had learnt about Star Wars. This had expanded my list of people that needed to be handled, but I had only taken one quest so far relating to those people.
Sister of the Night was an A-rated quest to stop Asajj Ventress from joining the Separatists. However, what had stopped me from quickly adding similar quests for other people were the options given for dealing with Ventress.
I could just kill her, which offered the lowest amount of XP reward, even when factoring the XP from combat, or I could convince her to remain with the Jedi until the beginning of the Clone Wars. But what had caught my eye, and was not something I had considered before, was the option to convince her to join me in a new faction.
Sure, I had contemplated the idea a little when drawing up my lists for the future, but I hadn't given it much thought until that option was stated in the quest. Seeing it listed as an option alongside the other objectives had somehow legitimized the idea in my head from a vague notion, into the beginnings of an actual plan.
Now, I was giving serious consideration to creating a third faction; but where to start and who to recruit?
"Lost in thought again?" Fay asked, drawing me out of my reminiscing and I looked up to see her smiling down at me.
"Sorry. Just thinking about some new songs," I replied with a half-truth.
She laughed softly, drawing the attention of most people in the corridor, and ruffled my hair.
"Then I look forward to hearing them." She stated, making me smile.
One of the more unexpected things I had discovered was that I could level up singing by doing so while showering, which I had only started doing on Dantooine when our quarters had a water shower. It made sense when I thought about it, but it was unexpected.
Fay had enjoyed hearing me 'create' new songs every few weeks; though I avoided singing any love song as I was far too young – physically – to be thinking about such things.
I'd also started cooking and cleaning every day to level up those skills.
I doubted they would be useful in my future, but every skill level helped as I gained an extra stat point with two thousand overall levels, and I currently had over eight thousand.
As we entered the hanger, I saw a shuttle painted in the red of the Republic come to a stop and the ramp lower as we approached.
"Master Dooku, to what do we owe your visit?" Fay asked as her fellow Jedi Master stepped out of the shuttle.
"The High Council have an assignment, for Cameron only." He said with a creased brow as he looked down at me.
"He is being assigned alone?" Fay queried as I wondered just what the council wished for me to do; and why Dooku was so unhappy about it.
"I have been assigned as his watcher, but this is an assignment where Cameron's young age is beneficial."
Fay sighed before turning to face me. "Come Cameron. Let us see what the Council wish for you to do. Though do remember that you do not have to take the mission if you do not wish to."
Dooku's brow smoothed a touch and his lip twitched at her words and I wondered if both Jedi Masters were less than happy about taking missions from the High Council as we boarded the shuttle, which then began to lift off.
As we exited the hanger, I glanced out of the window – and while a window in a starship was awesome, it also seemed like an obvious target – and noted the Republic cruiser we were heading for was aimed away from the planet.
It was the same type of ship as would be used by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan during the Naboo crisis and was decked out in the Republic red like the shuttle. My Eidetic Memory kicked in and informed me that this was, in fact, a Consular-class cruiser, of the kind typically used by Republic diplomats.
"May I ask as to what the delay was on Omman Minor?"
Fay sighed and shook her head. "The Trade Federation felt it was acceptable to change its negotiators every few weeks. While the traders and miners on the planet were clear in how far they were willing to go, and the local government was set it what it needed, the Federation seemed intent on dragging out the talks for as long as possible."
"It is a common tactic of corporations. They hope by drawing out a negotiation where they stand to lose, hoping to find a way to alter the outcome in their favour. Was that the case this time?"
Here Fay smiled and glanced my way. "No. Cameron here was able to, ah, borrow, a datapad and used it to access their computer systems. The files he found forced the Federation to acquiesce to the demands of the traders and miners."
I shrugged as Dooku fixed me with a gaze. "It's not my fault they left the pad lying around, nor that they didn't bother to install basic security on it to prevent anyone accessing their systems," I said with a smirk.
That wasn't the full story, as I had hacked through the pad's security in a few minutes. A browse of the more recent files accessed on it showed me that someone in the Trade Federation had attempted to kidnap the Prime Minister's children.
Having that come up in the talks had destroyed their position and earned Fay and I the gratitude of the other parties.
"Hmm. While it is not the way many Jedi would attempt to help proceedings, it was effective." He said to me slowly in his formal, clipped tone. "I would suggest that you avoid mentioning the exact details of how you found the information if asked by anyone else."
I nodded in acceptance. Clearly, he suspected that I had done more than said, but wasn't going to call me out on it.
The rest of the trip to the cruiser passed quickly as Fay and Dooku talked about what had happened with our exploring and his time at the Temple. I did note that he had a few more Initiates and Padawans training in the basics of Makashi, however, he did not sound impressed with most of them.
The shuttle docked with the cruiser and we walked quickly to the bridge where a holo-table was active.
"Ah. Good to see you once more it is, Master Fay, Padawan Shan," Yoda said from the hologram. Beside him stood Master Giiett.
"Likewise, Master Yoda, Master Giiett," Fay replied with a small bow which I copied. "What is this assignment you have for our Padawan?"
"Over the last year, a little shy of three dozen children of high-ranking members of the Republic have been kidnapped," Giiett explained slowly. "Some have been returned, ransomed or rescued, others have not, and the ones that were saved were, affected by their ordeal.
"Senate security and Coruscant police are doing what they can, but they are failing to find any leads and the Chancellor has asked if we could insert Padawans at schools that seem to be at the epicentre of this problem," Giiett explained, his brow having lowered when he spoke of those that returned from their kidnapping.
"Am I to assume that the children taken are around Cameron's age?"
Yoda's brow rose. I assumed it was at hearing Fay refer to me by my given name and not title within the Order. She had dropped my title the moment we had left Coruscant saying that as we would be spending so much time together, it was better to keep things informal unless needed.
"Yes. No older than thirteen cycles, has a child taken been. The youngest Padawan in the Order, Padawan Shan is. However, assigned to the mission alone he is not."
"We've already inserted four Padawans with another three, plus Padawan Shan, due to be inserted in the next week," Giiett added, trying to allay the concern that was creeping onto Fay's face. "However, all of them are at the upper range of the age group that has been kidnapped. Cameron here is the only one who is the same age as most kidnapped children."
"How would I be inserted into a school?" I asked, figuring that there was a high chance I will take the mission. It would give me time away from Jedi scrutiny that I could use to being planning which events and people I needed to target to alter events to my benefit.
"Just having a bunch of new kids appear in a school would alert the kidnappers; as would any of us turning up in Jedi robes," I added, explaining my reasoning.
Giiett gave a wide smile. "I was certain you would be a good choice for this assignment." He said before glancing at Yoda. "Each Padawan is being assigned as a child, or relative, of certain individuals in power. These people are friends of the Jedi and trustworthy, and each has contacts with members of our Order. Master Dooku here is friends with the Senator we wish to place you with."
Dooku gave the slightest of nods at this, and since he was staying quiet, I suspected he had already been given the details of the operation. Though the crease in his brow that had been there aboard the liner was still present, suggesting a dislike for something about the mission.
"How long would the assignment last and what will happen with regards to his Jedi training?" Fey queried.
"We expect the assignment will take no longer than a year but hope it to be concluded within half that time. Arrangements have also been made for the Padawans to train in the evening at their temporary residences."
"An opinion on this assignment, you have, Padawan?" Yoda asked, having been watching me carefully as Fay had spoken with Giiett.
"Yes, sir. I think I am ok with doing this. However, I want to see all the files related to it. I'd like extensive files about the former victims and anything those saved or rescued have given to the police. And I'd also like to know what my cover will be."
Saying all that likely risked revealing I was far, far smarter than any of them – save Fay who I had spent the last eight months with – expected. However, there was no way I was going to walk into something like this missing information. Doing that had been drilled into me in my past life as how to get yourself killed.
Giiett's smile grew. "Master Dooku had already requested everything the Senate and Police have on the matter, but it is encouraging to hear one so young realise that what you don't know can get you into trouble."
I glanced at Dooku, whose brow had eased a little, and he gave me a small nod and the slightest of smiles, before turning back to the two council members.
"Very well, then. Provided that both my masters are ok with this, I accept." I said, spotting that a new quest alert notice had appeared in my log. It was nice to see that if the High Council gave me a mission, it would generate a related quest if I accepted the mission. Otherwise, I felt I would be missing out on XP.
Fay and Dooku shared a glance. One that again suggested to me that Jedi had a way to communicate telepathically.
"Very well," Fay stated with a sigh and a frown of her own. "However, I request that Cameron is given an emergency beacon. There is no way for us to be certain how this will go, and I will not risk my Padawan without giving him the best chance to survive."
Giiett nodded and looked directly at Fay. "I understand your concerns, Master Fay. I have already made certain all Padawans assigned are given such beacons. Also, my Padawan is the eldest assigned to the mission and will be in the same school as Cameron."
"Thank you Master Giiett. Is anything else?" Fay asked, her face now relaxed back to its usual setting of serene calmness.
"Discussed here, nothing else needs to be," Yoda replied. "Hope you will stay in the Temple, for now, I do."
"Yes, Master."
Fay closed the channel and then to Dooku.
"Which Senator?"
"Senator Palpatine of Naboo," Dooku replied and I felt my heart sink. I activated Player's Mind with a thought to avoid either Jedi Master picking up on my distress as I realised that I was going to have to potentially spend a year in the presence of the future Emperor.
I could have used Empathic Shield, which was a power taught to me by Fay on Omman Minor that let me block my emotions from beings that could sense them. However, the power was only at Adept 75 and would only block my emotions from beings with Wisdom of less than fifteen. Given that mine was at thirteen, it was safe to assume that the Jedi Masters were all much wiser than that. Though I did wonder if there was a way for me to see stats for other beings. Perhaps a future perk would enhance Examine to allow this.
As my two masters moved away from me to talk, I wondered if this whole situation was drawn up by Sidious and his master to get close to me, to examine if I was the Chosen One. I had no idea who was Sidious' master. I knew it was someone called Darth Plagueis, as that had been confirmed in the series finale of The Clone Wars cartoon, but the problem was that Plagueis was the title given to him by his master. There was no way of telling what his real identity was at this point.
"Cameron?" I turned at hearing my name and saw the two Jedi Masters looking at me. "Is something the matter?"
"I was thinking about why someone would kidnap children," I replied, covering my reason for being lost in my thoughts with a half-truth.
"Sadly, there are many in the galaxy that would exploit any weakness for power," Fay replied with a sigh.
"That is true. However, this case is most peculiar," Dooku countered. "The children taken are all Human or near-Human, and most have been between one-thirty and one-fifty centimetres in height. They also have had brown or black hair. While some girls have been taken, most of the kidnapped have been male with short hair."
I frowned as that fit a very vague description of me. I was currently one-forty-five in height and had short, brown hair; though mine had a gentle wave to it that Fay enjoyed ruffling.
"Cameron certainly fits that criteria," Fay said, mirroring my thoughts. "What else have you discovered from the files?"
Dooku bowed a touch while extending his arm towards a nearby table. "There are a few things that I think are interesting. Perhaps we should all peruse them together?"
We settled down around the table as Dooku worked the console for the holographic display and began to discuss the mission.
...
...
I watched as the cruiser that had collected me when I had last been in-system began its descent into the clouds of Coruscant and wondered for the umpteenth time if I was walking into a trap.
I had travelled with Fay and Dooku to Naboo on the cruiser and stayed there for a few days as guests of King Veruna; the current ruler of Naboo. The king was aware of my mission and arranged for me to be 'discovered' in the village near another city where my 'parents' had died in a farming accident.
A routine blood check for relatives had shown a link to House Palpatine and I was brought to the palace to meet the King and Dooku; who would escort me to Coruscant to meet my long-lost uncle.
The time on Naboo had been boring but getting in several hours of training with Dooku each day for the trip was useful as it lifted my Makashi skill to Savant 49. I planned to spend my time at Palpatine's just levelling up Shii-Cho and Soresu so long as Dooku wasn't present as it was a perfect time to train those up without worrying about being seen by Jedi masters.
Additionally, Soresu was more defensive and I suspected that Palpatine would look down on it, which I could use to remove some of his interest in me or exploit to increase it. I still wasn't certain about how to play this, but I knew that both he and his master were watching me. I just needed them to not be too interested as I had no desire to join them or have Maul come after me before I was ready.
I was thinking about taking out the Zabrak Sith before the Invasion of Naboo, but nothing concrete or in the form of a quest yet.
"Padawan, are you prepared?" Dooku asked as he stepped beside me.
"Yes, sir," I replied as I unclipped my lightsaber and handed it to him. I couldn't take it with me, but Dooku would return it to me in a few days when he came to check on how I was settling in with my 'uncle'.
Dooku slid my lightsaber into his robes, making sure it wasn't as visible as his own, before turning to watch our descent.
"This mission is dangerous Padawan, but it does have a few benefits. You will be able to observe how the Galactic Senate works. Also, you have the chance to learn from one of the few Senators I feel has the interests of the people at heart and not their own personal greed."
"I am not sure Master Fay would be so keen on me learning about the Senate," I replied. This earned me a single chuckle from Dooku.
"Yes. Master Fay has an even lower opinion of the Senate, and most of the planet, than I do. Still, even she agreed that being able to watch how the Senate works would help you see some of the issues facing the Republic."
I nodded and silently wondered where Fay was. She had left the cruiser discreetly once we had landed on Naboo and would go back to following the will of the Force until the mission was completed and Dooku contacted her.
I had gotten very used to be around the elf-like alien and not seeing her smile, or hearing her gentle laughter was strange.
"You remember your role?" he asked, and I nodded.
"Cameron Shan. Born one, fifteen, nine-five-one ARR in a village on the outskirts of Keren. When my parents died, a blood test showed I was related to House Palpatine, so I'm being brought to Coruscant to meet my uncle." I replied without any real care as this was the three-hundredth and eighty-seventh time Dooku had probed me on the basic details. Eidetic Memory had its drawbacks.
"Try to be more convincing when asked about your past by your new teachers and fellow students," Dooku warned, though he failed to comment on how uninterested I was in repeating the details to him.
"Master Dooku, we will be arriving at the landing pad in a few minutes." A crewmember stated as he appeared behind us in the doorway. "The Captain says to use the hatch three to exit."
"Thank you."
We moved quickly to the hatch and felt the ship come to a stop with a gentle thud as it touched down.
"Stay behind me and remember to look in awe. This is your first time on Coruscant."
"Yes sir," I replied as the hatch opened quickly with a hiss.
I followed Dooku out, taking an apparent tentative step out, only to stop and gaze up at the buildings that surrounded the landing site.
Honestly, I had expected us to land on a platform like the one seen at the beginning of Episode II, but we had, in fact, landed somewhere near the Senate, as the large, mushroom-like building dominated my sight. It wasn't hard to appear in awe as the building was impressive, even if I had no desire to set foot inside the building.
"Mister Shan!" I spun at Dooku's sharp tone and saw he was standing a few meters away with Palpatine and, in an unexpected twist, the newly elected Chancellor Valorum.
That meant the trio were surrounded by a group of Senate guards while I could see a throng of media further back; camera droids floating around.
I scampered over to where they were, trying my best to ignore the flashing lights from the media while activating Player's Mind.
"Senator, may I present Cameron Shan," Dooku stated a little louder than normal, as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Ah, my long-lost nephew. It's a pleasure to finally have a family again." Palpatine said with a smile that matched the one he used around Anakin. "I had honestly given up hope of ever having anyone to continue my family's name and legacy after I was gone."
I ignored the retort bouncing around my head about him wanting to become an Emperor, and probably find a way to rule forever, and shook his hand slowly. "Hello, Senator."
His smile slipped a touch and he placed his other hand on the shoulder that Dooku had just touched. "There is no need for that Cameron. To you, and only you, I am Uncle Sheev."
I nodded and gave him a small smile. "Ok, Uncle." Man, this was going to be a weird mission.
Palpatine's smile grew into a grin and he pulled me gently into a hug. I returned it slowly, both playing the role of a confused child and trying to ignore the insanity of hugging a Sith Lord while ignoring the massive increase in flashing from the media.
Give the man his credit, he knew how to use the media to his advantage.
"Ah, where are my manners. Cameron, may I introduce Chancellor Finis Valorum." Palpatine said as he broke the hug, having milked the moment enough for his liking.
"Um, I… Do I bow or something?" I asked slowly to Palpatine and Dooku after seeming to stammer over what to do.
This earned laughter from all three men and Valorum shook his head.
"No, no. There is no need for that. Your uncle is a friend, and when I heard about him discovering a lost relative, I wanted to meet you." Valorum stated, again loudly enough for the nearby media to hear.
"Perhaps we might move to a more reserved area," Dooku said slowly, glancing over at the media and I wondered if he was thinking like me in sending them all away with a blast of TK like I wanted to do.
"Yes, yes. You are quite right Master Dooku," Palpatine agreed giving the Jedi a wide smile. "I was hoping we might also talk in private. I wish to hear how you are doing as well as get to know my nephew here."
He turned to Valorum and lowered his head a touch. "Thank you, Chancellor, for coming with me to meet young Cameron. It was an unexpected delight to be able to introduce my nephew to the most powerful man in the Republic."
I had to resist rolling my eyes at Palpatine's words. However, they seemed to work as Valorum stood a little straighter and smiled.
"It was my pleasure Senator. Perhaps, once your nephew has settled in, you might bring him to the Senate. I'm sure the boy would love to see where you work."
"An excellent idea Chancellor. Would you like that Cameron?"
"I wouldn't want to be a problem," I replied, dearly hoping to avoid spending any time surrounded by a bunch of self-serving politicians. Honestly, spending time alone with a Sith Lord sounded more appealing.
"Nonsense. We regularly have children in the building, whether on school tours or training with the Republic Legislative Branch." Valorum said, killing my hopes to avoid the place. "I am sure your uncle cannot wait to show you around where he works."
"Then I am honoured to accept Chancellor," I stated, giving him a very slight bow. This made the man preen a bit more and earned me a smirk from my new uncle. I did though wonder if Palpatine wasn't planning to use having a nephew for some political gain. If he did, I would have to try my best to fuck things up.
"Excellent. Sheev, when you do bring him in, inform my office and we will see about getting him arranging a special tour."
"Of course, Chancellor. Thank you."
We took our leave of the Chancellor and all three of us boarded a shuttle that quickly banked away from the landing pad and the Senate.
"I must say, I am impressed with how you handled your role young Padawan," Palpatine said as the shuttle slipped into the commuter traffic and we were away from everyone else. "I was unaware that Jedi children were trained in the art of deception."
"They are not. Padawan Shan, however, has very quickly shown himself to be a cut above your average Jedi child." Dooku explained slowly and I worried about how much about me he would reveal to the Senator. "He is far more intelligent than others his age and has shown an aptitude for knowing how to adapt to a situation, even if his methods are still rudimentary."
"Indeed. Then I look forward to helping him grow over the next few months." Palpatine turned his attention to me. "I am curious as to what you think of the Chancellor?"
"I wouldn't wish to talk about someone I've only met twice," I replied attempting to avoid the question.
Palpatine chuckled softly. "Yes, I see what you mean Master Dooku. A very wise answer young one. It is never smart to make full judgements regarding someone without first observing them carefully through both their words and deeds."
I nodded once, accepting the praise. Though mentally I was now certain that, even if the disappearing children was not the result of his actions, getting me to be assigned to him was.
The rest of the trip was short, Palpatine and Dooku conversing about seemingly random things though I did wonder if Palpatine asking about these topics in a way to influence Dooku. He would have needed at least a decade to convince Dooku to turn to the Sith – and get Sifo-Dyas to order the clone army – and each step would have needed to be small, almost inconsequential in nature to avoid arousing Dooku's suspicion.
The pair didn't speak to me again, which left me free to watch a master orator work. Just twenty minutes resulted in a level up to Persuasion and had me in something of a bind.
Speaking with and watching Palpatine would be a certain way to improve my charisma-based skills. But doing so risked increasing his interest in me and inadvertently helping him turn Dooku to his side. I was going to have to be very careful about how I behaved the next few months and find a balance between learning from the Senator without being drawn into his web with Dooku.
I was drawn from my thoughts as the shuttle touched down.
"It seems we have arrived. Perhaps, we could continue this in my apartment?" Palpatine asked Dooku.
"Sadly, I must return to the Temple. Several of Padawan Shan's old clanmates have shown an interest in Makashi. Even if they are not remotely near his level, I would be remiss in not ensuring their training is handled competently." Dooku replied, which had me both happy and worried.
Dooku would now get away from Palpatine, but that left me all alone with a Sith Lord. What fun.
"Ah, well then I shall not keep you. The training of the future of your Order is of the utmost importance."
The fact he could say that and appear so genuine was impressive.
"Indeed." Dooku turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Cameron, the Senator has converted one of the rooms in his suite into a private area for you. You are free to train there but do not disturb him unless you must. I will communicate with you this evening to ensure you have settled in."
"Yes, sir."
Dooku said his goodbye to Palpatine and stayed on the shuttle as we stepped off.
Once inside the impressive building, and after having had me logged in as a resident, we stepped into a very luxurious elevator which had its outer wall replaced by plexiglass to allow anyone inside a view of the surrounding buildings.
"I noticed you did not refer to your master by his rank. I was under the impression that all Jedi were required to do so."
Not wanting to look at him, I kept my eyes focused on the cityscape outside the elevator as I answered.
"We are required to show respect to those above us, but to me, I find the usage of the term master could easily suggest submission and servitude to others. Thankfully, my Masters Dooku and Fay are willing to allow me this leeway."
"Hmm, I had not considered that before." A glance via his reflection in the plexiglass showed me that he was rubbing his chin in apparent thought. "Yes, I can see how calling someone 'master' could be misconstrued. With slavery still rampant in areas of the galaxy, using such a term could indeed suggest ownership of one being over another. I must say, I am surprised that one so young would see such an issue where even the Jedi High Council seem blind."
"Less blind than more stuck in their ways," I found myself responding. "The Order has stood for a thousand years without threat. It, they, have possibly become somewhat complacent, which can be seen as the shadow of arrogance."
I managed to avoid frowning at how open I was suddenly being as I noted that Player's Mind had stopped as my PP had run out. I engaged Empathic Shield, which now stood at Professional 15, and knew it would be about an hour without meditation until my PP was fully restored. I was beginning to dislike using Player's Mind so much, but around someone as manipulative as Palpatine, I knew I was going to need it. A lot.
"You feel the Jedi have lost their way?"
"Yes and no." I paused to consider how to answer this. My feelings on the Jedi and their methods are coloured by my opinions about why they fell and then having to spend a year plus dealing with their indoctrination. "I think the Jedi have become…complacent, and in ways, stagnant. They believe the Sith are gone, that nothing stands against them."
"And you feel otherwise?" he probed gently as the air seemingly got colder.
"Maybe. I… I don't know. But there cannot be light without darkness, nor darkness without the light. The two define each other. Perhaps the Sith are long gone, but that does not mean the dark side is gone. It is still a part of the Force and that, from what I have been told and learnt myself, is always there."
That was a mix of my own opinion on the Force from my previous life, what the Jedi had taught, and what I had taken from my talk with Revan on Ilum. Whether it was accurate or not, I knew that revealing it to the High Council would result in me being labelled as 'Grey'. And that was a term I felt was impossible with the way the Jedi, and possibly the Sith, saw the Force.
"Hmm. A most intriguing theory Cameron. I can see why Master Dooku speaks so highly of you."
Any further discussion was thankfully cut off as the doors opened and Palpatine stepped forward to access a console next to a door.
As it slid open, he turned back to me and smiled. "Later I will have one of my assistants assign an entry code for you."
I nodded and followed him inside, seeing an older man of average height with thinning black hair waiting.
"Ah Sate, this is Cameron. He will be staying with me for the next few months. Cameron, this is my most trusted adjunct, Sate Pestage. If you need anything, either to help with your Jedi studies or to maintain your cover, do not hesitate to ask Sate."
"Greetings Padawan," Sate said with a slight narrowing of his eyes. "Please come this way so I may show you to your room."
"Go with him, Cameron. I have work to attend too but we can speak more over dinner."
"Yes, sir."
"This is your assigned area. Be sure to stay here outside of mealtimes. The Senator is a very busy man and will not be able to hold your hand as your Jedi Master would." Sate said in a voice that was barely better than a sneer.
"So I should bother you instead?" I asked, taking the chance to needle the man who I was already starting to dislike.
His face twisted in annoyance. "If you must. But I will often be occupied with work for the Senator."
"Ah, then thank you in advance," I said, extending my hand.
Sate was slow to shake my hand, but the moment he did, I used Examine.
Sate Pestage
Race: Human
Level: 26
Health: 100%
Age: 52
Force Potential: Intermediate
Threat Potential: Medium
Emotional State: Calm/Agitated
Sate has served Senator Palpatine for nearly a decade.
He is concerned you may learn the truth about his master.
And feels you being here is nothing but a threat.
However, he will obey his master's wishes to observe and mould you.
But will not hesitate to remove you if you become a threat.
…
I waited until the man left the room to consider what the power had revealed.Race: Human
Level: 26
Health: 100%
Age: 52
Force Potential: Intermediate
Threat Potential: Medium
Emotional State: Calm/Agitated
Sate has served Senator Palpatine for nearly a decade.
He is concerned you may learn the truth about his master.
And feels you being here is nothing but a threat.
However, he will obey his master's wishes to observe and mould you.
But will not hesitate to remove you if you become a threat.
…
I now knew that Palpatine was using the kidnappings to observe me and with Sate seemingly knowing that Palpatine was Sidious, it earned him a spot on my kill list alongside people like Pre Vizsla and Mas Amedda.
Around Sate I was going to be even more careful than with Palpatine as I did not want to tip my hand before I was old/strong enough to stand on my own before dealing with Palpatine's helpers.
"Well this is going to be an interesting few months," I muttered as I opened the wardrobe and saw an array of clothing for me to wear. All of it looked to be expensive and in my size.
I understood the need for the clothes as I was now family of a very powerful man, and I was looking forward to not having to wear Jedi robes for the first time in nearly two years. Brown and beige just weren't my colours.
As I examined the clothes, I cast Detection but narrowed it to only cover the room. I didn't want the power to ping Palpatine was Force-sensitive and hoped it would detect any surveillance equipment in the room.
Sadly, it did not. Whether that was because the power was only at Adept 15 or because it just wasn't designed to do so, I didn't know.
Now I was going to have to search the room for hidden recording devices without letting on that I was doing so. Whether they were present or not was going to affect my nightly training sessions, and possibly how openly I spoke with Dooku when he visited.
"This one," I muttered as I pulled out an olive-green shirt. One of my exes had said the colour went well with my old emerald green eyes, so I curious if that was still true for my new amber-green ones.
However, this mission played out, I was certainly going to 'borrow' some of the clothing. If I didn't keep them, they could be sold for some cash and would help me find colours and styles to wear once I could stop wearing standard Jedi robes.
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Children in Shadow 2
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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"What are you doing in here?!"
I spun at the question/accusation and saw Sate standing the doorframe of Palpatine's private office. The same one I had been clearly told to stay out of less than a week ago and was currently standing in.
"I wished to report to my master about my first week," I replied calmly. "As far as I know, this room has the only outside commlink."
That was all true, but I had mainly wanted to sneak into Palpatine's private office and snoop around a little. Sure, it was unlikely I would find anything, but it couldn't hurt to look.
However, now I had his assistant – a man that the interface rated as an average threat, although why he was rated so high was still unknown to me – glaring at me as he stalked over to the desk I was standing behind.
"This commlink is for the Senator's private business. Get out." Sate snarled as he towered over me. I was sure he expected me to cower, if only a touch, but I didn't. I might be currently lacking in the size and strength departments, but by coming so close, he had removed his greatest advantages if we fought.
"Then how am I to communicate with Master Dooku?" I asked evenly.
My lack of reaction to his tone and closeness seemed to irk the man. "I don't care. You need to leave. Now!"
He moved to grab my shoulder only to stop at a gentle cough from behind him.
He turned, and I stepped to the side, to see Palpatine standing where Sate had been a minute before.
"Now, now Sate. Cameron only wished to speak with his master. There is no need to threaten a child." He said with a soft smile, though his eyes were hard.
"Yes sir," Sate replied, his head dropping even as Palpatine stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"However, I do believe that I asked you to stay out of this room Cameron." He waved off my attempt to reply before continuing. "I will arrange for a secure communications-unit to be placed within your room to allow you to communicate freely with Master Dooku."
"Thank you, sir. And sorry." I said, playing up my apparent innocence. "I didn't plan to come in, but I wished to speak with Master Dooku about a combat manoeuvre but was lacking a way to do so. Then I remembered you mentioning you had a commlink in here."
"Ah. Well, even if you had opened the channel, you would have been unable to use it. For security reasons it has a biometric lock," Palpatine explained as he guided me past Sate, who scowled at me once out of Palpatine's vision, and out of the office. "You understand of course?"
"Of course, sir. I imagine much of your work is important and needs to be protected from people wishing to do you harm." I replied which earned me a larger smile.
He chuckled a few times before he spoke again. "Yes, indeed. I must say, you are far more understanding of how the real world works than Jedi three times your age." He said as we walked to my room.
"Probably because I grew up outside the Temple and had a real childhood."
He laughed openly at that comment. "Yes, that may well be it." He paused and looked around for a moment before leaning down to me. "Do not mention this to others, but I feel that many of the Jedi are, shall we say, unaware of anything outside the Temple and the Order."
"I think I may have said something like that a few times during my time there," I replied, a small smile growing on my face.
He laughed again and stepped back. "Then I hope they listen to you more than they do to me." He stated as his smile returned. It appeared genuine and friendly. "Now, I hope this is the last time we must talk about you entering places you shouldn't be."
"Yes, sir."
"Excellent. If you will excuse me, I have a holo-meeting with a banker."
I bowed in the Jedi fashion and he left the room.
As I sat on my bed, I replayed the last few minutes over in my head. From the moment I entered the office until Sate had turned up, only five minutes had passed. That meant that some form of alarm, either on the door or just inside, had detected my presence and alerted Palpatine and his aide.
That would make searching the room very difficult since I wished to avoid using active Force powers around Palpatine; the less he knew about what I could do the better. Under these circumstances, I doubted I would be able to access his computer systems.
How the incident had been handled by the two men was also interesting. Sate had played bad cop to the Senator's good cop. It was a simple technique, but one that would work on most children.
Good thing I wasn't really a child.
...
...
Two weeks after being placed undercover, I found myself sitting outside the office of the headmaster of the middle school that I had to attend. This had to be a new record for me if I compared this to my old life.
The schooling system on Coruscant was split into three levels, primary, middle and high, totalling thirteen years in total length and I was assigned to Year 6, making me one of the youngest students in the middle school as I was still a few months shy of my tenth birthday.
The school was an impressive place, full of what I was told were state-of-the-art educational systems, with the best organic teachers that money could hire. And I had to admit that all the teachers were quite good. They engaged with the children, explained things in clear and concise ways and never seemed to be offended by a question.
However, it seemed that even in a galaxy far, far away, cliques existed as I had been singled out by a group of boys in Year 9. These boys either didn't like me, my uncle or possibly both, and had taken upon themselves to teach me how things worked. I was mildly impressed that such things still existed in a middle school if you ignored that this was a very expensive and exclusive private school.
Since every one of the legitimate students here were from rich, powerful Core-world families, they had grown up thinking themselves better than others. And here was me, a son of farmers from a backwater Outer Rim planet now part of their ranks. Even if Palpatine was wealthy in his own right, to them he was still from the rim of the galaxy.
Sadly, this was just proof that certain behaviour was common no matter the technological level of a planet or the species in play; certain people were just born arseholes.
"Cameron, what has happened?" Palpatine asked as he entered the small waiting area outside the Headmaster's office. He was doing a good job of acting concerned, though Sate, who had stopped at the doorway, was clearly unimpressed as he glared at me.
Not that I cared about him much. He couldn't do anything to me while the assignment was active, nor possibly afterwards if Sidious decided I was worth watching/attempting to corrupt.
Plus, I planned to kill the shite at some point before Palpatine started the Clone Wars, though only once I had found a way to do so without linking it back to me and making sure I gained experience from it via a quest.
"Senator Palpatine, welcome." The Secretarial droid said in a feminine tone. "There has been an incident involving your nephew that has required Headmaster Cromth to become involved."
"What sort of incident?" Palpatine asked me, ignoring the droid.
I shrugged. "Nothing big. Just some older students not liking me as I'm a country boy from the Outer Rim." I replied simply. I had taken to dumbing down how I spoke a touch while in school as I was meant to be from the 'working class' of society. It was sad that such behaviour existed in this galaxy, but there wasn't much I could do about it now, if ever.
"And how long has this been going on?" Palpatine inquired as his brow began to crease, acting the part of concerned parental figure/fellow Outer Rim citizen.
"Since I started here. The other boys are…"
"Senator Palpatine, greetings. I'm Headmaster Cromth. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances." Stated the headmaster as he stepped out the door to his office into the waiting area; his hand already extended.
"Indeed Headmaster. What exactly has happened with my nephew?" Palatine replied as they shook hands.
At a gesture from Cromth, the three of us stepped into his office.
Cromth moved slowly - whether because of age or his large girth, it was hard to tell - around the table and sat in his high-backed chair while my uncle and I sat in comfortable but simple chairs on the other side of the large, highly polished wooden desk.
After the standard pleasantries were over, including both men agreeing to drop their titles, Cromth began to explain what had happened.
"Just after lunch today, your nephew began to verbally assault four of the older students; making disparaging remarks about their ancestors and other family members, their appearance and even their bodies."
I bristled as Cromth spoke. The bastard was leaving out the fact those four boys, and the other half dozen or so in their group had been making snide remarks and attempting to prank me since I had arrived. And the only reason I called their actions as pranks was because none of them had succeeded, otherwise I would have called them attacks.
"While Cameron has only been living with me for a few weeks, I find it hard to believe that he would just decide to randomly torment four boys from an upper-year. Perhaps there is something you and your staff may have missed?" Palpatine said slowly, clearly not buying the story given by Cromth. Which made sense as I was a Jedi, and it was unbecoming of a Jedi to resort to name-calling.
Then again, I was hardly a normal member of the Order and I had said everything Cromth said I had, though I may have been more colourful in my vocabulary than the headmaster had indicated.
"No. I have spoken to all the males involved, and others who were nearby, and the story is the same. Young Cameron simply stepped toward the older males and began calling them names, before moving onto insults regarding their families and bodily functions."
"Hmm." Palpatine gently tapped his chin, looking from Cromth to me and then back again. "What is the school going to do about this incident?"
"Since this is Cameron's first offence, and he is a new student, I have decided that he will be given a detention for a month and a formal notice will be placed in is records. Don't worry, the notice will be expunged if there are no other incidents before he graduates." Cromth added at the end to cut off an incoming comment from Palpatine.
"Very well," Palpatine replied with a small sigh after considering what Cromth had said. "However, I will be asking my nephew for his side of the story once we return home. If there is more to these events than you have mentioned, I may have to speak with Commissioner D'rath." He placed his hands on the armrest and began to rise slowly.
Cromth's expression, which until this point had been a little smug, fell at the mention of D'rath, so I could only assume he was someone with a lot of power within the school system.
"Th-there's no need to involve the Commissioner in this," Cromth blurted out as he leaned forward, which was enough to stop my 'uncle' from standing further. "Perhaps, perhaps we could forget about the formal notice, and maybe limit the detention to a few weeks."
"Perhaps we could," Palpatine replied as the corners of his lips twitched upwards. "Though I still do not believe that young Cameron here would simply decide to make a scene. And certainly not against four older, stronger boys."
"It was not in keeping with the reports I have gotten from his teachers," Cromth agreed quickly. "Cameron has already placed at the top of his class in most subjects."
"Indeed, well that is most welcoming to hear." Palpatine gave me a small smile. I didn't respond as I was more interested in watching how the Senator was twisting the whole conversation around to his advantage. "I admit to having been concerned that he would struggle to keep up with his classmates."
"Oh, there is no risk of that. Cameron is grading well above the year. Truthfully, if he keeps it up it may be possible to push him up a year for the new term."
Now Palpatine preened like a proud relative even as I shrugged. Say what you will for the more advanced subject matter here than in my old life, it was still aimed at ten-year-olds. And with my knowledge from my last life, as well as what I had been taught in the Jedi Temple, it was still generally a waste of time. Even if anything new was mentioned, I remembered perfectly with Eidetic Memory.
"That is wonderful to hear. But wouldn't a formal notice cause…"
"As I said, we can forget about that since it is the first offence." Cromth interrupted and for a mere instant there was a twitch of a sneer on Palpatine's face at the interruption, but it was quickly smoothed over.
"Ah, well then I look forward to hearing all about Cameron's successes. Is there anything more to discuss?"
"No, no. Thank you for coming in to see me, Senator." The usage of Palpatine's title signalling the end to the informal meeting.
"It was my pleasure Headmaster," Palpatine replied as the pair again shook hands.
I followed my uncle out of the school, Sate falling into step just behind us. We walked in silence until we had all boarded a Senatorial shuttle, at which point, Palpatine turned to me.
"How much of what Headmaster Cromth said is true?"
"All of it, though he did leave out why I reacted," I replied. "The older boys, and it is a group of about sixteen or so, have been making comments about my parentage, coming from the Outer Rim and attempting to hurt me with pathetic tricks since I arrived at school. I simply had reached the limit of my patience with their behaviour and decided to respond."
Palatine nodded and gave me a gentle smile at my answer. "Ah, yes. You are different and an outsider. The weak-minded see that as easy prey, but you are far from that."
"True, but if I did not retaliate, then things would continue and likely become worse. There is also the fact that not behaving like a normal boy might tip off the kidnappers that there is more to me than meets the eye."
"Yes, indeed." Palpatine shared a glance with Sate. "I must say, I did not expect a Jedi Padawan to be able to adapt so easily to the situation, and in way that diverted attention from you even while standing out."
"I'm not a normal Jedi," I stated honestly knowing it was both true and why I suspected Palatine had arranged for me to be assigned to him.
"Yes, yes. Master Dooku is unusually proud of you and I am beginning to see why. Did you grandfather perhaps teach you about social structures before he died?"
"Not directly, but he often made comments about what was reported in the news or the way people reacted. I guess I picked up more than I thought from that." I replied with a shrug.
"It seems you did indeed. It is a pity you are in the Jedi Order as with the right training I could see you being a powerful voice for good in the Senate."
I cringed. "I'd rather fight a pack of rancors than be a Senator. No offence."
Palpatine laughed, and while he honestly sounded genuine, I couldn't be sure if it was. "Oh, none taken. I understand perfectly how you feel and often wish for the comforts of any other place than being on the Senate floor. Far too often those in power have no interest in anything but themselves.
"However, here is where I feel I can do the most good for the galaxy. Where I can help the largest number of people."
I smiled at him, even if I knew that what he had just said was not entirely true. Oh, I did not doubt that he felt he was doing the right thing, but it wasn't for the masses; just for himself and the Sith.
"Perhaps I will find such a place for myself," I said slowly, watching the buildings, speeders and starships shoot past as our shuttle moved towards 500 Republica. The building was massive and very exclusive and Palpatine was proud to have a large apartment on one of the upper floors.
The place did not fit perfectly with Palpatine's public persona, but I suspected that being so close to the rich and powerful on the capital of the Republic suited his darker side.
The fact the building had a dedicated private security force that I was sure he at least partially controlled was just another reason I felt the place served as a base of sort for his work as Darth Sidious. Though how that business was conducted, I didn't know, as nothing had happened in the few weeks to even hint at Palpatine having a hidden life.
"You do not feel content within the Jedi?" He asked his tone now quieter and more probing.
"Yes and no. While I am grateful for all they have done, and will no doubt do for me in future, there is much about the Temple I do not like." I replied honestly. "But perhaps things will change as I grow older," I added, cutting off him from probing more.
It was a risky game I was playing as outright lying that I was happy or comfortable in the Temple would probably be seen though and raise his suspicions. However, if I revealed too much, I may find myself visited by assassins or a certain Zabrak before I was able to defend myself.
"While I am sure you will eventually find your role in life, if at any time in the future you need an outside voice please don't hesitate to contact me."
"Thank you, uncle," I replied with a small smirk, intentionally using the false relationship to amuse him. That earned a small chuckle from the Senator.
"Senator remember that you have a holo-meeting with the banker," Sate stated and when I glanced his way, I saw he was glaring at me.
I ignored the glare as Sate had yet to act on his clear dislike for me. Heck, even me stealing all his caffa – via dumping it in my Inventory to then sell it to a street merchant – hadn't annoyed him enough to try anything.
I doubted anything short of me doing something to endanger his life would have Sate react as Palpatine was very keen to stay in my good graces. Sate might be a decent threat according to Examine, but he was clearly being kept on a leash by Palpatine, and thus was a non-threat. For now.
"Ah yes. Cameron, I will try to see you before bed, but I cannot guarantee it."
"I understand uncle. Hope your work goes well."
We hugged briefly as we were in a public area of the building to keep up appearances before I took a private elevator that took me up to the apartment.
Sadly, I was unable to use the time to search the apartment as another of Palpatine's assistants, a man named Kinman guided me to my room.
Kinman was one of three close advisors of Palatine – the others being Sate and another man named Janus – and the easiest, and lowest threat, to deal with. Sate was clearly more than he let on – a threat rating of Medium was proof of that – while Janus was highly prejudiced speciest against any non-humans. A stereotypical Xenophobe.
Kinman was not a fan of Jedi but seemed willing to put up with me as 'I hadn't had the arrogance drilled into me yet'.
Once I was alone in my room, I called up a new quest notice.
My skills in the base subjects – Maths, Basic, computing and the three core sciences – were more than high enough, and I knew everything from the teaching materials thanks to Eidetic Memory.
The four support subjects – music, physical education, politics and a second language – were where I might struggle, but I should be able to pass two of them at the required level.
I had already gotten a similar quest for monthly tests - with the option to reject it if I wanted - though that was for only a third of the XP of Better Than Your Peers, and I had passed all ten subjects and gained a few bonuses.
If my performance in those tests held – they were why I had the chance to move up, so it was likely – the quest would be easy enough to complete, and I wasn't going to complain about easy to earn experience.
...
...
Just over two months after being placed undercover in the school, and a month or so after being hauled into the headmaster's office because of the older boys, I was walking down one of the halls in the school.
I was now in Year 7, the Headmaster having kept his word and moved me up a year after I had easily passed the end of year test for Year 6. He had been reluctant to keep his word, but a visit from Palpatine had persuaded him.
I'd passed all the base subjects, even managing to get four of the bonuses for acing the tests, and three of the support subjects.
Year 7 was still easy; my skills and perks were a godsend in making sure of that. Sure, it made school work boring, but that allowed me to spend my time working on my Force powers that were more passive – read not flashy – in nature.
I rounded the corner, smiled at a few of my classmates, who shied away from me. I frowned, wondering h…
A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into a classroom.
I mentally activated Enhance Stat for agility.
My hand went into my Inventory for a small knife I now stored there.
I prepared to pounce at my attacker.
"Shan! Calm yourself!" A female voice hissed as the lights came on.
I spun, keeping my hand in my Inventory by hiding it behind my back, and came face-to-face with a familiar, and friendly face.
"Dammit, girl! I almost attacked you!" I spat out at Bultar Swan; the other Jedi assigned to this school and Master Giiett's Padawan.
She chuckled once. "I knew it was coming, and I don't think you can call me a girl when I'm older than you." A single eyebrow rose in amusement as I slid my hand out of my Inventory and disabled Enhance Stat even as those powers that automatically engaged for combat did likewise.
"Whatever," I muttered, ignoring that I had reacted instinctively and made a reference to her young age even when I was physically a child. "I thought we were meant to avoid meetings."
"Yes, but we were also to avoid standing out," she replied with a very slight smirk. "Like beating up a group of boys three years older than yourself. What was that about?"
I sighed, and after using TK to lock the door to avoid anyone walking in on us, began to explain.
"I've been having, issues, with a group from your year since I arrived."
"Yes, I remember the verbal beating you gave them a month ago," she interrupted as the smirk grew. "Thanks for the new curses by the way."
"You're welcome. Anyway, they didn't stop, and neither did their pranks. I use that word very, very loosely." I could feel my anger rising as I remembered the incident that led up to be attacking the boys.
"Be mindful of your anger Cameron," Bultar said, having sensed how I was feeling. "What pranks?"
"They started small. Gum in my desk, changing the password to my terminal, that sort of crap. But after I spoke up, things got worse." I paused and took a breath. This was where Eidetic Memory was a problem as I remembered every little thing that had been said or done over the last month-plus; and every consequence of their actions.
"They programmed the sprinklers to spray water when I walked into the classroom, seemingly harmless explosives in my locker and what not until yesterday, where they rigged a durasteel plate to be thrown at me as I entered a room."
Her smirk fell and she gave me a quick once-over. "They what? Are you well?"
"I'm fine. Their pranks have never hurt me, but the brick struck one of my classmates in the chest." I felt my anger rise again as I perfectly recalled the pained scream Recel had given as she fell, and the sounds of laughter coming from just down the corridor.
"I figured that was going too far and decided to, discuss, things with those boys." Now I couldn't help but smirk as the aftermath replayed in my mind.
"Discuss? Cameron, you send eleven boys to the infirmary with seven having to be transferred to the hospital." Bultar stated, though there was far less disapproval in her tone than I would've expected for me beating up eleven boys.
I shrugged. "I didn't use the Force," 'visibly' "or kill anyone." I countered. "Not my fault they didn't back off after my warning in the canteen."
Bultar sighed loudly and turned away, flipping her hands into the air. "Didn't kill anyone he says," I heard her mutter as she stepped away from me and shook her head.
"What? Would you have preferred I let them keep trying to prank me until someone else was maimed or killed because of their actions?" I snapped. "If the fucking administration around here did their damm jobs and stopped that shit from happening, Recel wouldn't have suffered two crack and one broken rib!"
Bultar turned back to me and sighed again, even as she moved to sit on one of the empty desks. "I…" She began only to stop, shake her head and mutter something I didn't catch.
"Cameron, we are Jedi. We cannot go around assaulting people to fix problems."
"But…" She raised her hand to cut off my retort.
"But, they had gone too far and needed to be stopped. While I do feel you may have also gone too far in dealing with the boys," her face grimaced and I realised there was a chance she shared classes with a few of them as they were all in Year 9, "I accept you did what needed to be done. My report to my master will say as much."
I looked at her in confusion for a moment, having expected to be given some drivel about going too far in my actions, before I smiled. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," she replied, returning the smile, which grew as she continued. "However, I am unsure how Master Dooku will feel about this or Senator Palpatine."
I groaned and sunk into a chair. "Fuck me."
Bultar chuckled softly as she walked to the door. As she opened the door she paused and glanced back at me. "You did what you felt was right, which is sometimes all we can ever do. Just try to be more, restrained, in doing so."
With that she left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
I chuckled once, in disbelief that a Jedi had accepted why I had basically assaulted eleven older boys, placing all out of them in the infirmary or hospital. I had been and still was, expecting a stern lecture from Dooku about my actions, but it was nice to see that not all Jedi were closed-minded to the idea that to make an omelette you must break a few eggs.
...
...
"Well that was unexpected," I muttered as I exited the Headmaster's Office with Palpatine for the fourth time in three months.
"Indeed, indeed." Palpatine agreed as we walked through the empty corridors of the school, the ever-present Sate falling into step behind the Senator. "I will admit that I feared another incident like last time."
I chuckled and looked up at my uncle. "If they hadn't learnt from their lesson, I think a meeting with the headmaster might have also involved the local police."
Palpatine glared down at me. "That is not something to joke about Cameron." He sighed and looked down at the datapad Cromth had given him. "Still, this is, as I said most impressive. How did such an idea come to you?"
"I remember my grandfather reading me stories about low-tech worlds, I think," I replied, mixing in truths from my old life to explain things. "When we were told to create our own stories, I remembered those stories and wrote that."
I pointed at the datapad, which held the first chapter of The Lord of the Rings. Sure, I could've written something original, but why waste the time when with Eidetic Memory I could remember everything I had ever read or written. That included the works of authors such as JRR Tolkien, CS Louis, Dickens and Shakespeare. While most were too Earth-based to be of use, The Lord of the Rings was fantasy, and thus usable.
I just never expected it to result in me being called into the Headmaster's Office once more.
"Hmm." Palpatine was silent until we entered the senatorial shuttle.
"It is a shame you are a Jedi," he started as the shuttle began to rise into the constant traffic of the planet. "Otherwise I believe you could make a living from writing."
I was silent as I considered his words.
I doubted stories would earn me much – people preferred to watch holo-movies and such on the HoloNet – but if I could find a place to publish the stories from Earth, and earn money for people reading them, I could at least start to generate a cash flow.
Heck, many of those novels had been adapted into movies on Earth, so maybe the same thing could happen here. Or I could adapt Earth movies, like Alien and Predator, for local consumption.
"There is nothing wrong with at least seeing if such a thing is possible," I stated, figuring I could at least humour the man, and use him to discover if there was a place to publish for money. "After all, there is no certainty I will become a full Jedi or stay with the Order for all my life."
"You still feel the Jedi are not for you?" He asked gently, as a notice appeared in my interface. Palpatine had again tried to use a force technique that Master Fay had called Force Persuasion. It was a more benign version of compulsion and operated as a general field that made anyone effected by it more likely to listen to what the user was saying and be open to their suggestions.
Palpatine had used the power on me a few times, but thankfully most times he had, Player's Mind had been active. While I doubted that he would use it around adult Jedi, I suspected he used it with others to ensure they began to see things his way. Combined with his clear natural charisma, it would help to ensure he got what he wanted in the long run.
Player's Mind was able to protect my mind from outside influence. However, to not raise his suspicion, I pretended at times to open up to him a little, like now.
"I am, uncertain," I replied. "But there is no harm in seeing what my options would be if I did leave."
"No, no there is not." He said and he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Again, you impress with your wisdom. I shall ask Sate to search for locations on the HoloNet where you could publish your story for money." He paused and glanced away. "Even if you stay with the Jedi, you could use the credits to support charities or indeed, the Order itself."
"That is a good idea. Thank you." I replied with a small smile.
While he would think I was smiling at his helping, I was really smiling at the idea that he was going to help me find ways for earn money, which I would use to hopefully counter his ascent to Emperor.
Sometimes it was the little things in life that made it worth living.
...
...
I grumbled to myself as I walked from the school shuttle stop towards 500 Republica.
It had now been just under five months that I had been on assignment and save for my last visit to the Headmaster's Office regarding my writing assignment, nothing had happened.
Well, that wasn't totally true.
I had passed the Better Than Your Peers quest easily, acing four of the core subjects while passing the other two and achieving the bonus on two support subjects. Since I also succeeded in the two lightsaber quests, and the first bonus for each, it meant I levelled up before the birthday bonus of XP.
I had also maxed out my base skill for using a standard two-handed lightsaber as my only weapon which granted me 500XP from maxing it out. This did not affect how quickly I learnt the various lightsaber forms, but just meant I was as comfortable as the interface allowed with using a standard lightsaber in combat.
These combined with the monthly tests at the school, meant that I was well over halfway to reaching level 15.
I had taken a further quest to raise Shii-Cho to Savant 1 in half a year with a reward of 3000XP. I could've taken a similar quest for Soresu, but after deciding to concentrate on maxing Makashi, I decided against doing so for now.
My time at Palatine's had been pointless. I had limited myself to the more passive Force powers, such as Detection, to avoid allowing the Sith Lord to learn what I was capable of. I had also explored as much as I could of 500 Republica in the hopes I could find a hidden lair or passageway, but nothing in the areas I could access without arousing the suspicion of Palpatine, his helpers or the building's formidable security force had stood out.
Perhaps there was something in the basement – that did seem the most likely area – but access to the building's sublevels was restricted.
One small plus was that Sate had discovered a site on the local HoloNet, with connections to other Core worlds, where I could place my stories, but I had declined to post. What I had done was finish 'writing' the entire The Lord of the Rings trilogy on one of my Inventory-stored datapads.
Given I was underage, I'd need Palpatine to sign off on allowing me to publish if I tried to open an account with the site. And any credits earned would be placed into an account under his control. That was not going to happen, so I figured that once the assignment was over, I would try to persuade Fay to allow me to publish the trilogy on the site.
I planned to use the songs I had sung for her, and which I had managed to fill a memory module for a datapad with, to help convince her.
Like with the stories and movies I remembered, many of the songs would not work here as they referred to Earth-specific details, but a lot would. And everyone deserved to hear classics like Living on a Prayer, Welcome to the Jungle and Freebird.
Still, that was another a later date. For now, I was actively looking to get kidnapped and learning what the kidnappers were up to. To increase the odds of that happening, I had taken to walking home from school.
Oh, I still took the assigned shuttle to the area around where I was living, but I got off early and walked. The district was generally well-lit and maintained but even here, with the senatorial district, there were areas where most people avoided.
Several such areas were on my route home, and after a month of taking the safer and longer route home, I had started using these avoided areas to shorten the route.
I had made sure to not keep to a set path, making it seem I was experimenting/exploring the area around 500 Republica, but I still made sure to head through a few secluded areas regularly.
Both Palpatine and Dooku had been unsure of this plan, but I was able to convince them that me just taking the shuttle to and from school defeated the purpose of my assignment. Especially since almost all the abductions that had occurred before I went undercover, and the four since including a Padawan from another school, had happened when the student had been walking the short distance from the shuttle to their home building.
Dooku had stated the other Padawan had been missing for a few days when we had last spoken - which was at the end of last week - and while there was some concern about a Padawan being taken, the Council was not recalling the other Padawans just yet. Though Dooku had insisted I make sure to be carrying my emergency beacon at all times as they had discovered the Padawan's beacon where he had been staying, meaning the boy had not had it on him when he was abducted.
As I ducked down an alley in one of these secluded areas, I spared a glance my mini-map and noted four beings were seemingly following my route. I had Detection running constantly from the moment I stepped off the shuttle, and constant glances at the mini-map confirmed that four were tracking.
Whoever and whatever they were, they were being careful. No one being stayed on my tail for more than a few hundred metres, yet I was never out of sight of any of them for more than a couple of seconds.
The only mistake in their tracking, beyond probably assuming I was just a normal ten-year-old, was that the first tracker always started following me from a diner next to where the shuttle dropped me off.
Having spotted that for the first time a few weeks ago, I now tagged everyone who exited the diner after I started walking. Regular but seemingly random stops at certain shops helped me notice others also following me.
Thanks to the combination of Detection and the mini-map, I didn't have to look up and scan the area, and thus let on I suspected I was being followed.
As I reached the end of the alley, I noted that two of the four were now in front of me, and at the end of a narrow section of the next street that I normally took. A street in which the lights had been broken for the last week.
Since it appeared that they were planning to spring their trap, I had to consider how to resist.
I could simply not resist at all, but that felt wrong.
If they had done their research on me, they would've known about my fight at school a few months ago, and thus not engaging would run the risk of alerting them that I was more than I appeared.
However, if I fought back too much, I risked them giving up. The abduction took too long, they'd more than likely break off to avoid the police who patrolled around the area semi-regularly.
Then again, they could easily have bribed one of the police officers or hacked the security system to deal with droids and cameras.
As I rounded the turn to the street where the two were waiting, I spared one last glance at my mini-map and spotted that the two behind were closing fast. Their plan looked to be to block me in then somehow whisk me away; probably with a speeder that was waiting nearby.
"Hey, boy. What you doing here?" One of the two men – both of the figures in front of me were Human – asked in a deep, gruff voice.
I ignored them and kept walking, only for them to both push off the walls and block my path.
"Hey, he asked you a question." The other grunted out.
"Sorry, my uncle told me not to talk with strangers," I replied quietly as I analysed their faces.
Both had worn, well-weathered skin and rough, but trimmed beards. The first man was holding a death-stick one of his hands, the other behind his back. A posture matched by his companion.
"And who's your uncle sonny?" the second man asked as both tensed, the first glancing past me, telling me their friends had arrived.
"None of your business," I replied with a scowl which just made the two men chuckle a bit more. "Let me pass."
"Now why would we do that, when you be the nephew of a Senator." the first man stated, flicking his death stick at me.
I tensed, knowing a fight was to come. Even if I had to lose, I was going to get my –
My vision went blue and the interface became jumbled before everything went dark.
…
Why Cam was able to be taken down so easily will be covered in the next chapter.
I spun at the question/accusation and saw Sate standing the doorframe of Palpatine's private office. The same one I had been clearly told to stay out of less than a week ago and was currently standing in.
"I wished to report to my master about my first week," I replied calmly. "As far as I know, this room has the only outside commlink."
That was all true, but I had mainly wanted to sneak into Palpatine's private office and snoop around a little. Sure, it was unlikely I would find anything, but it couldn't hurt to look.
However, now I had his assistant – a man that the interface rated as an average threat, although why he was rated so high was still unknown to me – glaring at me as he stalked over to the desk I was standing behind.
"This commlink is for the Senator's private business. Get out." Sate snarled as he towered over me. I was sure he expected me to cower, if only a touch, but I didn't. I might be currently lacking in the size and strength departments, but by coming so close, he had removed his greatest advantages if we fought.
"Then how am I to communicate with Master Dooku?" I asked evenly.
My lack of reaction to his tone and closeness seemed to irk the man. "I don't care. You need to leave. Now!"
He moved to grab my shoulder only to stop at a gentle cough from behind him.
He turned, and I stepped to the side, to see Palpatine standing where Sate had been a minute before.
"Now, now Sate. Cameron only wished to speak with his master. There is no need to threaten a child." He said with a soft smile, though his eyes were hard.
"Yes sir," Sate replied, his head dropping even as Palpatine stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"However, I do believe that I asked you to stay out of this room Cameron." He waved off my attempt to reply before continuing. "I will arrange for a secure communications-unit to be placed within your room to allow you to communicate freely with Master Dooku."
"Thank you, sir. And sorry." I said, playing up my apparent innocence. "I didn't plan to come in, but I wished to speak with Master Dooku about a combat manoeuvre but was lacking a way to do so. Then I remembered you mentioning you had a commlink in here."
"Ah. Well, even if you had opened the channel, you would have been unable to use it. For security reasons it has a biometric lock," Palpatine explained as he guided me past Sate, who scowled at me once out of Palpatine's vision, and out of the office. "You understand of course?"
"Of course, sir. I imagine much of your work is important and needs to be protected from people wishing to do you harm." I replied which earned me a larger smile.
He chuckled a few times before he spoke again. "Yes, indeed. I must say, you are far more understanding of how the real world works than Jedi three times your age." He said as we walked to my room.
"Probably because I grew up outside the Temple and had a real childhood."
He laughed openly at that comment. "Yes, that may well be it." He paused and looked around for a moment before leaning down to me. "Do not mention this to others, but I feel that many of the Jedi are, shall we say, unaware of anything outside the Temple and the Order."
"I think I may have said something like that a few times during my time there," I replied, a small smile growing on my face.
He laughed again and stepped back. "Then I hope they listen to you more than they do to me." He stated as his smile returned. It appeared genuine and friendly. "Now, I hope this is the last time we must talk about you entering places you shouldn't be."
"Yes, sir."
"Excellent. If you will excuse me, I have a holo-meeting with a banker."
I bowed in the Jedi fashion and he left the room.
As I sat on my bed, I replayed the last few minutes over in my head. From the moment I entered the office until Sate had turned up, only five minutes had passed. That meant that some form of alarm, either on the door or just inside, had detected my presence and alerted Palpatine and his aide.
That would make searching the room very difficult since I wished to avoid using active Force powers around Palpatine; the less he knew about what I could do the better. Under these circumstances, I doubted I would be able to access his computer systems.
How the incident had been handled by the two men was also interesting. Sate had played bad cop to the Senator's good cop. It was a simple technique, but one that would work on most children.
Good thing I wasn't really a child.
...
...
Two weeks after being placed undercover, I found myself sitting outside the office of the headmaster of the middle school that I had to attend. This had to be a new record for me if I compared this to my old life.
The schooling system on Coruscant was split into three levels, primary, middle and high, totalling thirteen years in total length and I was assigned to Year 6, making me one of the youngest students in the middle school as I was still a few months shy of my tenth birthday.
The school was an impressive place, full of what I was told were state-of-the-art educational systems, with the best organic teachers that money could hire. And I had to admit that all the teachers were quite good. They engaged with the children, explained things in clear and concise ways and never seemed to be offended by a question.
However, it seemed that even in a galaxy far, far away, cliques existed as I had been singled out by a group of boys in Year 9. These boys either didn't like me, my uncle or possibly both, and had taken upon themselves to teach me how things worked. I was mildly impressed that such things still existed in a middle school if you ignored that this was a very expensive and exclusive private school.
Since every one of the legitimate students here were from rich, powerful Core-world families, they had grown up thinking themselves better than others. And here was me, a son of farmers from a backwater Outer Rim planet now part of their ranks. Even if Palpatine was wealthy in his own right, to them he was still from the rim of the galaxy.
Sadly, this was just proof that certain behaviour was common no matter the technological level of a planet or the species in play; certain people were just born arseholes.
"Cameron, what has happened?" Palpatine asked as he entered the small waiting area outside the Headmaster's office. He was doing a good job of acting concerned, though Sate, who had stopped at the doorway, was clearly unimpressed as he glared at me.
Not that I cared about him much. He couldn't do anything to me while the assignment was active, nor possibly afterwards if Sidious decided I was worth watching/attempting to corrupt.
Plus, I planned to kill the shite at some point before Palpatine started the Clone Wars, though only once I had found a way to do so without linking it back to me and making sure I gained experience from it via a quest.
"Senator Palpatine, welcome." The Secretarial droid said in a feminine tone. "There has been an incident involving your nephew that has required Headmaster Cromth to become involved."
"What sort of incident?" Palpatine asked me, ignoring the droid.
I shrugged. "Nothing big. Just some older students not liking me as I'm a country boy from the Outer Rim." I replied simply. I had taken to dumbing down how I spoke a touch while in school as I was meant to be from the 'working class' of society. It was sad that such behaviour existed in this galaxy, but there wasn't much I could do about it now, if ever.
"And how long has this been going on?" Palpatine inquired as his brow began to crease, acting the part of concerned parental figure/fellow Outer Rim citizen.
"Since I started here. The other boys are…"
"Senator Palpatine, greetings. I'm Headmaster Cromth. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances." Stated the headmaster as he stepped out the door to his office into the waiting area; his hand already extended.
"Indeed Headmaster. What exactly has happened with my nephew?" Palatine replied as they shook hands.
At a gesture from Cromth, the three of us stepped into his office.
Cromth moved slowly - whether because of age or his large girth, it was hard to tell - around the table and sat in his high-backed chair while my uncle and I sat in comfortable but simple chairs on the other side of the large, highly polished wooden desk.
After the standard pleasantries were over, including both men agreeing to drop their titles, Cromth began to explain what had happened.
"Just after lunch today, your nephew began to verbally assault four of the older students; making disparaging remarks about their ancestors and other family members, their appearance and even their bodies."
I bristled as Cromth spoke. The bastard was leaving out the fact those four boys, and the other half dozen or so in their group had been making snide remarks and attempting to prank me since I had arrived. And the only reason I called their actions as pranks was because none of them had succeeded, otherwise I would have called them attacks.
"While Cameron has only been living with me for a few weeks, I find it hard to believe that he would just decide to randomly torment four boys from an upper-year. Perhaps there is something you and your staff may have missed?" Palpatine said slowly, clearly not buying the story given by Cromth. Which made sense as I was a Jedi, and it was unbecoming of a Jedi to resort to name-calling.
Then again, I was hardly a normal member of the Order and I had said everything Cromth said I had, though I may have been more colourful in my vocabulary than the headmaster had indicated.
"No. I have spoken to all the males involved, and others who were nearby, and the story is the same. Young Cameron simply stepped toward the older males and began calling them names, before moving onto insults regarding their families and bodily functions."
"Hmm." Palpatine gently tapped his chin, looking from Cromth to me and then back again. "What is the school going to do about this incident?"
"Since this is Cameron's first offence, and he is a new student, I have decided that he will be given a detention for a month and a formal notice will be placed in is records. Don't worry, the notice will be expunged if there are no other incidents before he graduates." Cromth added at the end to cut off an incoming comment from Palpatine.
"Very well," Palpatine replied with a small sigh after considering what Cromth had said. "However, I will be asking my nephew for his side of the story once we return home. If there is more to these events than you have mentioned, I may have to speak with Commissioner D'rath." He placed his hands on the armrest and began to rise slowly.
Cromth's expression, which until this point had been a little smug, fell at the mention of D'rath, so I could only assume he was someone with a lot of power within the school system.
"Th-there's no need to involve the Commissioner in this," Cromth blurted out as he leaned forward, which was enough to stop my 'uncle' from standing further. "Perhaps, perhaps we could forget about the formal notice, and maybe limit the detention to a few weeks."
"Perhaps we could," Palpatine replied as the corners of his lips twitched upwards. "Though I still do not believe that young Cameron here would simply decide to make a scene. And certainly not against four older, stronger boys."
"It was not in keeping with the reports I have gotten from his teachers," Cromth agreed quickly. "Cameron has already placed at the top of his class in most subjects."
"Indeed, well that is most welcoming to hear." Palpatine gave me a small smile. I didn't respond as I was more interested in watching how the Senator was twisting the whole conversation around to his advantage. "I admit to having been concerned that he would struggle to keep up with his classmates."
"Oh, there is no risk of that. Cameron is grading well above the year. Truthfully, if he keeps it up it may be possible to push him up a year for the new term."
Now Palpatine preened like a proud relative even as I shrugged. Say what you will for the more advanced subject matter here than in my old life, it was still aimed at ten-year-olds. And with my knowledge from my last life, as well as what I had been taught in the Jedi Temple, it was still generally a waste of time. Even if anything new was mentioned, I remembered perfectly with Eidetic Memory.
"That is wonderful to hear. But wouldn't a formal notice cause…"
"As I said, we can forget about that since it is the first offence." Cromth interrupted and for a mere instant there was a twitch of a sneer on Palpatine's face at the interruption, but it was quickly smoothed over.
"Ah, well then I look forward to hearing all about Cameron's successes. Is there anything more to discuss?"
"No, no. Thank you for coming in to see me, Senator." The usage of Palpatine's title signalling the end to the informal meeting.
"It was my pleasure Headmaster," Palpatine replied as the pair again shook hands.
I followed my uncle out of the school, Sate falling into step just behind us. We walked in silence until we had all boarded a Senatorial shuttle, at which point, Palpatine turned to me.
"How much of what Headmaster Cromth said is true?"
"All of it, though he did leave out why I reacted," I replied. "The older boys, and it is a group of about sixteen or so, have been making comments about my parentage, coming from the Outer Rim and attempting to hurt me with pathetic tricks since I arrived at school. I simply had reached the limit of my patience with their behaviour and decided to respond."
Palatine nodded and gave me a gentle smile at my answer. "Ah, yes. You are different and an outsider. The weak-minded see that as easy prey, but you are far from that."
"True, but if I did not retaliate, then things would continue and likely become worse. There is also the fact that not behaving like a normal boy might tip off the kidnappers that there is more to me than meets the eye."
"Yes, indeed." Palpatine shared a glance with Sate. "I must say, I did not expect a Jedi Padawan to be able to adapt so easily to the situation, and in way that diverted attention from you even while standing out."
"I'm not a normal Jedi," I stated honestly knowing it was both true and why I suspected Palatine had arranged for me to be assigned to him.
"Yes, yes. Master Dooku is unusually proud of you and I am beginning to see why. Did you grandfather perhaps teach you about social structures before he died?"
"Not directly, but he often made comments about what was reported in the news or the way people reacted. I guess I picked up more than I thought from that." I replied with a shrug.
"It seems you did indeed. It is a pity you are in the Jedi Order as with the right training I could see you being a powerful voice for good in the Senate."
I cringed. "I'd rather fight a pack of rancors than be a Senator. No offence."
Palpatine laughed, and while he honestly sounded genuine, I couldn't be sure if it was. "Oh, none taken. I understand perfectly how you feel and often wish for the comforts of any other place than being on the Senate floor. Far too often those in power have no interest in anything but themselves.
"However, here is where I feel I can do the most good for the galaxy. Where I can help the largest number of people."
I smiled at him, even if I knew that what he had just said was not entirely true. Oh, I did not doubt that he felt he was doing the right thing, but it wasn't for the masses; just for himself and the Sith.
"Perhaps I will find such a place for myself," I said slowly, watching the buildings, speeders and starships shoot past as our shuttle moved towards 500 Republica. The building was massive and very exclusive and Palpatine was proud to have a large apartment on one of the upper floors.
The place did not fit perfectly with Palpatine's public persona, but I suspected that being so close to the rich and powerful on the capital of the Republic suited his darker side.
The fact the building had a dedicated private security force that I was sure he at least partially controlled was just another reason I felt the place served as a base of sort for his work as Darth Sidious. Though how that business was conducted, I didn't know, as nothing had happened in the few weeks to even hint at Palpatine having a hidden life.
"You do not feel content within the Jedi?" He asked his tone now quieter and more probing.
"Yes and no. While I am grateful for all they have done, and will no doubt do for me in future, there is much about the Temple I do not like." I replied honestly. "But perhaps things will change as I grow older," I added, cutting off him from probing more.
It was a risky game I was playing as outright lying that I was happy or comfortable in the Temple would probably be seen though and raise his suspicions. However, if I revealed too much, I may find myself visited by assassins or a certain Zabrak before I was able to defend myself.
"While I am sure you will eventually find your role in life, if at any time in the future you need an outside voice please don't hesitate to contact me."
"Thank you, uncle," I replied with a small smirk, intentionally using the false relationship to amuse him. That earned a small chuckle from the Senator.
"Senator remember that you have a holo-meeting with the banker," Sate stated and when I glanced his way, I saw he was glaring at me.
I ignored the glare as Sate had yet to act on his clear dislike for me. Heck, even me stealing all his caffa – via dumping it in my Inventory to then sell it to a street merchant – hadn't annoyed him enough to try anything.
I doubted anything short of me doing something to endanger his life would have Sate react as Palpatine was very keen to stay in my good graces. Sate might be a decent threat according to Examine, but he was clearly being kept on a leash by Palpatine, and thus was a non-threat. For now.
"Ah yes. Cameron, I will try to see you before bed, but I cannot guarantee it."
"I understand uncle. Hope your work goes well."
We hugged briefly as we were in a public area of the building to keep up appearances before I took a private elevator that took me up to the apartment.
Sadly, I was unable to use the time to search the apartment as another of Palpatine's assistants, a man named Kinman guided me to my room.
Kinman was one of three close advisors of Palatine – the others being Sate and another man named Janus – and the easiest, and lowest threat, to deal with. Sate was clearly more than he let on – a threat rating of Medium was proof of that – while Janus was highly prejudiced speciest against any non-humans. A stereotypical Xenophobe.
Kinman was not a fan of Jedi but seemed willing to put up with me as 'I hadn't had the arrogance drilled into me yet'.
Once I was alone in my room, I called up a new quest notice.
Quest Alert!
Better Than Your Peers
Prove yourself in the end of year tests.
[2 months until the tests]
Rating: C
Objectives:
Pass each base subject test with a score greater than 95% [0/6]
Pass any support subject with a score of greater than 90% [0/4]
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
300XP per base subject test [0/6]
200XP per support subject [0/4]
Promotion to Year 7.
Penalties:
-100XP per base subject test [0/6]
Note:
This quest cannot be denied.
It was auto accepted by the Player not denying it at the time of creation.
...
I was a little annoyed at having the quest be accepted without my consent – how was I meant to reject it while in the meeting without raising questions? – but it should be easy enough.Better Than Your Peers
Prove yourself in the end of year tests.
[2 months until the tests]
Rating: C
Objectives:
Pass each base subject test with a score greater than 95% [0/6]
Pass any support subject with a score of greater than 90% [0/4]
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
300XP per base subject test [0/6]
200XP per support subject [0/4]
Promotion to Year 7.
Penalties:
-100XP per base subject test [0/6]
Note:
This quest cannot be denied.
It was auto accepted by the Player not denying it at the time of creation.
...
My skills in the base subjects – Maths, Basic, computing and the three core sciences – were more than high enough, and I knew everything from the teaching materials thanks to Eidetic Memory.
The four support subjects – music, physical education, politics and a second language – were where I might struggle, but I should be able to pass two of them at the required level.
I had already gotten a similar quest for monthly tests - with the option to reject it if I wanted - though that was for only a third of the XP of Better Than Your Peers, and I had passed all ten subjects and gained a few bonuses.
If my performance in those tests held – they were why I had the chance to move up, so it was likely – the quest would be easy enough to complete, and I wasn't going to complain about easy to earn experience.
...
...
Just over two months after being placed undercover in the school, and a month or so after being hauled into the headmaster's office because of the older boys, I was walking down one of the halls in the school.
I was now in Year 7, the Headmaster having kept his word and moved me up a year after I had easily passed the end of year test for Year 6. He had been reluctant to keep his word, but a visit from Palpatine had persuaded him.
I'd passed all the base subjects, even managing to get four of the bonuses for acing the tests, and three of the support subjects.
Year 7 was still easy; my skills and perks were a godsend in making sure of that. Sure, it made school work boring, but that allowed me to spend my time working on my Force powers that were more passive – read not flashy – in nature.
I rounded the corner, smiled at a few of my classmates, who shied away from me. I frowned, wondering h…
A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into a classroom.
I mentally activated Enhance Stat for agility.
My hand went into my Inventory for a small knife I now stored there.
I prepared to pounce at my attacker.
"Shan! Calm yourself!" A female voice hissed as the lights came on.
I spun, keeping my hand in my Inventory by hiding it behind my back, and came face-to-face with a familiar, and friendly face.
"Dammit, girl! I almost attacked you!" I spat out at Bultar Swan; the other Jedi assigned to this school and Master Giiett's Padawan.
She chuckled once. "I knew it was coming, and I don't think you can call me a girl when I'm older than you." A single eyebrow rose in amusement as I slid my hand out of my Inventory and disabled Enhance Stat even as those powers that automatically engaged for combat did likewise.
"Whatever," I muttered, ignoring that I had reacted instinctively and made a reference to her young age even when I was physically a child. "I thought we were meant to avoid meetings."
"Yes, but we were also to avoid standing out," she replied with a very slight smirk. "Like beating up a group of boys three years older than yourself. What was that about?"
I sighed, and after using TK to lock the door to avoid anyone walking in on us, began to explain.
"I've been having, issues, with a group from your year since I arrived."
"Yes, I remember the verbal beating you gave them a month ago," she interrupted as the smirk grew. "Thanks for the new curses by the way."
"You're welcome. Anyway, they didn't stop, and neither did their pranks. I use that word very, very loosely." I could feel my anger rising as I remembered the incident that led up to be attacking the boys.
"Be mindful of your anger Cameron," Bultar said, having sensed how I was feeling. "What pranks?"
"They started small. Gum in my desk, changing the password to my terminal, that sort of crap. But after I spoke up, things got worse." I paused and took a breath. This was where Eidetic Memory was a problem as I remembered every little thing that had been said or done over the last month-plus; and every consequence of their actions.
"They programmed the sprinklers to spray water when I walked into the classroom, seemingly harmless explosives in my locker and what not until yesterday, where they rigged a durasteel plate to be thrown at me as I entered a room."
Her smirk fell and she gave me a quick once-over. "They what? Are you well?"
"I'm fine. Their pranks have never hurt me, but the brick struck one of my classmates in the chest." I felt my anger rise again as I perfectly recalled the pained scream Recel had given as she fell, and the sounds of laughter coming from just down the corridor.
"I figured that was going too far and decided to, discuss, things with those boys." Now I couldn't help but smirk as the aftermath replayed in my mind.
"Discuss? Cameron, you send eleven boys to the infirmary with seven having to be transferred to the hospital." Bultar stated, though there was far less disapproval in her tone than I would've expected for me beating up eleven boys.
I shrugged. "I didn't use the Force," 'visibly' "or kill anyone." I countered. "Not my fault they didn't back off after my warning in the canteen."
Bultar sighed loudly and turned away, flipping her hands into the air. "Didn't kill anyone he says," I heard her mutter as she stepped away from me and shook her head.
"What? Would you have preferred I let them keep trying to prank me until someone else was maimed or killed because of their actions?" I snapped. "If the fucking administration around here did their damm jobs and stopped that shit from happening, Recel wouldn't have suffered two crack and one broken rib!"
Bultar turned back to me and sighed again, even as she moved to sit on one of the empty desks. "I…" She began only to stop, shake her head and mutter something I didn't catch.
"Cameron, we are Jedi. We cannot go around assaulting people to fix problems."
"But…" She raised her hand to cut off my retort.
"But, they had gone too far and needed to be stopped. While I do feel you may have also gone too far in dealing with the boys," her face grimaced and I realised there was a chance she shared classes with a few of them as they were all in Year 9, "I accept you did what needed to be done. My report to my master will say as much."
I looked at her in confusion for a moment, having expected to be given some drivel about going too far in my actions, before I smiled. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," she replied, returning the smile, which grew as she continued. "However, I am unsure how Master Dooku will feel about this or Senator Palpatine."
I groaned and sunk into a chair. "Fuck me."
Bultar chuckled softly as she walked to the door. As she opened the door she paused and glanced back at me. "You did what you felt was right, which is sometimes all we can ever do. Just try to be more, restrained, in doing so."
With that she left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
I chuckled once, in disbelief that a Jedi had accepted why I had basically assaulted eleven older boys, placing all out of them in the infirmary or hospital. I had been and still was, expecting a stern lecture from Dooku about my actions, but it was nice to see that not all Jedi were closed-minded to the idea that to make an omelette you must break a few eggs.
...
...
"Well that was unexpected," I muttered as I exited the Headmaster's Office with Palpatine for the fourth time in three months.
"Indeed, indeed." Palpatine agreed as we walked through the empty corridors of the school, the ever-present Sate falling into step behind the Senator. "I will admit that I feared another incident like last time."
I chuckled and looked up at my uncle. "If they hadn't learnt from their lesson, I think a meeting with the headmaster might have also involved the local police."
Palpatine glared down at me. "That is not something to joke about Cameron." He sighed and looked down at the datapad Cromth had given him. "Still, this is, as I said most impressive. How did such an idea come to you?"
"I remember my grandfather reading me stories about low-tech worlds, I think," I replied, mixing in truths from my old life to explain things. "When we were told to create our own stories, I remembered those stories and wrote that."
I pointed at the datapad, which held the first chapter of The Lord of the Rings. Sure, I could've written something original, but why waste the time when with Eidetic Memory I could remember everything I had ever read or written. That included the works of authors such as JRR Tolkien, CS Louis, Dickens and Shakespeare. While most were too Earth-based to be of use, The Lord of the Rings was fantasy, and thus usable.
I just never expected it to result in me being called into the Headmaster's Office once more.
"Hmm." Palpatine was silent until we entered the senatorial shuttle.
"It is a shame you are a Jedi," he started as the shuttle began to rise into the constant traffic of the planet. "Otherwise I believe you could make a living from writing."
I was silent as I considered his words.
I doubted stories would earn me much – people preferred to watch holo-movies and such on the HoloNet – but if I could find a place to publish the stories from Earth, and earn money for people reading them, I could at least start to generate a cash flow.
Heck, many of those novels had been adapted into movies on Earth, so maybe the same thing could happen here. Or I could adapt Earth movies, like Alien and Predator, for local consumption.
"There is nothing wrong with at least seeing if such a thing is possible," I stated, figuring I could at least humour the man, and use him to discover if there was a place to publish for money. "After all, there is no certainty I will become a full Jedi or stay with the Order for all my life."
"You still feel the Jedi are not for you?" He asked gently, as a notice appeared in my interface. Palpatine had again tried to use a force technique that Master Fay had called Force Persuasion. It was a more benign version of compulsion and operated as a general field that made anyone effected by it more likely to listen to what the user was saying and be open to their suggestions.
Palpatine had used the power on me a few times, but thankfully most times he had, Player's Mind had been active. While I doubted that he would use it around adult Jedi, I suspected he used it with others to ensure they began to see things his way. Combined with his clear natural charisma, it would help to ensure he got what he wanted in the long run.
Player's Mind was able to protect my mind from outside influence. However, to not raise his suspicion, I pretended at times to open up to him a little, like now.
"I am, uncertain," I replied. "But there is no harm in seeing what my options would be if I did leave."
"No, no there is not." He said and he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Again, you impress with your wisdom. I shall ask Sate to search for locations on the HoloNet where you could publish your story for money." He paused and glanced away. "Even if you stay with the Jedi, you could use the credits to support charities or indeed, the Order itself."
"That is a good idea. Thank you." I replied with a small smile.
While he would think I was smiling at his helping, I was really smiling at the idea that he was going to help me find ways for earn money, which I would use to hopefully counter his ascent to Emperor.
Sometimes it was the little things in life that made it worth living.
...
...
I grumbled to myself as I walked from the school shuttle stop towards 500 Republica.
It had now been just under five months that I had been on assignment and save for my last visit to the Headmaster's Office regarding my writing assignment, nothing had happened.
Well, that wasn't totally true.
I had passed the Better Than Your Peers quest easily, acing four of the core subjects while passing the other two and achieving the bonus on two support subjects. Since I also succeeded in the two lightsaber quests, and the first bonus for each, it meant I levelled up before the birthday bonus of XP.
I had also maxed out my base skill for using a standard two-handed lightsaber as my only weapon which granted me 500XP from maxing it out. This did not affect how quickly I learnt the various lightsaber forms, but just meant I was as comfortable as the interface allowed with using a standard lightsaber in combat.
These combined with the monthly tests at the school, meant that I was well over halfway to reaching level 15.
I had taken a further quest to raise Shii-Cho to Savant 1 in half a year with a reward of 3000XP. I could've taken a similar quest for Soresu, but after deciding to concentrate on maxing Makashi, I decided against doing so for now.
My time at Palatine's had been pointless. I had limited myself to the more passive Force powers, such as Detection, to avoid allowing the Sith Lord to learn what I was capable of. I had also explored as much as I could of 500 Republica in the hopes I could find a hidden lair or passageway, but nothing in the areas I could access without arousing the suspicion of Palpatine, his helpers or the building's formidable security force had stood out.
Perhaps there was something in the basement – that did seem the most likely area – but access to the building's sublevels was restricted.
One small plus was that Sate had discovered a site on the local HoloNet, with connections to other Core worlds, where I could place my stories, but I had declined to post. What I had done was finish 'writing' the entire The Lord of the Rings trilogy on one of my Inventory-stored datapads.
Given I was underage, I'd need Palpatine to sign off on allowing me to publish if I tried to open an account with the site. And any credits earned would be placed into an account under his control. That was not going to happen, so I figured that once the assignment was over, I would try to persuade Fay to allow me to publish the trilogy on the site.
I planned to use the songs I had sung for her, and which I had managed to fill a memory module for a datapad with, to help convince her.
Like with the stories and movies I remembered, many of the songs would not work here as they referred to Earth-specific details, but a lot would. And everyone deserved to hear classics like Living on a Prayer, Welcome to the Jungle and Freebird.
Still, that was another a later date. For now, I was actively looking to get kidnapped and learning what the kidnappers were up to. To increase the odds of that happening, I had taken to walking home from school.
Oh, I still took the assigned shuttle to the area around where I was living, but I got off early and walked. The district was generally well-lit and maintained but even here, with the senatorial district, there were areas where most people avoided.
Several such areas were on my route home, and after a month of taking the safer and longer route home, I had started using these avoided areas to shorten the route.
I had made sure to not keep to a set path, making it seem I was experimenting/exploring the area around 500 Republica, but I still made sure to head through a few secluded areas regularly.
Both Palpatine and Dooku had been unsure of this plan, but I was able to convince them that me just taking the shuttle to and from school defeated the purpose of my assignment. Especially since almost all the abductions that had occurred before I went undercover, and the four since including a Padawan from another school, had happened when the student had been walking the short distance from the shuttle to their home building.
Dooku had stated the other Padawan had been missing for a few days when we had last spoken - which was at the end of last week - and while there was some concern about a Padawan being taken, the Council was not recalling the other Padawans just yet. Though Dooku had insisted I make sure to be carrying my emergency beacon at all times as they had discovered the Padawan's beacon where he had been staying, meaning the boy had not had it on him when he was abducted.
As I ducked down an alley in one of these secluded areas, I spared a glance my mini-map and noted four beings were seemingly following my route. I had Detection running constantly from the moment I stepped off the shuttle, and constant glances at the mini-map confirmed that four were tracking.
Whoever and whatever they were, they were being careful. No one being stayed on my tail for more than a few hundred metres, yet I was never out of sight of any of them for more than a couple of seconds.
The only mistake in their tracking, beyond probably assuming I was just a normal ten-year-old, was that the first tracker always started following me from a diner next to where the shuttle dropped me off.
Having spotted that for the first time a few weeks ago, I now tagged everyone who exited the diner after I started walking. Regular but seemingly random stops at certain shops helped me notice others also following me.
Thanks to the combination of Detection and the mini-map, I didn't have to look up and scan the area, and thus let on I suspected I was being followed.
As I reached the end of the alley, I noted that two of the four were now in front of me, and at the end of a narrow section of the next street that I normally took. A street in which the lights had been broken for the last week.
Since it appeared that they were planning to spring their trap, I had to consider how to resist.
I could simply not resist at all, but that felt wrong.
If they had done their research on me, they would've known about my fight at school a few months ago, and thus not engaging would run the risk of alerting them that I was more than I appeared.
However, if I fought back too much, I risked them giving up. The abduction took too long, they'd more than likely break off to avoid the police who patrolled around the area semi-regularly.
Then again, they could easily have bribed one of the police officers or hacked the security system to deal with droids and cameras.
As I rounded the turn to the street where the two were waiting, I spared one last glance at my mini-map and spotted that the two behind were closing fast. Their plan looked to be to block me in then somehow whisk me away; probably with a speeder that was waiting nearby.
"Hey, boy. What you doing here?" One of the two men – both of the figures in front of me were Human – asked in a deep, gruff voice.
I ignored them and kept walking, only for them to both push off the walls and block my path.
"Hey, he asked you a question." The other grunted out.
"Sorry, my uncle told me not to talk with strangers," I replied quietly as I analysed their faces.
Both had worn, well-weathered skin and rough, but trimmed beards. The first man was holding a death-stick one of his hands, the other behind his back. A posture matched by his companion.
"And who's your uncle sonny?" the second man asked as both tensed, the first glancing past me, telling me their friends had arrived.
"None of your business," I replied with a scowl which just made the two men chuckle a bit more. "Let me pass."
"Now why would we do that, when you be the nephew of a Senator." the first man stated, flicking his death stick at me.
I tensed, knowing a fight was to come. Even if I had to lose, I was going to get my –
My vision went blue and the interface became jumbled before everything went dark.
…
Why Cam was able to be taken down so easily will be covered in the next chapter.
Children In Shadow 3
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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NOTICE
This chapter touches on a dark situation in the second half.
I doubt this scene is enough to result in the story being moved to NSFW, as things are implied, but I felt a warning was needed.
With a groan, I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness in my new location.
I was inside a small room, with only a single door providing any light via a small match in the middle. There was no other way out of the room, and I was chained to one of the walls via my right wrist. It wasn't enough to stop me from moving around the room, but it looked like it would prevent me from reaching the door.
A quick check of my interface showed that my FP was full, though I was down 27HP. Thankfully, Heal was at a high enough level now that I could manage that in a single go, though it did drain most of my FP.
After meditating to restore one hundred per cent of FP, I opened a blinking notice in my interface.
I was pissed at going down without a fight, but I figured the two who were behind me in the street had approached while I was distracted with the men in front and stunned me; the small amount of damage I had suffered was probably a side effect of them using a cheap stun prod.
I was also annoyed that Danger Sense hadn't given me any hint until I remembered that it only warned that there was a threat within a certain distance around me and if bloodlust was detected. It had warned me about the four men, as the skill was meant to, but details of any actual attack happening was beyond what the skill could do currently; or it was something that was meant to be covered by Precognition.
Provided I managed to escape from wherever I was now, I would learn from the mistake and make sure to activate Precognition before any situation that I knowingly walked into or whenever Danger Sense gave me a warning. As it was doing now in listing a dozen or so threats within its current range.
A quick search of my pockets found them empty, and the emergency beacon in my boot was also gone. I opened my Inventory, but before I could reach in for a weapon – be it one of the lightsabers or a kitchen knife I had stashed away for just this occurrence – the sound of an old-fashioned metal lock scrapping open was heard.
The door opened, and the room was bathed in a bright light that had me raising a hand to shield my eyes as into the room stepped a large green-skinned Duros stepped into the room.
"Ah, welcome young one," the Duros drawled out as he knelt in front of me. "My name is Zir."
"Why am I here?" I demanded, acting out the part of a scared but trying to act tough child. I needed to know about my location before I escaped.
Zir chuckled softly. "You are here, little one, as we need to convince your uncle on a certain matter." He stood and moved towards the door. "Sadly, we were forced to have you stay with us as he failed to see reason. Perhaps with your cooperation, he will do so."
"Go fuck a Hutt," I replied, which drew a chuckle from Zir.
"Such colourful vocabulary for one so young. But then again, you are from the Rim; not like the others." He shook his head and tutted a few times. "My other guests have grown predictable and stale."
"What about the Jedi brats?" a voice from outside the room asked. All I could tell was it was a male, speaking Basic without the slight accent of Zir. Any other details were hidden by the fact the door was now partially closed.
"Yes, the Jedi children have made things more interesting," Zir replied to the voice. "I wonder how long the female will take to break. The male broke far too easily for my liking."
The voice laughed as Zir turned back to face me, a smile that held nothing but trouble for me on his face. "Perhaps you will last longer than that one. Though I would prefer to return you to your uncle intact and unharmed, how your stay goes is entirely up to the Senator."
I said nothing, seeing no need for further talking.
"No comeback this time? Hmm. Smart. I think I may need to keep an eye on you." He said, fixing me with a stare before leaving; the door closing and locking not long after.
Once I was sure I was alone, I pulled up a quest notice
The main objective had changed – I had passed the first objective in locating the kidnappers – as had the rating, and now I had to find a way to escape or call in the cavalry; which I had been planning to do before the Duros came into my cell. It had also gained two new bonus objectives, so there were somethings I had to do before I escaped or call for help.
Curious about the new bonuses, I cast Detection. While I couldn't be sure where on the planet I was, I now knew there were about four dozen beings within a few hundred metres of me.
Two shone brighter and were blinking; indications of them being strong with the Force and trained. The others were spread out in pairs or trios with the largest gathering being fifteen. Without a map of where I was, I could only guess that this group was either in their barracks, a common area or some combination of both.
Ten of the beings had much weaker dots which meant that they were droids as that was how they appeared when detected.
What had me frowning, however, was the fact that nothing else was being detected, and Detection currently had a range of just over 5 kilometres. That meant that we were either in a deserted part of Coruscant – which seemed unlikely on a planet with a population numbering in the hundreds of billions – or I was no longer on the planet.
I put concerns about where exactly I was out of my head as I examined the readings from Detection.
Nine of the lifeforms were near my cell, with seven of those in two parallel lines; and I was in one of those lines.
The last two were stationary near on end of the lines, suggesting they were guards.
The two Padawans were being held near each other, maybe a hundred metres from my location, and where close to a half dozen sentients and two droids.
The other droids were seemingly wandering the location, some with a pair of sentients and others by themselves.
My mind began to wonder how the kidnappers had managed to subdue two Padawans. Even without their lightsabers, they should have been able to escape from any attackers and alert the Temple. Then again, I had had been captured and the kidnappers didn't even realise I was a Jedi so perhaps the Padawans had been taken before it was realised that they were Jedi.
I also found myself wondering just when the other Padawans had been taken, as Zir had suggested that they'd had a male for long enough for him to break. Since a few of the rescued children from before I went undercover had been traumatized, I hadn't considered that these people would be willing to torture a child, but it appeared I had been wrong. A growl escaped my throat and I decided that before I tried to escape this place I was going to free the other Padawans; the other children too if it would help.
That probably met two of the bonus conditions to the updated quest, but that was secondary to my thinking.
Activating Force Sight, I looked around the room carefully. While it couldn't let me see through walls, the power, now that it was in the Adept range, allowed me to see power currents within objects. Which was a great way to discover hidden cameras or other devices, as I had discovered in my room at Palpatine's.
The room I was in was empty, heck there were no power conduits of any kind within the walls, which meant I was not being monitored.
Their mistake.
A quick use of Phase had me free of the chain, a short, five-minute meditation had my FP fully restored and figuring that I might need the boost, I quickly raised my Strength, Agility and Vitality to 16, which left me with two spare stat points for later use. This boosted my HP, STAM and damage done from unarmed combat.
Activating Detection again, I re-scanned the area near my cell. The guards did not move for a minute, so seeing my chance, I Phased through the door. A quick blast with Force Sight confirmed the area held no cameras or microphones.
Now certain the area wasn't being monitored, I grabbed both guards with TK and pulled them down the corridor, slamming them hard into the wall at the end of the corridor.
The impacted with a loud crash, and a crack/crunch that told me at least one of them was now dead.
Quickly moving them towards me with more TK, I use the auto-loot function to unarm them, gaining two blasters, a knife, a few hundred credits, a pair of commlinks and critically, a keycard.
While none of the other sentients or the droids reacted to the noise, the children in the other cells staying quiet, I used the keycard to unlock my cell, lifted the two men inside and then locked the door quickly and quietly before pulling the knife and one of the blasters out of my inventory.
I did consider using one of my spare lightsabers, but I realised that doing so would lead to questions from the Jedi as to how I managed to hide such a weapon to prevent the kidnappers finding it. Still, if things got difficult, it was enough to grab one to use.
A glance at my interface showed I had just over 4300FP. That was a decent amount, but if I was engaged in combat, I might have an issue if it ran out.
After making sure that no guard was coming my way, I slipped back into my cell, ignored the smell from the bodies as one of them had expelled their bowels when they had hit the wall, and meditated for a few minutes to restore my FP.
Once done, I reactivated Detection and stepped back out of the cell.
A few of the sentients and droids had moved, but most were in the same general locations as before.
Moving slowly, I reached the end of the cell corridor and certain that the adjoining corridor was clear, I poked my head out a fraction and used Force Sight to make sure this corridor was free of cameras and listening devices; which it was.
Either the kidnappers did not take the threat of a child escaping seriously, or they were not concerned if one did get free of their cell. That lent credence to the idea I was on a starship, but there was no hum of the engines that I had felt on other ships. Perhaps the ship was stationary, but until I found a viewport or located a computer terminal, I had no way to be sure.
Turning in the direction of the other Jedi, I moved quietly down the corridor until I came to a cross-junction.
The Jedi were to my left, about ten metres away, but appeared to be in separate rooms on opposite sides of the corridor.
The one closest to me was alone but the other had two sentients in with them. Two guards were stationary at what I had to assume was the far end of that corridor while another two were close enough to me that I surprised that I couldn't hear the muffled sounds of their voices while a pair of droids were patrolling up and down the corridor.
The other side of my corridor led to the common area were more than a dozen living beings were gathered while the corridor heading away from the Jedi corridor lead to an area with three sentients and two droids.
One of the lone droids was just outside of that area, the other was at the far side of the Jedi corridor near were two sentients, and a single droid were stationary.
I frowned as I realised that those two beings had not moved at all. All the others had shifted around a little, sometimes no more than half a metre, but those two were stationary.
Knowing exactly where everyone was, I could make a rough plan on how to take out my kidnappers, but without a detailed layout of my location, I ran the chance of getting cornered or ambushed.
With the help of the two other Padawans, I stood a better chance. Taking out six guards and a pair of droids without alerting everyone else in the place to what was happening was difficult, but not impossible.
With a small smile, I phased my head through the wall I was against and glanced around the room with Force Sight.
The small cupboard-like room I was now in again had no cameras, but I frowned as I slipped through the wall.
According to Detection, I should be no more than a metre from the unguarded Jedi, yet there was no-one in the room with me.
Then it dawned on me and as I moved my minimap to show the vertical, I saw that Detection placed everything detected on my level. Since there was no Jedi in the room with me, this meant that the Force Power did not take relative elevations into account. I hoped that would change in future otherwise the combat usefulness of Detection would be limited.
"I really need to find a computer terminal," I muttered as I looked around the small storage room.
While there was no terminal, there were three small boxes. Using Examine, I quickly discovered that they held various things.
One was full of bacta patches, another held precious gems like rubies and emeralds while the last was full of credits.
A broad grin spread across my face as I realised that I had located some of the kidnapper's riches. I was sure that they would have more stored in other places – the ransoms they had earned from the kidnappings before I went undercover totalled over three million credits – but I wasn't going to ignore my good fortune.
I tried to move the three boxes into my Inventory, only to discover that they were all too large.
Thankfully, I could just add the credits to my interface account, which I did. My grin grew as I saw I now had over fifty thousand credits.
I emptied one of the bags of food into the now empty money crate and filled it with the gemstones. I couldn't get all of them inside the bag, but I got most of them.
I considered doing the same with another bag of food but decided against it for now as I suspected I might need the food for the other children once they were free.
However, I wasn't going to turn down the bacta patches, and as I pulled one from a box, I Examined it.
Another exploit, and one I took immediate advantage off as I filled a slot with twenty-five bacta patches before any were placed into a new slot. Given the rules governing them, I could only use four patches a day currently, but I was certain I'd need them before the day was over.
Leaving the rest of the gems and bacta patches, I glanced at my Detection marked minimap, wondering how many levels there were to this place as I considered my next move.
I could keep moving to the two stationary kidnappers and droid, but they might not be on my level.
Alternatively, I could stick my head through the floor and see if the Jedi was below me, but there was no way of knowing exactly how far above or below they were.
"Fuck," I mumbled as I noted my FP was again around 4000. I was starting to regret not taking Enhanced Regeneration instead of Eidetic Memory as my last perk, E-R would've increased my base FP, STAM and PP regeneration speeds by five per cent.
I would have to give it real consideration when I next had a Perk Point to spend.
I took a few minutes to regenerate my FP before phasing through the next wall.
This time the room was empty of boxes, but I smiled as I saw a terminal. My smile turned into a giant grin as I discovered the terminal was powered and not password protected.
Quickly I pulled up schematics of my location, which was overlaid on my minimap.
I was on a small freighter which had two levels. Given to the layout I was seeing, the two Jedi were being held below in the main cargo hold while I had started in the port crew quarters; though both locations had been converted into cells by the kidnappers.
I moved onto determining where the ship was and my smile slipped as I discovered we were in no longer on, or near Coruscant. Currently, we were in the Duneeden system, a few hundred lightyears from the galactic capital.
That complicated matters, as the emergency beacon I had been given, but which I no longer had, only had a range of a few lightyears.
I activated Enhance Skill, applied it to Computing [Slicing] and attempted to access the external communications array. Sadly, I soon found that my current level of slicing, even with the Force boost, was insufficient to gain access to the comm system from this terminal.
Closing the terminal, and deactivating Enhance Skill, I slipped back through the wall to the other room. There was a chance that someone detected my attempted hack, so leaving the room was the safest course of action.
I stayed still, only using Detection to monitor the movements of the kidnappers. But after a few minutes, none were moving from their current locations, so my actions had not raised an alarm.
A quick meditation later, and after re-activating Detection, I began to move again.
I phased out into the corridor that led to my cell, I moved slowly until I was above a small storage space attached to the engine room.
There were three kidnappers and a pair of droids in the engine room, but none in the storage space.
Phasing through the floor to the room below was a new experience, but it was no different from phasing through a wall, save that I landed inside a shelf.
I quickly moved and unphased, using Examine on the boxes in the room. Sadly, they were either empty or contained spare parts for the engine. I had hoped that this room doubled as either the armoury or another safe, but my luck didn't hold.
After once more restoring my FP via meditation – and really, really wishing I had taken the regeneration perk – I eased the door of the storage room open and peeked out.
The three kidnappers were huddled off at the far side of the room, while the two droids – one a small wheeled droid like on the Death Star, another, three-armed droid – were both stationary in alcoves, seemingly recharging.
I watched as the trio sat around a small table or crate, but I was unable to make out what they were saying only for a new Force notice to appear.
I had spent so much time training the powers I had, I had not spent any time over the last year developing new powers on my own.
Sure, Fay had taught me Empathic Shield, Beast Control and Force Persuasion, but I had made no effort to develop my own, whether from what I remembered from the movies, cartoons and games, or from my imagination.
Adding a mental note to start doing so once I was alone and somewhere quiet, I activated the new power and listened in on what was being said. Or tried to, as it seemed the power was so weak that I couldn't make out what they were discussing.
I pulled the second blaster from my Inventory, set them both to stun, opened the door a little further, and took aim.
The three beings – two Humans, one Sullustan – were a greater threat than the idle droids, so with three rapid shots, all fell from their stools as I turned and aimed at the droids, flicking the blasters to lethal force.
As they began to move, I opened fire, striking both droids cleanly before they could leave their alcoves.
I glanced at the minimap and saw that on-one had reacted to the shots; the noise of the engine having covered my attack.
I stepped out of the storage room, slid the blasters into my belt as I lifted the three stunned kidnappers and two destroyed droids with the Force and moved them into the room.
I could have taken them all out using the Force, but it would probably have been nosier, as I would've needed to slam them into a wall, and the longer that no-one knew I was a Jedi, the longer I could keep my powers as a trump card.
Looting the bodies gained me two more blaster pistols, a blaster rifle, another knife and a few hundred credits.
I sat down to meditate once more only to notice that the group in the starboard crew quarters were on the move.
As they reached the central crossing, a pair broke off and moved towards the cockpit and another pair moved to the cells, while the others moved to the stairs leading to the lower level of the ship; including the engine room.
"Shit!" I spat out as I realised, I'd made my escape just before a shift change.
Examining the minimap, I saw that the three coming to the engine room would reach me just after the guards reached my cell block.
Provided they did not check my cell – or that the possibly still-living guard didn't make noise to attract them – I might, might just be able to take out the replacement engineering crew before the alarm was raised.
But it would be tight.
Slipping the pistols back into my Inventory, I pulled out the rifle and aimed for the entry to engineering while applying three bacta patches to myself.
While the pistols would've allowed me a greater rate of fire, I was more comfortable with a rifle, and it had a higher damage potential per shot.
I waited patiently as I watched the minimap.
The replacement guards reached the cells.
They stopped, then moved slowly, seemingly checking each cell.
The door to the engine room hissed open.
One, then two Humans stepped into the room just as their comms crackled to life.
"One of the kids is loose," came a voice from their wrists. "Dakko and Rax are dead."
The trio stopped, now all just into the room.
They glanced around the room, their hands inching to their waists.
"Travi…" the first spoke, only to be knocked off his feet as I struck him centre mass.
The other two lifted their weapons as my rifle shot out again.
The rear man fell, falling backwards into the open doorway.
"Kriff!" the last man shouted out even as he got off a snap-shot that flew over my head. "He…"
My rifle spoke again and the last of the trio fell, landing on top of his fellow kidnapper.
A quick mental calculation told me I had just shy of eight minutes before I was out of FP as Precog and Bullet-Time had auto-engaged and were now running concurrently with Detection.
The beings and droids near the Jedi all started to move in my direction and I watched and waited, rifle aimed at the doorway, as the two droids moved to the front.
I struck the first between its optical sensors, making it fall like a puppet with the strings cut, even as the second droid fired.
I grimaced as the blast caught my shoulder, and while it did affect my aim, I was able to catch it in its chest.
As it stumbled, a second blast took it out.
A glance at my HP told me the hit had done 100HP of damage. If I had been a normal human, that would've meant I couldn't have shot back. But with my unique powers, I was still able to fight properly.
Another exploit, and one I was going to use right now.
I screamed, pretending to be in serious pain and watched as four of the kidnappers approached engineering.
I dropped the rifle, and pulled out two pistols, even as I moved out of the room and over to a console in the corner.
From here, I still had a clear line of sight on the doorway – though no longer into the hall just outside.
With the rifle lying in the doorway to the storage room, I hoped the next group would keep their eyes on that room and not on my new location.
"Brat's dropped his gun," one of them said but I stayed hidden as all four moved into the room, slowly moving to encircle the storage room door.
"Come on out runt!" another shouted. "If you don't, we'll start killing the others." He added, clearly hoping to make me surrender.
Popping up, I opened fire and struck two in the face before they could react.
Another fell as I hit him centre mass, but the last one got off a shot that made the console I was hiding behind spark.
Thanks to Player's Mind being active, and the use of Detection and Bullet-Time combined with the minimap, the distraction had no effect and I struck the last one twice; one in each shoulder.
He tumbled backwards even as I shot him twice more.
A glance at my details told me I'd taken 10HP damage from the console exploding, but most worryingly, I only had four minutes of FP left. I turned off Precog, as with Detection running and a clear map of the ship, I felt it was superfluous.
The minimap showed that the rest of the crew – sans those piloting the ship – were heading for the stairs, even as the remaining four outside stayed still.
This was not good, as if they all rushed me, I was dead.
Good thing I had another way out.
Saying a silent prayer to the Force and TPTB, I activated Teleport and blinked as the engine room disappeared; being replaced by a dull, blue light.
Turning to the light, I saw someone, a girl since I could see her bra, held down over a table.
Her clothes had been cut, lying either side of her upper body and there were red marks over her back; including one that had cut a shoulder strap of her bra.
"Who, who's there?" the girl whispered, as I recognized the voice.
Quickly, I moved around the table until I could her face as I slipped the blasters into my belt.
"Bultar?" I asked as I locked eyes with her.
"Cameron! What? How?" She spluttered out as I used TK to break the bindings holding her down to the table.
As she stood, I spotted a large set of glowing cuffs on her wrists and a small device attached to her temple.
"How did you get here? Did they capture you too?" Bultar asked quickly, a slight tremble in her voice.
"What are they?" I asked, pointing at the cuffs while ignoring her questions.
"Force suppression cuffs. The generate a neural field that makes using the Force very difficult," she replied as I pulled out a knife – reaching around my back to hide using Inventory from her – and moved to break them off.
"Don't! They'll shock me is tampered with. The Duros, Zir, has the key."
"Crap," I muttered as I placed the knife on the table and turned away to examine the minimap.
Six of the kidnappers were in the engine room now, with the three I had stunned now waking up. The rest of the crew was moving out, slow searching the ship.
Two of them were in the other Jedi's cell and were coming this way.
"Get back down!" I hissed as I moved to the side of the table hidden from the door. "They're coming back."
Bultar slowly lowered herself back onto the table; her face twisting in pain as her exposed stomach touched the metal.
The door opened with a hiss.
"No-one here," the voice said, and I noted it was the one who had spoken from outside my cell earlier. "Tell the boss."
"You sure she's secure?" the other man said and Bultar's eyes widened rapidly. "I think I should check on her."
I tightened the grip on the knife, preparing to launch it at the second male even as I palmed a pistol with the other hand.
"Leave her Sev. The boss wants the Senator's kid caught. After that, you can… enjoy yourself." The other one replied with clear distaste as he finished.
"Eh, fine." Sev huffed. "Don't worry girl, I'll be back for you later."
The moment the door hissed closed, Bultar slipped from the table and hugged herself.
"Hey, hey," I said slowly, stepping towards her.
She flinched as I placed my hand on her shoulder, and her muscles tensed only to relax a split second later.
"Bultar, look at me," I said slowly, glad Player's Mind was active, or I knew my face would have sacred her. "We're going to get out of here. I promise."
"How?" She whispered. "Where are we?"
"On a ship a few jumps from Coruscant," I replied honestly. "I got out as they didn't realise that I was a Jedi. I guess picking a fight at school was a good idea."
She chuckled weakly at the joke before looking me in the eye. "What about Jon? Have you found him?"
"No, but he is across the hall from you. Zir mentioned they had already broken one of the Jedi when we spoke, so I figured the one they were spending time with was a better option to free first."
"They, they… When I woke up here, I heard him screaming. The Duros told me they knew we were both Jedi. They had been watching us in the schools and we stood out too easily. They knew about all the Jedi.
"They, they tortured him to show me what was coming. That man… the one at the door, he would come in and… touch me. Caress my skin, saying he'd never been with a Jedi before."
She sobbed and I pulled her into my arms, holding her there even as my FP ran out.
"He won't hurt you again. I promise." I stated firmly as she sobbed quietly into my arms. "But we need to get out of here. Can you fight?"
She leaned back and raised her cuffed wrists. "While stopping me from using the Force, but I can still fight."
"Good," I stated as I handed her a blaster. "I, I need to meditate. I overexerted myself during my escape and need to restore my reserves. Can you watch the door while I meditate, then I will do the same for you?"
She nodded and we moved to the far side of the table, using it as cover.
I opened my eyes a short while later to find her lying on the table again, though she still held the blaster in her hands.
"I figured it was safer if I still looked like I was restrained," She explained. "I was right as they checked on me again a few minutes ago."
"Ah. Do you need to meditate?"
"No. I, I have prepared myself for what is to come."
I gave her a brief nod as I re-engaged Detection.
Four kidnappers were guarding the corridor outside, a further three – plus a pair of droids – in the engine room and one in a small area that wasn't listed on the ship's plans near the front of the level, almost directly under the cockpit.
The rest of the crew, based on where I detected them and the ship's schematics, were on the upper level. The cockpit crew was still there, though the door was guarded, two were stationary near the cells while the rest were moving around the ship in pairs.
The droids were scattered around the ship, but what type of droid they were was unknown. I hoped that they were all maintenance droids, but knowing my luck, they were all combat models instead.
"Four outside, another four more nearby along with two droids." I relayed to Bultar before reaching out with TK and slamming the four in the hallway together as hard and fast as I could.
The dull sound of their collision came through the door and I stepped forward, only to frown when the door failed to open automatically.
"They locked it from the outside, I think it needs a keycard."
I turned and gave Bultar a small frown. "That would've been nice to know before I took out the guards. Give me a minute." I stated with a sigh before phasing through the door.
The four bodies were a very mangled mess of limbs and I cringed at seeing just how deadly telekinesis was if used aggressively.
The lock did need a keycard, and as I turned to the pile of bodies to search for it, I heard a hissing from the far end of the hall and turned to see Zir step out of a small room.
"Whaf…" his words were cut off as I used the Force to choke him – ignoring an alert notice in the interface – and smirked.
"Well, hello there," I said with a small smile at using that line. "How nice to see you again."
He reached for his blaster, but a yank with TK took that and his commlink from him as I stepped closer.
"Hmm, now that room isn't on the schematics," I said as I looked past him into a small, barely lit storage space. "What could you possibly be hiding in there I wonder?"
His face started to turn grey before he slumped down.
Dropping him to the ground, I stepped past his body and into the alcove. As I examined the crates, a smile spread across my face that threatened to split it in two.
This was the kidnapper's main treasure hold. Or possible Zir's private stash. Spice, death sticks, gems, weapons and credits. It was all here.
I added the credits to my inventory, trying not to look smug at having over a quarter of a million credits added to my private account, before stepping out of the alcove.
After dragging Zir's body out of the way and watched as the door closed, followed by the wall sliding across to hide the door. Once in place, there was no hint the room was there, which meant I was free to return once the ship was secure.
One auto-loot later, and I had a master keycard – which I placed in my pocket – that overrode all security on the ship and a few hundred more credits. While Zir must have a way to open the hidden cubicle, I wasn't concerned about learning it, as I could simply phase through the wall once the ship was secure and take my time redistributing his assets.
Repeating the process on the jumbled, slightly smelling mass of bodies gained me a handful of credits, though I dropped all the weapons and the keycard on the floor. No need to overfill my Inventory with blasters when I might need the space later.
"What too… Damm! What happened?" Bultar asked as she stepped out of the cell and saw the mangled, bloody, stinking pile of bodies.
"I might have been a little too strong with my telekinesis," I replied as I placed the master keycard against her cuffs, hearing them click then fall to the ground. "I also got the boss," I added, jerking my head towards the unconscious Zir.
"Huh. That was lucky. We should secure him in the cell then free Jon," Bultar said, taking charge even as she rubbed her wrists. "After that, we need to find a way to get past the rest of his men and contact the Temple."
I managed to avoid rolling my eyes at her stating a version of the plan I had been following since I escaped my confinement, and instead just moved over to the other locked cell.
"By the Force…" Bultar whispered as we stepped inside and our nostrils were assaulted by a litany of smells that should never be smelt around anyone, let alone a child.
Jon cowered in the corner, his clothes even more damaged than Bultar's – who was still just walking around in her underwear – with his arms wrapped tightly around his legs while his head stayed down, keeping his face hidden.
"Please, please, no more," he whimpered and as I touched his shoulder I used Examine.
I stood and stepped back, processing what had happened to Jon, and what could've happened to Bultar.
I felt my fingernails dig into my plans hard enough that I was sure I would draw blood as my anger began to rise. I could hear/feel a whisper in the back of my mind, telling me to use this anger, let it empower me, and I found the thought appealing for dealing with the others on this ship.
"Cameron?" I turned at Bultar's voice and saw she was watching me through narrowed eyes. "Are you well?"
"I… no, I'm not," I replied, deciding to not hide why I was angry. "Those… beings out there, they did to him what that one suggested doing to you." She involuntarily shivered at the reminder, even as I continued.
"They abused him, used him, in ways no-one, not even your worst enemy, should be. They…" my voice trailed off as I took deep, hopefully calming breaths. The whisper was fading, but I could still hear/feel it. Offering to help me.
But I knew that right now, that help would only make things worse. Giving in to my anger, letting it boil and mix with the Force, was a dangerous road.
Since talking with Revan, and the explanation from TPTB, I had come to view the Force as neither light nor dark, more that it just couldn't understand emotions, and so it reacted to them.
While most wouldn't realise this when feeling strong, 'light-side' emotions, it did offer help the same as when someone was feeling 'dark-side' emotions.
"I, I understand," She replied in a voice barely above a whisper, drawing me out of my thoughts on the Force. "I…" She paused and licked her lips. "I thought I could face him, them, but after seeing Jon… I, I'm not…" Her eyes falling to the floor as she failed to finish her sentence.
I moved closer to her and Jon and knelt. "Then stay here. I'll handle them."
"You shouldn't face them alone," she countered, but there was little conviction behind her words.
I lifted her chin so we could see eye to eye and gave her a small smile. "I'd rather face them alone than put someone else in danger." She gave me a smile in return as I stood.
"Besides," I continued, "I've done ok so far."
"Don't be overconfident," she stated. "And if you find him, them…" Her voice trailed off and it was easy to see the uncertainty on her face as to what she wanted me to do about them.
"I will try not to enjoy taking them down," I said as I turned and stepped to the door.
"Wait," Jon called out weakly, making me turn back to him. "Thank you."
I gave him a small nod and then stepped out of the cell.
A quick check confirmed that there were still only the three in the engine room on my level and I moved quickly but quietly towards the room.
The three in the room turned as the door hissed, but I gave them no chance to attack as I used TK and slammed them hard into the far wall. The droids following soon after into the console I had hidden behind earlier.
Stepping over to them, I knelt next to the only one seemingly still conscious – he was groaning quietly – and yanked his collar.
"I want the names of the people who abused the Jedi," I growled. Though it came out as a squeak since I hadn't hit puberty yet.
"Huh, wha?" the kidnapper, a blonde-haired Human mumbled. "Jedi?"
"Yes! The two you captured before me. Who abused them? I want names!"
The man blinked a few times before he focused on me. "You're the missing kid!"
"No, I'm your worst nightmare," I replied as I used TK to lift him off the ground. "Now give me the names!"
"You're a Jedi!" He spat, though given I was rotating him around, his spit ended up missing me. "Go space yourself!"
"Names!" I growled/mewed once more as I slammed him into the deck and stared into his eyes.
"Kriff you!"
My anger began to boil as he continued to deny me the information I wanted before I felt something happen, and I found the names and faces of the crew appear in my head.
I stumbled backwards, trying to process what had happened, and saw two new Force Power notices. That made three since I had freed myself.
I needed to know what had happened, so I opened all of them.
The first was for Force Crush, which was the power Vader liked to use to choke his underlings but could supposedly be used to target internal organs if learnt to it to a high enough level. That was scary.
The second power, however, was just terrifying.
Mind Probe was… scary. With it, I could search the mind of another for information, though it was something the Jedi would class as dark as I could do that without permission.
Another glance at the blonde-haired man showed the effects if used without training or permission, and realising I had turned him into a vegetable, I shot him in the heart; ending his suffering.
The third power I had gained was, ironically enough, Force Telepathy, which allowed me to communicate mentally with others. However, it was locked as Force Empathy was not at Master 1.
I chuckled at the way I learnt a power only because it was suggested for another.
Still, I had the information I needed. Five of the crew had 'enjoyed' themselves with Jon; three of which I had already killed, and another was the main pilot. That just left…
"Argh," another of the kidnappers groaned and as I looked at him, I saw he was the fifth.
Slowly I raised my blaster to shoot him, only to lower it. I wasn't going to kill in cold blood, at least not unless it was to alleviate someone's suffering, but he needed to pay for what he had down.
"What happened?" The man mumbled as I again raised my blaster.
"Retribution," I replied as I pulled the trigger.
His mouth opened in a silent scream and he shivered into a ball from the pain, but before he could do anything else, I hit him with a Stun.
"That is the least you deserve," I commented as I turned, not wanting to look at the man.
I began to move for the stairs when a thought came to me.
I knew where everyone on the ship was. I knew which were kidnappers, which were droids, and which were prisoners. And I was more than capable of using TK on multiple targets and at a distance, especially when Detection told me where they were, and the schematics of the ship told me which direction to move them in.
"Son of a…" I grunted out before facepalming. Hard.
Laughing at my apparent stupidity, I reached out with TK, took hold of every kidnapper still a threat and slammed them upwards into the roof, then down into the floor.
I repeated the process with the droids.
It may have injured or killed more of the kidnappers than ideally wanted, but it was quick, easy and efficient.
And had no penalties to my XP gain as I levelled-up from the XP and gained I had a point to spend on a new player power.
I had worked out stunning someone netted me about a quarter of their XP compared to killing them, and, given to the large amount of XP I had gained, it seemed that I had killed most of the crew with my actions.
When I returned to the temple, I would likely have to explain my actions, but for now, I wasn't sweating it.
With a shake of my head at missing the combat potential of the Force, I headed back to the cells.
I would need Bultar's help to use the communication systems, free the children and pilot the ship back to Coruscant.
...
Obviously, the selection for Player Power has happened but for reference, the choices were;
Enhanced Inventory - mentioned before
Enlarge/Shrink - mentioned before
Colour Shift - mentioned before
Glamours - mentioned before
Observe - adds distance to Examine
This chapter touches on a dark situation in the second half.
I doubt this scene is enough to result in the story being moved to NSFW, as things are implied, but I felt a warning was needed.
With a groan, I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness in my new location.
I was inside a small room, with only a single door providing any light via a small match in the middle. There was no other way out of the room, and I was chained to one of the walls via my right wrist. It wasn't enough to stop me from moving around the room, but it looked like it would prevent me from reaching the door.
A quick check of my interface showed that my FP was full, though I was down 27HP. Thankfully, Heal was at a high enough level now that I could manage that in a single go, though it did drain most of my FP.
After meditating to restore one hundred per cent of FP, I opened a blinking notice in my interface.
You were stunned!
Sadly, you are not skilled/trained/old enough to resist a stun blast.
…
I grunted at the text. I had already figured out what had happened. Though the hint that if I was strong/skilled enough, I could resist being stunned was intriguing.Sadly, you are not skilled/trained/old enough to resist a stun blast.
…
I was pissed at going down without a fight, but I figured the two who were behind me in the street had approached while I was distracted with the men in front and stunned me; the small amount of damage I had suffered was probably a side effect of them using a cheap stun prod.
I was also annoyed that Danger Sense hadn't given me any hint until I remembered that it only warned that there was a threat within a certain distance around me and if bloodlust was detected. It had warned me about the four men, as the skill was meant to, but details of any actual attack happening was beyond what the skill could do currently; or it was something that was meant to be covered by Precognition.
Provided I managed to escape from wherever I was now, I would learn from the mistake and make sure to activate Precognition before any situation that I knowingly walked into or whenever Danger Sense gave me a warning. As it was doing now in listing a dozen or so threats within its current range.
A quick search of my pockets found them empty, and the emergency beacon in my boot was also gone. I opened my Inventory, but before I could reach in for a weapon – be it one of the lightsabers or a kitchen knife I had stashed away for just this occurrence – the sound of an old-fashioned metal lock scrapping open was heard.
The door opened, and the room was bathed in a bright light that had me raising a hand to shield my eyes as into the room stepped a large green-skinned Duros stepped into the room.
"Ah, welcome young one," the Duros drawled out as he knelt in front of me. "My name is Zir."
"Why am I here?" I demanded, acting out the part of a scared but trying to act tough child. I needed to know about my location before I escaped.
Zir chuckled softly. "You are here, little one, as we need to convince your uncle on a certain matter." He stood and moved towards the door. "Sadly, we were forced to have you stay with us as he failed to see reason. Perhaps with your cooperation, he will do so."
"Go fuck a Hutt," I replied, which drew a chuckle from Zir.
"Such colourful vocabulary for one so young. But then again, you are from the Rim; not like the others." He shook his head and tutted a few times. "My other guests have grown predictable and stale."
"What about the Jedi brats?" a voice from outside the room asked. All I could tell was it was a male, speaking Basic without the slight accent of Zir. Any other details were hidden by the fact the door was now partially closed.
"Yes, the Jedi children have made things more interesting," Zir replied to the voice. "I wonder how long the female will take to break. The male broke far too easily for my liking."
The voice laughed as Zir turned back to face me, a smile that held nothing but trouble for me on his face. "Perhaps you will last longer than that one. Though I would prefer to return you to your uncle intact and unharmed, how your stay goes is entirely up to the Senator."
I said nothing, seeing no need for further talking.
"No comeback this time? Hmm. Smart. I think I may need to keep an eye on you." He said, fixing me with a stare before leaving; the door closing and locking not long after.
Once I was sure I was alone, I pulled up a quest notice
Quest Updated!
Children in Shadow [ƍ]
Rating: B
Objectives:
Hold your cover until the end of the assignment or until you locate the kidnappers. [Yes]
Find a way to escape from the kidnappers or alert the authorities.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
1000XP
1500XP
Failure:
-800XP
Possible permanent injury or dismemberment.
…
I examined the quest carefully. This was the first time I had had one of my quests evolve. However, I had been warned about that when the mission had been given to me by the High Council and the interface generated the quest.Children in Shadow [ƍ]
Rating: B
Objectives:
Hold your cover until the end of the assignment or until you locate the kidnappers. [Yes]
Find a way to escape from the kidnappers or alert the authorities.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
1000XP
1500XP
Failure:
-800XP
Possible permanent injury or dismemberment.
…
The main objective had changed – I had passed the first objective in locating the kidnappers – as had the rating, and now I had to find a way to escape or call in the cavalry; which I had been planning to do before the Duros came into my cell. It had also gained two new bonus objectives, so there were somethings I had to do before I escaped or call for help.
Curious about the new bonuses, I cast Detection. While I couldn't be sure where on the planet I was, I now knew there were about four dozen beings within a few hundred metres of me.
Two shone brighter and were blinking; indications of them being strong with the Force and trained. The others were spread out in pairs or trios with the largest gathering being fifteen. Without a map of where I was, I could only guess that this group was either in their barracks, a common area or some combination of both.
Ten of the beings had much weaker dots which meant that they were droids as that was how they appeared when detected.
What had me frowning, however, was the fact that nothing else was being detected, and Detection currently had a range of just over 5 kilometres. That meant that we were either in a deserted part of Coruscant – which seemed unlikely on a planet with a population numbering in the hundreds of billions – or I was no longer on the planet.
I put concerns about where exactly I was out of my head as I examined the readings from Detection.
Nine of the lifeforms were near my cell, with seven of those in two parallel lines; and I was in one of those lines.
The last two were stationary near on end of the lines, suggesting they were guards.
The two Padawans were being held near each other, maybe a hundred metres from my location, and where close to a half dozen sentients and two droids.
The other droids were seemingly wandering the location, some with a pair of sentients and others by themselves.
My mind began to wonder how the kidnappers had managed to subdue two Padawans. Even without their lightsabers, they should have been able to escape from any attackers and alert the Temple. Then again, I had had been captured and the kidnappers didn't even realise I was a Jedi so perhaps the Padawans had been taken before it was realised that they were Jedi.
I also found myself wondering just when the other Padawans had been taken, as Zir had suggested that they'd had a male for long enough for him to break. Since a few of the rescued children from before I went undercover had been traumatized, I hadn't considered that these people would be willing to torture a child, but it appeared I had been wrong. A growl escaped my throat and I decided that before I tried to escape this place I was going to free the other Padawans; the other children too if it would help.
That probably met two of the bonus conditions to the updated quest, but that was secondary to my thinking.
Activating Force Sight, I looked around the room carefully. While it couldn't let me see through walls, the power, now that it was in the Adept range, allowed me to see power currents within objects. Which was a great way to discover hidden cameras or other devices, as I had discovered in my room at Palpatine's.
The room I was in was empty, heck there were no power conduits of any kind within the walls, which meant I was not being monitored.
Their mistake.
A quick use of Phase had me free of the chain, a short, five-minute meditation had my FP fully restored and figuring that I might need the boost, I quickly raised my Strength, Agility and Vitality to 16, which left me with two spare stat points for later use. This boosted my HP, STAM and damage done from unarmed combat.
Activating Detection again, I re-scanned the area near my cell. The guards did not move for a minute, so seeing my chance, I Phased through the door. A quick blast with Force Sight confirmed the area held no cameras or microphones.
Now certain the area wasn't being monitored, I grabbed both guards with TK and pulled them down the corridor, slamming them hard into the wall at the end of the corridor.
The impacted with a loud crash, and a crack/crunch that told me at least one of them was now dead.
Quickly moving them towards me with more TK, I use the auto-loot function to unarm them, gaining two blasters, a knife, a few hundred credits, a pair of commlinks and critically, a keycard.
While none of the other sentients or the droids reacted to the noise, the children in the other cells staying quiet, I used the keycard to unlock my cell, lifted the two men inside and then locked the door quickly and quietly before pulling the knife and one of the blasters out of my inventory.
I did consider using one of my spare lightsabers, but I realised that doing so would lead to questions from the Jedi as to how I managed to hide such a weapon to prevent the kidnappers finding it. Still, if things got difficult, it was enough to grab one to use.
A glance at my interface showed I had just over 4300FP. That was a decent amount, but if I was engaged in combat, I might have an issue if it ran out.
After making sure that no guard was coming my way, I slipped back into my cell, ignored the smell from the bodies as one of them had expelled their bowels when they had hit the wall, and meditated for a few minutes to restore my FP.
Once done, I reactivated Detection and stepped back out of the cell.
A few of the sentients and droids had moved, but most were in the same general locations as before.
Moving slowly, I reached the end of the cell corridor and certain that the adjoining corridor was clear, I poked my head out a fraction and used Force Sight to make sure this corridor was free of cameras and listening devices; which it was.
Either the kidnappers did not take the threat of a child escaping seriously, or they were not concerned if one did get free of their cell. That lent credence to the idea I was on a starship, but there was no hum of the engines that I had felt on other ships. Perhaps the ship was stationary, but until I found a viewport or located a computer terminal, I had no way to be sure.
Turning in the direction of the other Jedi, I moved quietly down the corridor until I came to a cross-junction.
The Jedi were to my left, about ten metres away, but appeared to be in separate rooms on opposite sides of the corridor.
The one closest to me was alone but the other had two sentients in with them. Two guards were stationary at what I had to assume was the far end of that corridor while another two were close enough to me that I surprised that I couldn't hear the muffled sounds of their voices while a pair of droids were patrolling up and down the corridor.
The other side of my corridor led to the common area were more than a dozen living beings were gathered while the corridor heading away from the Jedi corridor lead to an area with three sentients and two droids.
One of the lone droids was just outside of that area, the other was at the far side of the Jedi corridor near were two sentients, and a single droid were stationary.
I frowned as I realised that those two beings had not moved at all. All the others had shifted around a little, sometimes no more than half a metre, but those two were stationary.
Knowing exactly where everyone was, I could make a rough plan on how to take out my kidnappers, but without a detailed layout of my location, I ran the chance of getting cornered or ambushed.
With the help of the two other Padawans, I stood a better chance. Taking out six guards and a pair of droids without alerting everyone else in the place to what was happening was difficult, but not impossible.
With a small smile, I phased my head through the wall I was against and glanced around the room with Force Sight.
The small cupboard-like room I was now in again had no cameras, but I frowned as I slipped through the wall.
According to Detection, I should be no more than a metre from the unguarded Jedi, yet there was no-one in the room with me.
Then it dawned on me and as I moved my minimap to show the vertical, I saw that Detection placed everything detected on my level. Since there was no Jedi in the room with me, this meant that the Force Power did not take relative elevations into account. I hoped that would change in future otherwise the combat usefulness of Detection would be limited.
"I really need to find a computer terminal," I muttered as I looked around the small storage room.
While there was no terminal, there were three small boxes. Using Examine, I quickly discovered that they held various things.
One was full of bacta patches, another held precious gems like rubies and emeralds while the last was full of credits.
A broad grin spread across my face as I realised that I had located some of the kidnapper's riches. I was sure that they would have more stored in other places – the ransoms they had earned from the kidnappings before I went undercover totalled over three million credits – but I wasn't going to ignore my good fortune.
I tried to move the three boxes into my Inventory, only to discover that they were all too large.
Thankfully, I could just add the credits to my interface account, which I did. My grin grew as I saw I now had over fifty thousand credits.
I emptied one of the bags of food into the now empty money crate and filled it with the gemstones. I couldn't get all of them inside the bag, but I got most of them.
I considered doing the same with another bag of food but decided against it for now as I suspected I might need the food for the other children once they were free.
However, I wasn't going to turn down the bacta patches, and as I pulled one from a box, I Examined it.
Bacta Patch (minor)
Heals 25 HP
[Applied at a rate of 5HP/minute]
A bandage soaked with the substance known as bacta.
It is used in the healing of wounds.
…
NOTE
Bacta patches can only be used to heal 50% of your HP, or 150HP, over a period of 24-hours.
…
That was useful, and I slipped a pair into my inventory, only to see them be stacked.Heals 25 HP
[Applied at a rate of 5HP/minute]
A bandage soaked with the substance known as bacta.
It is used in the healing of wounds.
…
NOTE
Bacta patches can only be used to heal 50% of your HP, or 150HP, over a period of 24-hours.
…
Another exploit, and one I took immediate advantage off as I filled a slot with twenty-five bacta patches before any were placed into a new slot. Given the rules governing them, I could only use four patches a day currently, but I was certain I'd need them before the day was over.
Leaving the rest of the gems and bacta patches, I glanced at my Detection marked minimap, wondering how many levels there were to this place as I considered my next move.
I could keep moving to the two stationary kidnappers and droid, but they might not be on my level.
Alternatively, I could stick my head through the floor and see if the Jedi was below me, but there was no way of knowing exactly how far above or below they were.
"Fuck," I mumbled as I noted my FP was again around 4000. I was starting to regret not taking Enhanced Regeneration instead of Eidetic Memory as my last perk, E-R would've increased my base FP, STAM and PP regeneration speeds by five per cent.
I would have to give it real consideration when I next had a Perk Point to spend.
I took a few minutes to regenerate my FP before phasing through the next wall.
This time the room was empty of boxes, but I smiled as I saw a terminal. My smile turned into a giant grin as I discovered the terminal was powered and not password protected.
Quickly I pulled up schematics of my location, which was overlaid on my minimap.
I was on a small freighter which had two levels. Given to the layout I was seeing, the two Jedi were being held below in the main cargo hold while I had started in the port crew quarters; though both locations had been converted into cells by the kidnappers.
I moved onto determining where the ship was and my smile slipped as I discovered we were in no longer on, or near Coruscant. Currently, we were in the Duneeden system, a few hundred lightyears from the galactic capital.
That complicated matters, as the emergency beacon I had been given, but which I no longer had, only had a range of a few lightyears.
I activated Enhance Skill, applied it to Computing [Slicing] and attempted to access the external communications array. Sadly, I soon found that my current level of slicing, even with the Force boost, was insufficient to gain access to the comm system from this terminal.
Closing the terminal, and deactivating Enhance Skill, I slipped back through the wall to the other room. There was a chance that someone detected my attempted hack, so leaving the room was the safest course of action.
I stayed still, only using Detection to monitor the movements of the kidnappers. But after a few minutes, none were moving from their current locations, so my actions had not raised an alarm.
A quick meditation later, and after re-activating Detection, I began to move again.
I phased out into the corridor that led to my cell, I moved slowly until I was above a small storage space attached to the engine room.
There were three kidnappers and a pair of droids in the engine room, but none in the storage space.
Phasing through the floor to the room below was a new experience, but it was no different from phasing through a wall, save that I landed inside a shelf.
I quickly moved and unphased, using Examine on the boxes in the room. Sadly, they were either empty or contained spare parts for the engine. I had hoped that this room doubled as either the armoury or another safe, but my luck didn't hold.
After once more restoring my FP via meditation – and really, really wishing I had taken the regeneration perk – I eased the door of the storage room open and peeked out.
The three kidnappers were huddled off at the far side of the room, while the two droids – one a small wheeled droid like on the Death Star, another, three-armed droid – were both stationary in alcoves, seemingly recharging.
I watched as the trio sat around a small table or crate, but I was unable to make out what they were saying only for a new Force notice to appear.
Force Power Discovered!
Enhance Senses
By using the Force, you can improve your senses beyond mortal levels.
…
'That… makes perfect sense and is really something I should've thought about trying to do before now.' I thought with a mental grunt.Enhance Senses
By using the Force, you can improve your senses beyond mortal levels.
…
I had spent so much time training the powers I had, I had not spent any time over the last year developing new powers on my own.
Sure, Fay had taught me Empathic Shield, Beast Control and Force Persuasion, but I had made no effort to develop my own, whether from what I remembered from the movies, cartoons and games, or from my imagination.
Adding a mental note to start doing so once I was alone and somewhere quiet, I activated the new power and listened in on what was being said. Or tried to, as it seemed the power was so weak that I couldn't make out what they were discussing.
I pulled the second blaster from my Inventory, set them both to stun, opened the door a little further, and took aim.
The three beings – two Humans, one Sullustan – were a greater threat than the idle droids, so with three rapid shots, all fell from their stools as I turned and aimed at the droids, flicking the blasters to lethal force.
As they began to move, I opened fire, striking both droids cleanly before they could leave their alcoves.
I glanced at the minimap and saw that on-one had reacted to the shots; the noise of the engine having covered my attack.
I stepped out of the storage room, slid the blasters into my belt as I lifted the three stunned kidnappers and two destroyed droids with the Force and moved them into the room.
I could have taken them all out using the Force, but it would probably have been nosier, as I would've needed to slam them into a wall, and the longer that no-one knew I was a Jedi, the longer I could keep my powers as a trump card.
Looting the bodies gained me two more blaster pistols, a blaster rifle, another knife and a few hundred credits.
I sat down to meditate once more only to notice that the group in the starboard crew quarters were on the move.
As they reached the central crossing, a pair broke off and moved towards the cockpit and another pair moved to the cells, while the others moved to the stairs leading to the lower level of the ship; including the engine room.
"Shit!" I spat out as I realised, I'd made my escape just before a shift change.
Examining the minimap, I saw that the three coming to the engine room would reach me just after the guards reached my cell block.
Provided they did not check my cell – or that the possibly still-living guard didn't make noise to attract them – I might, might just be able to take out the replacement engineering crew before the alarm was raised.
But it would be tight.
Slipping the pistols back into my Inventory, I pulled out the rifle and aimed for the entry to engineering while applying three bacta patches to myself.
While the pistols would've allowed me a greater rate of fire, I was more comfortable with a rifle, and it had a higher damage potential per shot.
I waited patiently as I watched the minimap.
The replacement guards reached the cells.
They stopped, then moved slowly, seemingly checking each cell.
The door to the engine room hissed open.
One, then two Humans stepped into the room just as their comms crackled to life.
"One of the kids is loose," came a voice from their wrists. "Dakko and Rax are dead."
The trio stopped, now all just into the room.
They glanced around the room, their hands inching to their waists.
"Travi…" the first spoke, only to be knocked off his feet as I struck him centre mass.
The other two lifted their weapons as my rifle shot out again.
The rear man fell, falling backwards into the open doorway.
"Kriff!" the last man shouted out even as he got off a snap-shot that flew over my head. "He…"
My rifle spoke again and the last of the trio fell, landing on top of his fellow kidnapper.
A quick mental calculation told me I had just shy of eight minutes before I was out of FP as Precog and Bullet-Time had auto-engaged and were now running concurrently with Detection.
The beings and droids near the Jedi all started to move in my direction and I watched and waited, rifle aimed at the doorway, as the two droids moved to the front.
I struck the first between its optical sensors, making it fall like a puppet with the strings cut, even as the second droid fired.
I grimaced as the blast caught my shoulder, and while it did affect my aim, I was able to catch it in its chest.
As it stumbled, a second blast took it out.
A glance at my HP told me the hit had done 100HP of damage. If I had been a normal human, that would've meant I couldn't have shot back. But with my unique powers, I was still able to fight properly.
Another exploit, and one I was going to use right now.
I screamed, pretending to be in serious pain and watched as four of the kidnappers approached engineering.
I dropped the rifle, and pulled out two pistols, even as I moved out of the room and over to a console in the corner.
From here, I still had a clear line of sight on the doorway – though no longer into the hall just outside.
With the rifle lying in the doorway to the storage room, I hoped the next group would keep their eyes on that room and not on my new location.
"Brat's dropped his gun," one of them said but I stayed hidden as all four moved into the room, slowly moving to encircle the storage room door.
"Come on out runt!" another shouted. "If you don't, we'll start killing the others." He added, clearly hoping to make me surrender.
Popping up, I opened fire and struck two in the face before they could react.
Another fell as I hit him centre mass, but the last one got off a shot that made the console I was hiding behind spark.
Thanks to Player's Mind being active, and the use of Detection and Bullet-Time combined with the minimap, the distraction had no effect and I struck the last one twice; one in each shoulder.
He tumbled backwards even as I shot him twice more.
A glance at my details told me I'd taken 10HP damage from the console exploding, but most worryingly, I only had four minutes of FP left. I turned off Precog, as with Detection running and a clear map of the ship, I felt it was superfluous.
The minimap showed that the rest of the crew – sans those piloting the ship – were heading for the stairs, even as the remaining four outside stayed still.
This was not good, as if they all rushed me, I was dead.
Good thing I had another way out.
Saying a silent prayer to the Force and TPTB, I activated Teleport and blinked as the engine room disappeared; being replaced by a dull, blue light.
Turning to the light, I saw someone, a girl since I could see her bra, held down over a table.
Her clothes had been cut, lying either side of her upper body and there were red marks over her back; including one that had cut a shoulder strap of her bra.
"Who, who's there?" the girl whispered, as I recognized the voice.
Quickly, I moved around the table until I could her face as I slipped the blasters into my belt.
"Bultar?" I asked as I locked eyes with her.
"Cameron! What? How?" She spluttered out as I used TK to break the bindings holding her down to the table.
As she stood, I spotted a large set of glowing cuffs on her wrists and a small device attached to her temple.
"How did you get here? Did they capture you too?" Bultar asked quickly, a slight tremble in her voice.
"What are they?" I asked, pointing at the cuffs while ignoring her questions.
"Force suppression cuffs. The generate a neural field that makes using the Force very difficult," she replied as I pulled out a knife – reaching around my back to hide using Inventory from her – and moved to break them off.
"Don't! They'll shock me is tampered with. The Duros, Zir, has the key."
"Crap," I muttered as I placed the knife on the table and turned away to examine the minimap.
Six of the kidnappers were in the engine room now, with the three I had stunned now waking up. The rest of the crew was moving out, slow searching the ship.
Two of them were in the other Jedi's cell and were coming this way.
"Get back down!" I hissed as I moved to the side of the table hidden from the door. "They're coming back."
Bultar slowly lowered herself back onto the table; her face twisting in pain as her exposed stomach touched the metal.
The door opened with a hiss.
"No-one here," the voice said, and I noted it was the one who had spoken from outside my cell earlier. "Tell the boss."
"You sure she's secure?" the other man said and Bultar's eyes widened rapidly. "I think I should check on her."
I tightened the grip on the knife, preparing to launch it at the second male even as I palmed a pistol with the other hand.
"Leave her Sev. The boss wants the Senator's kid caught. After that, you can… enjoy yourself." The other one replied with clear distaste as he finished.
"Eh, fine." Sev huffed. "Don't worry girl, I'll be back for you later."
The moment the door hissed closed, Bultar slipped from the table and hugged herself.
"Hey, hey," I said slowly, stepping towards her.
She flinched as I placed my hand on her shoulder, and her muscles tensed only to relax a split second later.
"Bultar, look at me," I said slowly, glad Player's Mind was active, or I knew my face would have sacred her. "We're going to get out of here. I promise."
"How?" She whispered. "Where are we?"
"On a ship a few jumps from Coruscant," I replied honestly. "I got out as they didn't realise that I was a Jedi. I guess picking a fight at school was a good idea."
She chuckled weakly at the joke before looking me in the eye. "What about Jon? Have you found him?"
"No, but he is across the hall from you. Zir mentioned they had already broken one of the Jedi when we spoke, so I figured the one they were spending time with was a better option to free first."
"They, they… When I woke up here, I heard him screaming. The Duros told me they knew we were both Jedi. They had been watching us in the schools and we stood out too easily. They knew about all the Jedi.
"They, they tortured him to show me what was coming. That man… the one at the door, he would come in and… touch me. Caress my skin, saying he'd never been with a Jedi before."
She sobbed and I pulled her into my arms, holding her there even as my FP ran out.
"He won't hurt you again. I promise." I stated firmly as she sobbed quietly into my arms. "But we need to get out of here. Can you fight?"
She leaned back and raised her cuffed wrists. "While stopping me from using the Force, but I can still fight."
"Good," I stated as I handed her a blaster. "I, I need to meditate. I overexerted myself during my escape and need to restore my reserves. Can you watch the door while I meditate, then I will do the same for you?"
She nodded and we moved to the far side of the table, using it as cover.
I opened my eyes a short while later to find her lying on the table again, though she still held the blaster in her hands.
"I figured it was safer if I still looked like I was restrained," She explained. "I was right as they checked on me again a few minutes ago."
"Ah. Do you need to meditate?"
"No. I, I have prepared myself for what is to come."
I gave her a brief nod as I re-engaged Detection.
Four kidnappers were guarding the corridor outside, a further three – plus a pair of droids – in the engine room and one in a small area that wasn't listed on the ship's plans near the front of the level, almost directly under the cockpit.
The rest of the crew, based on where I detected them and the ship's schematics, were on the upper level. The cockpit crew was still there, though the door was guarded, two were stationary near the cells while the rest were moving around the ship in pairs.
The droids were scattered around the ship, but what type of droid they were was unknown. I hoped that they were all maintenance droids, but knowing my luck, they were all combat models instead.
"Four outside, another four more nearby along with two droids." I relayed to Bultar before reaching out with TK and slamming the four in the hallway together as hard and fast as I could.
The dull sound of their collision came through the door and I stepped forward, only to frown when the door failed to open automatically.
"They locked it from the outside, I think it needs a keycard."
I turned and gave Bultar a small frown. "That would've been nice to know before I took out the guards. Give me a minute." I stated with a sigh before phasing through the door.
The four bodies were a very mangled mess of limbs and I cringed at seeing just how deadly telekinesis was if used aggressively.
The lock did need a keycard, and as I turned to the pile of bodies to search for it, I heard a hissing from the far end of the hall and turned to see Zir step out of a small room.
"Whaf…" his words were cut off as I used the Force to choke him – ignoring an alert notice in the interface – and smirked.
"Well, hello there," I said with a small smile at using that line. "How nice to see you again."
He reached for his blaster, but a yank with TK took that and his commlink from him as I stepped closer.
"Hmm, now that room isn't on the schematics," I said as I looked past him into a small, barely lit storage space. "What could you possibly be hiding in there I wonder?"
His face started to turn grey before he slumped down.
Dropping him to the ground, I stepped past his body and into the alcove. As I examined the crates, a smile spread across my face that threatened to split it in two.
This was the kidnapper's main treasure hold. Or possible Zir's private stash. Spice, death sticks, gems, weapons and credits. It was all here.
I added the credits to my inventory, trying not to look smug at having over a quarter of a million credits added to my private account, before stepping out of the alcove.
After dragging Zir's body out of the way and watched as the door closed, followed by the wall sliding across to hide the door. Once in place, there was no hint the room was there, which meant I was free to return once the ship was secure.
One auto-loot later, and I had a master keycard – which I placed in my pocket – that overrode all security on the ship and a few hundred more credits. While Zir must have a way to open the hidden cubicle, I wasn't concerned about learning it, as I could simply phase through the wall once the ship was secure and take my time redistributing his assets.
Repeating the process on the jumbled, slightly smelling mass of bodies gained me a handful of credits, though I dropped all the weapons and the keycard on the floor. No need to overfill my Inventory with blasters when I might need the space later.
"What too… Damm! What happened?" Bultar asked as she stepped out of the cell and saw the mangled, bloody, stinking pile of bodies.
"I might have been a little too strong with my telekinesis," I replied as I placed the master keycard against her cuffs, hearing them click then fall to the ground. "I also got the boss," I added, jerking my head towards the unconscious Zir.
"Huh. That was lucky. We should secure him in the cell then free Jon," Bultar said, taking charge even as she rubbed her wrists. "After that, we need to find a way to get past the rest of his men and contact the Temple."
I managed to avoid rolling my eyes at her stating a version of the plan I had been following since I escaped my confinement, and instead just moved over to the other locked cell.
"By the Force…" Bultar whispered as we stepped inside and our nostrils were assaulted by a litany of smells that should never be smelt around anyone, let alone a child.
Jon cowered in the corner, his clothes even more damaged than Bultar's – who was still just walking around in her underwear – with his arms wrapped tightly around his legs while his head stayed down, keeping his face hidden.
"Please, please, no more," he whimpered and as I touched his shoulder I used Examine.
Jon Savos
Race: Human
Level: 13
Health: 70% [Malnourished/Abused]
Age: 12
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Very Low
Emotional State: Terrified
Jon has been with the Order since he was 3.
He does not like you, as he feels you are being given special treatment by the High Council.
And believes he is better than you.
However, those issues are unimportant now.
He is scared that you are one of the guards coming to have 'fun' with him again.
…
Race: Human
Level: 13
Health: 70% [Malnourished/Abused]
Age: 12
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Very Low
Emotional State: Terrified
Jon has been with the Order since he was 3.
He does not like you, as he feels you are being given special treatment by the High Council.
And believes he is better than you.
However, those issues are unimportant now.
He is scared that you are one of the guards coming to have 'fun' with him again.
…
"Jon, Jon, it's Bultar," she said quietly as she moved beside me and placed her hand on his shoulder. "We're here to free you."I stood and stepped back, processing what had happened to Jon, and what could've happened to Bultar.
I felt my fingernails dig into my plans hard enough that I was sure I would draw blood as my anger began to rise. I could hear/feel a whisper in the back of my mind, telling me to use this anger, let it empower me, and I found the thought appealing for dealing with the others on this ship.
"Cameron?" I turned at Bultar's voice and saw she was watching me through narrowed eyes. "Are you well?"
"I… no, I'm not," I replied, deciding to not hide why I was angry. "Those… beings out there, they did to him what that one suggested doing to you." She involuntarily shivered at the reminder, even as I continued.
"They abused him, used him, in ways no-one, not even your worst enemy, should be. They…" my voice trailed off as I took deep, hopefully calming breaths. The whisper was fading, but I could still hear/feel it. Offering to help me.
But I knew that right now, that help would only make things worse. Giving in to my anger, letting it boil and mix with the Force, was a dangerous road.
Since talking with Revan, and the explanation from TPTB, I had come to view the Force as neither light nor dark, more that it just couldn't understand emotions, and so it reacted to them.
While most wouldn't realise this when feeling strong, 'light-side' emotions, it did offer help the same as when someone was feeling 'dark-side' emotions.
"I, I understand," She replied in a voice barely above a whisper, drawing me out of my thoughts on the Force. "I…" She paused and licked her lips. "I thought I could face him, them, but after seeing Jon… I, I'm not…" Her eyes falling to the floor as she failed to finish her sentence.
I moved closer to her and Jon and knelt. "Then stay here. I'll handle them."
"You shouldn't face them alone," she countered, but there was little conviction behind her words.
I lifted her chin so we could see eye to eye and gave her a small smile. "I'd rather face them alone than put someone else in danger." She gave me a smile in return as I stood.
"Besides," I continued, "I've done ok so far."
"Don't be overconfident," she stated. "And if you find him, them…" Her voice trailed off and it was easy to see the uncertainty on her face as to what she wanted me to do about them.
"I will try not to enjoy taking them down," I said as I turned and stepped to the door.
"Wait," Jon called out weakly, making me turn back to him. "Thank you."
I gave him a small nod and then stepped out of the cell.
A quick check confirmed that there were still only the three in the engine room on my level and I moved quickly but quietly towards the room.
The three in the room turned as the door hissed, but I gave them no chance to attack as I used TK and slammed them hard into the far wall. The droids following soon after into the console I had hidden behind earlier.
Stepping over to them, I knelt next to the only one seemingly still conscious – he was groaning quietly – and yanked his collar.
"I want the names of the people who abused the Jedi," I growled. Though it came out as a squeak since I hadn't hit puberty yet.
"Huh, wha?" the kidnapper, a blonde-haired Human mumbled. "Jedi?"
"Yes! The two you captured before me. Who abused them? I want names!"
The man blinked a few times before he focused on me. "You're the missing kid!"
"No, I'm your worst nightmare," I replied as I used TK to lift him off the ground. "Now give me the names!"
"You're a Jedi!" He spat, though given I was rotating him around, his spit ended up missing me. "Go space yourself!"
"Names!" I growled/mewed once more as I slammed him into the deck and stared into his eyes.
"Kriff you!"
My anger began to boil as he continued to deny me the information I wanted before I felt something happen, and I found the names and faces of the crew appear in my head.
I stumbled backwards, trying to process what had happened, and saw two new Force Power notices. That made three since I had freed myself.
I needed to know what had happened, so I opened all of them.
The first was for Force Crush, which was the power Vader liked to use to choke his underlings but could supposedly be used to target internal organs if learnt to it to a high enough level. That was scary.
The second power, however, was just terrifying.
Force Power Discovered!
Mind Probe
This power allows a Force-sensitive to probe the mind of another, with or without their consent.
Though can be resisted with training and some species are inherently immune to such probes.
…
Warning!
Without telepathic training, if used on a conscious target, it will result in irrevocable brain damage.
…
Warning!
Force Telepathy not learnt!
Chance of permanent damage to the target increased by 250%
...
I glanced at the man, and saw he was lying motionless on the floor, his eyes having rolled back into their sockets are drool began to form on the deck.Mind Probe
This power allows a Force-sensitive to probe the mind of another, with or without their consent.
Though can be resisted with training and some species are inherently immune to such probes.
…
Warning!
Without telepathic training, if used on a conscious target, it will result in irrevocable brain damage.
…
Warning!
Force Telepathy not learnt!
Chance of permanent damage to the target increased by 250%
...
Mind Probe was… scary. With it, I could search the mind of another for information, though it was something the Jedi would class as dark as I could do that without permission.
Another glance at the blonde-haired man showed the effects if used without training or permission, and realising I had turned him into a vegetable, I shot him in the heart; ending his suffering.
The third power I had gained was, ironically enough, Force Telepathy, which allowed me to communicate mentally with others. However, it was locked as Force Empathy was not at Master 1.
I chuckled at the way I learnt a power only because it was suggested for another.
Still, I had the information I needed. Five of the crew had 'enjoyed' themselves with Jon; three of which I had already killed, and another was the main pilot. That just left…
"Argh," another of the kidnappers groaned and as I looked at him, I saw he was the fifth.
Slowly I raised my blaster to shoot him, only to lower it. I wasn't going to kill in cold blood, at least not unless it was to alleviate someone's suffering, but he needed to pay for what he had down.
"What happened?" The man mumbled as I again raised my blaster.
"Retribution," I replied as I pulled the trigger.
His mouth opened in a silent scream and he shivered into a ball from the pain, but before he could do anything else, I hit him with a Stun.
"That is the least you deserve," I commented as I turned, not wanting to look at the man.
I began to move for the stairs when a thought came to me.
I knew where everyone on the ship was. I knew which were kidnappers, which were droids, and which were prisoners. And I was more than capable of using TK on multiple targets and at a distance, especially when Detection told me where they were, and the schematics of the ship told me which direction to move them in.
"Son of a…" I grunted out before facepalming. Hard.
Laughing at my apparent stupidity, I reached out with TK, took hold of every kidnapper still a threat and slammed them upwards into the roof, then down into the floor.
I repeated the process with the droids.
It may have injured or killed more of the kidnappers than ideally wanted, but it was quick, easy and efficient.
And had no penalties to my XP gain as I levelled-up from the XP and gained I had a point to spend on a new player power.
I had worked out stunning someone netted me about a quarter of their XP compared to killing them, and, given to the large amount of XP I had gained, it seemed that I had killed most of the crew with my actions.
When I returned to the temple, I would likely have to explain my actions, but for now, I wasn't sweating it.
With a shake of my head at missing the combat potential of the Force, I headed back to the cells.
I would need Bultar's help to use the communication systems, free the children and pilot the ship back to Coruscant.
...
Obviously, the selection for Player Power has happened but for reference, the choices were;
Enhanced Inventory - mentioned before
Enlarge/Shrink - mentioned before
Colour Shift - mentioned before
Glamours - mentioned before
Observe - adds distance to Examine
Last edited:
Children In Shadow 4
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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A word of warning, this is a very long chapter. ~14000 words.
A loud clank signified the ship had secured into the docking berth and was quickly followed by the sound of something hitting the hull, then a hissing sound.
"Seal secure Captain," stated a crew-member of the republic cruiser from beside Bultar. "Permission to open?"
"Granted," replied the ship's Captain from the bridge.
The crew-member opened the airlock and I spared a glance at Bultar.
She seemed calm but using Empathy, it was clear she was both nervous and excited to be back.
Both emotions made sense, as the Temple – and by extension, Coruscant – were her home. Yet, after the mission we had just completed, she was worried about how it would look to the High Council that she had failed and been captured and needed saving by a Padawan nearly four years her junior.
She turned to me and gave me a small smile. "Come on."
We walked through the airlock, and the docking hatch, heading onto the station orbiting the Republic capital.
The station was one of the hundreds of security and defence stations that orbited the world, and this was where our courier ship – a cruiser from the Vakkar system – had been ordered to dock.
It had been two days since I had taken down the kidnappers and secured their ship.
The delay in getting back was due to initially discovering that the navigation and communication systems were password encrypted – which Zir wouldn't tell me – and then having to plot a jump to the nearest Republic world.
I had made a mental note to not destroy all the droids on the next ship I captured until I was sure that one of them wasn't responsible for plotting hyperspace jumps. Spending two hours plotting the jump myself was not a fun experience.
"Now there is a sight for sore eyes."
My head turned in the direction of the voice, and I saw Fay, Dooku and Giiett standing to the side of the airlock on the station.
"Master, I…" Whatever Bultar was going to say was cut off as Giiett stepped forward and placed his hands on her arms.
"You carried out your assignment as you were meant to Bultar. Sometimes, even when we do everything correctly, bad things still happen." He said with a small smile, his head tilted slightly to the left.
"Yes Master," Bultar replied with a sigh as Fay and Dooku approached me.
"You are well?" Dooku asked, his face showing no sign of how he was feeling.
"I am sir. It was, more difficult of an assignment than I expected." I replied honestly, smirking a bit as I answered.
"Yes, I think we can all agree on that," agreed Fay as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "We are glad you are well."
"As am I," Giiett added, drawing my attention to him and Bultar. "You also have my thanks for protecting Bultar."
I nodded to accept the thanks. "Honestly, I didn't even know she was there until I was in her… room." I replied calmly, avoiding saying cell since we were in public. Well, a Republic security station corridor. "I was only looking to find the two Jedi I could sense."
"Yes, I have read your report," Giiett said with a sigh. "While I am, sympathetic as to your actions, there are members of the council who are not."
Dooku grunted. "They were not there, nor are they ones to see the actions of those… beings." He said, his lips curling in disgust. "Such beings deserve the worst punishment allowed."
Giiett sighed and pinched his nose. "On that, I agree. But Cameron's actions… Well, he will need to defend them when called in a few days." He forced a smile back onto his face. "Until then, we should get the Padawans back to the Temple. I wish for a Jedi healer to examine them both."
"I am fine Master. The medics in the Vakkar system already examined me," Bultar protested in the same way any child would to avoid a trip to the doctor. "There is nothing wrong with me."
"Please, Bultar. Let one of our healers examine you. If only to ease the burden on my old heart," Giiett begged, placing a hand to his chest.
Bultar sighed, "Yes, Master."
I couldn't help but smirk at the behaviour of the Jedi High Council member. It was so not what I expected from seeing the council in the movies and Clone Wars, but then I remembered that Giiett wasn't a member then. Why was that?
"Master Giiett, I was curious about something," I began, continuing when he turned my way. "I understand that some members of the High Council serve for life, while others serve for a shorter time. I am curious as to which are which."
Giiett's brow rose a touch as he looked at me for a while before answering. "Currently Masters Yoda, Yaddle, Rancisis, Tiin, and Windu are lifetime members; actually, the first three have been on the Council since I was a Youngling." He added with a smirk.
"I along with Master Poof, Koon and Piell are there for the long-term while Masters Sifo-Dyas, Belfarr and Gallia are short term members."
"I see," I paused before asking the question that had made me ask the initial question. "Can I ask, when will you be stepping down?"
Giiett chuckled. "Already looking for a seat on the Council?" He waved away any reply before I made it. "I am due to stand down in just over nine years. And before you ask, the three short-term members are due to all stand down within that time-frame."
"Thank you. I was just curious about that," I said with a smile in thanks even as I mentally worked out the dates.
"It is fine to ask, but I must tell you that I am saving my seat for Bultar here," Giiett said, pulling the girl to his side as her face began to redden.
"Master, please," Bultar whimpered as she lowered her head.
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about Padawan Swan," Fay said with one of her serene smiles. "Every Knight and Master hopes that one day their Padawan will surpass them. Your own Master, while teasing, shares this hope."
"Thank you, Master Fay," Bultar replied.
"We should return to the Temple," Dooku stated, changing the topic abruptly before he began to walk away.
Fay sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder once more. "You must forgive Master Dooku. While you were missing, we received some information about one of his former Padawans. He is happy to see you have returned, however, he is concerned for her, even if she is no longer a member of our Order."
"Yes, ma'am." I felt my brow crease as I considered Fay's words.
Thanks to Eidetic Memory, I knew Dooku had had four Padawans; Rael Aveross, Qui-Gon Jinn, Keelyvine Reus and Komari Vosa, though Reus had only been his Padawan for a few years after her original master died.
While the first three were still with the Order, Komari was not. That meant that something had to her. Perhaps I could use this to further improve my standing with Dooku and help guide him away from joining the Sith. However, I would need to learn what exactly had happened to her.
As for why Giiett wasn't a member of the Council during the invasion of Naboo, I was less certain. He could have been removed for the Council for some reason or was simply busy with another matter during the movie, yet somehow felt that the reason he was not there was that he had died sometime between now and then.
Since he was the member of the Council I spoke to the most, and one of the few Jedi whose company and sense of humour I enjoyed, I wanted to ensure he survived at least until the invasion of Naboo.
Spotting a new quest notice, I opened it.
After securing the kidnapper's ship and realizing how close I had come to dying, or worse, I had spent the three days before arriving back on Coruscant working out how I was going to counter him. I went back to my rough plans from before I constructed my lightsaber and expanded on how to create my own Force Order and raise an army of my own.
For an army, I was looking at the Mandalorians. Death Watch was something to be removed, as they were fare to cruel and bloodthirsty. But the True Mandalorians were a different story. They were the group that Jango Fett had served with. They, although still preferring a war-like culture, had supposedly retained the Code of Honour of their forefathers from the days of the Old Republic. I planned to learn more about them as soon as I could, possibly even meeting Fett, and venture to the world to see about finding a small group – probably no more than a dozen initially – that were willing to work with me to start fixing the problems in the galaxy.
I was also considering creating my own droid army. Though one more akin to HK-47 than the Trade Federation's battle droids. Finding HK-47 was highly improbable – without any outside Force-guided help – but making droids like him was doable, I hoped.
As for creating a counter to the Jedi/Sith, that was going to take longer. I needed to continue to make friends and influence people within the Order. And thanks to spending five months learning from a master manipulator – and the fifty per cent bonus to Persuasion, Deception, Lie Detection and Intimidation that I got whenever I talked to Palpatine or watched him work – I felt I stood a fair chance of convincing at least my fellow ex-members of Dragon Clan to see things from my side.
Dooku, I suspected, was already jaded towards the Order and the Republic – whether from his own feelings, Palpatine's manipulation, or both – and Fay held clear disdain for the High Council. So, once I was sure that they would agree with me – I really wanted to be able to see reputations – then I intended to bring them in on my plans.
"Cameron, is something the matter?"
I turned to Bultar, noticing that our Jedi Masters were a few steps ahead of us, and smiled. "No, just thinking about the future and what it holds," I replied honestly.
"OK," She said, clearly confused as to why I was thinking about the future. "I just wanted to…"
"We've been over this," I cut in, stopping her thanking me again. While it had been nice the first few times, after one hundred and twenty-seven times – a downside of Eidetic Memory – I was growing very, very tired of being thanked. "We're free now, and you've already thanked me. So let's just move on."
She chuckled. "OK, but I was just going to ask if you wished to spar sometime. I am curious about how it will be to face someone trained in Makashi."
"Ah." Now I felt a little stupid for snapping at her. "Sure. Um, what form do you prefer?"
She chuckled softly. "That's for me to know and you to find out."
I laughed at that as we entered the shuttle that would take us to the surface.
...
...
"After securing the ship with Vakkar security, Padawan Swan and myself boarded the cruiser Serenity and returned to Coruscant," I stated, finishing my verbal report to the High Council the day after arriving back at the Temple.
Sure, I had skipped over the issues with Vakkar security not believing that Bultar and I were Padawans of the Jedi Order, as honestly, I wished I could forget about Captain Lebpor; the Vakkar security officer placed in charge of the captured kidnappers and their ship.
As to why I was giving this report verbally, when I had submitted a full, and exceedingly detailed, written report while we waited for the Serenity on Vakkar, was beyond me. Perhaps everyone on the council was illiterate?
"This is all?" Windu asked as he leaned forward, looking at me intently.
Fay and Dooku were standing at the entrance to the Council Chamber, as was Bultar. She had given her report before I was called in and had been asked to stay by Yoda before I started mine.
"Yes, sir," I replied calmly as Player's Mind was active along with Enhance Skill and Enhance Stat for Persuasion and Charisma respectfully. Enhancing my Persuasion and Charisma might help when a judgment was rendered on my actions, so I had activated them during a brief pause near the end of my report.
The council members looked among themselves, clearly talking telepathically to each other while I stood in the centre of the room.
It felt like a psychological trick; one designed to unnerve someone called into the chamber. I was sure it worked on other Padawans and the younger knights, but thanks to my previous life, and new powers, it was wasted on me.
"While we are pleased with your ability to escape your capture, rescue your fellow Padawans, and the other hostages, and capture the ringleader of the kidnappers, we are… concerned by the report provided to us from Vakkar," stated Master Poof, he red eyes staring down from far above his body as he spoke.
"Their reports state one of the kidnappers died from being shot in his reproductive organs," Piell grunted out. "A wound he took while lying down."
"Comment on this, would you?" Yoda asked with his wrinkled brow looking more creased than usual.
Before I answered, I glanced at Bultar, wondering how much of this she needed to hear. "I discovered that he was one of five who had… abused several of the children, including Padawan Savos." My voice was only staying calm because of PM as my mind flashed back to that moment. "I recognized his voice from when I was in Padawan Swan's cell, and I confirmed from him that he wanted to 'play' with her, as he had done with others."
"And you decided to take justice into your own hands and remove his ability to reproduce?" Windu asked as his face twisted. "That it was your right to make such a call?"
"Actually, I had wanted to kill him outright," I countered bluntly, beginning my defence with honesty.
After talking with Fay and Dooku over the past day and explaining my emotional state while on the kidnapper's ship, they had suggested taking this path as a way to mitigate any disapproval from the High Council. Both stated that they expected me to be reprimanded for what I did, but they felt that further punishment would be avoided by getting ahead of the issue; though that was my wording for it, not theirs.
"I stood with my blaster aimed at his head for a minute, trying to control my anger, deciding how to handle dealing with that… creature." I noticed Master Koon bob his head a touch as I spoke and hoped that meant he understood my feelings on the situation.
"And you chose to neuter the man instead of killing him?" Giiett asked through a partially closed mouth as I turned to face him. "You did it to prevent him from committing such an act again?" I saw Bultar was tightly gripping her lightsaber hilt, and that others saw her do so.
"Yes, though I do not deny I took a small measure of enjoyment from doing so, even if I shouldn't have," I replied, taking the out I felt Giiett had provided for me. Whether he truly believed that was why I had done what I did or was just trying to help me manage the Council's anger, I wasn't sure.
"Understandable, your actions are. Acceptable, they are not," Yoda stated after a brief silence.
"A Jedi does not unilaterally decide the punishment for a crime, no matter the situation," Windu agreed, his eyes narrowed as he leaned forward to focus on me. "We work with the Republic judicial forces to arrest criminals. Their fate is for the courts to decide, not you."
"Understood."
While the rest of the Council seemed to relax, Windu's eyes narrowed further and I swore I saw a vein in his head twitch.
"You are to attend Initiate sessions on the Jedi Code for a period of not less than four months, while…" Windu began, only to be cut off as Dooku stepped forward.
"Do you think so poorly of Master Fay and myself, Master Windu," the Makashi master began softly as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "that you feel able to determine the best way to instruct our Padawan?"
Even from my short time being his Padawan, I knew that his softening voice was never a good thing. Clearly, so did the Council members, as several shifted in their seats.
"That is not what is being suggested Master Dooku, however you must see that Padawan Shan's actions are not in keeping with our ways," countered Piell as the diminutive Jedi leaned forward in his chair. "Such actions must be corrected."
"The teaching of a Padawan is at the discretion of their Master," Fay said gently, her voice flowing through the chamber, as she moved to my other side. "Or has the Order changed that ruling without my knowledge?"
"It has not, but the final decision on the fate of any Jedi rests with the Council," Belfarr countered bluntly as he focused on me. "Especially those who come to us at a later age and are thus at greater risk of falling into the darkness."
I was glad PM was running or I knew I'd have made a snide remark towards Belfarr. The man still had it out for me, though at least now I knew some of why that was.
The way Dooku's grip on my shoulder tightened, I suspected that he too was not a fan of Belfarr. Nor was Fay if the sharp intake of breath was any indication.
"Please," Master Gallia began, raising her hands to take control as I noted that Yoda was sitting back in his chair, his eyes never leaving me as the council went back and forth with Fay and Dooku, "let us not become clouded by our emotions. Nor bogged down in arguing over the exact rights and powers members of our esteemed order and this council have. Let us try to find common ground and work from there."
"Yes, yes. Correct you are, Master Gallia," Yoda added, taking back control of the room as things quietened down, punctuated only by Sifo-Dyas groaning quietly and touching his head. "Padawan Shan, while understandable, your actions are, unbecoming of a Jedi, they are. One month you will spend, teaching Initiates on the code. Review your actions during this time, you should."
"Yes, sir." While the punishment wasn't something I wanted to do, it was light compared to being in those classes as a student for four months and whatever else Windu had wanted me to do. And Windu was still not happy, as he gave the Grandmaster a sideways glance.
Fay and Dooku both stepped back, but I stayed.
"You have something else to discuss?" Rancisis asked as his body coiled tighter around his chair, raising his body upwards.
"Yes, sir. There are a few things I wish to know, if I am allowed," I began. There were a few issues I wanted to clear up, and since I was already here, and had been punished for my actions, it was hopefully the best time to voice them.
"Ask away, though do not expect us to answer," Koon replied as the skin around his mask shifted. Whether that meant he was smiling or grimacing, I had no idea. Though the smirk that crept onto Giiett's face for an instant suggested the former.
"First, I am wondering why more details on Padawan Savos' disappearance wasn't passed on to the other Padawans, and then why I, and the others, weren't informed of Padawan Swan's disappearance."
Giiett switched his look to Windu and the barest of twitches of his brow told me who the order to withhold information had come from. Indeed, it was Windu who answered.
"At the time of Padawan Savos' capture, we were unaware as to the exact cause of his disappearance and felt he would contact his Master as soon as he was able to." Windu paused and met Giiett's gaze for a moment before continuing. "Padawan Swan failed to report in the day before you were captured, and we had not yet informed the relevant Jedi to pass along a further warning to their Padawans."
I wanted to turn to see Dooku's expression at that piece of news but was unable to do so as Poof spoke.
"The decision to withhold information regarding Padawan Savos' disappearance was a contentious issue, especially as this was the first lead either we or the Republic Judicial forces had gained in almost a year." He gave me a small smile as he continued. "Your Masters and others pressed for us to reveal more to you and the other Padawans, but we chose to stay the course."
"Understood, sir." In hindsight, it was not the correct decision, but thanks to my previous life, and serving in the military, I could understand their thinking.
"More to ask, you have," Yaddle prodded and I nodded, still getting used to the idea of a female Yoda. Fay spoke well of her, and the stories she had told me during our travels suggested a long and deep friendship existed between the two.
"Yes, ma'am. I am...concerned, for Padawans Savos and Swan, Jon especially. What they suffered while captured was, intense. I am hopeful, that they will receive counselling of some form to help deal with their ordeals."
This was an issue where I wanted to attack the council. I suspected they were just going to treat the two children as they had treated me when I arrived; and how they would have treated Ahsoka.
"Your concern for your fellow Padawans is admirable," Rancisis began. "They have faced a great event in lives, one that many will not. The Force has placed this trial within their path, one they must find the strength to overcome."
I waited for the snake-like council member to continue, only he didn't. I was sure that without PM I would've snapped at the complete lack of care being displayed by the High Council; well most of them. Even as I looked at Rancisis, I could see out of the corner of my eye that Gallia was frowning and looking down while Yaddle seemed to slump in on herself. I imagined that Giiett was also against this, given it involved his padawan, but I couldn't see him, having turned to Rancisis when he spoke.
As I pondered how to respond, Fay spoke.
"While your words are to be expected Master Rancisis, I believe my Padawan would prefer to hear of the physical help that will be offered to Padawan Swan, and particularly Padawan Savos. Or is it the decision of this council that no direct help is to be provided, just as none was provided to Cameron when he arrived here; lost across the millennia after a harrowing fight with a Sith Acolyte with his only family having died a day before he arrived at the temple?" Her voice may have been calm and collected, but the way her grey eyes – normally so vibrant and inviting – bore into Rancisis like cold iron indicated that she was far from impressed with his words, and the council's apparent decision.
"Yet to be made, is a final decision, old friend," Yaddle spoke, her voice soft yet controlling. "Help will be provided, from the Order and outside. My vow on this, you have."
That seemed to calm Fay, as she nodded and gave Yaddle a small smile.
"Is that all?" Tiin asked me.
"About this mission, yes sir." I had a few questions regarding the fact that save my meeting with former Chancellor Kalpana, no-one, either within the Order or without, had asked me about my life before arriving on Coruscant in the present day. But those questions could wait for when I wasn't being punished by the council or questioning in their handling of children.
"Masters Fay, Dooku, is there anything you wish to add?"
Both my Jedi Masters shook their heads and, along with Bultar, we were dismissed.
Once in the small antechamber outside the council chambers, Dooku stepped over to one side, away from the elevator as Bultar entered.
"I wish to speak with Master Sifo-Dyas for a moment." He said as the elevator descended, leaving us alone in the antechamber.
"Is this related to what you mentioned to me before?" Fay asked, drawing a nod from Dooku. "I thought so."
"Have you given any further thought to what he asked?" Dooku inquired.
"I have. Provided he is well, I think we need to resume our discussion," she paused and glanced at me. "After Cameron has served his punishment, I will be leaving the Temple while he is yours to train. I find this planet, restricting."
Dooku rubbed his beard as I wondered just what the two were really talking about.
"I am beginning to understand why that is. The Council… is not what I once believed it to be." He sighed and looked back at the door. "Perhaps I can persuade Master Sifo-Dyas to join you, join us, in leaving for a while." My brow rose at hearing that, as it meant I had a good chance to get Dooku away from the temple, and by extension Palpatine, while also spending time with Sifo-Dyas. Potentially, I could handle both their quests at the same time.
Fay nodded and gave him a small smile. "That may be exactly what is needed; for all of us."
Clearly, Fay, Dooku and Sifo-Dyas had been talking while I was on assignment, and now seemed to be planning to head away from the Temple together. I was pleased about that as it pulled the Changing Fate quests for Dooku and Sifo-Dyas together and would allow me more time with Darihd. I hadn't spoken to him much since we were taken as Padawans and he was one I hoped to pull into my faction when the time was right.
Dooku moved over to one of the benches outside the council chambers for people to wait as Fay and I boarded the now-returned elevator. As the doors closed, and we began our descent, she turned to me.
"I am sure you are curious about what Master Dooku and I were speaking of, but I need you to trust me and not ask about us. I promise we will reveal what we are doing before we leave the Temple once more, but until we do, you must remain silent."
"Yes, Master," I replied with a smile to let her know I was ok with waiting.
As we continued to descend, I spotted a quest notice and opened it.
The XP took me to about just over six thousand XP and if I could complete Stones of Muntuur and Wipe That Grin off her Face, I would be much close to levelling up once again.
I chuckled mentally at once again thinking about my life in game terms, but it was what it was.
...
A few hours later, and after meditating for most of that time with Fay, we were walking towards one of the mess halls when we rounded a corner and saw Master Giiett and Bultar standing near the hall.
"Ah, Master Fay, just the Jedi I wished to speak with," Giiett said as he saw us approach, smiling broadly at Fay.
"How may I be of service?" Fay asked as the council member and his Padawan approached.
"I merely wished to thank you for your words regarding how the Council should help Bultar and Padawan Savos," Giiett began as we stepped to the side of the corridor. "With Master Yaddle giving her word, the Council has approached a child trauma ward for help with the Padawans."
"I am pleased to hear that. Would you like me to pass on the message to Master Dooku?"
Giiett shook his hand. "No. I spoke to him after the council broke this morning. I just wanted to thank you personally and ask if Cameron would be interested in talking with someone outside the Temple about his, experiences."
Fay turned to me, allowing me to reply personally. "Thank you for the offer, but I've had a few years now to deal with what happened, and Master Fay arranged for me to speak with a mind healer just after I became her Padawan," I replied. I also wanted to avoid talking to someone outside the Temple about my experiences. There was a chance that a psychologist – or whatever they were called here – would find a hole in my story about my life four-thousand years ago, and that Palpatine would gain access to those sessions.
However, I didn't want to offend Giiett, as he was my only possible ally on the High Council.
Thankfully, Giiett seemed to accept my rejection well, as he smiled at me. "No problem. I suspected that your Masters had already arranged some form of counselling for you. However, I do wish to convey my sincerest apologies about the Council failing to consider that you might need support beyond being housed in the Temple when you came to us."
A part of me was glad that someone on the council had noted their lack of care when I arrived, but I wasn't going to say that to a potential ally. "It's ok. I lost my mother when I was about five, so I've been dealing with such things even before I arrived here," I replied, mixing in a small lie that I kept telling whenever my parentage came up.
"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that," Giiett paused, and glanced at Fay before continuing. "Actually, I don't think I've ever heard you speak about your father."
I shrugged. "Never met him, and my grandfather never talked about him." That was true, though mainly because I had never asked him.
Fay had asked me a bit about my family history when we had been travelling and had hinted that a certain prophecy suggested that a child would be born without a father.
From the way Giiett's brow, and Bultar's sharp intake of breath, I could tell both were aware of the possible implications of me lacking a father. Man, was this place going to go crazy once Anakin came onto the scene, provided I didn't remove him from Tatooine before the Naboo crisis.
"Really? I did not know that." Giiett glanced at Fay, who nodded. "Hmm, perhaps we might speak on other matters later Master Fay. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on a few of the more ancient beliefs of our Order."
"Certainly." At that Bultar's stomach grumbled, and both Jedi Masters chuckled. "I think we should arrange that meeting after lunch."
"Yes, that may be for the best." Bultar's cheeks reddened at her master's amusement as we walked into the hall together.
...
That evening, once most of the Jedi had gone to bed, I snuck out of my room and moved quietly through the halls of the Temple. Thanks to Detection, I was able to move without being detected by anyone until I reached the Kunddaka chamber, and my targets; the Muntuur stones.
I had reviewed the power in my room before coming. With TK now at Savant 95 and based off of the details given on how much weight I could potentially lift, I knew the stones should not be a challenge.
Since no-one in the Order, bar one ancient Jedi, had ever lifted seven, I wanted to make sure no-one was around when I attempted this. They had enough to believe I was their Chosen One without me doing something supposedly impossible.
Closing the door behind me, I reached out and took hold of all seven stones, before carefully lifting them in case their weight overloaded my ability with TK and forced me to drop them.
I held them just long enough for a quest notice to appear, followed by a level-up notice before I lowered the stones and opened the notices.
"Indeed," I spun at the voice and saw Yaddle standing in the doorway, watching me carefully. "Five hundred years, I have lived. Yet never such a feat, have I seen." She said as she began to walk closer.
"Master Yaddle, I…" I began only to stop as she raised a hand.
"Privacy for the attempt, you wished for. Understandable that this, given to whispers around you." She said as she moved next to me. "To see you succeed, impressive. And worrying."
"How so?"
Yaddle moved over to one of the stones, before using the Force to lift herself onto it. I chose to lean against another as I waited for her to reply.
"Whispers around you, you have heard, yes?" I nodded. "Understand why this is, do you?"
"At first, I'd say because of my family line, both before and after me," I began. Yaddle was a friend of Fay's, so perhaps she was another potential ally. "However, after the Initiate Trials, I asked some of Dragon Clan. They mentioned a prophecy. I think that is the main reason for the whispers now."
"Yes, destiny swirls around you. Scares some, entices others. Felt this, you may already have." I nodded again as it was certainly true that just as many avoided or confronted me as sought me out. "A dangerous thing, prophecies are. Some more than others. Around you, one congregates. Chosen One."
"Chosen One?" I asked, playing dumb in the hopes of getting her to explain the full prophecy.
She smirked and swatted the air between us. "Limited, you are not. Pretending to know less, suits you not."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Prophesied, the Chosen One is. Balance to the Force, they will bring," Yaddle said, telling me no more than Darihd and the others in Dragon Clan had years ago. "Much discussion there is, about you and this prophecy."
"As I have said before, I dislike being in visions and prophecies."
She chuckled. "Yes, allude to this, Master Fay has," she slid down from the stone. "Mention your feat, I will not. However, more of the prophecy, you should learn. Talk to your Master, I will."
I watched as the council member walked out of the chamber, leaving alone with the stones.
I was still no closer to knowing much Yaddle, but hopefully, this would help me gain access to the full prophecy; not just the vague references in the archives. Even Revan hadn't told me what the prophecy stated, only that both the Jedi and Sith were interpreting it wrong.
I followed Yaddle out of the chamber and made my way quietly back to my quarters without running into anyone else.
Once there, I opened my Perks menu.
Luck of the Force granted an instant increase in my Luck of 5.
Physical Regeneration gave me the ability to regenerate my HP at a rate of 5% per hour.
Bookworm was a 50% increase in skill growth when reading about a skill. I suspected that this would mainly apply to Intelligence governed skills, but it was a very tempting perk to take as those skills were the largest group of skills I had and could be easily added to by learning more languages or how to design equipment from simple circuitry right up to starships.
One with Nature and One with Beasts granted 100% bonuses to skills and Force powers covering plants and animals, respectively. Sadly, this seemed to mainly cover knowledge skills for now; which didn't count towards my overall skill total and were thus, seemingly less important.
Dominant granted 20% bonuses to skills when leading a group, but 10% reductions when not leading. At the current point in time, that was not a good choice as the only time I technically led was when I was alone.
Style gave a 15% bonus to Charisma-based skills, while also boosting Reputation gains by 10%, and lowering the losses by an equal amount. When I started to move for myself, and create my own team, that could be helpful; but like Dominant, it was virtually useless at the current time.
Enhanced Regeneration was a perk I was taking at some point. It would double my regeneration for FP, PP and Stam while halving the rate at which my Hunger dropped.
Boosted Growth granted a 10% increase to all XP gained; whether that was for skills, powers or levels. Very useful, and one to consider.
I ignored all but Enhanced Regeneration and Boosted Growth as those two were the ones with the most benefit if taken early. But by that very logic, Boosted Growth was the best choice. While a ten per cent increase in XP didn't sound like much, doing the quick math on levelling from 12 to 16 meant I'd have earned an extra 5400XP; about a third of the XP need for my current level.
After making my choice, I sat down on the bed and began my nightly training, while once more saying a silent thank you to Serenity granting the need to only to sleep once every twenty days provided that I meditated at least once a day.
...
...
I ducked as the lightsaber whizzed through where my head had been a mere moment before and then spun away from the blade.
"Slow and predictable," I said calmly as I watched the Rodian – the same one I had beaten in the Initiate trials – glare at me. "Honestly, when I agreed to this, I had expected some improvement from our last duel, but it seems I was mistaken."
His snout twitched and he swung his lightsaber in a low, horizontal swipe. A basic manoeuvre of Shii-Cho, and one I avoided by jumping upwards and then kicking him across the shoulder before I pushed myself backwards with the Force.
"Two zero," called out another member of Katarn Clan as the Rodian shake his head and snarl at me.
"Come on Tsis! You can take him!" Another of the Clan called out to their friend.
"That would be a first," I countered with a smirk. "While my skills have grown, it appears that Tsis' have sadly degraded."
Tsis, either enraged by my constant belittling or goaded on by his clan-mates, roared and charged, lightsaber held high above his head. While he moved faster this time than before – possibly due to giving in to his anger – I stayed still until he leapt; at which point I caught him in mid-air with TK and began walking across the sparring circle with him held helplessly in front of me until he crossed the edge of the circle.
"I believe that is the match," I casually stated as I stepped out of the circle and released Tsis.
I turned to the rest of his clan. "Now, I hope this will ensure that our class is less disruptive tomorrow. Dismissed."
The Initiates, who were all bar Tsis, younger than me, bowed and left, a few guiding Tsis away before he did anything rash.
"Oh, and Tsis," I called out, not totally sure why I did it, but it was at least partially to get in one last knife-twist. "Mind that you don't let your emotions control you so much."
Tsis growled at me but was unable to respond as his friends continued to frogmarch him out of the room.
I shook my head once they had left. "Morons."
"What was that about?"
Turning, I saw Serra and Darihd on the far side of the room; Serra leaning casually against the wall while Darihd held a datapad in his hand.
"Just a few teething problems with my class," I replied with a smile. "Congratulations by the way."
Serra beamed and twiddled with her Padawan braid – as I mentally fought the urge to yank off my restored braid; the thing was annoying as hell.
"Thanks. Master Drallig is a great teacher, I'm learning so much from him." She replied with a massive smile.
"Care to put that to the test?" I asked, seeing this as an opportunity to clear the duelling quest linked to her.
"Sure, beating you never gets old." She replied as she pushed herself off the wall.
As we moved into the circle, Darihd sighing as he was forced to stop looking at his datapad, I glanced at my status.
The 'duel' with Tsis had only taken a few minutes, and I had only activated Bullet-Time as I wanted to beat him without embarrassing him. Well, not too much.
As such, I had still had over 7000FP. Using Bullet-Time and Precognition would give me nine minutes before my FP ran out. If I also activated Force Speed, that would fall to six, so I was going to hold that in reserve.
"Only lightsabers. I don't want you cheating and throwing me from the circle to win," She said as she ignited her twin green blades. Both had shorter grips than my blade, probably to help her use them as two full-sized grips would be too much for a ten-year-old to handle properly.
"OK," I replied, igniting my blade, and lowering the power to training levels, before issuing the challenge with the Makashi opening salute.
"On my signal, begin!"
Instantly, Serra leapt upwards, bringing both blades down hard as she fell onto me.
I calmly raised my blade, angling it to guide her blades to one side while stepping to face her landing spot.
She coughed as she landed, swinging out with the blade nearest to me.
I blocked it easily, then stabbed forward towards her exposed leg.
She blocked with her second lightsaber, then brought the first round, attempting to strike my arm.
A simple tilting on my blade pushed the attack away and I lifted my foot to avoid another sweep.
A feint forced her to step back and she used to the distance to smirk as she twirled her blades.
"You've gotten better," She said as she prepared to attack.
"As have you," I replied as I shifted into the Soresu opening stance.
That had her pause, clearly having expected me to only use Makashi, but she held for only a moment before charging in once more.
Her blades moved rapidly, one attacking while the other readied, probing my defence, high and low, left and right, inside and out, but I was able to block and deflect every attack with ease using Soresu.
As she brought both blades down for a double overhead strike, I shifted my stance, raised my blade upwards even while ducking.
From here, I guided her blades over my back while stepping inside her personal space and tapping her on the head with my hilt.
"One, zero. He got you, Serra," Darihd commented with a chuckle.
Before she could counter or comment, I dropped to my knees, letting my blade scrape across her shoulder.
I rolled away, feeling the heat of at least one of her blades uncomfortably close to my legs, but receiving no message saying I'd lost HP, I knew she'd missed the desperate attack.
"Two, zero."
"I didn't know you had learned Soresu," She said after leaping back to restore distance between us.
"While Makashi is great in places, I'd be a fool to not learn other forms," I replied as I adopted a Shii-Cho opening stance. "Each has its strengths and weaknesses."
Serra's smile, which she had kept throughout the duel, grew. "Good."
She came at me faster this time. Her blades carrying out short, rapid strikes that forced me to shift back to Soresu even as I stepped backwards.
None of the attacks broke through my defence – thanks to Precognition telling me where they were coming from – but they were coming fast enough, that I was denied any opportunity to counterattack.
Eventually, she changed approach and launched a series of arcing swipes that were far easier to defend against but struck my blade with far more force.
Seeing a gap in these attacks, and noting the slowing of them, I shifted to Makashi and used the weaker, but shorted and more precise attacks of the Form to force her into defending.
My attacks, while not as fast as hers had been, were just as consistent as I had activated Force Speed to make my movements faster.
As she moved late to block one such attack, I slid one foot to the other side and shifted my weight.
Taking advantage of my free hand – as Makashi favoured single grip movements – I grabbed her wrist and twisted.
"Argh." She groaned as I turned her wrist away from her body, taking the blade in hand out of the battle even as my blade moved towards her neck and stepped closer.
"I yield," She whispered as her face was bathed in the black and white light of my blade, the shifting light drawing my attention to just how close we were as I felt her breath on my lips.
"Right," I muttered as I stepped back, deactivated my lightsaber and began to step out of her personal space while noticing a quest completion notice.
"Most impressive," came a voice from my right and we spun as one, banging shoulders and then falling to the ground.
"Well, that wasn't," added Master Drallig with a smirk as Darihd covered his mouth with the datapad. "Why am I not surprised that I find you in the sparing circle my young Padawan."
"Master, I…" Serra's words die in her mouth as Drallig raises a hand.
"You are in your free time, Serra. What you do with it is your choice."
"Yes, Master."
Drallig turned to me as I stood, offering a hand to Serra in the process. "Padawan Shan, I have just spoken to a member of Katarn Clan who says you have been bullying them in the circle."
I ignored the redness of Serra's cheeks as she took my hand as I answered. "Certain members of the clan were, unhappy, with me being assigned to teach them. As the class went on, and as specific members chose to ignore my teaching and disrupt the class, I offered them a choice. Shut up and listen or do something to remove me."
"And you felt a duel in which you berated your opponent was an acceptable method of handling it?" Drallig asked, crossing his arms as he spoke.
"It was Initiate Fobe who suggested the duel, sir. I believe he was still unhappy about losing to me during the Initiate trials a few years ago." I shrugged. "Not my fault I could beat him without drawing my lightsaber."
Drallig rubbed his chin. "Hmm, it seems that the Initiate failed to explain clearly the reasons behind why you duelled.
"Regardless, that is not why I am here. If you would come with me, Padawan Shan. You have a visitor."
I frowned, wondering who would come to the Temple only to see Drallig glance upwards to the overhead gallery.
Following his glance, I saw Dooku and Sifo-Dyas stand there. With Senator Palpatine.
"Ah." I turned to Serra and Darihd. "Sorry. I was hoping to catch up with both of you."
"How about at lunch?" Serra offered quickly.
Darihd shook his head. "I can't. My Master wishes for us to spend the evening on one of the lower levels of the planet."
"So just the two us then?" I asked Serra, making her smile and nod. "It's a date then."
I walked away before she could reply, though I did hear Darihd cough/chuckle and exited the room with Drallig.
"Do you do it on purpose?" He said once we were out of earshot of the sparring room.
"Do what sir?"
He chuckled as we walked up the stairs. "The teasing. Serra enjoys your company, but I advise you to be careful of your words. Like most young Jedi, Serra has only known the Temple and is not well trained yet in handling her emotions."
"Ah. Well, I will try to limit it. But she does make it easy," I replied, drawing another short laugh from the Battlemaster.
"Yes, she does." We reached the next floor and saw the trio waiting for me.
"Ah, young Cameron," Palpatine began, breaking away from the two Jedi Masters to come me and rest his hands on my shoulders. "It warms this old heart to see you alive and well. When you were taken, I was greatly concerned for your well-being."
"Thank you, Senator. Thankfully the kidnappers failed to realize I was a Jedi and thus didn't imprison me as they had the other Padawans."
His happiness at seeing me fell. "Ah, yes. How are your fellow Jedi doing?"
"The High Council has arranged for them to receive help from inside and out of the Order," answered Sifo-Dyas.
"That is good to hear," Palpatine replied with a smile that appeared genuine if you didn't know he was a Sith lord. "If it is not an imposition Master Dooku, I was hoping I could speak to young Cameron privately."
"Of course, Master Sifo-Dyas and I have a meeting with other members of the Order," Dooku answered before turning to me. "I will meet you back here after lunch to resume our training."
"Yes, sir."
"Is there perhaps a private room where we may speak?" Palpatine asked me as the two Jedi Masters walked away.
"There should be somewhere," I replied, and we walked to where there were a few smaller meditation chambers. Hopefully one of them would be empty.
"I read your report on the mission," Palpatine began as we walked. "I was most impressed that you managed to take down an entire ship full of brigands single handily."
"I wasn't alone on the mission Senator."
Palpatine waved his hand, dismissing my point. "The other Padawans were unable to help. You completed a mission that older, and longer trained Jedi failed. You should be proud of that."
I nodded, accepting the praise, even if I knew it was just designed to instil a belief that I was better than others, better than the Jedi. As he felt Sith should be.
Once we were in an empty room, we sat on the meditation seats, though Palpatine took a while to settle.
"How do you Jedi ever manage to rest on these things?" He asked in annoyance as he squirmed in the seat.
"It takes time and patience, an issue for some," I replied with a smirk at seeing the Sith Lord struggle with a simple meditation seat.
"I wanted to make sure you were well. I admit that I rather enjoyed your time posing as my nephew, and reading your report, especially about facing the rapist, I was concerned for your mental well-being." He said once he had settled.
I sighed and looked away, engaging Empathic Shield. I avoided Player's Mind as that would nullify my emotions, which might arouse his suspicions if I was too calm about what had happened. If he tried to use the Force against me, the interface would alert me - whether it succeeded or failed - and I could slam on PM.
"It was a difficult moment. As I told the High Council, I wanted to kill him, but I didn't. It was tempting, but in the end, I couldn't bring myself to murder him in cold blood."
"Yes, I imagine it would have been a difficult decision, one that if your place, I would have been tormented over the choices," He paused for a moment. "Why didn't you? Your Jedi training?"
"More something I learned when younger," I explained, though I was talking about my old life and not my time before the Jedi as he probably suspected. "While powerful, I am but one man. I am not judge, jury and executioner. As much as I wanted him dead and would have gladly testified at his trial if he had survived his injuries, I will not murder in cold blood." That he died of the injury I caused him while suffering excruciating pain was admittedly not much better, but it did give him a chance to survive; however small.
Palpatine nodded as I spoke, and then replied. "A wise choice. One many would not be able to make. However, if the man had lived, I assure you he would have faced a lifetime in prison for his actions. I would have helped to ensure that."
I smiled in what I hoped he would take as thanks as I considered mentioning the Mind Probe to him. It was what would be classed as a dark side power, so he might be able to subtly give me hints on how to train it.
Yet I decided not to. Doing so would bring even more of his attention down on me, and if I wanted to save Sifo-Dyas and prevent Dooku from becoming a Sith, the less extra attention I drew from the Sith the better as I worked to remove them from Coruscant, and Sidious' reach.
"I have heard that the Jedi are going to assist the Judiciary forces in locating the beings the kidnappers were working with," Palpatine began, changing the subject. "How goes the investigation?"
"I don't know. The council didn't mention anything about that when I reported to with them yesterday," I answered honestly letting my surprise show. "I am currently serving a punishment for my actions while on-mission."
"That is most unfortunate. I would have felt that having someone already versed in the details, and who had provided the only break of any kind in the case, would be beneficial to the investigators."
I shrugged. "The council makes its own decisions, Senator. They won't change their mind for a mere Padawan."
He rubbed his chin. "Yes, that is true. Though perhaps a few friendly words from myself and the Chancellor could get you reassigned to the investigation."
"While I would be grateful, there is no need to do so. I am sure the Jedi assigned are skilled in helping the police and will certainly know more about the criminal underworld of Coruscant." Though if he did still get me assigned, it gave would give me a chance to rob some more criminals and potentially find a fleece to sell the gemstones to.
However, after everything that had happened, I expected the investigation to go cold as I was all but certain that Palpatine was involved in it somehow. Sure, a fall-guy might be found, but they would die before being able to testify that there were other players involved.
"Still, I will try." Palpatine was cut off from saying anything else when his commlink beeped. "Ah, my apologies, but I must take this."
I stood and bowed to Palpatine. "Of course. The wheels of government are always turning."
He chuckled gently as he palmed the commlink. "Yes, indeed they are. Before we separate, I'd like you to know that if you ever need someone outside the Jedi Order to speak with, my door will be open to you."
"Thank you, uncle. I will remember that." I replied with a grin at using the fake family link between us. Palpatine let out a chuckle that I was quite sure was genuine, though whether it was due to my wit, or the fact that he assumed I was warming to him and now viewed him more as family, I wasn't sure.
As we both stepped out of the chamber and headed in different directions, I was tempted to use Observe, but I restrained myself as I was the only other person around and didn't want to risk him figuring out I had done something.
Once I was a good ten metres or so away from the chamber, I stopped and took a deep breath. I had the confirmation to the quest bonus that I had Palpatine's favour, though I would have to be very careful about how, if at all, that I used it. The use of 'uncle' had been a gambled charm offensive that would most likely be a double-edged sword. Palpatine would both relax more around me, while also continue his efforts with renewed vigour. I just hoped the trade-off was worth it.
While having a friend in the Senate should be a useful thing, it being Sidious made it far more likely that any help I asked for would be spun to benefit himself and the Sith plan.
Once my punishment was over, I had to get off this planet. That meant convincing Dooku to leave, which seemed likely given to the brief conversation he had had with Fay after my report to the High Council.
I pulled the quest notice and smirked.
As for the reputation boost from Wipe That Grin off her Face, well once I turned eleven, that should be viewable, so I'd just have to wait until then to see where I stood with Serra. And everyone else.
...
...
I smiled as Clawmouse Clan left the room. They were one of five clans that I taught each morning on a rotating basis as part of my punishment.
Despite my initial reluctance, I was enjoying the classes as they allowed me a chance to get to know a large number of potential Jedi who I might be able to persuade to join me when I formed my own Force group and those who would be reassigned to the corps and would be even easier recruits if handled correctly.
Yet I was beginning to wonder when exactly the classes would end as it had now been just shy of seven weeks - a little less than a month and a half - since I had been assigned to teach these classes.
"How were today's Initiates?" Master Fay asked with a twinkle in her eye as she walked into the now empty classroom.
"Fine. I haven't had any problems with a clan since my first day," I replied which made her smile.
"That is good to hear, though I imagine you are looking forward to ending your time teaching?"
"Please tell me the council has decided to end this," I pretended to beg by dropping to my knees, making her chuckle softly.
"Your punishment ended last week, however, I felt it would do you good to continue for a short while longer." Her smile fell and she looked down at me, her hands up the sleeves of her robes. "When you returned to the Temple, I asked you to be patient with regards to something Master Dooku and I were speaking of."
"I remember." Kind of hard to forget with Eidetic Memory.
"Ah, good," she paused and looked away for a moment before continuing. "The time has come to explain what is going on."
She turned and began to leave the room. I moved quickly to catch up with her and we began to walk through the corridors.
"How does your training with Master Dooku go?" She asked as we entered one of the many elevators in the temple that led to the central spire; which housed many of the private meditation and discussion chambers.
"Well. He has begun to teach me the basics of Ataru and feels that all that is holding me back with Makashi is my size," I replied honestly. I had also learned Force Inertia from him, which was the power to run on walls, water and eventually ceilings. My skill with Makashi was coming along well, now resting at Savant 88 and both he and Battlemaster Drallig had said I was versed enough in the Form to be allowed to teach it to classes of Initiates; which I did once each day.
I had gained a few new powers after reviewing what I knew of the KOTOR games. Ionize was the power to disable or destroy droids without using Force Lightning and while I had not seen it used by anyone in the movies or cartoons, or demonstrated by anyone in the Temple, the records showed it was not listed as a dark-side power. Thus, it was safe to train it with the Temple.
As was Force Slow – the new name I gave to Force Weaken – which confused an opponent of low enough Wisdom and Intelligence that they would appear to be moving slower than those around them.
The same, however, could not be said of Force Scream, Force Fear or Force Drain.
Force Scream inflicted sonic damage on a target, could disorientate them, and even disrupt their connection to the Force if unprepared or unused to emotional-based Force attacks.
Force Fear invoked terror in a target with the potential to have them unable to fight and could potentially affect more than one person at a time. But even this paled in comparison to Force Drain.
Force Drain was the ability to drain the Force and even life-force from a target. From a gaming perspective, this translated into HP. This was an incredibly dangerous power as this was the one that drove Darth Nihilus to become the monster that he was in KOTOR2. At its maximum potential, it could cause entire planets to die. Not a power I hoped to ever need to use, but one I now had.
All three were dark side powers and as such, I was not able to practice them while in the Temple. Or even on the planet, I suspected, as with the number of Jedi present, and a Sith Lord as well, any obvious usage of dark side powers would bring trouble crashing down on my head.
I had also gained Alter Mind, Force Wave, Force Repulse, but all three were locked by other powers being at too low a level.
Regarding my powers, I had discovered that certain powers, such as Inertia, Barrier and Phase levelled up quicker if just used for an instant instead of being run until I ran out of FP. I was curious if this applied to skills as well, but so far, no skill that I had tried to use in such a way had shown an improvement in the speed of growth.
The only other thing that had happened of any note was that I discovered that the Temple had a music room. I had played a Synthtar – the local form of a guitar – to keep levelling that skill up after discovering the instrument while undercover so being able to continue levelling that skill while serving my punishment has been a nice surprise.
"That is good to hear," Fay replied, but it was clear to see she was distracted but something; probably what she and Dooku wished to discuss with me.
Once the elevator stopped, I followed Fay to a private chamber only to stop as I stepped inside and saw Dooku sitting with Sifo-Dyas.
While Dooku looked his usual regal self, Sifo-Dyas seemed distracted. His hair was dishevelled, and he had dark bags under his eyes suggesting he was having trouble sleeping.
"Sit Cameron," Dooku stated and I did so as Fay closed the door when then hissed as it locked and the windows sealed. Fay moved around and sat to Sifo-Dyas' left, Dooku was to his right and all three stared at me.
"You wished to speak with me," I said as the three Jedi Masters sat in silence. I didn't think I was in trouble, but even if I was, it was better to face the issue head-on. To be on the safe side, I activated Empathic Shield. While I doubted it would help hide all my emotions from the three Jedi Master, it was a better option than PM which I was now trying to avoid unless in real combat.
"Yes, we did," Dooku began with a slight twinge to his tone that I couldn't place. "There are, issues, that we feel you need to be made aware of."
"I am in trouble?"
"No, of course not," Fay answered instantly, and I felt that I could trust her. "But these issues, visions, do centre around you." I felt my brow rise at hearing her talk of visions and I turned my attention to Sifo-Dyas. I had reviewed all the mentions and appearances I had of him in my memory, but nothing told me as to why he had ordered the clone army.
If he had had a vision of the war to come, it created the start point. From there I could quickly conceive a chain of events where he was convinced by Sidious or his master to place the order for the clones, only to be killed by Dooku.
"You understand, don't you?" Sifo-Dyas said in a voice barely about a whisper. "What the future holds."
All three Jedi were staring at me intently as I nodded.
"War. Galaxy wide, destroying whole planets and bringing an end to the Jedi." I gulped before continuing. "I, I know what will happen."
"What might happen. The future is always in motion, never forget that." Sifo-Dyas countered instantly. "Visions can change as time moves. While this can be for the better, often, it seems, it is not." He slumped down and his head touched the table.
Dooku placed a hand on the other man's shoulder.
"Sifo-Dyas has the ability to see potential events with an incredible degree of clarity," he began, explaining for his friend. "When we were very young, not much older than you in truth, he saw a planet in flames. We tried to convince the Council of this vision, but they ignored us and the planet that we believed was in the vision was destroyed in a solar flare." Dooku finished through gritted teeth.
"I saw other visions, many of which have come true," Sifo-Dyas said, taking up the conversation once more. "All of them leading to a darker and darker future. One in which I saw the Republic in flames."
"And the Sith triumphant," I added before sighing at the looks the three gave me. Sifo-Dyas looked relieved to meet someone else who saw what was to come, Dooku was puzzled while Fay was either surprised or upset. "I am sorry for hiding much of this, Master, but I was unsure of what it all meant," I said to her.
She gave me a sweet smile. "I understand, but even what you did tell me I believed. I too saw glimpses. Not to the degree that it appears to you and Master Sifo-Dyas do, but enough to know that the darkness was coming."
"Visions are not needed to see the coming darkness," Dooku commented with a small sneer that resulted in flashbacks to what he became in canon. "The Outer Rim is falling into anarchy while the Republic and the Jedi do nothing about it."
"If I may return to my story," Sifo-Dyas asked with a twitch of his lips at Dooku's outburst. A nod from Dooku later he did. "Not long after that planet burned, I learned to control these visions, well enough that none outside this room, bar two, are aware of my ability to glimpse the future." He paused and sighed. "A future that shows the Republic rotting and decaying from the core as the shadow of the dark side falls over the galaxy.
"That changed on a day two years ago when, for the first time in decades, the darkness of the future was pierced. A light has shown through. Since that day I have seen visions of possible new futures; a few were worse than what I saw previously, but most were brighter. Yet all these visions are linked to that day. To you."
I looked at Jedi carefully as I considered how to answer this. I needed allies to take on Sidious but, even if I had quests dealing with two of them, telling them everything now was risky. I only really knew Fay, but without having access to my reputation with them, I was working in the dark.
"I… I am unsure of how to respond to that," I replied honestly as I continued to consider how much to reveal here and now.
"That is good to hear," said Fay with a smile that grew at my confusion. "If you acted proud or scared of hearing such a thing, we would know you were not ready, and we had made a mistake asking you here. That you are neither speaks well of you."
"Indeed. Pride and cowardice are unbecoming in any sentient, especially those capable of using the Force," Dooku added before turning to Fay and giving her a small nod; one she returned as they seemed to talk telepathically with each other.
I was starting to hate when adult Jedi did that around me.
"Is this linked to a prophecy of the Chosen One?" I asked, drawing out the conversation to give me more time to prepare my answers and what I would/could reveal without putting them at risk from the Sith.
"It is possible," Sifo-Dyas began as Fay and Dooku shared another look, this one far more concerned that the before. "I do not place a large degree of stock in that particular prophecy – its history and roots have long since been forgotten by our Order – however, others do."
"The Chosen One is a prophecy that dates back to time immemorial," Fay continued. "It tells of a time when a powerful Force-Sensitive will be born, one without a father, who will restore balance to the Force." She paused and gave me a small smile. "I am surprised it took you so long to ask about that. Master Yaddle suggested you'd come looking for answers over a month ago."
"I suspected you would mention it to me at some point," I replied, returning the smile with a smirk. "Though if you hadn't mentioned it before we left, I was planning on asking once we were off-world."
"Patient and clever. Impressive." Commented Dooku before Sifo-Dyas spoke again.
"Whether you are the true Chosen One, or just the latest being to potentially fit the prophecy, is irrelevant. What matters is what we can do to change the future to prevent the rising darkness from engulfing the galaxy."
"Do we want to? I mean, the Republic, at least from what I have seen, if flawed. The Core worlds only care about themselves, or at least the people in power, while the Rim is ignored and exploited by groups like the Trade Federation; a non-political entity that, like a few others, has a seat in the Senate." I explained quickly, not letting the Jedi get a word in before I could explain myself fully. "Groups that only care about money and power hold more voice there than people who wish to help the galaxy."
Dooku smiled. Well, smirked knowingly. "I see your time with Senator Palpatine was not idly spent."
"No, but I do not agree with much of what the Senator thinks. Anyone in power is scared to lose it. Be they politicians, business leaders or even, I suspect, Jedi."
Fay looked like she wanted to argue against that, but Sifo-Dyas cut her off with a stilted laugh.
"Yes, that is true of many, though not all. Though some of us do believe that the Sith are the cause of much of these problems and that you were sent here by the Force to help."
"How?" Honestly, from my own, admittedly limited, learning about the Republic over the last thousand years, I felt it was the Republic that was the source of many of the problems I heard about on the Holonet.
Though if I was in the Sith's shoes, I would make the problems worse. A destabilized Republic was weak, and with the Jedi linked to it, they too would be weakened. This plan of theirs had been in operation for centuries, slowly fanning the flames across the galaxy where possible, provided that previous generations of Sith were prepared for others to reap the benefits of their actions.
"By restoring balance, prophesied child or not," Sifo-Dyas stated with conviction. "The Sith and their ways are an abomination. They bring chaos and disorder to the galaxy through their need for power and conflict."
I nodded a few times, appearing to wholeheartedly agree, even as I considered my next words carefully.
"Forgive me if I am just uninformed, but how is only using one side balance?"
The three Jedi Masters all looked at each other and while they did, I continued.
"I mean, as my grandfather used to say, every one of us has light and dark, good and bad inside us. It is how we handle those two parts that determine our own, personal beliefs and philosophies. But denying that we feel anger or hatred only allows them to fester and corrupt us from within."
"I am curious as to what you have been teaching the Initiates about the Code," Fay began as the smile returned to her lips slowly. "Regardless, what you suggest, while true of most beings, is not the accepted thinking of the Jedi. Or the Sith."
I wanted to point out the stupidity of the two codes, as I had wanted to do in my classes, but I refrained here as I did then. Oh sure, I questioned the Jedi Code repeatedly with the Initiates I had taught, hopefully letting them see that no-one was truly all good or evil, but that was as far as I took things. Mainly in fear that I'd be given a new, worse punishment if I pushed too far.
Here, however, I felt that I would just come off as arrogant and proud, and be ignored to some degree, due to my age.
"Perhaps," Dooku began slowly, drawing everyone's attention, "perhaps, the Padawan is on to something."
"You are suggesting that the Jedi Code is wrong?" Sifo-Dyas asked him sharply.
"No, my friend. Merely that we have become too rigid, too set in our ways to see that denying what we are, weakens us. Not only with the Force, but within ourselves." Dooku explained as I got a small insight into seeing his reasons for having left the Jedi in another timeline. "To deny that we are not composed of light and dark, is cut ourselves off from a part of who we are."
"While I do not agree fully with what you are suggesting, I do concede that the Order is far too narrow-minded," Fay added in agreement. "It is why I prefer to travel the galaxy; allowing the Force to chose where I need to be, and who I need to meet." She finished as she stared at me.
Sifo-Dyas sighed and shook his head. "To think, that I would be the one to defend the Order and the Code after having spent years arguing that we need to change." He chuckled once then lifted his head, looking me straight in the eye. "So how do we proceed?"
I blinked. "You are asking me?"
"Yes. Chosen One or not, the Force brought you here for a reason; one that I have come to believe is for the betterment of the Force." He replied with conviction. "We have all been here too long, spent too long thinking as we have, to be able to see an obvious path out of the darkness that is coming."
"At least we see what is coming," Dooku muttered even as Sifo-Dyas continued.
"Perhaps we need the sight of one who has seen the galaxy before entering these halls. Perhaps, just perhaps, you are here to show us that path to a better, brighter future."
"What if I fail?" I asked, letting my greatest fear for the future be vocalized. "Or lead us down a darker path?"
"That is why we are here to help you, just as you are here to help us," Fay answered with a tender smile. "The wisdom of age, coupled with the drive of youth."
"As I said, my visions show a generally better future because of you. If I do not act on those visions, do not at least try to bring about that future, I have failed as a person, never mind as a Jedi," said Sifo-Dyas confidently.
Dooku chuckled, shook his head and looked at his fellow Jedi Masters. "While I lack the wisdom of Master Fay or the gifts of Master Sifo-Dyas, I see what is happening around us; on Coruscant and other places. A reckoning is coming. Perhaps not for a long time, but it is coming, and I have lost faith in the Council and the Senate to show us a path forward.
"We must prepare for that reckoning, and your being here, in this time, is the will of the Force. While I am a prideful man," Sifo-Dyas coughed once, which drew a short glare from Dooku, "I am not so confident in myself to ignore what I see before me."
I sat there quietly as they spoke, not quite believing that I'd had such an effect on the three, and even after hearing them speak in support, I could still scarcely believe it. Though I suspected that wherever he was, Revan was amused by this.
"I… I… wow," was all I could get out as the wind ruffled my hair. "I don't think I am the Chosen One, but I want to try to change things."
"Don't try, do," Fay chuckled. "We are not asking you to lead, you are far, far too young for making those types of decisions. We do, however, feel that the Force is using you in some way, a way we all believe that will lead out of the oncoming darkness."
"If you have any suggestions, any visions bring them to us. At once. Do not hide them for fear of how we might react, or what we might say. Act on the information given to you by the Force. Use it." Dooku added bluntly.
"Yes, Masters," I said with a bow; which was far harder to do when sitting than I liked.
"Ah, so that is what it takes to get you to call someone 'master'?" Sifo-Dyas joked, earning a few chuckles from around the table. "To agree to listen to you."
"No, it means we have his respect," Fay explained as she tilted her head to one side as she looked at me. "And already I sense you have something to reveal."
I couldn't help but smile as I began to speak. "Yes. When I was on Naboo, I heard… whispers, of a name as I saw images of a child queen. Padme."
"So that is why you were looking through birth records. Master Nu was wondering why you had accessed that information," Fay stated with a gentle laugh. "It had been confusing me for weeks."
"You think the girl is important?"
"Yes. And I found her. Padme Naberrie. She's six, almost seven, now, but she will be a Queen one day. And soon. In the images I saw, she looked to be in her late teens or early twenties." I was being vague about her age to avoid questions about how accurate my 'visions' were. Though discovering Padme was six, meant I had at most, eight years to get ready for the invasion of Naboo as I knew she had been fourteen when that happened.
"Hmm. Perhaps a deeper search is required," Dooku spoke slowly, rubbing his beard in thought. "From what I know of Naboo, King Veruna is an elected monarch, but he has a strong grip on the throne. That he would be replaced by such a young woman would be unexpected and require something to change drastically."
"Perhaps Senator Palpatine could be of assistance?" offered Sifo-Dyas.
"No!" I blurted out before Dooku could answer the suggestion. "I mean, if the Sith have been influencing the galaxy, they must have operatives in the Senate. Involving anyone from there might alert the Sith to what we are doing."
"You believe the Sith are watching us?"
"I'd be surprised if they weren't watching Cameron," Fay said in answer to Dooku's question.
"Yes, on that I suspect you are correct. Very well, we will keep the search quiet and involve no-one outside the Temple." Dooku concurred.
I smiled. "Thank you. For trusting me."
"We said we would help you if it led to a better future. Did you not believe us?"
"I did, but having proof is nice," I replied. "Trust but verify."
That made Dooku chuckle. "A wise approach." He stood. "Now come. If we spend too long here others will notice. The less attention we bring to ourselves, the more time we can avoid drawing the attention of the Sith and their allies."
We all stood and moved for the door.
"You believe the Sith have supporters within the Order?" Fay asked with a frown.
"Unlikely," Dooku stated as he unlocked the doors and I heard the windows slide open once more. "However, until we are sure, it is better to be cautious."
Fay gave him a tilted nod as we stepped out the room, though I paused and looked back as I replayed the meeting in my head.
"Cameron, is something the matter?"
I started walking. "No, Master. I was simply thinking about who we could trust."
While that was a valid reason to stop, it wasn't the truth. As we walked through the halls to the elevator one question kept going around in my mind.
How did wind ruffle my hair if the windows were closed?
A loud clank signified the ship had secured into the docking berth and was quickly followed by the sound of something hitting the hull, then a hissing sound.
"Seal secure Captain," stated a crew-member of the republic cruiser from beside Bultar. "Permission to open?"
"Granted," replied the ship's Captain from the bridge.
The crew-member opened the airlock and I spared a glance at Bultar.
She seemed calm but using Empathy, it was clear she was both nervous and excited to be back.
Both emotions made sense, as the Temple – and by extension, Coruscant – were her home. Yet, after the mission we had just completed, she was worried about how it would look to the High Council that she had failed and been captured and needed saving by a Padawan nearly four years her junior.
She turned to me and gave me a small smile. "Come on."
We walked through the airlock, and the docking hatch, heading onto the station orbiting the Republic capital.
The station was one of the hundreds of security and defence stations that orbited the world, and this was where our courier ship – a cruiser from the Vakkar system – had been ordered to dock.
It had been two days since I had taken down the kidnappers and secured their ship.
The delay in getting back was due to initially discovering that the navigation and communication systems were password encrypted – which Zir wouldn't tell me – and then having to plot a jump to the nearest Republic world.
I had made a mental note to not destroy all the droids on the next ship I captured until I was sure that one of them wasn't responsible for plotting hyperspace jumps. Spending two hours plotting the jump myself was not a fun experience.
"Now there is a sight for sore eyes."
My head turned in the direction of the voice, and I saw Fay, Dooku and Giiett standing to the side of the airlock on the station.
"Master, I…" Whatever Bultar was going to say was cut off as Giiett stepped forward and placed his hands on her arms.
"You carried out your assignment as you were meant to Bultar. Sometimes, even when we do everything correctly, bad things still happen." He said with a small smile, his head tilted slightly to the left.
"Yes Master," Bultar replied with a sigh as Fay and Dooku approached me.
"You are well?" Dooku asked, his face showing no sign of how he was feeling.
"I am sir. It was, more difficult of an assignment than I expected." I replied honestly, smirking a bit as I answered.
"Yes, I think we can all agree on that," agreed Fay as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "We are glad you are well."
"As am I," Giiett added, drawing my attention to him and Bultar. "You also have my thanks for protecting Bultar."
I nodded to accept the thanks. "Honestly, I didn't even know she was there until I was in her… room." I replied calmly, avoiding saying cell since we were in public. Well, a Republic security station corridor. "I was only looking to find the two Jedi I could sense."
"Yes, I have read your report," Giiett said with a sigh. "While I am, sympathetic as to your actions, there are members of the council who are not."
Dooku grunted. "They were not there, nor are they ones to see the actions of those… beings." He said, his lips curling in disgust. "Such beings deserve the worst punishment allowed."
Giiett sighed and pinched his nose. "On that, I agree. But Cameron's actions… Well, he will need to defend them when called in a few days." He forced a smile back onto his face. "Until then, we should get the Padawans back to the Temple. I wish for a Jedi healer to examine them both."
"I am fine Master. The medics in the Vakkar system already examined me," Bultar protested in the same way any child would to avoid a trip to the doctor. "There is nothing wrong with me."
"Please, Bultar. Let one of our healers examine you. If only to ease the burden on my old heart," Giiett begged, placing a hand to his chest.
Bultar sighed, "Yes, Master."
I couldn't help but smirk at the behaviour of the Jedi High Council member. It was so not what I expected from seeing the council in the movies and Clone Wars, but then I remembered that Giiett wasn't a member then. Why was that?
"Master Giiett, I was curious about something," I began, continuing when he turned my way. "I understand that some members of the High Council serve for life, while others serve for a shorter time. I am curious as to which are which."
Giiett's brow rose a touch as he looked at me for a while before answering. "Currently Masters Yoda, Yaddle, Rancisis, Tiin, and Windu are lifetime members; actually, the first three have been on the Council since I was a Youngling." He added with a smirk.
"I along with Master Poof, Koon and Piell are there for the long-term while Masters Sifo-Dyas, Belfarr and Gallia are short term members."
"I see," I paused before asking the question that had made me ask the initial question. "Can I ask, when will you be stepping down?"
Giiett chuckled. "Already looking for a seat on the Council?" He waved away any reply before I made it. "I am due to stand down in just over nine years. And before you ask, the three short-term members are due to all stand down within that time-frame."
"Thank you. I was just curious about that," I said with a smile in thanks even as I mentally worked out the dates.
"It is fine to ask, but I must tell you that I am saving my seat for Bultar here," Giiett said, pulling the girl to his side as her face began to redden.
"Master, please," Bultar whimpered as she lowered her head.
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about Padawan Swan," Fay said with one of her serene smiles. "Every Knight and Master hopes that one day their Padawan will surpass them. Your own Master, while teasing, shares this hope."
"Thank you, Master Fay," Bultar replied.
"We should return to the Temple," Dooku stated, changing the topic abruptly before he began to walk away.
Fay sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder once more. "You must forgive Master Dooku. While you were missing, we received some information about one of his former Padawans. He is happy to see you have returned, however, he is concerned for her, even if she is no longer a member of our Order."
"Yes, ma'am." I felt my brow crease as I considered Fay's words.
Thanks to Eidetic Memory, I knew Dooku had had four Padawans; Rael Aveross, Qui-Gon Jinn, Keelyvine Reus and Komari Vosa, though Reus had only been his Padawan for a few years after her original master died.
While the first three were still with the Order, Komari was not. That meant that something had to her. Perhaps I could use this to further improve my standing with Dooku and help guide him away from joining the Sith. However, I would need to learn what exactly had happened to her.
As for why Giiett wasn't a member of the Council during the invasion of Naboo, I was less certain. He could have been removed for the Council for some reason or was simply busy with another matter during the movie, yet somehow felt that the reason he was not there was that he had died sometime between now and then.
Since he was the member of the Council I spoke to the most, and one of the few Jedi whose company and sense of humour I enjoyed, I wanted to ensure he survived at least until the invasion of Naboo.
Spotting a new quest notice, I opened it.
Quest Alert!
Changing Fate [Giiett]
Ensure that Master Giiett lives long enough to be useful to you.
Rating: B
Objective:
Keep Master Giiett alive and on the Council until the invasion of Naboo.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Reward:
2000XP
Failure:
-1000XP
Loss of an ally on the High Council and the Jedi Order.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
That was an easy quest to accept. Failing it wasn't a massive loss, but if I could pull it off, it would be a big help once I began moving to counter Sidious. The only downside was that it was another long-term quest for me to take on. However, the benefits of having an ally on the council were better than not accepting and just letting things follow canon; whatever that was in Giiett's case.Changing Fate [Giiett]
Ensure that Master Giiett lives long enough to be useful to you.
Rating: B
Objective:
Keep Master Giiett alive and on the Council until the invasion of Naboo.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Reward:
2000XP
Failure:
-1000XP
Loss of an ally on the High Council and the Jedi Order.
Accept?
Yes/No
…
After securing the kidnapper's ship and realizing how close I had come to dying, or worse, I had spent the three days before arriving back on Coruscant working out how I was going to counter him. I went back to my rough plans from before I constructed my lightsaber and expanded on how to create my own Force Order and raise an army of my own.
For an army, I was looking at the Mandalorians. Death Watch was something to be removed, as they were fare to cruel and bloodthirsty. But the True Mandalorians were a different story. They were the group that Jango Fett had served with. They, although still preferring a war-like culture, had supposedly retained the Code of Honour of their forefathers from the days of the Old Republic. I planned to learn more about them as soon as I could, possibly even meeting Fett, and venture to the world to see about finding a small group – probably no more than a dozen initially – that were willing to work with me to start fixing the problems in the galaxy.
I was also considering creating my own droid army. Though one more akin to HK-47 than the Trade Federation's battle droids. Finding HK-47 was highly improbable – without any outside Force-guided help – but making droids like him was doable, I hoped.
As for creating a counter to the Jedi/Sith, that was going to take longer. I needed to continue to make friends and influence people within the Order. And thanks to spending five months learning from a master manipulator – and the fifty per cent bonus to Persuasion, Deception, Lie Detection and Intimidation that I got whenever I talked to Palpatine or watched him work – I felt I stood a fair chance of convincing at least my fellow ex-members of Dragon Clan to see things from my side.
Dooku, I suspected, was already jaded towards the Order and the Republic – whether from his own feelings, Palpatine's manipulation, or both – and Fay held clear disdain for the High Council. So, once I was sure that they would agree with me – I really wanted to be able to see reputations – then I intended to bring them in on my plans.
"Cameron, is something the matter?"
I turned to Bultar, noticing that our Jedi Masters were a few steps ahead of us, and smiled. "No, just thinking about the future and what it holds," I replied honestly.
"OK," She said, clearly confused as to why I was thinking about the future. "I just wanted to…"
"We've been over this," I cut in, stopping her thanking me again. While it had been nice the first few times, after one hundred and twenty-seven times – a downside of Eidetic Memory – I was growing very, very tired of being thanked. "We're free now, and you've already thanked me. So let's just move on."
She chuckled. "OK, but I was just going to ask if you wished to spar sometime. I am curious about how it will be to face someone trained in Makashi."
"Ah." Now I felt a little stupid for snapping at her. "Sure. Um, what form do you prefer?"
She chuckled softly. "That's for me to know and you to find out."
I laughed at that as we entered the shuttle that would take us to the surface.
...
...
"After securing the ship with Vakkar security, Padawan Swan and myself boarded the cruiser Serenity and returned to Coruscant," I stated, finishing my verbal report to the High Council the day after arriving back at the Temple.
Sure, I had skipped over the issues with Vakkar security not believing that Bultar and I were Padawans of the Jedi Order, as honestly, I wished I could forget about Captain Lebpor; the Vakkar security officer placed in charge of the captured kidnappers and their ship.
As to why I was giving this report verbally, when I had submitted a full, and exceedingly detailed, written report while we waited for the Serenity on Vakkar, was beyond me. Perhaps everyone on the council was illiterate?
"This is all?" Windu asked as he leaned forward, looking at me intently.
Fay and Dooku were standing at the entrance to the Council Chamber, as was Bultar. She had given her report before I was called in and had been asked to stay by Yoda before I started mine.
"Yes, sir," I replied calmly as Player's Mind was active along with Enhance Skill and Enhance Stat for Persuasion and Charisma respectfully. Enhancing my Persuasion and Charisma might help when a judgment was rendered on my actions, so I had activated them during a brief pause near the end of my report.
The council members looked among themselves, clearly talking telepathically to each other while I stood in the centre of the room.
It felt like a psychological trick; one designed to unnerve someone called into the chamber. I was sure it worked on other Padawans and the younger knights, but thanks to my previous life, and new powers, it was wasted on me.
"While we are pleased with your ability to escape your capture, rescue your fellow Padawans, and the other hostages, and capture the ringleader of the kidnappers, we are… concerned by the report provided to us from Vakkar," stated Master Poof, he red eyes staring down from far above his body as he spoke.
"Their reports state one of the kidnappers died from being shot in his reproductive organs," Piell grunted out. "A wound he took while lying down."
"Comment on this, would you?" Yoda asked with his wrinkled brow looking more creased than usual.
Before I answered, I glanced at Bultar, wondering how much of this she needed to hear. "I discovered that he was one of five who had… abused several of the children, including Padawan Savos." My voice was only staying calm because of PM as my mind flashed back to that moment. "I recognized his voice from when I was in Padawan Swan's cell, and I confirmed from him that he wanted to 'play' with her, as he had done with others."
"And you decided to take justice into your own hands and remove his ability to reproduce?" Windu asked as his face twisted. "That it was your right to make such a call?"
"Actually, I had wanted to kill him outright," I countered bluntly, beginning my defence with honesty.
After talking with Fay and Dooku over the past day and explaining my emotional state while on the kidnapper's ship, they had suggested taking this path as a way to mitigate any disapproval from the High Council. Both stated that they expected me to be reprimanded for what I did, but they felt that further punishment would be avoided by getting ahead of the issue; though that was my wording for it, not theirs.
"I stood with my blaster aimed at his head for a minute, trying to control my anger, deciding how to handle dealing with that… creature." I noticed Master Koon bob his head a touch as I spoke and hoped that meant he understood my feelings on the situation.
"And you chose to neuter the man instead of killing him?" Giiett asked through a partially closed mouth as I turned to face him. "You did it to prevent him from committing such an act again?" I saw Bultar was tightly gripping her lightsaber hilt, and that others saw her do so.
"Yes, though I do not deny I took a small measure of enjoyment from doing so, even if I shouldn't have," I replied, taking the out I felt Giiett had provided for me. Whether he truly believed that was why I had done what I did or was just trying to help me manage the Council's anger, I wasn't sure.
"Understandable, your actions are. Acceptable, they are not," Yoda stated after a brief silence.
"A Jedi does not unilaterally decide the punishment for a crime, no matter the situation," Windu agreed, his eyes narrowed as he leaned forward to focus on me. "We work with the Republic judicial forces to arrest criminals. Their fate is for the courts to decide, not you."
"Understood."
While the rest of the Council seemed to relax, Windu's eyes narrowed further and I swore I saw a vein in his head twitch.
"You are to attend Initiate sessions on the Jedi Code for a period of not less than four months, while…" Windu began, only to be cut off as Dooku stepped forward.
"Do you think so poorly of Master Fay and myself, Master Windu," the Makashi master began softly as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "that you feel able to determine the best way to instruct our Padawan?"
Even from my short time being his Padawan, I knew that his softening voice was never a good thing. Clearly, so did the Council members, as several shifted in their seats.
"That is not what is being suggested Master Dooku, however you must see that Padawan Shan's actions are not in keeping with our ways," countered Piell as the diminutive Jedi leaned forward in his chair. "Such actions must be corrected."
"The teaching of a Padawan is at the discretion of their Master," Fay said gently, her voice flowing through the chamber, as she moved to my other side. "Or has the Order changed that ruling without my knowledge?"
"It has not, but the final decision on the fate of any Jedi rests with the Council," Belfarr countered bluntly as he focused on me. "Especially those who come to us at a later age and are thus at greater risk of falling into the darkness."
I was glad PM was running or I knew I'd have made a snide remark towards Belfarr. The man still had it out for me, though at least now I knew some of why that was.
The way Dooku's grip on my shoulder tightened, I suspected that he too was not a fan of Belfarr. Nor was Fay if the sharp intake of breath was any indication.
"Please," Master Gallia began, raising her hands to take control as I noted that Yoda was sitting back in his chair, his eyes never leaving me as the council went back and forth with Fay and Dooku, "let us not become clouded by our emotions. Nor bogged down in arguing over the exact rights and powers members of our esteemed order and this council have. Let us try to find common ground and work from there."
"Yes, yes. Correct you are, Master Gallia," Yoda added, taking back control of the room as things quietened down, punctuated only by Sifo-Dyas groaning quietly and touching his head. "Padawan Shan, while understandable, your actions are, unbecoming of a Jedi, they are. One month you will spend, teaching Initiates on the code. Review your actions during this time, you should."
"Yes, sir." While the punishment wasn't something I wanted to do, it was light compared to being in those classes as a student for four months and whatever else Windu had wanted me to do. And Windu was still not happy, as he gave the Grandmaster a sideways glance.
Fay and Dooku both stepped back, but I stayed.
"You have something else to discuss?" Rancisis asked as his body coiled tighter around his chair, raising his body upwards.
"Yes, sir. There are a few things I wish to know, if I am allowed," I began. There were a few issues I wanted to clear up, and since I was already here, and had been punished for my actions, it was hopefully the best time to voice them.
"Ask away, though do not expect us to answer," Koon replied as the skin around his mask shifted. Whether that meant he was smiling or grimacing, I had no idea. Though the smirk that crept onto Giiett's face for an instant suggested the former.
"First, I am wondering why more details on Padawan Savos' disappearance wasn't passed on to the other Padawans, and then why I, and the others, weren't informed of Padawan Swan's disappearance."
Giiett switched his look to Windu and the barest of twitches of his brow told me who the order to withhold information had come from. Indeed, it was Windu who answered.
"At the time of Padawan Savos' capture, we were unaware as to the exact cause of his disappearance and felt he would contact his Master as soon as he was able to." Windu paused and met Giiett's gaze for a moment before continuing. "Padawan Swan failed to report in the day before you were captured, and we had not yet informed the relevant Jedi to pass along a further warning to their Padawans."
I wanted to turn to see Dooku's expression at that piece of news but was unable to do so as Poof spoke.
"The decision to withhold information regarding Padawan Savos' disappearance was a contentious issue, especially as this was the first lead either we or the Republic Judicial forces had gained in almost a year." He gave me a small smile as he continued. "Your Masters and others pressed for us to reveal more to you and the other Padawans, but we chose to stay the course."
"Understood, sir." In hindsight, it was not the correct decision, but thanks to my previous life, and serving in the military, I could understand their thinking.
"More to ask, you have," Yaddle prodded and I nodded, still getting used to the idea of a female Yoda. Fay spoke well of her, and the stories she had told me during our travels suggested a long and deep friendship existed between the two.
"Yes, ma'am. I am...concerned, for Padawans Savos and Swan, Jon especially. What they suffered while captured was, intense. I am hopeful, that they will receive counselling of some form to help deal with their ordeals."
This was an issue where I wanted to attack the council. I suspected they were just going to treat the two children as they had treated me when I arrived; and how they would have treated Ahsoka.
"Your concern for your fellow Padawans is admirable," Rancisis began. "They have faced a great event in lives, one that many will not. The Force has placed this trial within their path, one they must find the strength to overcome."
I waited for the snake-like council member to continue, only he didn't. I was sure that without PM I would've snapped at the complete lack of care being displayed by the High Council; well most of them. Even as I looked at Rancisis, I could see out of the corner of my eye that Gallia was frowning and looking down while Yaddle seemed to slump in on herself. I imagined that Giiett was also against this, given it involved his padawan, but I couldn't see him, having turned to Rancisis when he spoke.
As I pondered how to respond, Fay spoke.
"While your words are to be expected Master Rancisis, I believe my Padawan would prefer to hear of the physical help that will be offered to Padawan Swan, and particularly Padawan Savos. Or is it the decision of this council that no direct help is to be provided, just as none was provided to Cameron when he arrived here; lost across the millennia after a harrowing fight with a Sith Acolyte with his only family having died a day before he arrived at the temple?" Her voice may have been calm and collected, but the way her grey eyes – normally so vibrant and inviting – bore into Rancisis like cold iron indicated that she was far from impressed with his words, and the council's apparent decision.
"Yet to be made, is a final decision, old friend," Yaddle spoke, her voice soft yet controlling. "Help will be provided, from the Order and outside. My vow on this, you have."
That seemed to calm Fay, as she nodded and gave Yaddle a small smile.
"Is that all?" Tiin asked me.
"About this mission, yes sir." I had a few questions regarding the fact that save my meeting with former Chancellor Kalpana, no-one, either within the Order or without, had asked me about my life before arriving on Coruscant in the present day. But those questions could wait for when I wasn't being punished by the council or questioning in their handling of children.
"Masters Fay, Dooku, is there anything you wish to add?"
Both my Jedi Masters shook their heads and, along with Bultar, we were dismissed.
Once in the small antechamber outside the council chambers, Dooku stepped over to one side, away from the elevator as Bultar entered.
"I wish to speak with Master Sifo-Dyas for a moment." He said as the elevator descended, leaving us alone in the antechamber.
"Is this related to what you mentioned to me before?" Fay asked, drawing a nod from Dooku. "I thought so."
"Have you given any further thought to what he asked?" Dooku inquired.
"I have. Provided he is well, I think we need to resume our discussion," she paused and glanced at me. "After Cameron has served his punishment, I will be leaving the Temple while he is yours to train. I find this planet, restricting."
Dooku rubbed his beard as I wondered just what the two were really talking about.
"I am beginning to understand why that is. The Council… is not what I once believed it to be." He sighed and looked back at the door. "Perhaps I can persuade Master Sifo-Dyas to join you, join us, in leaving for a while." My brow rose at hearing that, as it meant I had a good chance to get Dooku away from the temple, and by extension Palpatine, while also spending time with Sifo-Dyas. Potentially, I could handle both their quests at the same time.
Fay nodded and gave him a small smile. "That may be exactly what is needed; for all of us."
Clearly, Fay, Dooku and Sifo-Dyas had been talking while I was on assignment, and now seemed to be planning to head away from the Temple together. I was pleased about that as it pulled the Changing Fate quests for Dooku and Sifo-Dyas together and would allow me more time with Darihd. I hadn't spoken to him much since we were taken as Padawans and he was one I hoped to pull into my faction when the time was right.
Dooku moved over to one of the benches outside the council chambers for people to wait as Fay and I boarded the now-returned elevator. As the doors closed, and we began our descent, she turned to me.
"I am sure you are curious about what Master Dooku and I were speaking of, but I need you to trust me and not ask about us. I promise we will reveal what we are doing before we leave the Temple once more, but until we do, you must remain silent."
"Yes, Master," I replied with a smile to let her know I was ok with waiting.
As we continued to descend, I spotted a quest notice and opened it.
Quest Completed!
Children in Shadow [ƍ]
Objectives:
Hold your cover until the end of the assignment or until you locate the kidnappers. [Yes]
Find a way to escape from the kidnappers or alert the authorities. [Yes]
? Earn the patronage of Senator Palpatine (for now) [Yes]
? Capture the leader of the kidnapper's [Yes]
? Free your fellow Jedi before calling for help/escaping [2/2]
Rewards:
1000XP
1500XP
+3 CHA
750XP
1500XP
…
I blinked at seeing I had earned Palpatine's patronage – whatever that amounted to – for the time being. I knew he was interested in me, and I hadn't exactly shut down his questioning of me and my thoughts on certain issues, but I hadn't expected it to be enough to earn his favourChildren in Shadow [ƍ]
Objectives:
Hold your cover until the end of the assignment or until you locate the kidnappers. [Yes]
Find a way to escape from the kidnappers or alert the authorities. [Yes]
? Earn the patronage of Senator Palpatine (for now) [Yes]
? Capture the leader of the kidnapper's [Yes]
? Free your fellow Jedi before calling for help/escaping [2/2]
Rewards:
1000XP
1500XP
+3 CHA
750XP
1500XP
…
The XP took me to about just over six thousand XP and if I could complete Stones of Muntuur and Wipe That Grin off her Face, I would be much close to levelling up once again.
I chuckled mentally at once again thinking about my life in game terms, but it was what it was.
...
A few hours later, and after meditating for most of that time with Fay, we were walking towards one of the mess halls when we rounded a corner and saw Master Giiett and Bultar standing near the hall.
"Ah, Master Fay, just the Jedi I wished to speak with," Giiett said as he saw us approach, smiling broadly at Fay.
"How may I be of service?" Fay asked as the council member and his Padawan approached.
"I merely wished to thank you for your words regarding how the Council should help Bultar and Padawan Savos," Giiett began as we stepped to the side of the corridor. "With Master Yaddle giving her word, the Council has approached a child trauma ward for help with the Padawans."
"I am pleased to hear that. Would you like me to pass on the message to Master Dooku?"
Giiett shook his hand. "No. I spoke to him after the council broke this morning. I just wanted to thank you personally and ask if Cameron would be interested in talking with someone outside the Temple about his, experiences."
Fay turned to me, allowing me to reply personally. "Thank you for the offer, but I've had a few years now to deal with what happened, and Master Fay arranged for me to speak with a mind healer just after I became her Padawan," I replied. I also wanted to avoid talking to someone outside the Temple about my experiences. There was a chance that a psychologist – or whatever they were called here – would find a hole in my story about my life four-thousand years ago, and that Palpatine would gain access to those sessions.
However, I didn't want to offend Giiett, as he was my only possible ally on the High Council.
Thankfully, Giiett seemed to accept my rejection well, as he smiled at me. "No problem. I suspected that your Masters had already arranged some form of counselling for you. However, I do wish to convey my sincerest apologies about the Council failing to consider that you might need support beyond being housed in the Temple when you came to us."
A part of me was glad that someone on the council had noted their lack of care when I arrived, but I wasn't going to say that to a potential ally. "It's ok. I lost my mother when I was about five, so I've been dealing with such things even before I arrived here," I replied, mixing in a small lie that I kept telling whenever my parentage came up.
"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that," Giiett paused, and glanced at Fay before continuing. "Actually, I don't think I've ever heard you speak about your father."
I shrugged. "Never met him, and my grandfather never talked about him." That was true, though mainly because I had never asked him.
Fay had asked me a bit about my family history when we had been travelling and had hinted that a certain prophecy suggested that a child would be born without a father.
From the way Giiett's brow, and Bultar's sharp intake of breath, I could tell both were aware of the possible implications of me lacking a father. Man, was this place going to go crazy once Anakin came onto the scene, provided I didn't remove him from Tatooine before the Naboo crisis.
"Really? I did not know that." Giiett glanced at Fay, who nodded. "Hmm, perhaps we might speak on other matters later Master Fay. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on a few of the more ancient beliefs of our Order."
"Certainly." At that Bultar's stomach grumbled, and both Jedi Masters chuckled. "I think we should arrange that meeting after lunch."
"Yes, that may be for the best." Bultar's cheeks reddened at her master's amusement as we walked into the hall together.
...
That evening, once most of the Jedi had gone to bed, I snuck out of my room and moved quietly through the halls of the Temple. Thanks to Detection, I was able to move without being detected by anyone until I reached the Kunddaka chamber, and my targets; the Muntuur stones.
I had reviewed the power in my room before coming. With TK now at Savant 95 and based off of the details given on how much weight I could potentially lift, I knew the stones should not be a challenge.
Since no-one in the Order, bar one ancient Jedi, had ever lifted seven, I wanted to make sure no-one was around when I attempted this. They had enough to believe I was their Chosen One without me doing something supposedly impossible.
Closing the door behind me, I reached out and took hold of all seven stones, before carefully lifting them in case their weight overloaded my ability with TK and forced me to drop them.
I held them just long enough for a quest notice to appear, followed by a level-up notice before I lowered the stones and opened the notices.
Quest Completed!
Stones of Muntuur
Objectives:
Lift all 7 Muntuur Stones simultaneously before the Star of the Clone Wars
? Lift them all before the Naboo Crisis
Rewards:
6000XP
3000XP
…
LEVEL UP!
Level: 15 - 16
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +24
SP: +5
SKP: +32
PerkP: +1
…
"Nice," I muttered at levelling up.Stones of Muntuur
Objectives:
Lift all 7 Muntuur Stones simultaneously before the Star of the Clone Wars
? Lift them all before the Naboo Crisis
Rewards:
6000XP
3000XP
…
LEVEL UP!
Level: 15 - 16
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +24
SP: +5
SKP: +32
PerkP: +1
…
"Indeed," I spun at the voice and saw Yaddle standing in the doorway, watching me carefully. "Five hundred years, I have lived. Yet never such a feat, have I seen." She said as she began to walk closer.
"Master Yaddle, I…" I began only to stop as she raised a hand.
"Privacy for the attempt, you wished for. Understandable that this, given to whispers around you." She said as she moved next to me. "To see you succeed, impressive. And worrying."
"How so?"
Yaddle moved over to one of the stones, before using the Force to lift herself onto it. I chose to lean against another as I waited for her to reply.
"Whispers around you, you have heard, yes?" I nodded. "Understand why this is, do you?"
"At first, I'd say because of my family line, both before and after me," I began. Yaddle was a friend of Fay's, so perhaps she was another potential ally. "However, after the Initiate Trials, I asked some of Dragon Clan. They mentioned a prophecy. I think that is the main reason for the whispers now."
"Yes, destiny swirls around you. Scares some, entices others. Felt this, you may already have." I nodded again as it was certainly true that just as many avoided or confronted me as sought me out. "A dangerous thing, prophecies are. Some more than others. Around you, one congregates. Chosen One."
"Chosen One?" I asked, playing dumb in the hopes of getting her to explain the full prophecy.
She smirked and swatted the air between us. "Limited, you are not. Pretending to know less, suits you not."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Prophesied, the Chosen One is. Balance to the Force, they will bring," Yaddle said, telling me no more than Darihd and the others in Dragon Clan had years ago. "Much discussion there is, about you and this prophecy."
"As I have said before, I dislike being in visions and prophecies."
She chuckled. "Yes, allude to this, Master Fay has," she slid down from the stone. "Mention your feat, I will not. However, more of the prophecy, you should learn. Talk to your Master, I will."
I watched as the council member walked out of the chamber, leaving alone with the stones.
I was still no closer to knowing much Yaddle, but hopefully, this would help me gain access to the full prophecy; not just the vague references in the archives. Even Revan hadn't told me what the prophecy stated, only that both the Jedi and Sith were interpreting it wrong.
I followed Yaddle out of the chamber and made my way quietly back to my quarters without running into anyone else.
Once there, I opened my Perks menu.
PERKS
These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].
Perks have requirements in PP, stat and level values that must be met before they become available for selection.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Force Prodigy
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Ambidextrous
…
NOTE:
Currently, you have 1 PerkP.
Do you wish to view available Perks?
Yes/No
…
A mental command later had the possible perks on display.These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].
Perks have requirements in PP, stat and level values that must be met before they become available for selection.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Force Prodigy
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Ambidextrous
…
NOTE:
Currently, you have 1 PerkP.
Do you wish to view available Perks?
Yes/No
…
Available Perks:
Luck of the Force
Physical Regeneration
Bookworm
One with Nature
One with Beasts
Dominant
Style
Enhanced Regeneration
Boosted Growth
…
Like with Player Powers, where a new power – Observe, which I had taken and had replaced Examine so that I could now gain details about objects and sentients without touching them – had appeared, the perk list had a single addition since the last time; Boosted Growth.Luck of the Force
Physical Regeneration
Bookworm
One with Nature
One with Beasts
Dominant
Style
Enhanced Regeneration
Boosted Growth
…
Luck of the Force granted an instant increase in my Luck of 5.
Physical Regeneration gave me the ability to regenerate my HP at a rate of 5% per hour.
Bookworm was a 50% increase in skill growth when reading about a skill. I suspected that this would mainly apply to Intelligence governed skills, but it was a very tempting perk to take as those skills were the largest group of skills I had and could be easily added to by learning more languages or how to design equipment from simple circuitry right up to starships.
One with Nature and One with Beasts granted 100% bonuses to skills and Force powers covering plants and animals, respectively. Sadly, this seemed to mainly cover knowledge skills for now; which didn't count towards my overall skill total and were thus, seemingly less important.
Dominant granted 20% bonuses to skills when leading a group, but 10% reductions when not leading. At the current point in time, that was not a good choice as the only time I technically led was when I was alone.
Style gave a 15% bonus to Charisma-based skills, while also boosting Reputation gains by 10%, and lowering the losses by an equal amount. When I started to move for myself, and create my own team, that could be helpful; but like Dominant, it was virtually useless at the current time.
Enhanced Regeneration was a perk I was taking at some point. It would double my regeneration for FP, PP and Stam while halving the rate at which my Hunger dropped.
Boosted Growth granted a 10% increase to all XP gained; whether that was for skills, powers or levels. Very useful, and one to consider.
I ignored all but Enhanced Regeneration and Boosted Growth as those two were the ones with the most benefit if taken early. But by that very logic, Boosted Growth was the best choice. While a ten per cent increase in XP didn't sound like much, doing the quick math on levelling from 12 to 16 meant I'd have earned an extra 5400XP; about a third of the XP need for my current level.
After making my choice, I sat down on the bed and began my nightly training, while once more saying a silent thank you to Serenity granting the need to only to sleep once every twenty days provided that I meditated at least once a day.
...
...
I ducked as the lightsaber whizzed through where my head had been a mere moment before and then spun away from the blade.
"Slow and predictable," I said calmly as I watched the Rodian – the same one I had beaten in the Initiate trials – glare at me. "Honestly, when I agreed to this, I had expected some improvement from our last duel, but it seems I was mistaken."
His snout twitched and he swung his lightsaber in a low, horizontal swipe. A basic manoeuvre of Shii-Cho, and one I avoided by jumping upwards and then kicking him across the shoulder before I pushed myself backwards with the Force.
"Two zero," called out another member of Katarn Clan as the Rodian shake his head and snarl at me.
"Come on Tsis! You can take him!" Another of the Clan called out to their friend.
"That would be a first," I countered with a smirk. "While my skills have grown, it appears that Tsis' have sadly degraded."
Tsis, either enraged by my constant belittling or goaded on by his clan-mates, roared and charged, lightsaber held high above his head. While he moved faster this time than before – possibly due to giving in to his anger – I stayed still until he leapt; at which point I caught him in mid-air with TK and began walking across the sparring circle with him held helplessly in front of me until he crossed the edge of the circle.
"I believe that is the match," I casually stated as I stepped out of the circle and released Tsis.
I turned to the rest of his clan. "Now, I hope this will ensure that our class is less disruptive tomorrow. Dismissed."
The Initiates, who were all bar Tsis, younger than me, bowed and left, a few guiding Tsis away before he did anything rash.
"Oh, and Tsis," I called out, not totally sure why I did it, but it was at least partially to get in one last knife-twist. "Mind that you don't let your emotions control you so much."
Tsis growled at me but was unable to respond as his friends continued to frogmarch him out of the room.
I shook my head once they had left. "Morons."
"What was that about?"
Turning, I saw Serra and Darihd on the far side of the room; Serra leaning casually against the wall while Darihd held a datapad in his hand.
"Just a few teething problems with my class," I replied with a smile. "Congratulations by the way."
Serra beamed and twiddled with her Padawan braid – as I mentally fought the urge to yank off my restored braid; the thing was annoying as hell.
"Thanks. Master Drallig is a great teacher, I'm learning so much from him." She replied with a massive smile.
"Care to put that to the test?" I asked, seeing this as an opportunity to clear the duelling quest linked to her.
"Sure, beating you never gets old." She replied as she pushed herself off the wall.
As we moved into the circle, Darihd sighing as he was forced to stop looking at his datapad, I glanced at my status.
The 'duel' with Tsis had only taken a few minutes, and I had only activated Bullet-Time as I wanted to beat him without embarrassing him. Well, not too much.
As such, I had still had over 7000FP. Using Bullet-Time and Precognition would give me nine minutes before my FP ran out. If I also activated Force Speed, that would fall to six, so I was going to hold that in reserve.
"Only lightsabers. I don't want you cheating and throwing me from the circle to win," She said as she ignited her twin green blades. Both had shorter grips than my blade, probably to help her use them as two full-sized grips would be too much for a ten-year-old to handle properly.
"OK," I replied, igniting my blade, and lowering the power to training levels, before issuing the challenge with the Makashi opening salute.
"On my signal, begin!"
Instantly, Serra leapt upwards, bringing both blades down hard as she fell onto me.
I calmly raised my blade, angling it to guide her blades to one side while stepping to face her landing spot.
She coughed as she landed, swinging out with the blade nearest to me.
I blocked it easily, then stabbed forward towards her exposed leg.
She blocked with her second lightsaber, then brought the first round, attempting to strike my arm.
A simple tilting on my blade pushed the attack away and I lifted my foot to avoid another sweep.
A feint forced her to step back and she used to the distance to smirk as she twirled her blades.
"You've gotten better," She said as she prepared to attack.
"As have you," I replied as I shifted into the Soresu opening stance.
That had her pause, clearly having expected me to only use Makashi, but she held for only a moment before charging in once more.
Her blades moved rapidly, one attacking while the other readied, probing my defence, high and low, left and right, inside and out, but I was able to block and deflect every attack with ease using Soresu.
As she brought both blades down for a double overhead strike, I shifted my stance, raised my blade upwards even while ducking.
From here, I guided her blades over my back while stepping inside her personal space and tapping her on the head with my hilt.
"One, zero. He got you, Serra," Darihd commented with a chuckle.
Before she could counter or comment, I dropped to my knees, letting my blade scrape across her shoulder.
I rolled away, feeling the heat of at least one of her blades uncomfortably close to my legs, but receiving no message saying I'd lost HP, I knew she'd missed the desperate attack.
"Two, zero."
"I didn't know you had learned Soresu," She said after leaping back to restore distance between us.
"While Makashi is great in places, I'd be a fool to not learn other forms," I replied as I adopted a Shii-Cho opening stance. "Each has its strengths and weaknesses."
Serra's smile, which she had kept throughout the duel, grew. "Good."
She came at me faster this time. Her blades carrying out short, rapid strikes that forced me to shift back to Soresu even as I stepped backwards.
None of the attacks broke through my defence – thanks to Precognition telling me where they were coming from – but they were coming fast enough, that I was denied any opportunity to counterattack.
Eventually, she changed approach and launched a series of arcing swipes that were far easier to defend against but struck my blade with far more force.
Seeing a gap in these attacks, and noting the slowing of them, I shifted to Makashi and used the weaker, but shorted and more precise attacks of the Form to force her into defending.
My attacks, while not as fast as hers had been, were just as consistent as I had activated Force Speed to make my movements faster.
As she moved late to block one such attack, I slid one foot to the other side and shifted my weight.
Taking advantage of my free hand – as Makashi favoured single grip movements – I grabbed her wrist and twisted.
"Argh." She groaned as I turned her wrist away from her body, taking the blade in hand out of the battle even as my blade moved towards her neck and stepped closer.
"I yield," She whispered as her face was bathed in the black and white light of my blade, the shifting light drawing my attention to just how close we were as I felt her breath on my lips.
"Right," I muttered as I stepped back, deactivated my lightsaber and began to step out of her personal space while noticing a quest completion notice.
"Most impressive," came a voice from my right and we spun as one, banging shoulders and then falling to the ground.
"Well, that wasn't," added Master Drallig with a smirk as Darihd covered his mouth with the datapad. "Why am I not surprised that I find you in the sparing circle my young Padawan."
"Master, I…" Serra's words die in her mouth as Drallig raises a hand.
"You are in your free time, Serra. What you do with it is your choice."
"Yes, Master."
Drallig turned to me as I stood, offering a hand to Serra in the process. "Padawan Shan, I have just spoken to a member of Katarn Clan who says you have been bullying them in the circle."
I ignored the redness of Serra's cheeks as she took my hand as I answered. "Certain members of the clan were, unhappy, with me being assigned to teach them. As the class went on, and as specific members chose to ignore my teaching and disrupt the class, I offered them a choice. Shut up and listen or do something to remove me."
"And you felt a duel in which you berated your opponent was an acceptable method of handling it?" Drallig asked, crossing his arms as he spoke.
"It was Initiate Fobe who suggested the duel, sir. I believe he was still unhappy about losing to me during the Initiate trials a few years ago." I shrugged. "Not my fault I could beat him without drawing my lightsaber."
Drallig rubbed his chin. "Hmm, it seems that the Initiate failed to explain clearly the reasons behind why you duelled.
"Regardless, that is not why I am here. If you would come with me, Padawan Shan. You have a visitor."
I frowned, wondering who would come to the Temple only to see Drallig glance upwards to the overhead gallery.
Following his glance, I saw Dooku and Sifo-Dyas stand there. With Senator Palpatine.
"Ah." I turned to Serra and Darihd. "Sorry. I was hoping to catch up with both of you."
"How about at lunch?" Serra offered quickly.
Darihd shook his head. "I can't. My Master wishes for us to spend the evening on one of the lower levels of the planet."
"So just the two us then?" I asked Serra, making her smile and nod. "It's a date then."
I walked away before she could reply, though I did hear Darihd cough/chuckle and exited the room with Drallig.
"Do you do it on purpose?" He said once we were out of earshot of the sparring room.
"Do what sir?"
He chuckled as we walked up the stairs. "The teasing. Serra enjoys your company, but I advise you to be careful of your words. Like most young Jedi, Serra has only known the Temple and is not well trained yet in handling her emotions."
"Ah. Well, I will try to limit it. But she does make it easy," I replied, drawing another short laugh from the Battlemaster.
"Yes, she does." We reached the next floor and saw the trio waiting for me.
"Ah, young Cameron," Palpatine began, breaking away from the two Jedi Masters to come me and rest his hands on my shoulders. "It warms this old heart to see you alive and well. When you were taken, I was greatly concerned for your well-being."
"Thank you, Senator. Thankfully the kidnappers failed to realize I was a Jedi and thus didn't imprison me as they had the other Padawans."
His happiness at seeing me fell. "Ah, yes. How are your fellow Jedi doing?"
"The High Council has arranged for them to receive help from inside and out of the Order," answered Sifo-Dyas.
"That is good to hear," Palpatine replied with a smile that appeared genuine if you didn't know he was a Sith lord. "If it is not an imposition Master Dooku, I was hoping I could speak to young Cameron privately."
"Of course, Master Sifo-Dyas and I have a meeting with other members of the Order," Dooku answered before turning to me. "I will meet you back here after lunch to resume our training."
"Yes, sir."
"Is there perhaps a private room where we may speak?" Palpatine asked me as the two Jedi Masters walked away.
"There should be somewhere," I replied, and we walked to where there were a few smaller meditation chambers. Hopefully one of them would be empty.
"I read your report on the mission," Palpatine began as we walked. "I was most impressed that you managed to take down an entire ship full of brigands single handily."
"I wasn't alone on the mission Senator."
Palpatine waved his hand, dismissing my point. "The other Padawans were unable to help. You completed a mission that older, and longer trained Jedi failed. You should be proud of that."
I nodded, accepting the praise, even if I knew it was just designed to instil a belief that I was better than others, better than the Jedi. As he felt Sith should be.
Once we were in an empty room, we sat on the meditation seats, though Palpatine took a while to settle.
"How do you Jedi ever manage to rest on these things?" He asked in annoyance as he squirmed in the seat.
"It takes time and patience, an issue for some," I replied with a smirk at seeing the Sith Lord struggle with a simple meditation seat.
"I wanted to make sure you were well. I admit that I rather enjoyed your time posing as my nephew, and reading your report, especially about facing the rapist, I was concerned for your mental well-being." He said once he had settled.
I sighed and looked away, engaging Empathic Shield. I avoided Player's Mind as that would nullify my emotions, which might arouse his suspicions if I was too calm about what had happened. If he tried to use the Force against me, the interface would alert me - whether it succeeded or failed - and I could slam on PM.
"It was a difficult moment. As I told the High Council, I wanted to kill him, but I didn't. It was tempting, but in the end, I couldn't bring myself to murder him in cold blood."
"Yes, I imagine it would have been a difficult decision, one that if your place, I would have been tormented over the choices," He paused for a moment. "Why didn't you? Your Jedi training?"
"More something I learned when younger," I explained, though I was talking about my old life and not my time before the Jedi as he probably suspected. "While powerful, I am but one man. I am not judge, jury and executioner. As much as I wanted him dead and would have gladly testified at his trial if he had survived his injuries, I will not murder in cold blood." That he died of the injury I caused him while suffering excruciating pain was admittedly not much better, but it did give him a chance to survive; however small.
Palpatine nodded as I spoke, and then replied. "A wise choice. One many would not be able to make. However, if the man had lived, I assure you he would have faced a lifetime in prison for his actions. I would have helped to ensure that."
I smiled in what I hoped he would take as thanks as I considered mentioning the Mind Probe to him. It was what would be classed as a dark side power, so he might be able to subtly give me hints on how to train it.
Yet I decided not to. Doing so would bring even more of his attention down on me, and if I wanted to save Sifo-Dyas and prevent Dooku from becoming a Sith, the less extra attention I drew from the Sith the better as I worked to remove them from Coruscant, and Sidious' reach.
"I have heard that the Jedi are going to assist the Judiciary forces in locating the beings the kidnappers were working with," Palpatine began, changing the subject. "How goes the investigation?"
"I don't know. The council didn't mention anything about that when I reported to with them yesterday," I answered honestly letting my surprise show. "I am currently serving a punishment for my actions while on-mission."
"That is most unfortunate. I would have felt that having someone already versed in the details, and who had provided the only break of any kind in the case, would be beneficial to the investigators."
I shrugged. "The council makes its own decisions, Senator. They won't change their mind for a mere Padawan."
He rubbed his chin. "Yes, that is true. Though perhaps a few friendly words from myself and the Chancellor could get you reassigned to the investigation."
"While I would be grateful, there is no need to do so. I am sure the Jedi assigned are skilled in helping the police and will certainly know more about the criminal underworld of Coruscant." Though if he did still get me assigned, it gave would give me a chance to rob some more criminals and potentially find a fleece to sell the gemstones to.
However, after everything that had happened, I expected the investigation to go cold as I was all but certain that Palpatine was involved in it somehow. Sure, a fall-guy might be found, but they would die before being able to testify that there were other players involved.
"Still, I will try." Palpatine was cut off from saying anything else when his commlink beeped. "Ah, my apologies, but I must take this."
I stood and bowed to Palpatine. "Of course. The wheels of government are always turning."
He chuckled gently as he palmed the commlink. "Yes, indeed they are. Before we separate, I'd like you to know that if you ever need someone outside the Jedi Order to speak with, my door will be open to you."
"Thank you, uncle. I will remember that." I replied with a grin at using the fake family link between us. Palpatine let out a chuckle that I was quite sure was genuine, though whether it was due to my wit, or the fact that he assumed I was warming to him and now viewed him more as family, I wasn't sure.
As we both stepped out of the chamber and headed in different directions, I was tempted to use Observe, but I restrained myself as I was the only other person around and didn't want to risk him figuring out I had done something.
Once I was a good ten metres or so away from the chamber, I stopped and took a deep breath. I had the confirmation to the quest bonus that I had Palpatine's favour, though I would have to be very careful about how, if at all, that I used it. The use of 'uncle' had been a gambled charm offensive that would most likely be a double-edged sword. Palpatine would both relax more around me, while also continue his efforts with renewed vigour. I just hoped the trade-off was worth it.
While having a friend in the Senate should be a useful thing, it being Sidious made it far more likely that any help I asked for would be spun to benefit himself and the Sith plan.
Once my punishment was over, I had to get off this planet. That meant convincing Dooku to leave, which seemed likely given to the brief conversation he had had with Fay after my report to the High Council.
I pulled the quest notice and smirked.
Quest Completed!
Wipe That Grin off her Face [User Defined]
Objectives:
Defeat Serra Keto in a spar before either of you becomes a Jedi Knight. [Yes]
? Do so without letting her score a hit [Yes]
Rewards:
600XP (+60XP)
200XP (+20XP)
Reputation boost with Serra Keto
…
Boosted Growth was already showing its usefulness, and while 80XP was less half a per-cent of the needed amount to level up, seeing it working was nice. It would also kick in on two small quests I created to improve my language skill for Huttese and Binary, where I had to get the relevant skill to Professional 1 by the time my punishment was over and I left the Temple. Each carried a 1000XP rewards if I could pull it off.Wipe That Grin off her Face [User Defined]
Objectives:
Defeat Serra Keto in a spar before either of you becomes a Jedi Knight. [Yes]
? Do so without letting her score a hit [Yes]
Rewards:
600XP (+60XP)
200XP (+20XP)
Reputation boost with Serra Keto
…
As for the reputation boost from Wipe That Grin off her Face, well once I turned eleven, that should be viewable, so I'd just have to wait until then to see where I stood with Serra. And everyone else.
...
...
I smiled as Clawmouse Clan left the room. They were one of five clans that I taught each morning on a rotating basis as part of my punishment.
Despite my initial reluctance, I was enjoying the classes as they allowed me a chance to get to know a large number of potential Jedi who I might be able to persuade to join me when I formed my own Force group and those who would be reassigned to the corps and would be even easier recruits if handled correctly.
Yet I was beginning to wonder when exactly the classes would end as it had now been just shy of seven weeks - a little less than a month and a half - since I had been assigned to teach these classes.
"How were today's Initiates?" Master Fay asked with a twinkle in her eye as she walked into the now empty classroom.
"Fine. I haven't had any problems with a clan since my first day," I replied which made her smile.
"That is good to hear, though I imagine you are looking forward to ending your time teaching?"
"Please tell me the council has decided to end this," I pretended to beg by dropping to my knees, making her chuckle softly.
"Your punishment ended last week, however, I felt it would do you good to continue for a short while longer." Her smile fell and she looked down at me, her hands up the sleeves of her robes. "When you returned to the Temple, I asked you to be patient with regards to something Master Dooku and I were speaking of."
"I remember." Kind of hard to forget with Eidetic Memory.
"Ah, good," she paused and looked away for a moment before continuing. "The time has come to explain what is going on."
She turned and began to leave the room. I moved quickly to catch up with her and we began to walk through the corridors.
"How does your training with Master Dooku go?" She asked as we entered one of the many elevators in the temple that led to the central spire; which housed many of the private meditation and discussion chambers.
"Well. He has begun to teach me the basics of Ataru and feels that all that is holding me back with Makashi is my size," I replied honestly. I had also learned Force Inertia from him, which was the power to run on walls, water and eventually ceilings. My skill with Makashi was coming along well, now resting at Savant 88 and both he and Battlemaster Drallig had said I was versed enough in the Form to be allowed to teach it to classes of Initiates; which I did once each day.
I had gained a few new powers after reviewing what I knew of the KOTOR games. Ionize was the power to disable or destroy droids without using Force Lightning and while I had not seen it used by anyone in the movies or cartoons, or demonstrated by anyone in the Temple, the records showed it was not listed as a dark-side power. Thus, it was safe to train it with the Temple.
As was Force Slow – the new name I gave to Force Weaken – which confused an opponent of low enough Wisdom and Intelligence that they would appear to be moving slower than those around them.
The same, however, could not be said of Force Scream, Force Fear or Force Drain.
Force Scream inflicted sonic damage on a target, could disorientate them, and even disrupt their connection to the Force if unprepared or unused to emotional-based Force attacks.
Force Fear invoked terror in a target with the potential to have them unable to fight and could potentially affect more than one person at a time. But even this paled in comparison to Force Drain.
Force Drain was the ability to drain the Force and even life-force from a target. From a gaming perspective, this translated into HP. This was an incredibly dangerous power as this was the one that drove Darth Nihilus to become the monster that he was in KOTOR2. At its maximum potential, it could cause entire planets to die. Not a power I hoped to ever need to use, but one I now had.
All three were dark side powers and as such, I was not able to practice them while in the Temple. Or even on the planet, I suspected, as with the number of Jedi present, and a Sith Lord as well, any obvious usage of dark side powers would bring trouble crashing down on my head.
I had also gained Alter Mind, Force Wave, Force Repulse, but all three were locked by other powers being at too low a level.
Regarding my powers, I had discovered that certain powers, such as Inertia, Barrier and Phase levelled up quicker if just used for an instant instead of being run until I ran out of FP. I was curious if this applied to skills as well, but so far, no skill that I had tried to use in such a way had shown an improvement in the speed of growth.
The only other thing that had happened of any note was that I discovered that the Temple had a music room. I had played a Synthtar – the local form of a guitar – to keep levelling that skill up after discovering the instrument while undercover so being able to continue levelling that skill while serving my punishment has been a nice surprise.
"That is good to hear," Fay replied, but it was clear to see she was distracted but something; probably what she and Dooku wished to discuss with me.
Once the elevator stopped, I followed Fay to a private chamber only to stop as I stepped inside and saw Dooku sitting with Sifo-Dyas.
While Dooku looked his usual regal self, Sifo-Dyas seemed distracted. His hair was dishevelled, and he had dark bags under his eyes suggesting he was having trouble sleeping.
"Sit Cameron," Dooku stated and I did so as Fay closed the door when then hissed as it locked and the windows sealed. Fay moved around and sat to Sifo-Dyas' left, Dooku was to his right and all three stared at me.
"You wished to speak with me," I said as the three Jedi Masters sat in silence. I didn't think I was in trouble, but even if I was, it was better to face the issue head-on. To be on the safe side, I activated Empathic Shield. While I doubted it would help hide all my emotions from the three Jedi Master, it was a better option than PM which I was now trying to avoid unless in real combat.
"Yes, we did," Dooku began with a slight twinge to his tone that I couldn't place. "There are, issues, that we feel you need to be made aware of."
"I am in trouble?"
"No, of course not," Fay answered instantly, and I felt that I could trust her. "But these issues, visions, do centre around you." I felt my brow rise at hearing her talk of visions and I turned my attention to Sifo-Dyas. I had reviewed all the mentions and appearances I had of him in my memory, but nothing told me as to why he had ordered the clone army.
If he had had a vision of the war to come, it created the start point. From there I could quickly conceive a chain of events where he was convinced by Sidious or his master to place the order for the clones, only to be killed by Dooku.
"You understand, don't you?" Sifo-Dyas said in a voice barely about a whisper. "What the future holds."
All three Jedi were staring at me intently as I nodded.
"War. Galaxy wide, destroying whole planets and bringing an end to the Jedi." I gulped before continuing. "I, I know what will happen."
"What might happen. The future is always in motion, never forget that." Sifo-Dyas countered instantly. "Visions can change as time moves. While this can be for the better, often, it seems, it is not." He slumped down and his head touched the table.
Dooku placed a hand on the other man's shoulder.
"Sifo-Dyas has the ability to see potential events with an incredible degree of clarity," he began, explaining for his friend. "When we were very young, not much older than you in truth, he saw a planet in flames. We tried to convince the Council of this vision, but they ignored us and the planet that we believed was in the vision was destroyed in a solar flare." Dooku finished through gritted teeth.
"I saw other visions, many of which have come true," Sifo-Dyas said, taking up the conversation once more. "All of them leading to a darker and darker future. One in which I saw the Republic in flames."
"And the Sith triumphant," I added before sighing at the looks the three gave me. Sifo-Dyas looked relieved to meet someone else who saw what was to come, Dooku was puzzled while Fay was either surprised or upset. "I am sorry for hiding much of this, Master, but I was unsure of what it all meant," I said to her.
She gave me a sweet smile. "I understand, but even what you did tell me I believed. I too saw glimpses. Not to the degree that it appears to you and Master Sifo-Dyas do, but enough to know that the darkness was coming."
"Visions are not needed to see the coming darkness," Dooku commented with a small sneer that resulted in flashbacks to what he became in canon. "The Outer Rim is falling into anarchy while the Republic and the Jedi do nothing about it."
"If I may return to my story," Sifo-Dyas asked with a twitch of his lips at Dooku's outburst. A nod from Dooku later he did. "Not long after that planet burned, I learned to control these visions, well enough that none outside this room, bar two, are aware of my ability to glimpse the future." He paused and sighed. "A future that shows the Republic rotting and decaying from the core as the shadow of the dark side falls over the galaxy.
"That changed on a day two years ago when, for the first time in decades, the darkness of the future was pierced. A light has shown through. Since that day I have seen visions of possible new futures; a few were worse than what I saw previously, but most were brighter. Yet all these visions are linked to that day. To you."
I looked at Jedi carefully as I considered how to answer this. I needed allies to take on Sidious but, even if I had quests dealing with two of them, telling them everything now was risky. I only really knew Fay, but without having access to my reputation with them, I was working in the dark.
"I… I am unsure of how to respond to that," I replied honestly as I continued to consider how much to reveal here and now.
"That is good to hear," said Fay with a smile that grew at my confusion. "If you acted proud or scared of hearing such a thing, we would know you were not ready, and we had made a mistake asking you here. That you are neither speaks well of you."
"Indeed. Pride and cowardice are unbecoming in any sentient, especially those capable of using the Force," Dooku added before turning to Fay and giving her a small nod; one she returned as they seemed to talk telepathically with each other.
I was starting to hate when adult Jedi did that around me.
"Is this linked to a prophecy of the Chosen One?" I asked, drawing out the conversation to give me more time to prepare my answers and what I would/could reveal without putting them at risk from the Sith.
"It is possible," Sifo-Dyas began as Fay and Dooku shared another look, this one far more concerned that the before. "I do not place a large degree of stock in that particular prophecy – its history and roots have long since been forgotten by our Order – however, others do."
"The Chosen One is a prophecy that dates back to time immemorial," Fay continued. "It tells of a time when a powerful Force-Sensitive will be born, one without a father, who will restore balance to the Force." She paused and gave me a small smile. "I am surprised it took you so long to ask about that. Master Yaddle suggested you'd come looking for answers over a month ago."
"I suspected you would mention it to me at some point," I replied, returning the smile with a smirk. "Though if you hadn't mentioned it before we left, I was planning on asking once we were off-world."
"Patient and clever. Impressive." Commented Dooku before Sifo-Dyas spoke again.
"Whether you are the true Chosen One, or just the latest being to potentially fit the prophecy, is irrelevant. What matters is what we can do to change the future to prevent the rising darkness from engulfing the galaxy."
"Do we want to? I mean, the Republic, at least from what I have seen, if flawed. The Core worlds only care about themselves, or at least the people in power, while the Rim is ignored and exploited by groups like the Trade Federation; a non-political entity that, like a few others, has a seat in the Senate." I explained quickly, not letting the Jedi get a word in before I could explain myself fully. "Groups that only care about money and power hold more voice there than people who wish to help the galaxy."
Dooku smiled. Well, smirked knowingly. "I see your time with Senator Palpatine was not idly spent."
"No, but I do not agree with much of what the Senator thinks. Anyone in power is scared to lose it. Be they politicians, business leaders or even, I suspect, Jedi."
Fay looked like she wanted to argue against that, but Sifo-Dyas cut her off with a stilted laugh.
"Yes, that is true of many, though not all. Though some of us do believe that the Sith are the cause of much of these problems and that you were sent here by the Force to help."
"How?" Honestly, from my own, admittedly limited, learning about the Republic over the last thousand years, I felt it was the Republic that was the source of many of the problems I heard about on the Holonet.
Though if I was in the Sith's shoes, I would make the problems worse. A destabilized Republic was weak, and with the Jedi linked to it, they too would be weakened. This plan of theirs had been in operation for centuries, slowly fanning the flames across the galaxy where possible, provided that previous generations of Sith were prepared for others to reap the benefits of their actions.
"By restoring balance, prophesied child or not," Sifo-Dyas stated with conviction. "The Sith and their ways are an abomination. They bring chaos and disorder to the galaxy through their need for power and conflict."
I nodded a few times, appearing to wholeheartedly agree, even as I considered my next words carefully.
"Forgive me if I am just uninformed, but how is only using one side balance?"
The three Jedi Masters all looked at each other and while they did, I continued.
"I mean, as my grandfather used to say, every one of us has light and dark, good and bad inside us. It is how we handle those two parts that determine our own, personal beliefs and philosophies. But denying that we feel anger or hatred only allows them to fester and corrupt us from within."
"I am curious as to what you have been teaching the Initiates about the Code," Fay began as the smile returned to her lips slowly. "Regardless, what you suggest, while true of most beings, is not the accepted thinking of the Jedi. Or the Sith."
I wanted to point out the stupidity of the two codes, as I had wanted to do in my classes, but I refrained here as I did then. Oh sure, I questioned the Jedi Code repeatedly with the Initiates I had taught, hopefully letting them see that no-one was truly all good or evil, but that was as far as I took things. Mainly in fear that I'd be given a new, worse punishment if I pushed too far.
Here, however, I felt that I would just come off as arrogant and proud, and be ignored to some degree, due to my age.
"Perhaps," Dooku began slowly, drawing everyone's attention, "perhaps, the Padawan is on to something."
"You are suggesting that the Jedi Code is wrong?" Sifo-Dyas asked him sharply.
"No, my friend. Merely that we have become too rigid, too set in our ways to see that denying what we are, weakens us. Not only with the Force, but within ourselves." Dooku explained as I got a small insight into seeing his reasons for having left the Jedi in another timeline. "To deny that we are not composed of light and dark, is cut ourselves off from a part of who we are."
"While I do not agree fully with what you are suggesting, I do concede that the Order is far too narrow-minded," Fay added in agreement. "It is why I prefer to travel the galaxy; allowing the Force to chose where I need to be, and who I need to meet." She finished as she stared at me.
Sifo-Dyas sighed and shook his head. "To think, that I would be the one to defend the Order and the Code after having spent years arguing that we need to change." He chuckled once then lifted his head, looking me straight in the eye. "So how do we proceed?"
I blinked. "You are asking me?"
"Yes. Chosen One or not, the Force brought you here for a reason; one that I have come to believe is for the betterment of the Force." He replied with conviction. "We have all been here too long, spent too long thinking as we have, to be able to see an obvious path out of the darkness that is coming."
"At least we see what is coming," Dooku muttered even as Sifo-Dyas continued.
"Perhaps we need the sight of one who has seen the galaxy before entering these halls. Perhaps, just perhaps, you are here to show us that path to a better, brighter future."
"What if I fail?" I asked, letting my greatest fear for the future be vocalized. "Or lead us down a darker path?"
"That is why we are here to help you, just as you are here to help us," Fay answered with a tender smile. "The wisdom of age, coupled with the drive of youth."
"As I said, my visions show a generally better future because of you. If I do not act on those visions, do not at least try to bring about that future, I have failed as a person, never mind as a Jedi," said Sifo-Dyas confidently.
Dooku chuckled, shook his head and looked at his fellow Jedi Masters. "While I lack the wisdom of Master Fay or the gifts of Master Sifo-Dyas, I see what is happening around us; on Coruscant and other places. A reckoning is coming. Perhaps not for a long time, but it is coming, and I have lost faith in the Council and the Senate to show us a path forward.
"We must prepare for that reckoning, and your being here, in this time, is the will of the Force. While I am a prideful man," Sifo-Dyas coughed once, which drew a short glare from Dooku, "I am not so confident in myself to ignore what I see before me."
I sat there quietly as they spoke, not quite believing that I'd had such an effect on the three, and even after hearing them speak in support, I could still scarcely believe it. Though I suspected that wherever he was, Revan was amused by this.
"I… I… wow," was all I could get out as the wind ruffled my hair. "I don't think I am the Chosen One, but I want to try to change things."
"Don't try, do," Fay chuckled. "We are not asking you to lead, you are far, far too young for making those types of decisions. We do, however, feel that the Force is using you in some way, a way we all believe that will lead out of the oncoming darkness."
"If you have any suggestions, any visions bring them to us. At once. Do not hide them for fear of how we might react, or what we might say. Act on the information given to you by the Force. Use it." Dooku added bluntly.
"Yes, Masters," I said with a bow; which was far harder to do when sitting than I liked.
"Ah, so that is what it takes to get you to call someone 'master'?" Sifo-Dyas joked, earning a few chuckles from around the table. "To agree to listen to you."
"No, it means we have his respect," Fay explained as she tilted her head to one side as she looked at me. "And already I sense you have something to reveal."
I couldn't help but smile as I began to speak. "Yes. When I was on Naboo, I heard… whispers, of a name as I saw images of a child queen. Padme."
"So that is why you were looking through birth records. Master Nu was wondering why you had accessed that information," Fay stated with a gentle laugh. "It had been confusing me for weeks."
"You think the girl is important?"
"Yes. And I found her. Padme Naberrie. She's six, almost seven, now, but she will be a Queen one day. And soon. In the images I saw, she looked to be in her late teens or early twenties." I was being vague about her age to avoid questions about how accurate my 'visions' were. Though discovering Padme was six, meant I had at most, eight years to get ready for the invasion of Naboo as I knew she had been fourteen when that happened.
"Hmm. Perhaps a deeper search is required," Dooku spoke slowly, rubbing his beard in thought. "From what I know of Naboo, King Veruna is an elected monarch, but he has a strong grip on the throne. That he would be replaced by such a young woman would be unexpected and require something to change drastically."
"Perhaps Senator Palpatine could be of assistance?" offered Sifo-Dyas.
"No!" I blurted out before Dooku could answer the suggestion. "I mean, if the Sith have been influencing the galaxy, they must have operatives in the Senate. Involving anyone from there might alert the Sith to what we are doing."
"You believe the Sith are watching us?"
"I'd be surprised if they weren't watching Cameron," Fay said in answer to Dooku's question.
"Yes, on that I suspect you are correct. Very well, we will keep the search quiet and involve no-one outside the Temple." Dooku concurred.
I smiled. "Thank you. For trusting me."
"We said we would help you if it led to a better future. Did you not believe us?"
"I did, but having proof is nice," I replied. "Trust but verify."
That made Dooku chuckle. "A wise approach." He stood. "Now come. If we spend too long here others will notice. The less attention we bring to ourselves, the more time we can avoid drawing the attention of the Sith and their allies."
We all stood and moved for the door.
"You believe the Sith have supporters within the Order?" Fay asked with a frown.
"Unlikely," Dooku stated as he unlocked the doors and I heard the windows slide open once more. "However, until we are sure, it is better to be cautious."
Fay gave him a tilted nod as we stepped out the room, though I paused and looked back as I replayed the meeting in my head.
"Cameron, is something the matter?"
I started walking. "No, Master. I was simply thinking about who we could trust."
While that was a valid reason to stop, it wasn't the truth. As we walked through the halls to the elevator one question kept going around in my mind.
How did wind ruffle my hair if the windows were closed?
Stats at the end of the Children in Shadow Arc
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2019
- Messages
- 514
- Likes received
- 27,914
STATS
…
Cameron Shan
…
Cameron Shan
Species: Human
Title: The Player
Level 16
HP: 220/220
FP: 8000/8000
PP: 32/32
XP [1022/16000]
STAM [408/408]
Hunger [45/100]
STR: 17 + VIT: 17 + AGI: 17 +
INT: 17 + WIS: 17 + CHA: 19 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 3
SKP: 188
PerkP: 0
PPP: 0
Credits: 264813
Title: The Player
Level 16
HP: 220/220
FP: 8000/8000
PP: 32/32
XP [1022/16000]
STAM [408/408]
Hunger [45/100]
STR: 17 + VIT: 17 + AGI: 17 +
INT: 17 + WIS: 17 + CHA: 19 +
Luck: 0 + [+10]
SP: 3
SKP: 188
PerkP: 0
PPP: 0
Credits: 264813
SKILLS
Lightsaber [Standard]]
MAXED
Form 1 Shii-Cho
Master 67
Form 2 Makashi
Savant 88
Form 3 Soresu
Master 25
Form 4 Ataru
Novice 3
Hand to Hand [General]
Professional 39
Melee Weapons [2-handed]
Adept 1
Melee Weapons [1-handed]
Professional 3
Melee Weapons [Thrown]
Adept 15
Marksmanship
Adept 97
Ranged Weapons [1-handed]
Professional 5
Ranged Weapons [2-handed]
Professional 40
Ranged Weapons [Heavy]
Adept 2
Piloting [Atmospheric]
Adept 9
Piloting [Space]
Adept 25
Riding [4-legged]
Novice 73
Stealth
Professional 2
Sleight of Hand
Novice 45
Lockpicking
Novice 15
Cleaning
Adept 42
Cooking
Adept 1
Musical Instrument [Synthtar]
Adept 13
Damage Resistance [Physical]
Adept 1
Damage Resistance [Energy]
Adept 45
Athletics
Professional 10
Swimming
Adept 72
Astrogation
Adept 25
Computer [Slicing]
Adept 86
Computer [Programming]
Adept 73
Computer [Electronics]
Adept 73
Language [Basic]
Savant 17
Language [Huttese]
Professional 1
Language [Binary]
Professional 1
Language [Ryl]
Novice 5
Language [Sullustese]
Novice 25
Language [German]
Adept 12
Economics
Adept 25
Mechanics [Engines]
Adept 4
Mechanics [Speeders]
Adept 25
Mechanics [Fighters]
Adept 25
Mechanics [Starships]
Professional 1
Medicine [First Aid]
Professional 1
Medicine [Hospital]
Adept 8
Anatomy [Human]
Adept 60
Anatomy [Twi'lek]
Novice 26
Anatomy [Zabrak]
Novice 30
Anatomy [Duros]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Ithorian]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Sullustan]
Novice 4
Forensics
Adept 1
Warfare [Ground]
Professional 46
Warfare [Space]
Novice 55
Teaching
Adept 45
Concentration
MAXED
Composure
49/100
Danger Sense
35/100
Meditation
MAXED
Deception
Adept 90
Lie Detection
Adept 75
Perception
Professional 5
Survival
Adept 79
Persuasion
Professional 21
Intimidation/Taunting
Adept 49
Singing
Adept 7
Negotiation
Novice 75
MAXED
Form 1 Shii-Cho
Master 67
Form 2 Makashi
Savant 88
Form 3 Soresu
Master 25
Form 4 Ataru
Novice 3
Hand to Hand [General]
Professional 39
Melee Weapons [2-handed]
Adept 1
Melee Weapons [1-handed]
Professional 3
Melee Weapons [Thrown]
Adept 15
Marksmanship
Adept 97
Ranged Weapons [1-handed]
Professional 5
Ranged Weapons [2-handed]
Professional 40
Ranged Weapons [Heavy]
Adept 2
Piloting [Atmospheric]
Adept 9
Piloting [Space]
Adept 25
Riding [4-legged]
Novice 73
Stealth
Professional 2
Sleight of Hand
Novice 45
Lockpicking
Novice 15
Cleaning
Adept 42
Cooking
Adept 1
Musical Instrument [Synthtar]
Adept 13
Damage Resistance [Physical]
Adept 1
Damage Resistance [Energy]
Adept 45
Athletics
Professional 10
Swimming
Adept 72
Astrogation
Adept 25
Computer [Slicing]
Adept 86
Computer [Programming]
Adept 73
Computer [Electronics]
Adept 73
Language [Basic]
Savant 17
Language [Huttese]
Professional 1
Language [Binary]
Professional 1
Language [Ryl]
Novice 5
Language [Sullustese]
Novice 25
Language [German]
Adept 12
Economics
Adept 25
Mechanics [Engines]
Adept 4
Mechanics [Speeders]
Adept 25
Mechanics [Fighters]
Adept 25
Mechanics [Starships]
Professional 1
Medicine [First Aid]
Professional 1
Medicine [Hospital]
Adept 8
Anatomy [Human]
Adept 60
Anatomy [Twi'lek]
Novice 26
Anatomy [Zabrak]
Novice 30
Anatomy [Duros]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Ithorian]
Novice 9
Anatomy [Sullustan]
Novice 4
Forensics
Adept 1
Warfare [Ground]
Professional 46
Warfare [Space]
Novice 55
Teaching
Adept 45
Concentration
MAXED
Composure
49/100
Danger Sense
35/100
Meditation
MAXED
Deception
Adept 90
Lie Detection
Adept 75
Perception
Professional 5
Survival
Adept 79
Persuasion
Professional 21
Intimidation/Taunting
Adept 49
Singing
Adept 7
Negotiation
Novice 75
Force Powers
Telekinesis
Savant 95
Serenity [Meditation]
Prodigy 100
Heal
Adept 1
Restore
Novice 1
Breath Control
Adept 11
Vision
Novice 2
Detection
Adept 70
Cloak
Prodigy 100
Comprehend Speech
Professional 52
Empathy
Professional 45
Sense Force
Novice 45
Precognition
Master 78
Sight
Adept 1
Suppression
Novice 87
Speed
Professional 24
Bullet Time [Reflex]
Professional 66
Stun
Adept 85
Blast
Adept 56
Wave/Whirlwind
Novice 1 LOCKED
Repulse/Shockwave
Novice 1 LOCKED
Enhance Stats
Adept 35
Enhance Skill
Adept 35
Jump
Professional 81
Cryokinesis
Adept 15
Pyrokinesis
Adept 15
Force Slow [Force Weaken]
Novice 1
Phase
Adept 69
Teleport
Novice 73
Barrier
Adept 21
Compulsion
Adept 65
Lightning
Novice 21
Force Attune
Novice 56
Force Crush
Novice 37
Levitation
Novice 70
Camouflage
Novice 5
Empathic Shield
Professional 79
Telepathy
Novice 1 LOCKED
Enhance Senses
Novice 1
Restore Stamina
Adept 76
Negate Hunger
Professional 81
Force Persuasion
Adept 11
Mind Probe
Novice 1
Hypnotic Rub [Alter Mind]
Novice 1 LOCKED
Control Beast
Novice 99
Battle Meditation: Passive
Adept 94
Battle Meditation: Active
Novice 1 LOCKED
Force Drain
Novice 1
Force Scream
Novice 1
Ionize
Novice 5
Deflection
Novice 75
Inertia
Novice 57
Plant Control
Novice 5
Savant 95
Serenity [Meditation]
Prodigy 100
Heal
Adept 1
Restore
Novice 1
Breath Control
Adept 11
Vision
Novice 2
Detection
Adept 70
Cloak
Prodigy 100
Comprehend Speech
Professional 52
Empathy
Professional 45
Sense Force
Novice 45
Precognition
Master 78
Sight
Adept 1
Suppression
Novice 87
Speed
Professional 24
Bullet Time [Reflex]
Professional 66
Stun
Adept 85
Blast
Adept 56
Wave/Whirlwind
Novice 1 LOCKED
Repulse/Shockwave
Novice 1 LOCKED
Enhance Stats
Adept 35
Enhance Skill
Adept 35
Jump
Professional 81
Cryokinesis
Adept 15
Pyrokinesis
Adept 15
Force Slow [Force Weaken]
Novice 1
Phase
Adept 69
Teleport
Novice 73
Barrier
Adept 21
Compulsion
Adept 65
Lightning
Novice 21
Force Attune
Novice 56
Force Crush
Novice 37
Levitation
Novice 70
Camouflage
Novice 5
Empathic Shield
Professional 79
Telepathy
Novice 1 LOCKED
Enhance Senses
Novice 1
Restore Stamina
Adept 76
Negate Hunger
Professional 81
Force Persuasion
Adept 11
Mind Probe
Novice 1
Hypnotic Rub [Alter Mind]
Novice 1 LOCKED
Control Beast
Novice 99
Battle Meditation: Passive
Adept 94
Battle Meditation: Active
Novice 1 LOCKED
Force Drain
Novice 1
Force Scream
Novice 1
Ionize
Novice 5
Deflection
Novice 75
Inertia
Novice 57
Plant Control
Novice 5
PERKS
Force Prodigy
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Ambidextrous
Boosted Growth
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Ambidextrous
Boosted Growth
PLAYER POWERS
Player's Mind
Player's Body
Inventory
Silent Interface
Observe 33/100
Player's Body
Inventory
Silent Interface
Observe 33/100
TITLES
The Player
Leader [4/10]
Jedi [2/5]
Leader [4/10]
Jedi [2/5]
Last edited:
Once and Future Queen
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2019
- Messages
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- 27,914
As the ship descended to the landing pad in front of me, I couldn't help but smirk at how I had ended up standing here on a pad waiting for the arrival of Padmé and her father.
"Calm yourself, Padawan," Fay said from my left, having either seen my smirk or sensed my feelings about meeting such a pivotal figure from the prequel movies. That she would grow into a woman I found attractive had nothing to do with the butterflies I felt. "We were fortunate that the girl's father worked for the Refugee Relief Movement. However, while the Force has acted in granting us this meeting, our priority is to help the RRM in locating a planet for the Shadda-Bi-Borans before their sun goes supernova."
"Yes, Master," I replied. Since the meeting a few weeks ago I had taken to referring to both Fay and Dooku by their titles constantly. They had both earned my trust for talking with me – along with Master Sifo-Dyas – about what the Force was telling them about me. I suspected that most Jedi did not do so with their Padawans; but then again, I wasn't your typical Padawan.
The intervening weeks had been spent on Coruscant, mainly in the Jedi Temple itself.
I had finished my assignment/punishment of teaching the Initiates and had spent that time training with Master Dooku and others to prove my competence with Shii-Cho and Soresu – with simple quests similar to my duel with Dooku that proved that I was competent with Makashi – and continued to teach the duelling form to those around my age who wished to learn the basics of the form.
Once I proved my ability with both forms, I was able to convince Dooku to teach me the very basics of Shien, Djem-So and Niman. Though I had only gotten Ataru past Novice 10, which seemed to be the point from where I was able to learn a lightsaber form – or combat style – by myself.
A few Padawans had also joined the classes, including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bultar Swan. The former had been sent by Qui-Gon to prove a point; while Ataru was useful in many situations, it had several weaknesses that could be exploited by a skilled duellist. Though I only learned that after I defeated Obi-Wan in a training duel – thus completing a quest similar to Serra's in doing so – and realised that I should create duelling quests for as many Jedi as possible, resulting in the new quest, Training Superiority.
That quest granted me 250/750/1500 XP for defeating Padawans, Knights and Masters in practice/training duels. While that didn't seem like much, the description made it clear that it was only for training duels and that offensive Force powers were not to be used. The sheer number of Jedi I could challenge was numbered in the thousands, though I had limited myself to a handful of Padawans only so far; mainly the ex-members of Dragon Clan plus a few more.
I had considered generating a quest for duels allowing Force powers, but a quick discussion with Dooku resulted in me discovering that I was not allowed to engage in such duels until I turned fourteen. Officially it was to avoid a young Padawan hurting a fellow Jedi unintentionally, but Dooku seemed to hint it had more to do with the established hierarchy of the temple than health concerns. Privately, I had a feeling that this could be roughly translated to "The Council doesn't want initiates with stronger Force connections to stand out too much until it can be explained away by the teachings of their master, which would allow the Council and the Order at large to take at least some of the credit for their skill."
Bultar came to the classes, and after getting her to stop saying thank you, had quickly adapted the basics of the form into her own seemingly unique style of using martial arts and I had gained a new skill; Martial Art: Teräs Käsi. It had been strange at first that I could learn a hand-to-hand skill when I already had a skill covering that, but reading the description for Teräs Käsi informed me that as my general hand-to-hand skill was of a high enough level, I could learn sub-skills of special unarmed combat styles.
Since Teräs Käsi was designed originally to counter Force users, I felt that it was something that would come in handy in the future and made me curious about what other specific combat styles I could learn that wouldn't just be wrapped up in the general skill for hand-to-hand like the unarmed combat form taught by the Jedi.
Both Competent Tongue quests had been completed, though without any bonuses as I had decided to save up my Skill Points for quests that I was in danger of failing instead of going for the bonuses.
Currently, I felt that applied to You Can't Hurt Me as I only knew four of the six damage resistances, having discovered the ones for thermal and sonic based damage by sticking my hand in a fire and having a datapad alarm go off as loud as possible while next to my ear. That, along with Just Don't Get Caught were quests that I regretted taking. The penalties for failure far outstripped the rewards, and I saw that I hadn't thought considered the penalties sufficiently before taking those quests; nor had I explored the interface properly for training quests like Generational Swordsman.
I was about a dozen levels from completing that quest and I only had about a month to go so it should be reachable without spending any Skill Points, provided I committed most nights to train that Form.
Things like discovering damage resistances by intentionally hurting myself – and training Force Lightning on myself both using Force Heal – had me seriously questioning if I was developing sadomasochistic tendencies. I wasn't getting anything sexually out of it, thank the Force I hadn't hit puberty, but I was gaining something from hurting myself, even if it was only because of my unique powers.
As the whine of the engines became louder, I pulled myself out of my thoughts and back to the present to watch as the ship came closer and manoeuvred to touch down on the landing pad. I could see the same flowing style that the Naboo ships had displayed in the prequel movies, though it was a model I did not recognize nor was it the distinctive chrome colour that Padmé would use later on as Queen and Senator.
I watched as the ramp came down and a small group came out. Using Observe, I was able to determine which was Padmé's father – spotting a seven-year-old girl in the group was easy – and that all the group were keen to meet the Jedi.
"Master Fay, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person," said Padmé's father, Ruwee Naberrie, with a small bow. The bow was matched by the three other adults with him, though Padmé didn't; her eyes widening as she spotted Fay.
"Likewise, Ruwee. May I introduce my Padawan, Cameron Shan." Fay replied, indicating me with an open palm. "It was him you have to thank for bringing the crisis with the Shadda-Bi-Borans to my attention."
"Then you have my thanks young one. Help from the Jedi will increase our chances of locating a suitable planet to evacuate the Shadda-Bi-Borans to."
I smiled and gave him a nod, though mentally I wondered why Fay had said that. She was the one who had discovered that Ruwee worked from the RRM, and then when he had been assigned to coordinate the resettlement of the Shadda-Bi-Borans. Giving me the credit for something that I hadn't actually done was strange unless she meant me mentioning Padmé's name to her, Dooku, and Sifo-Dyas as what brought the RRM to her attention.
Alternatively, she could be saying that to improve my standing with Padmé and her father. Wondering, I cast Observe on the girl.
Observe had helped me determine that Padawans seemed to be between levels 11 to 22 and Knights from levels 20 up to 30. I had only used the power on a few Jedi Masters, as they seemed able to detect the scan; perhaps that was due to my Force Empathy only being in the Professional range currently, though that was just a working theory. Those few Jedi Masters that I had risked using Observe on while being able to hide in some way, had all been above level 28.
"Are you an angel?" I heard Padmé ask Fay, explaining the last line of the description Observe had given on her.
I buried the laugh I felt coming with a sneeze, drawing the attention of everyone. "Sorry."
"To answer your question, young one; no, I am not an angel. My mother was a Sephi. Therefore, I have more pointed ears than most and appear younger than expected for a Jedi Master."
"Still, you are beautiful enough to be angelic Master," I tack on with what I hope is an innocent smile.
"Ignore my Padawan. He sometimes acts far more mature than one would expect from a child," I can't resist the prompt and stick out my tongue, making Padmé giggle and Fay sigh in an overly-dramatic way. "Only to other times enjoy his youth."
"I am sorry about Padmé, Master Fay," Ruwee is quick to say as I see that the two other men with him are staring at Fay; one almost leering at her. "She is naturally curious about everything and likes to ask questions."
"There is nothing to forgive. Cameron is much the same."
I gave Padmé a smile when she turned to me, though she said nothing.
"I have arranged accommodation near the Temple for you, your daughter, and staff," Fay continued as she turned and began to walk away from the starship to a pair of nearby ComfortRide Passenger airspeeders – thank you Eidetic Memory – that had carried us to the landing pad from the Temple. "I have also used the data you sent to scour the Jedi and Senate archives for planets that are potential locations to relocate the Shadda-Bi-Borans to as well as added details of a few planets I have visited that are not listed in either archive."
I couldn't see Ruwee's face as he turned, but the hopefulness in his voice was clear to hear. "That is wonderful to hear. I confess that the list we had was not the most encouraging. How soon can we examine the list?"
I ignored the conversation between the two and turned to Padmé. "Shall we?" I asked while extending my arm for her.
Her cheeks reddened a touched before she nodded and placed her hand on my forearm.
We walked quietly behind the adults and sat down in at the rear of the taxi.
"What do you think of Coruscant?" I asked to make conversation as we began to move.
"It's beautiful! I never thought I'd get a chance to see the capital world or the Senate Building!" The voice was higher pitched than I remembered, and there was a roundness to the jawline, but it was still a younger version of Padmé from the movies. I briefly wondered exactly how TPTB had found me a universe where everyone truly did look like the actors who had portrayed them back home, or whether they had created the universe from my mind and memories. I stopped that avenue of thought quickly as the resultant quantum theory possibilities started to give me a headache.
"It is beautiful on the surface but when you look inside and underneath, the cracks will appear," I countered. "I was just as amazed when I arrived here, but a few trips to the lower levels dispelled that amazement. There, people live in squalor and poverty and crime is rampant."
Those trips had happened over the last few weeks with Dooku. He was keen for me to see the fact that so much suffering and chaos occurred on a world that was viewed as a beacon of hope to many. That the Senate – and by extension, the Jedi – did nothing to try to fix the problems so long as they were swept under the rug.
I had asked if the trips had anything to do with tracking leads related to my mission, but he informed me that they didn't. It seemed several members of the High Council were actively against me participating in the follow-up investigations and raids after my heavy-handed approach to dealing with kidnappers and rapists.
"But don't the Senate and Jedi do something to stop that?"
I shook my head. "No. According to my Jedi Master, the Senate is filled with enough self-interested people that nothing gets done and the Jedi are tied to the Senate."
"Cameron," Fay began, her tone firmer than usual to make clear that I should listen to what she said very carefully, "I think talk of the likely failings of the Senate should not be discussed by children. Perhaps Miss Naberrie would like to hear the story of how you came to be a Jedi; one who is both ten and over three-thousand cycles old."
"Really? Wow! How is that possible?" Padmé blurted out excitedly, her earlier sadness about the apparent failings of Coruscant lost.
I glared at Fay, though it had no effect as she gave me one of those 'I know best' smiles and then sighed.
"Well, if you must know I was born on Talravin approximately three thousand, nine hundred years ago," I began, figuring telling this story would be a good way to kill the time until we reached the hotel where the Naberrie's would be staying.
After all, how long could it take to determine what planet would be the best for the Shadda-Bi-Borans to be evacuated to?"
...
...
As I stood on the crest of a small hill, enjoying the break in the almost daily rain showers of the planet, I considered the last three months.
It turned out that finding a suitable planet – or range of planets – didn't take that long, only a week or so of assessing the archives used by both the Jedi and the Senate.
What did, however, was arranging the ships, talking with the planetary leaders, arranging collection locations and times and dealing with a population of just over two billion.
Thankfully, the story of what was happening had reached the media, and after two weeks of nightly programs on the Shadda-Bi-Borans, several million credits had been donated to the Refugee Relief Fund to help with the renting of ships and purchasing of supplies to help them settle.
I had also suggested the construction of radiation emitters to help them if the stars were unable to produce all the necessary radiation. This improved the odds on more of the Shadda-Bi-Borans surviving; which increased the chances of the species persisting and increased the potential rewards for the new quest Hope of the Borans.
For that quest, I would gain 1XP for every 50,000 Shadda-Bi-Borans that survived for at least five years on their new home as well as a very small reputation boost with the RRM and anyone attached to the relocation effort as well. While that was a low amount of XP, the interface explained that even if I was an important cog, I was but one cog in the machine that would potentially help save the species. The end result was quite simple: the more that survived, the more XP I got.
Which, admittedly, was a sad way to look at the possible extinction of a species, but it was how the interface interpreted things.
And, I realised that helping to save a species was a great reputation boost, with both the species themselves and the larger galaxy. Or so I hoped. I guess I would see in five years from when we finished the relocation. So far, around sixty per cent of the population had been moved in three months; over 1.2 Billion beings relocated was a truly impressive display of what happened when enough people in the Republic put effort into the same thing.
I had also been learning the local language, Shaddaboranese. I'd completed one quest to get the language to Adept 1, and now had a follow-on to get the language to Professional 1 before the end of the resettlement.
Thanks to my undercover mission – and how close to a disaster it had been for Bultar and the others – I had been able to convince Dooku that learning non-lightsaber combat skills were useful, so while on-planet, I had an hour to train those skills without much, if any supervision. While I suspected Dooku thought that meant I would just concentrate on learning to use things like vibroblades, I had been using the hour for a different purpose.
I now had quests to Melee Weapons [Thrown], Ranged Weapons [1-handed], Range Weapons [2-handed] and Marksmanship to the next tier by the end of the evacuation. Since every shot/throw seemed to earn me some XP – provided I hit the target – they were remarkably easy quests to complete. However, to gain any XP in Marksmanship, I had to make sure to throw at/shoot a target at a greater distance than I'd have found on a standard throwing/shooting range in my old life.
"Cameron!" I turned at the excited shout and saw Padmé running towards me; a datapad waving around in her hand. "Cameron!"
"What's up?" I asked as the young girl skidded to a halt, splashing the bottom of my robes with mud. I hid my annoyance at getting them dirty – again – on this planet that reminded me of Britain with the almost daily rain, as she poked the datapad rapidly.
She was why I was on this planet, though having a quest linked to getting her to like me, or better, was a nice gift from the interface/TPTB. I was planning to do that anyway, but whatever generated quests without my thinking had created The Once and Future Queen to cover my time here with Padmé.
"This! This is brilliant! You really wrote it?" She asked as she thrust the pad into my chest.
I calmly took it and saw that she had been reading 'The Fellowship of the Ring', which I had given to her and others to read.
"Yes. Why?" I replied. Ok, technically I had just stolen it, but how was anyone in this universe ever going to prove that?
"It's brilliant!" She replied, repeating herself. "You should publish it."
I couldn't help but smile at seeing her dance from foot to foot in excitement. "How? And what would I do with the money from selling it?" I asked, playing on my status as a Jedi. Honestly, I could publish it, but I doubted the money earned from that would amount to much. Plus, it was far easier to acquire funds from other sources; like the slavers who had tried to kidnap a group of locals a few weeks earlier.
They had ended up dead or imprisoned and I was a few thousand credits better off, as well as earning some XP and now having a few grenades stored in my inventory along with restraining cuffs and a good many spare power packs for blasters.
"But people need to read this!" Padmé protested and I rubbed my chin as I considered an idea.
"Perhaps I could talk to my masters and have the proceeds donated to the Shadda-Bi-Borans?" I suggested. That way I could test the waters for how well such stories could do, generate a market for the two sequels and generate more goodwill – read reputation – with Padmé and others.
"Really?" Before I knew it Padmé had leapt and wrapped herself around me in a tight hug.
I chuckled at her antics even as I struggled to shrug. "Why not? I have little need for the credits," not entirely true, "and it would be for a good cause." Two actually, but she didn't need to know that.
She jumped backwards. "I'll go and talk with my father now! He's with Master Dooku in the command centre."
She took off at a sprint and I couldn't help but chuckle at seeing how excited she was about this.
"Be careful around that one, or Serra might get angry."
"Darihd! When did you get here?" I asked as I turned to the voice as he approached, a smirk resting comfortably on his face.
"This morning. My master wanted to speak with Master Dooku about something, though I am unsure about what exactly." His smile slipped and he shook his head. "Something has changed since you left Cam. Master Sifo-Dyas seems… withdrawn. I know I've only been his Padawan for a year, but I can see enough that I know something has changed."
"Perhaps he is growing bored with being stuck in the Temple?" I suggested. I knew why Sifo-Dyas was behaving differently, but if he wasn't ready to tell his Padawan, I wasn't going to. Even if I wanted to. Darihd was dependable and, I felt, trustworthy.
Hopefully, Sifo-Dyas would decide to bring Darihd in on our plans or ask me to do so, before they left the planet. Having someone my own, physical, age involved would be a boon.
"Perhaps." He shook his head and glanced down the path Padmé had gone. "What was all that about?"
"Nothing important. Just a story I wrote while on a mission," I replied honestly. "Padmé liked it and wants me to publish it, so I suggested talking to her father about arranging for that to happen and for the proceeds to be donated to the resettlement effort."
"Ah." was his only reply, but the twitch of his lip let me know he had other thoughts on what had just happened.
"Since you're here, how about a friendly spar?" I asked, which made him groan.
"Come on! I only just got away from Serra and Aayla in coming here and now you want to duel as well!" He threw up his hands in annoyance.
"They're still that bad?" I inquired with a grin.
"Worse. Ever since you defeated Serra, she's been pushing herself every day to get better. The teasing from Sia-Wan and the others isn't helping. Neither was you beating Kenobi or the other Padawans." He paused and looked out over the rain-soaked countryside. "How did you get so good?"
"Master Dooku is a… demanding, instructor," I replied honestly while ignoring that my skill growth was far above normal due to my special gifts and that I could practice throughout the night if I was alone.
He snorted. "That's being nice. Truthfully, since he left, the training sessions have been less painful for the rest of us."
"You're welcome."
My commlink beeped and I pulled it from my belt.
"Yes?"
"Cameron, young Padme has been informing me and her father, rather excitedly I might add, about a novel you have written and your plans surrounding it," Dooku stated, a chuckle coming from the background as he mentioned Padmé's excitement. "Perhaps you could come here to discuss these plans?"
"Yes Master, I will be there shortly." Dooku closed the link without any form of goodbye – as I expected – and I turned back to Darihd. "Looks like you're safe from a beating for now."
He chuckled and fell into step beside me. "Come on. I'm curious to see how the girl explains what happened before I arrived."
We walked down the path to the command centre, even as it began to rain once more.
...
...
"Anyway, I'm really enjoying the training, even if it's hard," Padmé said via the hologram on the table in front of me. "And the others are jealous that I know the writer of The Fellowship of the Ring." She added with a smirk, holding up a paper copy of the novel.
The cover had pictures of most of the Fellowship, though my eyes were drawn to two in particular. Gandalf and Aragorn. Gandalf, in a lovely twist, looked like Dooku while Aragorn had green eyes like mine. Somehow, I suspected this was Padmé's work as she had been more involved in getting the book published than I was.
"I still can't believe it was so successful," I muttered ruefully. Seriously, who would have suspected that, even with it being pushed as a way for anyone to support the Shadda-Bi-Borans, it would be downloaded over fifteen million times across the Core Worlds in a few months, or that a further half-a-million hard copies were sold.
I didn't know the exact figures, but it had generated a couple of million credits at least for the resettlement effort. Being a writer paid extremely well when the potential readership numbered in the hundreds of trillions, provided your story was good or was pushed by the right people.
I was a little concerned that the Nazgul could be a source of inspiration for the Sith, but Fay and Dooku had reassured me that such sorcery had been lost to the millennia if had had ever been truly possible to begin with. Still, I had asked them to ask someone in the Temple achieves to send us – read me – anything they had on similar Sith practices just in case. Several of their abilities bore striking similarities to what I'd read or remembered about the secret techniques involving Sith Alchemy, which was a disturbing, yet intriguing correlation.
"It's brilliant and it's for a good cause," Padmé grinned. "When will you write the next part?"
I shrugged even as I smiled at her. "I don't know, but I'll make sure you get the first copy when I do." Even if it only sold half as well, that would be a million or so credits for me; no way was letting the whole trilogy go for free, nor the prequel. Eidetic Memory for the win.
Her smile was threatening to split her face in half. "Wow! Thanks!"
"No problem. Now, I think you should get going. You've got new friends to meet." I said, trying to bring an end to the communication as I spotted Dooku walk into the room. A month ago, she had left to begin training with the Legislative Youth Program on Naboo, though she had called me twice since she had left to catch up. I had no idea if this was because she was excited about the book, or because she just wanted to spend time with me. I suspected it was both.
"Right. Bye and thanks again." She said before the hologram blinked off.
"I see young Miss Naberrie is still enamoured with you," he commented as reached me.
"The Force guided me to her, so why shouldn't I try to make her like me?" I replied. Quest or not, though it was a nice bonus as I was certain I had completed The Once and Future Queen, having a way in when canon started was useful.
"True, however, be mindful of how her feelings about you change as you both age," he countered before glancing behind me. "Hmm, ten mistakes. Acceptable for today."
I turned and sighed at the apparatus behind me. It was almost identical to those puzzles in museums where you had to guide a ring along a metal path without touching the path itself.
Dooku, upon learning I had lifted the Stones of Muntuur from Fay, who had been told by Yaddle just before we left the Temple for Shadda-Bi-Boran, had begun to design training exercises – read tests – to improve my fine control of Telekinesis. This one involved me moving the ring along the course and back again, without looking, for two hours nonstop. That time was well within my limits, but it was boring, and when Padmé had called, I'd happily answered; though that was where eight of my ten mistakes had come from.
While the tasks were boring, I couldn't deny their effectiveness as I could now use TK to dis- and reassemble speeder engines without having to touch any part of the engine. I could see some real usages for having that kind of control; whether it be in combat, when using subterfuge or in other situations.
"Come, the last few transports are arriving, and this building is due to be deconstructed later today by the workers. Master Sifo-Dyas wishes to speak with you before we leave."
"Yes, Master."
We walked out of the room, and the building, to find Fay standing with Sifo-Dyas and Darihd as two large transport ships touched down a few hundred meters away.
The calendar had just turned, and it was a few weeks before my birthday, but finally, the resettlement of the locals was almost complete.
"Ah, Cameron good," Sifo-Dyas began as we approached. "I was just talking with Mater Fay about your plans. Darihd and I will be escorting the last group of locals to their new home in the Moddell Sector before returning to the Temple. I understand you will continue to travel with Master Fay for the time being?"
"Yes, Master. Though I am unsure if Master Dooku will be joining us." I replied, glancing up at the Makashi master.
"Time away from the Temple, and other components on Coruscant, has been an unexpected relief. I will continue to travel with you and Master Fay, Padawan." I smiled at him. "Though that means your training load will increase." And my smile fell into a good-natured grimace, though I wasn't all that put out by it in truth.
"Yes, Master."
"I wish for Cameron to visit an old friend of mine in the Kiffu Sector," Fay explained to Dooku. "She is someone I believe would be receptive to what we have discussed."
One of Dooku's eyebrows rose. "Hmm, if you are speaking of whom I suspect, she would be a powerful ally to have."
"I will search the Temple for others once I return," Sifo-Dyas added, earning a nod from Dooku and a smile from Fay.
"Perhaps Masters Yaddle and Giiett would be a good place to start," I offered as I noted the confused expression that was growing on Darihd's face. "And maybe the members of Dragon Clan, current and former."
"Yes," Sifo-Dyas stated as he looked at his Padawan. "Darihd would be a good place to start with the younger generations, but I leave that to you. May we speak in private?" He asked Dooku and Fay.
The three Jedi Masters drifted away as Darihd watched them with a frown.
"What the kriff was that about?" he asked once the adults were out of earshot. "And why did you suggest two members of the High Council? Does this have to do with my Master being different this last year?"
I sighed. It had been three months since he and Sifo-Dyas had arrived on-planet, and I had avoided discussing directly anything about what the future held. I had inquired about his plans, and what he'd do if tensions in the Outer Rim continued to boil over, and even suggested how I saw things going. But, under orders from Dooku and Fay, I hadn't brought him in on things. Now that Sifo-Dyas had decided to trust him, I would.
"It's about the future. Not just ours, but the Order's, the Republic's and the galaxy's," I began slowly. "I… I can see glimpses of what might be, and I shared some of this with our Masters. They agree with me and want to try to… limit the damage that these glimpses show. I... I don't think anyone can stop what is coming, but we need to find ways to mitigate things."
I stopped there, giving him time to process.
"This has to do with what you said about the Order, the Code when you first arrived, doesn't it?"
I nodded. "Yes, though much of that was personally based on what my grandfather told me of the Jedi in my time. The glimpses, they started just before the trials, but I only told Master Fay once we were away from the Temple and I felt I could trust her enough to hint at what I saw."
"You don't trust me?"
"I do," I replied quickly before sighing once again. "It's just, we were Initiates. We had no power in the Order, no respect from the Council or experience with how to handle such things. But your Master is willing to trust you with this, otherwise he wouldn't have discussed it in front of you just now. And I do trust you as well."
"And what do these glimpses show?"
"War. Horrific, galaxy-wide, war on a scale never before seen in history. And the resultant destruction of the Jedi and the Republic." I answered honestly, making him gasp and take a step back. "Sadly, there are people higher the Order who will not listen to the words of a child, so we are having to work in secret, for now. To prepare."
Darihd nodded slowly. "That explains a great many things. About Master Sifo-Dyas and you," He paused and glanced over at the three Jedi Masters. "This… it's a lot to take in."
"I know. But I want you with me. With us," I added as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "You and the others in Dragon Clan made me welcome in the Temple, at a time when I'd lost everyone and thing that mattered to me. For that, I will always do what I can to help and protect all of you." While I hoped they would form the basis of my group, I was being truthful. Dragon Clan contained my only real friends my own - physical - age, until Padmé, and I wanted them to have the best chance to survive the war, and the rise of the Empire if I failed to help stop Palpatine.
He placed his hand on my shoulder, linking us. "As I would you." He smiled and gave me a nod. "OK, I'm in, but I reserve the right to question you about these glimpses at a later time."
I laughed once. "Alright." As we lowered our arms, I felt happy that I'd gained my first… follower? helper? among the younger Jedi.
"And I want to be there when you tell the others," he commented.
My smile fell and I rubbed the back of my neck. "Ah, right. That is going to be so much fun," I drawled, making him laugh as the three Jedi Masters came back.
"Is everything well?" Sifo-Dyas asked his Padawan.
"Yes, Master. And I understand, I think, why you have seemed different this last year. And I want to help."
"I understand Master."
Sifo-Dyas smiled at his Padawan before turning to the rest of us. "When will you make contact?"
"Perhaps a month or two from now," Dooku answered as Fay nodded in agreement. "It will depend on what the Force wishes us to see."
"Yes, yes," He glanced at me and smiled. "Remember to mention anything your visions show to your masters, Cameron. And may the Force be with you."
"And you as well, Master," I replied with a smile. Now we were five.
"Come Cameron. I have arranged transport to take us to Eriadu. From there, we should be easy to arrange passage to our destination."
I smiled at Darihd, and he nodded back, before walking away with the two masters.
The mission to Shadda-Bi-Boran was over.
...
...
I waved away the standard message about getting a full night's sleep and tapped my new notices.
However, before I did that, I raised all my stats except Luck – which was at 0 [+10] – to 19; or at least I tried to.
When I tried to add a point to Agility to raise it, I received a notice warning that I had reached the physical stat limit of 55.
I growled at that information but calmed when I realised there was nothing that I could do about it. Hopefully, the update or future perks would allow me to raise it beyond that limit. Otherwise, I would have to devote almost all my training to raising Enhance Stat to the point I could run it without it stopping my base FP regeneration, which now stood at 90 per minute.
After pushing the stats that I could up to 19, I closed my status window, reopened the update notice and clicked 'Yes'.
A deep buzzing sound echoed around my head as I grabbed it and scrunched my eyes closed tightly, though the sound lasted for only a few seconds before ending.
As I opened my eyes, I blinked and stared around the room a few times. Not having a mini-map or notification log was both strange, having gotten used to it over the last few years, and familiar given that it wasn't normal to have these powers of mine.
I closed my eyes, reached out and felt the Force around me centred on three beings; Fay, Dooku and Tr'a Saa. It was comforting to sense them, even if I didn't have the interface active.
Saa was the friend that Fay had mentioned on Shadd-Bi-Boran, though I had discovered later that she was also Fay's last Padawan before me; which had been around three hundred years ago!
Saa was a Neti; essentially a living plant, yet for some reason, still had breasts. Whether that was due to a choice on her part or biological, I didn't know, nor was I complaining.
She was… interesting. As skilled as Dooku with the blade – not a surprise with three centuries to train – and as comfortable as Fay at using Force-based attacks in combat.
We had sparred every day since I had arrived on Kiffu with Fay and Dooku last week, and while I had been easily trounced by her, seeing how she blended Force attacks into her combat style gave me some ideas about how to do the same. And had me mentally thanking Dooku for the TK fine control training.
I left my room and walked to the central commune area of the small building the locals had provided to Saa while she served as the Jedi Watchman of their sector. While the idea was sound, I wondered how much good a single Jedi could do in an area covering anything from a hundred to a few thousand inhabited planets; especially when some of those worlds had populations in the millions or billions.
Fay had spent hours each day talking with Saa privately about the future and had informed Dooku and me, that while she did agree that things were becoming darker in the galaxy, she was not prepared to abandon her post to join us.
Fay and Dooku accepted this, indeed Fay explained that she had not expected her former Padawan to join us, more than she simply wished to gauge her opinions to see where she would stand when the war finally came.
I guess living for centuries gave you more patience than most beings, though since I knew I had about a decade and a half to prepare, I wasn't looking to hurry things along too much.
"Cameron, is something the matter?" Fay asked as she looked up from the table where she was sharing with Saa.
"No, Master. I was just thinking about a dream."
Saa shared a smile with Fay before she commented. "If the meaning was important, it will come to you. Now come, join us."
I nodded and sat with them as Dooku entered.
While I might not gain any experience today, I wasn't planning on slacking off. It wasn't who I was and if I did relax too much, I would have to deflect extra questions from the three Jedi Masters.
...
...
I got fewer stat points and skill points each level-up, along with a smaller boost XP boost, but I could level up the stats via training. I'd have to see how that worked by reading the help menu later to see how exactly that worked, but being able to control how I developed based on what I learned felt more organic than just adding points to stats with each level-up. The increase in Stamina was nice, though not a huge thing as Restore Stamina could restore almost half my total in a single go, and that would increase as the power grew stronger.
Having my skills sorted would definitely shorten the list and make things easier to track. And I knew that I was getting Kissing unlocked when I turned eleven – why it had to be locked in the first place was down to the interface – but discovering that Flirting and Massage were also skills that now unlocked was unexpected, and a little strange as what kind of eleven-year-old actively flirt… Ah, right. I did, and regularly with Fay and a few others. Right.
Having Force Powers sorted into the three categories that the Jedi referred to them in would be useful, as would having a way to note which ones were 'dark-side' in nature.
New Perks/Player Powers would be interesting, but I'd have to wait until I was level 20 for both to see the changes, and a quick peruse of the interface options had me almost jumping for joy at being able to remove the 'You Have Slept for … Hours' notice that always appeared in the middle of my field of vision. That alone made not having access to the interface for a day worthwhile.
I assumed that being able to directly explain what I knew of the future was linked to either Reputations or Force Bonds; or possibly both.
As I opened my Reputation page, I noted the lists available, before opening the Jedi one.
I wasn't surprised to find that Fay and Dooku were in the Trusted range, though seeing Serra above them – and additionally listed as a Friend – was intriguing. The Miralukan Seer Nilas was also listed as Trusted, which was confusing. I'd had no interactions outside of meeting the Council of First Knowledge. However, she seemed able to see visions of my future, much like Sifo-Dyas, so perhaps those were what made her willing to trust me.
Darihd and Sifo-Dyas were the next highest, though only in the Liked range. Giiett, Yaddle and most of Dragon Clan were also high on that list and I suspected that the higher a name was on the list, the closer it was to increasing to the next reputation level.
Finding that I was disliked by three members of the High Council – Windu, Piell and Tiin – explained a few things, and seeing that Belfarr actively hated me wasn't a huge surprise.
Serra and Darihd were the only two Jedi that were listed as Friends, which made sense since the former was the one that I had spent the most time within the Temple while the latter was now a part of my group. (Cabal? I really need to think of a name for our little gang.)
The Politicians list held far fewer names but seeing that Palpatine liked me was both worrying and expected.
Finding that Padmé was already listed as a friend was also expected, as I'd earned that bonus on her linked quest; The Once and Future Queen.
Force Bonds were… strange, scary and intriguing all at the same time.
This was the first time the interface had hinted that other people's abilities and powers were listed in the same way as mine, but it did make sense. How else was the interface going to handle the fact everyone around me could learn the same skills and powers as I had. Though it had me wondering if there was a way for me to see their skill/power levels.
I also, rather unexpectedly, had a weak Force Bond with Padmé, meaning I'd had a greater effect on her that I'd realised, but that would probably degrade as I wasn't likely to be in contact with her regularly.
The higher-level Force Bonds fitted with what I knew/remembered about Master/Padawan bonds from my past life and lessons in the Temple, though none of that knowledge hinted at anything beyond a strong bond.
Extreme and Total bonds were permanent links between two minds in which both users would have to learn to shield their thoughts or risk neural feedback and allowed telepathic communication across whole sectors if both sentients had either natural telepathic abilities or a high enough training in the Force Power, Telepathy.
The only example I could think of that might fit either was the bond that formed between Bastila and Revan, but since that was never expanded on in the game, I couldn't be sure if it was such a bond.
Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about that for now, and possibly ever, and I with a thought, I dismissed the floating text and stood to begin my day. Before that, however, I increased Vitality and Agility to 19, so that all stats were 19 and now granted a fourty per cent boost to skill growth. I was so going to exploit that.
As I moved to wash, I considered what next to do with my plans.
According to Fay, we would be remaining with Tr'a Saa for at least the rest of the month before journeying away to wherever the Force wished us to go.
I wanted to publish the Two Towers soon as The Fellowship of the Ring was still fresh in most people's minds – I hoped – and that gave me a greater potential market, read profit, for the story. I was also considering publishing a few songs and seeing if they could be sold and what potential they had for profit.
A big issue with that was having to either ignore or change any song that referred to entirely Earth-centric themes or words. Also, I had to explain to Fay and Dooku why I wasn't donating the money from those books and songs to charities like the Shadda-Bi-Borans, though that should be possible since I knew both trusted me.
Perhaps we could purchase a ship to allow us freer movement around the galaxy?
…
THanks to Cadmus von Eizenbern for showing me how to set up the table-style view for the update, which I will try to use from now on.
"Calm yourself, Padawan," Fay said from my left, having either seen my smirk or sensed my feelings about meeting such a pivotal figure from the prequel movies. That she would grow into a woman I found attractive had nothing to do with the butterflies I felt. "We were fortunate that the girl's father worked for the Refugee Relief Movement. However, while the Force has acted in granting us this meeting, our priority is to help the RRM in locating a planet for the Shadda-Bi-Borans before their sun goes supernova."
"Yes, Master," I replied. Since the meeting a few weeks ago I had taken to referring to both Fay and Dooku by their titles constantly. They had both earned my trust for talking with me – along with Master Sifo-Dyas – about what the Force was telling them about me. I suspected that most Jedi did not do so with their Padawans; but then again, I wasn't your typical Padawan.
The intervening weeks had been spent on Coruscant, mainly in the Jedi Temple itself.
I had finished my assignment/punishment of teaching the Initiates and had spent that time training with Master Dooku and others to prove my competence with Shii-Cho and Soresu – with simple quests similar to my duel with Dooku that proved that I was competent with Makashi – and continued to teach the duelling form to those around my age who wished to learn the basics of the form.
Once I proved my ability with both forms, I was able to convince Dooku to teach me the very basics of Shien, Djem-So and Niman. Though I had only gotten Ataru past Novice 10, which seemed to be the point from where I was able to learn a lightsaber form – or combat style – by myself.
A few Padawans had also joined the classes, including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bultar Swan. The former had been sent by Qui-Gon to prove a point; while Ataru was useful in many situations, it had several weaknesses that could be exploited by a skilled duellist. Though I only learned that after I defeated Obi-Wan in a training duel – thus completing a quest similar to Serra's in doing so – and realised that I should create duelling quests for as many Jedi as possible, resulting in the new quest, Training Superiority.
That quest granted me 250/750/1500 XP for defeating Padawans, Knights and Masters in practice/training duels. While that didn't seem like much, the description made it clear that it was only for training duels and that offensive Force powers were not to be used. The sheer number of Jedi I could challenge was numbered in the thousands, though I had limited myself to a handful of Padawans only so far; mainly the ex-members of Dragon Clan plus a few more.
I had considered generating a quest for duels allowing Force powers, but a quick discussion with Dooku resulted in me discovering that I was not allowed to engage in such duels until I turned fourteen. Officially it was to avoid a young Padawan hurting a fellow Jedi unintentionally, but Dooku seemed to hint it had more to do with the established hierarchy of the temple than health concerns. Privately, I had a feeling that this could be roughly translated to "The Council doesn't want initiates with stronger Force connections to stand out too much until it can be explained away by the teachings of their master, which would allow the Council and the Order at large to take at least some of the credit for their skill."
Bultar came to the classes, and after getting her to stop saying thank you, had quickly adapted the basics of the form into her own seemingly unique style of using martial arts and I had gained a new skill; Martial Art: Teräs Käsi. It had been strange at first that I could learn a hand-to-hand skill when I already had a skill covering that, but reading the description for Teräs Käsi informed me that as my general hand-to-hand skill was of a high enough level, I could learn sub-skills of special unarmed combat styles.
Since Teräs Käsi was designed originally to counter Force users, I felt that it was something that would come in handy in the future and made me curious about what other specific combat styles I could learn that wouldn't just be wrapped up in the general skill for hand-to-hand like the unarmed combat form taught by the Jedi.
Both Competent Tongue quests had been completed, though without any bonuses as I had decided to save up my Skill Points for quests that I was in danger of failing instead of going for the bonuses.
Currently, I felt that applied to You Can't Hurt Me as I only knew four of the six damage resistances, having discovered the ones for thermal and sonic based damage by sticking my hand in a fire and having a datapad alarm go off as loud as possible while next to my ear. That, along with Just Don't Get Caught were quests that I regretted taking. The penalties for failure far outstripped the rewards, and I saw that I hadn't thought considered the penalties sufficiently before taking those quests; nor had I explored the interface properly for training quests like Generational Swordsman.
I was about a dozen levels from completing that quest and I only had about a month to go so it should be reachable without spending any Skill Points, provided I committed most nights to train that Form.
Things like discovering damage resistances by intentionally hurting myself – and training Force Lightning on myself both using Force Heal – had me seriously questioning if I was developing sadomasochistic tendencies. I wasn't getting anything sexually out of it, thank the Force I hadn't hit puberty, but I was gaining something from hurting myself, even if it was only because of my unique powers.
As the whine of the engines became louder, I pulled myself out of my thoughts and back to the present to watch as the ship came closer and manoeuvred to touch down on the landing pad. I could see the same flowing style that the Naboo ships had displayed in the prequel movies, though it was a model I did not recognize nor was it the distinctive chrome colour that Padmé would use later on as Queen and Senator.
I watched as the ramp came down and a small group came out. Using Observe, I was able to determine which was Padmé's father – spotting a seven-year-old girl in the group was easy – and that all the group were keen to meet the Jedi.
"Master Fay, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person," said Padmé's father, Ruwee Naberrie, with a small bow. The bow was matched by the three other adults with him, though Padmé didn't; her eyes widening as she spotted Fay.
"Likewise, Ruwee. May I introduce my Padawan, Cameron Shan." Fay replied, indicating me with an open palm. "It was him you have to thank for bringing the crisis with the Shadda-Bi-Borans to my attention."
"Then you have my thanks young one. Help from the Jedi will increase our chances of locating a suitable planet to evacuate the Shadda-Bi-Borans to."
I smiled and gave him a nod, though mentally I wondered why Fay had said that. She was the one who had discovered that Ruwee worked from the RRM, and then when he had been assigned to coordinate the resettlement of the Shadda-Bi-Borans. Giving me the credit for something that I hadn't actually done was strange unless she meant me mentioning Padmé's name to her, Dooku, and Sifo-Dyas as what brought the RRM to her attention.
Alternatively, she could be saying that to improve my standing with Padmé and her father. Wondering, I cast Observe on the girl.
Padmé Naberrie
Race: Human
Level: 9
Health: 100%
Age: 7
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Very Low
Emotional State: Excited/Overwhelmed
Padmé is excited to be on Coruscant and maybe have the chance to see the Jedi Temple, however, she misses the natural beauty of Naboo.
Her opinion of you has improved after Master Fay's words, though she is curious as to why you were interested in the RRM.
She is fascinated by Master Fay.
…
Race: Human
Level: 9
Health: 100%
Age: 7
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Very Low
Emotional State: Excited/Overwhelmed
Padmé is excited to be on Coruscant and maybe have the chance to see the Jedi Temple, however, she misses the natural beauty of Naboo.
Her opinion of you has improved after Master Fay's words, though she is curious as to why you were interested in the RRM.
She is fascinated by Master Fay.
…
I felt my brow crease at seeing her information. Padmé was the first child that I had met who was more than a level above their age. A few Padawans, like Serra and Bultar, were a level above their age, but most were the same level as their age.Observe had helped me determine that Padawans seemed to be between levels 11 to 22 and Knights from levels 20 up to 30. I had only used the power on a few Jedi Masters, as they seemed able to detect the scan; perhaps that was due to my Force Empathy only being in the Professional range currently, though that was just a working theory. Those few Jedi Masters that I had risked using Observe on while being able to hide in some way, had all been above level 28.
"Are you an angel?" I heard Padmé ask Fay, explaining the last line of the description Observe had given on her.
I buried the laugh I felt coming with a sneeze, drawing the attention of everyone. "Sorry."
"To answer your question, young one; no, I am not an angel. My mother was a Sephi. Therefore, I have more pointed ears than most and appear younger than expected for a Jedi Master."
"Still, you are beautiful enough to be angelic Master," I tack on with what I hope is an innocent smile.
"Ignore my Padawan. He sometimes acts far more mature than one would expect from a child," I can't resist the prompt and stick out my tongue, making Padmé giggle and Fay sigh in an overly-dramatic way. "Only to other times enjoy his youth."
"I am sorry about Padmé, Master Fay," Ruwee is quick to say as I see that the two other men with him are staring at Fay; one almost leering at her. "She is naturally curious about everything and likes to ask questions."
"There is nothing to forgive. Cameron is much the same."
I gave Padmé a smile when she turned to me, though she said nothing.
"I have arranged accommodation near the Temple for you, your daughter, and staff," Fay continued as she turned and began to walk away from the starship to a pair of nearby ComfortRide Passenger airspeeders – thank you Eidetic Memory – that had carried us to the landing pad from the Temple. "I have also used the data you sent to scour the Jedi and Senate archives for planets that are potential locations to relocate the Shadda-Bi-Borans to as well as added details of a few planets I have visited that are not listed in either archive."
I couldn't see Ruwee's face as he turned, but the hopefulness in his voice was clear to hear. "That is wonderful to hear. I confess that the list we had was not the most encouraging. How soon can we examine the list?"
I ignored the conversation between the two and turned to Padmé. "Shall we?" I asked while extending my arm for her.
Her cheeks reddened a touched before she nodded and placed her hand on my forearm.
We walked quietly behind the adults and sat down in at the rear of the taxi.
"What do you think of Coruscant?" I asked to make conversation as we began to move.
"It's beautiful! I never thought I'd get a chance to see the capital world or the Senate Building!" The voice was higher pitched than I remembered, and there was a roundness to the jawline, but it was still a younger version of Padmé from the movies. I briefly wondered exactly how TPTB had found me a universe where everyone truly did look like the actors who had portrayed them back home, or whether they had created the universe from my mind and memories. I stopped that avenue of thought quickly as the resultant quantum theory possibilities started to give me a headache.
"It is beautiful on the surface but when you look inside and underneath, the cracks will appear," I countered. "I was just as amazed when I arrived here, but a few trips to the lower levels dispelled that amazement. There, people live in squalor and poverty and crime is rampant."
Those trips had happened over the last few weeks with Dooku. He was keen for me to see the fact that so much suffering and chaos occurred on a world that was viewed as a beacon of hope to many. That the Senate – and by extension, the Jedi – did nothing to try to fix the problems so long as they were swept under the rug.
I had asked if the trips had anything to do with tracking leads related to my mission, but he informed me that they didn't. It seemed several members of the High Council were actively against me participating in the follow-up investigations and raids after my heavy-handed approach to dealing with kidnappers and rapists.
"But don't the Senate and Jedi do something to stop that?"
I shook my head. "No. According to my Jedi Master, the Senate is filled with enough self-interested people that nothing gets done and the Jedi are tied to the Senate."
"Cameron," Fay began, her tone firmer than usual to make clear that I should listen to what she said very carefully, "I think talk of the likely failings of the Senate should not be discussed by children. Perhaps Miss Naberrie would like to hear the story of how you came to be a Jedi; one who is both ten and over three-thousand cycles old."
"Really? Wow! How is that possible?" Padmé blurted out excitedly, her earlier sadness about the apparent failings of Coruscant lost.
I glared at Fay, though it had no effect as she gave me one of those 'I know best' smiles and then sighed.
"Well, if you must know I was born on Talravin approximately three thousand, nine hundred years ago," I began, figuring telling this story would be a good way to kill the time until we reached the hotel where the Naberrie's would be staying.
After all, how long could it take to determine what planet would be the best for the Shadda-Bi-Borans to be evacuated to?"
...
...
As I stood on the crest of a small hill, enjoying the break in the almost daily rain showers of the planet, I considered the last three months.
It turned out that finding a suitable planet – or range of planets – didn't take that long, only a week or so of assessing the archives used by both the Jedi and the Senate.
What did, however, was arranging the ships, talking with the planetary leaders, arranging collection locations and times and dealing with a population of just over two billion.
Thankfully, the story of what was happening had reached the media, and after two weeks of nightly programs on the Shadda-Bi-Borans, several million credits had been donated to the Refugee Relief Fund to help with the renting of ships and purchasing of supplies to help them settle.
I had also suggested the construction of radiation emitters to help them if the stars were unable to produce all the necessary radiation. This improved the odds on more of the Shadda-Bi-Borans surviving; which increased the chances of the species persisting and increased the potential rewards for the new quest Hope of the Borans.
For that quest, I would gain 1XP for every 50,000 Shadda-Bi-Borans that survived for at least five years on their new home as well as a very small reputation boost with the RRM and anyone attached to the relocation effort as well. While that was a low amount of XP, the interface explained that even if I was an important cog, I was but one cog in the machine that would potentially help save the species. The end result was quite simple: the more that survived, the more XP I got.
Which, admittedly, was a sad way to look at the possible extinction of a species, but it was how the interface interpreted things.
And, I realised that helping to save a species was a great reputation boost, with both the species themselves and the larger galaxy. Or so I hoped. I guess I would see in five years from when we finished the relocation. So far, around sixty per cent of the population had been moved in three months; over 1.2 Billion beings relocated was a truly impressive display of what happened when enough people in the Republic put effort into the same thing.
I had also been learning the local language, Shaddaboranese. I'd completed one quest to get the language to Adept 1, and now had a follow-on to get the language to Professional 1 before the end of the resettlement.
Thanks to my undercover mission – and how close to a disaster it had been for Bultar and the others – I had been able to convince Dooku that learning non-lightsaber combat skills were useful, so while on-planet, I had an hour to train those skills without much, if any supervision. While I suspected Dooku thought that meant I would just concentrate on learning to use things like vibroblades, I had been using the hour for a different purpose.
I now had quests to Melee Weapons [Thrown], Ranged Weapons [1-handed], Range Weapons [2-handed] and Marksmanship to the next tier by the end of the evacuation. Since every shot/throw seemed to earn me some XP – provided I hit the target – they were remarkably easy quests to complete. However, to gain any XP in Marksmanship, I had to make sure to throw at/shoot a target at a greater distance than I'd have found on a standard throwing/shooting range in my old life.
"Cameron!" I turned at the excited shout and saw Padmé running towards me; a datapad waving around in her hand. "Cameron!"
"What's up?" I asked as the young girl skidded to a halt, splashing the bottom of my robes with mud. I hid my annoyance at getting them dirty – again – on this planet that reminded me of Britain with the almost daily rain, as she poked the datapad rapidly.
She was why I was on this planet, though having a quest linked to getting her to like me, or better, was a nice gift from the interface/TPTB. I was planning to do that anyway, but whatever generated quests without my thinking had created The Once and Future Queen to cover my time here with Padmé.
"This! This is brilliant! You really wrote it?" She asked as she thrust the pad into my chest.
I calmly took it and saw that she had been reading 'The Fellowship of the Ring', which I had given to her and others to read.
"Yes. Why?" I replied. Ok, technically I had just stolen it, but how was anyone in this universe ever going to prove that?
"It's brilliant!" She replied, repeating herself. "You should publish it."
I couldn't help but smile at seeing her dance from foot to foot in excitement. "How? And what would I do with the money from selling it?" I asked, playing on my status as a Jedi. Honestly, I could publish it, but I doubted the money earned from that would amount to much. Plus, it was far easier to acquire funds from other sources; like the slavers who had tried to kidnap a group of locals a few weeks earlier.
They had ended up dead or imprisoned and I was a few thousand credits better off, as well as earning some XP and now having a few grenades stored in my inventory along with restraining cuffs and a good many spare power packs for blasters.
"But people need to read this!" Padmé protested and I rubbed my chin as I considered an idea.
"Perhaps I could talk to my masters and have the proceeds donated to the Shadda-Bi-Borans?" I suggested. That way I could test the waters for how well such stories could do, generate a market for the two sequels and generate more goodwill – read reputation – with Padmé and others.
"Really?" Before I knew it Padmé had leapt and wrapped herself around me in a tight hug.
I chuckled at her antics even as I struggled to shrug. "Why not? I have little need for the credits," not entirely true, "and it would be for a good cause." Two actually, but she didn't need to know that.
She jumped backwards. "I'll go and talk with my father now! He's with Master Dooku in the command centre."
She took off at a sprint and I couldn't help but chuckle at seeing how excited she was about this.
"Be careful around that one, or Serra might get angry."
"Darihd! When did you get here?" I asked as I turned to the voice as he approached, a smirk resting comfortably on his face.
"This morning. My master wanted to speak with Master Dooku about something, though I am unsure about what exactly." His smile slipped and he shook his head. "Something has changed since you left Cam. Master Sifo-Dyas seems… withdrawn. I know I've only been his Padawan for a year, but I can see enough that I know something has changed."
"Perhaps he is growing bored with being stuck in the Temple?" I suggested. I knew why Sifo-Dyas was behaving differently, but if he wasn't ready to tell his Padawan, I wasn't going to. Even if I wanted to. Darihd was dependable and, I felt, trustworthy.
Hopefully, Sifo-Dyas would decide to bring Darihd in on our plans or ask me to do so, before they left the planet. Having someone my own, physical, age involved would be a boon.
"Perhaps." He shook his head and glanced down the path Padmé had gone. "What was all that about?"
"Nothing important. Just a story I wrote while on a mission," I replied honestly. "Padmé liked it and wants me to publish it, so I suggested talking to her father about arranging for that to happen and for the proceeds to be donated to the resettlement effort."
"Ah." was his only reply, but the twitch of his lip let me know he had other thoughts on what had just happened.
"Since you're here, how about a friendly spar?" I asked, which made him groan.
"Come on! I only just got away from Serra and Aayla in coming here and now you want to duel as well!" He threw up his hands in annoyance.
"They're still that bad?" I inquired with a grin.
"Worse. Ever since you defeated Serra, she's been pushing herself every day to get better. The teasing from Sia-Wan and the others isn't helping. Neither was you beating Kenobi or the other Padawans." He paused and looked out over the rain-soaked countryside. "How did you get so good?"
"Master Dooku is a… demanding, instructor," I replied honestly while ignoring that my skill growth was far above normal due to my special gifts and that I could practice throughout the night if I was alone.
He snorted. "That's being nice. Truthfully, since he left, the training sessions have been less painful for the rest of us."
"You're welcome."
My commlink beeped and I pulled it from my belt.
"Yes?"
"Cameron, young Padme has been informing me and her father, rather excitedly I might add, about a novel you have written and your plans surrounding it," Dooku stated, a chuckle coming from the background as he mentioned Padmé's excitement. "Perhaps you could come here to discuss these plans?"
"Yes Master, I will be there shortly." Dooku closed the link without any form of goodbye – as I expected – and I turned back to Darihd. "Looks like you're safe from a beating for now."
He chuckled and fell into step beside me. "Come on. I'm curious to see how the girl explains what happened before I arrived."
We walked down the path to the command centre, even as it began to rain once more.
...
...
"Anyway, I'm really enjoying the training, even if it's hard," Padmé said via the hologram on the table in front of me. "And the others are jealous that I know the writer of The Fellowship of the Ring." She added with a smirk, holding up a paper copy of the novel.
The cover had pictures of most of the Fellowship, though my eyes were drawn to two in particular. Gandalf and Aragorn. Gandalf, in a lovely twist, looked like Dooku while Aragorn had green eyes like mine. Somehow, I suspected this was Padmé's work as she had been more involved in getting the book published than I was.
"I still can't believe it was so successful," I muttered ruefully. Seriously, who would have suspected that, even with it being pushed as a way for anyone to support the Shadda-Bi-Borans, it would be downloaded over fifteen million times across the Core Worlds in a few months, or that a further half-a-million hard copies were sold.
I didn't know the exact figures, but it had generated a couple of million credits at least for the resettlement effort. Being a writer paid extremely well when the potential readership numbered in the hundreds of trillions, provided your story was good or was pushed by the right people.
I was a little concerned that the Nazgul could be a source of inspiration for the Sith, but Fay and Dooku had reassured me that such sorcery had been lost to the millennia if had had ever been truly possible to begin with. Still, I had asked them to ask someone in the Temple achieves to send us – read me – anything they had on similar Sith practices just in case. Several of their abilities bore striking similarities to what I'd read or remembered about the secret techniques involving Sith Alchemy, which was a disturbing, yet intriguing correlation.
"It's brilliant and it's for a good cause," Padmé grinned. "When will you write the next part?"
I shrugged even as I smiled at her. "I don't know, but I'll make sure you get the first copy when I do." Even if it only sold half as well, that would be a million or so credits for me; no way was letting the whole trilogy go for free, nor the prequel. Eidetic Memory for the win.
Her smile was threatening to split her face in half. "Wow! Thanks!"
"No problem. Now, I think you should get going. You've got new friends to meet." I said, trying to bring an end to the communication as I spotted Dooku walk into the room. A month ago, she had left to begin training with the Legislative Youth Program on Naboo, though she had called me twice since she had left to catch up. I had no idea if this was because she was excited about the book, or because she just wanted to spend time with me. I suspected it was both.
"Right. Bye and thanks again." She said before the hologram blinked off.
"I see young Miss Naberrie is still enamoured with you," he commented as reached me.
"The Force guided me to her, so why shouldn't I try to make her like me?" I replied. Quest or not, though it was a nice bonus as I was certain I had completed The Once and Future Queen, having a way in when canon started was useful.
"True, however, be mindful of how her feelings about you change as you both age," he countered before glancing behind me. "Hmm, ten mistakes. Acceptable for today."
I turned and sighed at the apparatus behind me. It was almost identical to those puzzles in museums where you had to guide a ring along a metal path without touching the path itself.
Dooku, upon learning I had lifted the Stones of Muntuur from Fay, who had been told by Yaddle just before we left the Temple for Shadda-Bi-Boran, had begun to design training exercises – read tests – to improve my fine control of Telekinesis. This one involved me moving the ring along the course and back again, without looking, for two hours nonstop. That time was well within my limits, but it was boring, and when Padmé had called, I'd happily answered; though that was where eight of my ten mistakes had come from.
While the tasks were boring, I couldn't deny their effectiveness as I could now use TK to dis- and reassemble speeder engines without having to touch any part of the engine. I could see some real usages for having that kind of control; whether it be in combat, when using subterfuge or in other situations.
"Come, the last few transports are arriving, and this building is due to be deconstructed later today by the workers. Master Sifo-Dyas wishes to speak with you before we leave."
"Yes, Master."
We walked out of the room, and the building, to find Fay standing with Sifo-Dyas and Darihd as two large transport ships touched down a few hundred meters away.
The calendar had just turned, and it was a few weeks before my birthday, but finally, the resettlement of the locals was almost complete.
"Ah, Cameron good," Sifo-Dyas began as we approached. "I was just talking with Mater Fay about your plans. Darihd and I will be escorting the last group of locals to their new home in the Moddell Sector before returning to the Temple. I understand you will continue to travel with Master Fay for the time being?"
"Yes, Master. Though I am unsure if Master Dooku will be joining us." I replied, glancing up at the Makashi master.
"Time away from the Temple, and other components on Coruscant, has been an unexpected relief. I will continue to travel with you and Master Fay, Padawan." I smiled at him. "Though that means your training load will increase." And my smile fell into a good-natured grimace, though I wasn't all that put out by it in truth.
"Yes, Master."
"I wish for Cameron to visit an old friend of mine in the Kiffu Sector," Fay explained to Dooku. "She is someone I believe would be receptive to what we have discussed."
One of Dooku's eyebrows rose. "Hmm, if you are speaking of whom I suspect, she would be a powerful ally to have."
"I will search the Temple for others once I return," Sifo-Dyas added, earning a nod from Dooku and a smile from Fay.
"Perhaps Masters Yaddle and Giiett would be a good place to start," I offered as I noted the confused expression that was growing on Darihd's face. "And maybe the members of Dragon Clan, current and former."
"Yes," Sifo-Dyas stated as he looked at his Padawan. "Darihd would be a good place to start with the younger generations, but I leave that to you. May we speak in private?" He asked Dooku and Fay.
The three Jedi Masters drifted away as Darihd watched them with a frown.
"What the kriff was that about?" he asked once the adults were out of earshot. "And why did you suggest two members of the High Council? Does this have to do with my Master being different this last year?"
I sighed. It had been three months since he and Sifo-Dyas had arrived on-planet, and I had avoided discussing directly anything about what the future held. I had inquired about his plans, and what he'd do if tensions in the Outer Rim continued to boil over, and even suggested how I saw things going. But, under orders from Dooku and Fay, I hadn't brought him in on things. Now that Sifo-Dyas had decided to trust him, I would.
"It's about the future. Not just ours, but the Order's, the Republic's and the galaxy's," I began slowly. "I… I can see glimpses of what might be, and I shared some of this with our Masters. They agree with me and want to try to… limit the damage that these glimpses show. I... I don't think anyone can stop what is coming, but we need to find ways to mitigate things."
I stopped there, giving him time to process.
"This has to do with what you said about the Order, the Code when you first arrived, doesn't it?"
I nodded. "Yes, though much of that was personally based on what my grandfather told me of the Jedi in my time. The glimpses, they started just before the trials, but I only told Master Fay once we were away from the Temple and I felt I could trust her enough to hint at what I saw."
"You don't trust me?"
"I do," I replied quickly before sighing once again. "It's just, we were Initiates. We had no power in the Order, no respect from the Council or experience with how to handle such things. But your Master is willing to trust you with this, otherwise he wouldn't have discussed it in front of you just now. And I do trust you as well."
"And what do these glimpses show?"
"War. Horrific, galaxy-wide, war on a scale never before seen in history. And the resultant destruction of the Jedi and the Republic." I answered honestly, making him gasp and take a step back. "Sadly, there are people higher the Order who will not listen to the words of a child, so we are having to work in secret, for now. To prepare."
Darihd nodded slowly. "That explains a great many things. About Master Sifo-Dyas and you," He paused and glanced over at the three Jedi Masters. "This… it's a lot to take in."
"I know. But I want you with me. With us," I added as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "You and the others in Dragon Clan made me welcome in the Temple, at a time when I'd lost everyone and thing that mattered to me. For that, I will always do what I can to help and protect all of you." While I hoped they would form the basis of my group, I was being truthful. Dragon Clan contained my only real friends my own - physical - age, until Padmé, and I wanted them to have the best chance to survive the war, and the rise of the Empire if I failed to help stop Palpatine.
He placed his hand on my shoulder, linking us. "As I would you." He smiled and gave me a nod. "OK, I'm in, but I reserve the right to question you about these glimpses at a later time."
I laughed once. "Alright." As we lowered our arms, I felt happy that I'd gained my first… follower? helper? among the younger Jedi.
"And I want to be there when you tell the others," he commented.
My smile fell and I rubbed the back of my neck. "Ah, right. That is going to be so much fun," I drawled, making him laugh as the three Jedi Masters came back.
"Is everything well?" Sifo-Dyas asked his Padawan.
"Yes, Master. And I understand, I think, why you have seemed different this last year. And I want to help."
"I understand Master."
Sifo-Dyas smiled at his Padawan before turning to the rest of us. "When will you make contact?"
"Perhaps a month or two from now," Dooku answered as Fay nodded in agreement. "It will depend on what the Force wishes us to see."
"Yes, yes," He glanced at me and smiled. "Remember to mention anything your visions show to your masters, Cameron. And may the Force be with you."
"And you as well, Master," I replied with a smile. Now we were five.
"Come Cameron. I have arranged transport to take us to Eriadu. From there, we should be easy to arrange passage to our destination."
I smiled at Darihd, and he nodded back, before walking away with the two masters.
The mission to Shadda-Bi-Boran was over.
...
...
I waved away the standard message about getting a full night's sleep and tapped my new notices.
Quest Completed
Legendary Duellist [User Defined]
Objectives:
Get Makashi to Prodigy 1 by your 11th birthday [Yes]
? Get it to Prodigy 25 [Yes]
? Get it to Prodigy 50 [Yes]
? Get it to Prodigy 75 [Yes]
? Maxed out the skill [No]
Rewards:
3000XP (+300XP)
1400XP (+140XP)
2000XP (+200XP)
2500XP (+250XP)
…
It's Your Birthday!
To help with your growth, each birthday you gain 1/3 of your current level's needed XP.
(+10% of 1/3 due to Boosted Growth)
This will last until you reach 11 cycles, and the system will upgrade.
Knowledge Skills suffer 10*strata levels of degradation.
NOTE:
Degradation removed due to Perk: Eidetic Memory
…
Level up!
17 - 18
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +25
SP: +5
SKP: +32
…
That was quickly waved away the information as my eyes focused on a flashing purple box in the notification log and I tapped it.Legendary Duellist [User Defined]
Objectives:
Get Makashi to Prodigy 1 by your 11th birthday [Yes]
? Get it to Prodigy 25 [Yes]
? Get it to Prodigy 50 [Yes]
? Get it to Prodigy 75 [Yes]
? Maxed out the skill [No]
Rewards:
3000XP (+300XP)
1400XP (+140XP)
2000XP (+200XP)
2500XP (+250XP)
…
It's Your Birthday!
To help with your growth, each birthday you gain 1/3 of your current level's needed XP.
(+10% of 1/3 due to Boosted Growth)
This will last until you reach 11 cycles, and the system will upgrade.
Knowledge Skills suffer 10*strata levels of degradation.
NOTE:
Degradation removed due to Perk: Eidetic Memory
…
Level up!
17 - 18
FP: +500
PP: +2
STAM: +25
SP: +5
SKP: +32
…
Interface Update Ready!
Do you wish to proceed with the update?
Yes/No
…
WARNING!
The update will take 24 hours to apply.
During this time, you will be unable to access your stats, skill/perk/power screens and lists, the general interface or anything in your inventory.
Nor will you be able to increase the level or strata of any skill or power.
You will still be able to use all your skills, powers and perk, however.
…
I frowned at the fact I'd be basically cut off from the interface for a day, as I'd grown used to having it available, but I felt I had no choice but to accept.Do you wish to proceed with the update?
Yes/No
…
WARNING!
The update will take 24 hours to apply.
During this time, you will be unable to access your stats, skill/perk/power screens and lists, the general interface or anything in your inventory.
Nor will you be able to increase the level or strata of any skill or power.
You will still be able to use all your skills, powers and perk, however.
…
However, before I did that, I raised all my stats except Luck – which was at 0 [+10] – to 19; or at least I tried to.
When I tried to add a point to Agility to raise it, I received a notice warning that I had reached the physical stat limit of 55.
I growled at that information but calmed when I realised there was nothing that I could do about it. Hopefully, the update or future perks would allow me to raise it beyond that limit. Otherwise, I would have to devote almost all my training to raising Enhance Stat to the point I could run it without it stopping my base FP regeneration, which now stood at 90 per minute.
After pushing the stats that I could up to 19, I closed my status window, reopened the update notice and clicked 'Yes'.
A deep buzzing sound echoed around my head as I grabbed it and scrunched my eyes closed tightly, though the sound lasted for only a few seconds before ending.
As I opened my eyes, I blinked and stared around the room a few times. Not having a mini-map or notification log was both strange, having gotten used to it over the last few years, and familiar given that it wasn't normal to have these powers of mine.
I closed my eyes, reached out and felt the Force around me centred on three beings; Fay, Dooku and Tr'a Saa. It was comforting to sense them, even if I didn't have the interface active.
Saa was the friend that Fay had mentioned on Shadd-Bi-Boran, though I had discovered later that she was also Fay's last Padawan before me; which had been around three hundred years ago!
Saa was a Neti; essentially a living plant, yet for some reason, still had breasts. Whether that was due to a choice on her part or biological, I didn't know, nor was I complaining.
She was… interesting. As skilled as Dooku with the blade – not a surprise with three centuries to train – and as comfortable as Fay at using Force-based attacks in combat.
We had sparred every day since I had arrived on Kiffu with Fay and Dooku last week, and while I had been easily trounced by her, seeing how she blended Force attacks into her combat style gave me some ideas about how to do the same. And had me mentally thanking Dooku for the TK fine control training.
I left my room and walked to the central commune area of the small building the locals had provided to Saa while she served as the Jedi Watchman of their sector. While the idea was sound, I wondered how much good a single Jedi could do in an area covering anything from a hundred to a few thousand inhabited planets; especially when some of those worlds had populations in the millions or billions.
Fay had spent hours each day talking with Saa privately about the future and had informed Dooku and me, that while she did agree that things were becoming darker in the galaxy, she was not prepared to abandon her post to join us.
Fay and Dooku accepted this, indeed Fay explained that she had not expected her former Padawan to join us, more than she simply wished to gauge her opinions to see where she would stand when the war finally came.
I guess living for centuries gave you more patience than most beings, though since I knew I had about a decade and a half to prepare, I wasn't looking to hurry things along too much.
"Cameron, is something the matter?" Fay asked as she looked up from the table where she was sharing with Saa.
"No, Master. I was just thinking about a dream."
Saa shared a smile with Fay before she commented. "If the meaning was important, it will come to you. Now come, join us."
I nodded and sat with them as Dooku entered.
While I might not gain any experience today, I wasn't planning on slacking off. It wasn't who I was and if I did relax too much, I would have to deflect extra questions from the three Jedi Masters.
...
...
Update Complete!
Do you wish to view update information?
Yes/No
…
I rolled my eyes at the blinking notice that greeted my sight when I awoke the next day.Do you wish to view update information?
Yes/No
…
Welcome to Player Interface 2.0
Well done on reaching your 11th birthday and applying the Interface update.
While most of the general functions of the Interface remain the same
Several have changed
Please select an area to discover what changes have taken place
1: Stats: Primary and Derived
2: Levelling Up
3: Skills
4: Force Powers
5: Perks and Player Powers
6: Interface Controls
7: Future Knowledge
8: Reputation
9: Force Bonds
10: Help Menu
…
I was glad that the interface had seemingly not changed massively and clicked through each area in turn.Well done on reaching your 11th birthday and applying the Interface update.
While most of the general functions of the Interface remain the same
Several have changed
Please select an area to discover what changes have taken place
1: Stats: Primary and Derived
2: Levelling Up
3: Skills
4: Force Powers
5: Perks and Player Powers
6: Interface Controls
7: Future Knowledge
8: Reputation
9: Force Bonds
10: Help Menu
…
Overview
Stats
Leveling Up
Skills
Force Powers
Perks and Player Powers
Interface Options
Future knowledge
Reputation
Force Bonds
Help Menu
-
Welcome to Player Interface 2.0
Well done on reaching your 11th birthday and applying the Interface update.
While most of the general functions of the Interface remain the same
Several have changed
Please select an area to discover what changes have taken place
1: Stats: Primary and Derived
2: Levelling Up
3: Skills
4: Force Powers
5: Perks and Player Powers
6: Interface Controls
7: Future Knowledge
8: Reputation
9: Force Bonds
10: Help Menu
-
None of your primary stats have changed, however, how they increase has.
Previously, when you levelled up you gained 4+INT/15 Stat Points to spend how you wished, now, that is lowered to 2+INT/20.
However, you can level up stats via training.
Most activities that you do, such as reading a book or running, will grant a certain number of minutes to stat counters,
these counters, once full, will increase that stat by 1.
Most activates grant minutes to multiple stat counters.
In addition, your physical stat limit has been raised to 65.
…
Only Stamina of your derived stats has changed.
The new calculation is;
Current Level*(Strength+Vitality+Agility)/1.5 -
Your rewards for levelling up have changed.
Previously, with each new level you gained;
4+INT/15 Stat Points [SP]
INT*2 Skill Points [SKP]
1 Perk Point [PP] every 4 levels
1 Player Power Point [PPP] every 5 levels
1/3 of current level XP
Now you gain;
2+INT/20 SP
INT*1 SKP
1 PP every 4 levels.
1 PPP every 5 levels.
1/6 of current level XP -
The way you improve skills has not changed
Nor has the bonus of 1 SP for every 2000 total skill levels.
However, skills are now grouped in categories.
Such as;
Lightsaber Forms
Weapon Skills
Languages
Technical Skills
Biological Skills
These categories will tell you the total number of skills within their lists, the average level of those skills, and the highest individual skill in their list.
This is designed to make searching through your skills easier to manage.
Additionally, the following skills have been unlocked;
Kissing Adept 12
Massage Novice 45
Seduction/Flirting Novice 75
…
Additionally, the skill bonuses related to stats have changed.
Before, you received a 5% bonus to a skill XP for each point of the main stat that governed it.
That has now changed to 5% per point over your age, up to 50%.
To help with this, your age will now be displayed on your stat page. -
Much like Skills, the way you improve Force Powers have not changed.
However, few Powers are now more intuitive, such as Precognition and Comprehend Langauge.
These powers, while still displaying information in the interface, if you so desire, can also be set to relay the information directly to your mind.
Be assured though, that such access will not be used to alter your makeup.
Force Powers have been sorted into categories
TThese are the three standard groupings used and accepted by most all Force-wielding communities;
Control
Sense
Alter
Additionally, there is an option to have them also listed as to whether the power is seen as 'Light' or 'Dark' by the current Jedi High Council and Sith Lords.
Currently, this option is turned off.
-
There is no change to how often you gain PP or PPP
However, with Interface 2.0, new Perks and Player Powers are available
Provided your level and stats are sufficient, you may view these new choices when you next gain a PP or PPP. -
New options of what and how to receive notices have been added to the options menu.
-
You may now reveal detailed knowledge of the future to those around you under certain specific conditions.
What those conditions are, will be revealed once you meet them.
Currently, you meet the conditions to reveal your knowledge to 0 people.
If you have not already discovered, you can hint at what is to come by pretending to have visions sent to you by the Force. -
With Interface 2.0, Reputation menus have been unlocked.
For ease of use, reputations are initially listed in various categories, such as;
Members of the Jedi Order
Politicians
Business individuals
Civilians
Reputation lists can also be sorted by the planet or sector where someone was last seen or your standing with them. -
Having upgraded to Interface 2.0, you now can access your Force Bonds.
These are the bonds that form between sentients with sensitivity to the Force.
Possible bonds are;
Weak
Low
Solid
High
Strong
Extreme
Total
Please examine the interface section on Force Bonds for information. -
All changes to the Interface have resulted in a corresponding change to the help menu.
If you are curious about these changes, or the upgrade in general, examine the Help Menu.
That was… a lot to take in.I got fewer stat points and skill points each level-up, along with a smaller boost XP boost, but I could level up the stats via training. I'd have to see how that worked by reading the help menu later to see how exactly that worked, but being able to control how I developed based on what I learned felt more organic than just adding points to stats with each level-up. The increase in Stamina was nice, though not a huge thing as Restore Stamina could restore almost half my total in a single go, and that would increase as the power grew stronger.
Having my skills sorted would definitely shorten the list and make things easier to track. And I knew that I was getting Kissing unlocked when I turned eleven – why it had to be locked in the first place was down to the interface – but discovering that Flirting and Massage were also skills that now unlocked was unexpected, and a little strange as what kind of eleven-year-old actively flirt… Ah, right. I did, and regularly with Fay and a few others. Right.
Having Force Powers sorted into the three categories that the Jedi referred to them in would be useful, as would having a way to note which ones were 'dark-side' in nature.
New Perks/Player Powers would be interesting, but I'd have to wait until I was level 20 for both to see the changes, and a quick peruse of the interface options had me almost jumping for joy at being able to remove the 'You Have Slept for … Hours' notice that always appeared in the middle of my field of vision. That alone made not having access to the interface for a day worthwhile.
I assumed that being able to directly explain what I knew of the future was linked to either Reputations or Force Bonds; or possibly both.
As I opened my Reputation page, I noted the lists available, before opening the Jedi one.
I wasn't surprised to find that Fay and Dooku were in the Trusted range, though seeing Serra above them – and additionally listed as a Friend – was intriguing. The Miralukan Seer Nilas was also listed as Trusted, which was confusing. I'd had no interactions outside of meeting the Council of First Knowledge. However, she seemed able to see visions of my future, much like Sifo-Dyas, so perhaps those were what made her willing to trust me.
Darihd and Sifo-Dyas were the next highest, though only in the Liked range. Giiett, Yaddle and most of Dragon Clan were also high on that list and I suspected that the higher a name was on the list, the closer it was to increasing to the next reputation level.
Finding that I was disliked by three members of the High Council – Windu, Piell and Tiin – explained a few things, and seeing that Belfarr actively hated me wasn't a huge surprise.
Serra and Darihd were the only two Jedi that were listed as Friends, which made sense since the former was the one that I had spent the most time within the Temple while the latter was now a part of my group. (Cabal? I really need to think of a name for our little gang.)
The Politicians list held far fewer names but seeing that Palpatine liked me was both worrying and expected.
Finding that Padmé was already listed as a friend was also expected, as I'd earned that bonus on her linked quest; The Once and Future Queen.
Force Bonds were… strange, scary and intriguing all at the same time.
Force Bonds
Force bonds can exist between any two sentients so long as at least one of them has at least average Force potential.
However, only those with Force training can actively sense and use these bonds beyond the lowest level.
NOTE:
All people with a greater than Weak Force Bond with the Player only cost 1/2 a slot/place for group/area effect Force powers.
NOTE:
Bonds can degrade over time. This happens where the sentients in the bond do not interact with each other for a significant amount of time.
This degradation will happen much faster where one sentient in the bond has a Force Sensitivity lower than Intermediate.
Levels of Force Bonds
Weak
Low
Solid
High
Strong
Extreme
Total
…
For information on a Force Bond level, select the relevant level.
…
I currently held Force Bonds with quite a few people, with almost all being inside the Jedi Order. The strongest bonds were to Fay, Dooku and Serra, with all being Low. That meant I could detect where they were on a continental scale and it explained why there were now two pulsing dots on my mini-map. It also gave me a hint of how they were felling, though this was blocked able if they were trained in controlling their emotions, or their Empathic Shield power was greater than my Empathy power.Force bonds can exist between any two sentients so long as at least one of them has at least average Force potential.
However, only those with Force training can actively sense and use these bonds beyond the lowest level.
NOTE:
All people with a greater than Weak Force Bond with the Player only cost 1/2 a slot/place for group/area effect Force powers.
NOTE:
Bonds can degrade over time. This happens where the sentients in the bond do not interact with each other for a significant amount of time.
This degradation will happen much faster where one sentient in the bond has a Force Sensitivity lower than Intermediate.
Levels of Force Bonds
Weak
Low
Solid
High
Strong
Extreme
Total
…
For information on a Force Bond level, select the relevant level.
…
This was the first time the interface had hinted that other people's abilities and powers were listed in the same way as mine, but it did make sense. How else was the interface going to handle the fact everyone around me could learn the same skills and powers as I had. Though it had me wondering if there was a way for me to see their skill/power levels.
I also, rather unexpectedly, had a weak Force Bond with Padmé, meaning I'd had a greater effect on her that I'd realised, but that would probably degrade as I wasn't likely to be in contact with her regularly.
The higher-level Force Bonds fitted with what I knew/remembered about Master/Padawan bonds from my past life and lessons in the Temple, though none of that knowledge hinted at anything beyond a strong bond.
Extreme and Total bonds were permanent links between two minds in which both users would have to learn to shield their thoughts or risk neural feedback and allowed telepathic communication across whole sectors if both sentients had either natural telepathic abilities or a high enough training in the Force Power, Telepathy.
The only example I could think of that might fit either was the bond that formed between Bastila and Revan, but since that was never expanded on in the game, I couldn't be sure if it was such a bond.
Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about that for now, and possibly ever, and I with a thought, I dismissed the floating text and stood to begin my day. Before that, however, I increased Vitality and Agility to 19, so that all stats were 19 and now granted a fourty per cent boost to skill growth. I was so going to exploit that.
As I moved to wash, I considered what next to do with my plans.
According to Fay, we would be remaining with Tr'a Saa for at least the rest of the month before journeying away to wherever the Force wished us to go.
I wanted to publish the Two Towers soon as The Fellowship of the Ring was still fresh in most people's minds – I hoped – and that gave me a greater potential market, read profit, for the story. I was also considering publishing a few songs and seeing if they could be sold and what potential they had for profit.
A big issue with that was having to either ignore or change any song that referred to entirely Earth-centric themes or words. Also, I had to explain to Fay and Dooku why I wasn't donating the money from those books and songs to charities like the Shadda-Bi-Borans, though that should be possible since I knew both trusted me.
Perhaps we could purchase a ship to allow us freer movement around the galaxy?
…
THanks to Cadmus von Eizenbern for showing me how to set up the table-style view for the update, which I will try to use from now on.
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Scouting Enemies, Gaining Allies
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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It was a few hours since the interface had updated, and I was currently sparring with Tr'a Saa. Saa was a master of both styles of Form V, and she'd been teaching the basics while we had been staying with her.
I had generated quests to raise both Shien and Djem So to Adept 1 within two months, which, if the fact I'd gained nearly twenty levels combined in a week of training so far, should be more than doable. Though I'd have to commit as many nights alone as possible to train the two variants.
I'd also decided to focus on improving my ability to speak Ryl to Adept 1, with a linked quest.
"That's good Padawan, keep your blade high," Saa stated as we faced off, "use that position to counter my attack."
She moved quickly, though not so fast that I couldn't adapt, and I brought my blade down to stop her advance, then push the blade towards her, forcing her to take a step back.
*PRIDE* *CONTENTMENT*
I stumbled at the strange emotions I sensed, which gave Saa an easy attack to end this round.
*DISAPPOINTMENT*
"That was a careless mistake Padawan," Saa stated as I rubbed my arm where her blade had connected and glad that there were settings on the blades to lower the power output. Otherwise, training would be… difficult.
"Sorry, I was… distracted," I began powering down my lightsaber and clipping it back onto my belt, "I sensed emotions that weren't my own."
"What did you sense?" Fay asked as she stepped towards Saa and me from where she's been watching our spar.
"Pride and contentment, then disappointment when I made my mistake."
Fay smiled and looked over at Dooku, seemingly reading a datapad, yet who gave her the slightest of nods, "Hmm, it seems your senses have expanded enough to detect our emotions." She stated turned back to me and motioned for us to sit on a nearby bench.
"How much do you know about Force Bonds?" She asked as we sat.
"The stronger the bond, the easier it is to sense where another is, their emotional state and even telepathic communication if the bond is strong enough, or one of the bonded is telepathic in nature," I replied, simplifying what the interface had told me.
"That is… a very precise explanation, but like everything where the Force is concerned, concise understanding and defining is not entirely accurate." I frowned, which made her smile.
"A bond allows one to sense much about those they are close to, and while the High Council would prefer that such bonds only existed between Master and Padawan, the bond can from with anyone if enough time is spent in their present," she paused and smiled in the way a grandparent might when talking to a young child, "indeed, I suspect you have formed a bond with Miss Naberrie. Though that should fade in time."
I felt the heat rising in my cheeks, which made her smile grow and a light, airy chuckle escaped her lips.
"Or perhaps not. Still, a Force Bond allows the sensing of emotions, as you said, it has the potential for more as well. The stronger a bond is between two sentients, the greater the potential to both help and hinder those it connects.
"Strong bonds can result in one being overwhelmed by the emotions of another, which can distract you at a critical moment, yet that same increase in emotions can give someone the drive to achieve something incredible."
"So what I sensed was your feelings, and Master Dooku's?"
She nodded, "Yes, I believe it was. While that is not unexpected, it does suggest you need to be more careful about controlling your emotions. If you have them under control when you delve into the Force, you should be able to avoid having the feelings and thoughts of others affect you." She explained and I nodded as I considered what she'd said.
While that did sound a little wishy-washy, with the interface I could easily quantify it down into two facts. First, that I needed to have Empathic Shield engaged while fighting – not an issue, but it did drain just over half my FP regen currently to do so. And secondly, that I needed to level up the same Force Power to avoid this becoming an issue as my bonds with Fay, Dooku and others became stronger.
"I understand, I think," I replied slowly, "and I why any bond I might have with Padmé might fade with time. She does not have a strong connection to the Force."
Fay smiled and nodded. "Yes. While the bond could be strengthened if you spent more time around her," Dooku seemed to mutter something, but I couldn't make it out, "that is unlikely to happen, and so the bond will weaken and eventually fade."
"However, what my former master is failing to mention, is that bonds formed with other strong in the Force do not fade easily," Saa added as she stood nearby, a cup in her hand, "and in moments of high emotions, you may sense them, even when the distance between you is great."
The two venerable Jedi Masters shared a look before Fay sighed and glanced out of a window while absently running a finger across her cheek tattoo.
"Now come, and this time, do not let the emotions of others distract you," Saa stated as he placed down her cup and stepped back towards the middle of the room, igniting her lightsaber as she did.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied as I joined and raised my blade into Djem So's opening stance while activating Empathic Shield and having no plans to turn it off while around Fay or Dooku.
...
Later that day, I was with Fay for our afternoon meditation session – which I generally used to train Battle Meditation instead of meditating, unless I need to restore my FP – when Fay stopped herself from starting her meditation and looked at me.
"Since you are now able to sense emotions from myself and Master Dooku, I think it is time to alter your meditation."
I tilted my head in confusion, which made her smile.
"You have done nothing wrong; I just feel that you can move to a more advanced meditation," She looked around the room and finding an empty corner table, lifted it between us with the Force.
"What I wish for you to do is meditate as normal while holding up the table."
I looked from her to the table and back and felt my eyes open as a realisation hit me. I'd only ever been using Meditation and Serenity when my FP was near or reached 0. If I could still use certain Force Powers while using those, it would a serious flaw in the interface. I wanted to facepalm at missing out on that, but I'd never even considered it.
"Do not worry, while the exercise may seem difficult at first, it is quite easy once you achieve it," Fay said, clearly taking the shock in my expression for worry about completing the task.
"Yes, Master."
I lifted the table with TK and then closed my eyes. TK combined with Empathic Shield was greater than my natural regeneration of FP, so if this didn't work, then when I ended the meditation I'd know. If it did… well, I was more than happy to use the exploit; once I got over the need to punch myself for not thinking about it before.
I continued to concentrate on the table even as I activated Serenity, allowed my mind to settle.
It took me longer than normal to reach a calm state, and something felt different, but I was soon able to feel the Force as it passed through and around me.
...
"Cameron, Cameron," I opened my eyes to find Fay gently shaking my shoulder.
"Ah, wha…" I blinked a few times and shook my head.
"It seems you lost track of time while meditating," Fay said with a soft smile as she stood back, "not uncommon for when a learner first attempts this type of mediation. How do you feel?"
I mentally called up my status and smiled as I saw. FP was still full, meaning that I could use Serenity while using other powers. I still felt stupid for missing that exploit, but at least now I had an easier way to improve powers that could be used constantly, like TK. It wouldn't help for powers like Blast as that was a straight cost per each use, but it was going to be so helpful for night sessions where I was sharing sleeping quarters. There was, however, a small notification.
"I'm ok," I replied to Fay's question, using the time where I went over the notice and examining my status to appear to think. "Keeping the table aloft seemed easy enough."
Fay chuckled gently. "Keeping one object afloat and stationary is simple yes, however doing so for multiple moving objects is a trick that many Jedi Masters struggle with. Especially if said objects are heavier than a small table."
"Yeah, that does sound difficult," I agreed with a nod, though it would depend on the overall weight of the objects as the cost of TK increased with the mass of an object and the strength of gravity acting upon it.
"Still, you have managed the first attempt with grace. Not something many Padawans can say," she turned and moved for the door. "Now come along. Master Saa has arranged for us to sample the local cuisine, and I for one do not want to miss out."
"Yes, Master."
I stood and followed the graceful Jedi from the room, even as I considered just which Force Powers I could improve rapidly with this new training approach.
...
...
It turned out that being able to use other Force Powers while meditating with Serenity was not as big a boost as I'd hoped. In the almost two months since the update, I'd seen an increase in the growth speed of the Force Powers I'd used while meditating, but by my rough calculations, it was only about a fifteen per cent increase. Nothing to sneeze at, but not the massive exploit I had hoped for.
Still, it had been enough to help boost Precognition into Prodigy range, joining Empathic Shield while TK was almost maxed out.
All three trainee quests – for Shien, Djem So and Language: Ryl – had been reached, with the two lightsaber Forms both reaching Adept 50 and Ryl Adept 25, with a little spending of SKP. That netted me enough XP to take me more than fifty per cent of the way to levelling up.
After leaving Tr'a Saa, we travelled around the Kiffu sector for a month as Fay was looking for another old Jedi Master she felt might be receptive to our plans.
While we had been travelling, I hadn't generated any new quests, as I had no idea where we would be one week to the next. Though I had used the time to improve my Astrogation skill. Being able to plot hyperspace jumps quickly, without the use of a droid, seemed like a useful skill to improve.
I'd also maxed out Empathic Shield during that time, which lowered its overall cost to just 10FP per minute; or a ninth of my current FP regeneration. Telepathic Shield was up to Professional 34, which meant it still cost more than my regeneration to run. TK and Lightsaber: Makashi were both less than ten levels from maxing out, while Precognition was at Prodigy 17. The trick of meditating and running other Force Powers with Serenity was showing its usefulness, even if it that wasn't as useful as I'd originally hoped for.
I'd also taken some time to think about my publishing plans.
I had decided to delay publishing the Two Towers for another year or so. That would allow the first book to continue to grow in popularity and increase potential sales for The Two Towers.
The Fellowship of the Ring had been downloaded nearly sixty million times – and bought as an actual book just over a million times – so far, generating over eight million credits in the process. And it was still selling well. The continued funds to help the Shadda-Bi-Borans adapt to their new worlds would help generate more goodwill for Cameron Williamson – my pen-name, which had been my name in my former life – and interest in the next story, though I'd be keeping that money for myself. That the funds would also increase the number of Shadda-Bi-Borans that would still be alive in five years when the linked quest would complete was a bonus, one I was trying to not concentrate on.
"Ah, Master Jedi, welcome," said a brown-skinned Devaronian as the doors to the meeting room we had been told to wait in opened and he stepped in, "I am honoured that you have visited us here."
"The honour is ours Administrator Tert," Fay replied as we all stood even. "We understand how busy you are and thank you for taking the time out to see us."
"Not at all Master Jedi," Tert stated as she sat and indicated for us to do the same. "When I heard that a member of your Order wished to study for a few months at one of our training centres, I must admit my delight was mixed with curiosity. Few, if any, Jedi have shown an interest in starship or fighter design."
"Yes, I can imagine. But young Cameron here is not like most Jedi," Fay responded calmly though I sensed her and Dooku's pride over my bonds with them. "Even while training to be a Jedi he has shown an aptitude for machines that few Jedi possess. As we were passing near to this system, he asked if it would be possible to attend one of your training centres for a while to further that interest."
While that was the story was a valid one for us being here, it wasn't the full truth. I had discovered that Fondor was close to the Kiffu sector, but more importantly, it was a major starship manufacturer for the Techno Union; one of the main factions in the CIS.
Or at least as far as the movies went. I had realised that much of the war wasn't covered in the movies or cartoon, which made sense for a supposedly galaxy-spanning war, but meant that there were going to be events and people that I knew nothing about that helped shape the Clone Wars and the future Empire. Which would make it difficult for me to affect those moments.
Still, Fondor was a Techno Union stronghold. And while they hadn't joined forces with the Sith yet, at least as far as I knew, an examination of their practices and disagreements with the Republic Senate made it clear that they were chafing under the restrictions placed on them. Or at least some parts of the Union were. The Corellian Engineering Corporation, for example, were the makers of the Consular-Class cruiser, the very epitome of the will of the Senate, likely due to them being a vital member of the Core Worlds.
After discovering all of this, I had spoken to Fay and Dooku and mentioned seeing Techno Union transports, Trade Federation battle droids and Droidekas attacking living beings in white armour in my visions. I'd presented them with images of the various ships I knew that were part of the CIS and active today, like the Lucrehulk-class cargo ship, as well as images of B1 droids and explained that I felt that we needed to investigate the companies behind them.
While Fay had been uncertain about doing so, Dooku had agreed with my planning and mentioned that Fondor had an Academy for aspiring engineers and designers, and while I would be too young to attend there, most corporations had filter schools at lower levels to train up the future generations.
He believed I could be inserted for a few months at one such location where I could gauge the underlying sentiment of the educators and students. While it was unlikely that I could access the main computer networks of the shipyard or the Techno Union to discover if they were actively plotting against the Republic, there was a small chance I could gain access to the ship designs and potentially discover exploitable weaknesses.
Tert turned her attention to me, "I see no problem with that. However, I will need to speak with the educational Overseers to determine which centre would be best. If all goes well, we should be able to enrol him within a week, two at most."
"That is more than acceptable, however, I need to be clear that he would only be able to attend classes in the morning. While I am willing to indulge his curiosity, his training to be a Jedi must take priority."
Tert nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes. We can never have too many Jedi." She turned back to me. "May I ask young Jedi, what is your exact area of interest?"
I shrugged. "Ships in general, I guess. I mean, I know a decent amount about how to repair and maintain starships and my way around computers. But if I had to choose, I'd say I was most interested in how starships are designed. Fitting all the various components together, managing the power flows and so on and housing it all together in a frame is intriguing."
"Yes, there is a lot of work that goes into ship design," Tert agreed as she tapped her chin with a finger, "while I don't believe that any of our centres for your age group handle ship design, there may be one or two that cover courses on droid and fighter creation. Would that be of interest?"
I nodded. "They would yes. Could I be placed there?" I asked while activating Force Persuasion. Using the more common Force Compulsion would probably alert security, which I was fairly certain were monitoring this meeting.
Tert smiled and tapped away at her console. "It shouldn't be a problem. I'll just add the recommendation to your file and send it along to the Overseers. Is there anything else?"
Fay smiled and stood, "No, thank you for your time."
The pair shook hands and Tert left. We followed just after and as we walked back to the quarters assigned to us by station management, I felt a now-familiar presence brush against my mind and activated Telepathy which had altered slightly with the addition of Force bonds, as they lowered the cost of the power by eighty per cent, making it possible for me to use the power with Fay and Dooku easily.
[Yes, Master?] I asked mentally as Fay used our Force Bond to establish a telepathic comm link.
When she had first tried this, Player's Mind had auto engaged, and her head had snapped back as though physically slapped. I'd managed to explain away my mental defence as something I didn't know about and then, after perusing the help menus, altered a list of who could establish telepathic links with me to include two people. Fay and Dooku.
Knowing that PM would auto engage to defend my mind was a great help, even if I avoided using the power due to it cutting off my emotions completely.
[There is nothing the matter Padawan. I merely wish to communicate with you without being overheard by any eavesdroppers. Unless they want to cause problems, they will allow you to attend a training centre. However, I imagine that they'll monitor everything you do. Are you sure you still wish to continue with this?]
[Yes, Master. Even if I am unable to find anything of use, it is still a good learning experience.] I replied as we entered an elevator. [Especially since neither you nor Master Dooku have much interest in maintaining a ship.]
Fay shook her head. [That may be true, but we are still not purchasing a vessel. The Order does not allow personal possessions.] She looked down at me and smiled. [Though perhaps, in the future, we could hire a ship without a crew.]
[I, uh, hadn't thought of that.] I managed to not make a face at the suggestion. [What of Master Dooku?]
Dooku was to arrive tomorrow but not reveal himself as a Jedi. Instead, he was going to play on his family name and try to arrange meetings with various officials from companies linked to the Techno Union. He would pretend to be looking to acquire a small force of ships to defend the Serenno System and surrounding areas from pirates. While it was unlikely that the officials would reveal information about their ships in pursuit of a contract, Dooku was certain he could get them to reveal more than they should, and given he had managed to bring together the CIS, I wasn't going to argue against his persuasive abilities.
[His last transmission, relayed through Master Sifo-Dyas, suggested he already had meetings with representatives of several of the companies in the Union. But do not get your hopes up. While we believe your visions about what is to come, the chances of us discovering anything that would hint at a move to secede from the Republic are remote, at best.]
[Yes, Master.]
"Come along Padawan. We must meditate on the day's events," she spoke, breaking the mental link as we stepped out of the elevator and moved towards our assigned quarters.
"Yes, Master," I replied as I fell into step at her side.
...
...
"Were you able to discover anything while on assignment?" Dooku asked as I walked with Fay down the ramp from the transport that had brought us to the Corellian System.
"Nothing of great significance, though Young Cameron here did make a few friends and impressed the educators," Fay replied while indicating me with a hand, "How did you fare?"
Dooku pulled a datapad from his robes. "While I was unable to discover anything on Fondor, I did manage to discover that there are tensions within the Union. Both Kuat Drive Yards and the Corellian Engineering Corporation are distancing themselves from the other major members of the Union due to differences of opinion regarding Republic policy."
"Not surprising really. Both Kuat and Corellia are Core worlds and while most of the other members of the Union are headquartered further out." I said, earning a proud nod from Dooku.
"Indeed. From what I was able to gather, and linking it to your visions, I speculate that those two companies would remain loyal to the Republic even if the Union decides to secede." He continued as he handed the pad to Fay. "There are a few companies in the Union that have not chosen a side, or at least have not ventured into the ongoing debate."
Fay examined the pad. "I am unfamiliar with any of these companies."
"They are all smaller members of the Union based mainly in the Inner to Mid-Rim that handle the construction of smaller, but more robust, ships and droids than the larger corporations. Or that was the impression I was given during their presentations."
That caught my attention as one of my ideas was to take over a mega-crop, though I had generally considered it fantasy. However, a smaller company may be easier to gain control of. Though such plans were years off and would only be possible once I was either a Knight – and free to travel as I wished – or had left the Order, which I was not planning to do until at least after the invasion of Naboo.
Fay turned and handed me the pad. "Cameron, do you know of any of these companies?"
I took the pad and scanned the list. While most of the dozen or so companies were unknown, two jumped out at me. Incom and Subpro.
When I'd made my initial list for how to combat Sidious, I'd considered accelerating or rediscovering certain technologies like X-Wings and personal shielding that didn't kill the user.
While I'd had no luck with the shielding, I'd found what I believed was a precursor to the X-Wing – The Z-95 Headhunter – was jointly made by Incom and Subpro corporations. Learning that Incom was one of the smaller, undecided members of the Techno Union was unexpected, and almost made up for the four and a half months I'd spent learning at the training centre on Fondor.
Oh sure, the classes had helped improve my technical skills – and a few quests linked to those skills – and generated a new one – Mechanics [Droids] – but beyond that, making a few friends with future engineers and designers it had been months that felt wasted.
OK, not wasted as I had maxed out and maxing out Lightsaber: Makashi and TK and abused my time away from Fay to train up Compulsion and Persuasion on my fellow students. I had also increased Intelligence and Wisdom by one and completed quests linked to four of my now five mechanics skills and one linked to Form IV, Ataru. All of that – once Boosted Growth was applied – had resulted in me having just enough XP to reach level 19. That had brought the usual bonus points for stats and skills while increasing my FP by another 500.
"These two," I replied highlighting the two companies, which opened a file on details about the company. "I studied one of their previous models during my classes on Fondor."
"Hmm, Incom. And Subpro. Yes, I am aware of their popular joint-model, the Z-95. It is a reliable and capable fighter, though it does lack many features of more modern craft. What did you learn in your classes?"
"Mainly about how modular and adaptable it was. I suggested a few ways to change the airframe, but I doubt they'd work." Mainly, that was because I'd used jet fighter designs from the Earth in the nineteen-seventies, though I'd only been able to do map out that idea once the relevant skill, Mechanics [Fighters] had reached Professional 1. While I doubted my ideas would take hold, the larger wing surface from my design was commented on by the instructor as a possible way to help with heat dispersion.
Still, the time at the academy had me considering one day designing a fighter that merged this universe's technology with an Earth-based airframe. Though I doubted I'd ever have the time or resources to commit to such an idea.
"Hmm," a single eyebrow rose, "while that is impressive, it has little bearing on our original plan for allowing you to study there for almost half a year."
"That is true, though now if we do need a private craft for our travels, Cameron should be able to handle the maintenance of the vessel," Fay said seemingly trying to find some good form the time.
"Indeed. I spoke with Sifo-Dyas yesterday, and while we were careful about what we discussed, I believe he has discovered a handful of Jedi in the Temple that may be agreeable to our concerns."
"That is good news, though I have a few other members of our Order who I wish to meet and discover their feelings and intentions," Fay countered as we began to walk through the corridors of the spaceport station high above Corellia, "I also wished for Cameron to meet with the local Jedi. I believe they would be more receptive to him than most due to his bloodline."
Dooku rubbed his beard before he spoke. "Yes, I had not considered that. Though we would have to be cautious about what we reveal to them as I am aware that one of their members is a close friend of Master Windu."
"Do you know which member it is?"
"Sadly no," he replied to her question as I stayed silent, "though it likely is a senior Master as they serve as the only link between the High Council and Corellia that I am aware of."
I glanced to the side and stumbled and lost my balance.
"Cameron?" Fay asked though my attention was on one of the transports that were moving around the dock. For some strange reason, the ship was encased in a gentle golden glow.
"I'm fine. I just got lost in my thoughts for a moment," I replied as she helped me stand.
"Perhaps we need to work on your awareness Padawan," Dooku suggested and I felt a shiver shoot up my spine, "though I cannot tell if you are being honest or not. Impressive mental barriers to have developed in half a year."
I gave him a nod in acknowledgement, glad that running Telepathic Shield almost non-stop for the time on Fondor had been worth it. The power was comfortably in the Prodigy range.
Curious about what was causing the golden halo around the transport, I examined the list of destinations for the transport. Most of the stops meant nothing to me, however, the end destination did trigger a memory. Eriadu. That was the planet where the Tarkin family came from, specifically Wilhuff Tarkin, a name on my list of people to watch in the years leading up to the outbreak of war.
Currently, Tarkin was serving in a regional defence force, though the last news article mentioning him involved him at a party hosted by one of the heads of Santhe/Sienar Technologies, one of the few major starship construction conglomerates that was not a part of the Techno Union. Though at least one subsidiary was, which did make some sense as it gave SST a voice at the table without committing fully to the Union.
Perhaps the gold light was a hint to head to Eriadu to deal with Tarkin?
I shook off the thought as we began to walk again.
"Which should we then Cameron?" Asked once we had walked for about a minute.
"I think I'd like to visit the Jedi on Corellia then head back to the temple, but only for a short while," I replied after considering the choices. I knew nothing about another set of Jedi on Corellia. Heck, I didn't even realise there were enclaves away from Coruscant. Perhaps the ones here, in other places if they existed, would be more open to what we were building.
And while I was curious about the Jedi Fay wished to meet, I felt that checking in with Darihd and maybe seeing where I stood with the other Padawans at the Temple would be a more useful way to spend a few months.
...
...
"Those… argh!" I growled out as we arrived back at our rented apartment in Coronet City after meeting with the Green Jedi Council and I punched the air.
"It was to be expected Cameron, though we are also upset with their lack of interest," Fay said before sighing loudly as she sat on the couch in the main room. "They have always been more concerned with Corellia and its system than the greater galaxy."
"A trait shared by many of the people," Dooku added his temper back under control. "They believe themselves better than others, a trait made even worse with their Jedi."
To say Dooku did not agree with the apparent isolationist and self-centred policies of the Green Jedi would be an understatement. He had more than once during our meeting with their High Council had to stop in mid-sentence lest he ended up shouting at them and if not for Fay's natural calming touch, I suspect we would have been escorted from the planet by CorSec. Then again, I had been forced to engage Player's Mind to keep my own emotions under control.
"Still, you think they would be worried about the failings of the Republic, if for no reason than the effect it would have on them," I said as calmly as I could as I sat in an empty chair and pulled a datapad from my pocket.
"They did admit to sharing our concerns about the Republic at least," Fay countered, acting once more as the calm, older mind. "Though I suspect that they, and the Corellian Senate, have plans to exploit the fall of the Republic. They have tried to secede from the Republic several times, the last being within my lifetime, and they are reluctant members of the Republic."
"That is the polite way to describe the situation," Dooku added, though made no move to comment further, instead pouring himself a glass of juice.
"When will you and Cameron leave?" Fay asked, moving the conversation on from the less than successful meeting with the Green Jedi.
"Tomorrow I believe. There are daily flights to Coruscant from the main spaceport," Dooku replied after sipping his glass. "How long will it take for you to locate and speak with your friends?"
Fay shrugged even as she shifted a pillow on the couch. "I can't say. Zao is very much a wanderer, often finding himself in the strangest of places. Rangir is a recluse who was last seen near Hutt space while An'ya has been in self-imposed exile after losing her last Padawan."
"And you believe they would be open to what we are doing?"
Fay sighed as she sunk further into the couch. "Possibly. Zao, like myself, prefers to let the Force guide his journey. I believe he is the most likely to see the benefits to what we are creating. Rangir is… troubled, or at least that was the case the last time we spoke a decade ago. Perhaps she would be willing to help us, but it is just as likely that she chooses to stay uninvolved. And An'ya… well, I am sure you know her story better than I." She finished with a smile that seemed more sad than happy.
Dooku grunted as he put down the now empty glass. "Yes, I do." He seemed unwilling to talk further about her as he stood and moved towards his sleeping quarters.
"Cameron?" I looked up from my pad to see Fay was now looking at me. "I would ask how much of that you heard, but I already know the answer." We both smiled at the small joke as she was well aware that I had a knack for remembering minute details with ease, though she did not know it was due to the perk Eidetic Memory.
"What are you working on?"
I floated the pad over to her as I answered. "More songs," as she collected the object. I had just added 'Everybody Hurts' and 'Something's Happening Here' to my account.
While no-one had messaged me to use the lyrics in a song, and I hadn't earned anything as they were too short to be paid for, the two dozen already on the site had been viewed – in total – more often than 'Fellowship' had been downloaded.
Fay smiled as she read the two new songs before looking at me. "Cameron, if I did not know you had moved on from your pain, I would be worried. Since I do, all I will ask is that once we find a synthtar that you play these for me."
"I'll add them to the list," I replied with a smile of my own.
Just before reaching Fondor, she had discovered me writing songs on a datapad. After reading some, she became worried that I was missing my grandfather and my old life, but I'd managed to convince her that wasn't the case.
Since then, she had read through the list of songs, now numbering over thirty, that were on the pad and kept insisting I should sing them.
I had held off on publishing them though as the site where I'd published The Fellowship of the Ring only allowed works greater than ten thousand words and since an average song had around two hundred words, there wasn't much point.
I had, however, spent some time on Fondor searching for a site that allowed the publication of lyrics for songs, and found a linked site for budding musicians and lyrists. When we returned to Coruscant, I planned to open an account with them, and because it was linked to the publishing site, I didn't need to create a new account – and thus ask for permission – though I would need to ensure any sales were not routed the relief effort.
"Perhaps you can find one at the temple and ask one of your friends to record your performance?" Fay suggested as she leaned forward, placed the pad on the table and grinned. "I imagine Padawan Keto would enjoy hearing you sing."
"Master," I groaned out, which made her laugh.
"Then what about Miss Naberrie? I'm certain she'd enjoy listening to you sing."
My head fell into my hands as she laughed. Not long after leaving Shadda-Bi-Boran, Fay had discovered that Serra had been asking Darihd about me and, adding that to my semi-regular communication with Padmé, had taken to teasing me about how close I was to the two girls.
While I wasn't particularly embarrassed by Fay's comments about them liking me, it was awkward to think about them like that as both were pre-teens. Yes, I also was physically pre-pubescent, but mentally I wasn't. It was an issue I knew was only going to get worse as I hit puberty and had to deal with them and had to regularly share a room with someone as beautiful as Fay.
"I don't have to take this," I muttered as I stood, scooped up my pad, and moved to my quarters. "And I need to prepare for tomorrow. I suspect Master Dooku will have us leave at dawn for the spaceport."
...
...
"So you are telling me that you and a senior Jedi Master are experiencing visions of the fall of the Republic, and the destruction of the Jedi, and are actively working with Darihd and others to ensure that the Order has some way to survive?" Serra asked after I finished explaining about what I was up to with Darihd and our Jedi Masters in the restaurant a few blocks from the Temple.
"Essentially, yes," I replied. Honestly, I didn't want the Jedi Order, as it currently stood to survive, but telling her - or Darihd - that now, would lead to problems I wasn't ready to face.
She looked from Darihd to me and back, then started laughing.
"Force! That's a good one!" she managed to get out.
Darihd glanced at me, but my attention was focused on Serra. I kept my face neutral but inside I was annoyed she thought I was playing a prank. Sure, it did sound a little preposterous to consider, but I knew what was coming so I knew it was not a joke and Darihd believed both myself and Sifo-Dyas.
Slowly Serra's laughter began to slow as she saw I wasn't smiling, then stopped altogether as she spotted neither was Darihd.
"Wait, you mean to tell me… But, how, why…" she slumped back into her part of the couch that bent around our circular table. "Sithspit."
"Yeah, I was surprised when he told me about his visions last year," Darihd said, trying to help her accept what I'd told her. "Though I had my Master to help me accept it as he's working with Masters Dooku and Fay."
"But if… Master Sifo-Dyas is the other with these visions?" Serra asked slowly, still seemingly unbalanced by what she was realising.
"Yeah. Knew you'd get that," I replied, giving her a smile that brought a touch of pink to her cheeks.
"But why not take this to the High Council? Surely they'd be willing to help?"
Darihd shook his head. "They won't Serra. They're too close to the Senate, too willing to ignore the corruption and degradation that's infested the very core of the Republic." He paused and sighed. "I can't go into why, but my Master is vehemently against letting the Council at large know about what we are doing."
I nodded at that. Dooku had explained what the Jedi did to those with over-powering visions like Sifo-Dyas had suffered when he and Dooku had been Padawans and Knights and extracted a promise from me to not reveal my visions to anyone without clearing it with either him or Fay first. Which I had done as we had arrived in orbit above the Republic capital when explaining that I planned to bring Serra into the circle while talking with Darihd about the rest of Dragon Clan.
Dooku had agreed, though warned me to be careful about how many Padawans I brought in, and how quickly, as they were more likely to mistakenly reveal something which would place our plans in jeopardy.
I'd asked Dooku who he would be speaking with, and while he was reluctant to reveal everything to me – mainly in case I let things slip to Darihd and Serra – he did mention he hoped to talk with two of his former Padawans, Qui-Gon and Keelyvine Reus, though he was uncertain if Keelyvine would be open-minded enough to bring into the group.
"So why tell me?" she slowly asked, her eyes locked onto mine.
"Beyond the fact we both trust you?" I asked back with a smirk.
She chuckled. "Yeah, beyond that."
"No reason." We all laughed for a moment before I continued. "Truthfully, I felt Darihd needed help watching the other Padawans and the Younglings. While I don't doubt that he can handle it, having only one opinion on who we can and can't bring into this is risky."
Serra gave me a wide smile. "Fine, then I'm in. And I think Aayla and Sia-Lan would be good options."
Darihd nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but they're both on assignment."
"As much as I think they can keep things quiet, for now, I don't want others brought in," I said softly, "and it's not because I don't trust them. More that I know nothing about their masters."
"And you do about Master Drallig?"
"No, but Master Dooku does, and while he doesn't feel your master would agree with our planning, he also doesn't feel Master Drallig is a blind follower of the Council and Senate, just a strong believer in the Jedi way," I explained. "There was also something about him having a maverick approach to situations."
Serra snorted. "Don't I know it. He keeps having me run combat drills where nothing makes sense even after they finish."
"Sounds like the real world," I muttered as my mind wandered back to the last time that I was on Coruscant. "How are Bultar and Jon?"
The two shared a look before Darihd spoke.
"Bultar seems fine. It's hard to really tell as we don't know much about her, though the High Council arranging outside help for her has helped, I think." He answered.
"That was Masters Fay and Yaddle, not the Council," I blurted out, making both of them stare at me. "The majority felt that the whole thing was a learning experience from the Force," I said trying my best to not sneer at the complete lack of concern they'd displayed that day, though I did air-quote 'learning experience.
"What? But they announced the treatments to the Temple at large as a decision they had reached after meditating," Serra said, and I gripped the edge of the couch to reign in my temper.
"That… that sounds like both an attempt at PR and a way to put Bultar and Jon down," I said with a stiff jaw. "Getting them help is fine but announcing it to everyone would just make many think they are weak and unworthy of being Jedi."
"My Master was, less polite about it privately," Darihd said as he shook his head and sighed. "He considered stepping down from the Council early in protest at their handling of things."
"What?! But why?" Serra blurted out, her shock at hearing all this matching my own, though she was less able to hide her surprise and shock.
"Because the council was playing politics with the lives of the Padawans," I explained as I gritted my teeth and shook my head in disgust. "By saying it was their decision, it makes them look compassionate towards the pair, even if they weren't initially. Like I said, good PR."
"PR?"
"Public relations," I gave her a weak smile. "Something I learnt from Senator Palpatine." Though what I'd learnt from the Sith Lord was how to subtly shift a conversation to suit my own narrative.
What I was saying by revealing the council's reasons – or what I felt they were – cast them in a worse light with my fellow Padawans. And would make it hard for the council to deny without revealing that it was Fay who had pushed for Bultar and Jon to get help, not them.
If I was going to play this game, I might as well learn from the best.
"Anyway, you said Bultar was doing well. What about Jon?"
Again, the two shared a look before Darihd spoke, though this time he was much more cautious about his words.
"Jon… didn't take the reveal about the outside help well. He… well, he rejected the offer, and lashed out a few times at others."
"I caught him trying to spar with the younger members of our Clan," Serra added while looking away from me. "I think he was taking out his anger on them because you weren't there."
"Ah." Was my succinct reply.
I had hoped that Jon getting help would have cured him of his dislike of me, however, it seemed the opposite had happened.
That could be a problem.
The room fell into an awkward silence.
"Serra, what was that story you keep reading?" Darihd suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Though why he was grinning at me as he asked was strange.
"Huh, oh, right. Well, I came across this story just over a year ago," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pad. "Have you read it?"
After a few taps at the screen and she handed to me and I chuckled then looked at Darihd, who was grinning widely, exposing his teeth.
"You might say that," I replied as I handed the pad back to her, "I wrote it."
"You wro… What? When? HOW?" It was hard to not laugh at her growing shock and increased volume. And Darihd failed as he placed a hand over his mouth. "You knew?" she asked as she smacked his arm.
"Why wouldn't he? I mean, the proceeds go to helping the Shadda-Bi-Borans, and I was involved in the evacuation efforts when he arrived with Master Sifo-Dyas," I answered for him as he struggled to contain his amusement.
"I, I just thought you might know who wrote it because it was linked to that. I never… when did you do that?" she asked with her eyes wide as she focused on me.
"I started it while staying with Senator Palpatine and finished it during my free time. Padmé suggested publishing it."
"Padmé?" Her eyes narrowed.
"The daughter of the head of the relocation program. I gave her a copy when she was bored and she, well, she felt much like you do about it. It was her idea to publish it, though I suggested having the funds routed to help with what we were doing."
"Does she still contact you?" Darihd asked with a grin, and I had a sudden urge to throw him out of the room. Preferably through the wall.
"Every few months," I answered calmly. "So how does it feel to know a famous writer?" I asked Serra, turning the conversation away from Padmé, and hopefully calming her reaction to Padmé.
"It's, strange. I mean I never thought you'd be an author," she said, making her eyes enlarge rapidly, "I mean, I know you're not stupid, it just you, writing… um."
I chuckled at her tripping over her backtracking. "No-one would. Which is why I did it." Or why I allowed Padmé to convince me anyway, though I held that comment back to avoid getting a reaction from Serra.
"That reminds me, she called the Temple looking for you again," Darihd said with his smirk seemingly surgically attached to his face. "She's arriving on Coruscant next month as part of the Apprentice Legislature and was hoping to meet up."
"That's… nice." I replied slowly, aware of the way Serra's had again narrowed. "But I think I'll be off the planet by then. Master Dooku is just checking in with a few friends before we head off again."
"We could meet her," Serra suggested making my head snap around to her. "I mean, I have to thank her for getting you to write Fellowship, and she already knows Darihd. Any friend of you two is a friend of mine, right?"
"Right." I drawled out, my mind already conjuring images of that potential disaster. Getting Padmé to know more Jedi had the potential to be useful when Naboo was invaded. But the idea of putting Padmé and Serra in a room sent a shiver down my spine.
While Serra was more mature for her age than most – something that could be said about other Jedi younglings and Padawans – she was still growing and learning how to deal with emotions. A trial made even harder by the Jedi dogma of 'letting go' of those emotions.
Perhaps once we were all a bit older, and Serra was more comfortable with herself, or me being friends with a girl outside the Order, I could introduce them to each other. But at this point, it had a bit too much risk factor for my comfort...both for Serra's healthy emotional growth, and my own masculine protection.
"What have you been up to?" I asked the pair, moving the conversation way from Padmé even as I considered how I was going to approach the invasion.
As I was leaning towards removing Anakin from Tatooine before then, I needed to come up with plans for how to take out a Lucrehulk-class vessel. Having more Jedi there than just Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would help with that.
Then there was the chance that my being here had changed the timeline enough that those two weren't assigned to the mission. In that event, I'd have to have another plan ready to activate.
Honestly, I was curious if I could handle the command ship myself, but that was probably pride and/or arrogance speaking.
Regardless of what plan I used, I would keep trying to acquire a schematic of the Lucrehulk, and other CIS and Republic vessels.
…
I had generated quests to raise both Shien and Djem So to Adept 1 within two months, which, if the fact I'd gained nearly twenty levels combined in a week of training so far, should be more than doable. Though I'd have to commit as many nights alone as possible to train the two variants.
I'd also decided to focus on improving my ability to speak Ryl to Adept 1, with a linked quest.
"That's good Padawan, keep your blade high," Saa stated as we faced off, "use that position to counter my attack."
She moved quickly, though not so fast that I couldn't adapt, and I brought my blade down to stop her advance, then push the blade towards her, forcing her to take a step back.
*PRIDE* *CONTENTMENT*
I stumbled at the strange emotions I sensed, which gave Saa an easy attack to end this round.
*DISAPPOINTMENT*
"That was a careless mistake Padawan," Saa stated as I rubbed my arm where her blade had connected and glad that there were settings on the blades to lower the power output. Otherwise, training would be… difficult.
"Sorry, I was… distracted," I began powering down my lightsaber and clipping it back onto my belt, "I sensed emotions that weren't my own."
"What did you sense?" Fay asked as she stepped towards Saa and me from where she's been watching our spar.
"Pride and contentment, then disappointment when I made my mistake."
Fay smiled and looked over at Dooku, seemingly reading a datapad, yet who gave her the slightest of nods, "Hmm, it seems your senses have expanded enough to detect our emotions." She stated turned back to me and motioned for us to sit on a nearby bench.
"How much do you know about Force Bonds?" She asked as we sat.
"The stronger the bond, the easier it is to sense where another is, their emotional state and even telepathic communication if the bond is strong enough, or one of the bonded is telepathic in nature," I replied, simplifying what the interface had told me.
"That is… a very precise explanation, but like everything where the Force is concerned, concise understanding and defining is not entirely accurate." I frowned, which made her smile.
"A bond allows one to sense much about those they are close to, and while the High Council would prefer that such bonds only existed between Master and Padawan, the bond can from with anyone if enough time is spent in their present," she paused and smiled in the way a grandparent might when talking to a young child, "indeed, I suspect you have formed a bond with Miss Naberrie. Though that should fade in time."
I felt the heat rising in my cheeks, which made her smile grow and a light, airy chuckle escaped her lips.
"Or perhaps not. Still, a Force Bond allows the sensing of emotions, as you said, it has the potential for more as well. The stronger a bond is between two sentients, the greater the potential to both help and hinder those it connects.
"Strong bonds can result in one being overwhelmed by the emotions of another, which can distract you at a critical moment, yet that same increase in emotions can give someone the drive to achieve something incredible."
"So what I sensed was your feelings, and Master Dooku's?"
She nodded, "Yes, I believe it was. While that is not unexpected, it does suggest you need to be more careful about controlling your emotions. If you have them under control when you delve into the Force, you should be able to avoid having the feelings and thoughts of others affect you." She explained and I nodded as I considered what she'd said.
While that did sound a little wishy-washy, with the interface I could easily quantify it down into two facts. First, that I needed to have Empathic Shield engaged while fighting – not an issue, but it did drain just over half my FP regen currently to do so. And secondly, that I needed to level up the same Force Power to avoid this becoming an issue as my bonds with Fay, Dooku and others became stronger.
"I understand, I think," I replied slowly, "and I why any bond I might have with Padmé might fade with time. She does not have a strong connection to the Force."
Fay smiled and nodded. "Yes. While the bond could be strengthened if you spent more time around her," Dooku seemed to mutter something, but I couldn't make it out, "that is unlikely to happen, and so the bond will weaken and eventually fade."
"However, what my former master is failing to mention, is that bonds formed with other strong in the Force do not fade easily," Saa added as she stood nearby, a cup in her hand, "and in moments of high emotions, you may sense them, even when the distance between you is great."
The two venerable Jedi Masters shared a look before Fay sighed and glanced out of a window while absently running a finger across her cheek tattoo.
"Now come, and this time, do not let the emotions of others distract you," Saa stated as he placed down her cup and stepped back towards the middle of the room, igniting her lightsaber as she did.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied as I joined and raised my blade into Djem So's opening stance while activating Empathic Shield and having no plans to turn it off while around Fay or Dooku.
...
Later that day, I was with Fay for our afternoon meditation session – which I generally used to train Battle Meditation instead of meditating, unless I need to restore my FP – when Fay stopped herself from starting her meditation and looked at me.
"Since you are now able to sense emotions from myself and Master Dooku, I think it is time to alter your meditation."
I tilted my head in confusion, which made her smile.
"You have done nothing wrong; I just feel that you can move to a more advanced meditation," She looked around the room and finding an empty corner table, lifted it between us with the Force.
"What I wish for you to do is meditate as normal while holding up the table."
I looked from her to the table and back and felt my eyes open as a realisation hit me. I'd only ever been using Meditation and Serenity when my FP was near or reached 0. If I could still use certain Force Powers while using those, it would a serious flaw in the interface. I wanted to facepalm at missing out on that, but I'd never even considered it.
"Do not worry, while the exercise may seem difficult at first, it is quite easy once you achieve it," Fay said, clearly taking the shock in my expression for worry about completing the task.
"Yes, Master."
I lifted the table with TK and then closed my eyes. TK combined with Empathic Shield was greater than my natural regeneration of FP, so if this didn't work, then when I ended the meditation I'd know. If it did… well, I was more than happy to use the exploit; once I got over the need to punch myself for not thinking about it before.
I continued to concentrate on the table even as I activated Serenity, allowed my mind to settle.
It took me longer than normal to reach a calm state, and something felt different, but I was soon able to feel the Force as it passed through and around me.
...
"Cameron, Cameron," I opened my eyes to find Fay gently shaking my shoulder.
"Ah, wha…" I blinked a few times and shook my head.
"It seems you lost track of time while meditating," Fay said with a soft smile as she stood back, "not uncommon for when a learner first attempts this type of mediation. How do you feel?"
I mentally called up my status and smiled as I saw. FP was still full, meaning that I could use Serenity while using other powers. I still felt stupid for missing that exploit, but at least now I had an easier way to improve powers that could be used constantly, like TK. It wouldn't help for powers like Blast as that was a straight cost per each use, but it was going to be so helpful for night sessions where I was sharing sleeping quarters. There was, however, a small notification.
Warning!
Skill Meditation cannot be activated when any Force Power bar Serenity is active.
…
That wasn't a major loss as Meditation only gave a one-hundred per cent boost to regenerations whereas Serenity gave a four-hundred-and-fifty per cent boost to FP regen.Skill Meditation cannot be activated when any Force Power bar Serenity is active.
…
"I'm ok," I replied to Fay's question, using the time where I went over the notice and examining my status to appear to think. "Keeping the table aloft seemed easy enough."
Fay chuckled gently. "Keeping one object afloat and stationary is simple yes, however doing so for multiple moving objects is a trick that many Jedi Masters struggle with. Especially if said objects are heavier than a small table."
"Yeah, that does sound difficult," I agreed with a nod, though it would depend on the overall weight of the objects as the cost of TK increased with the mass of an object and the strength of gravity acting upon it.
"Still, you have managed the first attempt with grace. Not something many Padawans can say," she turned and moved for the door. "Now come along. Master Saa has arranged for us to sample the local cuisine, and I for one do not want to miss out."
"Yes, Master."
I stood and followed the graceful Jedi from the room, even as I considered just which Force Powers I could improve rapidly with this new training approach.
...
...
It turned out that being able to use other Force Powers while meditating with Serenity was not as big a boost as I'd hoped. In the almost two months since the update, I'd seen an increase in the growth speed of the Force Powers I'd used while meditating, but by my rough calculations, it was only about a fifteen per cent increase. Nothing to sneeze at, but not the massive exploit I had hoped for.
Still, it had been enough to help boost Precognition into Prodigy range, joining Empathic Shield while TK was almost maxed out.
All three trainee quests – for Shien, Djem So and Language: Ryl – had been reached, with the two lightsaber Forms both reaching Adept 50 and Ryl Adept 25, with a little spending of SKP. That netted me enough XP to take me more than fifty per cent of the way to levelling up.
After leaving Tr'a Saa, we travelled around the Kiffu sector for a month as Fay was looking for another old Jedi Master she felt might be receptive to our plans.
While we had been travelling, I hadn't generated any new quests, as I had no idea where we would be one week to the next. Though I had used the time to improve my Astrogation skill. Being able to plot hyperspace jumps quickly, without the use of a droid, seemed like a useful skill to improve.
I'd also maxed out Empathic Shield during that time, which lowered its overall cost to just 10FP per minute; or a ninth of my current FP regeneration. Telepathic Shield was up to Professional 34, which meant it still cost more than my regeneration to run. TK and Lightsaber: Makashi were both less than ten levels from maxing out, while Precognition was at Prodigy 17. The trick of meditating and running other Force Powers with Serenity was showing its usefulness, even if it that wasn't as useful as I'd originally hoped for.
I'd also taken some time to think about my publishing plans.
I had decided to delay publishing the Two Towers for another year or so. That would allow the first book to continue to grow in popularity and increase potential sales for The Two Towers.
The Fellowship of the Ring had been downloaded nearly sixty million times – and bought as an actual book just over a million times – so far, generating over eight million credits in the process. And it was still selling well. The continued funds to help the Shadda-Bi-Borans adapt to their new worlds would help generate more goodwill for Cameron Williamson – my pen-name, which had been my name in my former life – and interest in the next story, though I'd be keeping that money for myself. That the funds would also increase the number of Shadda-Bi-Borans that would still be alive in five years when the linked quest would complete was a bonus, one I was trying to not concentrate on.
"Ah, Master Jedi, welcome," said a brown-skinned Devaronian as the doors to the meeting room we had been told to wait in opened and he stepped in, "I am honoured that you have visited us here."
"The honour is ours Administrator Tert," Fay replied as we all stood even. "We understand how busy you are and thank you for taking the time out to see us."
"Not at all Master Jedi," Tert stated as she sat and indicated for us to do the same. "When I heard that a member of your Order wished to study for a few months at one of our training centres, I must admit my delight was mixed with curiosity. Few, if any, Jedi have shown an interest in starship or fighter design."
"Yes, I can imagine. But young Cameron here is not like most Jedi," Fay responded calmly though I sensed her and Dooku's pride over my bonds with them. "Even while training to be a Jedi he has shown an aptitude for machines that few Jedi possess. As we were passing near to this system, he asked if it would be possible to attend one of your training centres for a while to further that interest."
While that was the story was a valid one for us being here, it wasn't the full truth. I had discovered that Fondor was close to the Kiffu sector, but more importantly, it was a major starship manufacturer for the Techno Union; one of the main factions in the CIS.
Or at least as far as the movies went. I had realised that much of the war wasn't covered in the movies or cartoon, which made sense for a supposedly galaxy-spanning war, but meant that there were going to be events and people that I knew nothing about that helped shape the Clone Wars and the future Empire. Which would make it difficult for me to affect those moments.
Still, Fondor was a Techno Union stronghold. And while they hadn't joined forces with the Sith yet, at least as far as I knew, an examination of their practices and disagreements with the Republic Senate made it clear that they were chafing under the restrictions placed on them. Or at least some parts of the Union were. The Corellian Engineering Corporation, for example, were the makers of the Consular-Class cruiser, the very epitome of the will of the Senate, likely due to them being a vital member of the Core Worlds.
After discovering all of this, I had spoken to Fay and Dooku and mentioned seeing Techno Union transports, Trade Federation battle droids and Droidekas attacking living beings in white armour in my visions. I'd presented them with images of the various ships I knew that were part of the CIS and active today, like the Lucrehulk-class cargo ship, as well as images of B1 droids and explained that I felt that we needed to investigate the companies behind them.
While Fay had been uncertain about doing so, Dooku had agreed with my planning and mentioned that Fondor had an Academy for aspiring engineers and designers, and while I would be too young to attend there, most corporations had filter schools at lower levels to train up the future generations.
He believed I could be inserted for a few months at one such location where I could gauge the underlying sentiment of the educators and students. While it was unlikely that I could access the main computer networks of the shipyard or the Techno Union to discover if they were actively plotting against the Republic, there was a small chance I could gain access to the ship designs and potentially discover exploitable weaknesses.
Tert turned her attention to me, "I see no problem with that. However, I will need to speak with the educational Overseers to determine which centre would be best. If all goes well, we should be able to enrol him within a week, two at most."
"That is more than acceptable, however, I need to be clear that he would only be able to attend classes in the morning. While I am willing to indulge his curiosity, his training to be a Jedi must take priority."
Tert nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes. We can never have too many Jedi." She turned back to me. "May I ask young Jedi, what is your exact area of interest?"
I shrugged. "Ships in general, I guess. I mean, I know a decent amount about how to repair and maintain starships and my way around computers. But if I had to choose, I'd say I was most interested in how starships are designed. Fitting all the various components together, managing the power flows and so on and housing it all together in a frame is intriguing."
"Yes, there is a lot of work that goes into ship design," Tert agreed as she tapped her chin with a finger, "while I don't believe that any of our centres for your age group handle ship design, there may be one or two that cover courses on droid and fighter creation. Would that be of interest?"
I nodded. "They would yes. Could I be placed there?" I asked while activating Force Persuasion. Using the more common Force Compulsion would probably alert security, which I was fairly certain were monitoring this meeting.
Tert smiled and tapped away at her console. "It shouldn't be a problem. I'll just add the recommendation to your file and send it along to the Overseers. Is there anything else?"
Fay smiled and stood, "No, thank you for your time."
The pair shook hands and Tert left. We followed just after and as we walked back to the quarters assigned to us by station management, I felt a now-familiar presence brush against my mind and activated Telepathy which had altered slightly with the addition of Force bonds, as they lowered the cost of the power by eighty per cent, making it possible for me to use the power with Fay and Dooku easily.
[Yes, Master?] I asked mentally as Fay used our Force Bond to establish a telepathic comm link.
When she had first tried this, Player's Mind had auto engaged, and her head had snapped back as though physically slapped. I'd managed to explain away my mental defence as something I didn't know about and then, after perusing the help menus, altered a list of who could establish telepathic links with me to include two people. Fay and Dooku.
Knowing that PM would auto engage to defend my mind was a great help, even if I avoided using the power due to it cutting off my emotions completely.
[There is nothing the matter Padawan. I merely wish to communicate with you without being overheard by any eavesdroppers. Unless they want to cause problems, they will allow you to attend a training centre. However, I imagine that they'll monitor everything you do. Are you sure you still wish to continue with this?]
[Yes, Master. Even if I am unable to find anything of use, it is still a good learning experience.] I replied as we entered an elevator. [Especially since neither you nor Master Dooku have much interest in maintaining a ship.]
Fay shook her head. [That may be true, but we are still not purchasing a vessel. The Order does not allow personal possessions.] She looked down at me and smiled. [Though perhaps, in the future, we could hire a ship without a crew.]
[I, uh, hadn't thought of that.] I managed to not make a face at the suggestion. [What of Master Dooku?]
Dooku was to arrive tomorrow but not reveal himself as a Jedi. Instead, he was going to play on his family name and try to arrange meetings with various officials from companies linked to the Techno Union. He would pretend to be looking to acquire a small force of ships to defend the Serenno System and surrounding areas from pirates. While it was unlikely that the officials would reveal information about their ships in pursuit of a contract, Dooku was certain he could get them to reveal more than they should, and given he had managed to bring together the CIS, I wasn't going to argue against his persuasive abilities.
[His last transmission, relayed through Master Sifo-Dyas, suggested he already had meetings with representatives of several of the companies in the Union. But do not get your hopes up. While we believe your visions about what is to come, the chances of us discovering anything that would hint at a move to secede from the Republic are remote, at best.]
[Yes, Master.]
"Come along Padawan. We must meditate on the day's events," she spoke, breaking the mental link as we stepped out of the elevator and moved towards our assigned quarters.
"Yes, Master," I replied as I fell into step at her side.
...
...
"Were you able to discover anything while on assignment?" Dooku asked as I walked with Fay down the ramp from the transport that had brought us to the Corellian System.
"Nothing of great significance, though Young Cameron here did make a few friends and impressed the educators," Fay replied while indicating me with a hand, "How did you fare?"
Dooku pulled a datapad from his robes. "While I was unable to discover anything on Fondor, I did manage to discover that there are tensions within the Union. Both Kuat Drive Yards and the Corellian Engineering Corporation are distancing themselves from the other major members of the Union due to differences of opinion regarding Republic policy."
"Not surprising really. Both Kuat and Corellia are Core worlds and while most of the other members of the Union are headquartered further out." I said, earning a proud nod from Dooku.
"Indeed. From what I was able to gather, and linking it to your visions, I speculate that those two companies would remain loyal to the Republic even if the Union decides to secede." He continued as he handed the pad to Fay. "There are a few companies in the Union that have not chosen a side, or at least have not ventured into the ongoing debate."
Fay examined the pad. "I am unfamiliar with any of these companies."
"They are all smaller members of the Union based mainly in the Inner to Mid-Rim that handle the construction of smaller, but more robust, ships and droids than the larger corporations. Or that was the impression I was given during their presentations."
That caught my attention as one of my ideas was to take over a mega-crop, though I had generally considered it fantasy. However, a smaller company may be easier to gain control of. Though such plans were years off and would only be possible once I was either a Knight – and free to travel as I wished – or had left the Order, which I was not planning to do until at least after the invasion of Naboo.
Fay turned and handed me the pad. "Cameron, do you know of any of these companies?"
I took the pad and scanned the list. While most of the dozen or so companies were unknown, two jumped out at me. Incom and Subpro.
When I'd made my initial list for how to combat Sidious, I'd considered accelerating or rediscovering certain technologies like X-Wings and personal shielding that didn't kill the user.
While I'd had no luck with the shielding, I'd found what I believed was a precursor to the X-Wing – The Z-95 Headhunter – was jointly made by Incom and Subpro corporations. Learning that Incom was one of the smaller, undecided members of the Techno Union was unexpected, and almost made up for the four and a half months I'd spent learning at the training centre on Fondor.
Oh sure, the classes had helped improve my technical skills – and a few quests linked to those skills – and generated a new one – Mechanics [Droids] – but beyond that, making a few friends with future engineers and designers it had been months that felt wasted.
OK, not wasted as I had maxed out and maxing out Lightsaber: Makashi and TK and abused my time away from Fay to train up Compulsion and Persuasion on my fellow students. I had also increased Intelligence and Wisdom by one and completed quests linked to four of my now five mechanics skills and one linked to Form IV, Ataru. All of that – once Boosted Growth was applied – had resulted in me having just enough XP to reach level 19. That had brought the usual bonus points for stats and skills while increasing my FP by another 500.
"These two," I replied highlighting the two companies, which opened a file on details about the company. "I studied one of their previous models during my classes on Fondor."
"Hmm, Incom. And Subpro. Yes, I am aware of their popular joint-model, the Z-95. It is a reliable and capable fighter, though it does lack many features of more modern craft. What did you learn in your classes?"
"Mainly about how modular and adaptable it was. I suggested a few ways to change the airframe, but I doubt they'd work." Mainly, that was because I'd used jet fighter designs from the Earth in the nineteen-seventies, though I'd only been able to do map out that idea once the relevant skill, Mechanics [Fighters] had reached Professional 1. While I doubted my ideas would take hold, the larger wing surface from my design was commented on by the instructor as a possible way to help with heat dispersion.
Still, the time at the academy had me considering one day designing a fighter that merged this universe's technology with an Earth-based airframe. Though I doubted I'd ever have the time or resources to commit to such an idea.
"Hmm," a single eyebrow rose, "while that is impressive, it has little bearing on our original plan for allowing you to study there for almost half a year."
"That is true, though now if we do need a private craft for our travels, Cameron should be able to handle the maintenance of the vessel," Fay said seemingly trying to find some good form the time.
"Indeed. I spoke with Sifo-Dyas yesterday, and while we were careful about what we discussed, I believe he has discovered a handful of Jedi in the Temple that may be agreeable to our concerns."
"That is good news, though I have a few other members of our Order who I wish to meet and discover their feelings and intentions," Fay countered as we began to walk through the corridors of the spaceport station high above Corellia, "I also wished for Cameron to meet with the local Jedi. I believe they would be more receptive to him than most due to his bloodline."
Dooku rubbed his beard before he spoke. "Yes, I had not considered that. Though we would have to be cautious about what we reveal to them as I am aware that one of their members is a close friend of Master Windu."
"Do you know which member it is?"
"Sadly no," he replied to her question as I stayed silent, "though it likely is a senior Master as they serve as the only link between the High Council and Corellia that I am aware of."
I glanced to the side and stumbled and lost my balance.
"Cameron?" Fay asked though my attention was on one of the transports that were moving around the dock. For some strange reason, the ship was encased in a gentle golden glow.
"I'm fine. I just got lost in my thoughts for a moment," I replied as she helped me stand.
"Perhaps we need to work on your awareness Padawan," Dooku suggested and I felt a shiver shoot up my spine, "though I cannot tell if you are being honest or not. Impressive mental barriers to have developed in half a year."
I gave him a nod in acknowledgement, glad that running Telepathic Shield almost non-stop for the time on Fondor had been worth it. The power was comfortably in the Prodigy range.
Curious about what was causing the golden halo around the transport, I examined the list of destinations for the transport. Most of the stops meant nothing to me, however, the end destination did trigger a memory. Eriadu. That was the planet where the Tarkin family came from, specifically Wilhuff Tarkin, a name on my list of people to watch in the years leading up to the outbreak of war.
Currently, Tarkin was serving in a regional defence force, though the last news article mentioning him involved him at a party hosted by one of the heads of Santhe/Sienar Technologies, one of the few major starship construction conglomerates that was not a part of the Techno Union. Though at least one subsidiary was, which did make some sense as it gave SST a voice at the table without committing fully to the Union.
Perhaps the gold light was a hint to head to Eriadu to deal with Tarkin?
I shook off the thought as we began to walk again.
"Which should we then Cameron?" Asked once we had walked for about a minute.
"I think I'd like to visit the Jedi on Corellia then head back to the temple, but only for a short while," I replied after considering the choices. I knew nothing about another set of Jedi on Corellia. Heck, I didn't even realise there were enclaves away from Coruscant. Perhaps the ones here, in other places if they existed, would be more open to what we were building.
And while I was curious about the Jedi Fay wished to meet, I felt that checking in with Darihd and maybe seeing where I stood with the other Padawans at the Temple would be a more useful way to spend a few months.
...
...
"Those… argh!" I growled out as we arrived back at our rented apartment in Coronet City after meeting with the Green Jedi Council and I punched the air.
"It was to be expected Cameron, though we are also upset with their lack of interest," Fay said before sighing loudly as she sat on the couch in the main room. "They have always been more concerned with Corellia and its system than the greater galaxy."
"A trait shared by many of the people," Dooku added his temper back under control. "They believe themselves better than others, a trait made even worse with their Jedi."
To say Dooku did not agree with the apparent isolationist and self-centred policies of the Green Jedi would be an understatement. He had more than once during our meeting with their High Council had to stop in mid-sentence lest he ended up shouting at them and if not for Fay's natural calming touch, I suspect we would have been escorted from the planet by CorSec. Then again, I had been forced to engage Player's Mind to keep my own emotions under control.
"Still, you think they would be worried about the failings of the Republic, if for no reason than the effect it would have on them," I said as calmly as I could as I sat in an empty chair and pulled a datapad from my pocket.
"They did admit to sharing our concerns about the Republic at least," Fay countered, acting once more as the calm, older mind. "Though I suspect that they, and the Corellian Senate, have plans to exploit the fall of the Republic. They have tried to secede from the Republic several times, the last being within my lifetime, and they are reluctant members of the Republic."
"That is the polite way to describe the situation," Dooku added, though made no move to comment further, instead pouring himself a glass of juice.
"When will you and Cameron leave?" Fay asked, moving the conversation on from the less than successful meeting with the Green Jedi.
"Tomorrow I believe. There are daily flights to Coruscant from the main spaceport," Dooku replied after sipping his glass. "How long will it take for you to locate and speak with your friends?"
Fay shrugged even as she shifted a pillow on the couch. "I can't say. Zao is very much a wanderer, often finding himself in the strangest of places. Rangir is a recluse who was last seen near Hutt space while An'ya has been in self-imposed exile after losing her last Padawan."
"And you believe they would be open to what we are doing?"
Fay sighed as she sunk further into the couch. "Possibly. Zao, like myself, prefers to let the Force guide his journey. I believe he is the most likely to see the benefits to what we are creating. Rangir is… troubled, or at least that was the case the last time we spoke a decade ago. Perhaps she would be willing to help us, but it is just as likely that she chooses to stay uninvolved. And An'ya… well, I am sure you know her story better than I." She finished with a smile that seemed more sad than happy.
Dooku grunted as he put down the now empty glass. "Yes, I do." He seemed unwilling to talk further about her as he stood and moved towards his sleeping quarters.
"Cameron?" I looked up from my pad to see Fay was now looking at me. "I would ask how much of that you heard, but I already know the answer." We both smiled at the small joke as she was well aware that I had a knack for remembering minute details with ease, though she did not know it was due to the perk Eidetic Memory.
"What are you working on?"
I floated the pad over to her as I answered. "More songs," as she collected the object. I had just added 'Everybody Hurts' and 'Something's Happening Here' to my account.
While no-one had messaged me to use the lyrics in a song, and I hadn't earned anything as they were too short to be paid for, the two dozen already on the site had been viewed – in total – more often than 'Fellowship' had been downloaded.
Fay smiled as she read the two new songs before looking at me. "Cameron, if I did not know you had moved on from your pain, I would be worried. Since I do, all I will ask is that once we find a synthtar that you play these for me."
"I'll add them to the list," I replied with a smile of my own.
Just before reaching Fondor, she had discovered me writing songs on a datapad. After reading some, she became worried that I was missing my grandfather and my old life, but I'd managed to convince her that wasn't the case.
Since then, she had read through the list of songs, now numbering over thirty, that were on the pad and kept insisting I should sing them.
I had held off on publishing them though as the site where I'd published The Fellowship of the Ring only allowed works greater than ten thousand words and since an average song had around two hundred words, there wasn't much point.
I had, however, spent some time on Fondor searching for a site that allowed the publication of lyrics for songs, and found a linked site for budding musicians and lyrists. When we returned to Coruscant, I planned to open an account with them, and because it was linked to the publishing site, I didn't need to create a new account – and thus ask for permission – though I would need to ensure any sales were not routed the relief effort.
"Perhaps you can find one at the temple and ask one of your friends to record your performance?" Fay suggested as she leaned forward, placed the pad on the table and grinned. "I imagine Padawan Keto would enjoy hearing you sing."
"Master," I groaned out, which made her laugh.
"Then what about Miss Naberrie? I'm certain she'd enjoy listening to you sing."
My head fell into my hands as she laughed. Not long after leaving Shadda-Bi-Boran, Fay had discovered that Serra had been asking Darihd about me and, adding that to my semi-regular communication with Padmé, had taken to teasing me about how close I was to the two girls.
While I wasn't particularly embarrassed by Fay's comments about them liking me, it was awkward to think about them like that as both were pre-teens. Yes, I also was physically pre-pubescent, but mentally I wasn't. It was an issue I knew was only going to get worse as I hit puberty and had to deal with them and had to regularly share a room with someone as beautiful as Fay.
"I don't have to take this," I muttered as I stood, scooped up my pad, and moved to my quarters. "And I need to prepare for tomorrow. I suspect Master Dooku will have us leave at dawn for the spaceport."
...
...
"So you are telling me that you and a senior Jedi Master are experiencing visions of the fall of the Republic, and the destruction of the Jedi, and are actively working with Darihd and others to ensure that the Order has some way to survive?" Serra asked after I finished explaining about what I was up to with Darihd and our Jedi Masters in the restaurant a few blocks from the Temple.
"Essentially, yes," I replied. Honestly, I didn't want the Jedi Order, as it currently stood to survive, but telling her - or Darihd - that now, would lead to problems I wasn't ready to face.
She looked from Darihd to me and back, then started laughing.
"Force! That's a good one!" she managed to get out.
Darihd glanced at me, but my attention was focused on Serra. I kept my face neutral but inside I was annoyed she thought I was playing a prank. Sure, it did sound a little preposterous to consider, but I knew what was coming so I knew it was not a joke and Darihd believed both myself and Sifo-Dyas.
Slowly Serra's laughter began to slow as she saw I wasn't smiling, then stopped altogether as she spotted neither was Darihd.
"Wait, you mean to tell me… But, how, why…" she slumped back into her part of the couch that bent around our circular table. "Sithspit."
"Yeah, I was surprised when he told me about his visions last year," Darihd said, trying to help her accept what I'd told her. "Though I had my Master to help me accept it as he's working with Masters Dooku and Fay."
"But if… Master Sifo-Dyas is the other with these visions?" Serra asked slowly, still seemingly unbalanced by what she was realising.
"Yeah. Knew you'd get that," I replied, giving her a smile that brought a touch of pink to her cheeks.
"But why not take this to the High Council? Surely they'd be willing to help?"
Darihd shook his head. "They won't Serra. They're too close to the Senate, too willing to ignore the corruption and degradation that's infested the very core of the Republic." He paused and sighed. "I can't go into why, but my Master is vehemently against letting the Council at large know about what we are doing."
I nodded at that. Dooku had explained what the Jedi did to those with over-powering visions like Sifo-Dyas had suffered when he and Dooku had been Padawans and Knights and extracted a promise from me to not reveal my visions to anyone without clearing it with either him or Fay first. Which I had done as we had arrived in orbit above the Republic capital when explaining that I planned to bring Serra into the circle while talking with Darihd about the rest of Dragon Clan.
Dooku had agreed, though warned me to be careful about how many Padawans I brought in, and how quickly, as they were more likely to mistakenly reveal something which would place our plans in jeopardy.
I'd asked Dooku who he would be speaking with, and while he was reluctant to reveal everything to me – mainly in case I let things slip to Darihd and Serra – he did mention he hoped to talk with two of his former Padawans, Qui-Gon and Keelyvine Reus, though he was uncertain if Keelyvine would be open-minded enough to bring into the group.
"So why tell me?" she slowly asked, her eyes locked onto mine.
"Beyond the fact we both trust you?" I asked back with a smirk.
She chuckled. "Yeah, beyond that."
"No reason." We all laughed for a moment before I continued. "Truthfully, I felt Darihd needed help watching the other Padawans and the Younglings. While I don't doubt that he can handle it, having only one opinion on who we can and can't bring into this is risky."
Serra gave me a wide smile. "Fine, then I'm in. And I think Aayla and Sia-Lan would be good options."
Darihd nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but they're both on assignment."
"As much as I think they can keep things quiet, for now, I don't want others brought in," I said softly, "and it's not because I don't trust them. More that I know nothing about their masters."
"And you do about Master Drallig?"
"No, but Master Dooku does, and while he doesn't feel your master would agree with our planning, he also doesn't feel Master Drallig is a blind follower of the Council and Senate, just a strong believer in the Jedi way," I explained. "There was also something about him having a maverick approach to situations."
Serra snorted. "Don't I know it. He keeps having me run combat drills where nothing makes sense even after they finish."
"Sounds like the real world," I muttered as my mind wandered back to the last time that I was on Coruscant. "How are Bultar and Jon?"
The two shared a look before Darihd spoke.
"Bultar seems fine. It's hard to really tell as we don't know much about her, though the High Council arranging outside help for her has helped, I think." He answered.
"That was Masters Fay and Yaddle, not the Council," I blurted out, making both of them stare at me. "The majority felt that the whole thing was a learning experience from the Force," I said trying my best to not sneer at the complete lack of concern they'd displayed that day, though I did air-quote 'learning experience.
"What? But they announced the treatments to the Temple at large as a decision they had reached after meditating," Serra said, and I gripped the edge of the couch to reign in my temper.
"That… that sounds like both an attempt at PR and a way to put Bultar and Jon down," I said with a stiff jaw. "Getting them help is fine but announcing it to everyone would just make many think they are weak and unworthy of being Jedi."
"My Master was, less polite about it privately," Darihd said as he shook his head and sighed. "He considered stepping down from the Council early in protest at their handling of things."
"What?! But why?" Serra blurted out, her shock at hearing all this matching my own, though she was less able to hide her surprise and shock.
"Because the council was playing politics with the lives of the Padawans," I explained as I gritted my teeth and shook my head in disgust. "By saying it was their decision, it makes them look compassionate towards the pair, even if they weren't initially. Like I said, good PR."
"PR?"
"Public relations," I gave her a weak smile. "Something I learnt from Senator Palpatine." Though what I'd learnt from the Sith Lord was how to subtly shift a conversation to suit my own narrative.
What I was saying by revealing the council's reasons – or what I felt they were – cast them in a worse light with my fellow Padawans. And would make it hard for the council to deny without revealing that it was Fay who had pushed for Bultar and Jon to get help, not them.
If I was going to play this game, I might as well learn from the best.
"Anyway, you said Bultar was doing well. What about Jon?"
Again, the two shared a look before Darihd spoke, though this time he was much more cautious about his words.
"Jon… didn't take the reveal about the outside help well. He… well, he rejected the offer, and lashed out a few times at others."
"I caught him trying to spar with the younger members of our Clan," Serra added while looking away from me. "I think he was taking out his anger on them because you weren't there."
"Ah." Was my succinct reply.
I had hoped that Jon getting help would have cured him of his dislike of me, however, it seemed the opposite had happened.
That could be a problem.
The room fell into an awkward silence.
"Serra, what was that story you keep reading?" Darihd suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Though why he was grinning at me as he asked was strange.
"Huh, oh, right. Well, I came across this story just over a year ago," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pad. "Have you read it?"
After a few taps at the screen and she handed to me and I chuckled then looked at Darihd, who was grinning widely, exposing his teeth.
"You might say that," I replied as I handed the pad back to her, "I wrote it."
"You wro… What? When? HOW?" It was hard to not laugh at her growing shock and increased volume. And Darihd failed as he placed a hand over his mouth. "You knew?" she asked as she smacked his arm.
"Why wouldn't he? I mean, the proceeds go to helping the Shadda-Bi-Borans, and I was involved in the evacuation efforts when he arrived with Master Sifo-Dyas," I answered for him as he struggled to contain his amusement.
"I, I just thought you might know who wrote it because it was linked to that. I never… when did you do that?" she asked with her eyes wide as she focused on me.
"I started it while staying with Senator Palpatine and finished it during my free time. Padmé suggested publishing it."
"Padmé?" Her eyes narrowed.
"The daughter of the head of the relocation program. I gave her a copy when she was bored and she, well, she felt much like you do about it. It was her idea to publish it, though I suggested having the funds routed to help with what we were doing."
"Does she still contact you?" Darihd asked with a grin, and I had a sudden urge to throw him out of the room. Preferably through the wall.
"Every few months," I answered calmly. "So how does it feel to know a famous writer?" I asked Serra, turning the conversation away from Padmé, and hopefully calming her reaction to Padmé.
"It's, strange. I mean I never thought you'd be an author," she said, making her eyes enlarge rapidly, "I mean, I know you're not stupid, it just you, writing… um."
I chuckled at her tripping over her backtracking. "No-one would. Which is why I did it." Or why I allowed Padmé to convince me anyway, though I held that comment back to avoid getting a reaction from Serra.
"That reminds me, she called the Temple looking for you again," Darihd said with his smirk seemingly surgically attached to his face. "She's arriving on Coruscant next month as part of the Apprentice Legislature and was hoping to meet up."
"That's… nice." I replied slowly, aware of the way Serra's had again narrowed. "But I think I'll be off the planet by then. Master Dooku is just checking in with a few friends before we head off again."
"We could meet her," Serra suggested making my head snap around to her. "I mean, I have to thank her for getting you to write Fellowship, and she already knows Darihd. Any friend of you two is a friend of mine, right?"
"Right." I drawled out, my mind already conjuring images of that potential disaster. Getting Padmé to know more Jedi had the potential to be useful when Naboo was invaded. But the idea of putting Padmé and Serra in a room sent a shiver down my spine.
While Serra was more mature for her age than most – something that could be said about other Jedi younglings and Padawans – she was still growing and learning how to deal with emotions. A trial made even harder by the Jedi dogma of 'letting go' of those emotions.
Perhaps once we were all a bit older, and Serra was more comfortable with herself, or me being friends with a girl outside the Order, I could introduce them to each other. But at this point, it had a bit too much risk factor for my comfort...both for Serra's healthy emotional growth, and my own masculine protection.
"What have you been up to?" I asked the pair, moving the conversation way from Padmé even as I considered how I was going to approach the invasion.
As I was leaning towards removing Anakin from Tatooine before then, I needed to come up with plans for how to take out a Lucrehulk-class vessel. Having more Jedi there than just Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would help with that.
Then there was the chance that my being here had changed the timeline enough that those two weren't assigned to the mission. In that event, I'd have to have another plan ready to activate.
Honestly, I was curious if I could handle the command ship myself, but that was probably pride and/or arrogance speaking.
Regardless of what plan I used, I would keep trying to acquire a schematic of the Lucrehulk, and other CIS and Republic vessels.
…
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Cathedral of the Past
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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I stepped backwards and guided the attack from my opponent to the side even as my free hand lashed out and caught him flush in the ribs.
He grunted and used the Force to leap away from me.
"Not bad kid," he muttered as he moved into an Ataru stance while I stayed with Soresu. While I'd normally use Makashi, this was my first full-on spar with a full Jedi Knight. Because of this, I was relying more on the defensive form to try and outlast my opponent.
And it was working.
I led the spar two-zero, meaning another clean hit would give me the match, and my first win against a Knight.
In the few weeks that I'd been back at the Temple, I'd sparred with and beaten a further five Padawans, gaining about 2000XP from Training Superiority while also raising my Intelligence and Wisdom up to 19. I'd also spent time training those who wanted pointers on Makashi while sparring daily with Serra, Darihd and Sia-Lan, who'd arrived back from an assignment a few days ago.
The knight moved to attack, his blade sweeping upwards as he moved in far more rapidly than a normal sentient could.
Though to me, it seemed slow, letting me know that Bullet Time was at a high enough level to counter his skill at accelerating his actions.
I easily avoided the attack, sliding forwards so that his blade sailed through where I'd been standing, then brought my blade around to block his next attack.
He pivoted, slashing as he did, forcing me to step backwards.
He brought his blade upwards, surging forward, and I was forced to step backwards, gliding to the side of his attack.
The pattern continued for a dozen more attacks until one attack where he overextended.
I shifted from Soresu to Makashi, guided his blade to my left, stepped inside his range and brought my blade down across his chest.
"Match Shan," Master Drallig called out to a few cheers.
"Damm kid. You're good," the knight stated as we powered down our lightsabers.
"Purely thanks to Master Dooku, Knight Pana," I replied.
Dooku heard my comment and shook his head once. "While I have been teaching you Padawan, your ease with the blade is all your own. Few Jedi, even Masters such as I, are so comfortable shifting between Forms in combat." Even without the Force Bond we shared, I could tell he was proud of my ability with a blade.
"Your master speaks truly, Padawan," Drallig said as he stepped closer. "In time I see you being able to challenge, and possibly best, even Grandmaster Yoda. Though only with continual training and patience."
"You need not worry about arrogance Cin, Cameron is well aware of his limitations," Dooku stated with the barest hint of a smile touching his lips. Most would not see it, but after a few years around him, I could detect the subtle hints that indicated his true feelings. Or at least, most of the time.
"Nodro, while you are more than capable with your blade, perhaps a few more lessons on facing opponents with experience defending would not go amiss," Drallig suggested to Pana who took the comment without and any hint of disappointment.
"Yes Master, though I'd prefer to focus on my other studies," he turned to me, "I am training to be a historian for the Order. Perhaps we might speak later about the Order, or at least what you knew of it, from your original time."
"If I have the time," I replied with a smile and a bow to him.
"Master Dooku," I turned with him to see a blue-skinned Duros approach. Based on his height, he was young, thus probably a Padawan. "Master Nilas asked me to inform you she was free to speak with you and is currently in a meditation chamber in the northwest tower."
"Thank you," Dooku replied dismissing the Padawan by turning from them to me. "Come Cameron. I suspect that Master Nilas will also wish to speak with you."
I didn't verbally respond, instead falling into step beside him s we began to walk.
Though I stopped as Danger Sense pinged, and I turned to see Jon Savos enter the hall alone. His eyes narrowed as he saw me and began to storm towards my location, only stopping when called by the other Padawans. Before I turned and caught up with Dooku, I used Observe.
The fact he'd gone up three levels in two years, was impressive, especially given to what had happened. However, the fact he was furious, and that he blamed me for what had happened to him and wanted me gone was not good.
I'd have to be very careful about how I handled him while we were here.
I suspected he'd try to spar with me, but everything in me told me that wouldn't do any good. If I let him win, even if I was subtle about it, would feed his belief I shouldn't be here, but beating him would only increase the anger and instability.
"Do not worry yourself about him, Padawan," Dooku said as we exited the hall, "he has to accept that what happened was beyond both his and your control. If he cannot, he will be dismissed from the Order."
"Then what would happen to him?" I asked as Dooku's words didn't leave me with much hope Jon would get the help he needed.
"After that, he will be placed in monitored care. While the Order has many faults, we do not abandon those in need of help. Even those unable to recognize that they need it." There was a hint of disapproval in his tone, but whether that was aimed at the Order, Jon, or both, I couldn't tell.
The rest of our walk to the elevator was made in silence as I contemplated Dooku's words. The way Dooku told me to ignore Jon was in keeping with his character and was an option to take, though I was certain it was not the one Fay would suggest.
Learning that even if he was dismissed from the Order, he would not be left to his own devices was nice to hear, as I feared that no matter what I did Jon would be forced from the Order. Though if/when that happened, I knew his belief that it was my fault would be permanent in his psyche, which could be a problem if Sidious discovered him, learned I was a threat to him or both.
The easiest solution if Jon was forced from the Order would be removing Jon from the board, but it wasn't something I was willing to do. I felt a little sick that I could even consider it, but I knew that if I didn't, I risked him becoming a problem down the road.
That morbid train of thought stayed with me until we entered a meditation chamber to find Nilas with one other: Qui-Gon Jinn.
"I did not expect you to be here Qui-Gon, yet it is not surprising that you are," Dooku stated passively, which made the other man smile.
"I'm always glad to confound you, Master," he replied and there was a very subtle twitch to Dooku's lips, "And Padawan Shan, a pleasure to see you again."
"And you Master Jinn," I said back, remembering he was the one to escort me to meet former Chancellor Kalpana. "I hope your Padawan is not still angry about our spar?"
Qui-Gon chuckled loudly, and I noted that Nilas smiled as well. "No, no. Obi-Wan has taken the defeat well. He has started to learn Soresu to help counter the lack of defence in Ataru. Though I believe he wishes a rematch." Though if the way Master Dooku looks when you duel, I fear my Padawan will suffer defeat again."
"Cameron is… extremely gifted with a lightsaber. I imagine he will be able to best any in the Order within a decade," Dooku stated proudly; though only those who knew him well would be able to detect the pride in his tone.
Qui-Gon chuckled and looked at me. "That is high praise indeed, but do not let it go to your head young one."
"I suspect if it did, Master Dooku would take pleasure in knocking it back out," I replied, making Qui-Gon laugh even louder.
"Yes, I imagine he would."
The doors to the room opened, and I turned to see Darihd walk in with Sifo-Dyas.
"Good, everyone is here, please be seated," Nilas said as she took one of the comfy seats that reminded me of beanbags, though with a more defined shape.
Once we were, she turned to me and smiled. "Hello again, child of time." Then she 'looked' at each person in the room in turn.
"Master Jinn, I am glad to see you have decided to join us. I was concerned that the perceived distance between you and your former master would lead to you not joining us."
Qui-Gon bowed his head before he spoke. "I am grateful for your concern, Master Nilas. Thankfully Master Dooku is now, apparently, more… open, regarding certain prophecies and events."
Dooku grunted quietly but didn't deny the comment.
"That is probably due to Cameron," Sifo-Dyas explained with a small smile. "Having to teach a Padawan that many believe is the Chosen One would force any Jedi to reassess their opinions."
"I hate being called that," I muttered loud enough that everyone could hear. Qui-Gon, Sifo-Dyas and Darihd all chucked to various degrees as Nilas turned her head to me.
"You may hate the label, but you are the Chosen One. Yet, you are also not." I frowned, which made her laugh even if she couldn't see my face. Likely because of how her race used the Force to see.
"For some time now, we Seers, and others with the gift, have sensed a coming darkness within the Republic. That veil of darkness became to most Jedi four years ago. And yet, with the darkness came a new light. One that didn't shrink or cower from the darkness, instead it grew brighter as it touched the darkness."
"That sounds familiar," I mumbled as I glanced at Sifo-Dyas, which made both him and Nilas smile.
"Yes, I understand Master Sifo-Dyas said something similar to you a few years ago," Nilas continued. "He was not wrong. Nor was I about the darkness within you making your shine brighter.
"Yet, you were not the only light that I have witnessed in this darkness," she paused and again looked at everyone in the room. "What I say now is something I have never revealed to any."
"Before Cameron's arrival, within the darkness, I have long seen another. While this source of light is potentially greater than Cameron, in almost all my visions from before, that light faded for a time before exploding, consuming the darkness and itself. What comes after that, I do not know, and now will never know, as those visions have been replaced with others."
She paused to take a mouthful of water, though no-one spoke. Instead, we all waited for her to continue.
"This new light, one I know within my very bones is young Cameron, has altered that future. The darkness will still grow, though how much in covers all is far less clear than before. It could cover every source of light within the galaxy, yet I feel it is far more likely that it will not be as large or long-lasting as it could have been.
"However, the one constant I can see in all these new glimpses it the way the twin Chosen are linked."
"I have seen something similar, though the linked fates of Cameron and the Chosen One is beyond my ability," Sifo-Dyas added, as I felt everyone's gaze upon me. "Though the fact there are two who could fulfil the prophecy and bring about the end of the Sith is encouraging."
"Sadly, the prophecy does not actively state an end to the Sith," Qui-Gon offered with a smile, "though I believe you have already realised this, Padawan."
"I do, Master Jinn."
He raised his hand to cut me off. "Please, since we are alone and a part of this little coalition, call me Qui-Gon."
I smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir." He chuckled and turned to Dooku.
"He seems far more respectful than I remember being."
Dooku laughed once with a close mouth. "He is, and yet isn't. It is most perplexing and stimulating."
"If I may answer the question?" I asked, proving Dooku's point, which made Qui-Gon chuckle once more as he waved his hand, indicating for me to continue. "My opinion on what balance means, which is already known to Masters Dooku and Sifo-Dyas, does not mean the destruction of the Sith. Not unless the Jedi also fall."
"What? Why would you want that?" Darihd blurted out, only to seem to sink into himself as the four masters turned their attention to him. "Um, I mean, wouldn't that mean our deaths as well?"
"Why would it?" I asked back. "The coming darkness is being brought on by the corruption and decadence in the Republic, centring on the Senate; a body that the High Council has fused the Jedi too.
"If, when, one falls, so will the other. That is unavoidable. Yet, how can someone preach about balance when they deny part of themselves? How can we fight against the darkness, within ourselves and the galaxy at large, when we fail to acknowledge the same darkness that exists within all living creatures? Jedi included."
"A bold proclamation young one," Nilas said with a smile and a shake of her head. "Yet also one showing wisdom far beyond your tender years."
She paused and sighed. "However, we are not here to debate a topic that has been raging for longer than even I have been within these walls. Instead, we are to discuss what can be done to drive back the oncoming storm, how we can prepare for the rot to bring down the Republic and the Order, the link that exists between you and the other Chosen One and how to approach it."
"I'd assume just becoming closely acquainted with this other person would be the easiest approach," I suggested.
"I believe we have spoken at length on the dangers of assumptions," Dooku stated firmly. "Though in this case, that does appear to be the most logical approach."
"Logical yes, but without knowing more about this other, we can do nothing but speculate," Nilas added before coughing once more. "The path you must walk young Padawan is shrouded in mystery.
"When I attempt to meditate on the matter, the Force swirls around the pair of you, blinding like the light from two stars. It makes any details, even the most remote, impossible to see."
"Then this other could be anything from Cam's best friend to his greatest rival?" Darihd asked, seemingly having grown more comfortable speaking up as this time when everyone turned his way, he held his ground.
"Yes." Nilas sighed and suddenly looked far frailer than her age would suggest. "Sadly, the Force does not grant one perfect sight of what is to come: only hints of possibilities. How we interpret those glimpses is up to mere mortals, and none of us are infallible."
I frowned and looked from her to Sifo-Dyas, remembering the story he and Dooku had told about seeing a planet burn. "Are all visions so vague?"
Nilas smiled at me before looking at Sifo-Dyas. "No. Not all. Just as the closer you are to a fire, the easier individual flames are to see, so to do visions tend to become clearer the closer you approach the event they cover. That does not, however, mean we can know exactly what will happen."
"Like, if someone had a vision of their loved one dying, and did all they could to stop it only for they themselves to be the cause of that death?" I suggested, using Anakin's visions in Episode 3.
"That is a strangely specific example to use, but the premise is true," Sifo-Dyas answered as his brow creased. "And an example of why relationships for a Jedi are forbidden."
"And an example of one of the few things the Jedi and Sith agree upon, though for entirely different reasons," Nilas added, making everyone turn to her. "Do you understand why Padawans?"
Darihd shook his head but I smirked.
"Because everyone can be a monster or an angel in the name of love." Nilas smiled warmly and nodded even as I continued. "However, that would be true for those who are not Force-sensitive as well. For both Jedi and Sith to deny that their emotions, good and bad, influence their decisions and actions is to cut off a part of themselves, thus denying them balance."
"I see Master Fay has been explaining her views to you," Nilas said with an amused shake of her head.
"Those opinions are my own," I replied quickly, wanting to save Fay from getting into trouble. "I had them even before I began learning from Master Fay, or Master Dooku."
"Cameron is correct. He does hold opinions that many would consider heretical, and while I do not fully agree with many of them, he does speak with wisdom far beyond his age." Dooku added in support.
"Perhaps we might discuss that topic another day," Sifo-Dyas offered as he glanced at his commlink. "The longer we are all in here, the more chance we have to arouse suspicion."
"Yes, yes. I know that meeting here was not your preferred option, but you are aware of why I cannot simply walk out of the Temple and hold this meeting in a quiet little corner of Coruscant." Nilas countered, to which Sifo-Dyas nodded in acquiescence.
I could only assume that due to her status as a member of the Council of First Knowledge, a Seer, or just her advanced age, she did not leave the Temple often; if at all. Which would explain why we were meeting here instead of outside the Temple, where there would hopefully be less chance of another Jedi of interrupting us.
"Perhaps we might consider how to move forward with any plans?" Qui-Gon offered calmly, his eyes staying with me instead of the byplay between his fellow Jedi Masters. "Padawan, might I infer that the reason you published and then diverted the proceeds from your story was the start of such a plan?"
I looked over at Dooku, who gave a fractional nod for me to answer. "It was, and wasn't, sir. The objective there was the girl, Padmé Naberrie. A, for lack of a better term, voice in the Force called her name to me, which was why we became involved in the relocation efforts. It was her desire for me to publish my creation, I merely suggested diverting the earning to help."
"And in doing so, earned the friendship of the girl, helped increase the chances that an entire race would survive, discovered a revenue source outside the control of the Jedi or Senate and, provided you one day reveal yourself as the author, a large amount of goodwill with the denizens of the galaxy," Qui-Gon added with a wide smile.
"Honestly, I didn't plan for it to be so successful," I replied with a shrug. "I only did it to help."
Darihd coughed into his hand, though it sounded more like laughter.
"Perhaps, but by trusting your instincts, you were in a position to make a difference and help those around you."
"While I concede that Cameron's actions have potential future benefits for what we are doing, we are not here to argue the merits of aspects of the Force, Qui-Gon," Dooku said firmly to his former Padawan.
Qui-Gon lowered his head as Nilas spoke once more.
"Sifo-Dyas and I have considered possible paths we should travel, but without further details about the Chosen One, we cannot decide on which to take."
"What about a safe harbour?" Darihd offered hopefully. "I mean, if the Republic is to fall, and the Order with it, then we cannot stay in the Temple, right?"
"No, we cannot. However, while the idea of a refuge for the Jedi and our knowledge is desired, any moves we make to develop a location somewhere else in the Republic will draw the attention of someone, and word will leak back to the Senate, The High Council, or both." Sifo-Dyas explained slowly.
"Then perhaps somewhere outside the Republic," I suggested. "I'm sure there are systems that have been lost to time, while others may simply not have been catalogued, or not even discovered yet."
"Again, wise beyond your years," Nilas said with another smile. "There are indeed worlds whose hyperspace coordinates have been lost or forgotten and many more that are nothing more than a name in the central records of the Republic. However, discovering such a world that would be suitable as a refuge is a long a difficult undertaking. One we sadly lack the numbers in our group to truly commit to."
"Why not ask the Exploration Corps, Master? Couldn't you ask them to search for worlds that the Jedi could use as training centres?" Darihd suggested to Sifo-Dyas, who shook his head in reply.
"While asking the corps is sensible, the risk that they'd reveal their findings to another member of the High Council is too great to use unless…" his voice trailed off as he tapped his chin. "Perhaps there is a way, though I'll have to research it first."
"We can also be on the lookout for mentions of hidden or lost systems in our travels," Qui-Gon added. "I believe I heard mention of a world near Hutt Space that was used by mercenaries but wasn't in any hyperspace tracking listings."
"I believe we must end here," Dooku suggested as he glanced at the chrono-display on his commlink. "Cameron and I have classes to teach and being late would raise questions I would prefer to avoid."
"Yes," Nilas agreed with a tired sigh. "I also have somewhere to be."
"If anyone has any ideas, please inform either Master Nilas or me," Sifo-Dyas stated as everyone stood.
"Of course," Dooku replied as I exited with him and we walked in silence to the elevator. However, as we entered, Qui-Gon caught up with us.
"Perhaps we might spar once more, Master," he suggested with a smile, that Dooku returned, though it was not as large.
"Certainly Qui-Gon. But I remind you there is no need to refer to me as Master. We are equals now."
Qui-Gon chuckled. "Perhaps, but I admit that I still find calling you by your name strange." He glanced at me. "Have you even revealed it to your latest Padawan?"
"I have not. And until he becomes a Knight, I do not feel the need to inform him of it." Dooku replied as I frowned.
What Dooku's given name was had been a running question in my head. I'd searched the archives, but they did not list it, suggesting he had gone into the system and removed it. There was the chance that his given name actually was Dooku, but I highly doubted that was the case.
"Then far be it from me to do otherwise, Master Dooku," Qui-Gon agreed as he chuckled at my frown.
It might be a minor detail, but when it was something that I knew nothing about, it was annoying to not know. And a little refreshing as it was nice to not know things that others did.
…
…
About a week after meeting with Nilas and the others, Dooku and I were heading to the spaceport nearest the Jedi Temple.
In that week, I'd spent most of my free time meditating in solitude. Thankfully, no-one questioned my desire to meditate, since it was allowed, and while I'd used the time to train up certain Force Powers, most of the time I was simply taken up by me thinking about what had been discussed in the meeting, or how to handle the situation with Jon.
Regarding Jon, I hadn't come up with any other real options beyond allowing him to spar with me and see where things went. I wouldn't hold back, but I also wouldn't go all out. Hopefully, the middle road would have a better effect on him than passivity or aggression.
While I hoped that sparring would help him and that I could get through to him, I had serious doubts I could. If it didn't, I was going to have to either just let him go, and risk him becoming a threat and possible agent of the Sith, or take him out.
As for the meeting, having a support group that now extended beyond Dooku and Fay was a relief. Yet, it also increased the chance that the High Council or Palpatine would learn what we were up to.
Learning that Nilas's Force Visions dealt with me and Anakin, while unexpected, made sense once I thought about it. TPTB had told me a few times that the Force was trying to work out how I fit into things, and it now linking my fate to Anakin's, which, once I got past the bout of pride that generated, made sense.
I'd talked with Dooku and discovered that my midi-chlorian count was in the same region as Yoda's. While this was extremely high, it was not at the same level as Anakin's.
However, one thing I was certain of was that I learnt powers and skills at a rate far beyond most, if not all, sentients. That meant that while he potentially had larger natural reserves of the Force to call on, I'd have greater control/ability with those powers.
If we ended up as rivals, then that would make things interesting. However, I was leaning heavily on the idea that I could replace Obi-Wan in the big brother role for the boy, if not outright replace him as Anakin's Master.
That train of thought had resulted in a quest being generated. It involved me becoming a Jedi Knight before Padmé became queen of Naboo. Since the quest was C-rated, the interface/TPTB felt me getting knighted while I was still a teenager was likely. The major downside had been that if I failed, Anakin would be locked into becoming Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan's Padawan.
Since having Anakin become Obi-Wan's Padawan had resulted in the rise of Darth Vader, that was the worst possible outcome, thus I'd rejected the quest.
While I was confident that, provided my increase in levels continued at the current rate, I would be knighted before Padmé became queen, the risk of not stopping Anakin going down his canon path was not worth 1000XP. After rejecting that quest, I silently wished that I'd be wise enough to see those type of issues when I'd taken some of my earlier quests.
The further discussions about locating or re-discovering a refuge for survivors of the Jedi Purge – if that came to pass – had also played around in my head. I'd spent a few hours each day with Dooku reading up on worlds with connections to the Force to which their hyperspace coordinates were not listed. Especially those linked to Revan or Satele Shan as I had spoken to Revan and Satele's holocron seemed to be holding back information from me, even now that I was a Padawan.
For Revan, three came up, Lehon, more commonly known as Rakatan homeworld of Rakata, Malachor V, and Dromund Kaas. Since both Rakata and Dromund Kaas were still essentially dark side nexus planets, I had to assume that the hyperspace coordinates were simply restricted, though if the Jedi didn't know how exactly to get to Dromund Kaas, it was going to make the datapad in my Inventory with those coordinates – and the ones to other Sith Space worlds like Ziost – very useful.
Meanwhile, while Malachor V was listed in connection to Revan, my eidetic memory had informed me that, as of KOTOR2, Malachor was a shattered husk of a planet. It was neither light nor dark, but dead. A void in The Force. Not the best place for a refuge of Jedi.
For that matter, setting up a Jedi refuge in Sith Space was probably not a good idea either. Any group based there would be easy for the High Council to label as Sith if they were discovered before the outbreak of the Clone Wars. To say nothing about how Palpatine would react to me learning that I'd based a Jedi group on Sith worlds.
The search linked to Satele had been more useful. It had listed worlds that caught my attention.
Tython was the supposed first world where the ancient Je'daii Order – the forerunner to the Jedi – had been formed and was in the Deep Core; a place known to be extremely difficult to traverse. Which probably explained why its exact location had been lost to the ravages of time.
Satele had apparently rediscovered the world during a decades-long peace with a Sith Empire that had forced the Jedi to fleeCoruscant for a while during her lifetime. The hyperspace coordinates to Tython had again seemingly been lost as I doubted that if the Jedi still had them, they wouldn't be hidden from someone of Dooku's standing.
There were also brief mentions of other worlds that had been used by the Jedi throughout the ages, even some that were apparently the staging grounds for a resistance against some ominous threat that appeared out of the Unknown Regions. But they were almost never mentioned, except in dark rumours and digitally redacted recordings. I had little hope of finding them when someone had so obviously tried to erase their existence from recorded history.
There were also more than a thousand worlds that were mentioned in older documents that had no listed hyperspace coordinates. These, while lacking links to the Force and my family line, could still be useful places, if rediscovered, for staging posts or refuges.
The only issue with such worlds was, obviously, that they were lost. That meant finding them would require time, effort, and possibly a little luck. And probably a little help from the Force.
As we stepped out of the transport shuttle, I glanced around and saw that another vessel had a golden glow. Where it was going I didn't know, as we were outside the spaceport so I couldn't see the display boards, but unless Dooku had plans for where we were to go – and I didn't think he did as we weren't meant to meet up with Fay until after the new year; which was still three months away – I saw no reason for us not to take that vessel.
…
…
Seven days later, I found myself on another transport, this one bound for Nar Shaddaa. We had transferred twice from other vessels, and I was beginning to doubt that this golden halo had anything to do with the Force or TPTB.
"I do hope that Hutt Space is not our final destination," Dooku stated from his seat in the small cabin we had on the vessel as I felt the now-familiar lurch as we accelerated into hyperspace.
"As do I, Master. Though if we are there to end the Hutts, I would not be against it." I replied with a smirk even as I considered the chaos that I could cause on Hutt Space. Thanks to maxing out Telepathic Shield, I had no risk of him – or anyone else – sensing my thoughts while it was active, which it was whenever I was in the company of others.
The fact that the Republic banned slavery but allowed Hutt Space to exist – and blatantly turn a blind eye – was another example of the Senate being motivated by the greed of the few, not the desires of the many.
"While I share your sentiment, doing anything to anger the Hutt families would only lead to, restrictions, being placed upon us by the High Council." Dooku's tone was clear in its disgust, but I couldn't tell whether that was due to the Hutts, the failings of the Senate/High Council, or a bit of both. "Now come, I believe we can use this vessel for a more advanced form of sparring."
I followed him out into the corridor, then through the ship and then down to the lower passenger levels. While the quarters we had were cramped, we at least had room to move around in the room. That was probably due to Dooku being against being jammed in like sardines as the passengers in these levels were.
There were eight to a room not much bigger than our quarters, with a single fresher unit between them.
The people down here were poor, desperate and often fed up with the corruption of the Senate and the Republic. I'd even seen more than few of them glare at us on both this ship and the last as we passed, indicating that the reputation of the Jedi was just as sullied as that of the Republic; if not worse as we were meant to be peacekeepers and protectors of the innocent and downtrodden.
Eventually, we arrived at a deck that appeared to be deserted, and we stopped.
"While you are comfortable fighting within a sparring ring or a similar open space, often that is not the case," Dooku stated as he turned to me and unclipped his lightsaber. "Often, you will face opponents in enclosed or cramp areas like this corridor."
"Which would rule out most movements of Ataru," I interrupted as I unclipped my lightsaber. "It would also limit the effectiveness of Shii-Cho as without the room to move quickly, the attacks of the form are lacking."
"Indeed. I am relieved to see you understand the issue. What then would you consider a good form for combat in this location?" He asked as our lightsabers hissed to life.
"Makashi has some use, as its natural weakness against blasters is countered from the need to only defend a very narrow area. Soresu, while the natural defensive form, would be less useful than normal as it lacks the ability to force any attackers back, and if they use blasters, the chances of them running out of shots before a Jedi tires is, unlikely.
"Shien is the most obvious choice, especially against blasters, but it lacks much in the way of offensive capabilities. Or at least, from the velocities I had studied so far, while Djem So is only useful once close enough to use a lightsaber offensively." While I had answered, Dooku had moved a few metres further down the corridor.
A single nod as I finished speaking, indicated that he was happy with my answer. "Excellent deductions. Shien would be the choice of many Jedi, though others might say Niman. That form is preferred by many Jedi now, but unless studied to a highly advanced degree, the form is lacking in all areas of combat. Thus the best option is often to use the Force to alter the battle to your advantage."
He paused as he turned and raised his blade. "Let us see how well you can adapt."
I readied myself, with Bullet Time and Precog activating automatically, as he moved forward, and leaned back at a warning from Precog, then felt a blast of Force energy career past me.
I barely had time to process that this spar would involve using the Force before Dooku was upon me.
Bullet time and Precog were both at a high enough level that I could keep up with his rapid stabs, prods and slashes, though it was tough going as he was a far superior duellist in this location and it was taking all of my concentration to avoid the continual succession of attacks he was launching. I managed to avoid another two offensive uses of the Force before something came from behind and took out my feet.
As I fell backwards, I thrust out a hand to Push off the floor, only to smash myself into Dooku's lightsaber.
"Arg," I grunted out. Since the blades were in a low-power setting, the contact wasn't lethal, and with Damage Resistance: Energy being in the Master range, a good chunk of the damage done was negated.
However, it still annoyed me to be hit, and I took a small touch more damage as I fell backwards, and this time didn't arrest my fall.
"You must be aware of all of your surroundings when in combat, especially when engaged in tight quarters. The slightest mistake or misstep will mean serious harm, if not death."
"Yes, Master," I grumbled as I looked and saw that it had been a toolbox that had taken out my feet. My mood worsened when I saw that the interface had warned of the danger, but I'd been too busy reacting to Dooku's attacks to realise that there was a new danger from another direction.
As I began to stand, he turned and walked away. "Again." He called out once we were more than three meters apart.
I lifted my right leg, avoiding a blast from him, and stepped forward.
He prodded three times in quick succession. I blocked the first two, but as the third approached, I Phased and stepped forward.
His blade trailed harmlessly though me and then his brow just enough to tell me he was surprised as I stepped through him.
As always, passing through a blade or person felt tingly, but thanks to a few years practising with Fay I was used to the sensation.
As I stepped past him, I ended Phase, which resulted in my blade resting against the inside of his thigh.
"Most impressive." He stated and I deactivated my lightsaber, allowing him to turn to face me. "I see your lessons with Master Fay have been worthwhile."
I gave a nod as a smile broke out on my face. "Yes, Master. While the feeling of passing through something living, or a lightsaber, is strange, I have grown used to it."
Dooku's lip curled. "That is one way to describe the feeling. I would advise you to not reveal that during spars with other Jedi, or in combat unless you are being overwhelmed. It is a powerful tactic to have, but overuse only allows your enemies to adapt."
"That was the first time I've used it in a spar since becoming your Padawan," I stated, making a smile twitch into, then out of, existence.
"We shall go again, however this time, I want you to stick to more the more common applications of Force, in particular, telekinesis, blast and barrier." He said before turning and walking three metres away from me.
I raised and activated my lightsaber, tensing in preparation only for Precog to warn me to brace.
I grabbed the nearest handhold and noted Dooku doing the same, as the ship violently shook.
"We have exited hyperspace prematurely," he explained as the shaking stopped mere moments after it had begun, clipping his lightsaber back into his belt and pulling out his commlink a second before it beeped. "Yes?"
"Master Jedi, we have a situation. How soon can you reach the bridge or engineering?" the transport's captain – a man by the name of Thrall – asked through the link.
I mentally pulled up the map of the ship, something I did as a precaution on every vessel since my kidnapping. "We're closest to engineering. About three minutes, depending on traffic." I stated and Dooku relayed that to Thrall.
Thrall sighed loud enough that it carried over the audio-only comm-line. "Then I must ask you to head there."
"What exactly has happened captain?" Dooku asked as he waved at me to take the lead.
A glance at my interface showed I had about sixty per cent of my FP. I then cast Detection, fully reached out with the power, and frowned. Since the ship was only about eight-hundred metres long, the three groups that were about fifty kilometres away, and closing, had to be inbound vessels.
Sadly, when using Detection fully, it showed up the problems with it as it was only when a target was within one kilometre - the range of my minimap - that I got an accurate location. Anything beyond that was just a rough estimate of the range.
"Our hyperdrive engine disengaged abruptly, dropping us out in an uninhabited system. And three ships are approaching fast that are ignoring hails." Thrall explained, confirming what Detection had told me.
"Pirates?"
"Either that or slavers. They are a constant threat as we approach Hutt Space if you don't pay the appropriate fees." My frown deepened at the transports had to pay protection money to avoid being attacked by raiders. We were still inside Republic space, yet the Thrall's tone made it clear this was something everyone running transports to Nar Shaddaa had to deal with.
"What defences do you have?"
I dodged around a pair of Duros that were ambling around in the corridor, clearly wondering what had happened.
"The ship has a pair of laser cannons, but they won't do much against three ships."
"And onboard?" Dooku continued with the questions, trying to get as much information as possible.
There was a pause before Thrall answered. "We've been told to heave to and prepare to be boarded. If we don't comply, they're threatening to kill members of the crew and passengers."
I didn't need to see his face to know Dooku was frowning as he replied. "Then I suggest you do as ordered. I assume they are jamming hyperspace communication?"
"Yes, Master Jedi." Thrall sighed loudly just as we ducked into an elevator. "I don't know what to do."
"Order the passengers to their cabins, arm the crew and secure the bridge. We will see how we can help once we reach engineering."
"Thank you, Master Jedi. May the Force be with you." The commlink closed and Dooku turned to me.
"How many are there?" he asked. Something that both he and Fay had noted was that ability to sense others at distance was beyond that of most Jedi, themselves included.
"Around eighty. The two closest groups each have about thirty while the last group is moving slower and holding back." I replied after casting Detection again. "Based on their speeds and distances, the lead two ships should be docking in about six minutes. Each will dock amidships, though on opposite sides." I reported.
Dooku nodded as he processed what I'd told him. "While I believe we could handle one group quickly, the duel-landing poses an issue." He stated slowly as the elevator slowed and the doors opened, revealing five crew members rushing around rapidly. "Our first goal is to see if the hyperdrive can be repaired in time, though I suspect foul play means that is unlikely."
I looked at each crewmember, casting Observe as they caught sight of us. Thanks to that power, it was easy to discover that one of them was responsible for the hyperdrive failing.
"The Sullustan," I whispered to Dooku as we stood by the door.
"He is anxious, but that is true of all of them," Dooku replied only for his eyes to narrow as he focused on the Sullustan. "Hmm, I do sense that there is more to his worry than just the pirates."
"I think he is concerned that we are here," I suggested, using what Observe stated about him, though with a touch more vagueness. "Perhaps that is because he is responsible for the engines failing."
"Yes, that would make sense. However, we do not have much time to confirm it."
He strode forward confidently, stopping only once he was standing behind the Sullustan.
"Why has the hyperdrive failed?" he asked bluntly, and I sensed the application of the Force behind the question.
"I, uh, it,"
"You will tell me," Dooku stated, interrupting the stammering Sullustan. This time the usage of the Force was stronger.
"I will tell you." The Sullustan paused. "I altered our hyperspace coordinates to this system, then disabled the hyperdrive with a security datacard." The other four engineers looked at their co-worker with first, then shock and anger at what they heard.
"You will give me the datacard."
The Sullustan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object that reminded me of a credit card from Earth before he handed it to Dooku.
Dooku tossed the drive to another engineer as he waved his hand at the Sullustan, who fell like a puppet that had had its strings cut.
"Get the engines back online and secure him for questioning." He ordered as he turned to me.
Whatever he wanted to say was cut off as his commlink beeped.
"Master Jedi, the pirates are demanding that we open the airlocks," Captain Thrall almost shouted. The panic in his voice evident, but he was still in control. "They've threatened to fire on the bridge and engines if we do anything to resist."
"We have discovered the source of your engine problems," Dooku replied, giving the man some comfort. "Can you direct the pirate vessels to the same docking area?"
"No. The two smaller ships have moved to either side of us while the freighter is staying to the rear and above us."
I used Detection again and confirmed the report with a nod.
"Very well. Have the crew move the passengers away from the main docking port on each side of the vessel. We will handle them."
"And the freighter?"
"That as well." Dooku closed the link and turned to me. "Could you disable the freighter as you did when kidnapped?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, but without any idea of where they are in those ships, and rough deck plans, I can't be sure that I'd be able to take them all out without either killing them. And if any are of a species with thicker skin or bones, say Gamorrean, then I might not even stun them."
Dooku stroked his beard. "Do so. I wish to take a few alive for interrogation, so we will have to ensure survivors from the boarding parties and hope that the operational commander is on in one of those groups." He moved to the elevator and stepped in, with me right behind him.
"You will handle the starboard docking port," he stated as the elevator rose. "The moment you hear the docking hatch begin to open, disable everyone on the freighter. How you deal with those who board this vessel is up to you, however, remember that I desire captives, so prisoners are preferable to bodies."
"Yes Master."
A part of me was worried that Dooku's apparent disinterest in taking everyone prisoner was a concern, but the more rational part of me agreed with him. Having fought in battles in my past life, I understood that our primary concern was protecting the civilians on this transport, and the use of lethal force was acceptable.
I did though wonder how most Jedi would approach the situation. Probably attempt to convince the pirates to leave with an errant wave of their lightsaber?
"Keep your commlink open so we can coordinate our counter-assaults." Without waiting for me to reply, he took off at a jog towards the port-side docking area.
I wasn't surprised by the lack of concern at him sending me off into combat without any words of encouragement as I followed his actions towards my destination. The calm, stoic approach he used fit with what I'd expected from him based on his scenes in the movies and cartoons, though he thankfully didn't have a sociopathic approach to other beings that seemed to have been hinted at. Or at least, if he did, he kept it under wraps.
As I neared my destination, I noted that my FP was now around sixty-five per cent and activated Detection and left in on.
My primary target group was just on the far side of the hull, probably in the process of docking, while Dooku's group was about a minute behind, though I noted Dooku was now waiting for them.
The pirate freighter was still about three kilometres above and behind our transport and as I heard the familiar hissing of an airlock sealing into place I reach out with the Force and, using TK, took hold of the twenty sentients on the freighter.
"They are docking. Take out the freighter." Dooku stated quietly through the commlink, which I had turned down the volume on to not give myself away. I also made a mental note to get an earpiece for it for future combat situations.
As I launched the freighter crew upwards with TK, and then slammed them violently onto the decks, I heard the voices coming from the docking area.
The whole attack had taken only seconds, but the fact seventeen contacts blinked out told me it had been successful. Now I just had to hope the High Council didn't give me another bollocking for being too aggressive in dealing with pirates. At least I could say I was following orders this time.
"Heh, no-one's here," a heavily accented voice said from the docking area.
"I hope they've got some yummies on board," another said with a chuckle, making me growl. Honestly, I wasn't sure in what way he was saying that would be worse.
I stepped around the corner and saw that about a third of the pirates had exited the docking hatch.
"Looks boys, they sent a kid for us," a large man stated, earning a chuckle for the others.
"No," a Trandoshan hissed as his tongue flicked out, tasting the air. "A Jedi. The Scorekeeper will be pleased."
He stepped forward, a large vibroblade in hand and I noted the others, who were still boarding, seemed content to let him deal with me.
That was fine as the large reptilian was slowly moving into position to block me from sight from the others.
I stood calmly, my hands at my side, making no move for my lightsaber even as the Trandoshan came closer, his teeth showing as he smiled down at me.
"Prepare to die by my blade," he stated, which drew a chuckle from his friends, only for the sword in his hand to suddenly move, slicing his leg to the bone.
"Argh!" He grunted out as he stumbled even as the blade was ripped from his grip, spun around and then slammed into his open mouth.
I heard the grumbling of the other pirates as he fell to the ground dead.
"Anyone else?" I asked as I took hold of every weapon with TK and yanked them forward.
Most lost their blaster or blade, though a few managed to keep the grip. That resulted in those few being pulled forward and falling face-first into the deck.
"Get him!" a human shouted as he pulled a pistol from a holster I hadn't seen as I saw others following his lead.
Using Barrier, I generated a protective bubble of the Force around myself as a few pirates opened fire. The barrier held easily – the power was just into the Master tier and could, in theory, survive a blast from a fighter, though I wasn't willing to test that just yet – as I grabbed the man who'd given the order and pulled him forward, slamming him into the wall to my right, though not with enough force to kill him.
As he slumped to the ground groaning, I sent the weapons flying back to their owners. Though those who'd managed to keep hold of their weapons in my initial attack, now found themselves landing on their backs.
The loose weapons slammed into their owners. Most of the blasters broke in half as they made their target stumble or fall over, while the blades all lodged themselves in the arms or legs of their owners.
The rate of fire against my barrier fell to almost nothing as I lifted ten of them and slammed them into the wall, making the group fall on the human who had spoken before.
In quick succession, I repeated the process with two more groups of ten until all thirty pirates were lying in a heap against the wall.
Ignoring the groans from the group, I pulled the closest one that was still moving, a grey-skinned Duros, towards me.
"Two questions. Who is in charge, and do you have any restraints?" The only issue with disabling most of them was that I now had no way to restrain them all.
As the Duros groaned instead of replying I sighed.
"Note to self, keep more cuffs in my inventory," I muttered as I kicked the Duros in the head, rendering him unconscious and pulled the half-dozen restraining cuffs from the Inventory.
That would leave two dozen that needed to be secured, but I was reasonably sure I could find something that would do the job.
…
To be clear, Cam has only played KOTOR 1/2, not SWTOR, so he doesn't know about anything covered in that game which is why the information on what happened during Satele's life is so vague.
While the Jedi will have records about events back then, many would have been lost/forgotten as time passed.
Also, this has now caught up to the story on FFN.
He grunted and used the Force to leap away from me.
"Not bad kid," he muttered as he moved into an Ataru stance while I stayed with Soresu. While I'd normally use Makashi, this was my first full-on spar with a full Jedi Knight. Because of this, I was relying more on the defensive form to try and outlast my opponent.
And it was working.
I led the spar two-zero, meaning another clean hit would give me the match, and my first win against a Knight.
In the few weeks that I'd been back at the Temple, I'd sparred with and beaten a further five Padawans, gaining about 2000XP from Training Superiority while also raising my Intelligence and Wisdom up to 19. I'd also spent time training those who wanted pointers on Makashi while sparring daily with Serra, Darihd and Sia-Lan, who'd arrived back from an assignment a few days ago.
The knight moved to attack, his blade sweeping upwards as he moved in far more rapidly than a normal sentient could.
Though to me, it seemed slow, letting me know that Bullet Time was at a high enough level to counter his skill at accelerating his actions.
I easily avoided the attack, sliding forwards so that his blade sailed through where I'd been standing, then brought my blade around to block his next attack.
He pivoted, slashing as he did, forcing me to step backwards.
He brought his blade upwards, surging forward, and I was forced to step backwards, gliding to the side of his attack.
The pattern continued for a dozen more attacks until one attack where he overextended.
I shifted from Soresu to Makashi, guided his blade to my left, stepped inside his range and brought my blade down across his chest.
"Match Shan," Master Drallig called out to a few cheers.
"Damm kid. You're good," the knight stated as we powered down our lightsabers.
"Purely thanks to Master Dooku, Knight Pana," I replied.
Dooku heard my comment and shook his head once. "While I have been teaching you Padawan, your ease with the blade is all your own. Few Jedi, even Masters such as I, are so comfortable shifting between Forms in combat." Even without the Force Bond we shared, I could tell he was proud of my ability with a blade.
"Your master speaks truly, Padawan," Drallig said as he stepped closer. "In time I see you being able to challenge, and possibly best, even Grandmaster Yoda. Though only with continual training and patience."
"You need not worry about arrogance Cin, Cameron is well aware of his limitations," Dooku stated with the barest hint of a smile touching his lips. Most would not see it, but after a few years around him, I could detect the subtle hints that indicated his true feelings. Or at least, most of the time.
"Nodro, while you are more than capable with your blade, perhaps a few more lessons on facing opponents with experience defending would not go amiss," Drallig suggested to Pana who took the comment without and any hint of disappointment.
"Yes Master, though I'd prefer to focus on my other studies," he turned to me, "I am training to be a historian for the Order. Perhaps we might speak later about the Order, or at least what you knew of it, from your original time."
"If I have the time," I replied with a smile and a bow to him.
"Master Dooku," I turned with him to see a blue-skinned Duros approach. Based on his height, he was young, thus probably a Padawan. "Master Nilas asked me to inform you she was free to speak with you and is currently in a meditation chamber in the northwest tower."
"Thank you," Dooku replied dismissing the Padawan by turning from them to me. "Come Cameron. I suspect that Master Nilas will also wish to speak with you."
I didn't verbally respond, instead falling into step beside him s we began to walk.
Though I stopped as Danger Sense pinged, and I turned to see Jon Savos enter the hall alone. His eyes narrowed as he saw me and began to storm towards my location, only stopping when called by the other Padawans. Before I turned and caught up with Dooku, I used Observe.
Jon Savos
Yeah, that was a problem.Race: Human
Level: 16
Health: 100%
Age: 14
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Medium
Emotional State: Infuriated, Unstable, Confused
Jon hasn't truly recovered from what happened to him two years ago.
He blames everything that has gone wrong in his life on you.
He feels that you have no place with the Jedi, as you serve only yourself
Level: 16
Health: 100%
Age: 14
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Medium
Emotional State: Infuriated, Unstable, Confused
Jon hasn't truly recovered from what happened to him two years ago.
He blames everything that has gone wrong in his life on you.
He feels that you have no place with the Jedi, as you serve only yourself
The fact he'd gone up three levels in two years, was impressive, especially given to what had happened. However, the fact he was furious, and that he blamed me for what had happened to him and wanted me gone was not good.
I'd have to be very careful about how I handled him while we were here.
I suspected he'd try to spar with me, but everything in me told me that wouldn't do any good. If I let him win, even if I was subtle about it, would feed his belief I shouldn't be here, but beating him would only increase the anger and instability.
"Do not worry yourself about him, Padawan," Dooku said as we exited the hall, "he has to accept that what happened was beyond both his and your control. If he cannot, he will be dismissed from the Order."
"Then what would happen to him?" I asked as Dooku's words didn't leave me with much hope Jon would get the help he needed.
"After that, he will be placed in monitored care. While the Order has many faults, we do not abandon those in need of help. Even those unable to recognize that they need it." There was a hint of disapproval in his tone, but whether that was aimed at the Order, Jon, or both, I couldn't tell.
The rest of our walk to the elevator was made in silence as I contemplated Dooku's words. The way Dooku told me to ignore Jon was in keeping with his character and was an option to take, though I was certain it was not the one Fay would suggest.
Learning that even if he was dismissed from the Order, he would not be left to his own devices was nice to hear, as I feared that no matter what I did Jon would be forced from the Order. Though if/when that happened, I knew his belief that it was my fault would be permanent in his psyche, which could be a problem if Sidious discovered him, learned I was a threat to him or both.
The easiest solution if Jon was forced from the Order would be removing Jon from the board, but it wasn't something I was willing to do. I felt a little sick that I could even consider it, but I knew that if I didn't, I risked him becoming a problem down the road.
That morbid train of thought stayed with me until we entered a meditation chamber to find Nilas with one other: Qui-Gon Jinn.
"I did not expect you to be here Qui-Gon, yet it is not surprising that you are," Dooku stated passively, which made the other man smile.
"I'm always glad to confound you, Master," he replied and there was a very subtle twitch to Dooku's lips, "And Padawan Shan, a pleasure to see you again."
"And you Master Jinn," I said back, remembering he was the one to escort me to meet former Chancellor Kalpana. "I hope your Padawan is not still angry about our spar?"
Qui-Gon chuckled loudly, and I noted that Nilas smiled as well. "No, no. Obi-Wan has taken the defeat well. He has started to learn Soresu to help counter the lack of defence in Ataru. Though I believe he wishes a rematch." Though if the way Master Dooku looks when you duel, I fear my Padawan will suffer defeat again."
"Cameron is… extremely gifted with a lightsaber. I imagine he will be able to best any in the Order within a decade," Dooku stated proudly; though only those who knew him well would be able to detect the pride in his tone.
Qui-Gon chuckled and looked at me. "That is high praise indeed, but do not let it go to your head young one."
"I suspect if it did, Master Dooku would take pleasure in knocking it back out," I replied, making Qui-Gon laugh even louder.
"Yes, I imagine he would."
The doors to the room opened, and I turned to see Darihd walk in with Sifo-Dyas.
"Good, everyone is here, please be seated," Nilas said as she took one of the comfy seats that reminded me of beanbags, though with a more defined shape.
Once we were, she turned to me and smiled. "Hello again, child of time." Then she 'looked' at each person in the room in turn.
"Master Jinn, I am glad to see you have decided to join us. I was concerned that the perceived distance between you and your former master would lead to you not joining us."
Qui-Gon bowed his head before he spoke. "I am grateful for your concern, Master Nilas. Thankfully Master Dooku is now, apparently, more… open, regarding certain prophecies and events."
Dooku grunted quietly but didn't deny the comment.
"That is probably due to Cameron," Sifo-Dyas explained with a small smile. "Having to teach a Padawan that many believe is the Chosen One would force any Jedi to reassess their opinions."
"I hate being called that," I muttered loud enough that everyone could hear. Qui-Gon, Sifo-Dyas and Darihd all chucked to various degrees as Nilas turned her head to me.
"You may hate the label, but you are the Chosen One. Yet, you are also not." I frowned, which made her laugh even if she couldn't see my face. Likely because of how her race used the Force to see.
"For some time now, we Seers, and others with the gift, have sensed a coming darkness within the Republic. That veil of darkness became to most Jedi four years ago. And yet, with the darkness came a new light. One that didn't shrink or cower from the darkness, instead it grew brighter as it touched the darkness."
"That sounds familiar," I mumbled as I glanced at Sifo-Dyas, which made both him and Nilas smile.
"Yes, I understand Master Sifo-Dyas said something similar to you a few years ago," Nilas continued. "He was not wrong. Nor was I about the darkness within you making your shine brighter.
"Yet, you were not the only light that I have witnessed in this darkness," she paused and again looked at everyone in the room. "What I say now is something I have never revealed to any."
"Before Cameron's arrival, within the darkness, I have long seen another. While this source of light is potentially greater than Cameron, in almost all my visions from before, that light faded for a time before exploding, consuming the darkness and itself. What comes after that, I do not know, and now will never know, as those visions have been replaced with others."
She paused to take a mouthful of water, though no-one spoke. Instead, we all waited for her to continue.
"This new light, one I know within my very bones is young Cameron, has altered that future. The darkness will still grow, though how much in covers all is far less clear than before. It could cover every source of light within the galaxy, yet I feel it is far more likely that it will not be as large or long-lasting as it could have been.
"However, the one constant I can see in all these new glimpses it the way the twin Chosen are linked."
"I have seen something similar, though the linked fates of Cameron and the Chosen One is beyond my ability," Sifo-Dyas added, as I felt everyone's gaze upon me. "Though the fact there are two who could fulfil the prophecy and bring about the end of the Sith is encouraging."
"Sadly, the prophecy does not actively state an end to the Sith," Qui-Gon offered with a smile, "though I believe you have already realised this, Padawan."
"I do, Master Jinn."
He raised his hand to cut me off. "Please, since we are alone and a part of this little coalition, call me Qui-Gon."
I smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir." He chuckled and turned to Dooku.
"He seems far more respectful than I remember being."
Dooku laughed once with a close mouth. "He is, and yet isn't. It is most perplexing and stimulating."
"If I may answer the question?" I asked, proving Dooku's point, which made Qui-Gon chuckle once more as he waved his hand, indicating for me to continue. "My opinion on what balance means, which is already known to Masters Dooku and Sifo-Dyas, does not mean the destruction of the Sith. Not unless the Jedi also fall."
"What? Why would you want that?" Darihd blurted out, only to seem to sink into himself as the four masters turned their attention to him. "Um, I mean, wouldn't that mean our deaths as well?"
"Why would it?" I asked back. "The coming darkness is being brought on by the corruption and decadence in the Republic, centring on the Senate; a body that the High Council has fused the Jedi too.
"If, when, one falls, so will the other. That is unavoidable. Yet, how can someone preach about balance when they deny part of themselves? How can we fight against the darkness, within ourselves and the galaxy at large, when we fail to acknowledge the same darkness that exists within all living creatures? Jedi included."
"A bold proclamation young one," Nilas said with a smile and a shake of her head. "Yet also one showing wisdom far beyond your tender years."
She paused and sighed. "However, we are not here to debate a topic that has been raging for longer than even I have been within these walls. Instead, we are to discuss what can be done to drive back the oncoming storm, how we can prepare for the rot to bring down the Republic and the Order, the link that exists between you and the other Chosen One and how to approach it."
"I'd assume just becoming closely acquainted with this other person would be the easiest approach," I suggested.
"I believe we have spoken at length on the dangers of assumptions," Dooku stated firmly. "Though in this case, that does appear to be the most logical approach."
"Logical yes, but without knowing more about this other, we can do nothing but speculate," Nilas added before coughing once more. "The path you must walk young Padawan is shrouded in mystery.
"When I attempt to meditate on the matter, the Force swirls around the pair of you, blinding like the light from two stars. It makes any details, even the most remote, impossible to see."
"Then this other could be anything from Cam's best friend to his greatest rival?" Darihd asked, seemingly having grown more comfortable speaking up as this time when everyone turned his way, he held his ground.
"Yes." Nilas sighed and suddenly looked far frailer than her age would suggest. "Sadly, the Force does not grant one perfect sight of what is to come: only hints of possibilities. How we interpret those glimpses is up to mere mortals, and none of us are infallible."
I frowned and looked from her to Sifo-Dyas, remembering the story he and Dooku had told about seeing a planet burn. "Are all visions so vague?"
Nilas smiled at me before looking at Sifo-Dyas. "No. Not all. Just as the closer you are to a fire, the easier individual flames are to see, so to do visions tend to become clearer the closer you approach the event they cover. That does not, however, mean we can know exactly what will happen."
"Like, if someone had a vision of their loved one dying, and did all they could to stop it only for they themselves to be the cause of that death?" I suggested, using Anakin's visions in Episode 3.
"That is a strangely specific example to use, but the premise is true," Sifo-Dyas answered as his brow creased. "And an example of why relationships for a Jedi are forbidden."
"And an example of one of the few things the Jedi and Sith agree upon, though for entirely different reasons," Nilas added, making everyone turn to her. "Do you understand why Padawans?"
Darihd shook his head but I smirked.
"Because everyone can be a monster or an angel in the name of love." Nilas smiled warmly and nodded even as I continued. "However, that would be true for those who are not Force-sensitive as well. For both Jedi and Sith to deny that their emotions, good and bad, influence their decisions and actions is to cut off a part of themselves, thus denying them balance."
"I see Master Fay has been explaining her views to you," Nilas said with an amused shake of her head.
"Those opinions are my own," I replied quickly, wanting to save Fay from getting into trouble. "I had them even before I began learning from Master Fay, or Master Dooku."
"Cameron is correct. He does hold opinions that many would consider heretical, and while I do not fully agree with many of them, he does speak with wisdom far beyond his age." Dooku added in support.
"Perhaps we might discuss that topic another day," Sifo-Dyas offered as he glanced at his commlink. "The longer we are all in here, the more chance we have to arouse suspicion."
"Yes, yes. I know that meeting here was not your preferred option, but you are aware of why I cannot simply walk out of the Temple and hold this meeting in a quiet little corner of Coruscant." Nilas countered, to which Sifo-Dyas nodded in acquiescence.
I could only assume that due to her status as a member of the Council of First Knowledge, a Seer, or just her advanced age, she did not leave the Temple often; if at all. Which would explain why we were meeting here instead of outside the Temple, where there would hopefully be less chance of another Jedi of interrupting us.
"Perhaps we might consider how to move forward with any plans?" Qui-Gon offered calmly, his eyes staying with me instead of the byplay between his fellow Jedi Masters. "Padawan, might I infer that the reason you published and then diverted the proceeds from your story was the start of such a plan?"
I looked over at Dooku, who gave a fractional nod for me to answer. "It was, and wasn't, sir. The objective there was the girl, Padmé Naberrie. A, for lack of a better term, voice in the Force called her name to me, which was why we became involved in the relocation efforts. It was her desire for me to publish my creation, I merely suggested diverting the earning to help."
"And in doing so, earned the friendship of the girl, helped increase the chances that an entire race would survive, discovered a revenue source outside the control of the Jedi or Senate and, provided you one day reveal yourself as the author, a large amount of goodwill with the denizens of the galaxy," Qui-Gon added with a wide smile.
"Honestly, I didn't plan for it to be so successful," I replied with a shrug. "I only did it to help."
Darihd coughed into his hand, though it sounded more like laughter.
"Perhaps, but by trusting your instincts, you were in a position to make a difference and help those around you."
"While I concede that Cameron's actions have potential future benefits for what we are doing, we are not here to argue the merits of aspects of the Force, Qui-Gon," Dooku said firmly to his former Padawan.
Qui-Gon lowered his head as Nilas spoke once more.
"Sifo-Dyas and I have considered possible paths we should travel, but without further details about the Chosen One, we cannot decide on which to take."
"What about a safe harbour?" Darihd offered hopefully. "I mean, if the Republic is to fall, and the Order with it, then we cannot stay in the Temple, right?"
"No, we cannot. However, while the idea of a refuge for the Jedi and our knowledge is desired, any moves we make to develop a location somewhere else in the Republic will draw the attention of someone, and word will leak back to the Senate, The High Council, or both." Sifo-Dyas explained slowly.
"Then perhaps somewhere outside the Republic," I suggested. "I'm sure there are systems that have been lost to time, while others may simply not have been catalogued, or not even discovered yet."
"Again, wise beyond your years," Nilas said with another smile. "There are indeed worlds whose hyperspace coordinates have been lost or forgotten and many more that are nothing more than a name in the central records of the Republic. However, discovering such a world that would be suitable as a refuge is a long a difficult undertaking. One we sadly lack the numbers in our group to truly commit to."
"Why not ask the Exploration Corps, Master? Couldn't you ask them to search for worlds that the Jedi could use as training centres?" Darihd suggested to Sifo-Dyas, who shook his head in reply.
"While asking the corps is sensible, the risk that they'd reveal their findings to another member of the High Council is too great to use unless…" his voice trailed off as he tapped his chin. "Perhaps there is a way, though I'll have to research it first."
"We can also be on the lookout for mentions of hidden or lost systems in our travels," Qui-Gon added. "I believe I heard mention of a world near Hutt Space that was used by mercenaries but wasn't in any hyperspace tracking listings."
"I believe we must end here," Dooku suggested as he glanced at the chrono-display on his commlink. "Cameron and I have classes to teach and being late would raise questions I would prefer to avoid."
"Yes," Nilas agreed with a tired sigh. "I also have somewhere to be."
"If anyone has any ideas, please inform either Master Nilas or me," Sifo-Dyas stated as everyone stood.
"Of course," Dooku replied as I exited with him and we walked in silence to the elevator. However, as we entered, Qui-Gon caught up with us.
"Perhaps we might spar once more, Master," he suggested with a smile, that Dooku returned, though it was not as large.
"Certainly Qui-Gon. But I remind you there is no need to refer to me as Master. We are equals now."
Qui-Gon chuckled. "Perhaps, but I admit that I still find calling you by your name strange." He glanced at me. "Have you even revealed it to your latest Padawan?"
"I have not. And until he becomes a Knight, I do not feel the need to inform him of it." Dooku replied as I frowned.
What Dooku's given name was had been a running question in my head. I'd searched the archives, but they did not list it, suggesting he had gone into the system and removed it. There was the chance that his given name actually was Dooku, but I highly doubted that was the case.
"Then far be it from me to do otherwise, Master Dooku," Qui-Gon agreed as he chuckled at my frown.
It might be a minor detail, but when it was something that I knew nothing about, it was annoying to not know. And a little refreshing as it was nice to not know things that others did.
…
…
About a week after meeting with Nilas and the others, Dooku and I were heading to the spaceport nearest the Jedi Temple.
In that week, I'd spent most of my free time meditating in solitude. Thankfully, no-one questioned my desire to meditate, since it was allowed, and while I'd used the time to train up certain Force Powers, most of the time I was simply taken up by me thinking about what had been discussed in the meeting, or how to handle the situation with Jon.
Regarding Jon, I hadn't come up with any other real options beyond allowing him to spar with me and see where things went. I wouldn't hold back, but I also wouldn't go all out. Hopefully, the middle road would have a better effect on him than passivity or aggression.
While I hoped that sparring would help him and that I could get through to him, I had serious doubts I could. If it didn't, I was going to have to either just let him go, and risk him becoming a threat and possible agent of the Sith, or take him out.
As for the meeting, having a support group that now extended beyond Dooku and Fay was a relief. Yet, it also increased the chance that the High Council or Palpatine would learn what we were up to.
Learning that Nilas's Force Visions dealt with me and Anakin, while unexpected, made sense once I thought about it. TPTB had told me a few times that the Force was trying to work out how I fit into things, and it now linking my fate to Anakin's, which, once I got past the bout of pride that generated, made sense.
I'd talked with Dooku and discovered that my midi-chlorian count was in the same region as Yoda's. While this was extremely high, it was not at the same level as Anakin's.
However, one thing I was certain of was that I learnt powers and skills at a rate far beyond most, if not all, sentients. That meant that while he potentially had larger natural reserves of the Force to call on, I'd have greater control/ability with those powers.
If we ended up as rivals, then that would make things interesting. However, I was leaning heavily on the idea that I could replace Obi-Wan in the big brother role for the boy, if not outright replace him as Anakin's Master.
That train of thought had resulted in a quest being generated. It involved me becoming a Jedi Knight before Padmé became queen of Naboo. Since the quest was C-rated, the interface/TPTB felt me getting knighted while I was still a teenager was likely. The major downside had been that if I failed, Anakin would be locked into becoming Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan's Padawan.
Since having Anakin become Obi-Wan's Padawan had resulted in the rise of Darth Vader, that was the worst possible outcome, thus I'd rejected the quest.
While I was confident that, provided my increase in levels continued at the current rate, I would be knighted before Padmé became queen, the risk of not stopping Anakin going down his canon path was not worth 1000XP. After rejecting that quest, I silently wished that I'd be wise enough to see those type of issues when I'd taken some of my earlier quests.
The further discussions about locating or re-discovering a refuge for survivors of the Jedi Purge – if that came to pass – had also played around in my head. I'd spent a few hours each day with Dooku reading up on worlds with connections to the Force to which their hyperspace coordinates were not listed. Especially those linked to Revan or Satele Shan as I had spoken to Revan and Satele's holocron seemed to be holding back information from me, even now that I was a Padawan.
For Revan, three came up, Lehon, more commonly known as Rakatan homeworld of Rakata, Malachor V, and Dromund Kaas. Since both Rakata and Dromund Kaas were still essentially dark side nexus planets, I had to assume that the hyperspace coordinates were simply restricted, though if the Jedi didn't know how exactly to get to Dromund Kaas, it was going to make the datapad in my Inventory with those coordinates – and the ones to other Sith Space worlds like Ziost – very useful.
Meanwhile, while Malachor V was listed in connection to Revan, my eidetic memory had informed me that, as of KOTOR2, Malachor was a shattered husk of a planet. It was neither light nor dark, but dead. A void in The Force. Not the best place for a refuge of Jedi.
For that matter, setting up a Jedi refuge in Sith Space was probably not a good idea either. Any group based there would be easy for the High Council to label as Sith if they were discovered before the outbreak of the Clone Wars. To say nothing about how Palpatine would react to me learning that I'd based a Jedi group on Sith worlds.
The search linked to Satele had been more useful. It had listed worlds that caught my attention.
Tython was the supposed first world where the ancient Je'daii Order – the forerunner to the Jedi – had been formed and was in the Deep Core; a place known to be extremely difficult to traverse. Which probably explained why its exact location had been lost to the ravages of time.
Satele had apparently rediscovered the world during a decades-long peace with a Sith Empire that had forced the Jedi to fleeCoruscant for a while during her lifetime. The hyperspace coordinates to Tython had again seemingly been lost as I doubted that if the Jedi still had them, they wouldn't be hidden from someone of Dooku's standing.
There were also brief mentions of other worlds that had been used by the Jedi throughout the ages, even some that were apparently the staging grounds for a resistance against some ominous threat that appeared out of the Unknown Regions. But they were almost never mentioned, except in dark rumours and digitally redacted recordings. I had little hope of finding them when someone had so obviously tried to erase their existence from recorded history.
There were also more than a thousand worlds that were mentioned in older documents that had no listed hyperspace coordinates. These, while lacking links to the Force and my family line, could still be useful places, if rediscovered, for staging posts or refuges.
The only issue with such worlds was, obviously, that they were lost. That meant finding them would require time, effort, and possibly a little luck. And probably a little help from the Force.
As we stepped out of the transport shuttle, I glanced around and saw that another vessel had a golden glow. Where it was going I didn't know, as we were outside the spaceport so I couldn't see the display boards, but unless Dooku had plans for where we were to go – and I didn't think he did as we weren't meant to meet up with Fay until after the new year; which was still three months away – I saw no reason for us not to take that vessel.
…
…
Seven days later, I found myself on another transport, this one bound for Nar Shaddaa. We had transferred twice from other vessels, and I was beginning to doubt that this golden halo had anything to do with the Force or TPTB.
"I do hope that Hutt Space is not our final destination," Dooku stated from his seat in the small cabin we had on the vessel as I felt the now-familiar lurch as we accelerated into hyperspace.
"As do I, Master. Though if we are there to end the Hutts, I would not be against it." I replied with a smirk even as I considered the chaos that I could cause on Hutt Space. Thanks to maxing out Telepathic Shield, I had no risk of him – or anyone else – sensing my thoughts while it was active, which it was whenever I was in the company of others.
The fact that the Republic banned slavery but allowed Hutt Space to exist – and blatantly turn a blind eye – was another example of the Senate being motivated by the greed of the few, not the desires of the many.
"While I share your sentiment, doing anything to anger the Hutt families would only lead to, restrictions, being placed upon us by the High Council." Dooku's tone was clear in its disgust, but I couldn't tell whether that was due to the Hutts, the failings of the Senate/High Council, or a bit of both. "Now come, I believe we can use this vessel for a more advanced form of sparring."
I followed him out into the corridor, then through the ship and then down to the lower passenger levels. While the quarters we had were cramped, we at least had room to move around in the room. That was probably due to Dooku being against being jammed in like sardines as the passengers in these levels were.
There were eight to a room not much bigger than our quarters, with a single fresher unit between them.
The people down here were poor, desperate and often fed up with the corruption of the Senate and the Republic. I'd even seen more than few of them glare at us on both this ship and the last as we passed, indicating that the reputation of the Jedi was just as sullied as that of the Republic; if not worse as we were meant to be peacekeepers and protectors of the innocent and downtrodden.
Eventually, we arrived at a deck that appeared to be deserted, and we stopped.
"While you are comfortable fighting within a sparring ring or a similar open space, often that is not the case," Dooku stated as he turned to me and unclipped his lightsaber. "Often, you will face opponents in enclosed or cramp areas like this corridor."
"Which would rule out most movements of Ataru," I interrupted as I unclipped my lightsaber. "It would also limit the effectiveness of Shii-Cho as without the room to move quickly, the attacks of the form are lacking."
"Indeed. I am relieved to see you understand the issue. What then would you consider a good form for combat in this location?" He asked as our lightsabers hissed to life.
"Makashi has some use, as its natural weakness against blasters is countered from the need to only defend a very narrow area. Soresu, while the natural defensive form, would be less useful than normal as it lacks the ability to force any attackers back, and if they use blasters, the chances of them running out of shots before a Jedi tires is, unlikely.
"Shien is the most obvious choice, especially against blasters, but it lacks much in the way of offensive capabilities. Or at least, from the velocities I had studied so far, while Djem So is only useful once close enough to use a lightsaber offensively." While I had answered, Dooku had moved a few metres further down the corridor.
A single nod as I finished speaking, indicated that he was happy with my answer. "Excellent deductions. Shien would be the choice of many Jedi, though others might say Niman. That form is preferred by many Jedi now, but unless studied to a highly advanced degree, the form is lacking in all areas of combat. Thus the best option is often to use the Force to alter the battle to your advantage."
He paused as he turned and raised his blade. "Let us see how well you can adapt."
I readied myself, with Bullet Time and Precog activating automatically, as he moved forward, and leaned back at a warning from Precog, then felt a blast of Force energy career past me.
I barely had time to process that this spar would involve using the Force before Dooku was upon me.
Bullet time and Precog were both at a high enough level that I could keep up with his rapid stabs, prods and slashes, though it was tough going as he was a far superior duellist in this location and it was taking all of my concentration to avoid the continual succession of attacks he was launching. I managed to avoid another two offensive uses of the Force before something came from behind and took out my feet.
As I fell backwards, I thrust out a hand to Push off the floor, only to smash myself into Dooku's lightsaber.
"Arg," I grunted out. Since the blades were in a low-power setting, the contact wasn't lethal, and with Damage Resistance: Energy being in the Master range, a good chunk of the damage done was negated.
However, it still annoyed me to be hit, and I took a small touch more damage as I fell backwards, and this time didn't arrest my fall.
"You must be aware of all of your surroundings when in combat, especially when engaged in tight quarters. The slightest mistake or misstep will mean serious harm, if not death."
"Yes, Master," I grumbled as I looked and saw that it had been a toolbox that had taken out my feet. My mood worsened when I saw that the interface had warned of the danger, but I'd been too busy reacting to Dooku's attacks to realise that there was a new danger from another direction.
As I began to stand, he turned and walked away. "Again." He called out once we were more than three meters apart.
I lifted my right leg, avoiding a blast from him, and stepped forward.
He prodded three times in quick succession. I blocked the first two, but as the third approached, I Phased and stepped forward.
His blade trailed harmlessly though me and then his brow just enough to tell me he was surprised as I stepped through him.
As always, passing through a blade or person felt tingly, but thanks to a few years practising with Fay I was used to the sensation.
As I stepped past him, I ended Phase, which resulted in my blade resting against the inside of his thigh.
"Most impressive." He stated and I deactivated my lightsaber, allowing him to turn to face me. "I see your lessons with Master Fay have been worthwhile."
I gave a nod as a smile broke out on my face. "Yes, Master. While the feeling of passing through something living, or a lightsaber, is strange, I have grown used to it."
Dooku's lip curled. "That is one way to describe the feeling. I would advise you to not reveal that during spars with other Jedi, or in combat unless you are being overwhelmed. It is a powerful tactic to have, but overuse only allows your enemies to adapt."
"That was the first time I've used it in a spar since becoming your Padawan," I stated, making a smile twitch into, then out of, existence.
"We shall go again, however this time, I want you to stick to more the more common applications of Force, in particular, telekinesis, blast and barrier." He said before turning and walking three metres away from me.
I raised and activated my lightsaber, tensing in preparation only for Precog to warn me to brace.
I grabbed the nearest handhold and noted Dooku doing the same, as the ship violently shook.
"We have exited hyperspace prematurely," he explained as the shaking stopped mere moments after it had begun, clipping his lightsaber back into his belt and pulling out his commlink a second before it beeped. "Yes?"
"Master Jedi, we have a situation. How soon can you reach the bridge or engineering?" the transport's captain – a man by the name of Thrall – asked through the link.
I mentally pulled up the map of the ship, something I did as a precaution on every vessel since my kidnapping. "We're closest to engineering. About three minutes, depending on traffic." I stated and Dooku relayed that to Thrall.
Thrall sighed loud enough that it carried over the audio-only comm-line. "Then I must ask you to head there."
"What exactly has happened captain?" Dooku asked as he waved at me to take the lead.
A glance at my interface showed I had about sixty per cent of my FP. I then cast Detection, fully reached out with the power, and frowned. Since the ship was only about eight-hundred metres long, the three groups that were about fifty kilometres away, and closing, had to be inbound vessels.
Sadly, when using Detection fully, it showed up the problems with it as it was only when a target was within one kilometre - the range of my minimap - that I got an accurate location. Anything beyond that was just a rough estimate of the range.
"Our hyperdrive engine disengaged abruptly, dropping us out in an uninhabited system. And three ships are approaching fast that are ignoring hails." Thrall explained, confirming what Detection had told me.
"Pirates?"
"Either that or slavers. They are a constant threat as we approach Hutt Space if you don't pay the appropriate fees." My frown deepened at the transports had to pay protection money to avoid being attacked by raiders. We were still inside Republic space, yet the Thrall's tone made it clear this was something everyone running transports to Nar Shaddaa had to deal with.
"What defences do you have?"
I dodged around a pair of Duros that were ambling around in the corridor, clearly wondering what had happened.
"The ship has a pair of laser cannons, but they won't do much against three ships."
"And onboard?" Dooku continued with the questions, trying to get as much information as possible.
There was a pause before Thrall answered. "We've been told to heave to and prepare to be boarded. If we don't comply, they're threatening to kill members of the crew and passengers."
I didn't need to see his face to know Dooku was frowning as he replied. "Then I suggest you do as ordered. I assume they are jamming hyperspace communication?"
"Yes, Master Jedi." Thrall sighed loudly just as we ducked into an elevator. "I don't know what to do."
"Order the passengers to their cabins, arm the crew and secure the bridge. We will see how we can help once we reach engineering."
"Thank you, Master Jedi. May the Force be with you." The commlink closed and Dooku turned to me.
"How many are there?" he asked. Something that both he and Fay had noted was that ability to sense others at distance was beyond that of most Jedi, themselves included.
"Around eighty. The two closest groups each have about thirty while the last group is moving slower and holding back." I replied after casting Detection again. "Based on their speeds and distances, the lead two ships should be docking in about six minutes. Each will dock amidships, though on opposite sides." I reported.
Dooku nodded as he processed what I'd told him. "While I believe we could handle one group quickly, the duel-landing poses an issue." He stated slowly as the elevator slowed and the doors opened, revealing five crew members rushing around rapidly. "Our first goal is to see if the hyperdrive can be repaired in time, though I suspect foul play means that is unlikely."
I looked at each crewmember, casting Observe as they caught sight of us. Thanks to that power, it was easy to discover that one of them was responsible for the hyperdrive failing.
"The Sullustan," I whispered to Dooku as we stood by the door.
"He is anxious, but that is true of all of them," Dooku replied only for his eyes to narrow as he focused on the Sullustan. "Hmm, I do sense that there is more to his worry than just the pirates."
"I think he is concerned that we are here," I suggested, using what Observe stated about him, though with a touch more vagueness. "Perhaps that is because he is responsible for the engines failing."
"Yes, that would make sense. However, we do not have much time to confirm it."
He strode forward confidently, stopping only once he was standing behind the Sullustan.
"Why has the hyperdrive failed?" he asked bluntly, and I sensed the application of the Force behind the question.
"I, uh, it,"
"You will tell me," Dooku stated, interrupting the stammering Sullustan. This time the usage of the Force was stronger.
"I will tell you." The Sullustan paused. "I altered our hyperspace coordinates to this system, then disabled the hyperdrive with a security datacard." The other four engineers looked at their co-worker with first, then shock and anger at what they heard.
"You will give me the datacard."
The Sullustan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object that reminded me of a credit card from Earth before he handed it to Dooku.
Dooku tossed the drive to another engineer as he waved his hand at the Sullustan, who fell like a puppet that had had its strings cut.
"Get the engines back online and secure him for questioning." He ordered as he turned to me.
Whatever he wanted to say was cut off as his commlink beeped.
"Master Jedi, the pirates are demanding that we open the airlocks," Captain Thrall almost shouted. The panic in his voice evident, but he was still in control. "They've threatened to fire on the bridge and engines if we do anything to resist."
"We have discovered the source of your engine problems," Dooku replied, giving the man some comfort. "Can you direct the pirate vessels to the same docking area?"
"No. The two smaller ships have moved to either side of us while the freighter is staying to the rear and above us."
I used Detection again and confirmed the report with a nod.
"Very well. Have the crew move the passengers away from the main docking port on each side of the vessel. We will handle them."
"And the freighter?"
"That as well." Dooku closed the link and turned to me. "Could you disable the freighter as you did when kidnapped?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, but without any idea of where they are in those ships, and rough deck plans, I can't be sure that I'd be able to take them all out without either killing them. And if any are of a species with thicker skin or bones, say Gamorrean, then I might not even stun them."
Dooku stroked his beard. "Do so. I wish to take a few alive for interrogation, so we will have to ensure survivors from the boarding parties and hope that the operational commander is on in one of those groups." He moved to the elevator and stepped in, with me right behind him.
"You will handle the starboard docking port," he stated as the elevator rose. "The moment you hear the docking hatch begin to open, disable everyone on the freighter. How you deal with those who board this vessel is up to you, however, remember that I desire captives, so prisoners are preferable to bodies."
"Yes Master."
A part of me was worried that Dooku's apparent disinterest in taking everyone prisoner was a concern, but the more rational part of me agreed with him. Having fought in battles in my past life, I understood that our primary concern was protecting the civilians on this transport, and the use of lethal force was acceptable.
I did though wonder how most Jedi would approach the situation. Probably attempt to convince the pirates to leave with an errant wave of their lightsaber?
"Keep your commlink open so we can coordinate our counter-assaults." Without waiting for me to reply, he took off at a jog towards the port-side docking area.
I wasn't surprised by the lack of concern at him sending me off into combat without any words of encouragement as I followed his actions towards my destination. The calm, stoic approach he used fit with what I'd expected from him based on his scenes in the movies and cartoons, though he thankfully didn't have a sociopathic approach to other beings that seemed to have been hinted at. Or at least, if he did, he kept it under wraps.
As I neared my destination, I noted that my FP was now around sixty-five per cent and activated Detection and left in on.
My primary target group was just on the far side of the hull, probably in the process of docking, while Dooku's group was about a minute behind, though I noted Dooku was now waiting for them.
The pirate freighter was still about three kilometres above and behind our transport and as I heard the familiar hissing of an airlock sealing into place I reach out with the Force and, using TK, took hold of the twenty sentients on the freighter.
"They are docking. Take out the freighter." Dooku stated quietly through the commlink, which I had turned down the volume on to not give myself away. I also made a mental note to get an earpiece for it for future combat situations.
As I launched the freighter crew upwards with TK, and then slammed them violently onto the decks, I heard the voices coming from the docking area.
The whole attack had taken only seconds, but the fact seventeen contacts blinked out told me it had been successful. Now I just had to hope the High Council didn't give me another bollocking for being too aggressive in dealing with pirates. At least I could say I was following orders this time.
"Heh, no-one's here," a heavily accented voice said from the docking area.
"I hope they've got some yummies on board," another said with a chuckle, making me growl. Honestly, I wasn't sure in what way he was saying that would be worse.
I stepped around the corner and saw that about a third of the pirates had exited the docking hatch.
"Looks boys, they sent a kid for us," a large man stated, earning a chuckle for the others.
"No," a Trandoshan hissed as his tongue flicked out, tasting the air. "A Jedi. The Scorekeeper will be pleased."
He stepped forward, a large vibroblade in hand and I noted the others, who were still boarding, seemed content to let him deal with me.
That was fine as the large reptilian was slowly moving into position to block me from sight from the others.
I stood calmly, my hands at my side, making no move for my lightsaber even as the Trandoshan came closer, his teeth showing as he smiled down at me.
"Prepare to die by my blade," he stated, which drew a chuckle from his friends, only for the sword in his hand to suddenly move, slicing his leg to the bone.
"Argh!" He grunted out as he stumbled even as the blade was ripped from his grip, spun around and then slammed into his open mouth.
I heard the grumbling of the other pirates as he fell to the ground dead.
"Anyone else?" I asked as I took hold of every weapon with TK and yanked them forward.
Most lost their blaster or blade, though a few managed to keep the grip. That resulted in those few being pulled forward and falling face-first into the deck.
"Get him!" a human shouted as he pulled a pistol from a holster I hadn't seen as I saw others following his lead.
Using Barrier, I generated a protective bubble of the Force around myself as a few pirates opened fire. The barrier held easily – the power was just into the Master tier and could, in theory, survive a blast from a fighter, though I wasn't willing to test that just yet – as I grabbed the man who'd given the order and pulled him forward, slamming him into the wall to my right, though not with enough force to kill him.
As he slumped to the ground groaning, I sent the weapons flying back to their owners. Though those who'd managed to keep hold of their weapons in my initial attack, now found themselves landing on their backs.
The loose weapons slammed into their owners. Most of the blasters broke in half as they made their target stumble or fall over, while the blades all lodged themselves in the arms or legs of their owners.
The rate of fire against my barrier fell to almost nothing as I lifted ten of them and slammed them into the wall, making the group fall on the human who had spoken before.
In quick succession, I repeated the process with two more groups of ten until all thirty pirates were lying in a heap against the wall.
Ignoring the groans from the group, I pulled the closest one that was still moving, a grey-skinned Duros, towards me.
"Two questions. Who is in charge, and do you have any restraints?" The only issue with disabling most of them was that I now had no way to restrain them all.
As the Duros groaned instead of replying I sighed.
"Note to self, keep more cuffs in my inventory," I muttered as I kicked the Duros in the head, rendering him unconscious and pulled the half-dozen restraining cuffs from the Inventory.
That would leave two dozen that needed to be secured, but I was reasonably sure I could find something that would do the job.
…
To be clear, Cam has only played KOTOR 1/2, not SWTOR, so he doesn't know about anything covered in that game which is why the information on what happened during Satele's life is so vague.
While the Jedi will have records about events back then, many would have been lost/forgotten as time passed.
Also, this has now caught up to the story on FFN.
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Cathedral of the Past 2
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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The only issue with injuring several dozen pirates on a small passenger transport was the lack of effective medical care available.
Sure, the ship had a medic, but their supplies were limited. And while I would have liked to have used Heal to help them, the power was only Adept 9 and, according to the interface, I needed it to be at least Professional 1 to heal others.
That meant I had to help the medic with the injured instead of watching Dooku interrogate the leaders.
It took a full day to handle all the injures – which granted me a few levels in Medicine [First Aid] – and then a further day to examine the computers of the three pirate ships. Though for the freighter, I'd first had to jettison the bodies of the dead crew before I could do that.
While my Computing [Slicing] and [Electronics] were at Professional 50 and Adept 94 respectfully, liberal usages of Enhance Skill – which was in the high Savant range – and shoddy data protection meant I was able to not only find records of previous attacks for cargo and slaves, but also the location of their base.
The records would help to ensure the surviving pirates would face prosecution. However, Dooku did not feel that would stop the attacks and I had agreed.
The pirate base was in a system that was nothing more than a number in the transport's navigation computer and the name of it meant nothing to Thrall or Dooku.
Because of that, and remembering perfectly the meeting on Coruscant and the fact the golden halo/light on the transports had led me here, I'd suggested privately to Dooku that perhaps the system could be used by the group we were building as an initial staging post in this area of the galaxy.
He had agreed, expressing that it could also potentially be used for operations into Hutt Space that we wished to keep hidden from the High Council, explaining that the Hutts were the major source of many of the more illegal ills of the galaxy.
This much I had already surmised from the few memories I had of actually watching the Hutts in the movies and the show, but I was unaware of exactly how vast their network was. Dooku told me that each Hutt was essentially a criminal kingpin over their own small slice of the Outer Rim and that despite frequently feuding with one another, they were all connected in a vast criminal network such that, if we made any move against them, we'd need a hidden base to work from. It brought to mind images of the stereotypical Mafia families back on Earth.
That was why, four days after the attempted boarding by the pirates, Dooku and I dropped out of hyperspace on the very edge of the system, which was named by a random string of text and numbers (R11-0407), in a repurposed pirate raider.
The other raider and the freighter had been handed over to Thrall and his crew to be used as they wished, though not before I had wiped their computer systems for all record of where this system was; though only after backing up said data to a datapad now stored in my Inventory.
The two days of travel were needed as the planet was well outside any known hyperlanes and we needed to stop at a few other systems to plot the next jump in the sequence.
"I really wish this thing had some decent long-range scanners," I moaned from my seat at the helm as I examined the lack of useful information from said scanners. "As expected, we've got seven major bodies. Four gaseous and three that are small enough to be solid, though only one is in the habitable zone; and even then, it is at the far edge of the zone."
"That should be were the prisoners indicated their base and station were," Dooku commented from the command chair behind me. "Are there any indications of the other ships or the station from this distance?"
"Nope. As I said, this piece of junk is lacking decent long-range scanners." I replied with annoyance at the raider.
The ship could carry up to fifty people – if they packed in and shared bunks – and work with a minimum crew of five. Since it was only Dooku and me currently on board, that had meant we'd had to split up the work normally meant for those five. And since Dooku was uninterested in mechanics, engineering or other technical subjects, that resulted in me having to serve as pilot, engineer and navigator while also ensuring the two laser cannons and one ion cannon were operational in the event we ended up in a fight.
Dooku's interrogations, and my examination of the ships logs, had informed us that around three hundred pirates were working from this system. That was a very large number for such an operation, which meant, according to Dooku, that it had been active for quite a while and probably had backing from someone with more money and connections that your average pirate or slaver.
They operated in four groups. Two capture teams, one of which we'd taken out, one selling team that travelled into Hutt Space to sell the ore that the slaves mined from the planet as well as any slave that was proving particularly unruly, and a command group that managed the remaining slaves on the station and planet.
The reason that they didn't sell all the slaves was twofold. Firstly, to allow the pirates some level of comfort while on the station and secondly, that the planet below the station was rich in several valuable ore and minerals. Those slaves not kept as 'staff' or sold on the slave markets in Hutt Space were sent to work in mines. And from everything we'd discovered, most did not live very long.
We were hoping that the two other teams were out of the system, as dealing with the rest of the pirate fleet would be extremely difficult. Our only real hope in that situation was that we would be able to approach close enough that I could use TK to take out entire ship crews. However, the issue there was the other freighter they were operating using carried a high number of sentients as that would indicate slaves onboard.
"Hmm. Very well. Set a course for the habitable planet. However, take it slow and alter the course randomly once we are closer. If we do run into other vessels, we can claim we are all that survived the boarding."
"Perhaps we could also vent the atmosphere from a few empty sections of the ship?" I suggested.
"Yes, that would help to sell our story, but hold off on doing so until we are closer. I do not wish to risk what little integrity this vessel has on an illusion we may not need."
"Yes, Master," I replied as we began to move deeper into the system. At current speeds, it would take us almost a day to reach the station, but that was fine as it gave me more time to search the ship for hidden stashes.
We had gutted all three ships of their stores, discovering about ten thousand credits – that Dooku gave to Captain Thrall and his crew – and a good amount of illegal substances – which we had jettisoned into space – medical, food stores and restraining equipment.
That meant I now had a dozen restraining cuffs stored away for a rainy day along with the further two dozen we had on board for securing any slavers that were smart enough to surrender.
All but a week's worth of food had been transferred to Captain Thrall's transport, though I had discovered a few hundred more credits in hidden stashes along with a few other odds and ends. And I was hoping to be able to loot the vessels and station here once we took care of the pirates.
…
…
Early the following morning, I was woken by Dooku summoning me to the bridge before the start of my shift.
"It appears we are in luck," he stated as I entered the small, cramped bridge. "Neither the transport for selling or the other capture team is in-system."
I moved to the helm station and pulled up the scanners.
What Dooku had stated was correct, a small raider about the same size as our vessel was currently travelling between the planet and the station.
I also noted that we while we were approaching the planet slowly, the ship was carrying out a series of seemingly random movements along the y-axis hopefully suggesting that our vessel was damaged.
"They're trying to hail us," I said as the commlink began to blink.
"Ignore it for now. When we are closer, we will reply. I have the names of a few of the lower members of the crew you can use if asked."
I turned and looked back at him.
"While I could carry out the conversation, my tone and style are far too refined to allow me to play the role convincingly," He explained, answering the question I had conveyed with a look. "While you are far younger than any member of their crew, a simple dropping of your tone, along with applying some basic contractions should be sufficient to fool whomever you speak to. At least until we can land on the station."
"Yes, Master," I replied as I turned back to my station and looked over the scanner data.
I frowned as I read the details about the station. Mainly because, while it was large enough to be a station, it clearly was not.
The vessel was massive, having dimensions of three by two by five kilometres, and their engines dominated the back of the ship – which was the direction we were approaching from – with the largest engines being easily wide enough for our raider to fly into.
What confused me about it, however, was the fact that while the engines and the area around that looked like a starship, the upper reaches of the vessel ended in towers and spires that reminded me of churches and temples from Earth.
"What is that?" I asked out loud as I pulled up a holographic image of the temple-ship.
"I am unfamiliar with the design, though judging from the multitude of damage suffered by the hull, I would surmise it was old and adrift when these slavers discovered it."
"Why does it look like a temple, though? I don't recall ever seeing any starships with that profile in any history files."
"Hmm. I feel as though I have heard of such ships, but in history books that predate even your birth," Dooku said slowly as the image rotated as the temple-ship turned in real-time. "However, that is a mystery we can discover once we have secured the vessel."
As a warning blinked on my console, I changed the holographic display to show the small vessel that had been travelling to the station had altered course. "We've got an escort inbound."
"Very well. Use the name Haram if asked for one and begin the random venting program you devised."
A few seconds later the program I had created began to slowly vent atmosphere from various points along the hull in a seemingly random pattern. It had taken me a few hours to design a simple randomizer function and insert it into the program for venting. Hopefully, it would help sell our 'damage'.
Even as we began to vent, I manually made sure to keep the approaching raider under the aim of one of our ships' weapons. I did this by moving all three in jerking motions. Again, I could only hope the approaching ship bought the charade and didn't spot that I always had a weapon trained on them.
Again, the commlink blinked, and after a comment from Dooku, I opened the link while activating Enhance Skill for Deception.
"Crassk, what are you doing?" A voice hissed over the comms. "And why can't we see you."
"Crassk is dead," I replied, doing my best to make my voice seem deeper and rougher. "The fracking ship was carrying Jedi!"
"Kirff! What about the other ships?" the voice demanded.
"Lost. The Jedi waited until we docked the transport before attacking." I paused for effect. "It was a massacre."
"Double kriff! Darvok is going to be furious." The voice went silent for a moment before continuing. "How many of you escaped?"
"About a dozen of us, but the ship's starting to fall apart. The Jedi tried to rip the damn engines from us as we fled."
"That's… right, right. We can see hull breeches from here. Follow us into the hanger. Darvok is going to want a report."
The link closed before I could reply, and the approaching raider banked towards the temple-ship as I moved to follow.
"Nicely done, Cameron. I would say there is now a fair chance that this Darvok will be waiting for us on their command ship along with members of his crew."
"Meaning we can take out their leadership before they realise what is going on," I replied even as I waved away a notice saying I'd gained another level in Deception as I stopped using Enhance Skill.
Dooku nodded. "Indeed. Ideally, the other raider will and nearby so we can take out its crew before they can react."
We spent the time as we moved towards the temple-ship developing simple plans for taking out any welcoming party and gaining control of the station/temple-ship.
The simple truth was that, bar me using TK to take out our escort ship, and the welcoming party before they could call for help, the plan was basically to identify the slavers then disable said slavers. Though I suspected that Dooku's meaning of disable involved more extreme methods than most Jedi would prefer to use. Or at least I hoped it did as I felt that slavers deserved no mercy.
It was about twenty minutes later when our raider was guided into a large bay on the far side of the temple-ship.
While I thought I saw other such bays dotted around the massive vessel, this was the only one that was open. Perhaps that was by choice, but more likely it was due to it being the only one that was open when the slavers discovered the vessel.
"Our escort is hanging back," I stated as we passed through the forcefield that held the atmosphere I the bay. "They're beginning to turn."
"What about their weapons?" Dooku inquired as I guided our vessel towards where a group of about ten sentients were gathered. We were still too far away to see what they were up to, but if they weren't thinking about targeting us, I'd buy a holiday villa on Hoth.
"Still no lock. I think…" I paused as I saw something on the scanners. "They've moved behind us. It doesn't seem like they've locked on, but we're in their sights." I felt… something as though a feeling was trying to warn me about something even as Danger Sense flared.
"Hmm. I believe they have not entirely bought your deception," Dooku muttered, confirming the feeling I'd just had was a warning from the Force, and I reached out with Detection.
"You might be right, Master. I think I can sense another thirty or so beings behind the doors to either side of our landing area," I said, trying to still sound vague to not make it seems as though I could sense every sentient being and droid within a hundred kilometres.
"There is no need to understate your ability, Padawan. Neither Master Fay nor I have your sensitivity with senses others through the Force." Dooku said firmly and even without turning, I knew he was scowling at my attempt to undersell my ability.
"There's sixteen to the left, eighteen to the right along with a few droids," I said, not bothering with an apology as Dooku was not one to accept them, preferring instead that I simply learnt the lesson and moved on. "There's also seventeen on the raider on our tail and, given to the group of fifteen I can sense, another vessel is approaching from the planet from behind the temple-ship, which is probably why the scanners on this bucket can't detect it."
"How far away is this second vessel?"
"Seventy kilometres, I think." I wasn't being vague on purpose here as the distance they were at was beyond my minimap, so I was only given a rough estimate of the range to the targets; in this case between fifty and one hundred klicks.
Once again, the usefulness of Detection over distance was limited due to my minimap. Hopefully, a new Perk or Player Power would allow for upgrading the minimap.
I quickly rotated the minimap with a thought, to see where the group was relative to my current plane. "They're approaching from below and on our right," I added, taking advantage of a new feature of the minimap to allow me to rotate it to show the z-axis. That feature had been added during the update, but I'd only discovered it while we were travelling to this system as there had been no mention of the interface changing in that way with the update.
"Most impressive. And highly advantageous in situations such as these." He paused for a moment as I brought the vessel to a stop as we touched the deck. "We need to disable both those vessels quickly before we lower the ramp, but if we move too early, we risk alerting those aboard this station to our intentions, and increase the chances they can warn their cohorts on other vessels or the planet below."
"I can sense about another hundred beings and ten droids aboard the station, Master. I cannot tell which are slavers or slaves however, though I'd suspect that the two groups that are crowded together are prisoners."
"Hmm, then after we secure our landing area, we will have to take the station the normal way." Dooku with a subtle uptick of his lips as he stood. "Come. We have to pay our respects to our hosts."
I managed to avoid chuckling at Dooku's humour as I followed him off the bridge.
As we reached the landing ramp, he moved to the controls but paused as before lowering the ramp.
"Can you still sense the crew of the two other vessels?" I nodded, as I'd kept Detection on the Force gave me a warning. "Good, then on my mark take them out…… Mark."
As the pressure seal hissed as it released, I reached out with TK and violently slammed every sentient on the two raiders upwards, and then down then repeated the process on the three droids, though I slammed them up and down a second time to be sure. The whole process took only a few seconds, but most of the marks shown by Detection faded away.
Even as my XP leapt upwards, confirming the majority of those ship's crews were dead, I silently prayed that there were no slaves upon the vessels. As for the slavers… they had it coming.
"Jedi!" someone roared from outside the ship, drawing me back from my thoughts, as a handful of blaster bolts came our way.
I simply leaned to one side to avoid the few that passed near me while Dooku effortlessly deflected them back, killing the two who had shot at him.
Before the ramp was even fully descended, I had used Barrier to block all incoming fire a few metres in front of us.
"Impressive," Dooku stated as we walked down the ramp, the blaster fire bouncing harmlessly off my Barrier. "How long could you maintain this barrier?"
I glanced at my FP bar, noted the number it was displaying, then the various powers I had active – Detection, Barrier, Precog and Bullet-Time – and did a few quick mental calculations.
"About three minutes, though I could extend it to maybe ten if I concentrate on nothing else." Meaning disabling all other active Force Powers, which I was not keen to do in a combat situation after my kidnapping just over two years ago.
Dooku gave a single, brief nod, but anything he might have said was cut off as the doors to port and starboard opened, allowing the reinforcements I had detected to enter the bay.
"While impressive, I believe it would be more beneficial if we took the offensive." His voice never once rose in concern at the fact we were now outnumbered over twenty to one and I found myself adopting a similar sense of calm.
"Yes, Master." I reached out with TK, but instead of throwing everyone upwards, I instead focused on every blaster in the room and yanked them towards me.
"What the?" "Huh?" "Kriff!"
Several voices called out as I yanked over two dozen blasters towards us, then turned them around in mid-air and aimed at their former owners.
"Surrender. This is your only chance." Dooku called out as I dropped Barrier to concentrate on the blasters, trying not to think about how cool it must look for me to be holding nearly four dozen blasters in the air and aiming them, and silently wondering why Jedi didn't do this more often.
"Why? We're not in Republic Space, Jedi. You have no authority here." A voice called out as a Bothan stood, flanked by two Trandoshans. "We are operating with the permission of the Hutts."
"That may be, but you are targeting Republic transports, and are engaged in slavery. We will not tolerate this." Dooku countered as I noted the two exceptionally large Trandoshans had pulled vibroblades from their belts; and gripped them tightly with two hands.
I had to assume the other pirates were also reaching for spare weapons, and it was only a subtle gesture from Dooku that prevented me from firing off every blaster I held with TK. Though given to the way my FP was rapidly dropping from me holding all these blasters aloft, I suspected I could only keep this up for another minute or so. Which told me why Jedi generally didn't do this often. No matter how cool it looked, it was a very taxing use of the Force.
The Bothan chuckled at Dooku's statement, as did a few others.
"Really? The lapdogs of the Senate, who care nothing for the Rim, won't allow slavery? What if I told you that some of our biggest clients were on Core worlds such as Coruscant?"
"I would not be surprised. I take it you will not surrender?" [Be ready, Padawan.] Dooku added mentally.
"No. Eve…"
"Very well." Dooku cut-off the leader and raised his lightsaber for combat. [Fire.]
I did as he instructed, and the floating collection of blasters opened fire on the three groups of slavers.
They only fired for a few seconds before Precog warned me of an attack, and I dropped the blasters, spun and unclipped and ignited my lightsaber, allowing me to easily deflecting the blast that was aimed for my head back the way it came. Using Precog with Bullet-time was incredibly overpowered when dealing with a small number of enemies, which explained why well-trained Jedi were so feared as opponents.
I stepped towards where that blast had come from, deflecting or avoiding a few more blasts as I noted that there were less than a dozen slavers left alive in the landing area with us.
As I deflected another blast, a blade came flying towards me from behind a stack of crates, and I ducked while moving my blade upwards. The offending arm fell helplessly to the floor even as its owner screamed in pain.
His screams died as I slashed him from waist to neck even as I pulled another pirate towards me, slamming them into the crates.
"I give up!" shouted the only slaver left in the small group I'd approached as he dropped his blaster pistol.
I hit him with a Stun and turned back to the crates where the first slaver of this little group was slowly standing.
Before he could orientate himself, I drove my saber through his chest.
Another glance at my minimap told me the landing bay was now secure. Including the one I'd stunned, there were only three others alive in the bay.
I walked back over to our ship and noted that Dooku was glowering down at the now one-armed Bothan. Both Trandoshans lay dead on the floor with various limbs lying around their bodies.
Part of me was a disturbed by how calmly Dooku was about dismembering and killing, but the larger part knew from my previous life that in combat the most important thing – beyond making sure you survived – was taking out your enemy.
"The bay is secure Master," I stated as I pulled the stunned slaver to the ship. "This one chose to surrender."
"A far wiser choice than the one taken by his leader," Dooku replied, turning back to the kneeling Bothan. "Now, you will tell me how many others there are on the station." Dooku almost growled out as he waved his hand across Bothan's face.
"Ha!" The Bothan spat at Dooku's feet. "You think I'm some weak-willed fool who'd let you manipulate me?"
"You will tell me." Now Dooku did growl and I noted the Bothan's eyes rolled back in his eyes for a moment as the Force washed over the area.
"I will tell you. There are another thirteen of my men on the station." All the confidence was gone from the Bothan's voice, as was any hint of emotion as he answered robotically.
"And on the planet below?"
"Another twenty-three." The Bothan drooled as he spoke and I was certain that Dooku had pushed harder than most Jedi would approve of, but I had no sympathy for the slaver.
Dooku turned to me. "Secure these two and that one in the ship. I will see about securing this bay fully and locating a terminal."
I nodded and lifted the leader, the one who had surrendered to me and another slaver that was slummed over near Dooku into the ship.
While I had levelled up thanks to the combat, I ignored the notice as the business of securing the temple-ship took precedence. Though the fact my FP had reset with the level-up was another exploitable quirk of my power that I wasn't going to complain about.
Once that was done, and we were heading to the ground, I'd pull up the notice and examine what new Perks and Player Powers were available to me.
As I returned to the landing bay, I found Dooku examining a computer console.
"Cameron, please examine this." He stated without turning.
As I approached, I noted the console was massively different from anything I'd seen so far in this galaxy.
Most computer systems, even those designed on opposite sides of the galaxy, used similar basic styles and layouts for their displays and consoles.
This one, however, along with looking as though someone had stripped away most of the outer casing, did not conform to that style.
The characters, while still Basic, were in a font I could not recall ever seeing before.
"Thoughts?" Dooku asked as he stepped back to allow me to use the console, which I began to do after activating Enhance Skill for Computing [Electronics].
After tapping away at the controls and examining what I could of the programming language from this point, I turned to look at him.
"This ship is old. Very old judging by the what I can follow of the underlying code. It's still on Basic, which does suggest Republic, or at least Human, origin. Beyond that, there' not much I can say beyond speculation."
"It does not match anything from your original time?" Clearly, he agreed with me about its age and was looking for a guide as to when the ship had been launched.
I shook my head. "No. While millennia have passed, the underlying styles have not altered as much as one would expect. This, however… I have never seen anything like it before."
Dooku leaned back and stroked his beard. "I believe I may have, but until we learn more about this station, I am reluctant to state my suspicions."
I gave a single nod in reply. Dooku, as I had learnt from my time with him, was very much a person who preferred facts and details over hunches and speculation, which was why I had held off on revealing my thoughts about the ship's age.
"While it is old, Master, I have been able to locate the main bridge. The slavers have jury-rigged a workaround that has given them basic control of this place along with a map.
"Using this, and the Force, I've picked out nine of the remaining thirteen slavers onboard. Six are in or around the command centre with the other three near the engine room." I explained, pointing to those two locations on the map that was now displayed on the console.
"And the last four?"
"Given that the slaves appear to be in two main areas, I'd wager that there's a pair at each location acting as jailers."
"Yes, that would be the most logical approach. However, until we secure the slaves, we cannot be sure about that.
"Also, in their position, I would have a secondary method for dealing with us. Probably explosives at or near the slaves." He paused and leaned closer to examine the map. "These two locations appear to be bays similar to this one. That would make eliminating those slaves a simple task that would not threaten the integrity of this place."
"The controls for this docking bay are not linked to the bridge, which would suggest the others are not either," I explained slowly as I manipulated the map. "Though they could easily have rigged explosives to those bay doors with a remote trigger being held by the new commander of the operation."
"Indeed. Then our primary objective now is to secure the slaves in landing bays, preferably without alerting those in engineering or command."
"Master, perhaps there is a way to secure them and take out the bridge at the same time."
"Proceed."
I pulled the map of this place back until it showed all five possible targets. "While you head to the bridge, and confront the slavers there, I can scout the two bays and locate the explosives, if there are indeed any. Once I've done so, you can face those on the bridge while I take out those holding the slaves."
"While I have been impressed by your performance so far, I do not believe you can be in two places at once."
I smirked. "Technically no, however thanks to training with Master Fay, I can have improved the distance I can teleport, and with the map of the ship, and being able to sense where everyone is, I'm confident that I can move from one to the other without being seen."
"Hmm." Dooku once more stroked his beard. "There is merit to your proposal and while I am reluctant to support it, I feel it does grant us the greatest chance of taking out the slavers and securing the slaves without their lives being threatened."
He stepped back from the console and turned to face me directly. "Very well. We will approach this your way. However, if at any moment I feel you are overexerting yourself, I will inform you to cease using the Force to teleport and instead handle each group to the best of your ability."
"Yes, Master," I replied.
"Good. Contact me once you have reached the first location." With that, he turned and walked towards the central doorway, the only one that had been open when we had landed and where the initial group of slavers had been gathered.
I took off at a jog towards the nearest bay holding the slaves.
While making my way there, I wondered just when the slavers had gathered their captives into the two locations. I had to assume that they allowed them some right to roam freely while they 'worked' or assigned them to different areas of the station.
Given that they were ready before we even landed, it suggested that Crassk – the name they'd used when the first raider had hailed us – had actually been a coded phrase. That was more than I'd expected from a group of slavers, but given to the size of this operation, it did make sense that the beings in charge had been expected to be rumbled at some point.
I had to hope that the missing group – the one responsible for selling those slaves deemed of high value – hadn't been alerted to our attack. If they had, they would either go to ground or try to hire mercenaries and muscle from whoever was backing this operation. And given that the Bothan leader had hinted that they had connections on Coruscant and other Core worlds, that reprisal could be large and brutal.
Soon enough I was close to the closest of the other landing bays and I slowed.
Now that I was closer, and could focus on the information Detection was providing to me via the minimap, I was able to note that almost everyone in the bay was huddled together in small groups, save for two who seemed to be walking around, though one was always close to the main door to the bay.
It was logical to assume that those two were the ones in charge.
After a moment examining what Detection and the minimap were telling me, I Phased through a wall near the entrance and glanced around.
The area I'd appeared in was in a corner, partially shielded from sight by the two now-confirmed slavers.
I pulled my head back and turned, running as quickly as I dared through the corridors of the massive ancient ship until I reached the second slave-filled bay.
Again, I used the combo of Detection and the minimap to locate a quiet corner in the bay and Phased inside to make sure it was clear.
I tapped open my commlink, slid a small comm-receiver into my ear to prevent it broadcasting Dooku's expected reply, and whispered.
"Master, I have identified the guards in the two bays."
"Excellent. I will leave my link open. The moment you hear a voice other than my own take them down and evacuate the slaves from the bays."
I didn't reply, instead simply waited as the sounds of a door hissing open could be heard.
"That's far enough Jedi!" someone hissed, though whatever he added I did not instantly hear as I threw a pair of Stun blasts at the two guards in this bay. I would, however, be able to review what was said thanks to Eidetic Memory at a later point in time.
"Quickly! We need to get out of here!" I shouted as the two Weequay collapsed in heaps.
"Who?" "What?"
Several voices commented on the two guards falling like puppets that had their strings cut. Then slowly, very slowly, the gathered slaves – mainly females – turned towards me.
"Look, I don't have time for this," I called out as I ignited my lightsaber. "You need to get out of this bay. NOW!"
"But the masters…" One female, a yellow-skinned Twi'lek began as I noted that she, like the others, were all wearing a metallic collar that I had to assume was used to control them. And was probably rigged with explosives if they tried to revolt.
"…are dead." I finished, before shrugging. "Well most of them. My Master is handling the last few, but we need you out of here before they realise what I'm doing."
Slowly, but getting quicker, the sixty or so people in the room began to move.
"Good, that's it," I said as the first few exited the bay into the corridor. "Keep moving. We need to get out of this bay quickly."
"What about the children?" The yellow-skinned Twi'lek asked. "They keep them separate as a way to control us."
"I'll free them, just get everyone out of here and seal the door behind you," I replied before Teleporting to the other bay.
"What the kriff was that?" one of the guards in this bay asked, though his partner wasn't able to reply as I struck them with a Force Blast, sending them crashing, fatally if the sound of bones crunching was any indication, into the far wall.
Perhaps I could have stunned them like the other two, but learning they were keeping children as prisoners took my mind back to my mission two years ago, and the state I'd found Bultar and Jon in.
Thus, those two slavers had just paid the price for my thoughts and residual anger.
"Who are you?" a Human male who was maybe a year or two older than me asked as I noted that he was one of the few children to have a collar like the adults. Probably as most were far too young – and thus too small – to need or fit a control collar.
I tweaked my wrist, indicating the still lit lightsaber. "Cameron. I'm here to rescue you. I've already freed the other bay with the adults. We need to get out of this bay, NOW!" I used Force Compulsion to make my point.
"We need to get out of this bay, now." The boy repeated before he turned to the others. "The Jedi are here!" he called out as the children, some looking no older than five, moved closer.
The way they looked up at me, hope mixed with disbelief on faces that had seen far too much of the darkness of the universe at far too young an age was something I would never, ever forget. Eidetic Memory or no. And, I suspected, would influence how I went about my plans for the future.
"Come on. We need to move." I stated as calmly as I could as I opened the main door. And came face to plate with a droid.
"You…" Was as far as the droid got before I hit it was Ionize.
That was still a low-level power and would only disable the droid for a minute or so, but it was enough time for me ascertain that it was nothing more than a service droid. Hopefully, the other droids onboard were like this one and not designed for combat.
The group of around twenty children, ranging in age from maybe thirteen down to five quickly exited the room and I sealed the doors.
"Prisoners secure," I stated through my commlink.
"These negotiations are finished." I heard Dooku state followed by the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber swishing.
Blaster fire and a few screams followed, but after a minute the link fell silent.
"I have secured the command centre," Dooku stated. "Gather everyone in the hanger where we arrived."
He closed the commlink without waiting for a reply and I turned to the boy who'd spoken up when I'd first entered the bay and used Observe.
"Reithe, I need you to get to make sure the others follow me. We're going to another hanger where we'll meet the adults."
"How…" Reithe stopped his question – probably about how I learnt his name – and nodded. "Right. Everyone, we need to follow the Jedi. He'll keep us safe."
As I turned to walk down the corridor, I felt a tug at my robes. Turning back, I found a young tan brown-skinned Zabrak girl standing there. She looked to be around seven or eight, but it was hard to be certain and I didn't bother using Observe on her.
"Are you really a Jedi?" she asked as she pointed at my lightsaber, which I had powered down just before opening the door out of their landing bay.
"Yes. I'm Cameron. What's your name?"
"Tedra. Are you taking me to my mummy?" She asked and I nodded. "Okay." Her hand slipped into my free one and I felt… something as we touched.
Curious what it was, I cast Observe on her, and I was glad I was already turning back as I read the information.
Yeah, most of that was expected, but the high Force Potential was what had caught me out.
She was the first person I had discovered with such potential who was not a member of the Jedi Order. Oh, I'd come across a few with intermediate Force Potential outside the Order, but those had all been people older than me, not a someone younger. And certainly not with that a high Force Potential.
Perhaps I could get her placed in the temple once this was all over, however, I was concerned they would reject her based on her age and what she had experienced her. And I would also have to speak with her mother if she was still here.
As I shifted back to the here and now, I remembered about the three slavers in engineering, and after checking the Detection-boosted minimap, I noted that there were only two people now there, and one was Dooku. His signature was pulsing to indicate a Force Bond.
"I have secured the engine room," came his voice over the commlink as if he knew I was just realising where he was. Which he probably did due to the Force. "I will return to our landing bay shorty so we can speak to the freed slaves and consider our next move."
"Yes, Master," I replied, before glancing at Tedra. "I think I've found something, someone, of interest."
"Indeed," I could sense his curiosity through the Force Bond we shared. "I look forward to seeing what or who this is once I arrive."
He closed the link, and a few minutes later I arrived with the children in tow at the landing bay to find the freed adults mulling around outside.
"Resa!" one of the adults called out and a green-skinned Twi'lek female broke from the adult group.
A child from my group ran to her and quickly the corridor was full of lots of reunions.
"Is your mother here?" I asked Tedra, who had still to let go of my hand as my eyes scanned for any adult Zabraks.
Tedra shook her head before it fell. "I, I don't see mummy."
"Hey, it's ok. We'll keep looking" I replied with a smile. "There are still people on the planet below. She's probably down there." I could only hope that was the case as if not, then her mother had probably been sold into slavery in Hutt Space which would make finding her almost impossible.
"Yeah." Tedra smiled back, but it was not a strong smile.
"Tedra, I need to go and clear out this room. There's… some bad things in there that I need to clean up before you and the others can go in." I explained slowly before spotting Reithe who also had not found a parent or relative. "Can you wait with Reithe until I get back."
"Okay," She whispered, and I quickly led her to the older boy and explained vaguely why I had to go in alone.
Thankfully, he understood what I meant by bad things, and he led her to a group of children that had not found their loved ones and where the adults without children were also congregating.
It took me about ten minutes to move all the bodies to an airlock, loot them for valuables – netting me a few thousand credits – and stockpiling all the weapons before I was willing to let the freed slaves in.
Though as I re-emerged into the corridor, I found Dooku in a heated conversation with some of the former slaves.
"While I certainly understand your desires, allowing them to face mob justice would only lower yourselves to their level," Dooku said calmly as he stood between a group of about ten freed slaves and four slavers. Three of the slavers were missing limbs, while the fourth was staring down at the ground.
"We don't care! They deserve to die!" shouted back a Togruta female who drew my eyes due to her unusual purple skin. "They killed my brother!"
"And my mate!" "Where's Kisa?" "We want justice!"
The shouts from the group were loud and I glanced at the children who hadn't found a relative, and possibly never would.
"They will face the full extent of Republic justice; I assure you of this," Dooku stated with an air of certainty. "However, what you seek is not justice, but revenge. Instead of taking stock of your situation, learning how to remove those ghastly collars, or organizing for when the last group of slavers returns, possibly with heavily armoured reinforcements, you instead wish to carry out mob vengeance." He paused and glared into the eyes of each of the group who were facing him. "Have you devolved that much?" He asked though I was certain he would say more if not for the fact he was a Jedi Master, and thus had to maintain an air of serenity.
I watched as he continued to glare at the group, impressed with how well he was handling them as I had felt that Fay was the better at deescalating a situation. And while Dooku's words and posture were working – only a few continued to meet his eyes – I was sure Fay would be less… forceful in her words, gestures, and posture than Dooku was being.
"Should I secure the prisoners, Master?" I asked, drawing everyone's attention to me in a way that should hopefully distract them enough for their anger to subside where they weren't trying to threaten a Jedi Master.
"Yes, Cameron."
"You trust a child to guard those monsters?" the purple-skinned Togruta asked with a snarl that exposed her teeth.
I bristled at the putdown and waved my hand, lifting the four slavers behind Dooku into the air then dragged them towards the bay doors.
"While still young, I would wager that Cameron here has seen more combat than any other than I. And it is he, not I, who took out the crews of two vessels from distance and most of the crew of this station," Dooku explained as I sensed his pride through our Force Bond.
I didn't catch the rest of the conversation as the doors to the bay closed, but I couldn't deny that I walked taller as I crossed the bay to our re-purposed raider; the four slavers making sounds as I lazily rotated them around in the air as they floated along behind me.
...
A few hours later, we were on the way to the surface of the planet that the temple-ship orbited.
While both Dooku and I would have liked to head to the planet immediately and take care of the pirates there, a few issues had to be dealt with before we could go.
The first, and one that took the longest, was getting the slaves to agree to stay on the temple-ship and wait for us to return with from the planet instead of flying down there themselves.
Dooku had managed to convince them of the inherent dangers in them doing so, not least that few of them were in any condition to fight.
I'd also pointed out that the adults were still wearing control collars that could kill them if someone sent the right signal to them.
This was overcome by Dooku persuading, ok more like subtly threatening, them to give over the codes and me confirming those codes with the rather primitive computer system the slavers had rigged up on the temple-ship.
Before said collars were jettisoned into space – they contained a minute explosive charge – I had added a few to my Inventory. While I doubted that I'd ever need such a device, it was better to be prepared.
I had also added a few extra blaster pistols and rifles and vibroknives to the Inventory as well before we allowed the slaves to arm themselves. Strangely, the Inventory allowed me to stack the weapons even when they were not the same make and model, just that they were the same style. The only downside of this was that I just wouldn't be able to select which weapon I got from the stack if I pulled one out.
We had then to locate and distribute supplies to keep the now uncollared slaves fed, though that had been more about working with the six or so – including the purple-skinned Togruta named Baalta – to organize the freed slaves.
While Dooku had dealt with that, I had pulled the two now derelict raiders into the bay – amazing those in the bay – before cleaning them out. Sadly, I hadn't had time to search the ships for hidden caches before we had left for the planet.
The plan if the slavers didn't surrender was simple. Take out any air defences, land and secure the base. If the defences were too great for us to take head-on, or the slavers had done the same as those on the temple-ship, I was to use my more, as Dooku put it, exotic abilities to disable any advantage the slavers appeared to have.
"We're coming up on the camp now," I said from the helm while Dooku had again taken the captain's chair.
"Have they spotted us?" he asked just before a few stray bolts of blaster fire struck the raider's shields.
"I'd say so, but from these readings, they don't have any anti-air defences. Hmm, scanners are only showing less than a dozen beings in or around the camp." I replied, ignoring the blasts that were coming from pistols and rifles as they lacked the power to do any real damage to the raider's shields.
"Program the ship to bring us down in the clearing at the west of the camp. Once that is done, reach out and see when you can sense."
I did as he instructed and tilted my head at what I sensed.
"I've got a further six beings in the trees to the south while the rest are either in the three groups totalling a few hundred that are no more than a kilometre below the surface or are outside the range of what I can sense," I said, explaining what I picked up from Detection.
I was still surprised that more Jedi didn't spend time training that power as even outside of tense situations like combat, the advantages it gave you were immense.
"Hmm. It appears we will have to convince them to surrender," Dooku began and I just knew he was stroking his beard as most Jedi did. Which was a big reason why I didn't plan on growing one. "Once we have landed, perhaps you might go and greet those to the south while I speak with the welcoming party."
"Yes, master."
The blaster fire from the ground had stopped as they realised it was ineffective, and after the ship began its automated landing program, I decided to open up my list of Perks since level 20 had granted me one Perk Point and one Player Power Point and I hadn't yet examined my options.
That was… a much longer list that before.
Bookworm, Dominant, Enhanced Regeneration, Luck of the Force, One with Beasts/Nature, Physical Regeneration and Style were all the same as before, while Boosted Growth Mark 2 increased my XP gains for all things by another ten per cent.
Of the new perks, Brainiac, Cat's Grace, Cult of Personality, Giant's Strength, Iron Skin and Wisdom of the Ancients lowered the time required to upgrade a stat – INT, AGI, CHA, STR, VIT and WIs respectfully – by ten per cent. While that was nice, it wasn't a big deal currently as I'd already increased Intelligence and Wisdom in just over half a year. In the future, however, those perks could be extremely useful though as the help menu stated that it became harder and harder to increase a stat.
Medic increased the HP boost from any applied medicine – whether that was from a bacta patch or an injection – that was used by me by fifty per cent. That seemed to suggest it would also apply if I used a bacta patch on someone else. However, with Force Heal, a boost to HP restorations from medicine was a low priority.
Stat Limit Boost was exactly what it said. An increase in physical stat limit of 10. That would mean, provided those stats stayed balanced, each could reach about 25 before hitting the limit. It was something to consider for the future.
However, what truly had my interest, and provided the Player Power list didn't contain something extreme I would take, was Heart of the Force [1/2].
That perk – which the interface said was available due to the Force itself finding a place for me in its seeking of balance – would lift my FP per level to 650, double my FP regeneration and increase my midi-chlorian count to over twenty thousand. From what I understood and remembered, that was Anakin/Vergence in the Force range.
The only major downside, and this was because the interface said it was manipulating midi-chlorians and thus risked aggravating the Force, was that it required one PP and one PPP.
The boost in FP and regen was certainly worth it, but if I took Heart of the Force, I'd solidify a lot of the talk about me being The Chosen One. Sure, Nilas had said my fate was linked to Anakin's, but I hadn't given it much thought beyond me being his brother if he followed the path I was on, or rival if he didn't.
Yet, the more I realised that that kind of Force Power was nothing to sneeze at and I remembered that it was Sidious who was the real threat, not Anakin, the more I was inclined to take the Perk.
Add in in that TPTB had hinted at things worse that Sidious and his order of Sith and having more power to counter those threats made Heart of the Force the obvious choice.
Just to be sure, however, I examined the list for Player Powers.
Again, there were some Player Powers that were listed before. Those being Colour Shift, Enhanced Inventory, Enlarge/Shrink and Glamours.
Of the new options, Greater Minimap would increase the range of the minimap to 5km. That was something I'd been hoping for, though with Heart of the Force [2/2] being there, it wasn't a "must-have now" choice.
The same could be said of Upgraded Minimap, which allowed me to see hidden locations, be they passages, rooms or alcoves, within range.
Superior Inventory doubled the number of slots available to me. Not really that useful, as I could work around the slot limit by using bags and would prefer Enhanced Inventory over this power.
Honestly, I had hoped for a greater choice, but since I was focused on Heart of the Force, it wasn't a major problem that the list of Player Powers was lacking.
Quickly, I took spent the Perk Point and Player Power Point to gain Heart of the Force as a perk and grinned as it took effect.
I now had 13,000FP – up from 10,000 a moment ago – and a regen rate of 260FP/minute, though that fell to 240FP/minute while Telepathic Shield (T-S) was active. Which was whenever I was around other people on the off chance that I accidentally ran into someone with the ability to read minds.
"I understand that you wish to free these people, Padawan However, showing enjoyment in the coming battle is not a trait worthy of a Jedi," Dooku stated firmly, having picked up on my happiness at the upgrade in my Force Power via our bond.
Even with T-S maxed, both he and Fay could sense my feelings, and communicate telepathically with me, because of our shared bond when close enough. Which made Force Bonds both a blessing and a curse as the more people I bonded with, the more could still sense my moods even with T-S active.
"Yes, Master," I replied, bringing my thoughts back to the upcoming engagement.
Though I did wonder how the improvements in my power levels would affect my actions in the coming minutes.
Only time would tell.
…
Sure, the ship had a medic, but their supplies were limited. And while I would have liked to have used Heal to help them, the power was only Adept 9 and, according to the interface, I needed it to be at least Professional 1 to heal others.
That meant I had to help the medic with the injured instead of watching Dooku interrogate the leaders.
It took a full day to handle all the injures – which granted me a few levels in Medicine [First Aid] – and then a further day to examine the computers of the three pirate ships. Though for the freighter, I'd first had to jettison the bodies of the dead crew before I could do that.
While my Computing [Slicing] and [Electronics] were at Professional 50 and Adept 94 respectfully, liberal usages of Enhance Skill – which was in the high Savant range – and shoddy data protection meant I was able to not only find records of previous attacks for cargo and slaves, but also the location of their base.
The records would help to ensure the surviving pirates would face prosecution. However, Dooku did not feel that would stop the attacks and I had agreed.
The pirate base was in a system that was nothing more than a number in the transport's navigation computer and the name of it meant nothing to Thrall or Dooku.
Because of that, and remembering perfectly the meeting on Coruscant and the fact the golden halo/light on the transports had led me here, I'd suggested privately to Dooku that perhaps the system could be used by the group we were building as an initial staging post in this area of the galaxy.
He had agreed, expressing that it could also potentially be used for operations into Hutt Space that we wished to keep hidden from the High Council, explaining that the Hutts were the major source of many of the more illegal ills of the galaxy.
This much I had already surmised from the few memories I had of actually watching the Hutts in the movies and the show, but I was unaware of exactly how vast their network was. Dooku told me that each Hutt was essentially a criminal kingpin over their own small slice of the Outer Rim and that despite frequently feuding with one another, they were all connected in a vast criminal network such that, if we made any move against them, we'd need a hidden base to work from. It brought to mind images of the stereotypical Mafia families back on Earth.
That was why, four days after the attempted boarding by the pirates, Dooku and I dropped out of hyperspace on the very edge of the system, which was named by a random string of text and numbers (R11-0407), in a repurposed pirate raider.
The other raider and the freighter had been handed over to Thrall and his crew to be used as they wished, though not before I had wiped their computer systems for all record of where this system was; though only after backing up said data to a datapad now stored in my Inventory.
The two days of travel were needed as the planet was well outside any known hyperlanes and we needed to stop at a few other systems to plot the next jump in the sequence.
"I really wish this thing had some decent long-range scanners," I moaned from my seat at the helm as I examined the lack of useful information from said scanners. "As expected, we've got seven major bodies. Four gaseous and three that are small enough to be solid, though only one is in the habitable zone; and even then, it is at the far edge of the zone."
"That should be were the prisoners indicated their base and station were," Dooku commented from the command chair behind me. "Are there any indications of the other ships or the station from this distance?"
"Nope. As I said, this piece of junk is lacking decent long-range scanners." I replied with annoyance at the raider.
The ship could carry up to fifty people – if they packed in and shared bunks – and work with a minimum crew of five. Since it was only Dooku and me currently on board, that had meant we'd had to split up the work normally meant for those five. And since Dooku was uninterested in mechanics, engineering or other technical subjects, that resulted in me having to serve as pilot, engineer and navigator while also ensuring the two laser cannons and one ion cannon were operational in the event we ended up in a fight.
Dooku's interrogations, and my examination of the ships logs, had informed us that around three hundred pirates were working from this system. That was a very large number for such an operation, which meant, according to Dooku, that it had been active for quite a while and probably had backing from someone with more money and connections that your average pirate or slaver.
They operated in four groups. Two capture teams, one of which we'd taken out, one selling team that travelled into Hutt Space to sell the ore that the slaves mined from the planet as well as any slave that was proving particularly unruly, and a command group that managed the remaining slaves on the station and planet.
The reason that they didn't sell all the slaves was twofold. Firstly, to allow the pirates some level of comfort while on the station and secondly, that the planet below the station was rich in several valuable ore and minerals. Those slaves not kept as 'staff' or sold on the slave markets in Hutt Space were sent to work in mines. And from everything we'd discovered, most did not live very long.
We were hoping that the two other teams were out of the system, as dealing with the rest of the pirate fleet would be extremely difficult. Our only real hope in that situation was that we would be able to approach close enough that I could use TK to take out entire ship crews. However, the issue there was the other freighter they were operating using carried a high number of sentients as that would indicate slaves onboard.
"Hmm. Very well. Set a course for the habitable planet. However, take it slow and alter the course randomly once we are closer. If we do run into other vessels, we can claim we are all that survived the boarding."
"Perhaps we could also vent the atmosphere from a few empty sections of the ship?" I suggested.
"Yes, that would help to sell our story, but hold off on doing so until we are closer. I do not wish to risk what little integrity this vessel has on an illusion we may not need."
"Yes, Master," I replied as we began to move deeper into the system. At current speeds, it would take us almost a day to reach the station, but that was fine as it gave me more time to search the ship for hidden stashes.
We had gutted all three ships of their stores, discovering about ten thousand credits – that Dooku gave to Captain Thrall and his crew – and a good amount of illegal substances – which we had jettisoned into space – medical, food stores and restraining equipment.
That meant I now had a dozen restraining cuffs stored away for a rainy day along with the further two dozen we had on board for securing any slavers that were smart enough to surrender.
All but a week's worth of food had been transferred to Captain Thrall's transport, though I had discovered a few hundred more credits in hidden stashes along with a few other odds and ends. And I was hoping to be able to loot the vessels and station here once we took care of the pirates.
…
…
Early the following morning, I was woken by Dooku summoning me to the bridge before the start of my shift.
"It appears we are in luck," he stated as I entered the small, cramped bridge. "Neither the transport for selling or the other capture team is in-system."
I moved to the helm station and pulled up the scanners.
What Dooku had stated was correct, a small raider about the same size as our vessel was currently travelling between the planet and the station.
I also noted that we while we were approaching the planet slowly, the ship was carrying out a series of seemingly random movements along the y-axis hopefully suggesting that our vessel was damaged.
"They're trying to hail us," I said as the commlink began to blink.
"Ignore it for now. When we are closer, we will reply. I have the names of a few of the lower members of the crew you can use if asked."
I turned and looked back at him.
"While I could carry out the conversation, my tone and style are far too refined to allow me to play the role convincingly," He explained, answering the question I had conveyed with a look. "While you are far younger than any member of their crew, a simple dropping of your tone, along with applying some basic contractions should be sufficient to fool whomever you speak to. At least until we can land on the station."
"Yes, Master," I replied as I turned back to my station and looked over the scanner data.
I frowned as I read the details about the station. Mainly because, while it was large enough to be a station, it clearly was not.
The vessel was massive, having dimensions of three by two by five kilometres, and their engines dominated the back of the ship – which was the direction we were approaching from – with the largest engines being easily wide enough for our raider to fly into.
What confused me about it, however, was the fact that while the engines and the area around that looked like a starship, the upper reaches of the vessel ended in towers and spires that reminded me of churches and temples from Earth.
"What is that?" I asked out loud as I pulled up a holographic image of the temple-ship.
"I am unfamiliar with the design, though judging from the multitude of damage suffered by the hull, I would surmise it was old and adrift when these slavers discovered it."
"Why does it look like a temple, though? I don't recall ever seeing any starships with that profile in any history files."
"Hmm. I feel as though I have heard of such ships, but in history books that predate even your birth," Dooku said slowly as the image rotated as the temple-ship turned in real-time. "However, that is a mystery we can discover once we have secured the vessel."
As a warning blinked on my console, I changed the holographic display to show the small vessel that had been travelling to the station had altered course. "We've got an escort inbound."
"Very well. Use the name Haram if asked for one and begin the random venting program you devised."
A few seconds later the program I had created began to slowly vent atmosphere from various points along the hull in a seemingly random pattern. It had taken me a few hours to design a simple randomizer function and insert it into the program for venting. Hopefully, it would help sell our 'damage'.
Even as we began to vent, I manually made sure to keep the approaching raider under the aim of one of our ships' weapons. I did this by moving all three in jerking motions. Again, I could only hope the approaching ship bought the charade and didn't spot that I always had a weapon trained on them.
Again, the commlink blinked, and after a comment from Dooku, I opened the link while activating Enhance Skill for Deception.
"Crassk, what are you doing?" A voice hissed over the comms. "And why can't we see you."
"Crassk is dead," I replied, doing my best to make my voice seem deeper and rougher. "The fracking ship was carrying Jedi!"
"Kirff! What about the other ships?" the voice demanded.
"Lost. The Jedi waited until we docked the transport before attacking." I paused for effect. "It was a massacre."
"Double kriff! Darvok is going to be furious." The voice went silent for a moment before continuing. "How many of you escaped?"
"About a dozen of us, but the ship's starting to fall apart. The Jedi tried to rip the damn engines from us as we fled."
"That's… right, right. We can see hull breeches from here. Follow us into the hanger. Darvok is going to want a report."
The link closed before I could reply, and the approaching raider banked towards the temple-ship as I moved to follow.
"Nicely done, Cameron. I would say there is now a fair chance that this Darvok will be waiting for us on their command ship along with members of his crew."
"Meaning we can take out their leadership before they realise what is going on," I replied even as I waved away a notice saying I'd gained another level in Deception as I stopped using Enhance Skill.
Dooku nodded. "Indeed. Ideally, the other raider will and nearby so we can take out its crew before they can react."
We spent the time as we moved towards the temple-ship developing simple plans for taking out any welcoming party and gaining control of the station/temple-ship.
The simple truth was that, bar me using TK to take out our escort ship, and the welcoming party before they could call for help, the plan was basically to identify the slavers then disable said slavers. Though I suspected that Dooku's meaning of disable involved more extreme methods than most Jedi would prefer to use. Or at least I hoped it did as I felt that slavers deserved no mercy.
It was about twenty minutes later when our raider was guided into a large bay on the far side of the temple-ship.
While I thought I saw other such bays dotted around the massive vessel, this was the only one that was open. Perhaps that was by choice, but more likely it was due to it being the only one that was open when the slavers discovered the vessel.
"Our escort is hanging back," I stated as we passed through the forcefield that held the atmosphere I the bay. "They're beginning to turn."
"What about their weapons?" Dooku inquired as I guided our vessel towards where a group of about ten sentients were gathered. We were still too far away to see what they were up to, but if they weren't thinking about targeting us, I'd buy a holiday villa on Hoth.
"Still no lock. I think…" I paused as I saw something on the scanners. "They've moved behind us. It doesn't seem like they've locked on, but we're in their sights." I felt… something as though a feeling was trying to warn me about something even as Danger Sense flared.
"Hmm. I believe they have not entirely bought your deception," Dooku muttered, confirming the feeling I'd just had was a warning from the Force, and I reached out with Detection.
"You might be right, Master. I think I can sense another thirty or so beings behind the doors to either side of our landing area," I said, trying to still sound vague to not make it seems as though I could sense every sentient being and droid within a hundred kilometres.
"There is no need to understate your ability, Padawan. Neither Master Fay nor I have your sensitivity with senses others through the Force." Dooku said firmly and even without turning, I knew he was scowling at my attempt to undersell my ability.
"There's sixteen to the left, eighteen to the right along with a few droids," I said, not bothering with an apology as Dooku was not one to accept them, preferring instead that I simply learnt the lesson and moved on. "There's also seventeen on the raider on our tail and, given to the group of fifteen I can sense, another vessel is approaching from the planet from behind the temple-ship, which is probably why the scanners on this bucket can't detect it."
"How far away is this second vessel?"
"Seventy kilometres, I think." I wasn't being vague on purpose here as the distance they were at was beyond my minimap, so I was only given a rough estimate of the range to the targets; in this case between fifty and one hundred klicks.
Once again, the usefulness of Detection over distance was limited due to my minimap. Hopefully, a new Perk or Player Power would allow for upgrading the minimap.
I quickly rotated the minimap with a thought, to see where the group was relative to my current plane. "They're approaching from below and on our right," I added, taking advantage of a new feature of the minimap to allow me to rotate it to show the z-axis. That feature had been added during the update, but I'd only discovered it while we were travelling to this system as there had been no mention of the interface changing in that way with the update.
"Most impressive. And highly advantageous in situations such as these." He paused for a moment as I brought the vessel to a stop as we touched the deck. "We need to disable both those vessels quickly before we lower the ramp, but if we move too early, we risk alerting those aboard this station to our intentions, and increase the chances they can warn their cohorts on other vessels or the planet below."
"I can sense about another hundred beings and ten droids aboard the station, Master. I cannot tell which are slavers or slaves however, though I'd suspect that the two groups that are crowded together are prisoners."
"Hmm, then after we secure our landing area, we will have to take the station the normal way." Dooku with a subtle uptick of his lips as he stood. "Come. We have to pay our respects to our hosts."
I managed to avoid chuckling at Dooku's humour as I followed him off the bridge.
As we reached the landing ramp, he moved to the controls but paused as before lowering the ramp.
"Can you still sense the crew of the two other vessels?" I nodded, as I'd kept Detection on the Force gave me a warning. "Good, then on my mark take them out…… Mark."
As the pressure seal hissed as it released, I reached out with TK and violently slammed every sentient on the two raiders upwards, and then down then repeated the process on the three droids, though I slammed them up and down a second time to be sure. The whole process took only a few seconds, but most of the marks shown by Detection faded away.
Even as my XP leapt upwards, confirming the majority of those ship's crews were dead, I silently prayed that there were no slaves upon the vessels. As for the slavers… they had it coming.
"Jedi!" someone roared from outside the ship, drawing me back from my thoughts, as a handful of blaster bolts came our way.
I simply leaned to one side to avoid the few that passed near me while Dooku effortlessly deflected them back, killing the two who had shot at him.
Before the ramp was even fully descended, I had used Barrier to block all incoming fire a few metres in front of us.
"Impressive," Dooku stated as we walked down the ramp, the blaster fire bouncing harmlessly off my Barrier. "How long could you maintain this barrier?"
I glanced at my FP bar, noted the number it was displaying, then the various powers I had active – Detection, Barrier, Precog and Bullet-Time – and did a few quick mental calculations.
"About three minutes, though I could extend it to maybe ten if I concentrate on nothing else." Meaning disabling all other active Force Powers, which I was not keen to do in a combat situation after my kidnapping just over two years ago.
Dooku gave a single, brief nod, but anything he might have said was cut off as the doors to port and starboard opened, allowing the reinforcements I had detected to enter the bay.
"While impressive, I believe it would be more beneficial if we took the offensive." His voice never once rose in concern at the fact we were now outnumbered over twenty to one and I found myself adopting a similar sense of calm.
"Yes, Master." I reached out with TK, but instead of throwing everyone upwards, I instead focused on every blaster in the room and yanked them towards me.
"What the?" "Huh?" "Kriff!"
Several voices called out as I yanked over two dozen blasters towards us, then turned them around in mid-air and aimed at their former owners.
"Surrender. This is your only chance." Dooku called out as I dropped Barrier to concentrate on the blasters, trying not to think about how cool it must look for me to be holding nearly four dozen blasters in the air and aiming them, and silently wondering why Jedi didn't do this more often.
"Why? We're not in Republic Space, Jedi. You have no authority here." A voice called out as a Bothan stood, flanked by two Trandoshans. "We are operating with the permission of the Hutts."
"That may be, but you are targeting Republic transports, and are engaged in slavery. We will not tolerate this." Dooku countered as I noted the two exceptionally large Trandoshans had pulled vibroblades from their belts; and gripped them tightly with two hands.
I had to assume the other pirates were also reaching for spare weapons, and it was only a subtle gesture from Dooku that prevented me from firing off every blaster I held with TK. Though given to the way my FP was rapidly dropping from me holding all these blasters aloft, I suspected I could only keep this up for another minute or so. Which told me why Jedi generally didn't do this often. No matter how cool it looked, it was a very taxing use of the Force.
The Bothan chuckled at Dooku's statement, as did a few others.
"Really? The lapdogs of the Senate, who care nothing for the Rim, won't allow slavery? What if I told you that some of our biggest clients were on Core worlds such as Coruscant?"
"I would not be surprised. I take it you will not surrender?" [Be ready, Padawan.] Dooku added mentally.
"No. Eve…"
"Very well." Dooku cut-off the leader and raised his lightsaber for combat. [Fire.]
I did as he instructed, and the floating collection of blasters opened fire on the three groups of slavers.
They only fired for a few seconds before Precog warned me of an attack, and I dropped the blasters, spun and unclipped and ignited my lightsaber, allowing me to easily deflecting the blast that was aimed for my head back the way it came. Using Precog with Bullet-time was incredibly overpowered when dealing with a small number of enemies, which explained why well-trained Jedi were so feared as opponents.
I stepped towards where that blast had come from, deflecting or avoiding a few more blasts as I noted that there were less than a dozen slavers left alive in the landing area with us.
As I deflected another blast, a blade came flying towards me from behind a stack of crates, and I ducked while moving my blade upwards. The offending arm fell helplessly to the floor even as its owner screamed in pain.
His screams died as I slashed him from waist to neck even as I pulled another pirate towards me, slamming them into the crates.
"I give up!" shouted the only slaver left in the small group I'd approached as he dropped his blaster pistol.
I hit him with a Stun and turned back to the crates where the first slaver of this little group was slowly standing.
Before he could orientate himself, I drove my saber through his chest.
Another glance at my minimap told me the landing bay was now secure. Including the one I'd stunned, there were only three others alive in the bay.
I walked back over to our ship and noted that Dooku was glowering down at the now one-armed Bothan. Both Trandoshans lay dead on the floor with various limbs lying around their bodies.
Part of me was a disturbed by how calmly Dooku was about dismembering and killing, but the larger part knew from my previous life that in combat the most important thing – beyond making sure you survived – was taking out your enemy.
"The bay is secure Master," I stated as I pulled the stunned slaver to the ship. "This one chose to surrender."
"A far wiser choice than the one taken by his leader," Dooku replied, turning back to the kneeling Bothan. "Now, you will tell me how many others there are on the station." Dooku almost growled out as he waved his hand across Bothan's face.
"Ha!" The Bothan spat at Dooku's feet. "You think I'm some weak-willed fool who'd let you manipulate me?"
"You will tell me." Now Dooku did growl and I noted the Bothan's eyes rolled back in his eyes for a moment as the Force washed over the area.
"I will tell you. There are another thirteen of my men on the station." All the confidence was gone from the Bothan's voice, as was any hint of emotion as he answered robotically.
"And on the planet below?"
"Another twenty-three." The Bothan drooled as he spoke and I was certain that Dooku had pushed harder than most Jedi would approve of, but I had no sympathy for the slaver.
Dooku turned to me. "Secure these two and that one in the ship. I will see about securing this bay fully and locating a terminal."
I nodded and lifted the leader, the one who had surrendered to me and another slaver that was slummed over near Dooku into the ship.
While I had levelled up thanks to the combat, I ignored the notice as the business of securing the temple-ship took precedence. Though the fact my FP had reset with the level-up was another exploitable quirk of my power that I wasn't going to complain about.
Once that was done, and we were heading to the ground, I'd pull up the notice and examine what new Perks and Player Powers were available to me.
As I returned to the landing bay, I found Dooku examining a computer console.
"Cameron, please examine this." He stated without turning.
As I approached, I noted the console was massively different from anything I'd seen so far in this galaxy.
Most computer systems, even those designed on opposite sides of the galaxy, used similar basic styles and layouts for their displays and consoles.
This one, however, along with looking as though someone had stripped away most of the outer casing, did not conform to that style.
The characters, while still Basic, were in a font I could not recall ever seeing before.
"Thoughts?" Dooku asked as he stepped back to allow me to use the console, which I began to do after activating Enhance Skill for Computing [Electronics].
After tapping away at the controls and examining what I could of the programming language from this point, I turned to look at him.
"This ship is old. Very old judging by the what I can follow of the underlying code. It's still on Basic, which does suggest Republic, or at least Human, origin. Beyond that, there' not much I can say beyond speculation."
"It does not match anything from your original time?" Clearly, he agreed with me about its age and was looking for a guide as to when the ship had been launched.
I shook my head. "No. While millennia have passed, the underlying styles have not altered as much as one would expect. This, however… I have never seen anything like it before."
Dooku leaned back and stroked his beard. "I believe I may have, but until we learn more about this station, I am reluctant to state my suspicions."
I gave a single nod in reply. Dooku, as I had learnt from my time with him, was very much a person who preferred facts and details over hunches and speculation, which was why I had held off on revealing my thoughts about the ship's age.
"While it is old, Master, I have been able to locate the main bridge. The slavers have jury-rigged a workaround that has given them basic control of this place along with a map.
"Using this, and the Force, I've picked out nine of the remaining thirteen slavers onboard. Six are in or around the command centre with the other three near the engine room." I explained, pointing to those two locations on the map that was now displayed on the console.
"And the last four?"
"Given that the slaves appear to be in two main areas, I'd wager that there's a pair at each location acting as jailers."
"Yes, that would be the most logical approach. However, until we secure the slaves, we cannot be sure about that.
"Also, in their position, I would have a secondary method for dealing with us. Probably explosives at or near the slaves." He paused and leaned closer to examine the map. "These two locations appear to be bays similar to this one. That would make eliminating those slaves a simple task that would not threaten the integrity of this place."
"The controls for this docking bay are not linked to the bridge, which would suggest the others are not either," I explained slowly as I manipulated the map. "Though they could easily have rigged explosives to those bay doors with a remote trigger being held by the new commander of the operation."
"Indeed. Then our primary objective now is to secure the slaves in landing bays, preferably without alerting those in engineering or command."
"Master, perhaps there is a way to secure them and take out the bridge at the same time."
"Proceed."
I pulled the map of this place back until it showed all five possible targets. "While you head to the bridge, and confront the slavers there, I can scout the two bays and locate the explosives, if there are indeed any. Once I've done so, you can face those on the bridge while I take out those holding the slaves."
"While I have been impressed by your performance so far, I do not believe you can be in two places at once."
I smirked. "Technically no, however thanks to training with Master Fay, I can have improved the distance I can teleport, and with the map of the ship, and being able to sense where everyone is, I'm confident that I can move from one to the other without being seen."
"Hmm." Dooku once more stroked his beard. "There is merit to your proposal and while I am reluctant to support it, I feel it does grant us the greatest chance of taking out the slavers and securing the slaves without their lives being threatened."
He stepped back from the console and turned to face me directly. "Very well. We will approach this your way. However, if at any moment I feel you are overexerting yourself, I will inform you to cease using the Force to teleport and instead handle each group to the best of your ability."
"Yes, Master," I replied.
"Good. Contact me once you have reached the first location." With that, he turned and walked towards the central doorway, the only one that had been open when we had landed and where the initial group of slavers had been gathered.
I took off at a jog towards the nearest bay holding the slaves.
While making my way there, I wondered just when the slavers had gathered their captives into the two locations. I had to assume that they allowed them some right to roam freely while they 'worked' or assigned them to different areas of the station.
Given that they were ready before we even landed, it suggested that Crassk – the name they'd used when the first raider had hailed us – had actually been a coded phrase. That was more than I'd expected from a group of slavers, but given to the size of this operation, it did make sense that the beings in charge had been expected to be rumbled at some point.
I had to hope that the missing group – the one responsible for selling those slaves deemed of high value – hadn't been alerted to our attack. If they had, they would either go to ground or try to hire mercenaries and muscle from whoever was backing this operation. And given that the Bothan leader had hinted that they had connections on Coruscant and other Core worlds, that reprisal could be large and brutal.
Soon enough I was close to the closest of the other landing bays and I slowed.
Now that I was closer, and could focus on the information Detection was providing to me via the minimap, I was able to note that almost everyone in the bay was huddled together in small groups, save for two who seemed to be walking around, though one was always close to the main door to the bay.
It was logical to assume that those two were the ones in charge.
After a moment examining what Detection and the minimap were telling me, I Phased through a wall near the entrance and glanced around.
The area I'd appeared in was in a corner, partially shielded from sight by the two now-confirmed slavers.
I pulled my head back and turned, running as quickly as I dared through the corridors of the massive ancient ship until I reached the second slave-filled bay.
Again, I used the combo of Detection and the minimap to locate a quiet corner in the bay and Phased inside to make sure it was clear.
I tapped open my commlink, slid a small comm-receiver into my ear to prevent it broadcasting Dooku's expected reply, and whispered.
"Master, I have identified the guards in the two bays."
"Excellent. I will leave my link open. The moment you hear a voice other than my own take them down and evacuate the slaves from the bays."
I didn't reply, instead simply waited as the sounds of a door hissing open could be heard.
"That's far enough Jedi!" someone hissed, though whatever he added I did not instantly hear as I threw a pair of Stun blasts at the two guards in this bay. I would, however, be able to review what was said thanks to Eidetic Memory at a later point in time.
"Quickly! We need to get out of here!" I shouted as the two Weequay collapsed in heaps.
"Who?" "What?"
Several voices commented on the two guards falling like puppets that had their strings cut. Then slowly, very slowly, the gathered slaves – mainly females – turned towards me.
"Look, I don't have time for this," I called out as I ignited my lightsaber. "You need to get out of this bay. NOW!"
"But the masters…" One female, a yellow-skinned Twi'lek began as I noted that she, like the others, were all wearing a metallic collar that I had to assume was used to control them. And was probably rigged with explosives if they tried to revolt.
"…are dead." I finished, before shrugging. "Well most of them. My Master is handling the last few, but we need you out of here before they realise what I'm doing."
Slowly, but getting quicker, the sixty or so people in the room began to move.
"Good, that's it," I said as the first few exited the bay into the corridor. "Keep moving. We need to get out of this bay quickly."
"What about the children?" The yellow-skinned Twi'lek asked. "They keep them separate as a way to control us."
"I'll free them, just get everyone out of here and seal the door behind you," I replied before Teleporting to the other bay.
"What the kriff was that?" one of the guards in this bay asked, though his partner wasn't able to reply as I struck them with a Force Blast, sending them crashing, fatally if the sound of bones crunching was any indication, into the far wall.
Perhaps I could have stunned them like the other two, but learning they were keeping children as prisoners took my mind back to my mission two years ago, and the state I'd found Bultar and Jon in.
Thus, those two slavers had just paid the price for my thoughts and residual anger.
"Who are you?" a Human male who was maybe a year or two older than me asked as I noted that he was one of the few children to have a collar like the adults. Probably as most were far too young – and thus too small – to need or fit a control collar.
I tweaked my wrist, indicating the still lit lightsaber. "Cameron. I'm here to rescue you. I've already freed the other bay with the adults. We need to get out of this bay, NOW!" I used Force Compulsion to make my point.
"We need to get out of this bay, now." The boy repeated before he turned to the others. "The Jedi are here!" he called out as the children, some looking no older than five, moved closer.
The way they looked up at me, hope mixed with disbelief on faces that had seen far too much of the darkness of the universe at far too young an age was something I would never, ever forget. Eidetic Memory or no. And, I suspected, would influence how I went about my plans for the future.
"Come on. We need to move." I stated as calmly as I could as I opened the main door. And came face to plate with a droid.
"You…" Was as far as the droid got before I hit it was Ionize.
That was still a low-level power and would only disable the droid for a minute or so, but it was enough time for me ascertain that it was nothing more than a service droid. Hopefully, the other droids onboard were like this one and not designed for combat.
The group of around twenty children, ranging in age from maybe thirteen down to five quickly exited the room and I sealed the doors.
"Prisoners secure," I stated through my commlink.
"These negotiations are finished." I heard Dooku state followed by the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber swishing.
Blaster fire and a few screams followed, but after a minute the link fell silent.
"I have secured the command centre," Dooku stated. "Gather everyone in the hanger where we arrived."
He closed the commlink without waiting for a reply and I turned to the boy who'd spoken up when I'd first entered the bay and used Observe.
"Reithe, I need you to get to make sure the others follow me. We're going to another hanger where we'll meet the adults."
"How…" Reithe stopped his question – probably about how I learnt his name – and nodded. "Right. Everyone, we need to follow the Jedi. He'll keep us safe."
As I turned to walk down the corridor, I felt a tug at my robes. Turning back, I found a young tan brown-skinned Zabrak girl standing there. She looked to be around seven or eight, but it was hard to be certain and I didn't bother using Observe on her.
"Are you really a Jedi?" she asked as she pointed at my lightsaber, which I had powered down just before opening the door out of their landing bay.
"Yes. I'm Cameron. What's your name?"
"Tedra. Are you taking me to my mummy?" She asked and I nodded. "Okay." Her hand slipped into my free one and I felt… something as we touched.
Curious what it was, I cast Observe on her, and I was glad I was already turning back as I read the information.
Tedra Zill
Race: Zabrak
Level: 5
Health: 80% [Malnorished]
Age: 6
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Negligible
Emotional State: Hopeful, Curious, Amazed
Tedra has been held on this ship for months and is hopeful you can free her and her mother.
She has always wanted to meet a Jedi and has many questions for you.
And she wonders if you know something about the strange things that happen around her.
…
Race: Zabrak
Level: 5
Health: 80% [Malnorished]
Age: 6
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Negligible
Emotional State: Hopeful, Curious, Amazed
Tedra has been held on this ship for months and is hopeful you can free her and her mother.
She has always wanted to meet a Jedi and has many questions for you.
And she wonders if you know something about the strange things that happen around her.
…
She was the first person I had discovered with such potential who was not a member of the Jedi Order. Oh, I'd come across a few with intermediate Force Potential outside the Order, but those had all been people older than me, not a someone younger. And certainly not with that a high Force Potential.
Perhaps I could get her placed in the temple once this was all over, however, I was concerned they would reject her based on her age and what she had experienced her. And I would also have to speak with her mother if she was still here.
As I shifted back to the here and now, I remembered about the three slavers in engineering, and after checking the Detection-boosted minimap, I noted that there were only two people now there, and one was Dooku. His signature was pulsing to indicate a Force Bond.
"I have secured the engine room," came his voice over the commlink as if he knew I was just realising where he was. Which he probably did due to the Force. "I will return to our landing bay shorty so we can speak to the freed slaves and consider our next move."
"Yes, Master," I replied, before glancing at Tedra. "I think I've found something, someone, of interest."
"Indeed," I could sense his curiosity through the Force Bond we shared. "I look forward to seeing what or who this is once I arrive."
He closed the link, and a few minutes later I arrived with the children in tow at the landing bay to find the freed adults mulling around outside.
"Resa!" one of the adults called out and a green-skinned Twi'lek female broke from the adult group.
A child from my group ran to her and quickly the corridor was full of lots of reunions.
"Is your mother here?" I asked Tedra, who had still to let go of my hand as my eyes scanned for any adult Zabraks.
Tedra shook her head before it fell. "I, I don't see mummy."
"Hey, it's ok. We'll keep looking" I replied with a smile. "There are still people on the planet below. She's probably down there." I could only hope that was the case as if not, then her mother had probably been sold into slavery in Hutt Space which would make finding her almost impossible.
"Yeah." Tedra smiled back, but it was not a strong smile.
"Tedra, I need to go and clear out this room. There's… some bad things in there that I need to clean up before you and the others can go in." I explained slowly before spotting Reithe who also had not found a parent or relative. "Can you wait with Reithe until I get back."
"Okay," She whispered, and I quickly led her to the older boy and explained vaguely why I had to go in alone.
Thankfully, he understood what I meant by bad things, and he led her to a group of children that had not found their loved ones and where the adults without children were also congregating.
It took me about ten minutes to move all the bodies to an airlock, loot them for valuables – netting me a few thousand credits – and stockpiling all the weapons before I was willing to let the freed slaves in.
Though as I re-emerged into the corridor, I found Dooku in a heated conversation with some of the former slaves.
"While I certainly understand your desires, allowing them to face mob justice would only lower yourselves to their level," Dooku said calmly as he stood between a group of about ten freed slaves and four slavers. Three of the slavers were missing limbs, while the fourth was staring down at the ground.
"We don't care! They deserve to die!" shouted back a Togruta female who drew my eyes due to her unusual purple skin. "They killed my brother!"
"And my mate!" "Where's Kisa?" "We want justice!"
The shouts from the group were loud and I glanced at the children who hadn't found a relative, and possibly never would.
"They will face the full extent of Republic justice; I assure you of this," Dooku stated with an air of certainty. "However, what you seek is not justice, but revenge. Instead of taking stock of your situation, learning how to remove those ghastly collars, or organizing for when the last group of slavers returns, possibly with heavily armoured reinforcements, you instead wish to carry out mob vengeance." He paused and glared into the eyes of each of the group who were facing him. "Have you devolved that much?" He asked though I was certain he would say more if not for the fact he was a Jedi Master, and thus had to maintain an air of serenity.
I watched as he continued to glare at the group, impressed with how well he was handling them as I had felt that Fay was the better at deescalating a situation. And while Dooku's words and posture were working – only a few continued to meet his eyes – I was sure Fay would be less… forceful in her words, gestures, and posture than Dooku was being.
"Should I secure the prisoners, Master?" I asked, drawing everyone's attention to me in a way that should hopefully distract them enough for their anger to subside where they weren't trying to threaten a Jedi Master.
"Yes, Cameron."
"You trust a child to guard those monsters?" the purple-skinned Togruta asked with a snarl that exposed her teeth.
I bristled at the putdown and waved my hand, lifting the four slavers behind Dooku into the air then dragged them towards the bay doors.
"While still young, I would wager that Cameron here has seen more combat than any other than I. And it is he, not I, who took out the crews of two vessels from distance and most of the crew of this station," Dooku explained as I sensed his pride through our Force Bond.
I didn't catch the rest of the conversation as the doors to the bay closed, but I couldn't deny that I walked taller as I crossed the bay to our re-purposed raider; the four slavers making sounds as I lazily rotated them around in the air as they floated along behind me.
...
A few hours later, we were on the way to the surface of the planet that the temple-ship orbited.
While both Dooku and I would have liked to head to the planet immediately and take care of the pirates there, a few issues had to be dealt with before we could go.
The first, and one that took the longest, was getting the slaves to agree to stay on the temple-ship and wait for us to return with from the planet instead of flying down there themselves.
Dooku had managed to convince them of the inherent dangers in them doing so, not least that few of them were in any condition to fight.
I'd also pointed out that the adults were still wearing control collars that could kill them if someone sent the right signal to them.
This was overcome by Dooku persuading, ok more like subtly threatening, them to give over the codes and me confirming those codes with the rather primitive computer system the slavers had rigged up on the temple-ship.
Before said collars were jettisoned into space – they contained a minute explosive charge – I had added a few to my Inventory. While I doubted that I'd ever need such a device, it was better to be prepared.
I had also added a few extra blaster pistols and rifles and vibroknives to the Inventory as well before we allowed the slaves to arm themselves. Strangely, the Inventory allowed me to stack the weapons even when they were not the same make and model, just that they were the same style. The only downside of this was that I just wouldn't be able to select which weapon I got from the stack if I pulled one out.
We had then to locate and distribute supplies to keep the now uncollared slaves fed, though that had been more about working with the six or so – including the purple-skinned Togruta named Baalta – to organize the freed slaves.
While Dooku had dealt with that, I had pulled the two now derelict raiders into the bay – amazing those in the bay – before cleaning them out. Sadly, I hadn't had time to search the ships for hidden caches before we had left for the planet.
The plan if the slavers didn't surrender was simple. Take out any air defences, land and secure the base. If the defences were too great for us to take head-on, or the slavers had done the same as those on the temple-ship, I was to use my more, as Dooku put it, exotic abilities to disable any advantage the slavers appeared to have.
"We're coming up on the camp now," I said from the helm while Dooku had again taken the captain's chair.
"Have they spotted us?" he asked just before a few stray bolts of blaster fire struck the raider's shields.
"I'd say so, but from these readings, they don't have any anti-air defences. Hmm, scanners are only showing less than a dozen beings in or around the camp." I replied, ignoring the blasts that were coming from pistols and rifles as they lacked the power to do any real damage to the raider's shields.
"Program the ship to bring us down in the clearing at the west of the camp. Once that is done, reach out and see when you can sense."
I did as he instructed and tilted my head at what I sensed.
"I've got a further six beings in the trees to the south while the rest are either in the three groups totalling a few hundred that are no more than a kilometre below the surface or are outside the range of what I can sense," I said, explaining what I picked up from Detection.
I was still surprised that more Jedi didn't spend time training that power as even outside of tense situations like combat, the advantages it gave you were immense.
"Hmm. It appears we will have to convince them to surrender," Dooku began and I just knew he was stroking his beard as most Jedi did. Which was a big reason why I didn't plan on growing one. "Once we have landed, perhaps you might go and greet those to the south while I speak with the welcoming party."
"Yes, master."
The blaster fire from the ground had stopped as they realised it was ineffective, and after the ship began its automated landing program, I decided to open up my list of Perks since level 20 had granted me one Perk Point and one Player Power Point and I hadn't yet examined my options.
PERKS
These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].
Currently, you have 1 PerkP.
Most perks have multiple levels, allowing the Player to take improved versions of a per if they so wish.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Ambidextrous
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Force Prodigy
…
Available Perks:
Bookworm
Boosted Growth Mark 2
Brainiac Mark1
Cat's Grace Mark1
Cult of Personality Mark1
Dominant Mark1
Enhanced Regeneration Mark1
Heart of the Force [1/2]
Giant's Strength Mark1
Iron Skin Mark1
Luck of the Force Mark1
Medic Mark1
One with Beasts
One with Nature
Physical Regeneration Mark1
Stat Limit Boost Mark1
Style Mark1
Wisdom of the Ancients Mark1
…
These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].
Currently, you have 1 PerkP.
Most perks have multiple levels, allowing the Player to take improved versions of a per if they so wish.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Ambidextrous
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Force Prodigy
…
Available Perks:
Bookworm
Boosted Growth Mark 2
Brainiac Mark1
Cat's Grace Mark1
Cult of Personality Mark1
Dominant Mark1
Enhanced Regeneration Mark1
Heart of the Force [1/2]
Giant's Strength Mark1
Iron Skin Mark1
Luck of the Force Mark1
Medic Mark1
One with Beasts
One with Nature
Physical Regeneration Mark1
Stat Limit Boost Mark1
Style Mark1
Wisdom of the Ancients Mark1
…
Bookworm, Dominant, Enhanced Regeneration, Luck of the Force, One with Beasts/Nature, Physical Regeneration and Style were all the same as before, while Boosted Growth Mark 2 increased my XP gains for all things by another ten per cent.
Of the new perks, Brainiac, Cat's Grace, Cult of Personality, Giant's Strength, Iron Skin and Wisdom of the Ancients lowered the time required to upgrade a stat – INT, AGI, CHA, STR, VIT and WIs respectfully – by ten per cent. While that was nice, it wasn't a big deal currently as I'd already increased Intelligence and Wisdom in just over half a year. In the future, however, those perks could be extremely useful though as the help menu stated that it became harder and harder to increase a stat.
Medic increased the HP boost from any applied medicine – whether that was from a bacta patch or an injection – that was used by me by fifty per cent. That seemed to suggest it would also apply if I used a bacta patch on someone else. However, with Force Heal, a boost to HP restorations from medicine was a low priority.
Stat Limit Boost was exactly what it said. An increase in physical stat limit of 10. That would mean, provided those stats stayed balanced, each could reach about 25 before hitting the limit. It was something to consider for the future.
However, what truly had my interest, and provided the Player Power list didn't contain something extreme I would take, was Heart of the Force [1/2].
That perk – which the interface said was available due to the Force itself finding a place for me in its seeking of balance – would lift my FP per level to 650, double my FP regeneration and increase my midi-chlorian count to over twenty thousand. From what I understood and remembered, that was Anakin/Vergence in the Force range.
The only major downside, and this was because the interface said it was manipulating midi-chlorians and thus risked aggravating the Force, was that it required one PP and one PPP.
The boost in FP and regen was certainly worth it, but if I took Heart of the Force, I'd solidify a lot of the talk about me being The Chosen One. Sure, Nilas had said my fate was linked to Anakin's, but I hadn't given it much thought beyond me being his brother if he followed the path I was on, or rival if he didn't.
Yet, the more I realised that that kind of Force Power was nothing to sneeze at and I remembered that it was Sidious who was the real threat, not Anakin, the more I was inclined to take the Perk.
Add in in that TPTB had hinted at things worse that Sidious and his order of Sith and having more power to counter those threats made Heart of the Force the obvious choice.
Just to be sure, however, I examined the list for Player Powers.
PLAYER POWERS
These are powers and skills that are unique to The Player and earned by spending Player Power Points [PPP].
Currently, you have 1 PPP.
Many Player Powers have requirements that depend on the Player's level, or stat values and will remain hidden until their requirements are met.
Some Player Powers grant abilities that mirror, or even surpass, what many consider to be 'Dark-Side Force powers' so be careful when using them around 'Light-side Force users'.
Currently, you have the following Player Powers:
Inventory
Player's Mind
Player's Body
Observe
Silent Interface
…
Available Powers
Colour Shift
Enlarge/Shrink
Heart of the Force [2/2]
Glamours
Greater Minimap Mark 1
Enhanced Inventory
Superior Inventory
Upgraded Minimap Mark 1
…
These are powers and skills that are unique to The Player and earned by spending Player Power Points [PPP].
Currently, you have 1 PPP.
Many Player Powers have requirements that depend on the Player's level, or stat values and will remain hidden until their requirements are met.
Some Player Powers grant abilities that mirror, or even surpass, what many consider to be 'Dark-Side Force powers' so be careful when using them around 'Light-side Force users'.
Currently, you have the following Player Powers:
Inventory
Player's Mind
Player's Body
Observe
Silent Interface
…
Available Powers
Colour Shift
Enlarge/Shrink
Heart of the Force [2/2]
Glamours
Greater Minimap Mark 1
Enhanced Inventory
Superior Inventory
Upgraded Minimap Mark 1
…
Of the new options, Greater Minimap would increase the range of the minimap to 5km. That was something I'd been hoping for, though with Heart of the Force [2/2] being there, it wasn't a "must-have now" choice.
The same could be said of Upgraded Minimap, which allowed me to see hidden locations, be they passages, rooms or alcoves, within range.
Superior Inventory doubled the number of slots available to me. Not really that useful, as I could work around the slot limit by using bags and would prefer Enhanced Inventory over this power.
Honestly, I had hoped for a greater choice, but since I was focused on Heart of the Force, it wasn't a major problem that the list of Player Powers was lacking.
Quickly, I took spent the Perk Point and Player Power Point to gain Heart of the Force as a perk and grinned as it took effect.
I now had 13,000FP – up from 10,000 a moment ago – and a regen rate of 260FP/minute, though that fell to 240FP/minute while Telepathic Shield (T-S) was active. Which was whenever I was around other people on the off chance that I accidentally ran into someone with the ability to read minds.
"I understand that you wish to free these people, Padawan However, showing enjoyment in the coming battle is not a trait worthy of a Jedi," Dooku stated firmly, having picked up on my happiness at the upgrade in my Force Power via our bond.
Even with T-S maxed, both he and Fay could sense my feelings, and communicate telepathically with me, because of our shared bond when close enough. Which made Force Bonds both a blessing and a curse as the more people I bonded with, the more could still sense my moods even with T-S active.
"Yes, Master," I replied, bringing my thoughts back to the upcoming engagement.
Though I did wonder how the improvements in my power levels would affect my actions in the coming minutes.
Only time would tell.
…
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Cathedral of the Past 3
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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"Can you see the Jedi?" asked the Duros, as he adjusted the grip on his blaster.
He and five others lay on a small hill overlooking the staging area for their operations as the gentle rumble of thunder echoed across the sky. Their attention was focused on a small vessel that had just landed in said staging area.
"No, but the ramp is lowering. We'll have a shot in a moment," replied a Weequay as he stared through the sights of a large rifle that he was aiming towards landed ship. Three others next to him were doing the same while the fifth was aiming a large tubed object, probably some kind of rocket launcher, at the ship as well.
"I always wanted to kill a Jedi," the Human with the tube stated with a chuckle as he fiddled with a small console on the side of the launcher.
"Perhaps I can help with that," I said as I dropped Force Camouflage and ignited my lightsaber from a few metres behind them. "Though I doubt you'll succeed."
My blade hissed as a few drops of rain hit the now formed blade.
As they rolled, sat and turned to face me, I noted that they all stared at me with wide eyes as the two lacking heavy weapons pulled blaster pistols from their belts.
A flick of my finger and all of the weapons were wrenched from their grasp and sent tumbling down the other side of the hill. The action caused most of them to lose their balance and fall or stumble.
Several of them called out in panic and shock even as I smirked.
"Surrender. You are already beaten," I said, probably taking a bit too much enjoyment in seeing their reactions.
"There's six of us," the one who kept his balance snarled as his eyes narrowed and he pulled a pair of knives from his belt. "And only one of you brat."
"True enough," I replied, as my smirk grew, as I shifted into a Soresu opening stance. "Luckily for you, my master asked me to try and take you alive."
Admittedly, I could have just used TK or Stun to take them out without alerting them to my presence, but I wanted to see how easily I could handle a small group of combatants in melee combat.
While this increased the risk to me, with my massively increased boost to FP regen I could run Precog and Bullet-Time for over twenty minutes before I'd have to worry about low FP.
And that was after Teleporting here from the ship, then using Force Camouflage for a full minute until I was in position behind the slavers and Detection running constantly since we'd began landing procedures.
The knife-wielder stepped forward, answering the challenge, even as the others began to pull out their secondary weapons.
"Jedi really are stoopa," he chuckled before attacking me with an exploratory thrust.
I easily evaded the probe and grazed his forearm with my lightsaber, making sure to not sever it. Merely, doing just enough damage to force him to drop that knife.
"Sadly, some of them are, yes," I replied, taking probably a touch too much enjoyment in what I was doing for most Jedi's tastes. I brought my blade up and removed his other hand before casually deflecting away a blast from one of the other slavers who had unclipped as a pistol from their belt.
"I'm not."
The now one-armed man was sent tumbling backwards into two of his fellows with a gentle Force Blast. I activated Force Speed and moved forward before any of them could react and sliced through two of the blaster pistols that were aimed at me, then drove an elbow into the throat of the last slaver, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"Again, surrender," I snarled after moving back to restore the distance between us and deactivating Force Speed. "For your own sakes."
"ARAGH!" one-hand man, his jaw tense and his eyes wild, roared as he stood and charged at me.
I side-stepped his wild haymaker and drove my elbow into the side of his head before bring my foot down on the back of his knee, sending him crumbling to the ground.
Showing a level of stupidity that I hadn't expected, two of the others dual-charged me while unarmed.
A few twists and turns later, and they joined one-hand on the ground and out of the fight, though they at least, managed to keep all their extremities.
"We give up!" One of the others called out as I turned to face them.
"Good choice," I stated as I lowered, but did not depower, my lightsaber. "Here, each of you cuff yourselves to one of them," I added as I tossed three sets of restraining cuffs that I'd clipped to my belt before leaving the raider.
I could have pulled three sets from my inventory but doing that would have aroused Dooku's curiosity as to where they had come from. Thus, before we had left the temple-ship, I had placed a pile of a dozen or so cuffs on the raider.
Dooku hadn't said anything about the pile, but since he'd asked me to secure these six without killing them, I believed he was satisfied with my foresight.
Or he simply wished to see if I could deal with simple opponents like these without resorting to killing. Sometimes it was hard to tell with him as he could be very uncaring to those that he felt were beneath him.
"Now what?" the Duros asked, having been one of the three who chose to surrender. He was currently cuffed to the one-handed man; thankfully to the arm that had still a hand.
"Now we walk back to your base," I replied, pointing in that direction with my lightsaber.
"But they're out of it." Complained a pale-skinned Human, tugging his cuffed arm and making the Weequay he was cuffed to shake around like a rag doll.
"Well, you can either carry or drag them. However, if they get injured because of your dragging, they might have some choice words for you when they come to," I replied with a smile that exposed my teeth. "Now get going."
The three grumbled but moved. The Duros heaving one-hand onto his shoulders while the two Humans dragged the two Weequays they were linked to.
It took us about twenty minutes to make it back to the base camp, where we found Dooku standing guard over eight slavers. While they all appeared in good condition – save the two missing parts of an arm, or the one lacking a leg below the knee – four bodies were piled against a crate. Given to the fact none were moving – and had rather obvious lightsaber marks to their chests – it was easy to tell that they hadn't been smart or quick enough to surrender.
"Hmm, you managed to take them all alive," Dooku commented as I directed my prisoners to join the others. One-hand snarled at me even as the Duros pulled him along. "And with only one missing an extremity. Satisfactory."
I took the praise as I pulled one of the two daggers used by one-hand and passed it to Dooku.
"That one was armed with these," I said as he took the weapon from me, hilt first, and turned it over in his grip. "Something feels different about the blades."
I knew exactly what that was, as thanks to using Observe on the two daggers, I knew they were coated in phrik. This made them extremely durable and, most intriguingly, lightsaber resistant.
If possible, I planned to keep the blades as having a pair of daggers that were so durable, and lightsaber resistant, available would help in the event I was ever forced to work without my lightsaber. Or for dealing with a certain Sith Lord during the invasion of Naboo.
"Hmm." Dooku ignited his lightsaber and placed the blade of the knife against the energy blade. His eyebrow quirked slightly in surprise as the knife didn't melt when the lightsaber touched it.
Dooku depowered his lightsaber. "That is because it is either coated, or entirely made, from phrik; A rare and expensive metal that, among its other properties, can stand up to strikes from a lightsaber." He explained as he handed the knife back to me and clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt.
"Why would a slaver have such weapons?" I asked as I clipped the knife back to my belt.
Provided I could explain away their disappearance, those knives were going in my Inventory. The potential usefulness of a regular blade that could deflect a lightsaber could not be understated.
"An excellent question, and one this group were more than happy to answer after some persuasion," Dooku replied as we turned away from the restrained slavers. "It appears that this planet is a source phrikite, the main ore from which phrik is processed."
"Ah. That explains the mining operation then. Phrik must be valuable, especially to those who would expect to oppose the Jedi."
Dooku nodded and the corner of his lips twitched upwards. "Indeed. The momentary confusion of why a blade could block a lightsaber has been the downfall of many Jedi and Sith over the millennia."
I glanced at the fourteen cuffed slavers. "If their leader told the truth, there are a further seven in the mine." I paused and reached out fully with Detection.
I then rotated the minimap to try to work out the exact locations below us.
"I've got a group of three perhaps five hundred metres inside the mine. The rest, slavers and slaves, have split into two groups of about a hundred each, though I am unable to tell which are which, nor how to reach them."
"I imagine that building would contain a map of the mine," Dooku said, indicating the largest of four buildings that stood around the entrance to the mine. While his face did not show any emotion, I thought I could see amusement in his eyes as he spoke.
Three of the buildings looked capable of providing shelter, though minimal at best, while the forth was nothing more than a roof that held a few crates and had a track that led into the mine, which meant it was used as a store for whatever came out of the mine.
I jogged to the main building, which given to the large satellite dish on the roof, probably served as the control and communication centre for the camp.
It didn't take me long to reach the command centre in the building, or to access the data from the main computer.
I copied the rough map of the mine to a datapad that was lying on a table, while also making a mental note of the layout, before adding a sixteen-digit security code to the computer. Honestly, having Eidetic Memory made creating long, random codes so much more useful that in real life.
As I stepped back from the computer, I wondered just why computer security seemed so lax in this galaxy. Oh sure, I had to slice my way into many computers that I needed access to, but it seemed far, far too easy to do with a skill that was only in the mid-Professional range. Though I always did boost it with Enhance Skill, which granted about a twenty-five per cent boost to any given skill.
Perhaps the reason it seemed easy to slice was that I'd only been doing so on pirate/slaver and non-secure systems. I hadn't yet risked attempting to slice my way into a secure system like the Jedi Temple or Senate, though not for lack of thinking about it.
However, there was always the chance that security was lax in general in the Republic due to the lack of major conflict over the last millennium.
Still, that was a train of thought for another time, and I quickly left the command centre, datapad in hand, and returned to Dooku.
"Keep it," he said after I explained what was on the pad and moved to hand it to him. "As I have already stated, your ability to sense others with the Force far surpasses my own. To not let you guide us would be a foolish waste of that ability."
"Yes, master," I replied, just about managing to keep a smile from my face. "What about the prisoners? Should we move them onto the raider?"
"Sleep," Dooku said as he waved his arm towards the group and I chuckled once as they all slumped. "That will keep them docile until we return."
"I installed a passcode on the computer as well on the off chance that one manages to wake and escape the restraints, it is unlikely they would be able to overcome it before we return," I added as we moved towards the mine entrance.
I wasn't looking for praise, merely informing him of the information. It did, however, bring another twitch to his lower lip.
"Indeed. Excellent thinking."
Any further conversation was cut off as we stepped into the mine. While there were lights down the side of the wall, they were very dim, and it made the path hard to see.
Before I could activate Force Sight, Dooku solved the light problem by igniting his lightsaber.
"The first group should be just up ahead and around a turn," I stated as I glanced down at the datapad and the contained map of the mine. Though that was just for show, as the map was now superimposed on my minimap, but I had to keep up the pretence of needing the pad.
"Very well. Wait here while I subdue them," Dooku ordered as we reached the turn and he disappeared from visual sight. That just meant I would have to track his progress via my Detection-enhanced minimap.
"Your fellow slavers have been subdued. Surrender now if you wish to live." Dooku's threat echoed from around the corner.
"Why? We've got nearly two hundred hostages here. If you don't leave, we'll kill them." Came the voice of one of the slavers in response. While his words sounded strong, I thought I sensed fear and concern coming from all three slavers.
"A foolish threat. If you kill the slaves, there will be nothing preventing me from permanently disabling you. Nor turning you over to the freed prisoners upon the station in orbit of the planet."
Dooku's retort had been cold – I could hear the menace in his tone from here – but if it convinced them to surrender, I had no issues with it. Other Jedi probably would though.
"You're lying!" the slaver screeched back. "You're a Jedi and are sworn to follow the rules of the Republic."
"While that is correct, if you are dead, who is there to challenge any report I submit to the Senate?" I laughed quietly at Dooku's words, knowing that in his place, I'd probably have said something similar. "The choice is yours."
A mumbled garble of voices echoed to me, but it was too quiet for me to detect.
The silence stretched on for almost a minute before the slaver called out.
"Fine. We give up, but we want assurances."
"You have my word that your former slaves will not be allowed to judge you. That is all I will grant you." Dooku replied, in no mood to mince his words. "And what about your fellows who are with the two groups of prisoners further within this mine?"
"Wha… How?" The slaver stumbled over his words and I allowed myself a grin. Dooku had used my ability to sense others with Detection to drive home just how outmatched the remained slavers were.
"Will they surrender as well?" Dooku asked, cutting off the slaver, and exploiting his confusion and panic.
"Um, yeah, yeah. Just give me a minute."
The voices again became mumbled.
"I've called them," the slavers shouted out after a few minutes had passed. "They're coming to join us."
"And your prisoners?"
"Th-they'll stay where they are. Once here, we'll give you the control devices for their collars." The slaver replied though he didn't sound confident.
[Padawan, please inform me if that is true.] Dooku asked telepathically through our bond.
[Yes, master.]
It was a good thing we could use our Force Bond communicate telepathically at range as otherwise, I'd require a direct line of sight to use Force Telepathy. I hoped that restriction would be removed as the power levelled up.
[Master, ten beings are leaving the slave groups.] I said as my minimap showed me that. [Based on the numbers we learnt from the Bothan, there should only be four more in the mine.]
"How many of your fellow slavers are down below?" Dooku asked.
"Four," the lead slaver replied quickly. "They'll be here in a few minutes."
[I suspect they are bringing hostages to try to force our hand. Is it safe for you to travel there and see?] Dooku asked.
[Using the map, and where they are walking, I believe I can appear behind both groups safely.] I replied as I glanced at the interface and saw I had about seventy per cent my FP.
[Then do so. And do not worry about disabling them cleanly. Dishonestly is an undesirable trait in a beaten foe.]
I activated Force Sight as I imagined the tunnels further down were not much better lit that here, and mentally calculated I had no more than ten minutes to take out the slavers in the tunnels before the group that Dooku was dealing with began to wonder where their companions were.
As I emerged from the first teleport, I found myself near a corner in the tunnels with a group of three just around the corner.
A few seconds of reviewing the Detection-boosted minimap confirmed they hadn't reacted to the light given off by my teleport – a small tactical problem with the ability – and I moved quickly towards them.
Thanks to Force Sight, the moment I moved around the corner, I could easily see that the two slavers were behind the two slaves: using them as shields. Each held a small pistol that was aimed at the back of one of the slaves.
I hit them with a Stun and then caught the bodies with TK to prevent the sounds of them crashing to the floor from reverberating through the tunnels.
"Stay here and secure him," I said to the two bewildered slaves as I tossed them a set of restraining cuffs and took the pistols. Hopefully, that would prevent them from killing the slaver in retribution or at least limit their ease to do so.
"I'm a Jedi," I added as I quickly lit my lightsaber.
"What about the others?" a human male asked as he took the cuffs, his hands trembling as he spoke.
"We're working to secure the mine. After they're secure, head back to your fellow prisoners and lead them out of the mine."
Before he could reply, I teleported away.
Sadly, the arrival this time wasn't as successful.
I stumbled as I appeared about ten centimetres above the ground and ended up kicking a large rock.
"Huh, where did you come from?" A Klatooinian snapped as he and the other slaver – a human – turned and pointed their blasters at me.
I didn't respond verbally. Instead, I used the Force to pull their blasters from their grips even as I stunned then both.
As they crumpled to the ground, I slid the two blasters into my belt and pulled out another set of cuffs.
"Wh-who are you?" A brown-skinned Twi'lek male tremored as I knelt next to the two stunned slavers.
"A Jedi," I replied as I cuffed the pair together. "We've already secured the station and the base camp."
"Bu… how, when?" the human asked as his eyes darted between me and his former captors.
"Just today," I answered as I stood and swatted my padawan braid out of my face. "Look, I'll explain everything later, but I need you to the head back to the others and lead them to the surface."
"I'll be heading to the surface with these two," I added as I floated the pair of slavers into the air – ignoring the way both freed slaves stared at me with open mouths – and lifted the other two slavers from distance.
[Slavers secured.] I sent over the Force Bond as I began to walk. [And the slaves should be on their way to the surface soon.] I added as Detection showed the other group of slaves were beginning to move on mass.
[Good. I will have the entrance secured by the time you arrive.] Dooku replied.
When I reached the entrance, I found he had been true to his word. The three slavers who had blocked the mine shaft were all slumped with the others, though none were missing any appendages.
"Did they provide any trouble?" Dooku asked as I placed the three that I had captured with the rest.
"No. Honestly, I doubt any expected a Jedi to just appear behind them," I answered with a wide grin, proud of how this had gone.
"Yes, it is an unusual ability you have. One of many. Still, do not become overconfident Padawan, Dooku warned. "No matter how powerful you become, you can still die as easily anyone."
There went my grin. "Yes, master."
He gave me a single nod, and then moved to the entrance of the mine as the first of the freed slaves began to emerge.
As he dealt with them and directed them to the barracks where the food stores were located, I noted that all the slaves in the mine were male. It seemed that the slavers had preferred to keep the females on the ship serving them while using the threat against the females and younglings as a further control method for the males. Effective, if disgusting.
With the planet now secured, that left only the slavers who sold the ore and slaves in Hutt Space to deal with. From what Dooku had discovered, the freighter was due back in two to three days.
Before then, however, we would have to transport all the freed slaves from the planet to the station and determine what they wished to do.
Though I did note that there wasn't a single Zabrak among the freed males. Combined with not finding Tedra's mother on the temple-ship, I was concerned that her parents were now gone.
I needed to speak with Dooku about her. However, that, like most other things related to today, would have to wait until we returned to the temple-ship.
...
"This is stupid!" Tedra snapped, as she slapped away the cup that rested between us, sending it clattering across the floor, until it came to rest against the wall of the room where we were.
It was the day after securing the base camp and shuttling everyone up to the temple-ship; with Dooku delegating me to ferry them from the planet. I'd grumbled and muttered about not being a taxi driver but had done as he'd ordered.
After that, I had sought out Tedra and told her there was no sign of her mother or any other Zabrak on the surface.
She hadn't taken it well, and I'd held her and spoken softly as she cried, offering what comfort I could.
Once the crying had turned in to sniffles, I had explained that I sensed a potential to use the Force within her, but I needed to do a blood check first.
After her tear-stained eyes snapped open, she had all but dragged me to the spartan medical bay the slavers had set up and thrust her arm towards me.
Dooku, who had followed us after spotting Tedra yanking me down a corridor, had used a device he had to read her midi-chlorian count.
He had confirmed that her count was high, just over twelve thousand, though he had tempered her joy – she'd grinned madly at hearing that and leapt down from the bed – by explaining that she was, perhaps, too old to be taken in by the Jedi.
While that had deflated her mood, he had suggested that I could explain some of the basics of the Jedi Order to her and explained to me telepathically that if she was not taken, having someone outside the order who was trained in the Force was potentially useful for our plans for the future.
That was why I found myself the following day sitting in one of the hastily arranged sleeping areas on the temple-ship attempting to have her lift a cup.
"How so?" I asked.
"What good is moving a cup?" She shot back. "I want a lightsaber!" Her eyes brightened as they darted to my belt.
I chuckled and shook my head. "First, the ability to move an object with the Force is one of the most basic abilities used by any Force-wielder. It was that very ability that helped me when Master Dooku and I arrived on this station."
"How so?" Asked Reithe from one of the bunks where he sat with a few of the other freed slaves.
He, like them, had been interested in what Jedi training was, and I saw no problem with them watching my session with Tedra. Demystifying the Jedi, and the stories surrounding them, while also earning the trust and respect of the freed slaves felt like the right thing to do.
"When we landed, I used telekinesis to disarm the slavers. While they still had backup weapons, the confusion allowed Masker Dooku and me to assess the situation and subdue everyone." That was the story Dooku and I had agreed upon, not just for telling the freed slaves, but for the Jedi Council as well.
It seemed that Dooku was well versed in spinning a tale to satisfy their questions without revealing details that would raise a ruckus.
"It's too hard!" Tedra fumed, crossing her arms as her eyes narrowed and bore into the cup.
I grasped the cup with TK and lifted it back to us, letting it rotate a few times as it did. "Patience, grasshopper," I said as I brought it to rest in its original position. "If this was easy, everyone could do it. And once you have mastered the basic, we can move on to more advanced uses of the power."
"Whoa!" Tedra screamed out as slowly, carefully, I lifted her and the other dozen or so children in the room.
They all called out, their eyes enlarging in surprise before most starting to laugh and smile as I floated them around for a minute before lowering them down to where they started.
"Now, do you want to be able to do that?" I asked Tedra.
She nodded so rapidly I was worried it would fall off, only to stop and frown. "What's a grasshopper?"
I laughed hard for a moment before pointing at the cup. "I'll tell you once you lift that."
……
"What have you managed to learn from the ship's databanks?" Dooku asked that evening as we met in a small room near the command centre of the temple-ship.
I sighed. "Not much. The computers – like much of the ship – are ancient, and the slavers were clearly not concerned about the original programming when they took the place over. However, I did determine that the ship was launched during the reign of Supreme Chancellor Contispex the nineteenth. I don't recognize the name." I finished with a frown.
From those computers, I had also learnt that the various large prayer rooms on the ship had been covered in ostentatious decorations. However, like with their general treatment of the ship, the slavers had shown little concern for anything of historical value. After stripping and selling anything that monetary value, it had left the interior a husk pock-marked where decorations, trapping and even light fittings were missing.
That took away from any majesty the vessel might have had, just as the damage – from age and battle – had done to the various large, dominant temple spires and towers done to the exterior.
Where once I could imagine large, brightly lit corridors and extravagant rooms, there now were dark, foreboding caverns linked by narrow-feeling tunnels with little to no light.
Dooku rubbed his beard. "Hmm. If that is genuine, then it confirms my suspicion about this vessel." He paused and lazily waved his hand, making the door close.
"The Contispex dynasty ruled the Republic, or a precursor to the current one, around eleven thousand years ago."
I wasn't able to stop myself gawking at hearing that, even as he continued.
"While the technology of the ship is unlikely to be of any value, the cultural significance of discovering such a vessel is impressive. I will need to consult with the Council of First Knowledge and Master Nu in the archives to decide how we handle this."
"Will that involve revealing this system to the Republic?" I asked, getting a hold on my shock at discovering the age of the vessel, and marvel at the quality of the construction that had gone into making something that could still be space worthy millennia later.
"That is highly likely." No question was asked, but his brow rose a fraction.
I indicated the closed door before I spoke. "From what I've heard, most of the freed slaves do not wish to return to the Republic. They want to keep the mine running and set up a small colony on the planet instead of going back to their ruined lives. I was also thinking that as it is off most maps, this system has possible usages for our plans."
"Continue."
"While the planet is far too close to Hutt Space to serve as a haven for Jedi, perhaps it could instead be used as a staging ground for operations against the Hutts and other slavers. I mean, there's no point in us talking about fixing the failings of the Order and the Republic if we continue to allow slavery to exist." I said calmly.
Going after the Hutts/slavers was an easy way to create the basis of a combat group and provide training for if/when I managed to convince others to follow me.
That it would also help ingratiate myself with Anakin was a nice bonus.
"And you expect these freed slaves to be the first of this group?" Dooku asked, only to shake his head. "Somehow, I sense that this is linked to your insistence regarding the Mandalorians."
Had I kept subtly pushing Mandalore as a place to visit? Maybe. But I had my reasons.
Even if the Republic and the New Mandalorians liked to believe that they had convinced the people to embrace peace, the fact the Death Watch would still exist by the time of the Clone Wars proved that assertion was not entirely true.
That willingness to fight, if it was still as fearsome claimed by Canderous in KOTOR, could be harnessed for the core of a new force I could build to oppose Sidious.
And having a group of soldiers at my side would help prepare me, and the Jedi around me, for the war to come. Though before I could harness that reputation and ability, I had to deal with convincing the New Mandalorians that I wasn't a threat to their ideals and neutralize the leader of the Death Watch.
Pre Vizsla was on my list of people to remove/convince to my side and given to the willingness he had shown to lording it over villagers in TCW cartoon, I suspected he would have to be removed.
And in no way was the idea of wielding the Darksaber along with my own lightsaber influencing my reasoning.
I did hope, however, to convince Vizsla's second, Bo-Katan. Apart from being Satine's sister, she wanted to fight but did not become a criminal or allow someone like Maul to take over Death Watch and Mandalore.
That meant she wasn't just interested in being a thug, but in restoring Mandalore to its warrior past. That sense of honour, however misplaced it was in Death Watch, was something I felt I could use to convince her to see things my way and prepare for the war to come.
About the only issue regarding her, and many others, was their indeterminate age as I suspected many would chafe at following me if I was a decade, or more, younger than them.
"No, master," I replied with a partial smirk at him thinking I was trying to use this situation to bring up Mandalore again. "More that the anger shown by those freed here has to be controlled.
Harnessed. I know it isn't the Jedi way, but we can't expect them to simply forget about what has happened and let go of their anger and resentment."
"Indeed. The incident this morning is likely the first of many." Dooku added, referring to an attempt by Baalta and four others to gain access to the cargo holds where the captured slavers were being held.
"Plus, we still don't know exactly when the last of the slavers will return. Or if they will come alone. There will come a time when these people need to learn to defend themselves without our help." I added, hoping to push him into allowing me to carry out my plan.
"And if they then use these newly learnt skills to attempt to free more slaves, then that is their choice," he finished, giving me a slight nod. "Your thinking, while not in keeping with expected Jedi methods, has potential. However, we cannot force these people to learn to fight, or engage other slavers."
"I understand master. Though I've already had several people ask me about what training and/or weaponry we are willing to give them." This group was being led by Pad Keba, an older Twi'lek male who been enslaved for at least five years and had learnt that his wife and daughter had been sold to the Hutts.
The anger he felt was understandable and useable. But I had to be careful as Observe suggested he was little more than a rapid Gutkurr. Whatever that was it didn't sound good, though I suspected it was a local variant of the rabid dog analogy.
"Yes, I have also been approached." He leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard.
After nearly a minute of silence, during which I had begun to fidget just a touch under his firm gaze, he spoke again.
"For now, they do need to be armed and minimally trained, as the remaining slavers are due back tomorrow or the day after," he finally allowed. "And we cannot discount the possibility that they will return with reinforcements. Many of the prisoners have hinted at them having support from someone in power in Hutt space, perhaps even one of the dominant kajidics. If that is the case, we should expect a brutal reprisal."
"Then how do we go about training them?" I asked.
Sure, I had methods that would work from my past life, but I couldn't just come out and suggest them here. At least, not until the basis of a plan was prepared.
Again, he stroked his beard before he replied. "I believe we first need to see whom in the group is willing to learn to fight, then once we have that group, determine which will only fight in defence. Those that wish to strike out against the Hutts will require further training, and probably flight training in the raiders, though only once we can be certain that the remaining slavers have been dealt with."
"That leaves us two locations to fight from: here or the planet." I began as he stopped.
"While this ship has narrow corridors and works to funnel opponents into traps and choke points, there is nothing from stopping an attacking force from boarding through one of the currently sealed landing bays. Or anywhere around the hull as there are large areas that are open to space and the internal bulkheads would be easier to breach than the outer hull.
"The planet, while lacking those natural choke points and traps, helps to control the direction the attackers would come from. They either must land as we did in the camp, or in a clearing several kilometres away.
"However, the exposed nature of the camp makes it likely they would conduct strafing runs on the camp and surrounding area before landing. We could counter that by stripping a raider or two for laser cannons and shields, but in the time that we have that is unlikely to work."
I stopped there as I realised that I'd let my thoughts slip and been more detailed than I probably should have.
I looked at Dooku who had tilted his head a fraction to the right as he watched me.
"Uh, sorry. I've just been giving this some thought." I said, pulling my head back into my shoulders.
"Indeed. I am most impressed with the way you identified the two possible battlefields and assessed their strengths and weaknesses," he paused and picked up a datapad. "However, before we can consider our choice of battlefield, we must determine who is willing to fight, and who is not and must be placed in as safe a location as we can manage."
As he slid the datapad over to me, I sighed. "And I've been picked to ask everyone. Wonderful." I drawled, making his lips twitch.
"This is your plan, and while I cautiously agree with everything you have said, I wish to examine how you handle yourself when placed in a position of command." He replied as I stood. "And before you suggest you are too young for such an assignment, don't. Neither Master Fay nor I would be taken in by such a weak argument. You are far beyond others your age in both your prowess with the Force and the capacity for intelligent, rational decisions."
"Yes, master," I said, one corner of my mouth pressing tight, as I turned and left the room.
This was the only downside of showing myself to be more competent that even an average Jedi Padawan. Having to follow through on my ideas.
Though I suspected that even if I was just a normal Padawan, Dooku would still have tasked me with getting the lists of who would fight and who wouldn't/couldn't. Even so, however, I doubted whether he would have allowed me to voice my plans and ideas so freely.
...
Just shy of two weeks later, and there was still no sign of the missing slavers, either just the freighter or an assault force to retake the operation.
In that time, I had determined that a little over two hundred of the almost three hundred slaves were willing to fight to defend the system and claim it as their own. The only ones who didn't want to, or wouldn't be allowed to, were those wishing to return to the Republic or those too old or young to fight.
Several of the teenagers, led by Reithe, had pushed that if I was allowed to fight, they should be allowed also, but Dooku and the elder former slaves had explained why I was a unique situation and how it was for the children that many were willing to fight.
In the end, the teenagers had been allowed to train, but would only serve as relay runners around the temple-ship, which Dooku and I had decided offered the best chance of success at driving back a slaver attack.
Now, with no sign of the slavers returning, Dooku had arranged to take two of the raiders and the children with no parents to Coruscant.
He planned to place those returning with the Refugee Relief Movement and divert some of the credits I'd arranged from The Fellowship of the Ring to be granted to them to give them a chance to start again.
I had countered that idea by giving him the next novel in the series, 'The Two Towers'.
I'd done this as I wanted a fresh revenue stream to access without diverting anything from helping the Shadda-Bi-Borans resettlement efforts. While this was influenced heavily by the quest linked to helping as many of the people survive as possible, it wasn't the only reason.
A fresh revenue stream would be useful in not just helping the Lokella securing their hold on this system – which still lacked a proper name – but it would allow me to begin acquiring capital for other plans that would need to be enacted for the future.
I hadn't revealed the second part of that to Dooku when explaining my reasoning, but the way he held my gaze for over a minute before replying suggested he suspected I had ulterior motives.
The children were to stay in the care of the Jedi until new homes and families could be arranged for them.
I had been insistent on that as I didn't want them just dumped by Dooku or the Order as the PR damage from such a thing would destroy whatever goodwill we generated from freeing the slaves.
When Dooku took Tedra to the Temple for testing, he would assemble a group to return that would firstly, examine the Pius Dea cathedral ship and secondly, continue the training of the Lokella; a word from Togruti that meant reborn.
The second group would be drawn from only the coalition we were forming, or those Dooku and the other members of our coalition felt would be willing to train the slaves to fight and had the potential to see things from our perspective.
While that would leave me alone for at perhaps two weeks, it was the only way we could approach this.
If I returned alone to the Jedi Temple, then there was a fair to strong chance the High Council would outright deny the request for help in defending the Lokella, probably by citing that the system was under the nominal control of the Hutts and thus outside Republic jurisdiction.
While leaving me to continue training the slaves would also be problematic when the reprisal attack came, there was more chance that the freed slaves would listen to me than the High Council. Mainly as Dooku had been actively pointing out that it was my actions that took out most of the raiders while also allowing me to handle the training of the Lokella who did not want to return to the Republic.
As the doors to the landing bay hissed open, I turned to see Dooku walk in with Tedra and the others that would be returning to Coruscant with him.
While taking four dozen people on one raider, and the prisoners on the other, would mean doubling up on bunks, Dooku had been clear that those that wanted or needed to leave did so while not reducing the already meagre defences those staying had fully.
Now one repurposed raider was all that existed for defence/scouting, with the vessel almost always on patrol with crews of ten rotating between it to ensure it was always on patrol, save for maintenance work and crew changes.
Everyone else, when not eating or sleeping, was busy preparing the station for an assault that had not arrived but, given the images I was seeing when I meditated, I was certain was on its way.
Now we would just have to hope that it did not arrive before Dooku returned with support. I suspected that the leaders of the Lokella would attempt to ignore me if the reprisal attack occurred before then, which meant that not only was I having to help plan out the defence strategy for the station, but I also had to come up with additional contingencies for if/when I was forced to act outside the nominal chain of command.
Any further thoughts drifted away as Tedra leapt and wrapped her arms around me in a fierce hug.
"I want to stay!" Her words were muffled by the fact her face was buried into my chest and I was thankful her head horns were not that large or sharp as she held on tight.
"I know you do, but you need to go to the Jedi Temple for training," I replied as soothingly as I could even as I gently stroked her hair-free head.
"Why can't you train me?" She asked as she pulled back enough that I could see her face and easily make out the signs of tears welling up in her eyes.
"While Cameron has done a remarkable job teaching you several basic Force abilities over the last week, he is still a Padawan learner, and unable to formally instruct you in the ways of the Jedi," Dooku explained calmly, though the way his eyes focused on me suggested that he wanted this to end quickly.
"Tedra," I began as I slowly eased her arms from around my waist, "at the Jedi Temple there are lots of beings like us that are strong in the Force. Many of whom will be your age."
"But I don't want to go!" She shouted as she stamped her foot.
"I know, but you need proper training in how to use your gifts," I said with a smile as I held her arms with my hands, preventing her from re-hugging me. "Then, once you are old enough, a Jedi Knight or Master will take you as a Padawan. Just as Jedi Master Dooku has done for me." I only referred to Dooku as a Jedi Master to help explain that he was not a master in the slaver sense.
While I now understood that lesson and Dooku did as well – and boy, did my early feelings on the usage of the title 'Master' seem stupid in retrospect – I was concerned that many in the Order did not.
If they were not careful around freed slaves such as those here, it could lead to misunderstandings which could be exploited to further damage the reputation of the Jedi Order. Then again, from what little I had seen on my travels over the last few years, said reputation wasn't that impressive in the Outer Rim to begin with.
"So, if I train hard, I could become your Padawan?" She asked with wide eyes and a wide-open mouth.
"It's possible, but for that to happen I'd have to become one of the youngest Jedi Knights in history," I replied slowly.
While I was working towards becoming a Jedi Knight before the invasion of Naboo – and had a quest to one before Padme became Queen – I was heavily leaning towards removing Anakin from Tatooine before then and taking him as my Padawan.
Yet, there was still the chance that I would allow Qui-Gon to train the boy, with me taking on a role as an older brother. Though that all depended on how integrated Qui-Gon became in the coalition, and if I was able to prevent his death during the invasion.
The less said about my stupidity in taking such an open-ended quest regarding changing Qui-Gon's fate, the better. But I regretted taking it, along with those for Dooku and Anakin. Honestly, I'd been far too overzealous in taking such quests in my first few years in this life, and was now wondering just how things could go wrong with them to royally screw me, and the galaxy, over; even worse than in canon.
"Even if it's not, I can help you to pick someone else to train you," I added on just as slowly. "I'm sure Jedi Master Dooku would also be willing to help with that."
Dooku's eyes narrowed for a split-second before Tedra turned his way and he gave a single nod. "There are a few Jedi whom I feel are capable of teaching but are currently free of a Padawan." He said neutrally.
"But I want you!" Tedra stated as she turned back to me, her chin quivering.
I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile, as I slowly released my hold on her arms.
"And I'd like to teach you. However, the Force often guides us to where we need to be, and who we need to be with when we least expect it. After all, it led us here, to you and the others."
Up until arriving in this system, I hadn't been willing to believe that but given that the golden halo-ed ships had been why we were on the transport that was attacked, I suspected that the Force did try to subtly push/guide those sensitive to it towards situations/events it felt helped bring balance.
Throw in the fact that Heart of the Force perk-player power combo was available due to the Force working out a role for me in its desire for balance, and that it was now willing to offer me suggestions, and I was more open to the idea of the Force guiding me. Though I still had misgivings about following those hints as I doubted all would work out as this one had, so far.
The whole concept that the Force was able to influence my interface – I hadn't received any message from TPTB to confirm or deny this – was a little terrifying. But if Revan, a Force ghost was able to access the interface to grant me a quest, it stood to reason that the Force would hint at directions for me from time to time.
"That's not fair!" Her head horns seemed to shake as she spoke, the tears beginning to form again.
"Life seldom is," I replied calmly. "I lost my grandfather to the Sith then became trapped on a starship. When I finally emerged at the Jedi Temple, I learnt that everyone I ever knew, ever cared for, had been dead for millennia.
"Yet, if that had not happened, I might never have become a Jedi, been taken as the learner of Jedi Master Dooku, or have met you." I finished with a smile and lightly tapped one of her head-horns.
"Cameron is correct," Dooku added and I looked up to see that everyone except for him and Tedra had boarded the raiders. "The Force has guided us to meet here, and once at the Temple, it becomes easier for you to meet with Cameron again."
Tedra nodded slowly, rubbed her eyes with the back of her sleeve, and looked into my eyes. "You will visit?"
I nodded and smiled. "Of course. And if the Force wishes it, we will train together again."
"OK," She returned my smile, but the sadness behind it was easy to see.
She slowly moved to the ramp, stopping once at the bottom to look back at me, before waving and stepping on.
"And another falls into your orbit."
I turned at Dooku's statement. "What?"
Dooku turned his gaze to me and gave me a rare, proper smile. "A private joke, Padawan. One Master Fay and I will explain once you are ready." He walked in his normal regal manner to the ramp before turning back to face me. "May the Force be with you."
"And with your master," I replied fighting off a sudden strange urge to add in a Vulcan salute before he entered the raider.
I stood and watched until it had left the bay before I two left the bay.
...
It had been just over a week since Dooku had left, and there still had not been a retaliatory strike by the slavers.
To say that left the station on edge would be an understatement, but unlike everyone else, I knew how to handle this. Serving in the military in my old life had taught me to be patient, to almost cherish this time to prepare as it gave us time to consider as many eventualities as possible.
Though currently, that wasn't what I was doing.
I was currently focusing on a sealed cylinder of nitrogen as I used my latest, and possibly most insane, Force Power, Inanimate Conversion.
It did what the name implied and allowed me to alter a substance at a rate of a hundred grams or millilitres per second. The starting downsides, however, were high. It cost me 5000FP per hundred grams/millilitres to use – though that would drop over time like the cost of all Force Powers – and I could only use it currently on gases of less than three atoms.
Which was why I was focusing on a sealed cylinder of nitrogen.
To make it even more tedious, I had to convert two hundred grams of gas a total of twelve times to level once. Adding in the fact I had to meditate to regenerate my FP after every two hundred grams, and it took over an hour of constant training to just to get a single level up.
Still, the potential for the power was immense.
The description stated that I'd be able to eventually turn any substance into another, provided that they were both inorganic. That suggested that I could maybe learn to do the same for organic matter, but I was certain that such an ability would be against the laws of nature/The Force.
Heck, Inanimate Conversion was classified as a dark-side ability according to the interface, though that was probably because it could lead to something like organic matter rearrangement.
Still, I now had an insane power which, once levelled up, would be almost ridiculous in how useful it would be. Transmutation.
Though it wasn't what I'd been trying for.
I had attempted to pull apart a rock of phrikite into its base minerals/metals, figuring it would be possible with the Force. However, the interface had told me what I was attempting wasn't something I could currently achieve.
Instead, it granted me Inanimate Conversion while stating that the power was the basic principle of Force alchemy and that with the right preparation/rituals I could lower the cost even further.
Though since all Force alchemy was classified as dark and banned by the Council of First Knowledge as well as the High Council, it was unlikely I'd be learning those rituals any time soon, if at all.
Since I was uncertain if I should mention this ability to Dooku and Fay, I figured I'd make the most of my time alone to level it up. Which was why I had spent every free moment or two over the last few weeks training the power.
As I finished the latest shift from nitrogen to oxygen, I leaned back and prepared to meditate, only for the door to chime.
I sighed and slowly stood, hoping this was not another pointless disagreement about my methods for training the Lokella. Or about shift rotations, or any of the other hundred little stupid, irritating problems that they always seemed to bring to me when they didn't want to take the responsibility for the decision or couldn't reach a consensus.
I knew I should be happy that they kept involving me in the decision making, as it meant that when the reprisal came, they would be more likely to listen to me. But if I had to settle one more argument about what ration packs should be opened, or who should be paired with who, I was probably going to fry someone with lightning.
I took a deep breath and reached out with the Force. Given to my time with the leadership I knew it was Baalta outside, and she was anxious about something.
Thanks to Empathy now being in the Master range, I was now able to sense the general feeling of everyone discovered by Detection, and there was a growing sense of unease/worry spreading through the ship. "Yes?"
The door opened with a pained hiss, meaning I'd have to fix the mechanism again, and the attractive purple-skinned Togruta stood there, her arms were crossed under her ample chest – which I did my best to not look at – and her fingers were tapping against her arms.
"They're here." She said in a voice that was barely above a whisper, and if not for the fact we were less than a few metres apart, I doubted I'd have heard.
"Who… Ah. Right." I moved forward and she turned to allow me to pass.
"Where and how many?" I asked as we began to walk.
"They're on the edge of the system," she began to reply, her arms still tightly wrapped around her stomach, "and there's four ships."
I didn't bother reaching out fully with the Force as sensing life across a whole star system was beyond me, even with Detection now being into the Savant strata.
"What type of ships and how large?"
She shook her head. "I, I don't know. I left as soon as the report came in, I left to get you." She replied before glancing down at the deck.
I stopped and placed my hands on hers. "Hey, we're going to be alright. You all trained for this and everyone knows what to do."
"But four ships?!"
I smirked up at her. "Well, that's why you've got me. Kicking pirates twice my size and ten times as badly smelling."
She chuckled once and seemed to stand just a little taller.
The rest of the short walk to the command centre was done in silence, but I noted that Baalta's anxiety had lessened considerably.
As I entered the command centre, I noted the way everyone was moving around. There was a nervous tension in the air, confirming what I had sensed with the Force. The voices were loud and most of the crew were unable to sit still.
I clapped my hands together. "So, what's the hubbub, bub?" I shouted, making everyone stop and focus on me. I had hoped the brief levity would lift the mood a touch, but it failed and most gave me strange/worried looks while a few glared at me for attempting to joke around in a serious situation.
"They're here," Pad replied with a snarl before glaring at the monitors. "Five vessels, two escorts like the ones we captured and three transports. One looks to be the missing freighter, but the other two are bigger. Over a hundred metres in length. Each."
"And our escort?" I asked, ignoring that he was trying to take credit for the slaves being free. It had been a recurring theme ever since Dooku had left. Thankfully, most of the Lokella weren't listening to his revisionist history. Probably because it was still too fresh, and they'd all been expecting the retaliation that was now upon us.
"I told them to stay out of range and track the incoming ships."
"Then all we can do is wait," I stated, again ignoring that the idea for our only starship to pull back and just observe had been my idea, not his.
According to the display that dominated the room, the attack force would be in weapons range of the temple-ship in about ten minutes. And it would be another ten minutes before they could begin to dock or breach.
With that in mind, and noting my FP was low from using Inanimate Conversion, I moved to a corner table and climbed on top of it.
"What the kriff are you doing?" Pad demanded as I crossed my legs.
"Meditating," I replied as I closed my eyes. "There is nothing we can do until they reach weapons range. Until then, we need to be patient and stay calm."
I ignored the spike in anger I sensed from him, mainly as he didn't rate as a threat in any sense of the word. I did, however, note that the feeling in the room became less repressive as I began to meditate to restore my FP.
I had a feeling that I would need it full for the battle to come.
…
2 points:
1: I am unsure which answer is correct regarding Cam's ease with slicing into computers as it is not something I can find detailed information about, but if anyone more knowledgeable in SW than I has an idea, I'm all ears.
2: Inanimate Conversion is just as OP'd as it sounds. I went back and forth on having Cam try to use Force Alchemy (without realising it) before deciding that this was the first step in that area.
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